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Cruising the Mediterranean |
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Getting
Started In October 2000, Lila and I set forth on this odyssey
in the Mediterranean Sea to study the history and cuisine of the region.
I chose to study the food, leaving Lila to do the more important
research. Our trip would take us to four countries or five if you
consider Monaco another country. If however, you consider it to be a
"piece" of France, then we only went to four countries. I
would like to tell you what I think Monaco is a piece of... but more on
that later. What better way to realize our auspicious goals but
to book a cruise on the Crown Odyssey from Orient Lines. Our trip
earlier this year to Antarctica was on its sister ship, the Marco Polo.
Since we had such a great time on the Marco Polo, our expectations for
the Crown Odyssey were extremely positive. And we did have to make sure
that this was not a Carnival ship in disguise. We planned a short stay in Madrid, before going on to
Barcelona to board the Crown Odyssey. But first we had to get there and
did not want to fly a third world country airline... like Egypt Air. So
when we learned that we were on Air France we became a little uneasy. In
fact, it was a great flight aboard Air France and we changed planes in
Paris for Madrid. We had great seats, the food was fine by airline
standards and each seat had its own TV screen with controls that can be
hand held, since there were computer games to play, TV shows and
multiple movies to choose from. I carefully looked for things to
complain about, but I soon fell asleep and awoke on the other side of
the great pond ... the Atlantic Ocean for those not acquainted with that
expression. As we entered the terminal in Madrid, there was a gentleman holding a card with "Letow" on it and I thought how nice... I did not know that my brother was also arriving in Madrid today. Well, this was a first for me.... I had often asked Lila to hold such a name card when I was arriving from a long trip, but she refused. So it is nice to have somebody wait for you at the airport... I was really impressed. After a short ride into town, we checked into our hotel conveniently located right in the heart of the city. We are in Spain After dropping our bags off at the hotel... we went
for long walk in town. But we did not really drop our bags off, for to
do so would mean that I could pick them up. I really have to tell you,
that when we were home Lila's first try at, packing her bag left it so
heavy, that I could not move it downstairs. After a little discussion
and making every attempt not to initiate divorce proceedings, Lila
agreed to take out a "few" things. Out came the ski jacket in
case the temperature plunges and the second bathing suit in case she
decides to swim twice in one day or was that twice on the whole trip. Well, there we are... we dragged the bags into the
room, fully realizing why I work out so much in the gym.... so we can
travel. We walked down a main street in Madrid... one with the nice
stores and hotels, and strolled into the Plaza de Espana. It had a
memorial to Cervantes and statues of Don Quijote and Sancho Panza... my
favorite bullfighters. But enough of the history, it was time to sample
some of the great Spanish cuisine. And we did and it was great. We have
eaten in many Spanish restaurants in this country, but for some reason
here in Spain they seem to have excellent Spanish restaurants. Later that day we met up with our friends, Elaine and
Gerald from Medicine Hat, Alberta. Again we set out to be tourists and
we visited the Royal Palace, the Odmudene Cathedral, Puerto del Sol
(the center of the city both in location and business energy) and the
Paseo del Prado. Madrid has wonderful museums, quaint narrow streets and
many breathtaking architecturally noteworthy places of interest, like
the Plaza
Cruising The next day we left Madrid for Barcelona under the
care of an Orient Lines representative... it was a short flight to
Barcelona and an Orient lines representative who remained with us
through a tour of Barcelona, met us at the airport. We had visited
Barcelona a few years ago but we did enjoy revisiting the Sagrada
Familia (Church of the Holy Family), a magnificent church designed by
Gaudi and still under construction after about 80 years. A little later
we arrived at the ship and immediately saw some of the familiar faces
from our Antarctica trip. Orient Lines had transferred some of the staff
to get the Crown Odyssey operating smoothly after its first cruise in
May of this year. We greeted the hotel manager, Ian Vella and asked
about arranging an upgrade to our stateroom accommodations. And soon
found ourselves in the penthouse apartment... yes I mean an apartment.
This apartment included a bedroom, a living room area and dining room,
as well as an expansive patio or veranda. Can you imagine two stewards
to pick up your towels, straighten the bed, bring in food, satisfy my
every need (for those of you with crude thoughts I did not need
"that"... I was on vacation). I mean I never had it so
good except
maybe
when we were first married. Forget it... this was even better. Our
steward was Efren, a calm, considerate person who could not do enough
for us. When we left the stateroom, Efren would walk in and make the
place perfect. I was getting a little concerned, however and about four
days before we left, I asked him to stop making the beds and picking up
the towels. Efren was quite bothered by this and wanted to know why I
said that. He was concerned that he was not doing something right, but I
told him that I did not want going back home and make that big of an
adjustment. I didn't even want to go home again... I could have
stayed there the rest of my life. This ship was just great... an
all‑Filipino crew.... they are the most gentle, caring staff that
I have ever sailed with. Food was excellent both in its quality and
presentation. We had interesting meals everyday for lunch and dinner,
the ship was absolutely spotless throughout and the crew provided
considerate service in every way. The shows each evening were excellent
and they had a most marvelous magician and his wife, called "Moscow
Magid', who performed simply amazing illusions. Well, enough of this
advertising... we must go on to the trip itself. Unlike the Antarctica
trip, we did have some younger guests on board, so the median age
onboard could have been about fifty-five. Does that still seem old
to some of you... well, not from where I sit. On some ships the guest
median age is deceased. On this cruise, we would be making many port calls,
sailing during the night and pulling in to a port early each day. We did
not have to get off, but we did want to see the places of interest. At
some ports, the ship anchored off shore a few hundred feet and we would
tender into the dock. Otherwise, the ship would tie up directly at the
dock and we would just walk off, if we did not have too much to drink.
Or if we had way too much to drink we would not leave the boat because
we would not want to use the bathrooms at some of these places. I was
talking about coffee at breakfast each morning. Another thought was that
with many of the senior citizens aboard, prunes was really a main staple
of the diet. Now, we would have to be very careful if we were going
ashore to temper the amount of prunes that we were eating, especially if
we were going on a bus tour ashore. I do not mean to belabor this point,
just trying to provide helpful hints should you find yourselves in this
predicament. Monte Carlo, Monaco Well the Crown Odyssey left the Barcelona port and we
had a great dinner, met our tablemates, saw a show and got ready for the
next day in Monte Carlo. There we tendered ashore, which also gave us
even more time to meet the other guests. I did have a picture in my mind
as to what I expected Monte Carlo to look like and it did not look
anything like I thought it would. There is no beach, just a harbor area
and as you can see from the picture, just We sat down and waited ... and waited ... and
waited. After our rest stop and no cappuccino we left the cafe. There
was a fancy hotel next door so I decided to walk in and take a look
around (translation: use the bathroom). The doorman beat me to the door
and instead of opening it for me asked if I was a guest at the hotel. I
replied that if he let me in there was a possibility of my being a
guest. He then told me that this is a private hotel... and to go away. I
found the people snobbish, stuffy and certainly not very polite in Monte
Carlo. But, I could just imagine James Bond walking out of that casino
and jumping into the Rolls Royce that was parked in front. The image was
much better than the reality. We tendered back to the ship about 4:30pm and the
waves were picking up a bit so we were glad to be back onboard. Later,
the waves became quite severe and those still on the shore had quite a
time getting back to the ship. In fact the ship left Monte Carlo almost
three hours late, because of the problems bringing people back from
shore. This was the only time we had any trouble tendering from the
ship. Well then it was off to dinner and then another evening, another
show. That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it.... maybe a nice tune as
well. Glorious Rome The next day, Saturday, we were in Rome... a short
bus ride from the port put us in the middle of the city. With my handy
dandy little ATM card I was able to pull out a few Italian lire just as
I had withdrew pesetas in Spain. This ATM toy is pretty neat... no more
travelers checks and having to convert them to a local currency... just
plug the ATM card in and out comes local currency, just that easy. So
here we are in Rome and we head directly for the Vatican.... it was
crowded. At first I thought that all the people knew I was in town,
but soon I realized that this was the month for the pilgrimages and the
Pope would be addressing the crowd on Sunday. From there we all just walked through the city
visiting the Well, it was time to get back to the square
where we had to meet the bus for the return ride to the ship. It had
been a long day and we had walked and walked... we were tired. Now, it
is always important to get back to the ship on time as the staff pointed
out to us ... they had said that it is truly a beautiful site to see as
you are standing on the dock watching your ship sail out of the harbor.
But, none of us wanted to experience that scene. Back for exercise,
Sabbath services, dinner and another evening, another show.
We all had a great day. Sorrento, Italy and the Amalfi
Coast The next we were in Sorrento, along the Amalfi coast
of Italy. Sorrento is a beautiful, picturesque town located up on a
ridge well above the Mediterranean shoreline. It was a day that we would
all split up ... Lila went to Capri, Elaine went to Pompeii and Gerald
and I were free men ... oops, we just went to Sorrento and walked around
looking at the pretty women... uh, stores. Again we tendered in from the
ship and journeyed up to Sorrento on a bus from the dock area. We could
have walked but sort of chickened out... wanted to save our selves for
better things (that never came). Arriving early, the stores had just
started opening for the swarms of tourists coming into town. Messina, Sicily The next day we had been scheduled to go to Malta,
but the weather was bad so the Captain rerouted us to Messina, Sicily.
Some of the people were piqued by that change of plans, but I rather
enjoyed Messina. Messina is a Sicilian town with a nice port/dock area
as well as some interesting sites to visit. Among the best was the
Piazza Duomo... a 12th century Norman style church with a
famous astronomical, mechanical clock, which had moving Well, then it was back to the ship to exercise, have
dinner and then another evening, another show. It was just another
shitty day in Paradise. The next day was an at‑sea day, so we
walked the deck early in the morning, went to the Captain's cabin for a
cocktail party and then watched a show put on by the Filipino crew. We
had seen a similar show on the Marco Polo and this one was just as
magnificent. Our steward, Efren sang a love song, as did our wine
steward in the dining room. Then we exercised, had dinner later in the
day and finally, you know, another evening, another show. Santorini, Greece Today, we arrived in Santorini, one of the Greek
Islands. It is a wonderfully quaint town with little streets that
meander all along the ridge high above the water. Situated 1,000 feet
above the waters edge, we had three options to go to the town, ...we
could walk, but what an exhausting choice, ...we could ride the mule to
the top, but one must have a very, very bad cold, or finally, we could
take the newly completed funicular (now why would they build such a
contraption). After careful thought we decided on the funicular and it
was worth every drachma or dollar or whatever. In town, we walked among
the white buildings and narrow streets that house the untold numbers of
tourist shops scattered I must admit that I cherished each and every moment
that I was able to
visit the shops and just envision how each and every piece of
jewelry would look on Lila. I could have walked among the shops for
hours on end, but alas lunchtime came early that day and stayed late. We
found a pretty little restaurant off the beaten path, but not before I
had yet another opportunity to put my ATM card to the test in another
foreign land. What fun ... sometimes I get to see my checking account
balance in the local currency and it really adds up to a lot of money
(especially in Turkey where each dollar equals 650,000 lire). At the
restaurant, the food was excellent, better than so many of the Greek
restaurants that we eat in back home. We then dragged ourselves through
town some more and then decided to head back to the ship. Well,
how should we go down to the water's edge?
We decided to forego the funicular this time and walk the walk.
Well, Athens and the Acropolis Today was to be an exciting day for we arrived early
in Athens and were heading into town to visit the many historical sites
that this city has to offer, in particular the Acropolis. For those who
have previously visited this city you might say it is crowded and busy,
difficult to absorb the many wonders... well, you would be correct. As we
headed into town we immediately got caught up in traffic. I think it was
when we left the dock area and it continued until we arrived back at the
dock area some five or six hours later. Traffic is so bad that the
government restricts cars into town only with even license plates on even
days and the odd license plates for odd days. So as not to confuse the
police, most of the citizens have two sets of plates to ease their
commutation. And you would think that all these cars would be belching all
kinds of exhaust into the environs... and again you would be correct.
There is smog and gray air spread all over the city. The Acropolis was a very fascinating site to
visit ... first because of the history, but for me because of the effort
underway It was particularly crowded when we were there...
people from all over the world... looking at a pile of rocks and rubble
that they are trying to pile back up. I met two young secondary school
girls from Serbia. We talked about the war, life in their country today
and how they felt about the United States.
They indicated that life is tough there today, but they are also
glad that Milosevic is out of power and they are not angry at the United
States for the bombing. I tell you this not because it has anything to do
with the Acropolis, but rather because it was so interesting to me to meet
and talk with people from all over the world. It was a day of traffic and unfortunately, we did not
get an opportunity to see as much of the city as we would have liked.
Gerald and I did take off on our own in Piraeus, the area where the ship
was docked (a suburb of Athens) and walked into a local community.
Certainly, not a tourist area, we had to walk some distance before we
could even find a cafe to get a cappuccino (so what is new here?). We did
manage to locate one, it was filled with locals who spoke no English and
while it was interesting trying to convey our thoughts, we did get through. They
were very friendly and soon we were communicating through some strange
assortment of hand movements and words. These little interludes are very
satisfying to me and I look back on them with much excitement, as I was
able to immerse myself, even for a short time, into their environment and
become a very small part of their lives.
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Mayor (Madrid's answer to Brussels'
Grand Place). We stayed in
Madrid for two days, walking and eating throughout the old city and
could have used one more day just to rest our feet. 
one building on top of
another. Not sure that I even saw a tree there. We walked up to the
Palais du Prince and then walked over to the Monaco Ville, or the old
city. The quaint streets were filled with modern stores with expensive
pieces d'art and clothing. We then headed for Monte Carlo area, which is
home to the Casino, just north of the harbor. The cost to go in was five
dollars just so we could lose our money in style. When we went in, we
found that most of the gambling tables were not operating, so we
wondered what we were paying for... so we asked for our money back and
left. We then went to a cafe, adjacent to the casino, to relax and have
a cappuccino.
Coliseum, the Pantheon (my favorite), the Forum, Piazza
Venito - Capotiline Hill, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and some
other sites that I had often visited in earlier years. When we stopped
at the Pantheon, I went to see the restaurant that I would
frequent and be able to gaze at that wonderful edifice before my eyes. I
had hoped to have lunch there but time took its toll as it does in so
many ways... it was now a McDonald's restaurant, ...what a sad
commentary on progress. Rome was busy wherever we went... all the
familiar sites were packed with tourists...more then I had ever seen on
earlier visits.
We walked
along a charming overview that had a great view of the sea and the
shoreline below. Many tourists were now in Sorrento and it seemed that
there were more Americans there than Italians. Thank G-d for the
senior citizens. Then, Gerald and I decided to have a cappuccino (we are
always having a cappuccino), but away from the tourist area... so we
hiked up the hill further from the water's edge and closer to where the
local's live. Found a lovely little patisserie and bar and had some of
the marvelous pastries that Italy is so famous for along with our
cappuccino. It was great and no calories as well. Later, back to the
ship after we enjoyed an Italian lunch.
characters ... considered to be the largest in the world. This is a real
town, not just another tourist area where people go to shop. We walked
into the business district near the courts and sat at an outdoor cafe
for quite awhile talking with the locals about life and the upcoming
American election (which does not seem to end).
throughout. In particular, there are over 450
jewelry shops, almost all with the proprietors standing at the door
urging each visitor to come in and look around. One wonders how they can
all make a sufficient income to stay in business, but with up to five
ships sailing into port each day during the height of the season
delivering some 7000 tourists... well maybe they can all survive.
as we started to make our way down we soon, in fact very soon
realized that we would be sharing this walkway with the mules.
to restore the structures back to a semblance of their original
splendor. The work ongoing is being supported by the fees they charge to
enter the grounds and by contributions from various organizations. There
is some extensive participation by Americans through various grants and
university research programs. It actually seems that with every step they
take forward they go back two or three. When they try to reconstruct a
particular site the old structure at the bottom is crushed by the weight
of the pieces on top. So why is that hard to understand ... that is why
the structures have been falling apart for the last 700 years. The
restoration is never going to happen. In our lifetime and the next, these
buildings will always remain in ruins. The environment is still dirty, the
money available to correct the problem will never be sufficient, but the
people keep coming.