The End Is Near!

It’s been a while since I’ve logged in, but we’ve been busy, busy, busy! The closer we get to the end of the cruise, the crazier it gets!

We were in Taormina (Sicily) on April 16th, and then the next day we were in Naples, Italy. We had both been to Pompeii, so this time, I did a tour to another city that was covered by ash when Mt. Vesuvius exploded. The name of it is Herculaneum, and it’s really pretty amazing. The new city was built right on top of the old that had been covered by ash and lava, so they’re still excavating, but don’t know how far they’ll be able to go. Herculaneum was more of a resort city, for the wealthy Romans, so the houses are generally quite large and elaborate. That night, we had our last major on-shore World Cruise event. This time they took us to ancient Pompeii and we actually were inside an area that is not opened to the public. It was a big open-air setting and of course, the Captain and all the major crew were dressed as Romans (or actually Pompeians). After dinner, there was a gladiator performance show, followed by fireworks. This wasn’t our best event - there was a long walk to the site and the food unfortunately was cold – but still, it was amazing to be in a closed part of Pompeii and have something like this put on.

After this night, we all enjoyed a very lazy day at sea on the 18th before arriving in Rome. I did a great walking tour, based on the Dan Brown book Angels & Demons (the prequel to DaVinci Code). Annie passed on this since it was completely a walking tour, but I loved it! We went to all the major places in the book and had an excellent guide. In Addition to the sites in the book, we saw many of the major sights in the city, such as the Pantheon and St. Peter’s. It was long (Rome is a couple of hours from the port) but all in all another great day.

This last section of the cruise has a lot of ports, so we’re somewhere almost every day. On the 20th, we went to two lovely spots, Portofino and Santa Margaritha. They’re both charming little seaside resorts with not much more than shopping and food, but it was a warm sunny day and it truly felt like we were on the Costa del Sol. The next day, we docked in France in Marseilles. Annie opted for a general tour of the city and I took off on another full day tour to Provence. We went to Avignon and Les Baux – what a beautiful area! In Avignon, we toured this enormous castle complex which was used by the Catholic popes in the 14th-15th century when they left Rome and established the papacy in France. Les Baux is a tiny old walled city way up on the top of a mountain. Again, great weather and a beautiful part of the world.

A day of rest, and then Espana! Our first stop was in Malaga. Annie is coming back to Spain for a week or so this fall, so she just did a general tour of Malaga, but I decided to get back on that bus for another day and go to Grenada and the Alhambra. The Alhambra was the major castle-fortress of the Moors and was their last outpost, surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. Some of the main rooms of the buildings were closed for renovations, but the grounds of the Alhambra are amazing. The architecture and gardens are so peaceful and beautiful. They told us it was a great time to come, because it wasn’t yet too hot and it was pleasant to walk around. At lunch, they put on a flamenco show which got us all in the Spanish mood. (Love that Rioja wine!)

I’ve fallen in love with Spain, so on the 24th, it was back on the bus one more time for a tour to Seville. Again, another really long day, but so worth it! It’s just amazing walking through the narrow streets of these old cities. Another castle, but this one is still used (on occasion) by the Spanish royal family. The tile work and sculpting was amazing. It had a lot of the Moorish influence, but also Christian symbols. The Seville cathedral is the 3rd largest in the world (after St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s in London) and is where Christopher Columbus tomb is. Seville is truly one of the prettiest cities I remember in Europe. I would love to come back!

That night, Annie and I were invited by our friends Martha and Dave Scherer to join them and a few other people to celebrate their 100th cruise. Crystal gave them a private dinner in “The Vintage Room” which is a small dining room onboard that accommodates 14 people. There were 7 courses of food – and 7 courses of wines!! Need I say more? We’ve known Martha and Dave since 2003, and have seen them when they’ve come to Newport on Crystal in the fall (they are veteran cruisers – 100 cruises in 10 years!), so it was a nice occasion all around.

Today (April 26), we just got back from another Virtuoso tour to Oporto, Portugal. What a lovely city this is! It’s all beautiful old buildings and palaces. We had a catered lunch in a private room of one of the major buildings, then a stop at Sandeman’s winery for a port tasting. That port is very nice! (Mind you, we also had it before lunch and after, so we truly got a good sampling!) Tonight, we head off to a special dinner (the last) for world-cruisers. Since we didn’t get back from the tour until 4:30, we opted for a late seating for dinner (cocktails at 8:00, then dinner). It will make for a late night, but tomorrow there's time to sleep – and unfortunately to pack!! We’re ready to go home – we think! – but then again…