Tuesday, October 19, 2010 – Naples, Italy – 70s – Partly Cloudy

Distance Traveled from Civitavecchia, Italy: 162 Nautical Miles

Our second chance in Naples – hopefully, this trip will not end in another Italian ER.  

We are on tour today “Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii”.  At first glance, that looks like a pretty ambitious itinerary. 

This excursion is different in that we don’t board a bus but rather a fast boat to the Island of Capri.  The ride to Capri – a little choppy – took about an hour.

 

On the boat to Capri

To get the city of Capri, you have to take a Funicular Train.  While crowded, the lines move fast.  The views from the city are great.

 

The Funicular Entrance

Capri – View from the top

We were pretty much on our own in Capri so we walked around the town.

A local resident – a Golden Bull

The Buca di Bacco Restaurant in Capri

We took the same boat from Capri to Sorrento.  This would be our lunch destination (please, nobody slip and get hurt).  The trip to Sorrento seemed pretty short.

Sorrento from the pier

Our lunch was at the La Fenice Restaurant and it consisted again of the usual faire – Cannelloni, Grilled Veggies, Wine, and assorted cakes (I liked the bread the best).  Not very gourmet (I was hoping for pizza).

La Fenice Restaurant

I asked the waiter about their pizza and he said they had the best pizza and I should come back later for a sample.  Sample, I thought, meant free.  When I walked back later (while the tour was shopping), he wanted five Euros for the pizza.  He was unwilling to sell me a slice – all I wanted – so there will be no “best pizza in the world” on this cruise.

 

Sorrento City Walls

I head down to the main shopping area, where I bought a Sorrento baseball cap for four Euros – a good deal.

Sorrento Main Shopping Street

I caught up with my group at the Shopping Stop and he boarded the bus to Pompeii.  On the way, I was able to capture Mt. Vesuvius on a gloomy day.

Mt Vesuvius

The tour of Pompeii proved to be problematic because several folks on the bus were unable to keep up with the group.  I stayed back with them to make sure they didn’t get lost.  Even though we were all carrying wireless receivers, it was still difficult to locate the tour guide at times.

The Harbor of Pompeii

La Porta Marina

We entered the area through La Porta Marina and stopped at the Temple of Apollo.  Then it was on to the Forum, the Temple of Jupiter (at the end of the Forum), an ancient bar, an ancient bakery, and a drinking fountain (devoted to the god, Hermes).  We also went to the largest home in Pompeii, Terme del Foro, complete with Roman Bath rooms.  Very elegant, even today.

Temple of Apollo

The Forum

The Temple of Jupiter at the Forum

One of many pubs at Pompeii

A bakery, complete with grain grinders

Terme Del Foro House Bath Room

We also got a chance to look at the artifacts including casts of some of the victims of Pompeii.  The guide explained that the casts were made by injecting liquid plaster (or something similar) into a covered individual.  The plaster filled the spaces left by the incinerated victim leaving a perfect statue like cast.  He also said they had done DNA testing on some of the bones and were able to tell something about the diet of the people of Pompeii (need to check that out – have my doubts).

We got everyone back to the bus even though I had to wait for some of the passengers while the rest of the group essentially exited the site.  We did find them on the main street of new Pompeii waiting for the bus.

Prior to getting to the port, we saw the skyscrapers of the new financial district in the distance.

No hospitals, everyone home safe and sound. 

Mission accomplished.

Monday, October 18, 2010 – Civitavecchia, Italy – 62F - Cloudy

Distance Traveled from Naples: 162 Nautical Miles

Civitavecchia is chilly and drizzly but the weather is bound to improve once we get on our way.

Getting reset for the next cruise is very simple – new Sea Pass Cards, new photographs down at the gangway and a re-swipe of our credit card and we are all set.

We have lunch in the Oceanview Cafe and watch the new batch of passengers lugging their bags trying to find their way around.

Back in Port at Civitavecchia

We have new waiters in the Dining Room but the same seats (a little tricky since they renumbered the seats between cruises but the M’D assured us that we have these seats for the rest of the cruise).

The menu is the same on both cruises so we have previewed everything.

We attended the Welcome Aboard Show this time – the A Cappella Group (Sound Decisions) did their Jersey Boys routine (done at the Farewell Show last cruise).  They do a very good Jersey Boys.

Soon we were on our way.

 

Civitavecchia Sail Away

Sunday, October 17, 2010 – Naples, Italy – 68F - Sunny

Distance Traveled from Messina: 167 Nautical Miles

Early wake up for our tour today:  “The Amalfi Coast and Pompeii” (a full day of touring).  This tour involves a boat ride from the town of Salerno along the Amalfi Coast to the city of Amalfi (some free time there), then back to Salerno for a bus ride to Pompeii for lunch followed by a walking tour of Pompeii.  Daniela is our tour guide – her English is near perfect.

 

Heading out on our tour

Mt Vesuvius is under a cloud layer

On our way to Salerno, we pass the picturesque village of Vietre.  The village got its name for the Italian word for glass because Vietre was once known for its glassworks.  The town has switched from glass to ceramics.

The Village of Vietre

The bus takes us to the pier to catch our tour boat.  The boat is comfortable enough and we grab seats on the upper level so we can take pictures. 

Our boat to the Amalfi Coast

On the boat together

Leaving Salerno

The ride is a bit bumpy in this small boat but the only issue is the difficulty in taking pictures on a swaying boat.  The Amalfi Coast lives up to its worldwide reputation and is very scenic – rocky cliffs dotted with homes and crops.

The beautiful Amalfi Coast

 

The Village of Cetara

A house built in the rocky cliff

Terraced Farming on the Coast

Our destination is the small village of Amalfi.  We are here for some free time

Ellen near the entrance to the Village of Amalfi

The Cathedral of Amalfi

Me on the steps of the Cathedral

 

Fountain in the main square of Amalfi

Leaving Amalfi for Salerno

Lunch was at Luculus Restaurant right across the street from the entrance to Pompeii – the usual, cannelloni, wine, chicken (grilled veggies for me), bread, and lemon cake. 

That’s when everything changed. 

On my way to the washroom, I noticed that one of my passengers had fallen and was bleeding (she had hit her head on the door near the washrooms).  The restaurant called an ambulance and indicated that someone from the restaurant would go with her to the nearby hospital emergency room.  She insisted that I go with her (she had been at one of my talks and recognized me).  She was pretty scared so I agreed to go with her to the hospital.  The entire process, stitching her would (8 stitches no local anesthetic), waiting for a CAT Scan (TAC in Italian), consultation with a Neurologist, and signing her out, took about 3 hours overall.  Also, there were no chairs in the ER room so I was standing or leaning most of the time.  On the upside, I did get a chance to ride in a real Italian ambulance (siren and lights) and watch the Italian EMT and ER personnel at work.  Not like the States. The passenger turned out to be OK – she had to buy a hat to wear home (she called me later to thank me for watching out for her).

I got back before Ellen and had a necessary Bloody Mary in the Passport Bar and waited for Ellen to get back from her tour.

Farewell Show: Sound Decision (A Cappella Group with great synchronized choreography [Jersey Boys, etc]); Paul Baker

Headed for Civitavecchia…

Saturday, October 16, 2010 – Messina, Italy – 70s – Mostly Cloudy

Distance Traveled from Alexandria: 822 Nautical Miles

Messina, founded by the Greeks in the 8th Century BC,  has a population of 300,000 people (third largest city in Sicily). 

Our plan today is to do our own walking tour of the city.

From the deck at Breakfast, I am able to get a great view of Mt. Etna, the 10,092 ft high active volcano, that holds this area of the world hostage with a potential eruption.  That is not smoke coming from the volcano but a very interest cloud lit by the morning sun.  At this time of the year, Mt. Etna’s peak is covered with snow.

 

 Mt Etna Volcano

The ship is crossing the Straits of Messina, the body of water between Sicily and mainland Italy.  At its narrowest point, the Straits are only about 3 km.  Italy is thinking of building a bridge connecting Sicily and Italy (the President’s idea) but the locals are not sold on the idea of a very expensive bridge in a seismic zone.

Ellen and the Straits of Messina

The ship is docked very close to the city of Messina so getting to the shops is less than 10 minutes away. 

Messina from the Ship

Celebrity Equinox from across the street in town

We follow the main street to an area of shopping and coffee shops.  Along the way, there are some interesting buildings (churches mostly).

Ellen at the Church of the Catalans (14th Century)

 

Church of Sangia Catherine 

We went back to the ship for lunch and then back to Messina looking for a WIFI Hotspot.  Unfortunately, the city literally shuts down between 1 and 4 PM and we did not find any such place (despite many locals sending out on several wild good chases).  The deserted main street in the picture below is a good example of the 1-4 PM dead time in this city – prior to 1 PM, this street was difficult to cross.

Main Street in Messina during the Siesta

We did find a sympathetic desk clerk at a hotel that let us use her computer to check and send e-mails.

Back on the ship for dinner and the Sail Away.

 

Sail Away from Messina

The entertainer tonight is Jason Chase, a comedian and singer who focuses on the 50s.  He is very funny and not a bad singer.  We enjoyed his show.

Tomorrow, we have a big day in Naples (Pompeii, etc) so it’s an early evening.

Thursday and Friday, October 14 and 15, 2010 – At Sea (Mediterranean) – 70s – Mostly Sunny

Our first of two sea days – no wake up calls –just rest.

At Sea – October 14, 2010 

My talk today, DNA Testing: Solving History’s Mysteries, is at 3:45 PM in Celebrity Central.  Another good crowd (200 plus).

The entertainer tonight is Paul Baker, veteran of West End Musical Theater.  His show is great with many of my favorite tunes sung terrifically by Paul.  The best entertainer (maybe a tie with Karen Grainger) yet on a cruise ship.

 

At Sea – October 15, 2010

The weather outside is a little stormy but that’s OK because when the brief rainstorm ends, a beautiful full rainbow appears.  It was too big for a single picture but I did shoot both ends.  The pot of gold is underwater.

   

My final talk (DNA Testing: Cold Cases Solved) is scheduled for 11:45 AM in the Equinox Theater. 

It’s a little close to lunch but the crowd tops 250 (they wouldn’t have fit into Celebrity Central).  I get a good final round of applause.  Successful series.

We are in Messina, Sicily (Italy) tomorrow.