More from the Cruise

When last I left our cruise narrative, we were leaving Rome.  Instead of another day of touring, we had a day at sea.  We went through the Straits of Messina, which historically is a hazardous crossing, but the deep lanes are well marked, and we were accompanied by pilot boats through the straits.  It was so windy, the open top of the ship was roped off, so I have no decent pictures of the event.  oh well.

 After a day at sea, we docked in Corfu, a Greek island.  Corfu was EXACTLY what I had imagined a Greek island to be.  The weather was a perfect 78 degrees.  It was Orthodox Good Friday, so the streets were quiet as many people answered the morning call to worship.

 After we were introduced to the port town of Kerkyra, our bus took us to the tourist destination of Paleokastritsa.  The water was clear turquoise, and the morning was just beginning.  We had a bit of time to hike up the hill to get another view of the water, then it was back on the bus, up the mountain, and around the island.

Our next stop was a tiny village, high above Paleokastritsa, where we had a snack of prosciutto, olives, cheese, and wine or ouzo.

 There were olive trees everywhere.  Apparently you can cut them for the wood, and they keep growing, making more wood, and always fruiting olives.  Many are 100's of years old.

 The one thing that was unexpected was all of the graffiti.  I took this picture, because it was in Greek.  :D

Up to this point, Corfu was my favorite.  It was relaxing, the weather was delightful, and I finally made it to Greece!  I did not know what to expect for the rest of the cruise, but after this?  I was more than satisfied.

A Sewing Interlude

I have more cruise photos.  Of course I do.  But we've been back for 3 weeks, and I've finally found myself in the "studio."  When I walked in, I was appalled.  It had been months since I went in there hoping to sew anything.  It's taken weeks to clear off the sewing surface to be able to sew.

Okay, so I admit it.  I cleared off the surface by dumping everything into a bin.  But I was desperate, doncha know?

I needed to put together the pattern for the guild Block of the Month, for June.  I chose square-in a square-in a square, inspired by the floor of the Sistine Chapel.

 I was pleased with the response to the previous month's pattern.  Judie won a lovely regatta.  I neglected to take a picture, so I was glad that Hallie was on the ball.  Aren't they cute?

 Back in October, when I taught the little seascapes class, I put together this sunset.  Over the weekend, I stitched down the turtle, trimmed the quilt, and bound it.  It has already arrived at its new home.  I think it turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

And, finally, I'm back to sewing baby quilts.  We have two grandchildren currently in utero, as well as several friends expecting this year.  One of the babies is already 7 weeks old.  Little Hannah will get her quilt, as soon as I can sew it together.  It's all cut out and awaiting its turn patiently.

And that's what I've been up to since we returned.  Happy quilting!

After Florence, Rome

During the night, between the ports of Liverno and Citievecchia, there was a medical emergency aboard ship.  Not only were we battling gale force winds (again) and 12' swell on the bow, we had to turn around and head to the nearest port.  The captain said we made it to Elba by 2am, and it took until 5am to unload our critically ill passenger into the hands of the coast guard.  Our expected 8am arrival in Rome was delayed.  We arrived after 1pm.  The passenger remained in the hospital, in critical condition, throughout the remainder of the cruise.  I'm glad we stopped!

The Destination Desk quickly reworked the tour list and we had our choice of four.  We chose Panoramic Rome, thinking that at least we could ride the bus around Rome and take a picture or two.

 We lucked out, in that the storm had blown itself out for the day, and the sky was extraordinarily blue.  We rode the bus 90 minutes to Rome, 90 minutes around Rome, had 90 minutes to explore Piazza del Popolo, then back on the bus, and 90 minutes back to the ship.

We spent our 90 minutes searching for the Pantheon, but could not find it with the map we had been given.  We found this lovely column, and The Spanish Steps, which were so covered with people we could not see them.

 For the most part, it was shopping and more shopping.  We weren't in a shopping mood, so we took a picture or two, and rushed back to catch our bus.

When we got back to the ship, we discovered that because of weather, we were not going to make our next destination of Pompeii.  Instead, we spent the night in Citievecchia, and our canceled tours for the day were back on schedule the next.  That meant that we were again signed up for Panoramic Rome... and Vatican City, which we missed on the first day, due to lack of time.

I was excited to see the Sistine Chapel.  I have to say that it was the biggest disappointment of the day.  A highlight was the successful hunt for the Pantheon.  So cool!!  Unfortunately, we did not have time to go inside.

 On Day 2 in Rome, we also found the Trevi Fountain.  It is as beautiful as its publicity.

 The most frustrating thing for me was the people.  people, people, EVERYWHERE.  It is easy to understand how so many people end up with their pockets picked.  One couple lost their passports and all ID except for their ship card, in Rome.  They were taken back to the ship, packed up, and taken to the US Embassy.  What a disappointing way for their cruise to end!!

Vatican City was as crowded as Rome, if not more so.  The Sistine Chapel reminded me of a pen stuffed with cattle.  It was noisy, hot, crowded, and miserable.  I did not have enough room to even look up, and if anyone wanted to pick a pocket, this place was ideal!

I was ready to leave, but they said, "Now we're going to see St. Peter's."  Did I even want to?  I didn't think so.  It was incredible!  I had no idea!!

 This may look crowded to you.  Not so, compared to the Sistine Chapel.  Look at all that space between individuals.  If you reduce it to everyone touching, you've got an idea of what the Chapel was like.

 I had seen this stained window before.  I had no idea it was from St. Peter's.  none. at. all.  I guess we didn't cover that when I took Art History.

But the most breathtaking experience of the day?  Had to be walking into a curtained alcove and seeing the Pieta.  Absolutely stunning.  How did Michelangelo see them in the marble?  I understand quilts talking to a person, but a chunk of stone?  Awe-inspiring.

We were the last tour group to return to the ship that night.  We were greeted with champagne and the ship's orchestra.  Within 30 minutes, we were underway.

Pompeii remained on the list for future exploration.  Instead, we had a day at sea, chugging through the Straits of Messina and on to Corfu.  Again, the weather was aggressive.  The highly touted experience of the Straits ended up being noses pressed to the window, as the upper deck of the ship was closed due to high winds.  At one point, I opened our balcony door, to take a picture.  I thought I might get blown overboard.  Scary!  I scurried back inside, more than happy to quilt a bit, nap, and wait for Greece.

If nothing else, this cruise was an adventure!!

Florence & Pisa

Florence and Pisa were on our original tour list.  On Day...4?...we finally took one of the tours we had originally signed up for.  Florence was terribly crowded.  My camera battery was near dead, and photos?  Well, I just didn't take many.

Florence was the center of the Medici patronage.  Firenze!  Florence!  The home of Dante, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci...it was the center of the Renaissance.  The churches are incredible, the use of marble is gorgeous.  From a distance, we saw the golden doors of the baptistry.  It was heart-wrenching to hear that the Arno flooded in 1966, rising 15' through this cultural center of art and beauty.

 I believe the name of this basilica is Santa Maria del Fiori.

 The dome is enormous.   I think our guide said it weighs something like 39 tons?  And it's a dome within a dome.  I remember thinking that if that thing ever collapsed, it would leave a crater.

We were able to enter Santa Croce, the Church of the Holy Cross.  This is where all the "famous" people are buried.  Or used to be buried.  Our guide said that when the flood came through, many of the crypts were disturbed.  a disturbing thought.  It's been cleaned and restored, after all, it's been more than 50 years, but signs of the flood are still visible.

As we left, we stopped to get a last look at Florence.   We were only there for a couple of hours, so we did not get the chance to see David or explore any of the museums or much of anything, really.  We did enter Santa Croce, but that was it.  We will have to go back again, when we have some time to really explore.

We were scheduled to visit Pisa, but the rain had begun coming down in torrents.  Our tour group was of the elderly variety.  We were the youngest on the bus, by at least 10 years.  Several of them rebelled, and said they had no interest in Pisa.  I really wanted to see that leaning tower.  I mean, I've heard of it forever.  Imagine being so close, and not going to see it?  Luckily people spoke up, and we continued to Pisa as planned.

There is not much to do there, as we did not have the time to climb it or visit the baptistry, but wow.  It is quite impressive, and I was surprised by how beautiful it was.  Perhaps it was the grey of sky that made the marble glow.  I loved it.  At this point in the trip, it was the highlight.

I guess it is built like a banana.  By the time they got to the third floor, they realized it was sinking.  They decided to combat the tilt by building at an angle, trying to make it straighter.  Through the centuries, it has continued to sink.  In the 1800's, they dug down and tried to shore up the foundation.  Our guide said it should be good for another 300 years before they have to do something else to keep it from tipping all the way over.

Next up:  Rome.  Stay tuned!

Cruising to Provence

Our next port was Marseilles, France.  Hubby and I were signed up for an 8 hour tour of Provence, which was cancelled due to lack of interest.  In its place, we signed up for a tour of Avignon, a one time home of the papacy.  In fact, in the years of the Pope/Anti-pope schism, the "Anti-pope" lived in Avignon.  Lots of history there, to be sure.

 Unfortunately, the biggest takeaway from Avignon was the lesson, "Do NOT use the 'free' public toilets."  They were disgusting.  Worse than disgusting.  Worse than any overly full porta-potty I've ever come across.  Smelly, urine-covered floor, and no seat on the toilet.  yeah.  If you go to France and want a 'free' public toilet, be prepared.  There was no soap available for handwashing, and no paper towels or hand dryers.

I was more than ready to leave France for Monaco.  Unfortunately, because of weather, the port was closed.  Instead of Monte Carlo, we inched ahead to Toulon, France.  We had the choice of returning to Marseilles, or St. Tropez.  We chose St. Tropez.  How can you go wrong with the beach?

The drive was 90 minutes.  I was amazed by how much the landscape of the area resembles North County of San Diego County, where I grew up.  Escondido looks different now, but when I was (much) younger?  It looked very much like what we saw of French countryside.

In St. Tropez, I was more than happy to pay a Euro to use the facilities.  SO worth it!!

As we walked into town, this was the first view.  Click on the image to enlarge.  Some of the yachts, (in the front right corner) were HUGE!!  So this used to be the playground of the rich and famous, a place to see and be seen.  nice!

 Here is a stretch of beach.  hmmm.  I've seen more inviting beaches in SoCal.  Then again, a storm was brewing, and one had just passed.  It was quite the week for weather.

I don't have many pictures from the beginning of our trip.  We were in the air when I realized that I'd forgotten to pack the battery charger for my camera.  I bought an all-purpose battery charger while on layover in Heathrow, but the package had been opened, and it was missing the power pack to plug it into an outlet.  grrr!

Regent Seven Seas to the rescue!

I asked if anyone had left behind a battery charger - it's very specific for my Canon - and they looked in the lost and found.  Would you believe that someone left behind exactly what I needed?!!  That night, I charged my poor weak battery.  The next day, I was snapping photos with wild abandon.

Stay tuned, as the next stop was Florence, Italy.

Good to be Home

10 days after the quilt show ended, my husband and I flew to Barcelona to catch a cruise ship.  For 12 days, we cruised in luxury, visiting ports of call along the Mediterranean.  Because of the weather, several of our ports were changed.  On one day, we skipped the port altogether.  Lots of days of winds of 55 knots, and 11.5' swells on the bow.  wow.  Did it ruin the trip?  Not at all.  We were on vacation, and enjoyed every minute of it.

To begin with, we flew business class, which is nothing short of amazing.  Have you seen business class these days?  With recliners and power outlets and privacy galore?  I still was unable to sleep, but I was more comfortable than I've ever been in an airplane.  SO nice.

 I suspect this is the biggest smile I've ever worn on an airplane.  I've always hated to fly.  These accommodations now have me disliking it, quite the step up from hating it!

 Look at this leg room!!  Wonderful!!

We boarded our ship in Barcelona.  Our first port of call was to be Menorca, but because of weather, we stopped instead on Majorca.  What a lovely island!

 We were there on Good Friday, but we still had the opportunity to enter this amazing Gothic cathedral.  I don't remember what it is called, but it has the largest rose window in the world.  I had to take the picture from an angle, to get any color to show in the image.

This castle was used by Generalissimo Franco to house 600 political prisoners during the Spanish Civil War.  The interior has graffiti etched into the stone.  I guess the good part for them was that they had the room to move around.  The original "jail" in the castle was a pit with a coned roof and no windows whatsoever.  Horrific, to be sure.

 The town center of Palma boasts this 700 year old olive tree.  I took a dozen different shots of this tree, hoping to use one or more of them in a quilt, eventually.

When we left Majorca, our next port of call was Marseilles.  Hubby and I had signed up for an all day tour of Provence, which was cancelled due to lack of sign-ups.  Instead, we visited Avignon.  Stay tuned, and I'll tell you about it in my next post.

In the meantime, I'm trying to get back in the groove of being home.  I miss my cabin steward the most.  No one is making the bed for me in the morning, no one is turning it down for me at night, and I really miss the chocolates and fresh fruits, delivered daily.  It's some kind of life, to be sure!