Dubrovnik, Croatia

After a day at sea, we arrived in Dubrovnik, Croatia and once again the sky is blue and the air very warm.  We can’t get over how we have had an entire 21 days in Europe and had nothing but sunshine!!  It has really made exploring around the towns very enjoyable!

We took the shuttle bus from the dock to what they call “Old Town”.  Dubrovnik is a beautiful Mediterranean port that once rivaled Venice for dominance of the Adriatic Sea.  The “Old Town” is one of the world’s finest and best preserved medieval cities and designated as a world heritage site. Defensive  walls have protected the Old Town for a thousand years.  The walls were never breached.  They are 9 to 18 feet thick and up to 75 feet high with 5 forts, 16 towers and bastions and it surrounds the entire city. You can actually walk around it but we did not do that today, we just visited the old town and took some pictures.

This is a picture overlooking the Old Town and all the “red roofs” on the houses and buildings.  It really is a breathtakingly beautiful city.

This is standing on part of the promenade walk along the wall and a picture of one of the forts

Walking along  part of the wall

Brian is afraid of heights so  this was his “safe” way of looking over the wall!!!

The water is just beautiful and clean.  I took this by hanging over the cliff with Brian standing way back saying to me “How can you do that”!

This was inside the castle walls, a very quaint little shopping center. 

This was the Clock Tower in this little shopping area and we see that there is actually going to be a Marathon run on the wall this coming Sunday!

A last look of the village before we went back to the ship.

Tonight we leave for Kotor, Montenegro and this will be the last city we visit.  We then have another day at sea on Friday and arrive in Venice on Saturday morning but unfortunately we won’t see much of Venice other than what we see on our way to the airport to head home.

I have posted two posts today, so to read Naples, please see the post below this one.  

Naples, Italy

We are now nearing the end of our cruise as this week comes to an end.  We are finding this a long week as we are more than ready to come home now.  Twenty-one days is definitely too long to be on a cruise ship from our perspective.  It starts to lose its lustre after the first two weeks and some of the things done on the ship is repeated again as most people travel only two weeks.  So needless to say we are looking forward to coming home on Saturday.  We are a bit worried about disembarking the ship in Venice as we have been told that there will be eight cruise ship docking in Venice on Saturday so they are warning everyone about how busy it will be there as there will be people disembarking and new people coming on the ships, so we are talking thousands of people!!  We are very happy that we had arranged for the ship to make our arrangements to get us to the airport as taxis and other modes of transportation are going to be very hard to find and there could be long waits. 

Well, back to our ports of call since Rome, we arrived in Naples on Monday and we were not impressed at all.  Most people took excursions to Sorrento, Pompeii or the Almalfi coast which was a smart choice if they did.  Naples itself was a very dirty city, not well taken care of and very dingy; we did not feel safe there at all and we ended up walking up a narrow lane and got a bit lost after trying to find our way back and we were both feeling very vulnerable being obvious tourists and this was definitely not the tourist part of town and more where the people actually live here.  We finally found our way back and the rest of the day just stayed on the ship!

This is a picture of the city as we walked off the ship.  It didn’t look too bad from here! Traffic though was horrendous and they had warned us on the ship to be very careful of traffic, in particular, the scooters.  Apparently here, the scooters can knock you down and then steal from you, so that worried us as we walked around as they were right about the scooters, they were everywhere coming at you from every direction and we were constantly jumping out of the way.

This was one of the streets we walked up, it looked safe enough at the start!

This is when we realized that we were not in the tourist section of town and were trying to find our way out. 

We then decided to just look around the docking terminal and have coffee and pizza and a free wifi connection where we sat to send my Rome blog.  We felt very safe here although the pizza wasn’t that great and it probably would have been better to try the pizza in town if only we had felt safe!

On Tuesday we were at sea and travelled around the boot of Italy on our way to Croatia through the Adriatic Sea. 

Rome, Italy

As our little granddaughter, Selena, would say “my did it”!!!  In the matter of 9 hours (two of those hours being on a train), we toured completely around Rome and saw more of Rome than we anticipated!  Having said that, we did not go into anything (other than the Pantheon), so no time was spent going in any buildings which in that case would probably take 2-3 days if you wanted to tour in all the places we saw.  I was quite nervous  about our trip to Rome as it was “self-guided” on a plan I made from a lot of research  before we left,  right down to taking the train from our port of Civitavecchia to Rome which is an hour train ride.  Brian was extremely nervous when we got up this morning, doing his “sighing” from the minute he got up until we arrived in Rome.  He was so afraid that we would not get back to the ship and we would get lost but nevertheless we carried on with my plan and it worked like a charm!  Although we had until 8:30 in the evening to get back to the ship, we saw everything we wanted and were back to the ship by 4:30 p.m., having got off the boat at 7:00 a.m. to head to the train station.  I wish that Brian had worn his Garmin today to see how far we walked but I would easily say we walked at least 20 kilometers, if not more – so I’m saying half a marathon!!!

We bought a BIRG ticket at the train station which was good for all trains, metro, trams and buses although we only used the Metro (subway) once which was to get us back to the main train station (Termini) to get back to Civitavecchia; we walked the entire city of Rome and following the “self-guided walking tour instructions” I found on line and they worked like a charm.  There were some places we had to really look for the street names but we were able to figure it out. 

The first place we went to was the Vatican which was a 5 minute walk from the S. Pietro  train station we first got off.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  It is huge and even at 9:00 a.m. in the morning it was packed with people.

This is our first view of St. Peter’s Basilica as we walked toward the Vatican after getting off the train.  Please note the blue sky – once again we had an absolutely beautiful day! 

This was entering the open area in the front of the Vatican

The front part of the Vatican

This was a better view as we walked away and then looked back. 

We even got to hear Pope Francis on the screens surrounding the Vatican Square.  Keep in mind that this was a Sunday.

These are the columns around the Vatican Square.

After leaving the Vatican, we walked toward the Castel Sant’ Angelo. A fortress built by Emperor Hadrian as his mausoleum in 139 A.D.

Our walk along the Tiber (Tevere) River and one of the many bridges that cross it.  We walked across one of these bridges, making our way to the Spanish Steps.

The Spanish Steps – no real significance to the Spanish Steps other than people like to congregate there and sit on the steps. During the 18th Century, the Spanish Steps became a meeting place for both artists and poets. At the bottom of the steps is a Fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia but unfortunately it was under restoration and covered with scaffolding. 

I had read that there was a fabulous (but expensive) Tea Room called Babington Tea Rooms to the left of the Spanish Steps and we just had to stop for tea and scones. This place was opened in 1893 by Miss Anna Maria Babington and they still use her original recipes.  Celebrities and thousands of visitors have stopped here to rest and be inspired by England’s Victorian Age.  It was a favorite of English Lords and also the place where Humphrey Bogart and Lauran Bacall often met when filming one of their movies in Rome. 

Waiting to have our tea and scones, jam and real cream.  Brian took the picture and then headed out to walk the Spanish Steps (he is not into tea and scones).  Richard stayed with us for tea and scones as well (although he is not in the picture) and we walked out of there having spent 60 euro!!!  VERY EXPENSIVE but well worth the experience!

Brian took a picture after he climbed the steps! 138 steps!

From the Spanish Steps we walked by Piazza Mignanelli dominated by the Column of the Immaculate. 

The one thing I really wanted to see in Rome was the Trevi Fountain which is located in the heart of the city centre but it was completely under restoration and there was no water in the fountain obviously and it was very hard to see with glass partitions completely surrounding it.  This is where you can throw a coin over your shoulder into the water with your back to the fountain of which the legend says you will be back to Rome again.  Approximately 2000 euros is thrown into the Trevi Fountain each week and the coins are collected at night and used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome’s poor population.  I’m sure they are not getting that much money while they are restoring the fountain at the present time!

From the Trevi Mountain, we headed to the world famous Pantheon.

The Pantheon was the largest concrete structure in the world.  Michelangelo studied its great dome before starting work on the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. Dating from 125 AD, this is the most complete ancient building in Rome and one of the city’s most spectacular sights.   It is also the burial place of several important Italians including the artist Raphael and it remains an active church.   At 142 feet wide and 142 feet high, it is a perfect sphere resting in a cylinder. 

Inside the Pantheon.  It was so crowded with people, I was hanging on to the back of Brian’s pants while he took some pictures so that we didn’t get separated!

Looking up at the dome up at the oculus which is a round opening in the centre of the dome.  It is 27 feet in diameter and open to the sky. 

The floor is gently sloped to allow the runoff of rainwater.

Some more pictures inside the Pantheon.

These are some places we saw as we headed towards Piazza Navona.

We reached Piazza Navona Square and this is one of three statutes in this square.  La Fontana dei Fiumi erected in 1651 for The Pope and is the most photographed item in the square.  The centerpiece is a tall Roman obelisk.  There are a lot of restaurants/cafes in the square and a lot of people stop here to have a rest and just take in the beauty of this square. 

We then moved on to the area of the Colosseo and the Imperial Roman Forum.  The above picture is a part of the Roman Forum.  No wonder they call it Ancient Rome.  The ancient history of this city is seen everywhere you go. 

We finally arrived at the Colosseo. This is the landmark that Brian really wanted to see in Rome. 

As with a lot of landmarks we saw today, even the Colosseo was under restoration.  We inquired about going inside the Colosseo but it was quite expensive and they were selling tickets for the Colosseo, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill and that would be just more walking and we had already walked miles and being mid afternoon, it was really hot out and we were tired.  We felt we had seen most of the greatest landmarks in Rome and decided to catch the Metro (subway) across the street from the Colosseum and head back to the Termini train station to get back to the ship.

We were packed like sardines in the Metro but thankfully we only had to go through two stations but then when we finally arrived at the main train station (in Termini), it was so large we had no idea where to go.  Poor Brian was getting all anxious again and asking anyone he saw how to get the train back to Civitavecchia and he couldn’t pronounce the name very well and some Italians just shrugged their shoulders at him!  Only my children can envision what Brian was like and usually what makes us laugh at him which just makes him madder and more animated.  It really is quite comical.  Anyway, we finally found we had to head for platform 25-29 and after a lot of walking through the station, we got on the right train which was also pretty crowded and Brian was asking everyone he passed if this was the right train and if they were heading to Civitavecchia too!  We finally made it back to the ship safe and sound after a great day in Rome! 

We are now heading to Naples where we plan to eat some pizza as Naples is where Pizza was first invented! 

Lucca and Pisa

I’m starting with a picture; guess where we are?

You guessed it – Leaning Tower of Pisa!!

We arrived in Livorno this morning and we had booked a ship excursion taking us to Lucca and Pisa.  We both really wanted to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and this was a half day excursion, so felt it was worth taking.  Truly it was breathtaking. Here are more pictures of this area:

These are the buildings you see when you walk into the area; the round building is the “Baptismal” where babies/people are baptized and at the very top of the building is John, The Baptist; the building behind  that is the Cathedral and behind that is the leaning tower of Pisa. 

This is inside the Baptismal building with the statute of John the Baptist.

 

When taking pictures, it was hard to show the “lean” so I took a close up of the bottom as you can see the “lean” better there. 

We also visited the city of Lucca which is a city surrounded by a wall dating back to the early 16th century.  They started constructing the wall in the mid 1500’s and finished it in 1654.  This village is renown for keeping it as a Medieval Village to this day.  They are quite strict who can live there, if you are not born there, you cannot live in Lucca.  They used to keep all people out that were not from the village but in recent years have opened it up to tourists – obviously for financial reasons (in our opinion).  Nevertheless, it is a very quaint village and the tour was very interesting.

The entrance to Lucca

The wall that completely surrounds Lucca. There is no vegetation close to the wall as it was all removed when originally built to keep the enemy out and they have kept it that way to this day. 

The cathedral within Lucca. 

Other points of interest in Lucca.

So tomorrow is the “big day” when we arrive in Civitavecchia which is the port closest to Rome.  We are doing Rome “on our own” with the information I researched before we left for the trip.  We are taking the train from Civitavecchia to Rome which is about an hour away.  I’m praying that we do not get lost and that we find our way back to Civitavecchia on the train.  Our plan is to see what we can of Rome in a few hours.  I know there is a lot to see, so hopefully we can put a small dent in to some interesting places!