Friday 1 June 2012 Katakolon

Katakolon (Ka TA koe lon) is the jumping off point for Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games.

When we were booking our excursions online from home a couple of months ago, it did not sound too interesting, so we did not book anything. Now that we are on board and they are talking it up, it sounds kind of attractive. However, since we thought we had the day off, we booked lunch in the hard-to-get-into Asian restaurant at noon which doesn’t really allow time for an excursion before or after. The Dim Sum was scrumptious.

We left the ship about 9 or 9:30 and wandered the town. Celeste has been looking for baklava and we found some at this café before continuing our stroll. Mmmm delicious!

We went back to the ship for lunch, and then returned to the village.

We took in a very interesting little museum. The owner had studied ancient Greek inventions and built working models of them. I noted three things in particular: they were very ingenious with levers and pulleys; they were very clever at communicating over great distances; and they were very good at using water and air pressure to power various machines, some for work and others for entertainment.

After the museum we went down to the local beach where I waded into the Ionian Sea.

We returned to the ship in time take in the 4 PM movie. Today it was Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. It started out a little slow, but it eventually drew you into the mystery and the characters. It is evident why it won several Academy Award nominations, although the kid could be quite annoying. From the movie we went to the Greek buffet and barbecue on the rear pool deck. We were so stuffed from our morning and lunch that I didn’t think we would be able to eat supper, but we managed to sample almost everything. The moussaka was especially wonderful.

I have been having trouble uploading to the internet the last few days, but it is going fairly smoothly tonight, so I might be able to catch up. Half the people in the village cafes were using laptops or tablets on the free Wi-Fi. I guess they aren't happy with the satellite internet either.

Weather: sunny, temperature 77F/25C, light wind.

Thursday 31 May 2012 Nafplion

We had a bus tour again today, but the difference was that we were anchored in a bay rather than being tied up at a dock. We road to shore and back in the ship’s tenders.

After a ride through the pretty, but dry, countryside, our first stop was at the theatre of Epidaurus. They say that the acoustics are so good that you can hear a whisper throughout the theatre from the exact centre of the stage. I don’t know about a whisper, but you sure could hear voices clearly. And when you stand there and speak you can hear your voice echoing back to you and almost feel it physically.

There are also many other ruins there, including the world’s first known hospital and other facilities.

From Epidaurus we went to the fortress overlooking the town. What magnificent views of the town and harbour below!

After our tour we wandered around the town. Celeste wanted to find some authentic baklava. We didn’t find any of that, but we found a bakery with other delicious treats and a frozen Greek yogurt store. We returned to the ship about 2:30, but had had enough snacks that we did not go for lunch. Celeste had a nap while I uploaded pictures to the laptop, did some culling, and wrote the day’s story.

At 4:30 we went back to the Crow’s Nest for trivia. We started off not too bad, but went into the toilet on the second half and finished way off the pace. Maybe we need a bigger team. Carla and Tyler, where are you when we need you?

We had dinner with another two Aussie couples. They are everywhere! Someone said there are 700 on board. They may even outnumber the Americans. We have met far more of them than anyone else.

After dinner we went to the Showroom for Legends of the Guitar. A single guitarist played some of the classic rock guitar hits without vocals and backed up by the house band. He was a very good player, but many of the songs didn’t sound quite right with a guitar playing the vocal melody. Still a good show, but not what you expect.

At 10 we went to the documentary movie based on Bjorn Lomborg’s book “Cool It.” I am a fan of Lomborg, so thought I would take this opportunity.

Weather: forecast was for sunny, temperature 79F/26C. I am sure it was at least that warm. Back on the ship it said the temperature was 72F/22C out on the water. There was a refreshing breeze during our touring, turning pretty stiff by the time we got back to the ship.

Wednesday 30 May 2012 At sea from Italy to Greece

We had a late night last night and there was a time change overnight, so we woke up a little late on the new time. We took a two mile walk around the deck and showered. By the time we got to the breakfast area at 11, they were already cleaning up for lunch and we were only able to grab some cereal. We wandered around the ship for a while before returning to our cabin where Celeste caught a nap and I went online. I was able to check email, but still had a problem trying to post to the blog. Will try again later.

We went for a bit of lunch at 12:30 and sat with an Australian couple who told us story after story about their cruising and other travel adventures. I don’t know what they did for a living, but they must have done pretty well because they sure have been around. We then went to a presentation by the tour guy about what to expect in Dubrovnik and Venice. From there it was off to the restaurant for Indonesian tea – different teas with some snacks. Next was a movie at 4 PM. Today’s movie was Sherlock Homes 2. Frankly, I found it kind of boring. It had a pretty weak premise contrived to create an excuse for snappy dialogue, special effects, and other movie maker tricks designed to show off how smart the production team is rather than tell a good story.

After the movie we changed for the formal dinner. It went a little slower than usual tonight and we got into a long visit with our tablemates, a couple from near Kelowna and a mother and young daughter from Pennsylvania. As a result, we didn’t leave until almost 9, missing our usual 8 PM Showroom performance. To fill the time until the 10 PM show, we took in the Let’s Make A Deal game show in another lounge. It is a little more interesting and fun live than it is on TV. Off to bed at midnight.

Weather: sunny, 22C, light wind in the morning becoming 25mph by late afternoon.

Tuesday 29 May 2012 Messina

I went out a little early this morning to watch them docking the ship. It is quite a long and slow procedure. You want to make sure you don’t have too much momentum approaching the dock!!

Holland America has an agreement with Microsoft wherein there is computer guy onboard to give classes, answer questions, and plug Microsoft products. I attended two of his classes this morning and picked up some useful tips.

None of the excursions here had any great appeal for us, so we did not book any. At 11 AM we left the ship for a walk around town. We caught the clock tower show at noon beside the main church. It was pretty slow moving for today’s times. I wonder if anyone from the next generation or two will even bother to watch them.

The Cruise Director had been recommending the cannoli here all week, so we tried one from a little hole in the wall bakery. It was so good we had to go back for another and let our pants out another notch.

We returned to the ship and I wandered around taking pictures for a while.

We went for a late lunch around 2:30. I took in another computer class at 3:30, and then we went up to the Crow’s Nest for happy hour, team trivia challenge, and departure. We didn’t do as well on the trivia today. We missed a couple where we talked ourselves out of the right answer or we would have been in second place and missed another two pointer that we should have known that would have won it for us.

They had a Sicilian buffet on the pool deck this evening. It looked pretty good so we skipped the sit-down meal and ate there. Then I downloaded pictures and wrote blog for a while. The 8 PM show had a British female singer/comedienne who was pretty good. After her show we went to the singer/guitarist show again. We stopped in at the piano bar for a short while, then back to the room to post the blog, but unable to successfully connect. Off again to the 11:30 Philippine crew show. It was pretty amateur, but we were glad to support them. About 30% of the crew is Philippine and 50% Indonesian. They are always so cheerful and helpful and they are away from home and family for months at a time. You have to give them a lot of credit.

Weather: sunny, 27 degrees C, light wind

Monday 28 May 2012 Naples

Today we travelled by bus just over half an hour to Pompeii for a tour of about two hours. To refresh your memory, this city was buried in ash in 79 AD by an eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius. They have excavated about 150 acres/66 hectares so far. It was a very interesting tour when you have someone to explain details for you.

It was raining when we returned about noon, but we dug out our umbrella and took a short walk to the main square. There we found an 1890 version of a shopping mall. Although it was Monday, at least three wedding parties were taking their pictures there. Celeste managed to sneak into one of their pictures. She is convinced they were gypsy weddings judging by the brides’ and attendants’ slutty dresses, like those shown on TLC’s reality show “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding."

We returned to the ship for lunch at about 2 PM then went to our cabin where I downloaded pictures and wrote blog while Celeste caught a few winks. We went up to the Crow’s Nest bar for “sail-away.” People gather to watch the ship’s departure while the head tour guy provides commentary on what you can see. Before the actual departure the cruise director led a game of trivia and Celeste wanted to play. I didn’t think we were doing very well, but when the points were totalled up we were tied for first with two other teams of about eight people each. We came second in the tie-breaker.

At dinner we sat with two pairs of Aussies and had a very enjoyable time. Aussies are probably the second largest group aboard, after the Americans. Two of the four were immigrants and two were first generation born in Austrlaia. At yesterday's lunch we sat with four Aussies and a Swiss. At least two of the Aussies were also immigrants.

From dinner we went to the Showroom for a full cast production of pop songs from the last four or five decades. After that we went up to the Crow’s Nest again to hear a guitarist/vocalist that we enjoyed very much. Then it was back to the room for blogging.

Weather: overcast and 20 degrees C on the bus display when we left; still 20 degrees when we returned; very light sprinkle of rain when we left Pompeii, becoming light rain by the time we got to Naples and moderate rain after we returned to the ship. The people we sat with at dinner were on a longer tour that did Pompeii later and got soaked.

Sunday 27 May 2012 Rome

This morning we bussed to Rome from the port of Civitavecchia. It was fairly scenic, as it was not as developed as the road to Firenze the other day. The tour guide said it normally takes about 1.75 hours, but today she hoped it would be closer to 1.25 because traffic would be lighter on a Sunday. That was before we made a bathroom stop with about 12 other buses. In the end, it took about 1.5 hours.

The first part of the day was mostly spent on the bus, driving past many famous landmarks in the historic old city. It would take all day to park and walk, so this is the quick and dirty way to cover a lot of ground.

Around noon, we jumped out for 45 minutes of free time at one of the squares. From there the two of us took the short walk to the Parthenon, which I recall was an important place for some reason, although I don’t remember why. Maybe someone can refresh my memory when we get home. Of course, there’s one in every crowd – in this case there were four. While thirty of us stood around waiting, four people showed up ten minutes late with big grins on their faces.

We went for lunch at a local restaurant. We seemed to be driving around aimlessly, making U-turns and passing the same places more than once. Eventually it became clear that our driver was lost, but close enough that we were able to get out and walk while he found his way to the bus parking. Lunch consisted of a huge salad, lasagna, tiramisu, and pitchers of wine.

After lunch, we were off to the Vatican where we were met by another guide and each given wireless receivers and headsets so we could listen to her commentary. It was a good thing, because there was a huge lineup to get into St. Peter’s Basilica and her commentary about architecture and history helped pass the time. Apparently there had been a Papal mass in the morning, which backs the tourists up into the rest of the day. The line moved pretty fast and we were in within a little over half an hour.

St. Peter’s is humongous. The guide said it is the biggest church in the world. Inside, it seems to go on forever with multiple altars and side churches. Unfortunately, we had to whiz through in just several minutes, so it was hard to really appreciate the scale and grandeur.

From there, it was back to the port, arriving at 5:30 after a 9.5 hour day. We went for dinner at 6 and watched the departure of another cruise ship we had noticed earlier.

We then took in the early show in the Showroom. The entertainer was a piano man specializing in Billy Joel, Elton John, and Neil Sedaka styles. He was very good. Then it was back to our room for blogging and bedtime.

Weather: the forecast called for mostly sunny with a high of 25 C and I believe that is how it turned out.