Mediterranean Cruise - Day 15 - Sunday, May 13, 2018

Happy Mother’s Day to those who qualify.  We bid farewell to our first member today as Toni Super heads out this morning at 7:30 to the Rome airport and her departure to Dulles Airfield and home in Florida - safe travels, we will miss you!

Today, our last full day in Rome, is a free day for all.  Frank and Jean take off for a tour of the Tivoli Gardens.  Needelmans lead a pack of us to the Jewish quarter near the Tiber river where we toured the area, walked around the Synagog and finally dined at a Kosher restaurant on pasta, artichokes, beer and wine.  Thereafter we walked to the Trevi fountain and then to the Spanish steps. We walked back via the shopping street featuring all the top fashion and luxury brand stores: Cartier, Bulgari, Tod’s, Dolce & Gabana, Burberry, Jimmy Choo and more.  Not being tempted, we arrived back at our lodging and settled down with the other group returning from their visit to the fountain and their unsuccessful search for the Steps.  

We then indulged in wine, pizza and conversation. After dinner, five of the seven couples trouped off to Piazza Navona for gelato before retiring to repack their luggage and bed down before awakening early to head out for the airport in the morning. So it is Arriverderci Roma for us.  A great trip and travel with friends old and new. 

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 14 - Saturday, My 12, 2018

Up this morning after a late night of partying and packing.  We dock at Civitaveccio, the port nearest Rome, and sit to await our call for disembarkation.  At 8:45, we are called (Green #3) and we proceed down the gangplank for the final time to claim our luggage.  All goes smoothly except for Needelmans.  One of their bags takes a walk about with another passenger before finally turning up some distance away as the miscreant passenger realizes his mistake and leaves the bag sitting alone.  Reclaimed, we waltz out to the waiting zone to claim our transfers into the city of Rome, to which our road leads (as do all, we are told.)

The drive into the city on Saturday morning is very easy as the traffic is light.  We arrive at our hotel, Pantheon Royal Suites, at 10:45 and unload our full fifteen passengers and all luggage. As rooms are not ready for some time, we check-in and leave the luggage as we stop for a bite or coffee before our 1:00 meet up with our tour guide for a 3-hour walking tour of the central City.  As we are just across the square from the Pantheon, we fight our way through the crowd and head for the Coliseum.  We gain entry and tour with 2,000 other tourists this most famous of all arenas. We learn that the word “arena” is derived from the Latin word for sand, the covering on the false floor of the original coliseum. Much easier to sweep blood and guts up with the sand than to scrape it off cobblestones one imagines.

From there, we walk next to the Forum, descending down into its valley and strolling along the cobblestones and learning of all the history and use of these architectural remains that were once administrative buildings, temples, then churches and one vast open space for the meeting of the citizens and the killing of emperors (Julius for example.)

Back to the hotel by 5:00 after an exhausting 4 mile plus stroll, we regroup with a cocktail and then strike out in groups to discover restaurants.  Mostly successful, some more quickly than others.  We enjoy a Roman Holiday meal of sorts and then stumble back, exhausted but ready to rest and attack our last full day in Rome.

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 13 - Friday, May 11, 2018

This morning we docked in Napoli (Naples) alongside the Royal Caribbean Line Rhapsody of the Sea, a huge ship that seemed to dwarf our ship, and another MSC ship.  A busy port for the day.  We met our guide, Francesca, and headed out in our coach towards Sorrento and the Amalfi coast drive.  Once out of the 1.2 million population metropolitan area, we traveled along the coast to some of the most stunning scenery ever.  

The Amalfi Coast is like driving US 101 along the California coast, but closer to the edge and more populated and more traffic.  Eventually we arrived at the Village of Positano, a vertical community replete with stairways up and down the cliffs and donkey carts to haul goods up and down.  Never had we seen an area like this - cars parked for miles along the highway, as parking in the village was limited, scooters and motorcycles likewise along the highway cliffs.  Buses are limited to 12 meter length, as any thing longer could not make the hairpin turns required. 

After photo stops and a turn around, we headed back up the coast and stopped in the  town of Sorrento for a marvellous lunch at the Ristorante da Gigino for some genuine Italian meals, gnocchi with shrimp and white sauce, gnocchi with red sauce, caprese salad with fresh ripe tomatoes and mozzarella, lasagne, and some of the best Margherita pizza ever tasted. A truly stunning meal.  We then shopped for 1/2 hour, lost one of our troupers, who was later tracked down, and then headed to our final stop of the day.

Pompeii is almost indescribable.  We had two hours, and our guide rightfully said that she could spend a week with us there and still not cover it all.  Beginning in 63 AD, with an earthquake, the village was just beginning to rebuild when, in 79 AD, Mt.Vesuvius erupted covering the entire 20,000 population city in ash and asphyxiating gas.  The City remained buried until the mid 1800’s when archeologists began to uncover the area.  

Restoration has continued to this day.  We saw marketplaces, temples, homes monuments and everyday shops for fish, meat, poultry and bread. Roads for chariots and horse carts, storage places and homes.  We viewed plaster casts of people that were killed, in various stages of agony or just sleeping in their beds when disaster struck.  We all vowed that we would return for another tour and more time in the future.  We will see.

We returned to our ship at 6:00 after a long but educational day of touring.  As this was our last night on the ship, we held an impromptu cocktail party in three adjoining cabins, using up all our remaining wine and champagne, and nibbling on the breadsticks we liberated from our luncheon.  We completed our evening with the final performance of the piano quintet, giving the young women a standing ovation for their final performance, as they too were ending their stay, although in their case since December 20, 2017.  We are headed tomorrow for Rome and a last few days before returning west to see what has happened in the world since our departure. 

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 12, Thursday, May 10, 2018

We arrive this morning in the port of Palermo, Sicily.  This is a very busy port, and very tight quarters.  We dock alongside grain elevators and see freighters around us.  Shortly after we on the Oosterdam dock, there pulls in at the same dock, next to us, the Costa Diadema, a larger (if that is possible) ship.  This of course means twice the number of tourists clambering off the ships and into the port.

We step off board at 8:30 to meet our guide for the day, Cetti (short for Concetta.)  We walk to our coach and head out through Palermo’s rush hour traffic, headed for the Monreale Cathedral.  Palermo is a bustling city of over 700,000 inhabitants with an unemployment rate of over 30%.  Many African and middle eastern migrants have swelled the city and they are everywhere in evidence. Traffic is a melange of scooters, motorcycles, autos of all types, buses and trucks. Although there are the remains of traffic lanes on the streets, it really doesn’t seem to matter.  The only notable thing is the lack of honking.  People just jam their vehicles in together and proceed.

We reach the parking area of Monreale and start the 90 steps up the mountain to the top.  From the outside, this cathedral does not seem too special.  However, inside is a completely different story. Over 68,000 square feet of mosaic tiles cover every surface.  Not paint, no gilt, but tiles.  All the gold is actually tiles formed by placing gold foil between two thin pieces of glass and then firing it in the kiln, breaking the pieces up and cutting them into small pieces.  There are reds, greens, blacks, blues, whites, golds, every colour of the rainbow used to create the story of the bible over the entire walls.  All this created between 1168 and 1190.

We stand in awe as our guide uses her green laser pointer to highlight the narrative going around and around the walls, multiple stories high.  We are amazed and stunned, almost into silence, at the work.  As this church is part of a monastery, we then explore the adjacent Cloisters where the priests and monks lived and contemplated their devotions.  The cloister encloses a large center courtyard full of symbolism of the story of Christianity.  Each pillar supporting the open walkways has a different carved capital with scenes and stories of the testaments, all carved by artisans in Florence.

As the crowds around us increase, we take our leave and then walk back down the steps, which have sprouted hundreds of small stalls hawking every tourist bauble imaginable.  By the time we reach the parking pick up area, there are nearly 50 tourist buses loading and unloading. Our driver finally pulls up and we load in for a ride back to the city to see another church.  This second church, whose name escapes me, is just as spectacular, again built in the early Middle Ages and chock full off artistic handwork used to explain the mysteries of the religion to the masses. 

Following this, we motor back into the central city to the Palermo Parliament building.  We purchase tickets and proceed through a TSA like search, including metal detectors and bags through x-ray, into the building.  Our destination (surprise, surprise) in the Royal Palace Palatine Chapel - another church.

This one, again begun in the 1160’s took longer to complete - some 90 years.  This one is truly unique as it includes dedications in the three official languages of Middle Age Palermo, Latin, Greek and Arabic.  It also provides different views of Christ, the closed book Orthodox view, and the open gospel Roman Catholic view, one at each end of the large sacristy.  Again, mosaic tiles cover all the walls and floors.  The muqarnas ceiling in this church is made entirely of wood, with undulations and painting completed by Moorish artisans, with stalactitic and alveolar elements - look it up on Google! 

We then take a driving tour of the central city, and head back to the Oosterdam at 2:00.  Impressions of Palermo - a dirty, noisy, bustling city.  We spent the rest of the afternoon lunching, reading and dozing.  We dined separately and together in the Lido and wandered a bit before retiring after 9:00.  Onward to Naples.

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 11 - Wednesday, May 9, 2018

We left the port of Valletta, Malta in the Maltese Islands at 5:15 AM this morning and docked at the neighboring Island of Gozo, also in the Maltese Islands at 8:00 AM.  Locals just use the ferry, which takes some 25 minutes.

This much smaller island of some 30,000 inhabitants boasts the same architecture with the same honey colored limestone construction and winding narrow streets within the city but much more rural. We meet our same guide, Paula this morning and coach through some lovely villages, though appearing devoid of much humanity.  The port area of Mgarro was busy, as it was morning rush hour, but outside of the city, relatively quiet and less traffic.

We traveled first to the city of Xaghra and visited the Gantija (Gigantic) Temples. This UNESCO site dates from 3,600 BC. It is reminiscent of other prehistoric sites, such as Stonehenge where huge stone structures are erected around seemingly sacred sites.  These also are oriented to line up with solar equinox and are accurate for setting times.  These temples are more complete with alters and separate rooms. They are striking and the adjoining museum displays found artifacts which reveal that the temples were honouring fertility figures and the probably deities were women. 

We moved onward then to stop at the eastern seaside salt pans; areas next to the sea that were carved into shallow pans that would fill with sea water, and then, as the season passed, would evaporate the water and leave behind sea salt to be scraped up and sacked for use in trade.  This tradition persists to this day.

We next travel to the capital city of Victoria (Rabat) and tour the Citadel at the high point of the city.  The Citadel was constructed by the Knights of the order of St. John and is the only walled city on Gozo.  This city is no longer occupied, but is now a hunch area to explore the history of this area from the last 1,000 years.  Beautifully restored in most areas, but also left in ruins from the 1693 earthquake.  Wonderful views from the top of the entire island and stretching to the island of Malta.

We stopped for a quick rest break in the village of Xlendi, a seaside resort tucked into a small bay.  Lovely small restaurants lining the shore with apartments and homes rising up the cliffs. Very relaxing.

We jumped back on the tends boats in port and motored out to our waiting ship at 2:30 in preparation for sailing onward.  Gozo was a wonderful stop and many thought they might return for a more leisurely and restful stay in the future.

This evening seven of our party dined in the more secluded and quiet Pinnacle Restaurant for a late dinner.  This separate dining area on the ship boasts a smaller and more attentive staff and a separate menu.  Good food, good service but a late night.  Into our rooms around 10:15.

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 10 - Tuesday, May 8, 2018

We arrive in the port of Valletta, The Republic of Malta this morning at 8:00 A.M. Following our breakfast, we disembark and meet our guide for the day, Paula, at the port and board the coach with our driver Mario.  We bus first to the area of Rabat, a city surrounding the former historical capital of Mdina. We learn that Rabat is an Arab word meaning suburb, and Mdina is an Arab word meaning city.  Needless to say, this island republic strategically located in the middle of the Mediterranean has been conquered by many empires over the centuries.

The only natural resource of Malta is its rock.  When first excavated, the limestone is soft, but hardens upon exposure to the atmosphere.  All the buildings are constructed of this yellowish tan limestone, continuously quarried over the centuries.  As there is no water on the island, until the 1960’s, all water was rainwater collected in rooftop cisterns throughout the city and used sparingly.  Since the late 60’s a massive desalination plant construction has provided more than ample water for the island’s use.

Earliest evidence is of settlement around 3,000 B.C., with control by the Phoenicians, the Arabs, the Romans, the Venetians and the Spanish over the millenia.  In 60 A.D. the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked upon the island and lived in an underground grotto for three months.  Paul managed to convert the entire population to Christianity in this short time period and the Republic remains 95% Roman Catholic Christian to this day. Paul is the patron Saint and touchstone of Malta. Pilgrims and popes journey to visit the grotto, and a church has been erected over the site...

During World War II, Malta was the Mediterranean headquarters for the Allied Navy, and subsequently was heavily bombed throughout the war.  The population dug grottos and shelters throughout the island and used these for days and months at a time to shelter from the bombardment.  We toured these shelters and also the prehistoric grottos used for burial and interment of the dead.

We left Mdina and next coached to Valletta, the capital and the town established by the Order of the Knights of St. John, following their arrival in the mid 1500s.  The Order  controlled and continues to influence the island.  Their massive and ornately furnished Co-Cathedral is mind boggling in its use of gold, silver and art.  The artist Caravaggio spent a number of years here, painting for the Knights.  Three of his most famous works, including the only signed painting, reside in the cathedral. Caravaggio died on Malta at the age of 39 under mysterious circumstances in 1610, his body never being found.

The broad central Main Street of Valletta stretches for close to a mile; beautiful buildings lining the avenue, both old and new.  Some foundations are dated to 1570 and exist side by side with the new parliament building designed by world renowned avant-garde architect Renzo Piano.

Our 5-hour tour wrapped up, we proceed to the dock near our ship and have a lunch of pizza, pasta and beer.  We struggle back on board around 4:00 in time for happy hour and then a late dinner on the Lido deck.  The ship does not depart Valletta until 4:00 AM the next morning, but this group of party go-ers are all back in their cabins by 11:30, leaving the in port partying to the younger generation. However, off the port side of the ship, on shore near the center of town, fireworks erupted; a marvellous display that lasted for many minutes - a fitting salute to our impending departure.

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 9 - Sunday, May 6, 2018

Early morning docking today on the Island of Mykonos, Greece.  Up and out at dockside to meet our guide at 8:45.  Guide’s name is unpronounceable and therefore unspeakable - we shall call him Gus. He is an older gentleman (74) and his English, while very passable, is sprinkled with catchphrases, such as “Ladies & Gentlemen” or “etcetera.”

Mykonos, originally a fishing village on one of the inhabited islands of the Cycladic group, has transformed itself, for the worse, in the last 50 years.  What, in 1979, was a romantic island of whitewashed homes with bright blue, red, pink, or green doors and shutters, situated on hillsides and reachable on unpaved roads by donkey carts, is now a total tourist destination.  Roads and autos, buses, scooters, and trucks scurry to and fro.  Homes, still whitewashed annually with coloured doors, sell for millions of dollars, and rent for thousands per night.

The island hosts nearly 1.5 million visitors per year and accommodates 50 daily flights into its international airport, not to mention cruise ships.  Every shop along the water front and stretching up the hills from the old port are tourist traps selling high fashion names such as Romani, Rolex, Piaget and more.  The major industry is fleece, that is the fleecing of the tourist.  Scarves that sell for $7.50 on Crete, sell for $22.00 on Mykonos.

This is Deb’s fourth visit to the island since 1979, and she says that, based upon this visit, she will be very loath to recommend this as a destination to her clients.  Definitely a disappointment as a stop on the cruise.  All except 4 of our group head back to the ship at the 1:00 end of the guided tour.  Those staying, stop at a waterfront restaurant for local beer, and lunch.  All are back by 4:00.  Except of course for one straggling passenger (not one of ours) who caused the ship to delay departure for 15 minutes.  As she clamoured up the gangway, her purchases in hand, the rest of the ship stood applauding her arrival, much, I am sure, to her embarrassment.

Onward for the next full day at sea and our next stop at Malta.

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 8 - May 5, 2018

Cinco de Mayo in some parts of the world, but for us, arrival at the Island of Crete, the furthest south of the Greek Isles, and the 5th largest island in the Mediterranean.  Our post prandial tour this morning begins in the Port of Souda and our guide Vasso and her driver Christos.  

We motor onward from the port to the town of Chania (pronounced Hania) and into the ancient walled city (a theme of walled cities has emerged on this trip!) As we walk the town, we learn of its ancient roots, back to the Minoan culture prior to 3,000 B.C; also of the neolithic period prior.  Crete, being a strategic island in the crossroads of the Mediterranean shipping lanes, was often conquered and claimed by the many empires surrounding it.  From Egypt to the south, Turkey and the Ottoman Empire to the east, Venice and Italy to the north and west, and even the Northern European crusaders, many have controlled the island over the centuries.

Most of the population of the island, and its many cities lie along the northern portion of the island.  The island runs east and west a distance of 265 Km and 35 Km north and south. The center of the island is mountainous, with the highest peaks lifting to 2300 M (8,000 ft.) The higher peaks are often snow covered even into the summer.  The current major economic drivers are tourism and agricultural upturn.  Olives are the most important crop and here they raise pigs, Croats, sheep and grain.  The olive production is a variety of small olives particularly suited for oil production, about 95% of which is exported around the world.

The old port of Chania is of the Venetian era and is flanked by forts at its eastern edge and an Egyptian lighthouse at the western edge. The harbour is small by today's standards and is used primarily for pleasure and tourist boats today.  It is surrounded by the ancient city and is populated with restaurants, bars and souvenir shops.  

We walked this ancient area, following small streets and alleyways lined by former homes now converted to apartments, small boutique hotels and taverns and restaurants.  A busy place with many charming settings and tiny alleys. We ended our tour in the central market, a covered cruciform shaped hall that was chocked full of cheese, spice and souvenir shops.  Some shopping was done, but more window shopping.  Our tour guide departed, taking a few of our team back to the ship.  Eight of us stuck in town and began searching for a lunch place.  After a single misstep, we ended at the Apotolis Restaurant for a Greek luncheon of lamb chops, stuffed grape leaves, spinach pies and souvlaki with a few glasses of wine shared.

We caught the city bus back to the port and re-boarded Oosterdam at 4:00, well in time for the 4:30 departure.

Most opted for a more leisurely dinner on the Lido deck, choosing salads, pho soup and ice cream.  After a leisurely deck stroll and a bit of continued ship exploration, we retired at 10:00 as we ended the first half of our vacation adventure.

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 7 - Friday May 4, 2018

We dock this morning at Katakolon, Greece, arriving at 8:00 A.M. After morning breakfast our intrepid group gathers at 8:45 to meet with our Guide for the day, Anna and the coach driver George. We learn that they arose at 3:30 this morning to travel the 4 hours from Athens to guide our tour - impressive.  Our goal today is Olympia, the site of the 1st ancient Olympics and the area from which the Olympic torch is lit beginning each quadrennial games cycle.  Interesting to learn that this is nowhere near Mt. Olympus, some 350 miles to the northwest of this coastal plain area.

The fact that will stick most with us from this site is that it has been documented to host civilization since at least the 10th century B.C. The sheer age of the uncovered ruins is startling, especially for this group of Omahans whose own history stretched back less than 165 years. Humbling. We see ruins of the Temple of Zeus, Herus, the Gymnasium where the athletes practiced, the natural bowl Stadium where over 45,000 spectators watched the games, complete with the remains of the original “tunnel walk” there the athletes entered the stadium. There were no stone seats, just grassy banks surrounding the playing field. Nearby, huge classical columns, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian,  immense blocks of stone, all from the ancient games stretching from the 6th century B.C. At one point, archaeologists have uncovered foundations under the area stretching back to the copper and bronze ages of 2500 B.C.

Next we visited the Museum on the site where there were displayed many statues removed from the site, bronze armaments and implements, and even intact glass bottles from the site.  The highlight was the statue of Hermes which was stunning.

We completed the tour around 1:00 and motored back to the port area to walk the small shopping area that composed Katakolon.  The sole purpose of this village seems to be tourist shops supported by the cruises and tours that come to see the Olympia site.  We snacked on Greek beer, warm feta cheese, cucumber cream sauce and red peppers in delicious olive oil.  We strolled the many shops, coming way with remarkably little in the way of souvenirs, just some tee shirts, post cards and lavender sachet.

Returning to the ship, we spread out for cocktails, dinner in the dining room or hamburgers and pizza on the Lido deck and then some wandering, either to the casino, the stage for a show, or to our state rooms for reading and quiet time.

Another day of exploration, walking riding and shopping with a huge dose of education about this ancient land.

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 6 - Thursday May 3, 2018

We land this day in Saranda, Albania. This is a red letter day as this is a new country destination (finally) for Deb, our intrepid leader.  As this is a smaller port, the ship is anchored off shore and we are to tender into the dock on smaller boats from the ship.  Consequently, we gather at  8:00 on the dot for our tender tickets and into Saranda. Our guide this morning is a gentleman by the name of Demir, who is both a tour guide and a teacher of English.  There is not much to see in the town of Saranda, approximately 20,000 people gathered on the coast of Albania, but we coach on to the UNESCO site of Butrint, ruins slowly being uncovered, near the border with Greece. Just off the coast a few miles, and within our view, the island of Corfu.

This city of Butrint had been settled since at least the 8th century B.C., and perhaps earlier. The site provides a unique testimony of Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman cultures and civilizations.

As the ruins are slowly uncovered, new foundations continue to emerge.  We view Roman Coliseums, a chapel of the god Aesclepius and even Dionysius. The Romans took control of the site in 228 B.C., and in the 1st century A.D., it became part of the Roman province of Macedonia. At one point, control was ceded to Venice and the Venetian said.  By the 5th century A.D., became a Christian area and there followed a period of church and basilica building, reaching as many as 8 churches in the city and area of the canal. 

During the 19th century the area had become a fishing village under the rule of Ali Pasha and the Byzantines out of Constantinople (Istanbul.) This continued until the Albanian Declaration of Independence.

Following the Butrint tour, we motored back to Saranda, ending at a small restaurant near the dock area. We lunched on seafood, mussels, Greek salads and beer.  Tasty and inexpensive.  We boarded again our ship by 4:00 and repaired to our suites for a nap, or into a lounge for a cocktail.

This evening, a group ate at the Canaletto (Italian) restaurant and shared multiple dishes, family style.  Others dined in the main dining room.  Another interesting and stimulating day of coach and walking travel plus education. 

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 5 - Wednesday, May 2

We arrive this morning in our second Croatian Destination of Dubrovnik. Today we breakfasted at the Lido Buffet or some enjoyed in room dining.  We gathered at 8:45 to disembark from the ship and meet our guide for the day, Magda at dock and onward to the City of Dubrovnik. 

Our coach first deposited us at Dubrovnick’s ancient walled city entrance and began our tour.  Parts of the area stretched back to the 6th century AD. There was a steep staircase leading up to the perimeter castle walls, and with the exception of one member, we all began the ascent.   Comments as we climbed were varied, but generally, cleaned up to mean that we were in worse shape than imagined.  Once reaching the “summit” we walked Castle walls enjoying wonderful views of the surrounding port and looking down at all contained within the city walls.  There were two additional points at which members of the group could opt to descend or continue.   In the end, 5 of the group made the entire circuit. After final descent, we had free time to rest and refresh with a glass of wine, beer, or iced tea, accompanied by the usual French fries or ever popular gelato. 

We hopped back on the bus for the 35 minute ride to the countryside surrounding Dubrovnick for a visit to a Miln (Mill) where we learn how grain was milled and wool was felted into waterproof cloth using water power, as practised for centuries before advent of electricity and the industrial revolution.  We were also treated to some candied lemon and orange peel slices, some apple cider or heady grappa (wine brandy that is very potent and delicious.)

Again a strenuous day, loggng over 6 miles on foot for most of the crew. We returned to the good ship Oosterdam around 4:30. Following group cocktails either in our rooms or one of the bars, we moved on to dinner, two groups opt for Italian dinner at Canaletto dinning room.  Following the meal we then explore and into bed by 12:00.

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 4 - Tuesday, May 1

We Arrive today at the Port of Split, Croatia. All of our crew opts for the huge buffet breakfast in Lido Deck, good food with the normal overpowering choice of selections, and very crowded this first day.  We find a corner table where the bulk of our troupe shuffles in and out as we eat and head back to clean up for the day.

 At 8:45 we head out to the dock for first day’s tour in and around Split, Croatia.  On all our shore tours, the group drops to 11 from our total of 15.  Jan & Larry Rupert and Becky and Rick Utz generally take a shorter tour, usually closer to base, avoiding the more strenuous excursions. Our guide for the day is Neno, a friendly and knowledgeable young man with the gift of gab and a fun sense of humour. As all of our tours are separate from the ones offered by the cruise line, and all include our own smaller coach, we are able to avoid the large 45 passenger coaches and the waiting for stragglers that are common on cruise land excursions.  We first motor to the town of Salona for tour of Castle ruins; this includes plenty of rough steps and climbing.  This particular site was included in the filming of Game of Thrones; as one who has never watched the series, I am unable to tell you which season or episodes it was a part of, but there are some in our group that were familiar. The views from the top of the ruins, situated at the top of a large hill (small mountain) were stunning.

Our next stop was Trogire, a seaside medieval town north of Split. Beautiful winding streets and ancient walls.  Unfortunately, another lovely village turned into a mini-Disneyland. 

Leaving Trogire, we motor back into Split and tour of the city centre and the old palace.The old palace is a fascinating area covering the large area facing the port of Split.  This 40,000 population city on the west coast of Croatia is a frequent summer destination popular with Croatians, Italians, and others throughout eastern and Southern Europe. We were treated to a wonderful tonal concert in the center of the palace, special enough that Deb bought a CD with the intention of providing copies to those who wished one.

Returning to the ship, we all rested from a strenuous day and then proceeded to our evening meal again in Dining Room. Following dinner, some went directly to bed, others listened to Piano Quintet and classical music or partook of gambling in Casino.

Mediterranean Cruise - Day 3 - Monday April 30, 2018

Up early at our final breakfast at what has been the best breakfast on the road in this observer’s memory. Afterwards, some go for a last stroll along the canals, some go shopping at Guggenheim Museum Shop; Frank tracks down a camera store for a charger cord for his camera. The entire crew assembles back to the hotel by noon for our transfer to our ship. The bags are all tagged for ship and then we wait.

Two water taxis arrive at 1:30 for the transfer to Ship.  After a quick 15 minute ride, we schlepp out and watch our bags disappear onto ship, and all is well except Mark’s pocket knife (confiscated) which didn’t make it through the shipboard TSA-like search. We are to learn that this is standard operating procedure each time we reboard the ship.

Our vessel, the ms Oosterdam of the Holland America Line is a 1,900 passenger ship of 11 storeys. On board ship, all bags reappeared in our cabins except Howie’s carry-on (wine bottle broke, saturation no clothing - pink underwear.)  

We begin to explore ship, and end the day with dinner in main dining room, Don Hosford nearly laughing to death. We had all opted for open dining rather than 1st or second seating.  As on all cruises, lack of food or feeding opportunities are never an issue.

We stroll the decks after dinner, variously taking in the classical music quintet, the rock & roll bar, the casino, or just sitting quietly enjoying a drink.  After a long and busy day, we are finally under way on this Mediterranean adventure.