25th Anniversary Trip - Day 11

Arrived in Rome...well, the port.  We disembarked the ship, reluctantly.  Then waited in the holding area for our car and driver. He arrived early, and we loaded in for the 60 minute drive to Rome.  The driver was skilled, but the roadway was rough and the driver was fast!  Had a little nap along the way! Once we got settled, we set out to see the sights and sounds of Rome!

The famous Trevi Fountain.  It is apparently the largest in the City and considered (by Romans) to be the most beautiful in the world.   It was packed!  People three, four and five layers deep.  It was crazy and noisy and insane!  But beautiful!

We were off to a food tour!  We did the Testaccio Supper Stroll tour.   It consists of a walking tour where you go to 6 or 7 local eatery establishments and sample their wares.  The host was fantastic. She was from the US, but had moved to Rome many years earlier (went to university here) and stayed.  We sampled common fare, nice pasta and meats, as well as cheeses and pizza, wine, beer and Gelato!  A great night with 4 other couples.  

We taxied their, but walked home to try and work off all the food and wine!

We walked most of Rome, visiting various fountains and squares,stopping at shops and little eateries along the way.

The weather was so hot, like a blast furnace when the wind picked up! Wanted to jump in the fountain, but thought I may get arrested! 

This is up a the top of the Spanish Steps. Very pretty view with thousands of people!

A selfie in front of the Colosseum.  What you can't see in the picture is the thousands of people on the sides and queuing to get in...despite the end of the day.  A magnificent building. Would like to spend as day here exploring it.

I made Brenda pose too!  

Brenda found this amazing little pizza place that got rave reviews. Must be good, the wait is an hour!  Lots of people were coming to see it too.  Must have read the same reviews as we did.  We decides to hang around and wait for our table.  When we got in, the place was jammed and you could barely breathe. But the food was pretty good.

Hop on Hop off bus tour. Thank god there was a covered top! The air was stifling and there was not much of a breeze. But it is a great way to see the City.

The Pantheon. We kinda stumbled across is.  Everyone was taking this picture, so why not us too!

"Say Hello to my little friend".  No one was sitting with this fellow until Brenda did...then a line formed!  Way to set the trend baby!

Brenda asked the Concergie where a nice "authentic" but inexpensive place to eat was. He recommended this place,and we set out.  It was super fancy and the food was amazing. The price was NOT inexpensive,but hey, you only live once!

Our tour day at the Vatican!  Fancy green ear buds and all!  When we arrived via coach bus at 8 am, the line was already thousands long!  Thank god we bypassed it.  Couldn't have stood in that line to save a life!   Crazy!

Inside one of the museum halls. Amazing artwork everywhere.  People everywhere too...semi air conditioned, so ok

At the end of one long hallways of wall tapestries.  Really cool stuff on the wall. Think they will miss one if I sneak it into my pocket?

Apparently there is a dead Pope back there somewhere!  Erie!!

Outside checking out the Swiss Guard. Can't imagine wearing that full gear outfit in this weather!  Crazy dudes, apparently they are commissioned for life!

Back in our hotel, and the world's tiniest elevator!  Hope you are not claustrophobic!

Brenda's last breakfast in Rome. She is so sad!

At the airport...where do we go...home or the next adventure?

25th Anniversary Trip - Day 10

Day 10 - Livorno

We arrived in port at 8 am, and got up to have breakfast. We tour to Pisa today.   After eating, we don some sunscreen, the temperature is already 30.   We have to walk to the bus tour pickup, and we get our first glimpse of crossing the streets here in Italy…crazy.  Thankfully a local saw us and pulled us across the street with him.  Good thing, it may have taken us a while!   After a crazy meeting spot and getting in the right bus, we are off to Pisa.    

Pisa is busy!   People everywhere, vendors trying to sell you things, and masses of tourists taking the obligatory Leaning Tower of Pisa photos!   We wander around, picking up on various tour guide talks, and gleaning bits of historic info.   The line ups are huge, and the heat is descending on us like a blanket!  But we endure and take a few photos of our own!

 Pisa was crazy, everyone trying to get the touristy photo...we tried a few, but it was a struggle to get it lined up and out of the way of tourists.  There was no shade and you couldn't walk on the grass....

Sadly you cannot walk right up to the building either.  It would have been nice to touch the wall itself and "feel" the history.  














Overall, glad to have made the trip out here.  Amazing architecture and history.  

  

    

Back to the ship for lunch and a rest.  What’s next?  

25th Anniversary Trip - Day 9

Day 9.  Portoferraio.

The boat arrives at 8 am, but we take it easy as we are moored until 10 pm.  After a light breakfast, we head out to explore.  

We find Napoleon’s house, then venture to the castle.  There is not much to see along the way, just lots of narrow roadways, cobblestone walk ways and many many homes.  Lots of stairs and twists and turns!

It is very hot, so we hike down a narrow roadway to a small beach.   The water is warm and wonderful.

We dip into the water and enjoy the time. The beach is not well attended, which is crazy, as it is beautiful, the surf is light and the day is super hot.  We decide to spend a fair amount of time here, just floating in the Sea!     

Afterwards, we head back to the ship to shower and eat.  Hoping the temperature cools down so we can explore more in the afternoon.  The air was hot, but there wasn’t much humidity, so we ventured out again.  Not much to see, as it appears everyone is shut down for siesta time.

    We head back to the ship for dinner and then venture to the pool deck for the White Night event.  

  

25th Anniversary Trip - Day 8

Day 8. 

We have been sailing all night.  The seas have been rough through the night, swells up to 4 meters, about 20 meters apart.  By morning it was calm again.  Since we don't reach Bonifacio until 1 pm, we have some breakfast delivered to the room and have a lazy morning. The ship will be anchored today, so we will be tendering to shore.  

Catching the tender is interesting.  The waves are pretty big, and some people struggle to get on.  No problem for us, and we are off to the port. When we arrive in port, it is hot and still air.  The marina is beautiful with many amazing yachts and cruisers.  

We decide to hike up to the old fortified town.  It is hot, and steep, but we are up to the challenge.  When we get there, it is a mix of open squares, and narrow streets with many shops and pubs/cafes.   

We decide to do the Escalier du Roi d’Aragon (Staircase of King Aragon). Wow, what a climb straight down to the ocean.  The stairs are steep, and many people are struggling both ways. We make it down and take the narrow walk way along the cliff edge.  

At the end is a short fence and a stone staircase that is roped off. We see an Italian lady who tells us to head down as there is a cool cave and bay.   We jump the fence and scaled down. There is a small cave and what looks like an old smugglers tunnel.   Brenda slips her feet into the Sea.   

The water is nice and warm.  

The hike back up the stairs is brutal.   The steps are not evenly spaced and the incline is steep.  We need to stop every 15 to 40 steps to regain our equilibrium.  Making it to the top seems like heaven, despite the heat.  

We wander round the town, somewhat in a daze, taking in the sites and tourists.   The last tender to the ship is at 4:30, but we decide to catch an earlier one as we have a reservation for dinner at Acquilina at 6 pm.   Back on the ship we freshen up and get ready for dinner.   


Dinner is nice and affords us a good view of the Kings Staircase.  

25th Anniversary Trip - Day 7

Day 7. 

Today the ship docked early, at 8 am.  Mahon, Spain.  We get up and have a leisurely breakfast in the Windows Cafe.  Then we debark and look to explore Mahon.  It is a beautiful city of white buildings and green shutters. It is mostly built up on the cliff overlooking the bay.  

The hike starts with some steep steps leading up to the market area. This is the Mercat de Pescados.  An open market area with lots of shops and restaurants.  The air is stifling as there is no movement, despite the overcast sky's, it is 33 degrees and feels like 43!   We wander around the shops, but don’t find anything that we like. We wander around looking at the various shops, buildings and churches.  Its very nice.

The roads are steep and windy, we decide to take a train ride through the city, its a little motorized train that stops and picks up passengers, ferrying them around the island. Not very fancy, but for 7 euros, it beats walking in the heat!  There are some nice view points, but very few stops along the way.

Afterwards, we head back to the ship to cool down and have some lunch.  Relaxed and full, we decide to head out again, as we learn there is a Gin distillery where you can have unlimited samples!

The Xoriguer Gin Factory, a small unassuming building along the waterfront, away from the cruise ship drop off area.  The tasting area is the main retail space, with a couple if dozen or so open bottles and shot glasses.  You basically help yourself and drop the used glasses in a water filled basin.  There are no supervisors and you can have as many as you like.   We decide to sample them all, with our favourite being the coffee flavoured version.  A fun little stop at the end if the day.  There is no hard sell here, and the environment is welcoming.  If you are looking for a history of Gin or the distilling process, this is not the place.  But for free samples and a carefree attitude, it is comfortable and easy. Worth the stop for sure.

All in all, Mahon was nice for a short visit.  The ship sales at 6 pm!  We have a nice Spanish dinner, then wander the ship.  We see the last few minutes of a cabaret show.  Then settle into the piano bar.  We meet a nice couple from New York, and talk american politics.  All good.  We go to see the cabaret show, and catch the last few minutes again!  Oh, well, off to bed.