Italy, Greek Islands, French Riviera - Cruising the Med

I'm sure there are lots of you who have 'done' the main cities of Europe and thought it would be nice to share memories.
How about ROME - I started and ended my cruising holiday there - three days in the Eternal City.

I visited so many places it hard to remember them all. Of course there was the Coloseum, The Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps and the magnificent modern war memorial. Even stood in the field of Maximus which is nothing more than a long oval expanse of grass - but that is where the chariot races used to be.

But I think for me the trip to the Vatican City was most awesome (see final post in this series). The artwork is absolutely unbelievable and there is just so much of it. The Cistine Chapel with it's famous ceiling is just a drop in the ocean. St Peter's Basilica is another awesome place and I was pleased to see that there was no cost to go inside.

A few things of practical interest for anyone going: I booked a hotel over the internet - easy peasy - and got one almost right outside the main Terminii station - that is just so handy for the metro and country trains.
Also if you are on a cruise don't pay the ships cost for transort to Civitavechia - they'll want and arm an a leg for it. The trains cost a few dollars - only proviso is that you can walk a few hundred yards at the other end.

The Colosseum - from the inside
If you have watched the movie, 'Gladiator', you will remember other gladiators and a tiger appearing from below the arena.
They came up on a lift.
I have to admit I thought that was a bit farfetched.
I now understand that it was the case.

Looking at the actual Colosseum you can see the maze of corridors and pens beneath the area itself.
An awesome place.

Photo: M Muir - Inside the Roman Colosseum - The area at the far end where the floor level has been recreated gives an indication of the maze below the area where gladiators and wild animals were housed.

The Vatican city is a must for any traveller.
It is a most amazing places - the decorations are just mind-blowing.
And there is so much to see.
Visiting the Vatican was a great way to end the holiday.
What a magnificent place it is. You need a day to check it out and also St Peters.
Had a great time on this holiday and saw some great places.
Would thoroughly recommend a cruising tour of the Mediterranean if you want to take a glimpse at the most significant tourist attractions.
Till next year .........

Cruise ships are great for getting you from one intersting place to another and I much prefer it to the hassle of airports.
The only trouble is the time you have to visit the places of interest can be a bit limited.
However, the ship docked early in the morning in the port for Naples and I had booked to take the day tour which included climbing Mount Vesuvius and visiting Pompeii.
Vesuvius is a volcano which has blown its top on several occasions - the most well known when in destroyed the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79AD.
It looks pretty dormant today when you gaze down into the crater at the top, but I gather it is still classed as active in geological terms. The climb up was pretty long and tiring (hard work on dusty volcanic ash and rubble) but envigorating.
From Vesuvius it was down to Pompeii. This is somewhere I had always wanted to visit and had seen several documentaries about it on the TV over the years. I wondered if this would spoil it for me but it didn't.
The town is amazing and it is so big. Streets criss-crossing which in the first century had lots of shops (you can see the grooves in the doorways where the sliding doors were) and houses and public areas. The sanitation and drainage the Roman had puts the poor mediaeval Brits to shame.
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go into the main museum which houses most of the best artefact, including the encased bodies of those who seccumbed to the ash, but there were a few at the site. What a terrible way to die.
I would have loved to have seen Herculaneum as that town is still being uncovered, but time did not permit so it was back to the ship for the two day cruise down to the Greek Islands.

Photo: M Muir - Frozen almost two centuries ago in volcanic ash - a forlorn figure awaits its final resting place

Greece Islands - Mykanos
Cruising the blue waters of the Greek Isands is perfect. Theislands themselves are beautiful.
Mykonos brought back memories of Majorca and the holidays I spent there at El Arenal, back in the early 60s, when they were still building hotels on the beach front. It all looked so pristine and white against the azure sea.
The Greek town is a bustling fishing port where fishermen hang the squid they have just caught, on the boat's rigging to dry.
Dominating the bay are the unusual thatched windmills and in the town itself the small shops are hidden in a meshwork of narrow alleyways.

Santorini is quite different.
The group of islands on which it is located are actually the caldera of an active volcano.
It's like the town (and a few others) is sitting right on the rim of a teacup with an almost perpendicuar drop to the water below.
The only access to Santorina is by cable car or donkeys which zig-zag up the cliff.
I chose the cable first up to take in the fantastic views. The cruise ship looked like a toy from above.
Like Mykonos, Santorini is made up of white buildings many with rounded domes, amongst them, some beautiful churches.
The museum contains archaelogical relics going back to the 3rd Century (and probably older) and it is thought by some that this area - before the massive volcano blew it away - was the lost island of Atlantis.
With a whole day to wander around, I took a local boat tour to the island in centre of the bay.
Stepping ashore you are overawed by the towering mounts of ugly black solidified rock of a geolocically recent lava flow.
It's amazing to imagine that within our lifetimes this was red molten lava sizzling into the sea.
We were assured that the island is safe today but the vents puffing green sulphuric steam are a reminder that there is a lot of unbridled power lurking not far beneath the earth's crust.
For the ones who brought their bathers there was the chance to swim in the warm thermal waters. I missed out on that.
With a bit of time remaining, when we go back to the jetty, I decided I had to take the doney ride up the cliff.
In retrospect, as I hate height, it might have been a mistake!
Sitting atop a donkey which seems to want to take the side of the path nearest to the edge, had me regularly closing my eyes and hoping for the best.
Needless to say, I made it to tell the tale.
Santorini is a fantastic holiday destination which I would go back to tomorrow given half a chance.
Off to Scicily next.
Photo M Muir - note cuise ship below the town of Santorini and new 'active' volanic island behind it.

Steaming into the port of Messina in Sicily gives some indication of the character of the island which is best known for its Mafia connections and the its still active volcano, Mt Etna - the largest in Europe.

Overlooking the port is a golden statue (not sure if it's Christ or the Virgin Mary - perhaps someone knows), while nestled against the wharf are three huge cruise liners. Further along there is a sailing jetty full of expensive modern yachts, but a little further along the harbour, a shipyard littered with partly sunken hulks.

Having climbed Vesuvius in Italy, I opted not to go up Mt Etna or take any of the other trips organised by the ship, so I spent the day wandering around the town.
The port city, like so many other port cities, is not a place I would recommend for a holiday but it did have some interesting building. Next to the cathedral is the famous bell tower. Rising 90 meters from the Cathedral square, it houses the larges animated clock in the world.
All the symbols and characters and astrological signs are in gold and at 12 noon for 15 minutes they 'perform' their show. Apart from the various gyrations and movements, the lion roars and the golden cockerel crows.

It was Sunday and siesta time and everything was closed - that is off course apart from an Irish Pub across from the waterfront. As it was a very hot afternoon the beer went down very nicely, thank you.
Back on board for the cruise up to Cannes

Still cruising: Cannes - Nice - Monte Carlo The ship docked off Cannes and we went ashore in the tenders to join a tourist coach to take us to along the French Riviera to Nice and Monaco/Monte Carlo.

I don't know what I had expected of these places and I suppose they lived to my expectations though with some reservations. It's an expensive coast - you can tell by the number of huge yachts in the dozens and dozens of marinas, and the number of expensive cars parked outside the lavish hotels. A bit beyond my pocket!!

But why do people flock there? Because it is THE place to be? - Probably! Certainly not for the beaches. The beach at Nice is pure pebble and you need shoes on to walk on it. I wouldn't like to try laying on it. Monaco is certainly packed and compact - a tiny country of high rise-buildings, wrapped around a bay filled - (you guessed it) - with luxury boats.
I went up to the Monte Carlo casino but never went in. Not my thing, and besides it cost money and you had to be suitably dressed. I did take a drive around parts of the Grand Prix course which is steeper than it looks on TV. And also went in the cathedral to see the graves of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier.
Cruising is great in that you get a look at different places without staying for a fortnight in one spot. I'm pleased to have visited the Riviera but wouldn't bother with it again. Next stop Florence.

Florence and Pisa in a day is a bit of a rush - to say the least. Having docked at Livorno, I joined the coach for the drive through Tuscany to Florence about 2 hours drive inland.

What I remember most about Florence is the number of statues and the number of tourists. Unfortunately you can't go anywhere which boasts anything famous without being part of a mob, and unless you have lots of time to spare, it sometimes means you don't have time to queue to get into all the places. (And who really wants to queue for an hour or more!).

Of course the Duomo is a magnificent building, and I managed to climb the 400 + steps of the Bell Tower next to it, to look out over the city. The octagonal Baptistery was just across the square with the Gates to Paradise (I'm happy to wait for a while before being invited through those).
I walked over the Ponte Vecchio - one of the many bridges over the River Arno - and wasn't tempted by all the jewellers' shops which are actually on the bridge, all selling gold. I kept my eyes closed.
So much to see and so little time - back on the coach and heading to Pisa.

Leaving Florence, we headed back towards the coast and stopped at Pisa on the way.

I saw the leaning tower but it was a bit of a rush being given only about 45 minutes. Enough time to walk around it and take some photos - not that all the world doesn't know what it looks like.
Still, I have crossed it off my "must see once in a lifetime" wish list.
Back to the ship for the last night at sea. Last stop Rome.

FLOATING GOLD, published May 2010 , has received excellent reviews by age-of-sail enthusiasts. Here are some excerpts:

FLOATING GOLD is a wonderful blend of classic Georgian naval fiction, a mystery/thriller and a grand treasure hunt. A rousing tale, well told. It's a well-paced and vividly drawn tale of adventure in the high latitudes and on the high seas. Highly recommended.
http://www.oldsaltblog.com

When you have read as many naval fiction novels as I have, the first challenge a new author and book has to meet is - do the story and characters seem fresh? This is a challenge Floating Gold achieves from cover to cover in a pacy narrative which held my attention.
Would I like to read more of Captain Quintrell, Lieutenant Parry, Acting Carpenter Will Ethridge and their adventures? I certainly would.
A book I recommend.
http://www.historicnavalfiction.com

FLOATING GOLD is a nautical thriller that involves a well-plotted treasure hunt. Other nautical heroes too have been chasing treasures on the high seas and in exotic locations, most often Spanish galleons loaded with gold, but none of them - to my knowledge - have ever been chasing a treasure like the one that is featured in this book.
It is an innovative and entertaining tale, rich on detail about England and life at sea, and a tale that is very well told.
FLOATING GOLD is an excellent nautical fiction debut by Margaret Muir. I hope she continues to write about Quintrell - a character that I feel has a lot of potential.
If you like historical fiction, salty sea tales or clever adventures, FLOATING GOLD is a book you should get hold of - it is very entertaining, well written and intelligently plotted! http://www.navyfiction.com

To order a copy go to Hale Books (UK) or The Book Depository (world-wide postage free).

Read more on my squidoo link to books.

The Condor's Feather is an exciting and heartwarming equestrian adventure set in Patagonia in 1885

THE CONDOR'S FEATHER is now also available in LARGE PRINT (June 2010).

To order go to:
THE BOOK DEPOSITORYis an on-line bookshop which not only gives discount prices but provides Free Worldwide Delivery.