Today we are on our way to Florence.  The drive from the port to the city is around two hours through the Tuscan countryside.  Our first stop was at the Academy of Fine Arts, which is home to Michelangelo's statue of David.  It was carved out of a single piece of marble.  Florence was a very easy city to walk and to see most of the churches, statues and the scenic rivers, bridges and squares. 

Tomorrow is our last day on the cruise and we will be in Portofino...Following Portofino we will spend two day in Monte Carlo before heading back home on Monday the 4th.

Wednesday brings us to Rome.  Our day starts with a speedy private railcar ride through the countryside to Rome.  Our first stop was the Church of St Peter in Chains which contains the Saints prison chains.  Also in the church is a Michelangelo's statue of Moses holding the 10 commandments.  After the church we walk over to the Roman Forum which was the religious, political and commercial center of ancient Rome.  Then we walk to the Colosseum, which is totally awesome.  It is so big,  you could imagine the gladiatorial combats, fights with wild beast and bloody fights.  Next on to Navona Square for for an Italian lunch.  In this square is Bernini statue of the Four Rivers, which was the final hint to reach the the fifth alter of the science in the recent movie "The Angels and Demons".  We ended our Rome trip with a visit to St Peters Square and St Peters Basilica.  The Pope gave a mass this morning at 10:15 am which we did not arrive in time.

Tuesday the 28th finds us in Naples, Italy and we are on our way to Pompeii which was an ancient Roman town devasted by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. We were able to see huge forums, temples, numerous houses, shops and even a brothel that were all suspended in time by the eruption. We were able to sample the local liqueur limoncello and Barbie had the best coffee gelato yet. Back on board we relaxed and joined a couple from Montreal for dinner of lobster and prime rib.....

2000 year old picture in brothal

Bonjorno......today is Monday the 27th and we are in Sicily.  We first headed inland to a little village called Savoca, which is nestled between two hills. Upon arrival we visited the Cappuccini Church, which houses 37 mummified bodies, whom were fully dressed 18th century friars and nobles.  A few footsteps from here Francis Ford Coppola filmed scenes of Godfather II.....the wedding of Michael Corleone and also the bar scene at Bar Vitelli.  We departed down a winding but partially paved road to a charming little village named Taoirmina, where scenes from Godfather III were filmed,  which is at the base of Mount Edna.  Mount Edna is one of the worlds major active volcanoes, it is also the largest and highest in Europe. We enjoyed pizza and gelato before boarding the ship for MORE food and vino! Bonjorno!   News alert!!!!! Our next Port of Sorrento has been cancel due to bad weather.  Going to try to get into Naples instead......

Today is Sunday the 26th, and we are at sea all day heading to Sicily.  Our current position is Latitude 36.58n degrees and Longitude is 19.23e; with winds of 34 knots and with a heading of 286 degrees and we are around 245 miles to Sicily.  The current time is 6:15 pm - which means it is 8:15 am in California. We relaxed ALL day around the pool, rocking and rolling with a HUGE Mediteranean lunch buffet. Off to the Observation Lounge for a glass of Pinot Grisio and dinner aft. Ciao!

Saturday Sept. 25, 2010

Arrived in the port of Santorini. A cluster of small volcanic islands with quaint villages perched right into the side of the cliffs. We took a ride to the village of Oia and walked the cobblestone streets lined with houses painted in white, pastels and blue that is the color of the ocean and Greek flag. We stopped for a small lunch of local specialties complete with feta, sweet tomatoes and Greek beer with astounding panoramic views of the volcanic island and sea. We shopped a bit, bought some  of their famous wine and thoroughly enjoyed the people watching, warm breezes and beautiful architecture... a photographers paradise

Friday the 24th and we are in the port of Kusadasi, Turkey. A private guide took us to Ephesus, the showplace of Aegean archaeology, an ancient reconstructed city.  This city grew from a seaside settlement to a powerful and sacred center. In 431 Mary was proclaimed the Mother of God here in this amazing place. Our guide, Cengiz Icten, is an expert in this field of excavation and was able to passionately share a private tour of the ruins, including a grand 1st century amphitheater, Library of Celsus, Turkish baths, the Hadrian Temple. We were able to then see the terrace homes of the wealthy citizens featuring mosaics, frescoes and marbles. It was truly an intimate day in this  magical place and now we can only dream of chariot races, gladiators, wild beasts and Ben Hur! Off to the bbq and dance party on the top deck!

Today is Thursday the 23rd....The first stop is Mykonos, Greece, which is also known as little Venice,  due to its striking resemblance.  I have never been to Venice...but i always thought there were alot of canals....there are no canals here....Good salesman who ever wrote the brochure. This morning Barbie and I played a little bocce ball on the 12 floor deck...before the wine tasting event. 

After 16 + hours we landed in Istanbul, Turkey. Hotel and the surrounding area was not exactly like the pictures.

Authentic Rug Merchant

With 15 million people in Istanbul, nothing moves very fast.  Tuesday was our first day of sightseeing.  We saw most of the important sites....The Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice market....even bought some Turkish Rugs from a rug merchant....Barbie and I caught up with Steve and Melinda Church at the Spice Market and then got lost on our way to "Happy Hour" at the Four Seasons.

Cruise Itinerary

Date	Day	Port	Dress Code	Arrive	Depart
Sep 22	Wed	Istanbul, Turkey	Elegant Casual		5:00 pm
Sep 23	Thu	Mykonos, Greece	Elegant Casual	2:00 pm	11:00 pm
Sep 24	Fri	Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey	Elegant Casual	9:00 am	10:00 pm
Sep 25	Sat	Santorini, Greece	Elegant Casual	9:00 am	7:00 pm
Sep 26	Sun	At Sea, International Waters	Elegant Casual
Sep 27	Mon	Taormina (Sicily), Italy	Elegant Casual	8:00 am	6:00 pm
Sep 28	Tue	Sorrento/Capri, Italy	Elegant Casual	8:00 am	8:00 pm
Sep 29	Wed	Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy	Elegant Casual	7:00 am	8:00 pm
Sep 30	Thu	Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy	Elegant Casual	8:00 am	8:00 pm
Oct 01	Fri	Portofino, Italy	Elegant Casual	8:00 am	6:00 pm
Oct 02	Sat	Monte Carlo, Monaco	Elegant Casual	7:00 am