Venice

We steamed towards Venice and entered the Grand Canal just after lunch. It was spectacular to see the city from this high perch at the top of the ship. There were three ships coming in at once, so this provided extra interest in watching them all dock. We were allowed off the ship at 2:00 PM, and we were on our own to explore the city. The ship is spending the night so there were no real deadlines to hit for getting back. (Speaking of deadlines to get back to the ship - we have been entertained on the nights that we are leaving port, watching the late arriving passengers stroll up. Most don’t seem to be sweating it - my blood pressure would be through the roof! They warn people that they could be left behind if they miss the deadlines. They know exactly who isn’t back on the ship, because we have to insert our card in a machine when we get off - the wonders of technology! At the deadline, they overhead page for family/friends of the missing passengers to call. Then they begin pacing the dock.)

We got on the vaparetto that took us to St. Mark’s Square, and tried to get into the beautiful mosaic church located there. We just missed the deadline for getting in. Ken even remembered his zip on pant legs, but they were all for not. We spent the next several hours wandering the back streets of Venice. Things here are very expensive, but you have to figure in that everything is transported by boat and by hand to get it in to the city. Lots of designer shops. We didn’t buy anything here. We then took one of the vaparetto’s out towards the island of Murano. About half way, we decided to get off, and we strolled down a park like area next to the Grand Canal. When the legs and enthusiasm gave out, we jumped another water bus back to the area of the ship, where we had dinner.

Day 2 Venice: Just before getting off the ship, we started talking with our Russian room steward Ihar (pronounced E-har). He was asking for advice on how he could see some of Venice in the 3 hours that he had off. We weren’t going to be using the balance of our vaparetto pass, so we gave that to him (typical segments on the vaparetto are over 6.0 Euros (or approximately $9.00 US). We filled him in on the directions to where he needed to go, and we worried all day like parents whether he would get on the right vaparetto to the ship before we sailed. Fortunately, he was here when the ship sailed, and he was thrilled with all that he saw in Venice. He said “I take lots of peectures!”
At 8:00 AM, we boarded a boat to go out to the islands of Burano and Murano. Burano is famous for its lace making, and Murano for the glass. We saw a demonstration on the glass making, and then taken into a store - VERY expensive - especially when you have to pay in Euros. We passed on any glass purchases, but I did find a bracelet. The price didn’t cause Ken to have a stroke. We got back to the ship, and took our usual perch of watch the late arrivers.

We have been very surprised at the number of Russian passengers on this ship. When announcements are made, they are first done in English, and then in Russian (the only other language they repeat them in). The cabins on either side of us have Russians in them. Lots of smokers, which is a little aggravating when one is seeking a quiet moment on the balcony. The general people watching has been great, and we have named the odd balls. See attached pictures for the “best of” cruise passengers.

Today, we are sailing for Messina, down by the toe of Italy. I seem to have picked up a flu bug (possibly the dreaded Noro virus that frequents cruise ships). The aches, chills, and trots continue today - thank goodness for a day a sea to recover. I hope to feel better by tomorrow, when we have a five hour excursion. Nothing more fun than needed a bathroom when you don’t know where they are, or how much they will cost!

Ciao,

Peggy and Ken

Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia

We sailed into this beautiful port around 6:30 this AM. This is by far the most beautiful place we have been to. Most of the other ports have been more industrial ports. This was an inlet into the city, where there were many smaller boats going in and out. We left by bus from the pier around 8:30, and took a drive through the Croatian countryside to a farm with a water wheel powered grinder. Here we were served wine (9:30 AM), cheese, prosciutto, dried figs, and candied almonds and orange peels. From here, we visited a smaller seaside town that was so pretty. The water here in the Adriatric Sea is a beautiful blue, and very clear. We took a walk around this city, and then did a 30 minute walk around one of the peninsulas of the city. From this beautiful place, we were then taken to the walled city of Dubrovnik. These ancient cities are fascinating, and one could spend hours walking the narrow side streets. All of us have decided that this is our favorite city, and one that we could return to when we needed to get away from our busy lives at home.

Tonight, we skipped our usual 6:00 dinner seating time, and had drinks on the upper deck of the ship. We wanted to be sure that we got to see the sunset over the islands outside the harbor, and to see the ship leave port at 7:00 PM. The weather today was the best so far, so we had a great evening to be outside to see the sunset. For most of the trip, we have had cloudy days and some rain. The Mediterranean has been hard hit with weather issues that seem to be missing the more northern areas of Europe. We should have nice weather in Venice tomorrow. No tours tomorrow - just exploring on foot and the vaparettos (city buses that are boats). New camera is working well.

Ciao,

Peggy and Ken

Moving On

Departing Rome/Cruise:
We finished our stay in Rome with a wonderful dinner at a small Italian restaurant near St. Giovanni Lanterna Church and the famous steps that Jesus walked on. Our mission in going out for dinner included obtaining enough toilet paper for the apartment to last us until we left on Monday morning. None of the local stores were open on Sunday that sold toilet paper (you can purchase wine, but no TP on Sundays – go figure!). We spent a leisurely Monday morning at a neighborhood café enjoying the pastries and coffee, and finishing up at the local Internet Café. It was great – we could take care of all of our messaging and calls to the US (10 cents/min) to check on family. We also Skyped the kids a few times. It was easier to reach Stacy in Scotland, with just a one hour time difference. We did speak to Kelly, but it was more challenging with a nine hour difference. Congratulations to Ryan and the US PGA Cup team on their victory over Great Britain and Ireland. I’m sure that it was a tremendous experience for both of you.
On our first full day on the ship, we took a tour that included the Island of Capri, Sorrento, and Pompei ruins. We took a hydrofoil boat over to Capri (short cat naps for all of us). Capri is a lovely small island, with shear rock cliffs lining it. We then took another boat ride over to Sorrento. This is another beautiful town, where they took us to a restaurant high on the cliffs. A two stop excursion would have been enough for one day, but we had one more stop to see the Pompei ruins below Mt. Vesuvius. It was very fascinating to see what they have excavated, and the stories that accompanied these buildings, including the “happy room”. The road surfaces where challenging to walk on, as they were very uneven. You had to stare at your feet at all times when walking, which caused you to miss out on some of the commentary about things we were passing. Needless to say, we were whipped after the end of this tour. We were one of the last couple to buses to return to the ship, and arrived past our dinner seating time of 6:00 PM. We went anyway. It was going to be a short night for most of us. Ken had not had much time to explore the ship, so he spent a couple of hours checking out where everything was (it sure helps me when it comes time to go somewhere!) He can’t sit still – does that surprise some of you?
Today, we are at sea, steaming towards Dubrovnik, Croatia. We are all relishing the down time, as we didn’t have much time in Rome to kick back. I went and had a pedicure this AM, while Ken went and worked on getting us signed up the for the internet. We also purchased a new camera, since the battery is ready to die soon on our normal camera (rewind to the lost bag story – battery charger was one of the casualties). This ship is really beautiful, but they have a number of things to work on. I’m sure this is the same for all new ships. For the most part, we don’t have major things wrong like some (sewage smell down on deck 3????). Glad we are on Deck 9, with a balcony. This is the first time we have splurged for a balcony – I don’t think I can go back to an inside room again.
Hope this finds you all well. We get bits of information from the US on CNN International. For those of you that are FOX lovers, you would be out of luck. This is a great alternative to the bickering that goes on between the partisan networks. No “fair and balanced” here!
Ciao – Peggy and Ken

Rome - Saturday and Sunday

Ah.....to sit for a moment and rest! Today, we visited the Borghese Museum, in a lovely park like area. They allow two hours in the museum before they let the next 360 people in. Following the museum, Ken and I took the subway back over to the Vaticano with hopes to see the pope from his apartment window. I'm sure every Italian in the world knew he was in South America somewhere - but us! When you can't read the paper, you really miss out on keeping up with the world! We had a blessing from the pope from his location, and by the time he did the English version, I missed hearing most of it. We had hoped to dash in for one last look at St. Peter's Bascilica, but the line stretched forever, and it was beginning to rain. we instead jumped on the Metro and went to St. John's church, another beautiful church. We really like going into old churches and studying the beautiful things inside. We also take time to be thankful for all that is good in our lives, and for the challenges that other family members are facing. Following lunch, we found a lovely Italian restaurant next to St. John's, where we made a reservation to go back tonight with the three other couples.
Yesterday, we visited the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Bascilica. These are all great places to visit WITH a guide. You would miss so much without their knowledge. We had the same guide for two days in a row, and he really has enhanced our experience. Following the tour, we jumped into two cabs (boys in one, girls in the other). The groups voted that those who sat in the front seat didn't have to pay their share - WOW - I found myself narrowing my shoulders together during the tight squeezes between buses and motor scooters! Unfortunately, when Ken exited the cab, he left my back pack on the seat. He has been so fabulous to be the logistics guy for every move that we make, and he was busy paying the cab fare when he inadvertantly left the bag. Fortunately, my camera was in my pocket, but we think we have lost the camera charger, small binoculors, my prescription sunglasses, and some smaller items. It really made our fun afternoon come to a screeching halt, when we had to make numerous calls to the cab company. In our initial calls, it had not been turned in. While the group dined last night (I couldn't eat....a rare occurance for me!) I went into the pharmacy below our apartment (they are our landlords for our short stay) where little or no English is spoken there, and spent about an hour explaining our problem to the pharmacist/doctor, and his son who could barely speak English. They had me on the cell phone to the other son, and he made some phone calls. We are to call back in a few minutes to see if he had any luck with his cab connections. Word to the wise -Always, Always know your cab number. That is the first question I was asked by the cab companies. There are only 3000 cabs here. We are not hopeful that we will get things back intact. We need to deal with finding a new charger, or buying a new camera for the balance of the trip. Things here are pretty much shuttered on Sundays, so we have a few hours on Monday AM before we have a shuttle to the cruise ship. We were very frustrated yesterday after the backpack loss, but we have moved on and we're not beating ourselves up over it. We are having a marvelous trip, and we are looking forward to two more weeks of sightseeing.

Ciao!

Peggy and Ken

Rome - Friday, September 18th

Rome:
Train trip to Rome was uneventful (= ontime). We met two Australian ladies who were traveling around Italy. It was most interesting to discuss the job benefits of Australian companies vs. US companies. There, vacations are four weeks per year, plus you can “buy” weeks of time off – tax free. They take a little bit out of each check. They typically buy an additional four weeks of vacation per year. In Australia, healthcare is not an employee benefit. Each person finds their own plan in the outside market. Young people can go without insurance until age thirty, and for each year after that, you accumulate lifetime penalties. If something happens to them before thirty, the state pays for it. We discussed the proposed healthcare revisions in the states, and the partisanship which divides us. We are hoping to come home to progress on this issue.
Also met a couple from Redmond in the train station. We all got a good chuckle out of the fact that we were from the same town. They told us where they lived, and we knew exactly which house it was along Redmond-Woodinville Rd. He works in the healthcare division of Microsoft.
Early this morning, we met a guide who took us on an ancient Rome tour of the Coliseum and surrounding areas. Before we started the tour, we caught a quick breakfast. When it came time to pay, Ken’s daily money was missing from his pocket. The only thing that we could think that happened was on our first subway ride – we stood in an area that was packed, but between two subway policemen. While we thought this was safe, someone must have gone for the money then. He probably lost about 100 Euros. We were hoping that the money clip was inadvertently left here in the apt., but alas, it appears gone.
Speaking of the apartment – our fellow apartment dwellers have taken to calling this place the “Romanian Orphanage”. It is VERY spartan, and the beds are small – we have twin beds, and Ken is sleeping with his feet out the end under the foot rail. The shower is so small, that when you drop the soap, you have to turn everything off, and open the doors to retrieve it.
Tonight, we will do a walking tour of the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. We are all a bit beat today after being on our feet for 8 hours. The last of our friends will fly in tomorrow, and will join us for the afternoon sightseeing. They will find the last remaining bedroom in the apartment….I wish we would be here to see their reaction to how bare it is. We have the smallest room, but it came with a bathroom. I failed to notice the shower size…..by Italian standards, they may find this quite grand.
Ciao from Rome. We are off to the Internet café to see how Ryan did on the golf course today. Let’s hope he won his match for the US team! We miss little Carsen, but know that he is in good hands in Ritzville with G-pa and ma Benzel.

Day 2 and 3

Day 3 in Cinque terra

After we uploaded the blog, we stopped by the local market. Boy if you lived here, you would sure miss the selection that we have at our supermarkets. Your selection of products here pretty much depends on Stefano’s own taste in what he likes in the way of pop, or beer and wine. They had one brand of beer, so Beck’s it is! Also picked up some Coca Cola Light. We had this when we were in Europe last time, and to our surprise they have changed the formula to taste what we believe to be sort of a Coke Zero. Tastes more like regular Coke, but with only 1 calorie.

We settled back on our little veranda with a table and chairs overlooking the ocean, and the Gigante monument that is on this end of town, and had a beer and a pop for Peggy. The seats were a little hard, so we brought out a couple of decorator pillows from the bed. We took a couple of pictures which you can see here. It took a lot of studying to figure out the timer feature on the camera, and we had some placement issues, but finally were successful in getting a picture of Peggy and I together on our “lanai”. We took a couple of pictures in the harbor, with Vernazza in the distance.

We dined last night in the old town section of Monterroso. We first went to a place recommended by our host at Il Gigante, and when we went there it was being attacked by flying ants or gnats. After extracting five or ten of off from each other, and having them fly into our glasses, we made the decision that this may not be our night for eating outside at this location. We decided to try somewhere else, and went to a place that Rick Steves recommended. But unfortunately we didn’t have a reservation, so we went up the street and ate at a place that had pictures of pizza on the menu board. We ordered up a couple, however we failed to see that they were actually bruschetta, so we were somewhat surprised when they arrived. I think we heard the waitress mutter something about dumb Americans as she strode back into the restaurant….) But by then we were so hungry we weren’t going to try something else, so we wammo-ed them down, in the famous Ken and Peggy style. So much for our initial dinner in Italy. We topped it off with some Strawberry and Chocolate Gelato, mmmm. Got back to our room, and got ready to go to bed. On one of the few channels that we could understand, we saw that the forecast for weather was somewhat ominous for tomorrow, and rain was expected for the whole Mediterranean area. We awoke to wind and rain, but had a great night sleeping, and have not experienced jet lag like the last time we came to Europe. We looked out and realized that we had forgotten to bring in the pillows from our evening on the veranda. Needless to say those bad boys were really wet. We brought them in and tried to dry them off with every spare towel we had. They must have soaked up gallons of water! The maid took them away today…..
We went to breakfast at the main hotel and had a great array of croissants, hard boiled eggs, prosciutto, and cheese, hard rolls, coffee and orange juice. We gathered our gear and set off for the train station, as we had conferred with some other guests that had been on the trails between Vernazza and Monterosso, and they said they thought the trails would be closed because of the weather. They recommended that we take the train to Riomaggiore (Rigormortis as one US lady called the town), and walk toward Monterosso, and go till they close the trails.
We got to the train station and it looked like everyone had the same idea. We jumped on the train to Riomagiorre (the furthest of the five towns) and walked around this hillside town. We hiked the Via Del Amore trail between Riomaggiore and Manarola. The picture of the people kissing has a bunch of locks that people put there to symbolize their “locked love” for each other, and they seal their love with a kiss at the spot. Peggy and I couldn’t find a lock, but kissed anyway. Manarola had a really interesting downtown area with boats parked on the street ready to roll down the main street to the boat launch at the bottom of the main street. I did a lot of narration to Peggy rom Rick Steve’s book as to the highlights of our scenic tour of Manarola, where the train station is perched right above the water as seen in some of these pictures.
We lunched in Vernazza at a really nice restaurant right on the harbor’s edge. We tasted the local cuisine and had a wonderful lunch of scampi infused pasta, and spaghetti Bolognese. Took some shots of the inner harbor and toured the church in the background. It continued to rain so we called it a day and headed back to Monterosso. We stopped by the place we plan to have dinner tonight and made a reservation for dinner. We ran into some people from Vancouver Canada at the restaurant in Vernazza, and took their picture in the harbor in Vernazza, and then saw them again making a reservation at the same time we are at the restaurant tonight. We bought our tickets for our return trip to Rome tomorrow, when we are catching an 11 am train to LaSpezia, and will change trains there for our 4 hr trip back to the big city, where we will meet Kitty and Bob and Cathy and Mike.

It is still raining, but we will try and upload this to the blog tonight. The thunderstorms have precluded us from connecting to the internet from this small town. We should be blogging again on the train back to Rome.
Ciao!
Ken and Peggy

Arrived in Rome late in the evening on Monday. Our driver took us on a mini tour of the Coliseum area of the city, and dropped us at the hotel. The older hotels in Rome are an adventure, especially for green travelers like us (third floor, elevator can hold no more than 2 people and bags). Once on the third floor, we make our way to the room, and get in with the card key. After several adventures with the room lights going out after one minute, and falling over the bags, we called the desk to find out the secret to the lights. In order to keep the lights on, you have to leave the card key in a slot on the wall. Yipee! We are going to the Cinque Terre on day 2, so we spent time organizing a couple of days of clothes in smaller bags, and we left the larger suitcases in storage at the hotel. We are now on a 4 ½ hour train ride north, where we have met a nice Italian couple who are their way to the states. We understand about every 20th word they say. We have also met a young couple from Vancouver BC, who are also doing three weeks in Europe. On the trip north, we have traveled past the cruise port (about an hour north of Rome) where we will catch the cruise ship next Monday.

The Cinque Terre is beautiful. It is comprised of five seaside towns - postcard perfect! We spent the early afternoon walking around Monterroso. Tomorrow we will hike the trail between Monterroso and Vernazza, which takes about ninety minutes. You can either take the train or a boat between the cities. Today's hike was a warm up for tomorrow. We capped the afternoon off with a gelato, which cancelled anything that the hike burned up. Attached are a few of the pictures that we took today.

Ken and Peggy's Europe Travel Blog

Dear Friends:

We hope to be up and blogging by September 15th from the Cinque Terre in Italy!

Ciao!

Hamer and Peg

This is a test posting to the blog.