Cruise to Mediterranean Pt. 4: Naples, Rome (briefly)

Traffic in Naples

Day 9: Naples
Our final port was Naples where we had last been in 2016. On this last trip, we loved the crowded, messy city and took a train to Pompei to examine the ruins left by the eruption of Vesuvius. This time we strolled through the Archeological Museum and then had lunch at Trattoria Del Fernandino restaurant recommended by friends. I had prosciutto and mozzarella salad followed by sea bass. We took a cab from the museum to the restaurant and the traffic was terrible. The cab driver complained about the constant congestion of his city. The lunch was very good. We took a long walk back to the ship and relaxed. Our final night on board consisted of packing, a last round of Team Trivia (and winning a visor), having drinks with the friends we made and eating dinner in the Broad Dining Room. 

Day 10: Disembark in Rome

We got right off the ship and boarded a bus to the Rome airport, an hour outside the city. (We had been to Rome recently, so we decided to just go home rather than linger another few more expensive days.) The flight back was calm and I caught up on more episodes of Elsbeth. Once back in the US, we had to take a cab to Long Island where we had left our car with relatives. That was a mistake. Way too expensive. Next time, we'll take an Uber or Lyft, but we didn't want to have to take a shuttle to the car service meeting area. Short-sighted on our part. 

It was a wonderful trip and Oceania is a great cruise line. Our package included four shore excursions, a drinks package including wine and/or champagne, and four specialty restaurants. Most lines nickel and dime you to death, but almost everything was included with Oceania. The ship wasn't too big so getting on and off at ports wasn't a hassle. No kids, probably because it was during school. So I would recommend Oceania.

At the archeological museum in
Naples

Cruise to Mediterranean, Pt. 3: Corfu, Katakolon, Olympia, Catania

Day 6: Korfu

Eating gelato in Korfu

We had no excursion today, so we took one of those hop-on, hop-off red tour buses at 11 am after a leisurely breakfast (When we had excursions, we'd have to wake up at 6:45 am and order breakfast from room service.) The bus was 22 Euros per person and we figured it would at least give us an overview of the island which is lovely and relaxed. Jerry wanted to go to the Archeological Museum, but after finally finding it near a bus stop at the obligatory old fort, we discovered the Museum was closed that day. Instead, we went shopping in the charming old city with winding, narrow streets like everywhere else we'd been. We had a light lunch and indulged in gelato--cookies and cream and cheese cake flavors combined. In addition to postcard and magnets, we bought belts and a wooden mixing spoon.

Day 7: Katakolon, Olympia
For our last excursion, we got a bus from the port of Katakolon and drove for about 30 mins. to the site of the ancient Olympic games. A lot of ruins. I guess the highlight was standing in the open stadium where the races were held thousands of years ago. We were rushed into the arched entrance by our guide, looked around--it just a wide open field--and then we had had to rush to get back to the bus. It was interesting to see the remains of the temples to Zeus and Hera and the spot where the Olympic torch is lit every four years. 

Helmets at the Archeological Museum
at Olympia 

On the way back to the bus, I squeezed in the site's archeological museum. I had to run through it in order to make it back to the bus on time. There were several fascinating exhibits including hundreds of little clay animals which the ancient Greeks made and placed in the ground in front of the temples as offerings to the gods instead of real animals. 

After the bus ride back to Katakolon, I wandered around the tiny seafront town before reboarding. I found a tiny beach where I dipped my toes in the cool water and got sand in my shoes. I had lunch at a waterfront cafe.

Day 8: Catania, Sicily

There was a huge Norwegian cruise liner parked next to our medium-sized Oceania ship in Catania with a water slide on one side descending several stories. That would be kinda scary. As in Korfu, we took a Hop-on, Hop-Off bus to get to know the city on the coast of Sicily. Unfortunately, we did not get a good view of Mt. Etna, the city's volcano which keeps turning up in crossword puzzles. The clouds obscured the mountain entirely. The narration on the bus did inform us that some believed the volcano was inhabited by the spirit of England's Queen Elizabeth I because she made a deal with the devil for her kingdom and it erupted not long after her death.

St. Agnes in Catania, Sicily

We got off the bus in Bellini Square, saw a statue of the composer with figures from his operas Norma, etc, an ancient ruin, and the church of St. Agnes who was martyred with hot coals. She is beloved of the city because they are constantly under threat of fiery destruction because of the volcano, just as she was.

Lunch was at a Chinese restuarant (not bad). The bathroom door said "Thinking Room." We strolled to Piazza Duomo which was quite lovely and took the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus back to the port. The tourist shops sold trinkets referencing The Godfather since the Corleones were from Sicily.

Cruise to the Mediterranean, Pt. 2: Kotor, Split, Bari, Otsuni

Day 3: Kotor, Montenegro

One of the many cats of
Kotor, Montenegro

I started the day on the outdoor deck of the buffet, sprawled in my chair like that photograph of Faye Dunaway the morning after she won the Oscar for Network (and it should have been Liv Ullman for Face to Face). I was so relaxed because today there would be no excursions, no agenda. I just took the tender into the port of Kotor, Montenegro with no particular plan. Like Dubrovnik, there was a walled fortification enclosing a quaint old town center. I wandered around, bought postcards and refrigerator magnets. There were cats everywhere. I was tempted to go into the Cat Museum for 1 Euro, but it looked cheap even at the ridiculously low admission price, plus the second floor was closed for renovations. It probably would have consisted of kitschy kitty art with felines assuming human activities like shopping or commuting to work. So I went into a church for free and made an Instagram reel with the photos, set to Madonna's Like a Prayer. (I recently discovered how to make reels with musical accompaniment.)

Dinner at Red Ginger was wonderful. I had salmon with scallop ceviche, lobster and avocado salad, and bay Scallop trio with lobster pad thai. Peach tea and fruit salad for dessert. The entertainment was decent with the ship's singers and dancers performing a pop music revue featuring the hits of artists of my generation like The Pointer Sisters, The Bee Gees, Cher, Rod Stewart, Celine Dion and Tina Turner. They ended with "River Deep, Mountain High."

Day 4: Split, Croatia

We learned from the on-board lecture that Split was famous as the site of the retirement palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, the only one to step down voluntarily. Most others were assassinated or died of natural causes. Diocletian reigned from 284-305 CE

Game of Thrones, Season 4,
filmed in Split, Croatia

and died in 311. He was considered a great ruler at the time with many public works to this credit, but because he mercilessly persecuted Christians and fed them to the lions in the coliseum, his reputation has stunk through the centuries and we hear very little about him today. Split is also famous as the filming location of several episodes of the HBO hit series Game of Thrones. I'd never watched a single episode, but we signed up for an excursion tour of a castle and the dungeons of Diocletian's palace where several scenes from GOT were filmed. The tour was titled Dungeons and Dragons or something catchy like that. Our guide gave us every detail about the episodes filmed at the castle called Klis. In Split where I later wandered around, there was a Games of Thrones shop and a museum. Now I will have to watch those segments so I can say, "I was there."

Day 5: Bari and Otsuni, Italy

Otsuni, the White Lady

From Bari, Italy, I took an excursion to a town called Otsuni in Brindisi. I had no idea what to expect, except that that brochure called the town "The White Lady." It was an hour's drive from the port and I thought, "I hope I didn't make a mistake." My fears were soon allayed when we walked from the bus to the town and I saw a gorgeous white-walled town with beautiful small squares, churches, and art galleries. Our guide walked us around the beautiful back streets into the town square with its statue devoted to St. Francis of Assisi. One interesting sight was a stylishly attired elegant woman walking her dog and picking up its leavings, never losing her poise or pose.

I had lunch at an open air cafe with fellow passengers and a swarm of flies. The waitress told us the insects were attracted by the wine-processing system which started in October. There was so many hanging around my prosciutto and mozzarella, I finally had to accept their presence and only occasionally swatted them away. 

We drove back along the sea. Right off the bus, I got on the shuttle to Bari and found a little trolley car thing for 15 Euros for a city tour. At first I thought it was a rip-off because we drove around along the seaside embankment and a little ways into the town and then back. But then a guide named Donnatella got off with me and two other ladies from the ship and said she would give us a brief tour of St. Nicholas' basilica. Outside the basilica was a statue of St. Nicholas (the inspiration for Santa Claus and Father Christmas) donated by Vladimir Putin because there is a large Russian population there. Donnatella gave us some info on the church and we went in. I asked her how Italy left about Putin. She diplomatically replied "We are divided." I responded so was America. Then the trolley took us back to the port, so it was worth 15 Euros. 

I decided to walk around a bit since I had time before the ship would leave. I found an artist's studio where she sold magnets made of clam shells for 2 Euros. Lately, I've bought a magnet from every country, city and town I've been to. The refrigerator is getting a bit crowded.

Cruise to the Mediterranean, Part 1: Malta, Dubrovnik

For the second year in a row, we booked a cruise on Oceania to the Mediterranean, visiting many ports we have never been to before (Last year's cruise to Greece and Turkey was so wonderful we booked again on the same line.) We started in Valletta, Malta which we didn't see much of because we were both so exhausted and jet-lagged from the flight from NYC with a stop-over in Rome, we took a long nap in the hotel. There was a cute small beach club just for hotel guests, but we didn't have time to take advantage of it. But we did go to dinner at a local restaurant called Gululu with a lovely waterfront view. I had rabbit and thought of Bugs Bunny. We strolled around. Malta was very nice but we didn't get more than a glimpse of it. The only thing I knew about it was The Maltese Falcon and the fact that Popeye was filmed there. We'll have to go back. 

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Day 1-2: Day at Sea and Dubrovnik, Croatia: We got on board our ship the Marina the next day and headed for our first port Dubrovnik, Croatia. We had a day at sea before reaching Dubrovnik. There was a sumptuous brunch buffet in Grand Dining Room with caviar, lobster tails, chocolates, custards, fruit cups, croissants, and endless other goodies. It was so nice to get away from the madness of our current awful Presidential election, but the insanity intrudes on this serene scene. At a table near us, two couples were discussing Trump and a man stated the truth: he's a convicted felon. A Trump supporter at the next table, shouted "You don't know what you're talking about. That's not the whole story." The first man replied, "I'm talking about this with my friends. Not with you." The irate second gentleman bellowed, "You're talking loud enough for me to hear and I don't have to listen to this" and he stormed off , soon followed by his silent wife. The anti-Trumpers laughed the incident off and continued with their brunch. 

The sumptuous brunch buffet

That night I played Team Trivia with five other passengers and we dubbed ourselves the Can-Am team since two of of players were from Canada. The entertainment that night was a musical revue featuring four singers and seven dancers. It was okay. The cast was talented and the material was familiar. Later in the week, the shows were similarly safe with a comedian and a vocalist alternating with the ship's ensemble. The best show was a revue emphasizing dance with numbers reminiscent of Gene Kelly in An American in Paris and Bob Fosse's bowler hats and white gloves.

Once in Croatia, we booked a tasty wine-tasting excursion out in the countryside followed by a fun boat ride. After the boat ride, we took the shuttle bus from the port to the Dubrovnik town center where discovered the common theme of this cruise: walled cities surrounded a charming "old town." Many of the ports where points of defense for countries constantly at risk for invasion. The region was a shifting map of borders and warring ethnicities--Yugoslavia, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, etc. etc. The walls provided protection and the interior towns became quaint tourist attractions. We wandered around the tourist-choked narrow streets and broad squares.

On board ship, the meals were excellent. During the course of the cruise, we dined at the four specialty restaurants--Jacques (French), Red Ginger (Asian Fusion), Toscana (Italian), and Polo Grill (steakhouse). All were first-rate. I think I enjoyed Toscana best where I had seafood linguine and filet mignon with spinach and gorgonzola cheese. The dessert was peaches in brown sugar sauce. 

I like Oceania because they include almost everything upfront as opposed to other cruise lines which nickel and dime you to death. Our package included the four specialty restaurants, four shore excursions, a drinks package for wine and champagne (but not cocktails), and a concierge-level room with a balcony.

Our ship the Marina

My Cruise to Greece and Turkey: Part 5: Istanbul and Frankfurt Airport

Mon. July 17--Istanbul

The elegant lobby of the Intercontinental
Hotel in Istanbul

We regretfully checked out of the Sirena cruise ship this morning--though ten days is about enough for a cruise--and after a loooong walk through passport control, got on our transfer bus to the Intercontinental Hotel in Istanbul. The cruise was wonderful and I highly recommend Oceania Cruise Lines which organized everything with helpful staff pointing us in the right direction otherwise we would have been totally lost. The Intercontinental is a gorgeous, elegant, modern hotel with a spacious lobby out of a science fiction movie. The stairway alone is worth the high price of a room. It looks like Mame or Dolly should be walking down its steps for the big production number.

We had one full day in the Turkish capital and decided to take a cruise of the bosphorus (where Vickie Edyie gets preposterous, if recall that bit from Bette Midler's Live album). Our guide Mehmet was fun and informative. We stopped at the Spice Market, sampling Turkish taffy and candy. This crowded bazaar was not as chaotic and overwhelming as the

Spice Market

Grand Bazaar we had been to on our last visit. It was remarkable for its colorful displays and non-aggressive salesmen. Then we took our cruise on the bosphorus with Mehmet providing commentary. At one point, I had a picture taken as we approached a bridge to show we were between Europe and Asia. 

Back at the hotel, we got a dinner recommendation from the concierge for a local place that had authentic food. The cuisine was adequate, but the views of the river were spectacular with seagulls hovering nearby. We went to bed after watching CNN International and EuroNews. It was so refreshing not to be bombarded with internal US political news and the ongoing Trump shit show. The main story was the heat wave engulfing Europe and the United States. Pavements and streets were actually burning people and forest fires continued to blaze. Heat domes and pizza ovens were used to describe the effect. This staggering heat is becoming the new normal and will continue to create crises as parts of the world become uninhabitable.

My Cruise to Greece and Turkey: Part 2: Crete, Marmaris, Bodrum

Mon. July 10--Crete

Our guide Karen at the Phaestos Palace site

We rose at 6am to get to our excursion for the archeological site at Phaestos from the Minoan era (12th century BC). The trip to the number one ancient palace Knossos was full, so we had to take number two, Phaestos. We docked and took abus for 1 hour and 15 mins. to the site. Our guide Karen was very informative. She is originally from the Netherlands and has lived on Crete for 30 years. She gave us lots of information about Crete and its occupation by the Romans, the Byzantines, the Venetians, the Ottoman Turks and finally their union with Greece. She also gave us her thoughts on the current Greek economy, the European Union, etc. 

We were too tired to do anything after the four-hour tour including the long drive back to the boat. After lunch and lounging on the pool deck, I played Team Trivia, scoring 12 out of 15 (I correctly guessed that Elizabeth Taylor had been married 8 times to 7 different husbands). Then high tea on the Horizons deck. The string quartet played unusual selections like "Three Little Maids from School" from The Mikado and The Beatles' Yellow Submarine as I sipped Earl Grey and munched little salami sandwiches and sweet pastries, just like at Harrod's. 

My Cruise to Greece and Turkey: Part 1: Athens, Santorini

The view of the parthenon from
our hotel in Athens

For my fourth cruise trip, we decided to go with Oceania Cruises, based on a recommendation of a friend who said the intimate, medium-sized ships allowed for better service and less crazy crowding getting on and off the ship. A ten-day cruise of the Greek islands and Turkish seaside cities worked out best for our schedule during the summer. It's been a delightful and relaxed trip. I haven't felt pressure to rush around and see ruins or historical sites. The important thing is to escape and take it easy. Here's a rundown of the trip:

Thurs. July 6--Athens
After our flight from JFK to Zurich to Athens, we checked into our hotel at the Greek capital, the Great Bretaigne (overlooking the Acropolis and the Parthenon) and had dinner at a local restaurant (very good). The flight was SwissAir--watched the first episode of Season 2 of The White Lotus (what's all the fuss about with the entire cast nominated for Emmys?) and Season 5 of The Handmaid's Tale (I'd lost interest after the first four seasons, but thought I would catch up.)