Today was hop on hop off bus day to get that overview we like. We first strolled over to the Trevi Fountain because the nearest stop for the buses was there.
Carol has seen the fountain but I never realized how grand it was. What an amazing piece of work. It seems to grow out of the side of this imposing building on one side of the square. Carol did the obligatory coin toss (over her left shoulder) while I videoed it for posterity.Wonderful, and crowded.
Now for the hop on hop off madness. We scored the best seats. Up top and right up front. The better to see the mayhem on the roads. Traffic seemed like total anarchy and chaos with everyone zipping in and out, crossing lanes, coming out of nowhere, going nowhere. And that was just the cars. The motorcycles and mopeds were at an altogether wilder level. We expected someone to die at every turn but amazingly the traffic flowed rather well, thank you very much. And oh yeah, throw in crowds of pedestrians who don't seem to know there are sidewalks built especially for them. If that was going on in Vancouver our hospitals would be full.
The tour itself cruised by many of the top sites including the train station where we leave from next Wednesday, Santa Maria Maggiore church, the Colosseum, Forum, Circus Maximus, Piazza Venezia (talk about imposing architecture!), the Vatican and back to Trevi fountain. We really liked the area around the Colosseum/forum/Circus Maximus and plan to spend a day there on foot later.
Home for a nap until 1800 and out for groceries capped by a panini and coffee at a local bar. The end.
Thursday, 4 May 2017
May 3 - Last Cruise Day - First Rome Day
Wow, breakfast came at 0445. We haven't been up that early since we didn't go to sleep the night before. (If you can follow that, you are more wide awake than I am. :^)). According to our disembarkation instructions, we were to get off the ship by 0730. Not a hope in hell but we wanted to be ready in case they tried to pull a United on us. As it turned out, we sauntered off the ship at 0900 after a leisurely second breakfast and a stroll down memory lane through the ship's public areas. We collected our luggage and were in place to meet our driver by 0915. So far everything had gone too smoothly. (No, that was not foreshadowing!). Our driver showed up at 1010, running towards us waving a floppy banner declaring my name and stopped in front of Carol (how can Kari be a guy?) and apologized profusely. Carol said he was late and that got his shorts in a knot which in turn got her knickers twisted and it was a quiet ride into Rome. It turns out he was bringing a group to the ship first and they delayed him so it was not really the driver's fault. By the time we hit Rome's suburbs we were all friendly and we got to our apartment in one piece. The host (ess) was waiting for us and gave a good briefing of all things relevant and left us on our own.
Carol crashed and I went for groceries.
Our apartment is really cool. It looks like it was originally two small apts combined into a larger one. 14 foot ceilings, frescoed in the living room.We look out onto small courtyards on three sides (no views but lots of cool breezes). One side has a fantastic wall of windows maybe 20 feet long and 14 feet high onto the largest courtyard. Two bedrooms, one of them ensuite, and another family bathroom for the rest of the apartment.
But even better is the location. It is literally three minutes from the Spanish Steps, less than ten minutes to the Trevi fountain and the main fancy shopping street (via del Corso).
Later in the evening we went for a stroll past the Spanish Steps and did some window shopping. Every few feet Carol would stop and say OMG we can't get that at home.
We had dinner at a nice outdoor cafe recommended by a lady we met at Toronto airport waiting for our flight and in the package at our apartment here. Pappardelle pasta with sausage and truffles, Chianti, coffee and tiramisu for dessert.
A nice stroll back to the apartment just as night fell. How perfect is that?
Carol crashed and I went for groceries.
Our apartment is really cool. It looks like it was originally two small apts combined into a larger one. 14 foot ceilings, frescoed in the living room.We look out onto small courtyards on three sides (no views but lots of cool breezes). One side has a fantastic wall of windows maybe 20 feet long and 14 feet high onto the largest courtyard. Two bedrooms, one of them ensuite, and another family bathroom for the rest of the apartment.
But even better is the location. It is literally three minutes from the Spanish Steps, less than ten minutes to the Trevi fountain and the main fancy shopping street (via del Corso).
Later in the evening we went for a stroll past the Spanish Steps and did some window shopping. Every few feet Carol would stop and say OMG we can't get that at home.
We had dinner at a nice outdoor cafe recommended by a lady we met at Toronto airport waiting for our flight and in the package at our apartment here. Pappardelle pasta with sausage and truffles, Chianti, coffee and tiramisu for dessert.
A nice stroll back to the apartment just as night fell. How perfect is that?
Wednesday, 3 May 2017
May 2 - Seventh Cruise Day - 11793 Utterly Chaotic Steps
We had an excursion booked for today which would have required us to leave at 0815. Not a chance given how tired and achy we were so we cancelled and instead went out on our own at 1030. The first thing we wanted to do was get antibiotic drops for my pink eye. The medical centre on board charged $150 US plus the medication so we declined and just went to find a pharmacy cause we knew what it was. We asked at the first pharmacy. They told us to go out and turn right for four blocks. When that led us to an industrial wasteland, we turned around and found a nice hotel where we got a map and instructions which told us to go in exactly the opposite direction. We followed those instructions and still had to ask twice more on route but eventually we got there. It turned out everyone had been steering us to the same spot via totally different ways.
We then had to walk all the way back to the terminal to catch a taxi into the city. By this time we were pooped and ready to faint from hunger but we got the taxi and rattled off the name of a square (Piazza Bellini) from Rick Steves' Naples guide and hung on for life. There don't seem to be any road rules here except for the one that goes "you blink, you lose". And that applies to pedestrians, cars, buses, trucks and mopeds. They are all together at every intersection in one big mash up. On top of that, mopeds love pedestrian zones. They can zip between the pylons that keep cars out and love jumping out of narrow lanes right at you. On foot, you are not safe anywhere if you hesitate one bit.
Right in Piazza Bellini we found a cafe and shared a veggie lasagna and coffees. Wonderful. Much better. Now we could play tourists. We basically followed parts of Rick Steves' "a slice of Neapolitan life" walk from the Piazza southwards, concentrating on the Spaccanapoli area which is supposed to be the gritty heart of Old Town Naples and we could see why. Tall, old, crumbling buildings, narrow streets, hordes of people and mopeds nipping at your heels. Just like the movies.
Still we had fun, stopping at one restaurant for pizza and Italian beer, another for coffee and pastries (tiramisu in a jar for Carol - she can explain this for you later and sfogliatelle - which looks like an albino armadillo with custard filling, for me). We then walked back to the ship and are now resting cause we have to pack tonite to get our suitcases outside by 2200.
We had our final dinner in the proper dining room and finally scored a window seat just in time to see a beautiful sunset and view of Naples as we steamed away. Tomorrow, Rome and our apartment. Yea.
We had an excursion booked for today which would have required us to leave at 0815. Not a chance given how tired and achy we were so we cancelled and instead went out on our own at 1030. The first thing we wanted to do was get antibiotic drops for my pink eye. The medical centre on board charged $150 US plus the medication so we declined and just went to find a pharmacy cause we knew what it was. We asked at the first pharmacy. They told us to go out and turn right for four blocks. When that led us to an industrial wasteland, we turned around and found a nice hotel where we got a map and instructions which told us to go in exactly the opposite direction. We followed those instructions and still had to ask twice more on route but eventually we got there. It turned out everyone had been steering us to the same spot via totally different ways.
We then had to walk all the way back to the terminal to catch a taxi into the city. By this time we were pooped and ready to faint from hunger but we got the taxi and rattled off the name of a square (Piazza Bellini) from Rick Steves' Naples guide and hung on for life. There don't seem to be any road rules here except for the one that goes "you blink, you lose". And that applies to pedestrians, cars, buses, trucks and mopeds. They are all together at every intersection in one big mash up. On top of that, mopeds love pedestrian zones. They can zip between the pylons that keep cars out and love jumping out of narrow lanes right at you. On foot, you are not safe anywhere if you hesitate one bit.
Right in Piazza Bellini we found a cafe and shared a veggie lasagna and coffees. Wonderful. Much better. Now we could play tourists. We basically followed parts of Rick Steves' "a slice of Neapolitan life" walk from the Piazza southwards, concentrating on the Spaccanapoli area which is supposed to be the gritty heart of Old Town Naples and we could see why. Tall, old, crumbling buildings, narrow streets, hordes of people and mopeds nipping at your heels. Just like the movies.
Still we had fun, stopping at one restaurant for pizza and Italian beer, another for coffee and pastries (tiramisu in a jar for Carol - she can explain this for you later and sfogliatelle - which looks like an albino armadillo with custard filling, for me). We then walked back to the ship and are now resting cause we have to pack tonite to get our suitcases outside by 2200.
We had our final dinner in the proper dining room and finally scored a window seat just in time to see a beautiful sunset and view of Naples as we steamed away. Tomorrow, Rome and our apartment. Yea.
May 1 - Sixth Cruise Day - No Flying Titties
We had planned to title this blog "We Slept" because we thought to take advantage of our sea day by resting. So, after breakfast at 0730, we went back to bed for a little added sleep. The next thing we knew, it was 1610 And I had pink eye but that's another story. Anyway, OMG, we had to scramble because we had reservations for a Cirque dinner show at 1830.
The dinner was probably as good as any we have had on board. An appy , a surf and turf thing and a nice medley of desserts on a plate.
The show was great. A typical Cirque offering with amazingly talented acts and some audience participation which was hilarious. It was set up with our dining tables around a small circular stage so everyone had a good view. In fact, the entire show reminded us of the one we saw in Vegas except that the girls had tops on tonite. So there were no flying titties. ;^) After the show we found a nice lounge for a nightcap, featuring a very talented guitarist playing everything from Queen to Flamenco.
While there, Carol and I discussed the "flavour" of our ship compared to others we knew. Norwegian clearly targets the mass market attracting clientele who appear to be a bit rougher. I mean dressing up for dinner involves a fresh pair of shorts and glittery flip flops. P&O, which we sailed on in 2015 and Holland America which Carol used several years ago are a level up with more decorum and "class". More like Old Style cruising. Then there are the fancier ships which are much more expensive but may be worthwhile according to an NCL employee we talked to because she claims that for the added cost you get way better food, service and itineraries. So it might be worth saving up an extra year and just going for it.
We had planned to title this blog "We Slept" because we thought to take advantage of our sea day by resting. So, after breakfast at 0730, we went back to bed for a little added sleep. The next thing we knew, it was 1610 And I had pink eye but that's another story. Anyway, OMG, we had to scramble because we had reservations for a Cirque dinner show at 1830.
The dinner was probably as good as any we have had on board. An appy , a surf and turf thing and a nice medley of desserts on a plate.
The show was great. A typical Cirque offering with amazingly talented acts and some audience participation which was hilarious. It was set up with our dining tables around a small circular stage so everyone had a good view. In fact, the entire show reminded us of the one we saw in Vegas except that the girls had tops on tonite. So there were no flying titties. ;^) After the show we found a nice lounge for a nightcap, featuring a very talented guitarist playing everything from Queen to Flamenco.
While there, Carol and I discussed the "flavour" of our ship compared to others we knew. Norwegian clearly targets the mass market attracting clientele who appear to be a bit rougher. I mean dressing up for dinner involves a fresh pair of shorts and glittery flip flops. P&O, which we sailed on in 2015 and Holland America which Carol used several years ago are a level up with more decorum and "class". More like Old Style cruising. Then there are the fancier ships which are much more expensive but may be worthwhile according to an NCL employee we talked to because she claims that for the added cost you get way better food, service and itineraries. So it might be worth saving up an extra year and just going for it.
April 30 - Fifth Cruise Day - A Slow Start but A Phenomenal Finish
The day started slowly. Carol was a bit sick overnight and really tired first thing. Good thing we could have a slow start (we had no formal excursion, thinking to just go into Barcelona for a stroll on our own). Which we did around 10:30. We had coffee and snacks at our favourite cafe in Palm Square just off La Rambla and then wandered around in the Old Town, getting lost on purpose twice. We had wanted to see the Fish Market but it was closed, just like the last time we were here. Rule no. 1: don't come to Barcelona on a Sunday. Then back to the ship and a nap before dinner at the same nice sit down restaurant. We both had pappardelle pasta with duck about which Carol said: "this tastes like something I could make at home with an Oxo cube. (It had a funny tasting gravy - not a nice Italian sauce - which was yucky).
What do you get when three guys, two pianos, drums, a fiddle and a guitar get together? The most phenomenal bar show you've ever heard called "Howl at the Moon". They make up their play list on the fly from audience requests. Mostly rock, pop and modern stuff that really jumps. You have to go see them if they're in town. Run, drive over someone and leave tire tracks on their a-- if you have to but go see them! Wow. I have never seen Carol boogie in her seat like she did tonite. The show is also wildly funny, with audience participation, in an adult kind of way. Example song lines:
Band: "I lived next door to Alice for twenty years,
Audience: "Alice, Alice, Who the f--- is Alice?"
The day started slowly. Carol was a bit sick overnight and really tired first thing. Good thing we could have a slow start (we had no formal excursion, thinking to just go into Barcelona for a stroll on our own). Which we did around 10:30. We had coffee and snacks at our favourite cafe in Palm Square just off La Rambla and then wandered around in the Old Town, getting lost on purpose twice. We had wanted to see the Fish Market but it was closed, just like the last time we were here. Rule no. 1: don't come to Barcelona on a Sunday. Then back to the ship and a nap before dinner at the same nice sit down restaurant. We both had pappardelle pasta with duck about which Carol said: "this tastes like something I could make at home with an Oxo cube. (It had a funny tasting gravy - not a nice Italian sauce - which was yucky).
What do you get when three guys, two pianos, drums, a fiddle and a guitar get together? The most phenomenal bar show you've ever heard called "Howl at the Moon". They make up their play list on the fly from audience requests. Mostly rock, pop and modern stuff that really jumps. You have to go see them if they're in town. Run, drive over someone and leave tire tracks on their a-- if you have to but go see them! Wow. I have never seen Carol boogie in her seat like she did tonite. The show is also wildly funny, with audience participation, in an adult kind of way. Example song lines:
Band: "I lived next door to Alice for twenty years,
Audience: "Alice, Alice, Who the f--- is Alice?"
April 29 - Fourth Cruise Day - Bay of Biscay Redux and Dashed Hopes
We were told on day one that the Epic is a big ship and doesn't move too much but last nite was one hell of a rock and roll night. Wind speed over 50 knots and us heading crabwise into it made our 2015 cruise in the Bay of Biscay which is notorious for its' storms, seem a distant calm memory. Who would have thought the Med could be so stormy. Blurk.
The good news was that by morning the storm had abated and we were both feeling much better, only tired. We had a lazy morning, an early brunch and a bit of a window shopping spree before we had to be on our way to our excursion on Majorca.
On paper, this excursion looked fabulous. A bus tour through the Majorcan countryside, a stop in a fascinating inland hillside village called Soller, frequented by musicians (Chopin) and artists (Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso) looking for inspiration, a ride back on a restored train built in 1912 and a guided look at Palma, the capital, at the end. What could be better, right?
The first thing to go wrong was an annual bicycle race called The Palma 312 which snarled traffic everywhere and delayed us over half an hour which meant our free time in Soller was reduced to a pee break and ten minutes in the town's only square. Our truncated free time was actually good news though because Soller can easily be covered in five minutes. Perhaps it has seen better times and is now in a serious state of decline. It reminded Carol of a neglected village somewhere in Tunisia.
The train ride back was also a disaster although the train itself was kinda cute. Can any of you remember the old inter urban trains with wooden slat seats and windows you opened but could never shut again and which rattled mercilessly and the steel wheels which clickety clacked loud enough to make you deaf? Well now multiply that effect tenfold each time you went into a tunnel (and we had thirteen of them) and you get a picture of our trip back. We were deaf, frozen and stiff from the cold wind blasting in through all the open windows.
On our return we were driven through downtown Palma which in part reminded us a bit of certain neighbourhoods in Barcelona and were given free time to explore on our own. We, however, only wanted to sit in a warm sheltered spot and thaw out.
In the evening we had a very nice dinner in an actual proper sit down restaurant and then a show called Burn the Floor. Fantastic dancing and music inspired by shows like DWTS but better
We were told on day one that the Epic is a big ship and doesn't move too much but last nite was one hell of a rock and roll night. Wind speed over 50 knots and us heading crabwise into it made our 2015 cruise in the Bay of Biscay which is notorious for its' storms, seem a distant calm memory. Who would have thought the Med could be so stormy. Blurk.
The good news was that by morning the storm had abated and we were both feeling much better, only tired. We had a lazy morning, an early brunch and a bit of a window shopping spree before we had to be on our way to our excursion on Majorca.
On paper, this excursion looked fabulous. A bus tour through the Majorcan countryside, a stop in a fascinating inland hillside village called Soller, frequented by musicians (Chopin) and artists (Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso) looking for inspiration, a ride back on a restored train built in 1912 and a guided look at Palma, the capital, at the end. What could be better, right?
The first thing to go wrong was an annual bicycle race called The Palma 312 which snarled traffic everywhere and delayed us over half an hour which meant our free time in Soller was reduced to a pee break and ten minutes in the town's only square. Our truncated free time was actually good news though because Soller can easily be covered in five minutes. Perhaps it has seen better times and is now in a serious state of decline. It reminded Carol of a neglected village somewhere in Tunisia.
The train ride back was also a disaster although the train itself was kinda cute. Can any of you remember the old inter urban trains with wooden slat seats and windows you opened but could never shut again and which rattled mercilessly and the steel wheels which clickety clacked loud enough to make you deaf? Well now multiply that effect tenfold each time you went into a tunnel (and we had thirteen of them) and you get a picture of our trip back. We were deaf, frozen and stiff from the cold wind blasting in through all the open windows.
On our return we were driven through downtown Palma which in part reminded us a bit of certain neighbourhoods in Barcelona and were given free time to explore on our own. We, however, only wanted to sit in a warm sheltered spot and thaw out.
In the evening we had a very nice dinner in an actual proper sit down restaurant and then a show called Burn the Floor. Fantastic dancing and music inspired by shows like DWTS but better
April 26 - First cruise day - Twenty Euro Score
Got ready early, had breakfast early - good mix of American bacon and eggs plus Continental stuff but oh the coffee. I could have drunk a dozen cappuccinos and eaten a dozen croissants, it was so delicious.
Checked out early, driver came early. A really nice guy, so much better than the day before. He was an Italian who had grown up in Montreal. A bad mix of pride, chauvinism and French arrogance. A good quote though: "Italy is the best country in the world - all we have to do is get the people to appreciate it."
Today's guy was all Italian, crazy accent but understandable. Drove like a Monaco Grand Prix racer but strangely, we felt safe. As for yesterday's 20 Euro penalty, he said what penalty? We asked twice and explained our screw up but he didn't want it so we kept it.
Finding the Norwegian rep turned out to be dead easy. Left one hour late. No worries.
So all in all a really a good start to the day.
Holy Crap the ship is huge. We could see it miles away on our approach . Made 3 other ships in the harbour look downright puny. We met two other couples cruising on her for the second time so it must be ok.
Day was cloudy and very windy. We are out at sea now and can really feel the rocking of the boat.
Check in was easy and fast. Threw our stuff in our rooms and went to get food. We're on deck 12 aft and food was on deck 15 forward, about one half mile away. Good exercise. Food was buffet style. Not impressed.
Back to rooms for a good nap. Life boat drill one hour later. Back to rooms for a nap.
At this point Carol was feeling quite sick (exhausted plus a bit of reaction to the food?) so we ordered room service. Best salmon we've had in ages.
Ordered breakfast for 0545! Got an early shore excursion tomorrow. Hope Carol is ok.
Our rooms are great. Two studios side by side with a connecting door. Individually the rooms are small. Well thought out but small. Put two together with the connecting door open and it feels like a suite. We really like the set up.
Got ready early, had breakfast early - good mix of American bacon and eggs plus Continental stuff but oh the coffee. I could have drunk a dozen cappuccinos and eaten a dozen croissants, it was so delicious.
Checked out early, driver came early. A really nice guy, so much better than the day before. He was an Italian who had grown up in Montreal. A bad mix of pride, chauvinism and French arrogance. A good quote though: "Italy is the best country in the world - all we have to do is get the people to appreciate it."
Today's guy was all Italian, crazy accent but understandable. Drove like a Monaco Grand Prix racer but strangely, we felt safe. As for yesterday's 20 Euro penalty, he said what penalty? We asked twice and explained our screw up but he didn't want it so we kept it.
Finding the Norwegian rep turned out to be dead easy. Left one hour late. No worries.
So all in all a really a good start to the day.
Holy Crap the ship is huge. We could see it miles away on our approach . Made 3 other ships in the harbour look downright puny. We met two other couples cruising on her for the second time so it must be ok.
Day was cloudy and very windy. We are out at sea now and can really feel the rocking of the boat.
Check in was easy and fast. Threw our stuff in our rooms and went to get food. We're on deck 12 aft and food was on deck 15 forward, about one half mile away. Good exercise. Food was buffet style. Not impressed.
Back to rooms for a good nap. Life boat drill one hour later. Back to rooms for a nap.
At this point Carol was feeling quite sick (exhausted plus a bit of reaction to the food?) so we ordered room service. Best salmon we've had in ages.
Ordered breakfast for 0545! Got an early shore excursion tomorrow. Hope Carol is ok.
Our rooms are great. Two studios side by side with a connecting door. Individually the rooms are small. Well thought out but small. Put two together with the connecting door open and it feels like a suite. We really like the set up.
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