The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna

Painting by Caravaggio of David with the head of Goliath

The area where we stayed in Vienna

We left Athens on Thursday morning soon after 10 am. Although we’d checked in online (a strangely complicated process) we didn’t want to take any risks especially since we’d not been to this airport before. It seemed a long way to the Airport. They don’t have different terminals but Austrian Airlines along with Aegean and Lufthansa check in are in Gate 4. It was easy to check in, but the boarding passes we were given were for gate 07. So we were securitized and went through to our gate. There was nowhere to sit, so we went to a nearby cafe to get something to eat. I checked it out and suggested JD get orange juice, fruit, a baguette to share and coffee and something sweet to share. There was cooked Greek food, but no Greek salad, and very few cakes. All help-yourself wooden cutlery, straws and napkins.

The food was all right; we didn’t have coffee thinking they’d serve some on the plane, and not wanting to create bathroom issues.

Then we each used the WC (there were queues, of course) and went to Gate 07. It was strangely empty, yet a man in uniform assumed JD that it was the right gate. Well, yes, our boarding passes (online and printed) said gate 07, but in fact it was Gate 09. I got an email from Austrian Airlines to say it was Gate 09, but of course I was confused since both boarding passes said gate 07.

We walked to gate 9, not too far away, and sure enough a screen said our flight to Vienna, and a woman assured us that the gate had changed. Meanwhile people were coming off the plane, which had just arrived. There were masses of people and they did not separate those arriving and departing as many airports do.  Confusing? Yes! We’re not used to travelling coach where you can’t hear the frequent announcements and furthermore they’re in a strange language. And there aren’t screens to tell you what’s happening. With Air NZ I expect to get a text message if something changes. With emails, my home groups them so it can be hard to read the latest one. Anyway, enough already! Stop sending me emails, Austrian Airlines!

We were in group 3, but I think with us being oldies and seated in row 11 they let us board sooner. They certainly cram people and their carry-on luggage into those planes! I think it was like the Airbus 320’s Air NZ uses for domestic flights, but this was very cramped. It was understood that we’d stow our carry-on luggage (max 8 kg, not 7), plus a personal item (my handbag) under the seat in front.

We were all seated and ready to take off for our 2 1/4 hour flight when it was announced that due to a wind change flights were being redirected and there would be a 50 minute delay on taking off. The hostesses brought water around.

I was very tired but I did have my Kindle with me. I had bad cramps getting on board, but thankfully this went away. I managed to cross my legs but then had great trouble uncrossing them.

There were scary coughs on the plane but I managed to find a mask and wear it.  That made me feel a little better.

The hostesses brought around food and drink but you had to pay for it. In the row behind us there was lots of paper crackling. We did not partake.

In Vienna it is at least 10°C cooler than Athens. I wear my cardigan under my lovely new jacket, to reduce baggage, and when we get to Vienna I certainly need them both.

When we got to Vienna, I needed to use the restroom, but the first one I encountered was closed – out of order. All the signs said Exit (Auskunft) to Vienna, but where was Baggage Claim?

We keep going and eventually we come to baggage claim, but I suspect many passengers don’t have any checked baggage. But a helpful sign directs us to Carousel 3, and our checked bags appear on this quickly moving carousel.

We decide to get a taxi into our hotel. It is Prize by Radisson, and although the photos look a bit weird, I decide that if it’s part of the Radisson chain it can’t be too bad – we stayed in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Durham about 18 months ago. Although it was a 4*, and everything was very expensive, we managed to eat there twice by sharing food we’d ordered, for example, soup and a delicious cheese platter, or starters and dessert. So I thought if this was part of the Radisson chain, it couldn’t be too bad.

Well, silly me. Our taxi can’t find the hotel, then it seems to be Prizeotel and he stops around the back of the building. The taxi was very expensive and then of course he wanted a tip.

We checked in to this strange place, and that was complicated too. A nice young man helped but they wanted a lot of details and both our passports. Although this hotel has a young vibe, and very strange decor indeed, there were evidently several older guests, and I explained to JD that this was the best of the rest. 

We met an Australian couple from Canberra as we went up in the lift – I wasn’t the only older person who’d made this strange choice.

And it was very strange too: we got to our minimalist room, which had 2 single beds pushed together with a generous duvet folded on each one; 2 square pillows, another European specialty; and no spare pillows or blankets; no fridge or mini-bar or tea making facilities; minimal and strange lights and a sort of desk-ledge and chair. The bathroom has toilet, hand basin and shower and heated floor, but no shower cap and only squeezy liquid soap which you use for everything. The lighting is particularly frustrating for me, as there is no lamp over the tiny desk area, and if I’m sitting on the bed the lighting is particularly poor. Our hotel in Paris keeps sending messages, to which I feel I must reply, since I’ve booked and not paid for it, and I don’t want them to sell the room to somebody else! But all these emails make me so nervous!

They only clean your room on day 3, if you’re staying that long, but you can get tea, coffee and toothbrush holders downstairs . You can ask for replacement towels at Reception too. Buffet breakfast at the hotel costs €18 per person. There isn’t even a water bottle on our room! But I didn’t realize at first that we could get water downstairs.

It’s evidently a hotel/industrial area with brutalist tower blocks although there’s a very small park with grass and flowers outside our room on the fourth floor.  There seem to be few eating places nearby, and they are focused on vegetarian/vegan options with hummus ever present. Everywhere we go there are lots of truffles and Caesar salad. 

Eventually we go to a small Italian restaurant nearby, feeling a huge sense of cold and dislocation after beautiful Athens and Italy, where you’re always welcomed in.  We both have risotto and it’s very good. We also buy some water. Then we go back to our hotel, and thankfully I get some sleep. I will say it’s quiet here in our room, and warm, in spite of the creamy light rail nearby, and the bed is very comfortable with big duvets, one each.

I was so tired that I went to bed at 7 :30 pm, waking at 2:20 am, but I went back to sleep after this. What a difference a few hours’ sleep makes!

In the morning I check on my phone for cafes that open early.  JD decides that we will eat breakfast here in our hotel, at €18 each.

There are lot of people at the breakfast buffet, of all ages.  It’s health focussed but not too bad. There is fruit salad and various cereals and milk varieties; they also have Bircher muesli which really appeals to JD, and apple puree. There are three types of fruit juice, orange, apple, and mixed, and water; there is the usual array of sliced cold meats and cheese, and Danish pastries. They haven’t been so great on this trip, and the croissants have been mostly overcooked . But there is a 4 slice toaster and I make myself 2 slices of toast. That’s tricky: you push a lever up, not down, to toast the bread, and then when you go to check it jumps right out. There are several types of jam (konfiture) which like in our hotel in Rome you dispense into containers, in this case, like tiny ice cream cones, which are very breakable. It’s easy to make a mess. They have a butter dispenser: you place your plate and press the button and whoopee a perfect round pat of butter appears.  JD gets coffee from a machine with queuing and then an alarming array of choices. He gets me a double espresso with extra hot water, and it tastes just fine. Later I come down and fill my Oceania flask with water from the juice dispenser. It’s really interesting how food is labelled!

Then we shower and lock everything up and set out for the Kunsthistorisches Museum.  The weather is just like Wellington really: light rain, coldish, overcast and a bit windy. By some magic JD has figured how to get there on the light rail right next to our hotel. It’s magic really. You get on and use the ticket machine to buy the tickets. So we get there, and cross the road and find the ticket office to the Kunsthistorisches Museum. No queuing, and we’re served with a smile, and a comment about swimming to get here. We’re the second couple from NZ he’s had this morning. We came to Vienna because I wanted to see this museum.

It’s a truly wonderful museum, set in an old palace? I must look it up. Wonderful Italian paintings by Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese, but we can only find one by Caravaggio – there were supposed to be two. It is very similar to one we’d seen in the Borghese Gallery, of the boy David holding Goliath’s head. I think I like this one better. Then it’s time for a lunch break, but there is a queue at the coffee shop and JD isn’t prepared to wait.

So we walk to something called Salt and Honey. It’s strange not to be beckoned in by someone standing at the entrance, as you would be in Italy or Athens. The heavy door is closed, and we have to pull it open. There are at least 2 free tables, but the poor single waitress is very busy and takes a while to come to us. What a relief to sit down, though! There’s no rush. I order bacon and eggs which come with a croissant, and coffee and sparkling water. JD orders iced tea, a glass of prosecco, and pancakes. It’s all good, and quite different from ones we’ve encountered in New Zealand. 

The delicious pancakes have a little chocolate sauce smeared over them; they’re not drowned in maple syrup as they often are in new Zealand; and they come with big blueberries and strawberries.  I entertain thoughts of seeing St Stephen’s Cathedral (no, it costs!), having Sacher torte at a cafe (not after my beautiful lunch), or catching the hop on/hop off bus (€37 pp !). I can see why it was cheaper to come back to Paris through Italy, although Germany would have been more straightforward, perhaps. But we would have had to get a train to Munich, stay overnight there, and then travel by train to Cologne, from where we could catch the Eurostar back to Paris. We could have seen a friend’s son and his family in Cologne, but I really didn’t want to go to Munich again.

Then we made our way back to our hotel.

We got a tramcar, type D, but it was very crowded indeed and people kept getting on! There was no way you could get near the ticket machine, and no one seemed to be checking.  The driver drove jerkily with no respect for the passengers, whom he could not see. After a couple of stops we got off, and walked some more to another stop. There were a few others waiting too. After a while another tram car came, which was much less crowded . We caught that back to our hotel and had a rest. I was able to get clean towels from Reception. But there was only one guy there, and queues, of course!

Later we went to dinner somewhere near – part of the Urban chain. I would like to have had Wiener schnitzel, but it was over €30! So we shared a pizza with corn! That’s a first, and some kind of pepper (jalapeno, perhaps), but not really hot. JD has a glass of Chardonnay and I have a mojito, since it’s our last night in Vienna. That was probably a mistake, since I did not sleep well.

We had breakfast here again; and JD has gone to do some washing. It’s probably far more expensive here than in Italy, but there’s more to see and do there so you don’t want to waste time washing. There is actually quite a bit of washing, and he gets nervous about it. He’s very good at working out how to manage it all!

We are due to catch a train to Udine and the Trieste at 12:53 pm. It is raining quite heavily outside and I’ve dug out my poncho, hoping I won’t get too cold and wet outside on our walk, with luggage, to Wien Haupt Bahnhof.

JD arrived back from the laundrette and we finished packing and delivered our room entry cards to the checkout box and walked to the station . I am super nervous and of course this large busy station is different from Italian or British railway stations, and confusing. But by some fortunate impulse we get an escalator up to platform 7, and it seems our train will go from here. Then we walk through and take an escalator down to the shops and buy some food and drink to take with us. There seem to be no ticket checks before traveling as in Italy.

Wien is very different. Most people speak English but notices are in German and it’s very confusing.  Apparently our train goes through to Venezia Santa Lucia! I did not realize that. But I really wanted to go to Trieste, which is almost on the way. so that’s that. We have a change at Udine. On the train our tickets are checked, and there is a destination board, which is helpful.

Nga mihi nui

Athens Acropolis, the Caryatids

A lekythos; I couldn’t find one in a shop in Athens

The Rooftop Breakfast Restaurant at our Hotel in Athens

National Archaeological Museum, Athens

I wrote a little about our arrival on Athens yesterday after getting off the cruise ship.

It is kind of nice to be uncocooned again:  of course we’ve been watching with some alarm the progress of the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship, and it seems to get worse everyday.  When you’re on a cruise ship, you’re wonderfully looked after, but you can’t get off the ship!  You’re almost captives there.

In Athens it is busy and hot. Yesterday morning we went for a walk once we’d settled into our hotel room, unpacked a little, booked tickets for climbing the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum for 8 am on Tuesday (the very next day); they cost around $300 NZ but it was a bit cheaper on my phone than on JD’s computer.

We walked around this bustling city where many people walk on the narrow roadway rather than the footpath, but you have to watch out for bikes and cars. Google told me that the Greek people eat lunch after 1 pm, but it was still before 12 noon and many people wanted lunch. We shared pastitsio, which came with very nice toast, and a Greek salad. The salad was very good, with beautiful slabs of feta cheese. Hohepa, your feta is very good, but this is way better!

The meat dish was pretty ho-hum, and we were glad we’d shared. Many other diners had come in, and service was very slow, so we agreed to have coffee somewhere else. The smell of smoking was quite discordant!

We walked through a coffee and cake place, which had gelato but that didn’t look very appealing. So we found somewhere else where I chose a small mocha with double espresso flavour.  I love the way they serve it in wee containers with a spoon and a paper napkin.

Then we went back to our hotel for a rest. After a bit we walked to the nearest DHL facility where they agreed to post back to NZ some of the things we bought and would prefer not to carry back to Paris. They were amazing: they packed the stuff into a plastic container, and it’s on its way! We trust. (It arrived on the following Thursday morning!  NZ Post, you could do far better!)

That evening we wanted to be very quiet, so we ate early at Brera, an Italian cafe. We were very boring – we shared a Pizza Margherita, and some water and a glass of Chardonnay. They were all very good. There was some confusion over the bill – the receipt didn’t show the tip! You select how much (3 options) and it’s added to what you pay. Then we retired, to try and rest before our 8 am appointment next day to climb the Acropolis!

Tuesday 

We were up bright and early for breakfast shortly after 6:30 am. The breakfast restaurant is upstairs from level three with a view of the Acropolis! It’s quiet and beautiful. It was actually quite cool up there, so I came back to our room to get a cardigan. Of course this took a while – I had to find one, after not needing one for the last few days! Breakfast was just fine: fresh orange juice, sliced kiwifruit and golden queen-like peaches and fruit salad with cereal, and toast with a pop-up toaster, sachets of butter, and you helped yourself to jam or marmalade. Coffee too, of course. There is a fridge in our room and tea making facilities and a coffee machine, which we did not have on the cruise ship! 

I had a shower first (pretty slippery, hard water, and an overhead or a handheld water dispenser, and really thick towels. Then JD did his ablutions. Meanwhile I got all ready with my tote bag, spare water, jacket etc but JD comes out of the shower and cuts his toenails!!! Eventually we are on our way to walk to the Acropolis Museum ticket office, and I know we’re going to be late; we are almost there when he realizes he’s left his passport and wallet in our hotel room! Really, how can you do that? You should always keep your passport with you! So I wait while he goes back for them. I suppose we’ll miss our climb now.

Meantime there are lots of bells, lots of churches, and a clock that chimes on the hour.

There’s lots of vegetation, lots of colour, lots of flowers and lots of jewellery shops. Lots of rolls (bolts?) of fabric – I haven’t seen them for a long time. There are lots of fur coats and jackets!  Perhaps it’s fake fur? In this heat, I don’t feel at all tempted by it. There are ATMs everywhere, unlike on one of our trips when it was very hard to find an ATM in Spain. And WC’s! Like in Scotland!

While I’m waiting for JD the souvenir shop across the way sets up, hanging out all their wares, which is most interesting. I don’t feel inspired to buy anything though.

Finally JD returns and we are on our way again. Then we don’t know where to go to start the climb, and a helpful cafe owner tells us. In spite of being so late, we are welcomed and shown through to the climb. I tried to download the audio guide but maybe I downloaded the wrong app, because it wanted more money!! So we went without a guide, which was a relief, in a way.

We were so glad that we’d come early – it was about 8:45 am, and although there were plenty of people about, and some groups, it was nothing to what came later!

The path was uneven and slippery in places, but having done our Ephesus and other excursions, we didn’t find it too bad. Mind you if we had not done the excursions and got used to uneven cobbled stones I may well have refused to do the climb. But it was amazing, and we were so glad that we done it. The Parthenon despite the cranes is amazing, but I think it was the Caryatids that impressed me the most.  Of course the views of Athens on this fine, clear day are amazing too, wherever you look. What an experience! I am quite emotional about it. After a while we get safely down, which is harder in a way, and come down a different way. There are so many tours now! It’s quite a walk, and I’m desperate for coffee, orange juice, sparkling water, something to eat and a WC stop. We get into the beautiful Acropolis museum all right: this time Headout have emailed the 4 tickets and I’ve forwarded them to JD as well.

It is a wonderful museum, but we make our way to the Restaurant on level 2 which is not busy. We’re asked to sit down and a waiter will come (eventually)!  We sit down inside but with a view of the Acropolis. You have to download the menu from a QR code on your table, but there is free Wi-Fi too.

As well as the drinks I order a tuna wrap and JD a sandwich with ham, cheese and so forth. Everything is delicious and although it is early, we decide that this will be our lunch.

Eventually the restaurant fills up, and we decide we’d better leave. On exiting, we have to show our tickets again! It takes me a while to find mine, but there’s no rush, eventually I do and she waves us through. I’m afraid we came back to our hotel after that Adventure!  I think I’ve almost seen enough Archaeological Museums for now.

Our niece and her family are due in Athens tomorrow, so we may have dinner with them tomorrow evening.

JD has gone off to do some washing.

That night we ate somewhere – I had a pork skewer (actually 3) with tzatziki (not very nice), a bit of salad, potato chips (very good) and pita bread which I did not eat. I did have a very nice “virgin” cocktail (I think they meant mocktail) called Red Riding Hood with strawberry puree. JD’s Chardonnay was not very nice. When he doesn’t know the waiter, he should read the menu! Not such a good choice.

Afterwards as we walked back to our hotel we looked at jewellery. At a second shop we went to he bought me a beautiful necklace with 5 blue stones. There is a tax receipt we can reclaim when we leave Paris.  It’s gorgeous, and I feel really guilty about it, knowing that this journey is costing us far more than first anticipated..

That night I slept better, no doubt helped by having better Wi-Fi and being able to listen to audiobooks.

Breakfast this morning was wonderful. The waitress brings juice; the fruit was sliced kiwifruit, peach halves and fruit salad with the addition of sliced banana and strawberries!

Then we showered and set out to walk to the National Archaeological Museum, about 1/2 hour’s walk. It lovely in Athens on the early morning – the streets are quite empty of people and cars, and it’s not too hot.

On the way we looked at clothes shops, and again fell for buying things: a blue and white dress made in Italy for €25, and an amazing multicoloured jacket that the woman had designed! Oh dear, they are both gorgeous, especially the jacket. It is made of coloured multi-coloured denim, and is lined; it goes with so many things, black and white trousers and hopefully my other trousers. As it turns out, I am really glad of this jacket when we come to cooler climates, in Vienna and Italy.

Then we continued our walk to the museum. Thankfully there was no queue when we got there, although I think many people came in after us. We repaired downstairs to the lovely cafe and museum garden first, and shared orange juice and a beautiful orange honey and semolina cake with our coffee.

Then we looked at the museum which was well worth a visit and extremely interesting and well laid out, for the most part. I continue to wonder at the Greeks who made such beautiful things on all areas of Greece. Stylistically they are very similar.

Then we had lunch across the road on a cafe, sharing a baguette which turned out to be wholemeal and filled with ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato. We shared orange juice too but the coffee wasn’t great.

Then as planned we caught a hop on/hop off bus outside the museum. JD was able to pay for our tickets on the bus. We met a couple from Texas and had a really interesting conversation with them. They have been married nearly as long as we have, and their anniversary is August 9! We talked about Nixon’s resignation, and Rebecca asked me about Dame Jacinda Ardern’s resignation. They were on a cruise and got off our bus to get another tourist line to Piraeus . We eventually got off the bus at the Acropolis museum and walked back to our hotel.  We looked in souvenir shops for a miniature lekythos to take home as a memento of our stay, but strangely we could not find one. Very odd. We did get a copy of the famous statue of Aphrodite and a present for our teenage grandson in New Zealand.

Then we returned to our hotel and tried to check in online for our flight tomorrow. Oh dear oh dear! It used to be easy, now what a performance.  It took ages but I succeeded in the end.

We met our niece and her lovely family for dinner at 6 pm at a Gluten-free restaurant opposite the Acropolis Museum. They had just flown in from Santorini. It was great to see them and to compare notes about travel, cruises, Italian trains and other things.

Dinner was good: I ordered cabbage leaves filled with mince and rice with an egg and lemon sauce. JD ordered chicken skewers with chips. Very boring. The others ordered appetizers and we tried beautiful tzatziki with pita bread. The food was all very good.

We shared some frustrations with cruises, tours, ticket validation and Italian trains!  But generally we’re all well and happy. We also have shared some what we hope was honest advice about how climbing the Acropolis is quite hard work! And there’s no way you can drive up. And yes, it’s quite expensive, you have to get separate tickets for the Acropolis and the museum, but in our view it’s worth it.

They head back to Adelaide via Singapore on Friday; we fly to Vienna on Thursday 14 May. Sadly, it’s the beginning of our journeys back to the Antipodes.

This morning we had breakfast again at our amazing hotel. This morning I smelt bacon, and I had a fried egg on my slice of toast and some bacon. We are sorry to leave Athens. It is cooler and slightly overcast today. We catch a taxi to the airport. He delivered us to Gate 4, where Austrian Airlines is found. It’s part of the Star Alliance, apparently! I did not know that when I booked the flight. Despite the fuel crisis, it is still flying.

Nga mihi nui

Piraeus, Port of Athens

Hotel Adrian, Athens

                                                General Observations

We don’t have to wear lanyards on this cruise, thank goodness.  I am surprised that obviously wealthy passengers don’t wear stylish clothes to dinner, as they would in France or Italy, or even the UK. We all had to sign our agreement to the dress code. Although it said “understated elegance”, one woman turned up to dine in jeans, with a nice top! I think they mean no bathing suits or ghastly tights in a dining room, which I certainly agree with, but wearing jeans at dinner is going a bit far for me! I feel quite stylish here, in my carefully managed and packed evening wear: white or black trousers, with a nice top and one of the wraps we bought in Florence, but dared not wear there. I even brought three dresses, although two of them are badly crushed and need pressing. I take advantage of the free option of having my French linen dress pressed; I iron the other one that needs it myself.

It is a carefully curated crowd of passengers, most of them being wealthy white people from the US with a few wannabes like the Australian couple we met, Andy and Rose, and ourselves. The caring staff are almost all coloured people, from various countries: India, Indonesia, the Philippines. The staff are very concerned that we’re enjoying ourselves and having a good time: it reminds me of my eldest son saying, “you don’t have to be happy all the time”. Well, on this vessel, in a very Disney-like way (You’re on vacation), you do! Everyone is very polite.

I am very much enjoying aspects of this: being looked after pretty well; breakfast in our stateroom; a very comfortable bed; a well-arranged bathroom, a couch in our larger room – we have plenty of room, and the laundrette is just down the hallway. JD like to do the washing himself, although the first load of our “free” washing came back three days later beautifully folded and ironed.

When we’re dining, we’re served beautifully, and it reminds us of when we were the only breakfast guests. I think the Miramar hotel in our Hong Kong stopover in December 1973. I enjoy the large linen napkins, even at lunchtime at the buffet. Of course if JD wants a glass of Chardonnay, he has to pay for that in US dollars. Anything. you do pay for on board is very expensive.

But I was going to add that when you order dessert, you can order ice cream as well, and it comes in a separate dish. I enjoy the service, the linen serviettes (napkins?) and linen tablecloths. The dinner menu is changed every night in the GDR, but some of the food doesn’t taste great. Still and all, it’s a nice experience and unusually I don’t mind changing for it.

We are cocooned in this very American, very white environment where English is spoken and I feel a bit weird saying “grazie” or “buon Giorno”, as I have been doing since we arrived in Milan.  It feels as though American passengers have been transported from their home comfort zone into this one, where money means everything, and if one knows a bit about the Classics (what?), and archaeology and classical ruins, including things one has seen in other places on other trips, one write about it, one doesn’t talk about it. I realize what a gift it is that JD and I have a shared interest in ancient classical ruins, in religion, and in Renaissance art. Not many people share this. And he looks after me far better when we’re away!

During rest times in the afternoon I try to record what’s happened. I do this by writing emails, in draft, and sending them to myself. This holds certain challenges, of course, but I’ve done it before.

Another cruise observation: it’s actually nice to unpack and store one’s clothes. There is actually plenty of cupboard and drawer and wardrobe space. It’s very nice to have one’s stateroom made up twice a day, with plenty of towels and nice cakes of soap for hand washing and showering. And did I say the tiny shower is marvellous although tiny? It doesn’t leak, and you can’t really fall over in it.

The excursions are well organized. You meet in the Nautica lounge at the appointed time, on your ticket. You hand in your excursion ticket, and are given a small numbered ticket for your bus, twenty something, to be handed to the bus driver. Then each number is called and you disembark accordingly . As you leave, you click you room key as though you were boarding an aeroplane. On the bus you’re introduced to the tour guide (and helper, perhaps), and the driver. One is supposed to tip them all afterwards, of course. Tipping comes hard to us seasoned colonials; we’re happy to tip for really good service, if we can afford it; otherwise we’re pretty reluctant. Our coach (differing levels of comfort and cleanliness here) takes us to wherever we’re going, and transports us around as necessary.  There is generally a museum, an ancient site or two, and then some free time (shopping?), and a deadline to get back to our coach. This can involve quite a lot of walking, and it can be hard to find the right coach.  There are usually two toilet stops along the way, of varying degrees of cost, modernity and cleanliness. Sometimes there’s no toilet seat; sometimes you mustn’t put paper in the toilet. I know to always come prepared with spare tissues, but so far I haven’t had to use them.

Disembarkation

Last night was the last night of our cruise. We were supposed to leave our luggage outside our stateroom by 10 pm with the labels affixed that they had provided. 

This related to your chosen time of disembarking, in our case 8:45 am, although we had to vacate our state rooms by 8 am.

So after our lovely excursion to Ephesus, and a nice lunch at the terrace cafe, we had to turn our minds to packing, and what we needed in our overnight bags.

I sat out on the balcony before we set sail soon after 3 pm, but it got too hot for me! I had a shower and washed my hair before packing my main sponge bag, since that is key to fitting everything else in my little suitcase.  

So I packed everything in my packing cubes except what I was going to wear to dinner that evening, my nightgown, and what I was going to wear the next day.

I did not put makeup on for dinner as I usually do, it was packed or away. We went to the Grand Dining Room for dinner. People seemed to have really dressed up for this occasion! There was a feeling of celebration before the coming – who knows? We are quite apprehensive, as the next part of our travels, making our way back to Paris, is quite ambitious, and will require a lot more effort on our part!

Actually we celebrated too. We are caponata as an appetizer (not very nice) but I had very nice cod fillet and JD a fillet steak that he was pleased with. We also ordered sauteed potatoes and green peas.

As it was our last night, I wanted to order a special coffee, French Kiss. We tried to find out what it was like beforehand, but you had to order through the sommelier who was Adrian from Romania, and not the person who usually served us if JD was ordering his glass of Chardonnay.

JD ordered an Oceania coffee, and I ordered French Kiss with Grand Marnier and cognac, they were both very good, they tasted wonderful 

 For dessert I ordered a blood orange sorbet, which didn’t really taste of anything; JD ordered a chocolate hazelnut hot pudding, and vanilla ice cream, and it was beautiful.

Then we searched unsuccessfully for our friends the Australian couple before we retired. When we did so, I packed away the clothes I’d been wearing to dinner, and we put two bags outside our room with labels as requested. as requested.  By now there were several others out as well, and they were all far bigger than ours! Although ours were a bit heavy for us, we were so glad they weren’t any larger!

Then we put out our breakfast order, and tried to sleep. One of the advantages of ordering room service breakfast is that they ring you before it comes – it’s better than an alarm clock! Just before 6 am our tray came, and we were already at Piraeus. It did not seem particularly attractive!

So we showered, left the stateroom and duly waited in one of the lounges for our group to be called to disembark. Than we walked through and picked up our luggage before getting a taxi into Athens to Hotel Adrian.

Traffic was pretty gridlocked, but we eventually reached Hotel Adrian. And what a nice receptionist! Our room was almost ready, although it was several hours before check in time. Meanwhile he answered all our questions about climbing the Acropolis, the whereabouts of the National Archaeological Museum, time to get to the airport, and the nearest DHL branch.

We are on the second floor of this hotel: the room has a balcony with a table and two chairs, and it’s in a busy commercial area with narrow streets of shops, churches and marble. There is a fridge and tea and coffee making facilities. There is a rooftop restaurant for breakfast. There are Picasso prints on the walls, and marble stairs, as well as an elevator. There is plenty of room, although not quite the degree of luxury we have been accustomed to over the last few days! There are masses of shopsoutside – jewellery, carpets, souvenirs, leather sandals, even furs!: it’s a strange mixture of ancient and modern.  It feels strangely comfortable with itself. We decide that we like Athens very much indeed.

Nga mihi nui

Ancient Ephesus: one of the easier walking spots

Ephesus – the library of Celsus and Arch of the Emperor Augustus

Ephesus: Terrace Houses Museum being constructed

Theatre in Ephesus

Image of Artemis held in the Archaeological Museum, Naples

Yesterday we were in Santorini, but we didn’t actually leave the ship. We could see 3 other cruise ships; we were anchored some way off the coast so you had to get a tender to the base of the cable car station, and either catch the cable car or walk up a steep zig -zag path to get to the first town.  Furthermore, it was quite cold and windy and overcast, although the weather cleared up later. I wasn’t feeling very well, so I was happy to have a quiet day on board.  It seemed a shame not to go further, but Santorini was never on my list of “must see” places, and it didn’t look anything like the pictures you see!

We didn’t even go swimming; the boutiques were closed so it was very quiet indeed.  We were booked to eat at Toscana at 7:30 pm that evening, later than I would have hoped for; it was a rather disappointing experience too.

We didn’t have an appetizer, but we did have very nice bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and roasted garlic. JD had very nice fillet steak and I had veal scallopine with Marsala, but that was very disappointing. Portofino in Napier do it better! How about some cream and some Marsala wine? We also ordered potatoes roasted with rosemary, but they were not the lovely Italian baked potatoes.  We ordered asparagus spears too. When it came to ordering dessert, JD was busy in conversation with the Canadian couple at the next table, so I ordered tiramisu for him and apricot tart for me.

Since we were eating so late, our stateroom had been made up for sleeping before we went to dinner.

The next day the ship docked at the beautiful Kusadasi, and we were to visit Ephesus.  I did not sleep at all well; our breakfast tray came early as expected but I could eat very little. I was very anxious that the excursion I’d been encouraged (Terrace Houses) by our cruise consultant would be too strenuous.

 But there were several older folk with canes on the excursion. It wasn’t too bad but there were a lot of steps, and the marble was uneven and slippery at times.

We were due in the Nautica lounge at 8:15 am; when we arrived just after 8 there was no one there, and we had to go straight to Deck 3. We’d seen lots of people, presumably on earlier excursions, walking along the side of the cruise ship. Perhaps we should have been there earlier!  But what a schemozzle of cruise ships, passengers and buses! Thankfully we had a good (although grubby inside) coach and a good driver and great tour guide. She carried a blue and yellow parasol, and a sign saying 34 (our number), so it was relatively easy to spot her amongst the hundreds of people. That did make things easier.

We were driven to Ephesus (about an hour’s drive), and then disembarked. It was a downhill walk through the ruins: uneven and a bit slippery (there were plenty of warnings!); eventually we came to the very well-organised Terrace Houses Museum, with lots of steps but handrails and glass floors. These houses (two have been excavated?) were very finely decorated, with pillars, mosaics, lots of cool marble, and frescoes.

Coming down was tricky (uneven steps and no hand rails), but then we were at the library of Celsius, with a very well-preserved front. An amazing spot.

Then it was on (under an archway) to a spot where Paul preached to the Ephesians. I found that very moving. This site had an amazing mixture of Greek and Roman ruins, and then I think the first Chrisian assembly was established there. This place was very special to St Paul, and also special to those who worshipped Artemis: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians”. Now her temple is in ruins; in fact, of the site of the ancient city only ruins remain. As with most if not all ancient sites, it is very moving, in spite of the huge crowds.

There was another large theatre, then a grove of cool trees before we emerged into a toilet block (it was just fine) and a market place, where vendors were very keen to sell you stuff. There was no opportunity to browse as one would wish to do. You didn’t dare to look at or admire anything.

Then it was back on the bus. Thankfully our one was easy to find, although it was hard for the driver to manoeuvre his way out. On the way back there was a police stop, and then we were back to the port and an optional carpet demonstration. The demonstration was by a collective who were encouraged by their government to keep the art of carpet making, especially with silk, alive. The work is so intense that the women doing it have to take frequent breaks.

Well I really wanted to see this, and it was a big cool marble floored show room. We saw the double-knotting and admired the silk techniques.  There was hospitality: I had Turkish black tea in a wee glass (very nice) but they offered us quite large rolls to eat, and I refused, although I felt bad about it.

Then they showed carpets, much as the shop in Tunis had done, although this was far more upmarket and sophisticated. Anyway, silly old us, we ended up buying a wee silk prayer mat. This we have to take with us.  They wanted us to buy jewellery too, but the prices were very high, as they were for the bigger carpets. While they are processing the payment, wrapping the carpet, and preparing a statement saying what we have bought, we are distracted by some jewellery: they seem to think that since we have bought a small carpet, we are good for buying jewellery!  When we get home, we unwrap said carpet with trepidation. It is the one that we bought, it is truly beautiful, and the blue background colour changes with the lighting. I think it was a good investment.

Eventually we escaped and walked back to the cruise ship. This was our last excursion on the cruise ship. Once on board, we again ate lunch in the terrace cafe.  Tonight we have to have our packed and labelled bags outside our stateroom by 10 pm! And we’re required to be off the ship really early: I think I said 8:45 am. But we will be able to have room service breakfast.

I have reluctantly done some packing. After dinner tonight it’s my overnight sponge bag and essentials that I’ll keep with me. I’m so glad I brought two sponge bags! A small one and a larger one. They both have the essentials!

Nga mihi nui

Santorini – the file view

Santorini from cruise ship

Santorini cable car access

Last night I dressed up for dinner on the GDR. We looked out for our Australian friends, but without success; they may have been dining in one of the specialty restaurants.

Actually we had one of our best meals: pineapple cubes for an appetizer – freshly cut pineapple; then wiener schnitzel with potato salad, and a green salad to share, with lettuce, avocado and grapefruit with some fancy dressing. The potato salad was not what we were expecting – it seemed like sliced of cooked potato in butter(?), but the schnitzel was amazing – tender, and not quite too much. JD had a glass of Chardonnay which we shared. Then dessert was something else: the souffle was grand Marnier, with an orange sauce. I had that, with vanilla ice cream on the side, and it was hot and beautiful. JD had profiteroles: 3 filled with vanilla ice cream and covered with chocolate sauce. They sounded wonderful but weren’t as good as the souffle – the little choux pastry puffs weren’t great. Overall, though the meal was enjoyable and a success.

Afterwards we were introduced to Wayne and Fiona, another couple from Wellington on our cruise ship.

Then we went to bed. I had completed the online questionnaire; I’d like to complete it for JD, as there are a few suggestions I’d like to make, mainly about excursions.  Today we are not buying an excursion to Santorini.  I know it looks really beautiful in the photos, but today is cold and windy, and it doesn’t look so attractive. It’s also quite hard to get to, taking a tender and then waiting for the cable car access at either end of the trip. The questionnaire was generic questions, about the quality of the housekeeping, the food, room service, the entertainment, the excursions and so on; you manage to say they’re all marvellous or very good and then realise you haven’t really communicated the things that bother you: the crowds, the choice of excursions, the lack of tai chi, singing, or any religious observance, for example.

We had decided that we would not order room service breakfast this time, but since we were staying on board, we’d eat breakfast in the GDR.  It doesn’t start till 7:30 am, and we were awake before 6 am! Still the Internet is far stronger here than it has been.  I have pondered on the fact that once you get used to having no Internet, you do get used to it, and apart from being out of contact with Family in an emergency, it’s actually rather nice.

So this morning we had breakfast in the GDR. They are already taking excursion guests on tenders to the island. We can already see three other cruise ships.

The breakfast menu is more expansive. I am brought brewed coffee, but it’s actually quite strong and not as good as coffee in my stateroom . We start with fruit juice (orange and prune) and JD has Bircher muesli and also orders avocado toast. I order scrambled eggs and English style bacon (soft?) with a slice of toast, but things take a while to arrive: my juice comes much later than his; the eggs and bacon arrive well before the toast. Never mind, the scrambled eggs are delicious, much better than the room service ones (as expected).  I have a remaining half slice of toast with Seville bitter orange marmalade. JD goes back to our stateroom, but I longer over my toast, coffee and juice.

Then I sit on our balcony and enjoy the view.  The high expected today is 21°C, but although fine, it’s quite breezy outside and I’m glad of two lap blankets.

I thought I saw snow on some of the hills, reminding me of Horace’s famous ode, “Vides ut alta stet nive candidum Soracte?” (Do you see how high the white snow is on Mount Soracte?). This turns out to be white houses on cliff tops! Cataracts? Ach so, it was a pleasant reminder.

To get to Santorini, you have to take a tender to the shore; then walk or take the cable car up a very steep hill to the township. We can see three other cruise ships, and I’ve been told it is really crowded there. What’s more, it doesn’t look very attractive!

Tomorrow: Ephesus! our cruise is almost over.

Nga mihi nui

The entrance to Monemvasia

Another view of Monemvasia

Walking in Monemvasia is like this!

Our breakfast tray arrived and we are still asleep. In Greece it seems to be getting darker in the mornings, although summer is coming. In Italy and in Sicily we came into beautiful seaside towns or cities: Salerno, Trapani, Tunis, Catania, but Katokolon and Monemvasia are different: cooler, and overcast, with much fewer inhabitants.

The advertised excursion to Monemvasia was 5 hours long and sounded quite strenuous; it involved a lot of climbing to a castle on top of the hill, and having lunch at a Greek taverna, but during the cruise they’d added more excursions, including a much shorter (2 ½ hours) walking tour of the Old Town, and I’d signed up for that.

There seemed to be no other option: a private tour had been advertised that sounded ideal, but it seemed to have been discontinued.  I had never heard of Monemvasia before. It was one of those places that you had to see, photographs don’t really do it justice. Monemvasia is really a small island/rocky outcrop connected to the Peloponnese mainland by a tombolo.

To reach Monemvasia we have to catch a tender from the cruise ship to the bus parking lot; there are quite a few of us; our guide is very informative and tries to keep track of us all. Some want to go back to the ship later than scheduled, and that’s complicated.  We ride the bus to Monemvasia which is a rocky outcrop along a low bridge-like road to the sheer rock face: we could have walked this! We pass a small necropolis along the way. Then the bus stops and we disembark at the main gate. It looks scarily steep!

From there it is so pretty – with rocky steps and paths, tricky but uniform; some take a tour to the castle on the top of the rock; although we do a bit of climbing, we get to a main public square. There is a church there that I’d really like top see, but it is closed. There are several hotels along the way. What a beautiful place this is! I don’t find it claustrophobic, like the streets in Nimes or some of the Italian towns we’ve visited, such as Ravenna, or parts of Firenze. It is just gorgeous, with flowers growing in some of the rocks. It feels safe and secure here, and there are other crowds you find in many other places, although we are joined by several other groups.  There is a rocky path to a bathing spot. I’d love to come here again, although there isn’t a great deal to do.

There is time for shopping, and we see some very attractive dress shops, where the designs are quite beautiful. JD wants to buy some garments for our daughter in law and our eldest grand daughter but I think it is unwise to buy clothes without being able to try them on. Buying stuff for me is not an option, although I admired an embroidered blouse.

At another gift shop we bought tiles with view of Monemvasia, for our Wellington sons and their wives, and one for me – to remember Monemvasia. It’s wonderful the way they don’t pressure you to buy things.

Then we went to a coffee bar and had very good gelato, served in wee containers. I had mocha, and it was delicious.

The we got on the bus again, and came back to the tender point; the rain was coming – we could see it, but we got on the tender just before it started to rain hard. We were so pleased that we’d negotiated the steps while they were dry and not slippery! We agreed that we were so pleased that we came on this late-addition excursion. It was one of the best, up there with Paestum and Olympia.

We got off the tender and got on our cruise ship again. It was the only one there. Soon after that we went to the Terrace cafe for lunch. Oddly the outside tables were deserted. We went to find ours, on the right hand side, and it was quite sheltered although I needed my cardigan on. We could see Monemvasia and the little cemetery as we sailed slowly away.  It was lovely! The meat today was rolled roast pork, with a filling of dried apricots and pistachio nuts. They found some apple sauce for us; another American woman and I insisted on it (strange that it wasn’t there already). I had it with gravy, and took some lettuce, cucumber, grated carrot and salad dressing. I wish they’d label the dressings! I also took a bread roll and some butter (from Spain, Espana) and cheese.  Of course we had lemonade mixed with sparkling water (they know us now!), and one of the waiters made us double espressos. We also had wee desserts, of course: blue berry crumble for him, and a kind of mini Baked Alaska for me. Then we retired for JD to do the washing and me to have a rest/diary session before dinner.

It is definitely cooler now, and not sunny. One gentleman claimed that he’d been here in September and it was 41°C!! I’d rather have it cooler than really hot: you can put more clothes on. I guess for us it was hottest (thus far) in Tunis.

The housekeeping service here is amazing. In the morning, after we go on our excursion, they make the bed, clean the bathroom, and replace the towels. In the evening, when we are at dinner, they do something magic with the bed (it’s soo comfortable), turn it down, place a chocolate on your bedside, and put out a – prayer mat? Like a pillow case, on the floor. I could get very used to this kind of service.

Nga mihi nui.

Stateroom with Veranda

A view of Ancient Olympia

Another view of Ancient Olympia

Yesterday was a sea day.

Although we thought we’d ordered breakfast later than usual, it turned up pretty early when we were both asleep. After breakfast JD went back to sleep. It was a cooler and a windy day although very calm; I went to the laundrette along our corridor wearing a bathrobe to press my green skirt before showering and wearing it: pretty daring, as everyone I encountered was clothed, and I felt I needed to apologize!  Afterwards I tried pressing my other dress which although light had become very crushed. That went well, although it needed a very cool iron.

Although I’d made rough plans for the day (book a Monemvasia tour, see the concierge about posting a parcel home, and try out my new “tankini” bathing suit), but JD had other ideas, and doing the washing before he showered was one of them. I was going to get washing done as part of our complementary service; I rather like it being returned folded and pressed, but he was adamant. So I left him to it, booking the cheap 2 1/2 hour walking tour in Monemvasia (which had been added to the schedule), getting advice about our stop in Santorini and then going for coffee and exploring the shop.

Evidently there is a coffee bar on the high deck where the pool is, but I couldn’t find it. Anyway, it was pretty cold and windy up there. They did make me an oat latté at the bar outside the Grand Dining Room, and said I could take it back to our stateroom, however the mug was so full that I had to drink some of it before taking it back to our room. It did taste good though.

I had fun at the shop too. They had several “specials” for €10, and a range of pricier goods, but not everything is outrageously expensive. There are also very expensive jewellery boutiques: I admired a tourmaline ring, which cost USD 60,000!

There were bracelets for €10 each, which I thought may do for gifts for our New Zealand granddaughters and our daughter. After telling JD about them I bought two and some lip balm.

Then we had lunch at the wee buffet/bar at the entrance to the GDR, where we’d eaten lunch on embarkation day: nice little “sliders” filled with yummy things, and small cakes and biscuits. They make you a variety of nice coffees there too.  And you can sit in comfortable chairs to partake. It’s less formal than the Terrace cafe.

After that, boring as, we went back to our state room and found the movie “Twelve Angry Men” on our television set, starting the rather wonderful Henry Fonda in a famous old courtroom drama. Actually almost all the action takes place in the hot jury room after the trial, where the 12 men of the jury seem to agree on a verdict (1957, black and white).

Before dinner JD insisted I take him back to the shop, where we bought i.e. signed for a third bracelet with 5 “pearls”, which I will wear until we give it to my daughter. There was a nice string duo playing classical themes there.

During the afternoon I had decided that rather than join one of the Santorini excursions, as I had been minded to do, we would stay on the ship instead and maybe swim, and have a quiet day . I gather Santorini is very touristy, with several ships likely to be docked there are hundreds of not thousands of tourists. You have to get a cable car back to the ship, and there’ll be queuing no matter what you do. Santorini was never on my list as a destination: I know it’s beautiful but there are no ancient monuments that I really want to see. And the crowds are frustrating. So I feel relieved having made that decision.

This morning we docked in Greece, at a place called Katokolon, after our day at sea yesterday. We had met our Australian friends for dinner in the GDR at 6:30 pm, after queuing up in a long line; but the queue moved quickly, and the GDR is a huge space. I had a shrimp cocktail this time in half a firm avocado, followed by a lamb entree (ha ha!), with potato and a stuffing with aubergine; both were delicious, and the lamb tender and tasty, but I felt vaguely unwell afterwards. Dessert took a long time: I chose a vanilla -raspberry vacherin and peach ice cream, and it was a large meringue -like dessert, like pavlova. After that we did not go to the concert with our friends, but retired to bed. I was feeling sick and tired, in spite of doing nothing all day; when we went to bed we had to put our clocks forward one hour; presumably Greece is one hour ahead of Sicily.

I did not sleep well; fortunately I stopped feeling sick after a while. We were due to meet in the Nautica lounge at 8 am next morning for our Olympia tour.When we meet in the lounge there are lots of people there, and there are 41 people on bus #24! Our tour guide is pretty well – informed, if a rather wheezy and colourful older woman.

We drive for a while to the Olympia site, then get off the bus and walk around the remains of temples, and the stadium. As we go, it warms up and becomes sunny, but with a predicted high of 21°C it does become really hot. More and more tour groups join and we find our leader’s colourful umbrella is a very useful talisman.

It is a really beautiful peaceful site, with fascinating remains of not only the main stadium but several altars too. Sadly it is extremely crowded, and it’s hard to keep sight of our guide, to say nothing of our coach!

We go to a facilities area of the park and use the restroom (it’s fine) and then gather to sample kalamata olives, green olives, olive oil, Greek honey, and Turkish delight. My stomach is a bit upset from last night so I don’t do any sampling. But there’s a fascinating gift shop, and I queue up to buy a €7 T-shirt for a grandson.

By this time there are heaps of people and lots of buses, and some of us lose our guide for a few minutes. When she joins us we walk to the nearby village of Olympia, where there are lots of shops, and we have 30 minutes to browse. JD and I eat an ice cream, and buy presents for our youngest granddaughter- a book and some socks. That should be safe and easy to carry.

We also admire their jewellery, with opals; most of it is quite tasteful but reluctantly we do not buy. The Greek people are lovely, there is no pressure to buy here. I remember to say “efcharisto” which I hope is something like “thank you”.

Then we find our bus and ride back to the ship. There is a delay with boarding, since some passengers are exiting to join a later excursion.  Then we go to have lunch at the Terrace cafe. This time we get our sheltered table outside again. Today’s meat is roast chicken – I get given a wedge with thigh and drumstick

 It not terribly nice, but my filled rolls are pretty tasty. There is a raspberry dessert but it not rice pudding this time. JD finds a yummy chocolate cake. We drink lemonade with fizzy water and ice, a good combination, and finish with coffee.

After lunch I snooze for a bit, and wake up feeling ghastly. Tonight we’re eating at the Polo Grill again. I hope it’s better this time!

Tomorrow, Monemvasia. I had never heard of this place until this cruise, but it turns out to be one of our favourite places. It is in southern Greece, in Laconia.

It is now overcast again, and cooler. We set sail at 5:30 pm, pulling away from the Aida Blu, which apparently is a German cruise ship. They watched intently as we pulled out.

We ate at Polo Grill last night (evening of the day we went to Olympia).  JD was grumpy ! We ordered no appetizers – there were no that we fancied, but the the view was amazing. It was quite chilly there: I was glad of my cream wrap and JD wore the blue Van Gogh scarf we’d bought in Florence. The main courses were good, though: I had lamb (Two double loin chops grilled medium rare) and they brought a very bright green mint jelly (it tasted of mint, although there was no visual evidence of mint, and I suspect that RFK jnr would have been suspicious of the unnatural green dye), and I also ordered French fries and asparagus. JD had a Cobb Salad with grilled tuna, although the tuna was all chopped up.

 He pronounced it very good. And of course he asked for oil and vinegar to go with his bread. The containers came, without tops, and then we’re whisked away again. But our meals tasted good.

I had key lime pie for dessert, and some of those lovely fruit jellies they dish up. But JD was still grumpy; he has annoying hay fever, and I suspect I’d tired of the superficial constant bonhomie, where you’re always “having a great time”. The stories in the news, when we have wi-fi coverage, are alarming, including the growing cases of hantavirus on a cruise ship, and the discovery of a growing ebola outbreak in the DRC in Africa.

Tomorrow we have a shorter excursion to Monemvasia, a last minute inclusion.  We are to meet in the Nautica lounge at 8:30 am.

Nga mihi nui

Cathedral of St Lucia in Syracuse

The walkway to the Island of Ortygia at Syracuse

Mount Etna                                                    

The next day was our tour from Catania, Sketches of Syracuse. The ship docked at Catania, but it was a good hour’s drive to Syracuse or Taormina. We had to meet in the Nautica lounge at 12 noon, much later than our earlier tours.  It was nice to have a relaxing morning, and I spent a lot of time on our veranda, in the sun, viewing Mount Etna, spewing out steam but its upper sloped covered in snow.

We went to the Terrace cafe to get some food to take with us (biscuits and cheese and some fruit, as we’d been advised we could do), but there were no takeaway food containers; JD eventually found some tiny paper napkins that we used. But there were flies buzzing around the uncovered, unwrapped food! That’s disgusting and I certainly wouldn’t expect it on an Oceania cruise. Nevertheless we gathered up some wee sandwiches, crackers and fruit to take with us, and on our way to the lounge we stopped at our stateroom to get a bottle of lemon tea drink out of the fridge.

There were heaps of people in the lounge, I’ve never seen so many, and it seemed we were one of the last groups to leave.  It was a good hour’s drive to Syracuse, and the country looked pretty flat for the most part and fertile. Along the way we passed Pantelica where there were a lot of smokestacks; it was clearly an industrial area.

Eventually we got to Syracuse and stopped at the Archaeological Park. There was a toilet stop – 50 cents, managed by a man eager to collect the money. But the toilets were clean; you couldn’t put toilet paper in the toilet, but there was plenty of it; and you could wash your hands with soap afterwards and dry them on paper towels, which would be given to you.  There was a break of a few minutes here, but I had left my tote bag containing the food on the bus! It was a crowded bus, there were 35 of us! As in the Michael Fowler Centre, you couldn’t cross your legs.

Then we walked down hill to the archaeological area where we saw remains of a large altar, and some amazing caves dug out of a tall cliff face. There was the ear of Dionysus, or Caravaggio’s cave, with amazing acoustics. There were lots of trees, including orange trees. Our guide had spoken of the blood oranges grown in that area.  

She gave us a salad recipe: spring onions, oranges, avocado, and good olive oil. JD won’t eat onions but he wants to try this when we get home.

We climbed up a great many steps to reach some tombs (Byzantine?) in the cliff, and to see the theatre. I was rather disappointed, seeing many modern seats there, and it is still used. It was very hot although there was a breeze sometimes. I think the theatre at Segesta is better preserved; apparently the one at Taormina is very well preserved. Sadly we won’t see that this time – one could choose an excursion to either Syracuse or Taormina, not both, although I really wanted to visit both.

Then we walked back and climbed back on the coach (my tote bag was still there) and drove into the modern town, to visit the island of Ortygia. We walked some way from the bus, then over the bridge, and saw the remains of a temple to Apollo. There was a man in gold representing Apollo with a laurel wreath and a lyre; JD took a photo of me standing beside him.

Then we walked quickly up a narrow street filled with shops and restaurants to get to the town square – the most beautiful town square, according to our guide. There was a cathedral to St Lucia (who had lost her eyes). I would have like to buy a cheeseboard with Sicilian lemons on the ceramic insert, but alas there was no time to stop for shopping; there were so many people there, and our guide moved pretty quickly.

From the square we moved downhill to a different area with a view of the sea, and the fountain of Arethusa.  There was supposed to be a break here for ice cream, coffee, or cannoli, or to go back inside the cathedral, but we were too nervous to go for refreshments; it was quite a long walk back to the bus. I should have gone back to look inside the cathedral (why did we not do so when we were there?)

Instead we were gutless and waited for the group to walk back to the bus. Even using a short cut, it was quite a long walk to the bridge, and then back to our bus. I hoped I would not need the restroom in the meantime; it was a good hour’s drive back to Catania, and we were due to eat at the Polo Grill at 6:30 pm.

Well we got back; somehow this was really tiring, and our guide, who was very excitable, kept changing the plan. There was very little free time, and crowds and crowds of people. It would have been so easy to get lost. I had been really looking forward to this excursion, but I rather wished we had chosen Taormina instead. 

When we got back there was a short break before we were to dine at the Polo Grill. I put on my French linen dress, now beautifully pressed, and some makeup. We were seated at a table at the very back of the ship, overlooking Catania and the smoking Mount Etna as the ship slipped away on the next part of her journey.  I reflected on the fact that we were saying goodbye to beautiful Sicily: who knows if we will come here again? I should certainly like to visit Palermo again, and go to Agrigento, mentioned by several of our guides, and Taormina, to say nothing of Noto, Cefalu and Erice. I think that when doing half-day trips (we did two, Selinunte and Syracuse) you fail to get the sense of the real Sicily we got when we were here in 2010: the intensity of the food and the emotions, the feeling that life is fleeting, and the passion, not quite Spanish but Sicilian.

Dinner was strange . We had shrimp appetizers (3 very large shrimps) with cocktail sauce as advertised but it was really just tomato ketchup, although the menu said it was flavoured with horeseradish. We were given finger bowls with warm water – much appreciated. Then we both ordered their “Surf and Turf” – fillet steak with lobster tail. We asked about mustard, and we’re brought our requests: a jug of Dijon mustard for me, and Colman’s mustard for JD! You really just want a little bit on the side.

 There was commercial bearnaise sauce to go with the lobster, and we’d ordered potato gratin and asparagus sides.  The fillet steak was like a lump!  Not a slice of steak as we would expect. I had committed the cardinal sin of ordering mine medium – well done, since I don’t really like it too pink in the middle. Waiters kept asking if the food was all right, and we assured them it was, although you would expect real, not commercial bearnaise sauce on a cruise like this.

Dessert was better. They brought us apricot and raspberry fruit jellies before dessert – delicious. We each ordered a quartet of the desserts available: key lime pie (actually really yummy), Bailey’s cheesecake, chocolate brownie with ice cream, and Granny Smith apple crumble pie with pouring cream. They were pretty nice.

Today (the next day) we are at sea. Tomorrow, Olympia. Before we retired last night, we were asked to put our watches forward one hour, but although we’d ordered room service breakfast later, it turned up at 6:30 am (7:30 am?)

My phone hasn’t changed the time. Days and hours merge into each other. Internet service was all right in Sicily but is now virtually unobtainable, so I can’t listen to anything. JD has no trouble sleeping, but I miss my podcasts, although I don’t miss being without the news.  It’s cloudy today and not so hot, not warm enough to go on the balcony.  Billy the cruise director made an announcement but it’s gone from being way too loud to being virtually inaudible. So here we are, cocooned, away from reality. It is very strange indeed.

Nga mihi nui

Tunis Cruise Port

Leaving Tunis

Kasbah Square in Tunis

Remains of the Antonine Baths (Roman) in Tunis

This morning we had to meet in the Nautica lounge early at 7:45 am. That meant an extra early start for us, but already the Nautica lounge was full of people. We had ordered breakfast in our stateroom as usual – a Spanish omelette this time (with peppers, not potatoes as I expected) and with 2 small sausages. It was delicious. I had showered already; unusually, they had forgotten JD’s hot water for his tea. I had had very little sleep the night before, so I was pretty tired and anxious.  We had sailed into Tunis that morning, after putting our watches back one hour. It was already quite hot on our balcony, and I was glad I’d brought my muslin top on this trip. It wasn’t a beautiful port as some are, but we are very excited to be in North Africa, at the site of ancient Carthage. As we left the ship our passports were checked, and a New Zealand passport was given the thumbs up.

Our tour guide was very informative. We used no radio transmitters to hear him, which was nice. Although there were other tourist groups, we stayed together, mostly. Tunis seemed quite a prosperous city, and Tunisia (formerly French) quite a modern and free-thinking society, where it was up to an individual to make decisions about keeping one’s head covered, for example, said our retired professor.  Despite that, we saw many women with their heads covered.

There is actually very little left of ancient Carthage. The Romans destroyed most of it, but there are a few Roman remains, including an aqueduct.

The capital city seemed quite modern with a lot of low-rise apartment buildings with very little, if any, landscaping.  There were lots of trees.

Our guide took us first to a children’s cemetery. It was thought that child sacrifice had been carried out, but it seemed that many of the dead infants had been miscarried.

There weren’t many opportunities to take photographs.

Then after looking at a former Punic navy compound  on an island he took us to a Roman baths site. Although this was in ruins it was really interesting, with several columns with Corinthian decorative tops.  It was very dusty and all the buildings had flat rooves, because it never snows here.

We had a toilet stop here – there was a man mopping the wet floor (now why was it wet?); the 4 cubicles had Western style toilets with seats and very good toilet paper, but I don’t think you were meant to put toilet paper in the toilet. It had a modern flush, and you could wash your hands with squeegee soap.

Then the bus took us to the Kasbah Square and we walked to the Medina or souk. He gave us careful warnings about fake goods, and offered to help us negotiate prices.  There were modern government buildings and then we entered the souk, which had very uneven flooring. There were lots of people there. We were in a part that had many jewellery stores, but of course you couldn’t just browse without being hassled. It reminded me of the jewellery for sale in Dubai – very clunky, and not my style at all.

And then came the carpet demonstration. I remembered that JD ‘s sister and her husband had regretted not buying a carpet on one of their trips abroad. We were in some handcraft collective, where we all went upstairs and sat down while they showed us carpets. These were mostly really large, and I doubt that even cruise passengers would buy large carpets (they probably have them already!). We were served some kind of sticky cake in filo pastry with perhaps a honey and date filling, and then wee glasses of sweet black tea. I felt it would have been very impolite to refuse this hospitality.

Well, silly old me, I had my eye on a much smaller carpet, a blue and white one which I admired. The price was not exorbitant, so after haggling a bit, we purchased the carpet and it was wrapped. Two other couples were considering buying large carpets, but did not go ahead. The person wrapping the carpet expected a large tip!

Then we went through more places so we could see intricate Arabic design. The floors were cool marble and it was dark.  I was worried about getting back to our cruise ship in time, for it was to leave for Catania early in the afternoon, but it did not go without us.

When we returned we all wanted lunch, and it was hard to find a free table. But we did, and shared another Steinlager beer and a lovely mixture of lemonade and sparkling water. I had sliced ham, and made filled rolls with ham, cheese and lettuce with dressing .  The best desserts were already gone – it was a bit of a scrum as many people wanted to eat lunch and lunch was finishing.

Then we went to have a rest. Later JD did some washing; our washing from three days ago was returned, washed and ironed! 

The sea was rougher than it had been. We went to the GDR for dinner and had a watermelon starter, “roast” pork with mashed potatoes, apples and sauce: actually it was pork loin steaks but was quite nice; I also ordered ratatouille, but it didn’t taste so good. JD had a glass of Chardonnay too, which we shared.

For dessert we both had raspberry souffle with raspberry sauce, and coffee ice cream. I was surprised to find that the souffle was a hot one, not a cold one. It was very nice!

Then we went to bed, after putting out our breakfast order. Tomorrow we don’t get in to Catania till 11 am, so our tour of Syracuse starts later than usual. We are also booked to eat dinner at the Polo Grill at 6:30 pm, so I hope we get back in time for that.

Nga mihi nui

Ruins at Selinunte Archaeological Park

The remaining temple at Selinunte

On day 2/3 of our cruise we did our second excursion, to the ruins of Selinunte. It was my second choice after Erice – for some reason I’d wanted to go to Selinunte, but it actually wasn’t nearly as good as Paestum. Still as JD said if we hadn’t been to Paestum we would have thought better of this visit. It was quite a long bus trip to get there: we had a woman guide, who was actually very informative. We have radio receivers and earphones. We passed the turnoff to Segesta, where we’ve been before, and although it’s lovely there, we wanted to go somewhere different. But we did not go to the museum, although we went through it; toilet facilities were extremely basic; and there was only one temple standing; the other one, probably unfinished, was just mounds of rubble and what might have been intended to be pillars. We went inside the standing temple, although it’s always a mission to climb the steep and uneven steps to do so. There were no ruins of a city or town as there had been for Paestum. And there were crowds and crowds of people. I think it was a public holiday in Sicily. None of the people we’d been with to Paestum were on this tour – perhaps wisely!

There was a beautiful acropolis that we could see in the distance, too far away to walk to.

Our guide was very informative about the history of Segesta and Selinunte, who although only a few kilometres apart, went to war with each other, and I think Segesta prevailed!

It was a hot and tiring trip, and we went back to the bus early. But it was the wrong set of buses! Ours was some way away. JD thoughtfully waited to show others the way to the right bus, but the guide was upset with us for not keeping with the group!

Here was the full tourist experience, with shops of souvenirs that we were marched through, not that one wanted to buy anything. It’s much more fun to shop when you can browse and choose something at a reasonable price.

Somehow it was very late when we got back to the ship, and we were told that the Terrace cafe was being kept open just for us. So it was a case of going straight there, and grabbing some food. Before eating I went to a public bathroom to wash my hands. Sadly the yummy cold rice pudding with raspberries was not available today. We figured it was rice rather than sago. I had a bread roll with rare roast beef, Dijon mustard and cheese. It was pretty good. Lemonade and coffee completed the meal.

That evening we were to have dinner with our Australian friends, and meet them at 6:30 pm at the GDR. But the food wasn’t great: a very ho-hum crab cake; “roast” beef and a roast potato and vegetable timbale; with a sauce with an unpleasant aftertaste. The best part of the meal was the dessert: baba au rhum! Some tiny baba, beautifully served. Yum!

Then after the guys had a whisky we went to bed – we had an early start the next day. Tunis!

Ngā mihi nui!