When in Rome . . .

I decided to forego the usual sights; I mean once you've seen St Peter's, how interesting can the rest be. The Trevi Countain is overrated - OK, I'm just being cute. But, based on my upbringing in a funeral home, I decided to tour the catacombs. What a disappointment! I wanted to see bones and skulls and stuff. Ooops. Wrong catacombs. We saw a sterilized version and then back on the bus. Then off the bus, then back on the bus, then off the bus. And, so the day went. We did visit the summer village of the Pope. Casel Gondolfo - a lovely little village with a great fresh bread store where I availed myself of some hot fresh bread that was a tad salty and crunchy. Then off to lunch. it was billed as a farm house but was really a high-priced B&B. Two of the tour rats helped to make the pasta and then we devoured a fairly good lunch. Of course, anything you eat off the ship is fairly good compared to food on the ship. The tour guide was great; she had bronchitis and kept coughing and sneezing into the mike. Oh yes, and even though the tour said it was along the Appian Way, what they really meant was along the new Appian Way, which is a four-lane highway. The bus did slow for pictures as we crossed the old Appian Way. I hope I remember what the picture is when I get home.

Athens

After a day's rest at sea, we docked in Pirreaus and I took a trip to the Acropolis - one of those things you just are supposed to do if it's your first trip to Athens. Been there, done that. I appreciate the fact that they're trying to preserve the structure, but it's really being rebuilt. And, the last time they preserved it, they did it incorrectly, so now are fixing previous mistakes. Next time I'll go to Corinth. My knees went on strike after four days of climbing. And what to my wondering eyes should appear, but no Motrin. I found all sorts of little stuff that didn't get packed. Urghhhh. And all sorts of stuff that I could do without. So, I've convinced a great couple that we met to take my rolling carry-on home with them to Colorado Springs to be collected at some later date. I'm not sure what I was thinking, or maybe more importantly, I wasn't thinking. I feel lighter already. Today, we're in Messina, tomorrow at sea, and then into Rome before flying to Venice. We still have four weeks left. Good grief. What were we thinking.

One more for the Bucket List

Egypt greeted us with high 90s and sun, lots of sun. Our tour guide met us as promised and we were off to Cairo. A great guide - he filled us in on the history of the Upper and Lower Kingdom. We headed for the Giza Pyramids only to discover that the wheelchair they provided for Joe was broken. When he put his feet on the footrests, they fell to the ground. As usual, he was undeterred. This was the highlight of the cruise for him. I crawled into the Great Pyramid and had the obligatory pictures taken. The, off for a camel ride. Having a guide is a good thing. It seems culturally, that Egyptians make the most of any opportunity to get money. Of course, when you see the poverty all around it's understandable. The camel owner led me off and then turned over the rains to one of Oliver Twist's small crooks. He told me a tip of $5-10 would be appropriate. (I'd left all money in the van.) After several charming photos, he pocketed my camera. Being of sound mind, I wasn't going to argue - I'm on top of a tall camel, afterall. The guide met us when I returned and I asked he could tip the small thief and he said he would take care of it. I pointed out that my camera was in his pocket, which earned him a swat from the camel owner. Then there was face-saving ministrations.

We then checked into the hotel - a beautiful old British hotel. (Always go for 5 stars in Egypt.) They upgraded us to a room with a pyramid view. There was nothing between us and the Great Pyramid but a few palm trees and a narrow road. The view was worth every penney. Supper was meager as we were concerned about what was safe to eat and what wasn't. The sign in the bathroom saying not to ingest the tap water was our first clue. I left Joe to nap and went to the light show, which was beautiful. The next morning, after eating granola with no milk, it was off to Sakkara as well as the Alabaster Mosque built by Mohammed Ali. After a stifling visit to the Egyptian Museum, we set off for Alexandria. The state of the museum is disheartening. No air conditioning, thousands of artifacts in old glass cases, an elevator that barely works - certainly not the Smithsonian. I think a perfect setting for a third "Night in the Museum" movie.

One thing that we did notice is that (like Bangkok), everywhere we stopped, the guide simply motioned to some guys standing about and they all pitched in to lift Joe out of the van or carry his wheelchair up or down steps. Try that in Atlanta. Where did we lose sight of common courtesy? We returned safely to Alexandria after a death-defying stop in the middle of the highway because the driver was waiting for something. Another car drove up, parked in front of us (again, remember this is on a four-lane highway with no shoulder) and gave the driver a package which turned out to be a stuffed camel for me. Joe, who hates camels, was nonplussed.

Whew!!

Jerusalem seems a distant memory. The second day included a trip to Palestinian Bethlehem. And, of course, to shop in a store run by Christians. The tour guide explained that it's important to support the Christians in Bethlehem or they'll leave Bethlehem to the Muslims. Hmmmm. There was a different feeling in Bethlehem. Rushed, pushed, . . .. Then back to the Old City of Jerusalem. In restrospect, the Garden of Gethsemene had the most impact. A quiet oasis in the heat of the continuing struggle between Jews and Palestinians. We returned late in the day to the ship and collapsed - only to get ready the next day for an overnight trip to Egypt.

Full moon over Vesuvius

As we pulled away from Naples, the moon highlighted Mt Vesuvius. Maybe not breathtaking but certainly worth noting. Yesterday seemed like old home week. Two waiters in the dining room hugged me and welcomed us back (we must have tipped well). Then, I thought I saw an old co-worker from the Pentagon, but wrote it off as the "I've been away from home so long people are starting to look like someone I know" syndrome. But, later I saw his wife. They live in San Antonio, but it takes an ocean to meet up.

Today was a long road trip. The Amalifi Coast (55 kilometers of curves)and a short stop in Positano - a village built into the side of the mountain. Then back to Sorento for sightseeing and lunch at a 5-star hotel. Ok, the Italians have pasta down to a science. Then, on to Pompeii, somewhere I've wanted to visit since grade school history class. The eruption that buried the city was in 79 a.d. The last eruption in 1944. Pompeii was a city of 10,000 to 20,000 people complete with 143 wine bars, several bordellos and assorted other places of note.

When we could barely walk another step, a woman and her husband whom I met during the course of the day, convinced me we could not leave without sharing a piece of pizza. Just like Julia Roberts in the disappointing "Eat, Pray, Love." Unlike her I do believe I gained 10 lbs today alone - and we have 40 days left. Ah well, swimming tomorrow and maybe even the gym. I am proud to say, it's been four days without a soda. Way to go, Janny.

It's snowing!!!

It seems the only thing I forgot to pack were Joe's socks. Drat. It's day seven - I think. The spa has convinced me to change my look. This should be fun. But, I digress. Glorious sea days - I even got a couple days in the sun. We've attempted to be good when it comes to eating, but Fernando keeps bringing me chocolate croissants whenever he sees me. STOP. They are my favorite, however. Ah yes, and Ramon, the room steward leaves me an excessive amount of chocolate every night. It's a plot.

I spent the day in the Falkland Islands. We took an offroad trip to Volunteer Point to see the penguins. First we had to fit into our four-wheel drive cars. I say that because I had to give up my front seat because of one of the passengers who was too big to fit into any other vehicle. It was the only spot to wedge him in. It turned out well, though as I shared a back seat with another Kappa Alpha Theta; what a small world.

The most glorious were the King penguins. They stand between three and four foot tall and don't mind a whit that you're watching them. Some even oblige by preening for you and showing off. If I eat more I'll really be able to do the penguin walk. There were also Gentoo and Jackass penguins - fun to watch but not as regal. We got there by four-wheel drive overland, through ruts and mud and even lost our front bumper. Bummer for the driver - it was her boss' car.

Today is a real treat. We're sailing around Elephant Island in the South Shetlands. There's a gentle snowfall and spectacular views. We're blessed in that it is often too foggy to see anything. We're fortunate to have a balcony, so we're sheltered from much of the wind. But, an Aran Island sweater, a goretex jacket, North Face pants, hat and gloves - heck, it's almost balmy. The down side, of course, is that the sweatpants I packed for Joe are apparently our daughters. It was a stretch (literally) to get them pulled up to Joe's waist. Drat.

Well, it's lunch time, heaven forbid we miss one. And, my internet minutes are fleeting. More later.