Visiting Genoa, Italy...

It's Friday and my last excursion is Genoa, Italy.  Genoa is the largest seaport in Italy, and it has the characteristic small streets of a very old city.  Here are my photos from today's tour...

Arriving in Genoa, Italy.

The "Old City" has a distinctive modern look.

The fish markets abound on the old city.

The "public" cathedral of Genoa.  It has the distinctive stripes that reflect Arab influence.

Here's the actual bomb that hit the church during World War II.  It didn't explode and locals feel Mary protected the church.

One of the city squares in Genoa.

A typical street in Genoa.

The old port is primarily for fishing and boating.  You can see the aquarium and aviary behind the boats.

Sunday on the Amalfi Coast…

I left the ship with others on various tours, and we traveled by boat from Salerno (the port) to the city of Amalfi.  In a previous trip I visited Naples and Pompeii, so I opted to visit the town of Amalfi. 

The city was beautiful.  The houses were nestled within the cliffs.  Lemons are famous for this part of Italy, and I had to try some of the lemon gelato.  The treat was so delicious on such a hot day.

Later this afternoon the ship will depart for Tunisia in Northern Africa.  

The ship docked in Salermo and folks were shuttled by boat to Amalfi.

The port of Salermo, Italy.

Amalfi, Italy

The view of Amalfi from the peer.

The cathedra in Amalfi (I climbed all those stairs to visit!).

Leaving Almafi on Sunday, July 1, 2012.

Aboard the ship...

Most folks headed to the pool upon board the MSC Sinfonia

The MSC Sinfonia is a little smaller than the MSC Magnifica. Here's the view from the 12th floor pool deck prior to departing the port of Civitavecchia which serves Rome.

I don't have internet access in my room with this ship, so I'm sitting in one of the bars enjoying the piano music prior to the evacuation drill in a few minutes.  My Mac Air is working well with the wifi network in these public areas (it should, it costs enough).

I'll try to get a few shots when the ship departs the port, but I may be at dinner since my seating is at 7 PM.

Life is good!

Making it to Rome…

Here's the seat (but I was in a single seat)

Well, I made it to Rome.  I’m in my hotel at the airport (the Hilton), which is connected by a system of walkways to the airport.  I’ve confirmed my shuttle ride to the port city for Rome (Civitavecchia) tomorrow at noon, and I’m about to take a nap.

The trip over was interesting.  Continental and United merged, and they have some “new” charges I don’t remember in the past.  For instance, you can pay for extra legroom during the flight.  I paid the extra amount for both flights overseas to have the extra room.  I did this shortly after booking the flight.

I checked my reservation online while waiting at the Greenville airport, and my seat for the flight  from Newark to Rome no longer was a bulkhead seat with extra room.  I called reservations, and they were nice but were only willing to give a refund.

With my computer online, I saw there were several seats in first class.  So, through a little persistence and trying to be nice to the supervisor, I was moved to first class.  Oh, it was a wonderful experience.  The dining (warmed cashews as an appetizer), constantly refilling the wine glasses, and a choice of multicourse meals that looked like fine restaurant fair was a new experience for me on an airplane. The reclining seats were great ... I was in a single row and didn't have anyone beside me (see the seat above).

Well, I better take a nap so that I can do something later this afternoon.

Palm Sunday in Bari, Italy

Palm Sunday was spent in Bari, Italy.  The tour group made a visit to the local cathedral to see the services.  It seems unusual that tourists walk in on church services to observe.  I guess the people of Bari are used to it.

The Video: Leaving Venice for Bari

The internet connection was too slow on the ship to post a video.  Here's one when I departed from Venice on the MSC Magnifica on March 31, 2012.

A few observations…

 Vegas style abounds all around and a little glitz never hurt anyone.

I am really enjoying this trip.  It's my first cruise experience, and I didn’t know what to expect.

According MSC (an Italian cruise company), most of the their cruises in Europe have only about 5-10 percent from the USA.  I’ve come in contact with a few.  I met two ladies from Chicago (a speech-language pathologist and her friend who is the wife of a pediatrician.  I was also on a tour with one other American couple from New Hampshire.

I ate with an Italian family the first few nights (friendly but tough communicating).  I’m now assigned to a table with a couple (Spanish and English) with a 10 year old who live in London.  It has been great talking with them … one is a party planner for major international events and the other is employed by EMI records.  I also bonded a little with a family from Norway (dad is a math teacher, mom is a special education teacher, and their two kids are in their 20s with perfect English).  The Norwegian dad wanted to share lots of history with me when he learned of my interest. 

The ship operates in an amazing fashion.  You leave your room and it is instantly cleaned.  This seems to happen two or three times each day.  Everyone is working hard on the staff, and they like to engage you in conversation (I guess they’re practicing their language skills). 

The restaurants are great.  There are multiple ones, but I’ve eaten dinner in my assigned room each night.  I think I will skip it tonight because I don’t want to dress again for the gala event.  I might just eat in the cafeteria that has an ocean view (where most folks eat breakfast and lunch).

I would say the décor of the ship is Las Vegas chic: lots of bold colors, plenty of lights, razzle/dazzle shows and themed locations.  I’ve really enjoyed going to the bars.  Bars seem to be family affairs during the early part of the evening with kids dancing to the music.  Of course, bars open at 7AM (kind of like New Orleans) and have entertainment with live bands beginning around 4 PM. 

So, I am enjoying this vacation.  There is only one more excursion day in Croatia tomorrow and then it is back to Venice. 

Day 2 - Bari, Italy

St. Nicholas

Bari is a beautiful Italian City on the sea. The guide said that it has the largest coastline in Italy (only smaller than Trieste is bigger.

 

The old port only used by fishermen and small sailing vessels.  The ship docked at the new port, which is very impressive. 

Bari is known for olive oil and seafood.  It is also the site where St. Nicholas is buried.

The tradition of Saint Nicholas Day, usually on 6 December is a festival for children in many countries in Europe related to surviving legends of the saint, and particularly his reputation as a bringer of gifts. Santa Clause has its origins with St. Nicholas.

Today is Palm Sunday and folks had branches as a part of the celebration as they left church.  I went to both the Basilica and the Cathedra.  The music and choir sounded great, and I have a video of it (just can't post because of limitation here at sea).

I also had a chance to see the making of pasta by a lady in the street. It was amazing how fast she could form the pasta. You’ll notice in the photo below that she had it in the sun to dry.

Here are few shots of my visit.

Click on a picture to make it larger for viewing.

The view of MSC Magnifica ... It's huge!

The short drive from the port to the historic city of Bari, Italy.

Several elderly ladies were making homemade past to sell to local restaurants.  It sits in the sun to dry.

Returning to MSC Magnifica.

My next stop tomorrow will be in Greece. Katakolon is the place we’ll dock, and ancient Olympia (the Olympics) will be a ruin that will be toured.

Bari, Italy (Day 2)

Bari, Italy is our first port of call.  After breakfast, I took a few shots of the Apulia coast as the ship sailed this morning.

View of the Italian Coast as the ship makes its way to Bari, Italy.

I will be taking a city tour at 10 AM.  I’ll try to post a few pictures later today.

Leaving Venice...

The MSC Magnifica set sail from Venice a little before 5 PM.  The Church bells were ringing as we made the trip through the Grand Canal.

Evacuation Drill @ 4:30 PM

Leaving the pier

The view of San Marco Square from the ship.

Final shots of the city.

I am on the ship and have set sail from Venice...

The ship left Venice at 5 PM.  Unfortunately I'm having a little trouble accessing e-mail.

Mike

Arrived safely in Venice …

Well, I arrived safely in Venice.  I got here a little before 3 PM (9 AM back home).  I’m tired, and I plan to shower and take a nap until dinnertime.  Restaurants open late here (7 PM), but that is about time for my body to have a late lunch.

I forgot my European power adapter.  I knew that the ship used the same current as the US, but I meant to drop my adapter in my bag for my stay here at the hotel.  So, I’ll be rationing power using both my Mac and my iPad.

My iPhone isn’t working.  It’s supposed to work, but it may be just the connection here on the outskirts of Venice.

I check out of the hotel at noon tomorrow to embark on the MSC Magnifica.  I’ve already checked in before leaving and have my boarding pass to the ship.

Stay tuned …

My hotel while in Venice (and a few items from 2008) ...

Hilton Garden Inn Venice Mestre San Giuliano

Via Orlanda, 1, Venezia Mestre, Italy 30173 Tel: 39-041-5455901 Fax: 39-041-5455955 Friday, March 30 Saturday, April 7 And a few pictures and videos of Venice when I visited in April 2008 ...

The Grand Canal

The "streets" of Venice

The Gondolas

The Canals

 San Marco Square and Duomo (Cathedral)

And here's how I got the idea of taking a cruise from Venice in 2008 (note the cruise ships leave through the Grand Canal):

Embarkation:  Venice,Italy

First Port of Call:  Bari, Italy

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