Venice, Italy, Day 13,14, June 30, 2009

As the Ruby Princess entered the main channel on the south side of Venice, 3000 passengers rushed to the starboard side of the ship to enjoy the view. Now this is a big ship but, 3000 well-feed passengers four deep on the rail can cause the ship to heel. The photograph is not an illusion. The ship is heeled over to starboard about 3-5 degrees. The swimming pool water on the eighteen deck was two inches deeper on the starboard side.

Piasano! Someone was glad to see us. I think that he was inviting us to dinner. We didn't get his address.
This is Saint Mark's Square. It is the heart of Venice. In evening, multiple restaurants stage fine orchestras on the square to attract patrons.

Hilton's Stucky Molino, formerly a factory, was where we stayed for the last three days of our journey. It is located an island on the south side of the channel.

Joe, Linda, Diane and George on the upper deck. Our last sunset on the Ruby Princess.

Katakolon, (Olympia,) Greece, Day 12, June 30, 2009

The original Olympics were staged here. The site was covered by sediments for several centuries which protected many of the mosaics and other building details. Unfortunately most of massive structures fell during earthquakes. Multiple buildings housed spas, gyms, and barracks for the athletes and spectators. Every four years, the athletes gathered to seek athletic fame.

The original starting lines and finish line are still in place. A marble threshold with groves provided footholds for the runners. The entire field is dead flat oval surface surrounded with a bowl shaped mount for spectators to sit. It is amazing how well the stadium is constructed. The builders even included drainage to divert run off away from the field of competition.

All were naked when competing. Married women were forbidden to witness the events for it was deemed immoral for a married woman to see a man, other than their husband, in the nude. However, virgins were welcome. Go figure?

Yes, that's me making Olympic fame in the moon walk competition.

This must have been a beautiful place. Gardens, spas, lodging, temples covered the property. It may have been the most elaborate resort in ancient history. No one, other than a few caretakers, resided here after the competitors left.

Athens, Greece, Day 11, June 29, 2009

After Egypt, Athens Greece is next most significant site in western civilization. The Acropolis sits on a high mount in the middle of it all. Just like all ancient structures, we moderns marvel at the size and magnificence of these structures.

Even though the building are fragments of the original, there is no doubt that these were overwhelmingly impressive structures in their day.

When you look at the building, you wonder just how much has been lost of the ancient world if this is what we find after 2500 years.

A visit to the museum reveals piece after piece of ancient art. These people had all all worked out. They were masters at sculpture. We have added very little to the art form since the Greeks.

Mykonos, Greece, Day 10, June 28, 2009

Mykonos was the next stop.
Mykonos is said to be the birthplace of the Greek civilization; however, we took off to the beach instead of exploring ancient ruins or museums.


The island is populated with white buildings. Apparently, a plague struck the island over a hundred years ago and white was considered to be sterile and therefore believed to ward off contagious disease. The sand was courser than we see in New Jersey and brown. The water was cool but tolerable.
It was a good rest stop.

Ephesus, Turkey, Day 9, June 27, 2009

Ephesus was once the eastern capital city of the Roman Empire. Unlike Rome, many of the ruins are in better condition due to its remoteness. The city was originally a seaport town; but over time slit closed the harbor and killed the economy. The mosquitoes from the developing marsh chased all remaining stragglers.

Much of this structure was reconstructed by archaeologists.

Since Home Depot or Lowes were not in business at the time, many of these ancient cities became sources of building materials. All of the fine marble and statuary have been removed by others over time. I guess they didn't care about our touring pleasure. Earthquakes have done their damage as well. Nevertheless, the splendor of the city can be envisioned through the remnants. The amphitheater sat 25,000 people which was about 10% of the population. Plays and public meetings were held here. St. John spoke here around 50 AD. Imagine, they did this without any construction equipment. Even here the marble for the seats have been quarried and carried off to other cities.

Early Christians were underground in the first century. The stone above shows ancient Christian graffiti. The Greek letters Iota-Chi-Theta-Psi-Sigma spells the Greek word for "fish". The pie circle is a composite of the five letters. OK, Why Fish? It's an acronym for Jesus Christ Son (of) God - Savior. Cool, eh? So the next time you see one of those bumper stickers, you know why its a fish.

Romans were pros at plumbing. Many of their storm water systems are still in use today. The above multi-seat toilet is built directly over a trough with running water. This public "sit" station was part of a transit station for travelers.

Cruising-Santorini, Greece, Day 7,8, June 25,26,2009

Today was the day off that we welcomed. It's nice to have nothing to do except for pool side drinks and an evening of dining and dancing. Today, I also consumed about two hours just walking the decks and taking photographs of this incredible ship. 4 large swimming pools and about 5 hot tubs decorated the upper decks. Food of various cuisines available everywhere. The pizza near the pool was a good as home.

Notice the perfect weather. Everyday was like this. Bring your sun block.
Our favorite pool on the eighteen deck looking down from the 19th deck

Santorini is a Greek Island that just littered with splendid elevated views. The cliffs fall into a harbor that is so deep that the ships can't anchor. Instead they use their thrusters to hold a GPS position.

To the top of the island, we rode cable car to the top of the island where 98% of the buildings are. We did brave walking down the switchback to the dock. The primary hazard is the Donkey poop.

Many of the buildings are stucco painted in beautiful pastels. Santorini, beautiful for one day, time to move on to more ancient ruins.

Naples, Italy, DAY 6, June 24, 2009

On this day we made three stops, Isle of Capri, Sorrento, and Pompeii. Even though we were at the port of Naples, we didn't tour there. Naples is a working man' s town much like Detroit. It has a higher unemployment rate than many other cities in Italy and more social problems than most.

We started with a boat ride. It was a high speed catamaran that slowly rode up and down with the waves. The cabin was like sitting in a theater. The lack of windows amplified the motion's effect on the brain and stomach. For a least a half an hour, the crew passed out plastic catch bags for the lesser heeled sailors amongst the passengers. Many were glad to place their feet on solid land again.

At Capri, the show was the scenery. You must take an inclined plane car to the top of the island. This is a very upscale place. Gucchi, Rolex, and other notables were represented on store fronts.
Perfumes, jewelry, high end fashion were available. We bought three postcards.
On to Sorrento, an excellent lunch which was included in the tour, window shopping, and back on the bus to Pompeii.

Pompeii is the legendary city that was covered with volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius around 95 AD. It was rediscovered in the 1800's. (If I recall correctly.) Frozen in time it is a very interesting place. Unlike Rome, the ruins have not been abused by centuries of pillaging and weathering. In one ancient residence, the murals on the walls and tile work on the floors were nearly perfect. You really got a feel for the daily life of these people. This was the highlight of the trip so far.

Leave it to me to have an uncharged battery in my camera. Fortunately, Linda brought her camera. I'll post some photos later.

Florence, Pisa, DAY 6, June 23, 2009

Florence & Pisa were on the schedule today. Lots of Renaissance history to absorb. Bus #A3 was ready to hurry us to Florence. We walked and saw some beautiful buildings, statuary, and tombs of the contributors of the city's golden age. David is the big draw. Michelangelo touch is everywhere throughout Italy. Unfortunately, we only had time to see the copy of "David" on the Piazza. The original was moved from the Piazza to protect it from damage due to pollution and general weathering. Quite frankly, if I was told that what we saw was the original, how would I have known the difference?

This is the Basilica of something or the other.

From there, more beautiful churches, more sculptures, and more more.

Back on the bus, then to Pisa.

Yes, the leaning tower really does lean. It's then that you realize that if it wasn't for bad engineering, nobody would come to Pisa. That tells you something about human nature. Screw-up and it's a story. Do it right and everybody walks by without taking notice.

Pisa was more to an a American's expectation of a landmark site. plenty of mown grass around the building and everything was steamed cleaned. more like a park than an ancient church.

After seeing these buildings, you realize that the people in the 15th century just had nothing better to do than show-off by building magnificent structures.

Monaco, DAY 5, June 22, 2009

Monaco: Scenic Overkill. Country of millionaires.


This place is no more than a playground for the idle rich. All of the "real" people commute to work from France or from Italy. Even our tour guide was from Italy. It simply cost too much to live in Monaco. Since the rich don't sweep there own floors, the real people have to come from somewhere. We appreciate their tolerance of folks like us.

A view of the Mediterranean.

Diane checks out the royal family villas.

We took a short tour of the castle. A more modest place than you would expect. Beautiful furnishing, antiques, and grand portraits of Grace Kelly and the royal family.

Prince Albert reviews the changing of the guard. The prince had a guest for lunch on the day that we were there, consequently, the ceremony was delayed until noon. The band played and the small platoon of soldiers marched. I'd give it 3 of 5 stars. Buckingham Palace on a budget.

Prince Albert (out of the can.) He's the one on the right side. Wow! He waved at us. OK, It was pretty cool.

The marching band played three tunes while the guards marched by. The whole ceremony lasted about 15 minutes.

Pick your yacht. You can't believe how big these things are. It was nice to see some 20 foot boats in the marina next to the mega-yachts. I feel grounded by the experience.

Ok, back to the boat, we hear that they're giving Cha-cha lessons in "Club Fusion". Party on....

Civitavecchia, DAY 4, Sunday, June 21, 2009

Arrivederci Roma.

This was boarding day for the cruise. Rome is about 50 miles or 80 kilometers from the port of Civitavecchia. I have no idea how to say Civitavecchia correctly.

There are two basic choices to get there form Rome: Private limo or public train. Since we are loaded with money, we choose the limo at 140 Euro or $210. It' s much like going to Atlantic City from Philadelphia. Going by train required schleping luggage to the local train station and twenty minute walk from the train station to the ship at the other end. At 6 euro per person, a great bargain. This is another reason to bring just one piece of luggage.

The Mercedes was fast and comfortatble so probabaly worth it, I guess?

At the hotel in Rome, we met several couples that were cruising with us. These folks proved to be good company during the entire trip. There they were waiting in line with 3000 other passengers eager to board the ship on the dock.

The ship is beautiful. As the Ruby Princess is only eight months old, everything is sharp in appearance. No nicks or scratches that develop over time were evident. With of 3150 passengers and a crew of 1200, it is one of the biggest out there. On the cabin TV, they were continually playing episodes of “Love Boat”. They made a reference that the LoveBoat served 600 passengers. That was in the 1980’s. (I think.) Things change.


Six thirty, 1830, we pushed off. With one tug boat on the port bow line and bow thrusters surging, we were underway. Once the Ship was away from the dock, the tug dropped off and Ruby was under way. Next port Monte Carlo, Monaco. Prince Albert is waiting.
Tonight, we sail to Monte Carlo, Monaco. Prince Edward is expecing us.
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Lessons learned:

1. Carry a wardrobe for 6 days. you can always get things washed. The ship had multiple laundryomats. One medium-large(>50 lb.) roller suit case per person will do.
   
2. Don't be afraid to use the trains. It may be wise to avoid the city subway (Metropolitano); but, the train will get you between cities at low cost and quickly. We met several people that enjoyed their train ride from Venice to Rome and other points.


3. Everything in Italy is expensive for tourists. Water bottles can be as much as $3-5 Euro or as little as 50 cents. We ate several meals by filling up on snacks and free drinks at the Hotel's Hilton Honors Courtesy Lounge. The room fee included breakfast which was excellent. A dinner at Harry's Bar on Via Veneto rang-up at $128 Euro.


4. No matter how much you want to absorb from the tours, you will get saturated. Be sure to see the big tourists spots and maybe you will get to the secondary places.