Our last full "sea day". Well, what to do on a sea day other than eat.... We lazed about for a bit, the ladies in our group saw a crew talent show which all found amusing while Edward managed to sneak into an invitation only tour of the bridge. We were on our way to the talent show when the elevator door opened and Edward noticed the security and a group milling about; having passed this way earlier and not getting on to the previous tour, Edward jumped off the elevator to try again. First you have to sign up and verify who you are, and then you are scanned before being allowed to a secure area. Then they take you into the "nerve centre". Very impressive wide open area with bridge wings to assist when docking and manoeuvring in close quarters. All controls are available from the wings and main control center; all computerized of course, lots of radar, radios, systems information centers etc. The propulsion system consists of two electric propeller pods which rotate 360 degrees at the stern of the ship; there are also bow thrusters for when the ship needs them. The pods pull the ship through the water, rather than push and produce an impressive amount of power, each consuming 12 megawatts when moving the ship at 20 knots. There are 4 engines for the ship to produce all the electricity required by all systems; simply amazing, this small town of 4,800 crew and passengers over 1,000 feet long with 14 decks above the water line. In the evening we attended the Equinox Show which is an impressive event along the lines of Cirque du Soleil with acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, dancers, "air performers", etc. Amazing entertainment!
July 28th.
Today we arrived in Salerno and promptly exited the ship to go to Pompeii. More train antics as we found the platform at the Pompeii station had the elevator under repair and thus was not available; so we partially dismantled the chair to carry Laurel and chair down to the underground passage and up the other side, assisted at the end by helpful locals upon seeing our predicament. not quite sure where pompeii was we hired a cab to take us there; down a road in one direction, then it seemed up a couple of blocks and back again in the other direction, hmmmm.... we walked back to the train station later and discovered it was "a couple of blocks over, and a couple of blocks down"; about a 7 minute walk.... oh well :-)
Today we arrived in Salerno and promptly exited the ship to go to Pompeii. More train antics as we found the platform at the Pompeii station had the elevator under repair and thus was not available; so we partially dismantled the chair to carry Laurel and chair down to the underground passage and up the other side, assisted at the end by helpful locals upon seeing our predicament. not quite sure where pompeii was we hired a cab to take us there; down a road in one direction, then it seemed up a couple of blocks and back again in the other direction, hmmmm.... we walked back to the train station later and discovered it was "a couple of blocks over, and a couple of blocks down"; about a 7 minute walk.... oh well :-)
Pompeii is amazing and better than you can imagine. What they have excavated to date is simply wonderful. Full city blocks with row upon row of houses and shops, no roofing of course but you get a real sense of what it was like 2,000 years ago. Some plaster and painting is still easily visible in some of the buildings; and of course the sad plaster casts of those who perished during the eruption. There is an amphitheatre in the city in almost perfect condition and we learned while listening to a guide speak to another group that the project was sponsored by two wealthy men at the time. When you consider the work to build this considering the available technology at the time..... If you ever have an opportunity to visit Pompeii it shouldn't be missed; most of us read or study about it in school but actually walking the streets really adds to the learning.
After Pompeii and more helpful people on the train we returned to the ship to relax and enjoy our last dinner. The ladies went to a variety show when we were finished with dinner while Edward focussed on organizing and packing the bags.
working on the blog.....
July 29th.
Sadly today was disembarkation day and we reluctantly left the ship; what an experience the whole cruise was! We walked to near the train station and picked up our rental car. The drive to Tuscany and our agritourismo accomodations was uneventful, except for an amazing lunch in Bagnoregio, a hilltop village; then getting lost thanks to Google maps; then the exciting thunder and lightning storm all around the car; then the highway blocked by a car crash and needing to reroute to the incomprehensible directions of the carabinieri (police); ah but we eventually arrived to the peaceful horse farm that will be our home for the next few days. The circuitous route to Siena actually provided us with a terrific overview of the Tuscan countryside with all the rolling fields, groves of olive trees, vertical tall standing pines lining the driveways of fortified farmhouses; walled and hilltop medieval towns and the occasional castle here and there.
Our accommodations are spacious, complete with baby swallows nesting above our patio and who knows what type of small birds nesting in bushes nearby with constant activity and chatter throughout the day. Charlie, the farm dog, is a mix of something and is very lovable in contrast to the "Attenti al cane" (beware of dog) sign posted at the bottom of the driveway. Edward popped out to the supermercato to get some essentials and we enjoyed a dinner of fresh ravioli with ricotta and spinach, a simple salad, washed down with part of a bottle of 2 buck chuck from Sicily. G'nite!
Sadly today was disembarkation day and we reluctantly left the ship; what an experience the whole cruise was! We walked to near the train station and picked up our rental car. The drive to Tuscany and our agritourismo accomodations was uneventful, except for an amazing lunch in Bagnoregio, a hilltop village; then getting lost thanks to Google maps; then the exciting thunder and lightning storm all around the car; then the highway blocked by a car crash and needing to reroute to the incomprehensible directions of the carabinieri (police); ah but we eventually arrived to the peaceful horse farm that will be our home for the next few days. The circuitous route to Siena actually provided us with a terrific overview of the Tuscan countryside with all the rolling fields, groves of olive trees, vertical tall standing pines lining the driveways of fortified farmhouses; walled and hilltop medieval towns and the occasional castle here and there.
Our accommodations are spacious, complete with baby swallows nesting above our patio and who knows what type of small birds nesting in bushes nearby with constant activity and chatter throughout the day. Charlie, the farm dog, is a mix of something and is very lovable in contrast to the "Attenti al cane" (beware of dog) sign posted at the bottom of the driveway. Edward popped out to the supermercato to get some essentials and we enjoyed a dinner of fresh ravioli with ricotta and spinach, a simple salad, washed down with part of a bottle of 2 buck chuck from Sicily. G'nite!
July 30th.
Today was a somewhat lazy Day. Spent a couple of hours shopping at an immense grocery store to stock up as we are self-catered now. I know we hear stories about food prices going up around the world but we bought an amazing array of goods for less than we can in Canada.... a block of Feta that might be $5 at home, $2.25 after conversion; same thing for the Swiss, Pecorino, Brie, and Asiago cheeses we also bought. Bottles of full bodied wine $3.50, 6 pack of Moretti beer $4, fresh local source vegetables and fruit, inexpensive. 2 Kg loaf of crusty, chewy bread, 1 euro... Edward loves shopping in foreign cities but he actually had to start suggesting to Laurel that we "had enough"; a rare occasion indeed....
Our accommodations are part of a small family run operation and we are sharing the place with families from Holland, France, Britain, Ireland, Germany, as far as we know so far.
General observations on life in Europe: small cars, lots of bikes, flowers everywhere, pots on window sills and lining stairways; everyone loves a train; laundry drying outside; small fridges; not much value added foods - ie: prepared meals; everyone cooks fresh and, more often than not, from scratch; No aparent borders between countries; many people can speak at least two to three languages; solar panels on roofs in some communities; windmill electric power generation in others; water heated only as you need it.....
Siena Tomorrow!
Siena Tomorrow!
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