Rome, Italy

I can now tell everyone that I did Rome in 14 hours. It was a long day, and I cannot wait to get on the plane tomorrow to go home. The port docked in Civitavecchia early and we had a uniform exit waiting for our color to be called. We left the ship and gathered our luggage. Everyone was tired, but ready to see Rome. We had two vans and drivers waiting for us at the port. We got all of our luggage and everything and headed off to our apartment in Rome. The drivers were well dressed, very European chic, and drove 200 km on the highway, and weaving in and out of the traffic.

We arrived at the apartment and took several trips on the elevator to the third floor with all of the luggage. I found a tiny room off of the kitchen to possibly sleep in. We freshened up a bit, looked at a map of Rome, and headed out to do some sight seeing.

We purchased bus tickets and found a bus to the Coliseum. We arrived and I was in awe and excited about how massive and extreme it really was. We waited in a very long line to enter, but it was worth it. It was the most interesting piece of history Ive seen since Pompeii. It is a very eroded structure though, and it is hard to fully imagine the way it looked in all of its glory and what it stood for.

We saw brides standing outside in the streets in their gowns, horse carriages with brides and grooms, and even a coming out parade complete with transvestites and visible body parts. It was an interesting combination of Basilica architecture and a sexual event. None the less, it is the local flavor and was a nice understanding of the culture.

We had pizza at a local restaurant for lunch, and then went around the city to the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica which I was very excited to see. Raphael's masterpiece and the center of attention just inside of St. Peter's Square. It is magnificent with all of the large statues of the popes, martyrs, and saints on the entry walls. The Sistine Chapel was closed for renovation so we did not get to experience it, but St. Peter's Basilica was definitely a humbling experience. I have seen photographs and learned about Bernini and the famous altar, but to go inside and see everything and the massive scale, detail, and triumph was breathtaking. I had studied the sculpture of Michaelangelo's Pieta, and for the first time laid eyes on it. There was a choir singing in the chapel and too many emotions and thoughts ran through my head, so all I could do was photograph the light shining into the structure from the dome and the windows in all of its magnificence.

When we left the basilica, we walked down to the tombs of the Popes. They are below the basilica and there are many tombs with the pope resting as a sculpture on top of them, then there are simple tombs like for John Paul, and then some which are entombed into the structure itself. Each one was unique, and there are several places left for future Popes. Everything was white except for the tomb of St. Peter, where relics and his body are supposedly kept.

Upon leaving the Vatican, the evening began to set in. We walked through the streets looking for more sites. We visited the exterior of the Parthenon, and had a dinner of pizza in the square just below. It was exciting to have dinner while sitting just several yards from one of the oldest structures in Rome.

We walked around all day long exploring, and did not get back to the apartment until nearly 01:00. We had just a few hours to get things together, get a shower and head to the airport for our 05:55 flight to Amsterdam.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

The Last Supper

The final day at sea. It was relaxing, and I am eager to get home to see my baby Tula. My neighbor who was kind enough to feed her every day and check on things had text messaged me just a few days into the trip telling me that Tula hissed and tried to bite her. I worried I would come home to angry cat. It has been a wonderful two weeks, but a little too much together time. Tomorrow we are visiting Rome. I am very excited to see more of the architecture that I studied in school, but the same time, want to vomit rock and marble.

We passed by an erupting volcano today, Stromboli. I studied this volcano in school when I took geology courses, and a special course titled "Earthquakes and Volcanos". There is a type of lava called stromboli, it is rope like, and is named after this particular volcano. There is a small village at the base of the mountain, and there were people on boats enjoying the sea. You can see a giant crater in the side of the volcano, and I wonder if the locals monitor it and whether they have planned emergency evacuations and such...

Our last night on the ship and a final formal evening. The dinner waiters and servers took photos with us and we said goodbye to our staff who had been most helpful and friendly during the stay.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Corfu, Greece

Our final stop before porting again in Civitavecchia, Italy. A short stop to the Island of Corfu which involved the use of tender boats to remove passengers from the ship to the shore for the afternoon. It seems that the set excursions the ship had organized were canceled due to tour guide strikes on the main land. We have not participated in many of the organized tours which exception to Egypt, so we ventured out of foot to the city filled with streets of paved limestone, side walks, boutiques, shops, and eateries.

It is much more difficult to bargain for itms in Corfu like the other places we have been. It is not a small village, and is quite modern. We visited a scooter shop to rent scooters for the afternoon to get around. They asked for drivers licenses and insurance. We provided some, then they asked if we had a scooter license. The old man, made me laugh with his heavy Greek accent when he raised his arm up and said "No scooter license? No scooter." So we carried on by foot and eventually made it to the center of town.

Everyone is getting tired and worn from all of the traveling and walking around for several days. We did some light shopping and had lunch at a local restaurant. The food was delicious and I once again dined on an appetizing cucumber and tomato salad, bread, and calamari. The calamari in greece is spectacular compared to what we find here, with exception though to what the wonderful cooks prepare at the St. George Orthodox Church Greek Festival each year in Oklahoma City.

There are many gardens and Venetian facades of balconies and flowers that tower only a few stories above the streets. The island is quiet and beautiful, and one of the more beautiful harbors we have seen too. The waters are not calm today, and the tender boat rocked back and forth as we ventured back to the ship.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Sick At Sea

Today Merangae lessons and a trip to the infirmary. Antibiotics not healing the staph infection... need to seek a different kind. Yeck.

Something exciting though, Gregory Scott, the fabulous violinist joined us for dinner at our table in the formal dining room. We got to talk with him and learned that his mother was a ballerina, he has always been interested in music, and that his next performance would be on the Queen Mary.

Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt

Today was quite exciting indeed. We visited the Pyramids of Giza. We took lots of fun photos and saw many local beggars and children who were friendly for money. We hired a tour bus for our excursion, and our tour guide, Amr, was quite funny, interesting, and entertaining. With a bachelor degree in philosophy and also one in Egyptology, he was quite knowledgeable and exciting to listen to while on the two and a half hour journey to Cairo. He was able to to involve everyone on the bus in discussing what is needed to build a pyramid.

Once we went down near the sphynx, all chaos took hold. We took more photos, purchased a few things from the people setting up shop, and then my greatest memory which I will never forget occured. I found a scarab box that I wanted to purchase. I asked the man how much it was, and he said "$25.00" so I said well I dont have that much cash on me. He then said "$15.00" so I said "no thank you" and walked away as the rest of my party was heading towards the bus. As I was several steps away under the hot sun, the man came running after me. "Mam, for you, $5 if you show me your eyes." Sure enough I smiled, flipped my sunglasses up to flash my brown eyes at him. I reached into my blouse for my cash I had stashed away and handed him the money. He smiled and waved and I walked on.

Upon leaving and seeing the entire busload of people up ahead, I was running behind. I was walking when I suddenly heard screaming. I looked and there was a young man being dragged by an older man, and the kid was losing his shoes and was crying and screaming. There was another man in his traditional dress and head covering, holding one hand in the air and yelling in Arabic. He had an open bag below him. I for a moment wanted to intervene, but then quickly remmbered that I was in a foreign country and could not. I just had to scurry away as fast as I could. I do not know what the child did, or what his fate would be, but Ill never forget that moment.

We boarded the bus again, and were surrounded by locals with papyrus. They waited for more tourists to show up, and wandered away as we drove off. We stopped for lunch at a local hotel where they had prepared a buffet of local and international dishes, which were all very good by the way. We were greeted at the granite steps of the hotel with an Egyptian band wearing traditional dress and playing music with bag pipes and drums.

After lunch, we visited the papyrus institute to see how papyrus is made, and then we visited a local jewelry shop. Once we finished there, we headed to the Egyptian Museum. Amr took us through and showed us the major points in the museum which included the articles found in King Tutankhamen's tomb from the Valley of the Kings. There were thousands of artifacts in the un-ar-conditioned and poorly lighted space. Beads, sarcophaguses, shoes, mummified animals and crocodiles, mummies, gold jewelry, stone figures, old kingdom and new kingdom artifacts. It was all very interesting of course and took me back to my days in design school and humanities courses.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

It's A Lovely Day At Sea, Sir!

Mostly a boring day at sea. Lots of hot sunshine, tanning, and salsa dance lessons. A wonderful musician, Greg Scott came to play with the house orchestra. He was amazing, in fact so amazing that I cannot believe he accepted a gig on a ship. He is much better than this, but it was a great show anyhow. Oh and I won some cash playing roulette. :) Red seems to be the lucky color.

Ephasus, Turkey

After beginning the day stuck in an elevator with no power or mechanical ventilation, we settled on a local driver who would take all nine of us to Ephasus to explore a few antiquities. One being the house of the Virgin Mary. They are unsure whether she is actually buried here, but they do know that this is where her house was, and that she died here. There is a small chapel that is built where her house once stood. Fountains of holy water and pilgrimages of Catholics pour in each year to visit and pay respects.

On the way down the mountainside, the ancient town of Ephasus stands. We walked amongst more marble and rock ruins. I've definitely seen my share of fallen ionic and corinthian column capitals. The city was once a beautiful place, that is for sure.

We visited the temple of Artimis also before heading back tot he pier at Kosudusi to board the ship. Next up, the highlight of the tour, Egypt.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Rhodes, Greece

Rhodes, Greece is definitely founded upon medieval gothic empires of French, Spanish, and Moorish influence. The island is surrounded by a giant stone wall, a fortress if you will. Many interesting details are woven into the fabric of the city. The city relies on tourism to feed from, and there were many bazaars. The calamari was delicious though. It was a very hot afternoon, but some gelato was favorable and some light shopping. The town is a virtual winding pattern of rock and stone with occasional interesting details. There is a large castle there, which I passed on touring, but it was an interesting place anyhow.

I am turning 32 in two months and two days, however I am feeling 80 about now.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Mykonos, Greece

Today we parked in Mykonos, an Island in Greece. The village is a sea of white washed structures, blue and red doors, window shutters and many shops. The locals rely on tourism to survive. Most of teh city consists of shops on the street level and residences above. The streets are paved with rocks and then painted with white wash and lacquered. The local people go around the village and paint over the white paint with a lacquer fionish to preserve the freshness of it. There are several windmills on the island, but I am not sure if they are active or producing energy.

The air smelled of fish in some areas, but the sea water is blue and beautiful. There are many boats in the sea and a few people sat on a small beach. The sand was rocky, and appeared to be not so clean, but perhaps it is in other areas.

There is a local seagull there named Petros. He is apparently the only one who lives there and is friendly if you move close to him. The local residents were very friendly as well, and very helpful.

It seemed like a short day, we are already back on teh ship and heading towards Rhodes, Greece.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Athens, Greece

We arose early for breakfast, eager to meet Themis, our cousin from Kalamata. He works in the airline industry in Athens, so he agreed to take some time off to meet us and to spend some time with us and play tour guide for a day. He was waiting anxiously for us as we stepped off the ship. We brought him an OU t-shirt and we all greeted him with hugs and kisses. We left the port in Piraeus, and walked about a mile to a bus. We purchased tickets and took the boos to a train station where we boarded and then headed towards the Acropolis. He graciously led us there even though he has been there many times before.

The site was quite intimidating though staring down at us. We purchased our tickets into the Acropolis for about 11Euros each, and began hiking upwards. To the left when you enter is a museum and artifact building. I am not sure what it was originally, but it has been recreated using the original structure and marble. Concrete and lintels and wooden doors were added. Up top there were many glued laminate beams that made up ceiling joists. There was a long room inside with various artifacts, sculptures, coins, and other ancient pieces that were displayed by period.

To the right was a row of statues that appeared to be before the Roman rule and led to a temple for the god of technology and fire. We visited it first... yet looked to the long walk up a mountain to the Acropolis. We took photographs and glanced at the view overlooking the city below. It was very impressive.

Next we headed up the mountain toward the Acropolis. There were small pebbles of marble everywhere we stepped. I know that the people who erected these structures might have been slaves, however the individuals who lived near the Acropolish and who were general residents had to have been fit individuals.

After stopping for water, we walked along a marble layed path up several steps and an incline. We oeverlooked the ampitheater, which is still used for concets and events. It is literally built into the side of the mountains. It was spectacular and unline any of the photographs I have ever seen in my architectural and interior design history courses. I do have to say that it is a place that you must visit to get the whole idea.

After climbing more steps and another incline, we approached the top of the mountain and entry into the Acropolis. The columns were massive, and the structures larger than I had interpreted or imagined. There were many people visiting and taking photographs. we walked around the Parthenon to a raised concrete pedestal with a falg and took more photographs of the city. After resting a bit we walked to the other side of teh Parthenon which is undergoing restoration to the the Erectheon. I was excited to see the Caryatids too, the female columns. They are still much intact, I was impressed and surprised. Everything was definitely a site to see.

We left the Acropolis and walked to a local restaurant for an afternoon lunch. I was thinking that the Gyros sandwhich would be different to what we find here in the United States, but it was not. They even serve it up with french fries. I treated myself though to a tomato and cucumber salad with a piece of spanakopita. They were delicious though. We sat with Themis and talked to him a bit more, and he showed us photographs of the rest of the family and his pet dog.

We experienced some of the local beggars who harass people and run down the streets. It was quite entertaining, although not for those involved. There was a starving cat who ran off to possibly feed her kittens with a piece of chicken unfinished by my brother's girlfriend.

Later we walked towards the center square of Athens and witnessed teh changing of the Guards for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The soldiers were in their traditional foustanella and stood still and erect while we each took a photo with them. Only one person is allowed to stand next to the guard at a time.

Following a bit of shopping, it was time to head back to the ship. We boarded the train to Piraeus and then took a bus down near the port. We stopped for drinks just outside of the port, and for some final chatting with Themis. He told us that we must come back and visit for at least a week. We had fresh loukamathes just before we walked back toward the pier. We all said goodbye to Themis and thanked him for playing tour guide all day. It was fun to meet hime, and I am glad that we did.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

I Love it When We're Cruising Together...

Today is a day on the ship and I finally slept an entire night. In fact I overslept today and missed out on the afternoon ballroom dancing course. I am glad I took so many ballroom classes at OU awhile ago, but would have been nice for a refresher. Instead I learned that our whole party overslept so we ended up in the dining room for a late lunch. The food here is actually pretty good, the fruit is very nice, and they always have a fun carved watermelon when you walk in. Today that had lamb carved for lunch, it was delicious.

I took some time today to watch the waves created by the ship as it cruised along the Mediterranean. Pools of white foam were created in the blue water. The water appeared to be cold even in the warm sunlight. There was an evening for tuxedos and formal gowns. The special on the dinner menu was escargot and roast duck.

There was some entertainment tonight following dinner. It was an impersonator of Elton John. I have to say despite his obviously false wig or hair do, he was an excellent pianist and he did manage to spout off his English accent and did rather genuinely.

Tomorrow morning is our journey to Athens, Greece. We will be meeting our cousin there for the first time. I am excited to meet him, and he is excited to meet us too. Our day begins quite early, so it is off to bed now.

Naples, Italy

We awoke and dressed for breakfast at 08:30. Most of us had been up all night laying in bed waiting for the morning to begin. Breakfast was pleasant in the upper deck overlooking the port in Naples, Italy and the water. It looked a bit rainy and cloudy, but I really wanted to head out to see a few things during the day. Pompeii is located about twenty minutes south of Naples, a definite must see for anyone. Fascinating piece of history unearthed.

We hired a van, and all nine of us piled in like sardines. We arrived and the taxi driver said he would wait for us while we visited. I was impressed by Pompeii, and the modern idals of urban planning and symmetry. The masonry was unbelievable, and there are many magnificent artifacts and mosaics found. I imagine it was a most modern and beautiful place to have lived before 79 A.D. when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and covered it with ash, preserving it. I am excited to say I have indeed visited Pompeii.

The rain held out long enough for us to visit and photograph for a few hours. It began pouring again once we boarded the ship in the evening.

We had a late dinner on the ship, it was rainy again. I found a karaoke activity at night so we all headed up to the bar. I enjoyed a virgin mango and banana frozen concoction of some sort. I would be soaking in as much alcohol as humanly possible, however I was blessed with slight infections that required heavy doses of antibiotics. Nice. So just a few more days of them to heal, then real party time will occur. I opened karaoke night for everyone with "Alone" by Heart. I think it was well received, I mean I did have some cheering sections, so I ate it up, naturally. I did however land at the casino in some winnings from playing roulette where I demaned to play with the pink colored chips. I thank my previous place of employment for entertaining the holdiay parties with casino night. I do well with roulette, and won some cash.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Checking In

We boarded the Legend of the Seas Cruise Ship just after noon. we checked in, filled out a health form, and sat on the ship for lunch. Our bags were delivered to the appropriate rooms while we were introduced to the various locations and activities on the ship.
I found our stateroom, small and cozy, yet quaint. Two twin size beds, a small love seat, television and shower the size of a port o john. I hung my clothing as there are no irons permitted. The jet lag caught up to me by dinner time.

I enjoyed a cut of beef sirloin steak for dinner with tortilla soup and blueberry cobbler al-la-mode for dinner. The main dining room facility is actually fairly decent but is dated to when it was built some time in the 80's. I retired after dinner to sleep and awoke at 02:00 to a bobbing ship in the sea. I heard thunder and lighting flashed through the window. I watched the waves crest in the sea, and the moon was visible through the clouds. I lay in bed with my ipod the rest of the morning and listened to play lists that I created before leaving home. It was nice to just lie down and relax with no worries about work. I have to admit though, I do miss Tula very much. I imagine she feels abandoned and does not understand where her momma has gone. She is in good hands though.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer