Princess Cruise (2022)

Note: Days 1 thru 15 were spent in Malta & Italy.  Please click on the following link if you wish to read the journal for the first couple of weeks of this amazing vacation.  At the end of the Malta & Italy journal there will be a link back to this journal.

Malta & Italy (2022) 

Day 16 (November 14, 2022)

 Rome ==> Civitavecchia (Italy)

Not too much to say about today.

We were picked up in the morning (Simona, once again, arranged for the transportation).  Before we left Rome our driver has taken us to the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola also known as Il Fontanone ("The big fountain"), which is a monumental fountain located on the Janiculum Hill, near The Church of San Pietro. The skies were clear and blue after the all night and early morning rain. The view from the hill was spectacular.

 

   

We arrived to Civitavecchia and an hour later we were aboard the Island Princess, our home for the next 28 days

We went through the welcome and screening routines and were in our cabin by 12:00 pm.

We met already 2 couples: Chris & Noel, who met each other on the same ship last August and became a couple, and also Kathy & Greg from Fort Mayer, Florida.

We exercised at the gym and returned to our cabin an hour later feeling good about ourselves.

In the afternoon we watched Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck to relive the attractions we have just seen in Rome.

We met new friends in the dining room for dinner. We met Marco (from Sacramento) & Kathy (from Houston). Marco & Kathy met each other an hour earlier in the singles club. We also met Gail & her son Shane from West Virginia.

A highlights show was next as we walked to the main theater. The show featured an English Comedian.

We found out that there were some changes since we have taken our last cruise on Princess.  The main change was the Medallion Watch, which has replaced the card that used to be your cabin key, credit card and your identification card.

A passenger could be anywhere on the ship and his location is known to the crew.  For example one could order food, drinks, etc. and they will deliver it to you to where you are at the moment of the delivery.  The Medallion has a built-in GPS .  The Medallion is also used as a key to your room.  You could also know where your partner to the cabin is, at all times.  Also, as soon as you approach your cabin (walking in the hallway) the door will be unlock automatically as soon as you approach  you cabin.  

The ship offers a watchband (for purchase) and your Medallion could be wear on your wrist. 

 

Day 17 (November 15, 2022)

 

Sea day!

We woke up at 7:30 and as I always do on a cruise when I wake up, i opened the sliding door to the balcony to breathe the fresh salty air.

  

Not far from the ship I saw a volcano with smoke coming from its "mouth". I took a picture and found out later that it was Mount Strombuli, located in Struògnuli Island, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily. The volcano is one of the four active volcanoes in Italy.

  

Other than that the day was spent on eating, drinking, exercising, and 2 production shows where the main event was a Scottish singer who won Britain Got Talent in 2011, Mr. Jay McDowell.  He had a good voice but his choice of songs was was kind-a boring.

     

The real stars today were members of a band from South Korea, who sang non-stop Beatles songs for over an hour.  They made many of us, the passengers, dance along...

  

 

Day 18 (November 16, 2022)

 Olympia, Greece

We arrived to the port of Katakolon, Greece.  The town of Katakolon is a seaside town, overlooking the Ionian Sea.

The Port is a popular stop for cruise ships, offering an opportunity for passengers to visit the site of Olympia. Our intentions indeed!

  

I made arrangements and we met our awaiting guide Helena, who took us for a day full of history.

We started with a visit to the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.

We listened to Helena for the next hour lecturing about this important museum, while walking from one room to the next as the museum building comprises 12 exhibition rooms containing objects excavated in the Altis, the sacred grove and sanctuary.

       

Among the findings, the most important exhibits of the museum are:

The sculptured ornaments from the Temple of Zeus, Hermes of Praxiteles (Nike of Paionios, the statue depicts a winged woman), statues of Zeus and Ganymede, (A terracotta statuette depicting Zeus carrying off young Ganymede), and The Helmet of Miltiades (Bronze battering-ram)

        

The collections are displayed in a modern way, in a chronological order, which is easy to understand.  Information panels and subtle lighting made our visit an enjoyable event.

Helena concluded that this Museum is one of the most important museums in Greece, presenting the long history of the most celebrated sanctuary of antiquity, the sanctuary of Zeus, father of both gods and men, and a place where the Olympic Games were born.

   

We then started our visit in Altis, the adjacent grounds where all of the discoveries were made.  We saw pillars of palaces, partial structures and other important findings.  At one point we saw the site where the modern Olympic torch is being lit every 4 years and then make its trip to the host country and city, in time for the opening ceremonies. 

      

We ended up in an open field where the competitions took place in mid summers in front of 45,000 people, some 2000 thousand years ago.  I closed my eyes for a moment to visualize the suffering of the spectators in high temperatures and very high humidity in the month of August without any shades shelters in sight.

  

  

From there we rode the mini-van to a very unique store that sells its own olive oil and olives.  We tasted a dozen different flavors of olive oil and decided on a flavor, which we purchased.

   

We then visited a beehive farm where a farmer showed us the process of harvesting the honey.

When we arrived back to the ship, we heard some bad news for tomorrow: The Captain announced that since they anticipated riots in Athens tomorrow, they altered our itinerary and we will visit Athens on November 24th instead of tomorrow and therefore, we will dock tomorrow in Santorini and not in Athens.  Also, to make our docking in Athens feasible, we will skip Mykonis next week.

  

Tonight's show was nice.  An evening of singing and dancing with the main theme of New Orleans.

 

Day 19 (November 17, 2022)

Santorini, Greece 

When we woke up early this morning, we were already in Santorini. The sun just peeked through the morning clouds and the scenery was spectacular.

An hour later we joined Chris and Noel (the couple we had met in Rome) for an excursion on the island's 2 main cities.

   

A tug boat carried us to land from where we docked, as our ship is too big to fit the tiny Skala Port.  Once on shore, we purchased tickets for a taxi-boat, which in cooperation with the local bus company, brought us to the center of Oia, the beautiful city in Santorini.

Located on the northern tip of Santorini, 12 kilometers up the coast from the capital Fira (we will visit this city later today), we found Oia as a picture-perfect village of whitewashed houses, several of which have been converted into chic little boutique hotels with infinity pools, overlooking the caldera (the rocks underneath the city) formed by the massive volcanic explosion that blew the center out of the island some 3,600 years ago).  The city lives from tourism. 

       

   

     

We zigzagged the tiny alleys and narrow streets of the beautiful city and at 1:00 we were back on the bus, with the destination of the second city, Fira.

Fira lives principally from tourism as well, and many of its buildings now serve as small hotels, apartments, restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, and jewelers. 

    

We walked up and down the streets, stopping every couple of meters to take breathtaking photos of the beautiful city with the white washed homes and scenery that was so spectacular. When we were ready to return, we decided to take the many downhill steps (I counted each one of them.  The total was 587) to return to the port.  

      

We stopped in a seafood restaurant in the city, which was fantastic,  and then started our way back to the port.  The road was busy with passengers and by mules, used by some of our fellow passengers.  There is another way to get down to the port, by using the gondolas (or cable cars), but we wanted to walk our lunch off.

We arrived to the ship an hour later.

We still managed to get a light dinner and enjoy the highlight show, featuring a great English entertainer by the name of Tom Lowe.  He was actually excellent!

 

Day 20 (November 18, 2022)

 Kusadasi, Turkey

When we woke up the ship was approaching Kusadasi, Turkey. The gate to Ephesus.

Right after breakfast we lined up next to the exits and waited for the ship to be cleared.

      

Few weeks ago I hired our guide, Denishan Pekoz (Denish for short) and we greeted him as we approached the parking lot and so our names on his sign.

We started our tour, trying to get to the Archaeological Site Ephesus before the buses and the many passengers.  We did manage to get there before them!!!

The city was famous in its days for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), which has been designated as one of the holy sites for Christianity as many believe that the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, was brought here by John The Baptist after the death of her son, Jesus. Both had to hide, from the Romans and found a shelter in the surrounding mountains.  Mary later died and was buried there. We made a visit to the site to see the many believers, some coming from afar.

    

The site, once designated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World thanks to its many monumental buildings including the Library of Celsus and a theater capable of holding 24,000 spectators.

      

Denish gave us a brief overview of the site:

It was built in the 10th century BC by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in the 2nd century BC.

The old city has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015!

               

The Gospel of John may have been written there; and it was the site of several 5th-century Christian Councils. The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263.  In 614, it was partially destroyed by an earthquake.

       

We walked around this important site for two and a half hours and also visited a house of a very important and rich family.  The 900 square meters home included beautiful mosaic floors and walls covered by paintings.

We continued to our next attraction, not fat from the archaeologist site: a huge store, famous for its olive oil, honey and some other souvenirs.

About a mile before reaching the ship, we asked Denish to drop us off and we continued the rest of the way to the ship on foot.

Tonight entertainment after dinner was an electrifying pianist called Martin Kaye, who dazzled the crowd with playing his piano, singing and dancing.

 

Day 21 (November 19, 2022)

 

Another day at sea

 

After lunch we walked around deck 15 for an hour.  Blue skies and temps in the middle 70's (F) made it a great day to exercise outside.  We walked for 4 miles on the 15th deck.  It was wonderful!!

 

We decided that tonight we should celebrate our 51st Anniversary (actual date is January 4th) and made reservations to Sabbatini, the Italian restaurant on board the Island Princess.

  

We dressed up nicely and went for a dinner date.  The menu offered a large variety of delicious dishes.

          

We started with Fried Calamari and a salad (pears, apples and lettuce with a unique dressing) then pasta (linguine with shrimp and clams) and 3 cheese pasta, then Veal Massala, chicken and ended the feast with tiramisu, my favorite dessert.

In the theater, we enjoyed a production show of "Let's Dance”

 

Day 22 (November 20, 2022)

 

Shalom Israel!

I was so excited last night, knowing that today we were going to step in our Holly Land, Israel, that I was awake already at 5 am.  After breakfast we checked out from the ship and the Israeli immigration was really smooth.

  

We met my brother, Ronen, and his beautiful wife Yudit, at gate 1 in Ashdod Port.  It was an emotional meeting as we missed them terribly. We headed to our first item on our agenda: Ein Kerem, a charming hillside village next to Jerusalem.

We had 30 minutes until our meeting with our guide so we sat down at a small Cafe and had some coffee and cakes.

Shoshanna Karbasi, our guide showed up on time and we started our tour.  Shoshanna told us that Ein Kerem is famed for its centuries-old holy sites:

       

These include the Church of St. John the Baptist, containing a cave said to be the saint’s birthplace, and Mary’s Spring, where the Virgin Mary is believed to drink from the springs after a long voyage from Nazareth. Right before she met Elizabeth, mother of John, who was pregnant with John while Mary was pregnant with Jesus.  They were cousins. 

We walked in the village’s narrow streets looking at galleries and shops selling hand-painted tiles and jewelry, plus quaint cafes and stylish Mediterranean restaurants.

As it turned out, our guide Shoshana is also a famous poet, who has written many books.

   

We toured the streets and then were invited to Shoshanna’s home where we were treated to hot and delicious tea accompanied by her own making jams and jelly. The home itself is historic and a mosaic floor from the year 586 BC (the destruction of the first Temple), was discovered under the kitchen floor.

      

     

We continued to our next destination: The Western Wall – The Kotel., the holiest place in the Jewish tradition. We all prayed and asked God to listen, forgive and fulfill our prayers.

  

We had a great lunch in Ben-Sira restaurant.

Ronen drove us to Rishon Le-Zion to visit our good friends Danny and Hannah.   We spent a couple of hours with them, talking about what is going on with our lives and theirs.  Danny returned us back to the port.

Once back on the ship, we skipped dinner and retired to our cabin.

 

 

Day 23 (November 21, 2022)

Haifa, Israel 

I woke up this morning early again.  The ship was already anchored in Haifa, Israel and in a couple of hours we will hug and kiss our daughter Emly & granddaughter Noa.

 

The beautiful sunrise and the bright day gave me a taste of things to come today.

At 9:00 am we had Emly and Noa in our arms. It was a great reunion and an emotional emotional one.

      

Our first destination was the Bahai Gardens and Palace.  We started with the bottom garden and then walked towards Yefe Nof Street, a walk that included 211(!) steps plus a steep climb and finally we reached the top.

A couple of weeks before our trip I made this place part of our itinerary.  I read the following facts: 

The Bahai faith is a relatively new one. It was founded 200 years ago by a Persian of the name Siyyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi. He revealed himself as the prophet Bab (meaning “gate” in Arabic) who sought out to spread his beliefs. Bab was shunned by the Shia clergy despite the fact that he gained tens of thousands of followers. He was eventually executed, only six years after he began his movement. His efforts were continued by Mirza Husayn Ali Nuri who chose the name Baha’u’llah. Also hounded by the clergy and was expelled to the Ottoman Empire.

     

I also found out that the "Bahai Gardens" is possibly the most distinct tourist attraction in all of Haifa, and is very likely the most visited. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists and locals alike travel to the Bahai Gardens on Mount Carmel in Haifa. This is the most holy site of the Bahai faith. Last year alone, 750,000 people enjoyed the beautiful terraces of the Bahai Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We toured the spectacular gardens and then entered the shrine that has been a center for thousands of pilgrims who come here for prayers and meditation.

  

A taxi took us to Stella Maris Monastery, which is a Catholic Christian monastery for Discalced Carmelite Monks, located on the slopes of Mount Carmel in the city.

The main church inside the Stella Maris Monastery is said to contain the Cave of Elijah, a grotto associated with Biblical prophet Elijah.

We sat for coffee and cakes at the Austrian Restaurant, adjacent to the church, and had 3 types of cakes, delicious espresso and a hot chocolate ) for Noa, of course!).

      

    

We then took the cable cars down to the beach area where the girls dipped in the Mediterranean Sea.

We walked on the promenade and arrived to a great fish restaurant named Mis'ah Dag. The food was amazing and a couple of the salads were the best I've had in my life.

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We then walked back to the bus station and after our emotional goodbyes, we waited for our shuttle to take us back to the ship.

       

At the theater tonight we had an Israeli group of dancers, who dazzled us with a number of the Horah dance along with other dances.  The group name was Horah Shalom

 

Day 24 (November 22, 2022)

Limassol, Cypress 

When we woke up this morning, we were approaching Limassol, Cypress.

We actually did not have any plans for today, just some notes about the port city.

We started with a self-guided tour of the Limassol Castle, which is part of the Old Town Historical Center.

The castle as it appears today is a structure rebuilt circa 1590 under the period of Ottoman rule.

Archaeological investigation within the castle revealed that it was built over an Early Christian basilica (4–7th century AD) and a Middle Byzantine monument (10th–11th century Ad). Other finds beneath the Castle witness the existence of an important church, possibly the city's first cathedral.

    

                      

The tour was interesting and we were wandering around the castle and the museum for almost an hour.

We entered the historical center and enjoyed the old bricks narrow streets and the variety of stores.

   

We found City Hall and witnessed a picture taking of a bride and groom.

The Limassol University was situated just across the street from the City Hall. It's called Frederick University and it is a private one.

We sat in a café, for delightful dough filled with feta cheese plus delicious cappuccino.

   

On the way back to the ship, we strolled down on the marina's promenade enjoying the warm sun and the gorgeous views.

After dinner we went to the theater to enjoy the singing of Rietta Austin, a singer born in New Zealand.  She entertained us with famous music and some impressions including the ones of Tina Turner, Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston.

 

Day 25 (November 23, 2022)

 

Rhodes, Greece

We arrived to the island of Rhodes.

Did you know that Rhode Island, the state in New England USA, is somehow associated to the Greek island of Rhodes? 

Rhode Island in the USA is an island within what is now the state of Rhode Island. It is thought that the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano may have compared another island, Block Island, off the southern tip of the current state, to the Mediterranean island of Rhodes.

 

This is where our cruise ship anchored this morning.

The main thing on my agenda was to see the famous Palace of the Grand Master and walk on the Street of the Knights.  When we visited the island few years ago, those were the 2 items we did not explore, since we were in a group tour and had to follow the agenda of our tour guide.

 

We started in the Old Town and saw the beautiful The Lady of The Castle Church, A 1000-year-old house of worship, located at the eastern end of the "knights road" in the Old Town. The decoration of the inside has been lost, beyond a few sparse remnants of wall paintings.The best preserved among them is the figure of St. Lucia dated to the 14th century. It is assumed the work of a European painter, probably of the Giotto School.  When the Ottoman Empire came into power in this region, they decided to convert the building into a mosque and added additions. When Italy took over, they re-converted it back into a Christian temple with great care and consideration to show off their new power.

  

       

Rain has started to fall and we decided to find shelter in a cafe nearby.  We waited for the rain cloud to pass our spot and then continued our tour.  For some reason when we fed Google Map "Palace of the Grand Master, but the map took us around the wall of the entire city to reach the place. We ended up walking around the entire impressive wall of the Old Town.  It took us an hour to complete the 2.3 miles and we then entered the "inside the walls" city and headed towards Palace of the Grand Master.

We walked in a street full with vendors who were trying very hard to sell their products.   At one point we made a left turn and there it was: The Street of the Knights, the 600-meter long medieval street in the historic location in the Old Town of Rhodes.

          

Also known as "Odos Ippoton" in Greek, the well-preserved buildings along the street guaranteed a trip to the past.  The Palace of Grand Master is located at the end of Knights Street. This is one of the best-preserved castles of the Mediterranean and the symbol of the island. It was constructed by the Knights of Saint John in the Medieval times. 

     

When we visited Malta just a couple of weeks ago, we also visited the citadel occupied by the same knights.  

This is what I know of them: The Knights of Rhodes became a military force and most of their time was spent fighting the Barbary pirates that sailed in the Mediterranean. During the fifteenth century the Knights defended Rhodes from two invasions. One was from the Sultan of Egypt in 1444 and the other by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in 1480.

We toured the palace, for a couple of hours, and admired its many mosaic floored rooms.

 

Our next stop was only 10 minutes away, the Jewish District.

   

We found the Monument to the 1,604 Jews that were sent off, by the Nazis to the concentration camps and were murdered during the Holocaust. We tried entering the Synagogue but it the door was locked.

 

      

  

We returned to the New Town for lunch and had the most delicious Souvlaki sandwich and hid from the rain that has started to fall.

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By the time we arrived to the ship, the raindrops turned into a rainstorm.   Luckily, we brought 2 umbrellas with us.

 

Day 26 (November 24, 2022)

 

Athens, Greece

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

After breakfast on the fourteen deck, we walked down to the the main deck, on the fourth deck and found out that the entire deck traditionally decorated for the upcoming Holidays.

The ship arrived at the Port of Piraeus a short time afterwards and was cleared 15 minutes later. Chris and Noel (the couple who we had met in Rome) asked if they could join us again and we agreed. 

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Both ourselves and Chris & Noel have already visited the main attraction in Athens, "The Acropolis" and decided to visit other attractions in the city.  I made reservations for a walking tour, scheduled to start at 9:30 this morning.

We were first people of the ship to walk outside (at 9:30) and had to make a decision: should we try to catch up with our scheduled Walking Tour that has just started, or give up the walking tour and figure out another way to enjoy Athens and its rich history.

We took the first taxi cab in the long queue at the port and met a charming driver, named Sylvester, who spoke fluent English.  While talking to him we realized that he could very well be the solution to our dilemma and decided to hire him.  We negotiated the content of the itinerary and the price and once agreed we shook on it.

   

Sylvester took us to a vista point in Piraeus, where we had a bird view of both cities (Athens and Piraeus).

About 20 minutes later we entered the capital city Athens and stopped at the Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as the Olympieion or Columns of the Olympian Zeus; it is a former colossal temple at the center of the Greek capital. 

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It was dedicated to "Olympian" Zeus, a name originating from his position as head of the Olympian gods. Construction began in the 6th century BC during the rule of the Athenian tyrants, who envisaged building the greatest temple in the ancient world, but it was not completed until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD, some 638 years after the project had begun.  It was under construction and according to Sylvester, it would take additional 50-60 years to complete.  During the Roman period the temple, which included 104 colossal columns, was renowned as the largest temple in Greece and housed one of the largest cult statues in the ancient world.  The Barbarians invaded Greece some 100 years later and reduced the temple to ashes.

We entered the park where we were able to see the Hadrian’s Arch that was constructed in the beginning of the 2nd century A.D and also had a good views at the Acropolis.

We continued our tour and stopped by the Olympic Stadium.  It is a part of the Athens Olympic Sports Complex and is named after the first modern Olympic marathon gold medalist in 1896, Spyros Louis. The stadium used to host some of the biggest sport clubs in Greece like Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and AEK Athens (the home soccer team of Athens.)  The stadium served as the main stadium during the 2004 Summer Olympics.

   

  

Sylvester took us then to the top of Mount Lycabettus where we visited 2 churches: one of them was Agios Isodires, built into the rock of Lycabettus, the church and surrounding chapels are like something from a movie: Beautiful and peaceful.

    

The other church is located further up to the mountain, where a steep hill needed to be climbed, with the name of The Holy Temple of Saint George.  

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We climbed to its roof and had a bird view of the entire city, including the Acropolis that was actually below us. "Wow", was the only word that came out of my mouth. It was so awesome!!

We spent about an hour on the mountain and then continued to our next attractions: We entered the area also known as Plaka, situated in the shadows of the Acropolis. The hillside Plaka had a village feel, with narrow cobblestone streets lined with tiny shops selling jewelry, clothes and local ceramics and of course small restaurants and family owned taverns, which along with sidewalk cafes stay open until late. Nearby, the whitewashed homes of the Anafiotika neighborhood gave the small enclave a Greek-island vibe.

     

We were given free-time by Sylvester and wandered the neighborhood where we found The Roman Agora, which was the ancient public square raised during the Roman period in Athens. It was one of the main meeting points in the city and it once housed the central market. The Greek Agora, one of ancient Greece’s most significant public spaces and “As old as the city of Athens itself”. It was originally used as a residential area and cemetery. In the early 6th century BC, it became a public space, and was used for gatherings and assemblies.

We sat at a local side street Cafe for coffee and apple pie.

   

     

We then met with Sylvester and continued to Syntagma Square and the Greek Parliament.  At 2:00 pm we viewed the Changing of the Guards ceremony that was both entertaining and educational.

   

The last attraction on our tour was the University of Athens, which has been in continuous operation since its establishment in 1837 (!) and "is the oldest higher education institution of the modern Greek state and the first contemporary university in both the Balkan Peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean". Today it is one of the largest universities by enrollment in Europe, with over 69,000 registered students.

   

On our way back to the ship we stopped at a bakery for some ice cream and Greek baked goodies and then we were officially done for the day.

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Tonight's dinner was very festive.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

 

Day 27 (November 25, 2022)

 

Another Sea Day!

Nothing really to say except the following highlights:

    

Sleeping late, a funny show of how to make Italian Food with Chief Chef of the cruise and our beloved Restaurant Manager (Julian), and of course the very elegant Holiday Dinner plus the entertainment, featuring Chris Richie who dedicated the evening to Neil Diamond and dazzled us with favorite songs..

     

   

 

Day 28 (November 26, 2022)

 
Messina, Sicily

When we looked outside our balcony this morning, we saw the gloomy skies. A black cloud was over the port in Messina, Sicily, our new port of arrival. The forecast was gloomy as well: rain all day!

Many passengers decided to spend the wintry day on board the luxury (and dry) ship, but few of us braved the rain to tour the beautiful city.

  

Our first stop was at Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata del Catalani, a beautiful church which is an example of Norman Architecture, with its mix of different cultural elements. The church displays influences from Arab and Byzantine architecture and also contains Roman elements. It is one of the few structures to have survived the catastrophic earthquake of 1908 which destroyed most of the city. As a result of the earthquake the church is situated 10 feet below the reconstructed street level.

 

The statue of Don Giovanni d'Austria was just across the road from the church. The erection of the statue was dedicated in 1571 by the Senate of Messina to honor the victor of the Battle of Lepanto, from which many residents of Messina had benefited.

On the sides of the pedestal are bronze plaques depicting the fleet, the battle, and the fleet's victorious return to Messina as well as an inscription of Don Giovanni is figured holding a three-pronged baton in reference to his command of the triple alliance of Philip II, the Pope, and the Republic of Venice, with his foot on the severed head of a vanquished Turk generally considered to be Müezzinzade Ali Pasha.

Rain has increased and we walked with our umbrellas to the next attraction, not far from the statue, and arrived to Fontana di Gennaro, also called The Aquarium Fountain, dated back to the 17th century.

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We continued to another church down the street from the fountain by the name of Chisa del Carmine, which is a Roman Catholic church in Via Porta Imperiale. It replaces the former church, which was destroyed by the 1908 Messina earthquake. 

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On our way to the next attraction we passed by The Palace of Justice of Messina, built on the area of ​​the Great Hospital. It is an important construction of the years of the reconstruction of the city on the ruins of the 1908 earthquake.

We arrived to Messina Duomo Square:

    

the most beautiful and important square in Messina, where we found out that the Fountain of Orion, built by a disciple of Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1500, was under construction. 

We have read that the fountain represents the rivers Nile, Tiber, Ebro and Canaro and was sculpted to celebrate the first aqueduct of the city, the monument of the Virgin Mary Immaculate, which was moved to the streets in 1900, and finally the dome, on the right side of the square, built by the Normans and Restructured because of earthquake 1908.

Finally it is very important to the campanile, which is located on the left side of the facade, that contains a wonderful animated clock astronomical in which one side has a large luminous dial that marks the hours and the other side is the complex game of gears, counterweights and levers that move the characters clock, every day at noon.  2 hours from now.

We left the Duomo square and will return to it at noon to watch the grand performance of the clock tower.

   

Next on our agenda was Santuario Montalto, a church located in the upper part of Messina and dedicated to the Madonna delle Vittorie (Our Lady of Victories). The current building was constructed in 1928 on the site of a 13th-century church that was destroyed in the 1908 earthquake. The establishment of this church is linked to a legend that can be found in one of Messina Cathedral’s Bell Tower scenes, which can be seen every day at midday.  We estimated that we climbed over 200 steps to get there.

        

The views of the entire city were spectacular from the balcony of the church.  The interior was very nice as well.

     

A life-size statue was placed on the lookout balcony, which shows the Polish pontiff, Pope John Paul II, remembering his visit on the balcony, while admiring the splendid views of the city.

We started our way back to the Duomo Piazza but  first sat in a local Cafe for a much needed espresso drinks.  

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Once we arrived to the Duomo, we visited the Cathedral and learned about its history:  The Norman Duomo (or at least a faithful replica of it), is one of Sicily's finest cathedrals, its treasures include an impressive carved altar and a grand inlaid organ, the second-largest in Italy. Originally built in the 12th century and accidentally burnt to the ground in 1254, the cathedral was destroyed again in the earthquakes of 1783 and 1908,.  The new Cathedral was consecrated on 13th of August 1929 and dedicated to St. Mary of the Assumption.

   

Unfortunately, in 1943, during the bombings of the WWII, several burning fragments fell on the building, starting a fire which lasted for two days. The fire destroyed all the decorations, even those who had been recovered after the 1908 earthquake. The marble calcified and the bronze melted in the heat.

Inside the church, we saw several tombs of archbishops survived as well as the mosaic on the left apse. Many works of art were destroyed and reproduced, such as the statues of the Apostles along the aisles, the canopy in the main apse, the central part of the mosaics in the right apse.

      

It was 11:35 and it was time to go outside and wait for the noon time show of the world's largest astronomical clock (197 feet), Orologio Astronomico.  It was inaugurated in 1933.  It contains the biggest and most complex mechanical and astronomical clock in the world.  
The Duomo Square was already filling up with sight-seers waiting for the clock to strike noon. Most benches were taken when we got there; so we sat on the edge of a concrete planter. Not the most comfortable seat, but better than standing for the whole time. Also, many vendors had come out to sell their wares in the square (rain did not stop them) – annoying, but we just kept staying “no”.  When the clock struck noon, it came to life with bells ringing, a lion roaring, rooster crowing and moving bronze mechanical figures. This was followed by “Ave Maria” as a cathedral rose into sight.

   

We ended our Messina tour with an amazing pizza lunch at Il Siciliano and then returned to the ship for an afternoon nap.

An announcement by the captain made some dramatic changes for tomorrow's schedule: The Italian port authorities announced that due to the rain storms over the Mediterranean Sea, our next destination of Naples had been canceled and that we will dock at Messina Port overnight and leave only tomorrow morning to Civitavecchia, the last port of this first leg -  14 days in the Mediterranean Sea.

(Tova and I will continue with the same ship on Monday; Destination: Fort Lauderdale, Florida.)

    

Dinner was a class act at the Steakhouse Specialty Restaurant and we ended the day in the theater with a mediocre performance by an English Comedian.

 

Day 29 (November 27, 2022)

 

Day at Sea

Today, the official last day of the 1st leg of the cruise, was spent at sea (if you have read my post from yesterday you already knew that). 

Tomorrow many of the passengers will disembark in Civitavecchia, Italy and will continue to their destinations.  Tova and I will return to the ship, along many other passengers for the next 2 weeks, visiting amazing destinations like Spain, Sardinia, Morocco and Portugal and then we'll cross the Atlantic Ocean to the USA and to the Sunshine State, Florida.

We said a lot of goodbyes today.  It's so happened that the four people who have been in our dinner table for the last two weeks: Marco, Kathy, Shane and his mom Gail were all set to leave tomorrow.

We took a group picture and exchanged email addresses.

The dining room crew said their goodbyes with a march in the dining room, carrying the best desert dish at sea: Baked Alaska.

  

Tonight performer was Nadia Eide, a soprano singer from London, who has won The Voice in England.  She was fantastic.  I really liked her take on Andrew Lloyd Weber, Phantom of the Opera.

 

Day 30 (November 28, 2022)

 

Civitavecchia, Italy

When we woke up this morning, the cruise ship has already anchored at Civitavecchia Cruise Terminal.

We had breakfast and met a nice couple from Hong Kong.  We chatted for about an hour and then exchanged phone numbers.

  

We had few things to do in the city, so we disembarked and walked on the streets of the city for awhile and then decided to have lunch at a neighborhood pasta restaurant named Sapori di Duglia, favorite by the locals.  After spending 12 days in Italy, we finally found the perfect place for authentic Italian food.  It was a great place where the food was cooked fresh and to perfection. The patrons, who came while we were there, knew each other and made us feel like we were part of them.

We returned to our cabin for a well deserved rest.

Tony and Isabel joined our dinner table tonight, replacing those that had left the ship in Civitavecchia.

The mid-ship received an overall yesterday and was now decorated with the Holidays' colors. Christmas was just around the corner!

The entertainers tonight were Arkadio & Solange the magicians, who thrilled us with their quick of hands and illusions.

 

Day 31 (November 29, 2022)

Cagliari, Sardinia

  

We arrived to Cagliari, Sardinia at around 9 am and the ship was cleared to dock, by the Italian authorities, 30 minutes later.

We met Isabel and Tony on the 5th deck and started the day, with its sunny skies and warm temperatures, walking on the main street of the city.  We obtained a city map earlier and followed the directions of the highlighted attractions.

   

Once we reached Piazza Yenne we took the street, going up and arrived to our first destination: Saint Remy Rampart.

   

Probably the most famous site in n Cagliari, the structure is also one of the most important sites as well. Built on the ancient defensive curtains of the medieval boundary walls, the castle owes its name to Baron of Saint Remy.  We climbed the 80 steps and the views of the city and the surrounding area were spectacular.

    

We continued our tour and arrived to the Cagliari Cathedral or in another term: Duomo di Cagliari, which is a Roman Catholic Cathedral in the city, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and to Saint Cecilia. It is the seat of the archbishop of Cagliari.

The interior of the Cathedral was Gothic with marbles that were made in the mainland of Italy.  The Cathedral was built in the 13th century in Pisan-Romanesque style, obtaining the Cathedral status in 1258. In the 17th and 18th centuries it was renovated along Baroque lines. In the 1930's it finally received the current facade, in Neo-Romanesque style, inspired by Pisa Cathedral.

         

Next on the agenda was Torre di San Pancrazio, a medieval tower, located in the Castello historical quarter of the city as well.

The tower was built in 1305, during the Pisan domination of the city and was part of the city's fortifications built against imminent Aragonese invasion of the island. The tower was built in white limestone. It has also a gate, that, together with another one make the main entrance to Castello.

The Public Garden was next. This beautiful urban green space is one of the oldest planned parks in the capital Cagliari, dating back to 1840.

  

The last stop on our self-guided tour was the Roman Amphitheater.  The structure, built in the 2nd century AD, was half carved in the rock, while the rest was built in local white limestone, with a facade surpassing 60 feet in height. The building housed fights between men and animals.  The fighters were gladiators and other specialized fighters recruited in and outside Sardinia. The amphitheater was also the place of public executions. It could house up to 8,000 spectators.

The amphitheater has not been in use starting in the 5th century AD and was subsequently used as a free stone quarry by the rulers of the area.

As we made our last stop, rain drops have started to fall and by the time we got back to the port the weather changed to a winter front with wind and dark clouds full with rain.

     

Once in our cabin we took a long nap and then joined Isabel and Tony to a delicious dinner.

 

Day 32 (November 30, 2022)

Sea Day again! 

Not much to write about.

A lot of catching up on sleep. Eat, eat, eat and also some exercising.

  

Beautiful sunset and a formal dress theme plus a celebrated dinner.

 

   

Day 33 (December 1, 2022)

 

Malaga, Spain

We arrived to Málaga, Spain rather early, so when we woke up at 7 am we've already anchored at the port.

Breakfast and then we went ashore to start our new day.

        

I already had o list of things to discover today and we initially started to explore (by foot) the Old City and found the Cathedral of Málaga, the main attraction in the City.

   

The Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church and it was designed in the Renaissance architectural tradition.  It was constructed between 1528 and 1782. The north tower is 276 ft high, and the south tower is missing for the reason that the city was involved in the war with Napoleon Bonaparte and the construction to build the south tower had been stopped by the Spanish government for lack of money.  The Spaniards call the Cathedral "the lady with the one arm" for that reason.

When we were about to continue my itinerary, I noticed a lady who was waiting for people to join her tour.  Her sign read "Free Tours" and we knew exactly what she was offering and decided to join her for the tour of the Old City.

   

  

Once again we repeated the same Cathedral tour we had done earlier today and our next stop was the birthplace of Pueblo Picasso. 

The famous artist was born and grew up in the city. The museum of his early life paintings is found in the same (narrow) street and we decided to return to the museum next time we will be in town.

    

Another famous person who was born in the city is Jewish poet and Jewish philosopher in the Neo-Platonic tradition.   Shlomo Eban Gvirol (or Shlomo Ben Yehuda ibn Gabirol).  Next to an old synagogue we saw his statue. He published over a hundred poems, as well as works of biblical exegesis, philosophy, ethics  and satire. 

 

The tour guide also pointed out that the Jewish Quarter of Málaga was there.  The Jews of Malaga, she added, were deported to North Africa by the Catholics already in 1487. 

  

We passed by the famous restaurant, El Pimpi (The Pimp), owned by no other but Antonio Bandera, the Hollywood actor and former husband of Melanie Griffith.

The last stop of our tour was the Historic Wall around the city and the defensive towers of Alcazaba.

   

We did not tour the structure but heard a nice lecture of its history:

The Phoenicians were the first to build walls in Malaga, a practice that both the Romans and Moors continued as they needed to defend their city. Most of the full-circle of walls were built during the Moorish reign in Malaga and lasted for several centuries until the city began to grow.

It was so hard to believe, that a few centuries ago, the city was entirely walled in. Most of the full-circle of walls were built during the Moorish reign in Malaga and lasted for several centuries until the city began to grow and most of the wall was destroyed.

 

Right outside the wall, at the foot of the famous Alcazaba fortress, we spotted the old Roman Theater, El Teatro Romano, which is the oldest monument in the City; it is situated in the cultural heart of the city, . It is one of the only Ancient ruins left in Málaga after the outwardly Republican city was bombed by Nationalist sympathizers - the Italian army during the Civil war, and one of the only remaining Roman ruins in Andalucía after centuries of warfare, and construction.

The tour guide gave us a great tour and we showed her our appreciation.  She also pointed out that the best Tapas pub is only 5 minutes walk away from the point where we finished and we were headed there for lunch.

     

We found the La Orellana Farola Pub and had a great time, enjoying the fabulous tapas and the friendly service.

We returned to the ship and an hour later, the Captain had a very important and dramatic announcement that carried bad news for all the passengers: due to the bad weather, involving a hurricane, across the Atlantic Ocean, he had no choice but to cancel our 2 upcoming ports (Casablanca, Morocco and Madera, Portugal) and substitute them with a single stop in Tenerife, Canary Islands.

Tomorrow we will be at sea again (instead of Casablanca) and will visit Tenerife on Saturday morning.

 

We had Michael Bacala, a polish violinist as the guest star at the theater and Elvis trivia with the new Cruise Director Cole and his assistant Liberty afterwards at the Explorer Lounge.

 

Day 34 (December 2, 2022)

 

Day at Sea

You might have asked: What happen to the passengers who are sick with COVID-19?

Those unfortunate passengers were ordered to stay in their cabin and only after 2 consecutive negative results they are allowed out.  If they are still positive after the additional tests they are ordered to disembark in the next port of call.  Today we found out that our neighbors next door, are sick with COVID-19.  We saw a stool (or a small table) for the Room-Service crew to leave them  their meals.

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Nothing to add except that we joined the members of our tribe, on the ship, to welcome Shabbat.

 

 

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Day 35 (December 3, 2022)

 

Santa Cruz, Tenerife

We met our new guide, David, at the Parque García Sanabria, next to the Flowers Clock.  We were 12 people in the group, including Avima & Steve who we have met yesterday.

Today we will explore the last attraction of this trip: Santa Cruz, Tenerife. 

     

   

David started the tour by telling us that this park was named after the city beloved mayor, Graciq Sanabria, who is to thank for developing the park in the middle of the city.  In the park there is a huge fountain with a statue of a half naked woman.  David told us that the woman is symbolizing fertility (look at the picture above and judge for yourself)!

 

Our first stop was at a church called Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, the most important church in the city's center.  Inside we viewed the image of Our Lady Del Pilar that was blessed by the Archbishop.

We then stopped at a Mason House where Franco started his revolution, eventually becoming the dictator of Spain.

 

In the center of the city and in the middle of a nice plaza we stood by a very particular statue.  David explained: 

One of the first things anyone who visits Santa Cruz de Tenerife, notices the incredible amount of statues, sculptures and monuments around town. Any square or a crossroad hosts at least one: A character, more or less, of a historical importance, modern artworks or installations of every size.

David was now made us pay attention to thee fish in particular: El Chicharro:  It is possibly the most beloved sculpture in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a monument so famous that the square where it sits, took the name from it: The Chicharro.  It’s a fish, and to be more specific, an Atlantic horse mackerel. The statue was given to the city by a Venezuelan cultural association in 1979.

"There is a story behind all this", he told us and continued with some details:

When La Laguna (the neighboring town) was still Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz was a simple fishermen coastal town. The fish was sold to all the villages and to the capital as well, since La Laguna is up on the hills. The inhabitants of Santa Cruz got therefore the nickname of Chicharreros, aka “those of the Chicharros“, the Spanish word for “mackerel”.   sculpture of the precious fish must have seemed like a good idea to honor the citizens of today’s capital of Tenerife.

We continued walking admiring other statues, many of them were of working women.

 

   

We arrived to the City's Market, but David opted to skip the tour there and urged us to visit the market later.  Instead he took us to another church:  Iglesias De La Concepcion, A Catholic church that is the only church in the Canary Islands that has five naves.

   

The last stop was at Plaza de España, which is the largest square in the city and of all of the Canary Islands. The square is located  not far from the Cruise Terminal and it hosts an artificial lake, a fountain and few monuments.

We went to a local restaurant and had lunch at a place that Steve & Avima chose (not too much to tell you about it), and then returned to the ship.

 

Day 36 – Day 43 (December 4, 2022 – December 11, 2022)

 

Sea Days

On Day 36 we were told that for the next 8 days will be at sea as we are going to cross the Atlantic Ocean heading to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  

The captain announced today that he suspects that WiFi will be unavailable until December 8th, starting tomorrow today.

Please enjoy some of the photos I was taking during the above period:

    

Day 44 (December 12, 2022)

 

Goodbye Cruise! We are going home!!

 

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