Millennium Review 6/24 Istanbul to Barcelona

Just returned from a 12 day Mediterranean cruise on Celebrity’s Millennium ship. Wow! What a vacation! My husband and I took our 15 year-old son and had a fantastic time. We met some great people and thoroughly enjoyed each port city. I am still amazed at the itinerary for this cruise: Istanbul, Kusadasi (Ephesus), Limassol, Alexandria (Cairo), Piraeus (Athens), Naples (Pompeii), Civitavecchia (Rome), Villafranche (Nice, Monaco), and Barcelona. We have always taken our vacations in the U.S., Canada, or Caribbean. Europe seemed too far away when Hawaii and the Caribbean were so easily accessible. Not anymore! We are already planning next year’s vacation to Europe, only next time we will travel on our own (minus the cruise) to England, France, and Italy. If you are the kind of person (like us) who is a bit uncomfortable about traveling abroad, I would highly recommend this cruise.
My husband (a CPA), son, and I (teacher) have been on six cruises in the past ten years (two to Alaska, two to the Caribbean, one from Hawaii to Vancouver, and this Mediterranean cruise). Actually, my husband has gone on four other cruises with his family (Caribbean and Mexico). We did not like the repositioning cruise from Hawaii (Pacific Princess, ten years ago) but the other cruises were wonderful and hooked us on cruising (with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean). They were fun and had lots of activities going on at all hours of the day. This Mediterranean cruise was fun too, but it did not have the same type of activity-filled days, perhaps because everyone is so busy seeing the sights. However, on the Millennium, even the evenings and sea days are more laid back with less to do. We spent the majority of our “spare” time up by the pool. Like most of the other cruises we have been on, it is pretty much “dog eat dog” regarding the poolside lounge chairs. There is a big problem with people saving chairs hours before they plan to use them. This was the only problem area we encountered on the ship. We had one obnoxious woman get in my husband’s face about moving her towels from 3 chairs. She didn’t see anything wrong with having 3 chairs in the sun and 3 chairs reserved in the shade for when they got too hot. They would lie in the sun for hours and then sit in the shady chairs for a few minutes to cool off.
You might need to remind people there is no reserving and it is written up in the ship’s brochures of do’s and don’ts. You will see a lot of chairs laying empty for hours and hours without a soul in sight. We’re not talking about people who are swimming or grabbing a bite to eat in the buffet line. Nope, we are talking about people who see nothing wrong with putting down 10 towels on 10 chairs at 8:30 in the morning so that they will have a place to sit at 12:30 in the afternoon.
Regarding the ship, the Millennium is absolutely beautiful: very elegant, clean, and comfortable. It was hard to believe 2,000 people were aboard. None of the lounges, restaurants, or public areas ever got that crowded. We heard the tenders in Villafranche were a bit crowded at 7:00 am but they were no problem an hour later. The ship is very well maintained and the cleaning crew is constantly working around the clock to make sure everything is shipshape. Our balcony was washed off every few days, which was great because the sea spray really built up on the railing, windows, and chairs. If you plan to have 3 people in your veranda room, try to book early and get a cabin with an overhead bunk. We were unable to book a room with a bunk for our son so we had a fold out chair. It worked fine and was comfortable (according to him) but he didn’t appreciate my husband and I climbing over him each morning in port cities to take photographs or movies from the balcony. The cabin was very comfortable because it was designed well. We had an excellent cabin stewardess who took good care of us.
One thing I really took advantage of on this cruise was the ship’s laundry/dry cleaning service. On previous cruises I remember being appalled at the cost of laundering a pair of pants. The Millennium’s prices were the same or even cheaper in some cases than my neighborhood drycleaner. I laundered and dry-cleaned about 12 items (pants, dresses, shirts) because we went through clothes like crazy and I got tired of hand washing stuff in the sink. It is hard to pack for a 2-week cruise for 3 people and not have to take 10 suitcases.
The food was fabulous; we have no complaints. A few of the people we talked to complained about a few items on the menu (New York steaks said to be on the tough side) but we thought everything was great. Sometimes the dining room’s lunch menu looked less than appetizing because they had a number of foods we simply do not enjoy (rabbit, veal, etc.) On those few occasions we would head to the lunch buffet, which was fine but not as good as the dining room.
No matter where or when we ate our meals my husband and I tried to select the leaner menu items and they were excellent. The sherbets were always outstanding. We also really liked the spa menu up by the pool. They usually served excellent dishes that our son even enjoyed, such as salads, sushi, and fruit plates (and he is very much a pizza and hamburger kind of guy).
Many people ate at the Olympic Dining Room, but we opted not to go. Everyone we spoke to who ate at the Olympic said the experience was fantastic: they had never had such incredible service before. Also, everyone we spoke with said the food was comparable or even slightly less wonderful than the meals served in the main dining room. I wasn’t that thrilled about eating there but I wanted to see the Olympic Dining Room so we asked if we could go in and look around. It is very nice looking inside but very different looking from the dining room.
Something interesting about the main dining room on this particular cruise was the abundance of empty tables, especially the first two nights. We were at a table for 8 and our tablemates never showed up once. According to the Matre’d they never made it on the cruise. The ship was sold out but there were many tables near us that were ½ empty. Eventually, we moved to another table with a couple and their son (same age as our son). They were wonderful dinner companions and we only wished we had hooked up with them earlier. The dining room staff tried very hard to make us happy and we were impressed with the service they provided. Our waiter, Georgie, and assistant waiter, Jose, were the best. Very professional and personable.
The entertainment on board ranged from excellent (the production numbers with the ship’s singers and dancers) to mediocre. There were a few solo entertainers who seemed to have been booked with a much older crowd in mind. We love classic music and show tunes as well as contemporary ones, but one guy in particular sang dull songs from the earlier part of the last century in a very silly manner. He had an excellent voice but his presentation and style grated our nerves. We were also unimpressed with the magician who looked about 16 years old. He was very talented but his act was very tedious. He would do the same tricks over and over again. The lighting on stage was turned down so low you could barely see the guy at times. I guess the stagehands were trying to hide the little tricks of the trade (wires, etc.) by eliminating most of the lighting. Another thing: he didn’t say a single word during the entire performance. Drove me nuts.
Now, getting down to the good stuff: the ports. Well, I think this itinerary is the best I have ever seen for a cruise. Three days after our cruise, I am still in awe of what we did on our vacation. The good thing about the itinerary is it let you see places you might not have selected if you were traveling on your own (like Egypt or Turkey). The bad thing is you really do not have time to see everything you want to see. In fact, it gets frustrating at times because you feel so rushed. Let’s face it: it is crazy to think you can see Rome or Cairo in a day! So, we approached this cruise like a “sampler” vacation. We got a reasonable taste of 8 different ports and now we plan to go back in future years and visit these places in leisure. We used the ship’s tours for each city except Istanbul, Limassol, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona. Yes, the ship’s tours are very whirlwind and you do feel a bit like cattle. However, our excursions were well organized, comfortable and informative. The tour guides ranged from good to excellent. The buses were clean and in excellent shape (most had a toilet). You do run into huge crowds of people, particularly in Rome, Cairo, Istanbul, and Pompeii, but you will not be able to avoid crowds of people in Europe in summer, even if you do your own private tours.
The people we talked to who did their own tours varied in their experiences. Those who paid exorbitant fees for a private, small tour seemed to have a better time. They all had booked months ahead of time with well-known tour companies and were pleased with their choices, even though they paid double the price that we did. They were able to see more things than we did because they didn’t have to wait for 40 other people taking a potty break (like we did). However, those doing private tours had to pay for their own entrance fees (usually under $10 each) and cost of lunch.
The people we talked to who took less expensive private tours or took advantage of a taxi driver offering to take them on a private tour were not that happy. One friend said that in Rome her guide barely spoke English and did not tell her all of the interesting info we got going on a ship’s tour. She paid quite a bit of money as well (for 5 people). Taxi driver tours seem to be bad news. You are almost guaranteed of being ripped off and hassled if you choice this type of tour in Istanbul or Athens. They always have a rug shop or restaurant of some friend or relative they insist you go to. You protest, they want more money or they will call the police.
In Athens, the cab drivers are notoriously rude. Everyone we talked to on board seemed to have a similar story regarding an obnoxious cab driver. Make sure you talk to the cab drivers BEFORE you get in the car. Tell them you want them to use the meter. They will protest, but insist before you get inside of the cab. Taxi drivers can be major rip-off artists in Athens, and they will yell at you as well. The favorite thing taxi drivers seem to say in Athens is, “What is your problem????”
Starting from the beginning, we flew to Istanbul on Turkish Air via Chicago (on American) a day early, which was terrific. We had no problems with the plane trip. We felt pretty good (not very tired despite the fact that we had not slept at all) when we arrived in Istanbul and set out right away to see the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. (We got the best advice on avoiding jet lag from Rick Steve’s book Europe Through the Back Door that recommends being completely ready for your trip two days before you go and spending those two remaining days resting up.) The cab drivers in Istanbul drive like the proverbial bats out of Hades. Man, we saw our lives flash before our eyes a number of times in two days! As soon as I stuck my foot out of the cab in front of the Hagia Sophia I had a guy bugging me. He greeted me and started rattling off “helpful” tips and advice. He latched onto me like an ant on a marshmallow. I tried to be polite at first but grew considerably cooler when he would not leave me alone. We had been warned about Turks looking for American tourists to make money off of.
Well, the guy finally got tired of me and went after my husband, who was Mr. Friendly. I tried warning hubby that this guy was not a member of the Welcome Wagon, but he just kept on chatting away. So, the pesky man started steering us to the Blue Mosque because he said the Sophia closed later (he lied). We tried to lose him (no chance!) and I began to get annoyed. We couldn’t take pictures or even have a conversation with this parasite right in the middle of us. This guy kept saying he didn’t want anything from us but he would not leave us alone. He kept pointing out things like, “Here is where Muslims wash their feet before going into the mosque. Here is a very old tree. Here is a very old door…” Finally, he told us he had a carpet store nearby and wanted us to come by and look since he was being so nice to us. We said maybe. No, he said. We must come to his store after the Blue Mosque. He would wait for us. I told him our time was limited and if we had time after Hagia we might go by his store. No, he said. He would personally escort us. He became more and more pushy and aggressive. Finally, after about 15 – 20 minutes of his aggressive pestering I told him we would not be going to his store. He became very angry and I told him he was harassing us. Well, he finally stormed off and we were left to see the Blue Mosque and St. Sophia in peace.
Be warned! These guys are crawling all over the place. We watched at least a dozen of these pests harassing tourists near the mosques with the exact same strategy and technique. They come on friendly (“Hi, where are you from? Oh really? My cousin lives there too!”) and they won’t let go of you. Different guys approached us at least more ten times. My husband finally started telling them we were from Mexico although we do not look Hispanic and do not speak Spanish. Surprisingly, they left us alone when he said that. The cab drivers at the tourist sights will try to rip you off. Our cab rides around the city always cost less than $6 but they will initially ask you for $20. Just walk away and say “too much” and they will lower their price. Also, the vendors and cab drivers love American dollars in the tourist areas but will often say they won’t take them if you are at a sight wanting a ride back to your hotel or to the ship. So, have Turkish money on hand. One American dollar pretty much equals $1,000,000 in Turkey. The money is confusing because the zeros are close together and are not separated by commas. They will try to take advantage of the fact that you are confused and will offer to “help” you with the money. Don’t let them. Also, be prepared to bargain for goods, but do not counter-offer on their price if you do not plan on buying the item. This is culturally very wrong and rude and they will yell at you.
Istanbul is a fascinating city with a remarkable history. Besides the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque we visited the Topkapi Palace and toured the harem (go early and buy tickets for the harem as this is the most popular sight at the palace). We did a lot of walking around and visited a couple of parks where the locals had picnics with their families. The Turks are very curious about foreigners, which made me uncomfortable, at first, because they openly stare. My husband and son wore long pants and I wore conservative dresses in order to “blend” (hah!), but the people gawk at you.
We boarded the ship before 10:30 on Sunday, which was great, but weren’t allowed to go to our cabin until 1:00 pm. This is a new policy of Celebrity that has been in effect for a couple of months. We explored the ship, ate lunch, and went back to Istanbul for the afternoon. The next morning we could have gone off the ship until noon, but our jet lag finally caught up with us and we slept late. Most people we talked to went to the Grand Bazaar and said it was an interesting and (rather obnoxious) experience. I am talking very aggressive salesmen who are all over you if you even look at any item for more than a few seconds. A number of people ended up buying Turkish rugs and mailing them home to the states, but they all seemed to wonder if they would actually receive the rugs once they got to the U.S. After the ship left Istanbul we had an afternoon at sea and used it to take a nap. Our advice: take naps whenever you can because they really help. (By the end of the cruise you will be exhausted if you don’t rest up along the way.) The next morning we arrived in Kusadasi and took the ship’s excursion to Ephesus, which is about 30 minutes away by bus. This place is incredible! We weren’t expecting much from the pictures we had seen but you really have to experience walking through the old city ruins to appreciate it. Ephesus used to be a seaport, but is now 6 miles inland from the coast (sand filled up the coastland). When Constantinople became the capital city, Ephesus slowly died. They are now actively excavating the city and have uncovered quite a bit. The communal city toilets are not to be missed! You can buy picture guidebooks going into or leaving the ruins for about $5. Our next day was a sea day and we hung out by the pool, which was not very crowded. People were still sleeping off their jet lag. We met a number of people who actually boarded the ship in Kusadasi because they missed embarkation in Istanbul due to plane problems. Following the sea day we arrived in Limassol, Cyprus. If you want to do any shopping there, be advised the shops are closed from about 1:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon. We took a cab to town and walked around. This was our least favorite port. The city was fine, but it really can’t compete with the fantastic sights of the other port cities. Our cab driver was quite a character who chatted nonstop and had studied American history. He was thrilled to find out that I’m a teacher. For 15 minutes I was quizzed on obscure facts about the U.S. (“Do you know what the word Alaska means? Do you know where Rhode Island got its name? No? And you call yourself a teacher? Bah!”) We heard the ship’s tours were very average, mostly because the sights were not that exciting.
The following morning we arrived in Alexandria. You can still see the giant marble blocks that used to be the foundation of the Alexandria Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They are still lying around the breakwater. Strangely enough, there are a number of rusty, abandoned, half-sunken ships poking out of the water. You would have thought the city had just survived a war. Indeed, Alexandria is very dirty, poor, and looks war-torn. In my mind I had imagined a romantic city with beautiful buildings that hinted of a rich history. Hardly! There was no sign that Cleopatra had ever ruled this city. Cairo looked much the same.
Police boats surrounded the ship and remained stationed close at hand until we left port in the evening. Armed policemen (they looked about 18 years old) surrounded the debarkation area near the ship. In fact, armed policemen escorted the eighteen or more tour buses that left the port area. We traveled in a tight pack on the road and parked close together in tourist areas as well.
This country is the poorest place we have ever been. We always thought Tijuana was the worst but not any more. On the drive to Cairo you see endless, half-constructed walls around sandy, weedy lots of sand that go on for miles and miles. There are piles of rubble, bricks, and trash everywhere. The people looked depressed and oppressed. I felt claustrophobic while we were there.
The guide on our bus was very informative and pleasant. She warned us about the aggressive vendors at the pyramids. Let me just say this: Istanbul was simply a training ground for dealing with obnoxious, in-your-face salespeople. In Istanbul they try to be friendly at first. Cairo vendors don’t bother with the niceties. One good thing was the fact that it is such a male-dominated society that they leave women alone if you walk a few steps behind the men. I found this out by accident, as did a number of other people from the cruise we talked to. If you buy anything from a vendor be prepared to be followed and harassed by a good-sized group of shouting people (including small children) trying to put their goods on you, in your pockets, or in your hands. The goods are very cheap. If you have a lot of souvenirs to buy you will want to take advantage of these “deals” because you will not run into these low prices again on the cruise. (You can buy 4 t-shirts for $10 and papyrus paintings for $1 each). Just realize that your time is very limited at the pyramids if you are on a tour. If you buy anything from the vendors you will be hard pressed to really see the sights.
This was also the scariest part of the entire trip because the Egyptian people we encountered behaved dishonestly, including the policemen, who are everywhere. We were warned about locals telling you to follow them because they want to show you something. Then, when you see the ordinary hole in a rock or some other lame “sight” they insist you pay them. A policeman did this to my husband and would not take no for an answer. Another creepy incident occurred as well. A small child with toy tops was harassing a person from another tour bus near us. A policeman came over and started beating the child. He then took all of his tops away. Pretty shocking.
If you have children on tour with you, be very careful. We had a number of very upset people from our ship who had their children literally taken away from them, put up on a horse or camel, and were held at ransom until the parents paid the creeps $50. These are NOT isolated incidents. You are dealing with desperately poor people who will do almost anything to get a couple of American dollars (take lots of ones and fives with you and keep them on hand). Let’s face it, two or three dollars is basically nothing to us. But these people will lie, cheat, and steal to get them. It was very unnerving to realize that if you give out the money or spend it you are harassed even more than if you buy nothing. Once again, we acted as if we were from Mexico and were not as harassed as others in our group.
The pyramids are incredible, but you really are not allowed to enjoy them with the human vultures hovering around. The sphinx looks better than ever since they cleared all of the sand away from the base. I enjoyed visiting that more than the pyramids since the cost of admission keeps the “vultures” at bay. By the way, you have probably been warned about the camels but I will warn you again. If you ride a camel at the Pyramids you can expect to have to pay one price to ride it, another price to have your picture taken on it, and another price to get off the camel. Do not pay until you get off the camel and agree on the cost before you get on.
After the pyramids and Sphinx we went to the Marriott Hotel in Cairo for lunch, which was once a palace in the 1800s. It is stunning! We ate lunch there after being greeted by an Egyptian band playing bagpipes (very cool!). Lunch was very tasty with lots of local dishes as well as Mediterranean-type salads. My husband didn’t eat much since he was worried about getting sick, but I enjoyed lunch and felt fine afterward. After lunch we went to the Cairo Museum, which is the most interesting, beautiful museum I have ever seen. You have to go through several metal detectors and my husband and son were patted down. This museum has statues, slabs of hieroglyphics, jewelry, sarcophaguses, and incredible treasures that date back to 2000 B.C. Gorgeous marble statues are simply sitting out around the museum close enough to touch (you are not supposed to). We only had an hour and a half here (again, the curse of being on a tour) when we could have easily spent the entire day looking at all of the wonderful things. King Tut’s treasures were the highlight, even though I saw the touring exhibit of them many years ago. They had a greater impact in the Cairo Museum. We had 2 minutes to look in the shop, which was very tiny and very crowded. I managed to buy a very good book on the museum with the help of our tour guide.
I should mention that I bought a gold cartouche on the bus tour for about $100. It is very pretty with a clasp with Nefertiti’s head and a filigree border. My name is spelled out in hieroglyphics. I have had dozens of compliments on it since I bought it. I am bringing this up because the ship sells them as well but they were not nearly as nice (very, very plain) and cost over twice as much as mine did. If you are going on a ship’s tour to Cairo you will have an opportunity to buy a higher quality cartouche for less than half the cost. Silver ones are only $10.
Also, I forgot to mention that the Cairo tours include a trip to the Papyrus Institute, which is a joke. It is merely a way of getting you into a high-priced, government-owned store. The papyrus paintings there are very lovely but they cost a lot more than $1 each, which is what the street vendors charge. We bought a picture there for about $35. Comparing it with the cheap one I bought, there isn’t a whole lot of difference. On the way back to the ship we passed many highway towers with armed men inside. Their machine guns were hoisted out of the tower windows, aimed at the highway. Back in Alexandria the city was alive with locals wandering about since Friday is their day off. Thousands of people thronged the city streets, and not one of them looked like a tourist. I might not have “blended” in Istanbul, but at least I saw a lot of other tourists like myself walking around. Not so in Alexandria. Once onboard we all breathed a bit easier. I know I sound negative about Egypt and I want to explain that the pyramids are wonderful. It was a dream come true seeing them. In fact, the pyramids and Sphinx were the highlight of the entire trip for my husband and our son. However, it was not pleasant seeing them the way we did. You have very little time to really appreciate the magnitude of their ancient beauty while fighting off the locals. I honestly don’t think it would have been different if we had gone there on our own. It reminded me of camping trips when I try to enjoy the beauty of nature while fighting off swarms of mosquitoes. I ended up being more annoyed than appreciative. After Egypt we had another day at sea (not much going on around the ship) followed by Piraeus (Athens). We went on a ship’s tour of the Acropolis and city sights. Fortunately, we went quite early to the Acropolis (about 8:30) but within an hour the place was packed with people. It was hard to move around it was so crowded. The walk uphill took about 10 minutes, but going back down took over 20 minutes since you have to stop and wait in the bottleneck areas. I am warning you about this because the tour guide we had was very adamant about being on time to the bus at departure time. He ended up leaving about 6 people behind (you are a short distance from the port). The Acropolis is spectacular, even if the Parthenon is covered from head to toe in scaffolding. We still enjoyed this sight. You can really see the city of Athens from the top and saw where the Apostle Paul preached to the crowds. Very interesting. There is a lot of walking here and the ground is very, very uneven. I had no problems at all wearing my Reef sports sandals. Our son wore tennis shoes and slipped around a bit. It would have been very easy to fall and get hurt seeing the Acropolis so wear appropriate shoes (the same goes for all of the other ports with ruins).
After the Acropolis we were able to see the changing of the Turkish guards and that was very exciting. They look very distinguished in their traditional uniforms. It was hard to get a good look at times because the crowd of sightseers is quite overwhelming. If you get a chance to see the changing of the guards be assertive and run to the front when the policemen give the okay. We were rather passive and ended up at the back of the crowd. We ate lunch on the ship and then took a cab to the Hard Rock Café to get city shirts. The cab driver was truly annoying and even followed us into the restaurant. It was one of those Hard Rock Cafes that looked like it was a counterfeit wannabe. The shirts looked really cheesy, as did the restaurant. I guess not all H.R.C.’s are created equally. My husband still bought a shirt but it looks like something you would get at a swap meet. Unfortunately, many of the shops were all closed since it was Sunday. The next two ports, in my opinion, were the very best part of the cruise: Italy. Wow, this country far exceeded all of my expectations. I am in love with Italy and can’t wait to go back. We arrived in Naples, which was very lovely despite the mafia connections and warnings of marauding gypsies. Our tour involved a drive along the Amalfi Coast (breathtaking, fantastic) that was reminiscent of California’s Highway One along Big Sur, only much better. We had shopping time in the town of Amalfi (exquisite, quaint town with massive lemons everywhere) and lunch at a hilltop restaurant along the coast. I could practically hear strains of Puccini’s “O Mia Caro Bambino” and Andrea Boccelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye” it was so heavenly.
We spent the afternoon in Pompeii, which is fascinating as well as beautiful. It was more fantastic than I expected. You need at least a full day at Pompeii, which we obviously did not have. If this place doesn’t get you excited about ancient history, nothing will. Our tour guide was terrific and we learned a lot about this very typical, unassuming Italian city that was buried in ash in 79 A.D. (They tell you it is very typical, but it will blow your mind.) The gift stands outside were very mediocre with pricey junk that quickly reminds you “we’re not in Egypt anymore, Toto.”
Everyone on the ship we later talked to who visited Capri that day said it was fabulous. They all raved about how clean and charming it was. We are sorry we missed out but are still happy we saw the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. Guess we’ll have to come back. This area is absolutely a place we want to visit again in length. The Italian people were very friendly and the scenery and history of this area demand more time than this cruise allows. Our next port was Rome, which I was not expecting to like because of what I had heard about it in the past. Yes, Rome is crowded and there is graffiti everywhere, but there is something magical about this city. Would I want to rent a car here and drive around? No way. However, I can’t wait to go back and see all of the sights properly (meaning that I want to spend more than an hour at the Coliseum and two hours at the Vatican). We were fortunate that our tour was able to go into the Vatican through a special tour door so we didn’t have to wait for an hour with everyone else lined up outside. Seeing the Vatican reminded me of how vastly wealthy this tiny city-state truly is. The treasures inside are spectacular. This was the only tour that allowed you to see the Sistine Chapel and it was well worth it. The intricate details and newly refurbished paintings of the Sistine Chapel made Michelangelo’s Last Judgment and creation paintings practically pop off the walls. The ceiling is so divine you want to lie on the floor and stare at it for hours, but you would undoubtedly be trampled by the hundreds of tourists, like yourself, who are crammed in there, walking around with mouths open in wonder.
Regarding St. Peter’s Basilica – what can I say except it is as shockingly beautiful as the Sistine Chapel. As an American, I realized that in spite of our gorgeous Capitol building and other magnificent architectural wonders that Washington, D.C. has to offer, I have never seen anything as remarkable as these splendid masterpieces. It is true: our history is too new. I recommend an excellent book on the Vatican City that you can buy within the compounds for about $23. You will not be able to buy books on the Vatican anywhere else since they own the rights to all pictures (according to our guide).
An interesting situation happened during our tour in Rome. As we were walking around the city we came across a beggar woman who looked just like a hag you would see in an old fairy tale book. She looked very “Old World” and I was looking at her to see if she really had a baby cuddled up next to her since she was holding a bundle in her arms the way mothers cradle their infants. Well, about the time our tour guide yelled out (and I mean YELLED) “Gypsy! Look out! She’s a gypsy!” the woman had picked the pockets of two men in our tour group. She lifted one man’s wallet from his front pocket and even stole another man’s wallet from his fanny pack that he had zipped up in front of him. Both men felt the pressure of her taking the wallets but she was so quick they barely had time to respond. Well, they soon started chasing her and she threw down one guy’s wallet. We never really heard if the other guy got his wallet or money back.
The coliseum is massive and impressive despite the missing floor. You can see where the wild animals were caged before they were forced into the arena to fight the gladiators. By the way, we found out that Christians were never fed to the lions at the Coliseum, despite what we have heard over the years. Christians were killed at other areas around the city, but never at the coliseum. The coliseum was strictly an arena for gladiators. It was sickening hearing about all of the thousands of wild animals that were slaughtered there. Bull fighting is basically a remnant of the ancient gladiator games.
Our next port day was in Villafranche, where many of our fellow cruisers had planned to go it alone into Nice or Monte Carlo (us included) via the local train. Guess what? Train strike, so we took the bus into Monte Carlo. This area of France is very beautiful, like the Amalfi Coast. There really wasn’t much for us to do so we walked around and looked into the windows of stores like Prada, Gucci, and designer jewelry stores. My husband laughed while I pointed out some very fine “souvenirs” I would have enjoyed taking home with me. There were very few typical gift shops around and the few we found seemed to carry mostly racing gear aimed at toddler-aged boys and garish gold-trimmed ladies handbags. When we walked around the little shops by the ship I did find some nice (and very inexpensive) lavender sachets and French milled soaps. There really wasn’t much more than that, unfortunately.
I mention the shopping because I really came on this trip prepared to buy some great gifts to take home: pottery, linens, etc. Honestly, we barely had anything to declare when coming back into the U.S. There simply wasn’t enough time to properly shop and the places you go to on the arranged tours do not have great items. Okay, if you are in the market for a plastic statue of Michelangelo’s “David” or “Pieta” you will be in luck. But, if you would like a beautiful Italian bowl to take home or a lovely hand-knit sweater – good luck. I certainly didn’t find any. My husband is very happy about this, I might add. We arrived in Barcelona and disembarked the ship at 8:30 in the morning. The entire process was smooth and hassle-free. My parents (who live in Spain) met us at the port. We spent an extra 3 days in Barcelona and I am so glad we did. Not only did we love the time we had with my parents, but also enjoyed walking around the city, seeing all of the major sights without all of the rush, rush, rush. Barcelona is a dynamic city that seems to love people. Las Ramblas is an incredible area of pedestrian boulevards that are a people watcher’s paradise. Montserrat, an exquisite monastery high up in the mountains near Barcelona, was probably the highlight of our time in Spain. We went hiking in the hills nearby and then enjoyed the church. The statue of the Black Virgin is housed there. She is the patron saint of Barcelona.
We also enjoyed Gaudi’s La Segrada Familia, but you really have the best view of his work walking around the outside of the church. The church is a weird mix of the fantastic and the bizarre. Guell Park is another Gaudi creation that is worth seeing, despite the hike up the steep incline. We had lunch nearby at a marvelous restaurant. In fact, all of the food we ate in Barcelona was exceptional, once you get past the fact that locals prefer their fish with the head, tail, and skin still on. At least they gut the fish for you! The prawns we had were excellent but they came with all of the crustacean trimmings still intact. So, you have to work in order to eat your food. It was always delicious.
Well, that about wraps it up. I can’t believe I wrote so much about our trip. It seems as if there was a lot more to say. If any of you have booked this cruise for the near future I envy you. Have a wonderful time! I know we certainly did! You will come home tired and in need of another vacation (a quiet, relaxing one) but you will be amazed at how much you saw and experienced. I know that our experience changed the way we view our world. It was truly a vacation of a lifetime.
Please e mail us if you have any questions.
kvr1185@earthlink.net