travelswithalice
August 31, 2023
Taormina
Tuesday, 29.
The sunrise woke me up. We’re in Taormina.
We changed rooms and changed to a caveman’s diet.
I spent hours on the balcony comparing our ship views with my blog views from last year.
It rained briefly in the afternoon, quickly followed by a rainbow dipped right in front of our balcony.
The captain has warned us about tonight’s sailing. Rough seas. 7 to 9-foot swells. Take your sea sick pills, patches etc before going to bed. All pills available in the pharmacy.
Oh dear. I’ll just take my Virlix and maybe a double dose of Miss Marple. And hope for the best.
August 28, 2023
Siracusa part 2
Monday, 28.
Arriving back in Siracusa at sunrise.
Beautiful Ortigia hotel, Ortea Palace, as seen from the water.
August 27, 2023
Malta
Saturday, 26.
Left Gozo 2pm, arrived Valletta 3pm.
I didn’t see anything of Gozo and not much of Valletta either. Totally slayed, and I don’t mean impressed, by the 33 degree heat.
Were the noonday cannons signalling a war or an oncoming pirate attack, I wouldn’t have budged from my position sitting stock-still, hugging my water bottle on a bench in the shade of a tree in the Upper Barrakka Gardens.
Leaving Malta
Siracusa
Friday, 25.
First order of business, lunch at Sicilia in Tavola on Via Cavour. We loved this cozy family-run restaurant last year and were eager to go back for their grilled fish and nice Sicilian wine. Very disappointed to see the sign saying they don’t serve lunch during July and August.
We liked the look of a place called Scialai further up the street. It was an excellent choice. Finally got the fresh mussels I’ve been dreaming of since we started the cruise and realised all the shellfish served on board are frozen.
Mussels and caponata, followed by cannoli and a glass of Malvasia. Fabulous!
The owner spoke no English but tried, with loud exclamations and elaborate hand gestures, to explain what the restaurant’s name meant.
He said, “You say, Che bello! Ma scialai!”
I guess I got the drift but I still want a literal translation.
After lunch, we headed for the cathedral. As we reached Piazza Minerva, I realised I was missing my sunglasses. Stuart went back to the restaurant in case I had left them there. No luck.
Strange, I thought. I was sure I had them on when we left the ship that morning. Too bad.
The Cathedral of Siracusa is a marvel of Doric architecture embellished with Sicilian Baroque.
Believed to have been built as a temple to Diana, it really does feel more like a temple than a church. Massive, stout, solid. It has a hushed almost ghostly ancient feel.
We were hot and tired and wishing to be back in the cool of the ship. It meant a detour, but we just had to drop in first at Orteo Palace for sharbat.
It was so worth the detour! Having been welcomed heartily at the hotel and given drinks on the house, we were reenergised and refreshed enough to enjoy the walk back to the ship.
Before going to bed, I said good night to the moon. It shone bright over the Strait of Sicily as it waxed gloriously towards Wednesday’s Super Blue Moon.
_____
N.B.
I have to make a note here about my lost sunglasses.
As we got back on board, I remembered that our waiter at lunch had told us that the corner table we were sitting at was the hottest place in the room. We then moved to another table.
So we asked the ship’s receptionist to call the restaurant to explain what had happened and ask them to try looking again.
Yes, they’ve found it!
Nuno dispatched someone on his staff to go and get it. But by the time he got there, the restaurant had already closed for the afternoon.
That evening, Nuno himself went to retrieve the sunglasses.
Unbelievable!
I was mortified.
And that, my dear diary, is the incredible tale of how my very ordinary sunglasses came into prominence and notoriety on the good ship Navigator.
August 25, 2023
Parked in the Mediterranean Sea.
Thursday, 24.
They’ve stopped the ship in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The ship owners are on board. The family occupy the cabins on either side of us. Owner Mario Ferreira and wife in one and daughters in the other.
Looks like fun but no, I’m not getting in. Tea looks more my cup of.
Of course, meeting the owner’s wife later as she came back on board, dripping glamour and sea water, saying it was wonderful and I should’ve gone in too, I wondered if in fact I should have…
After dinner, the ship’s crew put on a show. A most enjoyable evening!
Pretty Kadek doing a Balinese dance.
Janelle with Albert and Joseph.
After the show with Mark, Sheena, April, and Michael.
August 24, 2023
Gallipoli, Puglia
Wednesday, 23.
We were driven in 3 coaches from Gallipoli to Lecce for a gala dinner in beautiful Torre del Parco.
It was an interesting hour-long drive through the countryside dotted with trulli, the dry stone field shelters with conical roofs that feature prominently in this agricultural landscape.
However, the more significant feature that blighted the landscape and made my heart break was what has been called “olive tree cemeteries”. Row upon row of dead and dying olive trees.
A bacterium called xylella is killing precious olive trees all across Southern Italy and is threatening those in Greece and Spain as well. The deadly disease has been called olive tree cancer and to this day, there is no known cure.
Our tour guide gave an optimistic ending to this sad tale though.
A strange thing is happening, she said. A miracle. There are dead trees that seem to be sprouting new life. And there is hope that maybe the new growth is not infected too.
I do love happy endings!
We arrived back on board at 10 to a beautiful moon and a lovely dessert buffet. They really do know how to spoil guests on this ship!
Butrint, Albania
Tuesday, 22.
We had booked a tour for 8.30 in the morning, a shock to my system. Even the crew was shocked to see me up so early. To ensure that I was ready for what the ship’s guidance on tours called “Active”, I had set my alarm for 6:30.
Because our ship happened to pass by Corfu, my phone picked up a signal from Greece and shifted to Greek time. So my 6:30 alarm went off at 5:30!
Our tour was conducted by Auron Tare, a prominent Albanian public figure in government, journalism, and archeological exploration, who for many years has actively championed the preservation of Albania's rich cultural heritage. He was one of the founders of Butrint National Park and its first director.
It was for me one of the highlights of the cruise. I was totally energised and completely spellbound. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm far exceeded my physical capabilities. Towards the very end of the tour, I took a separate, less demanding route and struck up an interesting and more leisurely conversation with a like-minded dropout.
Monopoli
Dubrovnik
August 23, 2023
Šibernik
Saturday, 19.
On Kanal-Luka, a scenic strait linking Šibernik Bay to the Adriatic Sea.
Captain’s Cocktail Reception
Friday, 18.
At the Captain’s Cocktail Reception.
With Nuno da Silva, the Navigator’s Hotel Manager, the man responsible for what may well be one of the most pleasurable, most efficiently run hotels at sea.
Pula, Istria
Thursday, 17.
The arena beckoned to us from a distance across the water while we were at lunch. It wasn’t until much later, after the early excursionists had come back, that we decided to catch the 4:20 tender to shore.
We were tailed by paparazzi from the ship: Sheena and Dave. 😊
Pula Arena vies for attention with other Roman amphitheatres still in use today. It’s up there with all the majestic relics of antiquity like the Colosseum of Rome, the Verona Arena, and the Arles Amphitheatre.
The amphitheater stands close to the shore, its three-tiered limestone walls and four towers elegant and tall.
I had initially planned to get entry tickets to see what it’s like inside. But there really is no need to enter. Unlike the Verona Arena, this one is open all around.
Sadly, there isn’t much left inside the walls, most of the stones having been appropriated by early inhabitants for building their homes.
It’s known to have kept intact the three orders of Roman architecture so I’m scrutinising the photos I took hoping to recognise which orders they are.
It must be quite an experience to be here for a performance having glimpses of the sea in the background.
Rovinj, Istria
Wednesday, 16.
In the morning, I awoke at dawn to find we had arrived in Rovinj.
After a breakfast of champions that by rights should’ve readied me to explore Rovinj, I found I was content to watch fishing boats come in escorted by flocks of hungry birds.
In the afternoon, kayaking in the brilliant blue waters of the Adriatic was an attractive option. But not for me.
Epicurean Expedition
Tuesday, August 15.
On the evening of the new moon, we start our 12-night Venice to Valletta “Epicurean Expedition” on board the World Navigator. Stuart and I are very excited. We like the cruise profile.
Small craft (they call it a yacht), less than 200 passengers (on this voyage, maybe 106), no slot machines, no stage shows, no water slides.
This is what carrier Atlas Ocean Voyages promises:
World Navigator was conceived with the sensibilities of an explorer — one who believes the world is best experienced up close, while still leaving the destination untouched. Launching in 2021, this vessel realizes the possibilities of environmental stewardship with a propeller-less hybrid propulsion system and anchor-less positioning, both designed to leave the marine environment undisturbed.
This is how you can best enjoy the world and protect it for others. And as the expedition-style World Navigator quietly nestles into the amazing, remote and rugged locations on your itinerary, you’ll wonder why anyone would roam any other way.
From the moment we stepped off the water taxi at San Basilio in Venice, the very efficient Atlas Ocean Voyages staff were on hand to breeze us through the check-in procedure.
We were sipping champagne and being welcomed on board in no time at all.
Shortly after 6, a tug and a pilot escorted us out of the Venetian Lagoon as we set sail for Croatia.
Later, as we sat down to dinner, the setting sun drew calligraphy in the sky.
August 16, 2023
Verona
Monday, 14.
Via Sottoriva is a medieval cobblestone road with a long dark arcade running along one side and the Adige River on the other.
It has an away from it all atmosphere, quiet, shady, a great place to go for a meal or a drink or just for a sweet. This was where, years ago, we first saw horsemeat on the menu.
At the osteria on the corner closest to Due Torri, at the back of Church of Sant’ Anastasia, we’ve now discovered our new favourite dessert: sbrisolona.
It’s a dry almond cake which you dip in passito (sweet wine) or grappa. We can never remember the name, nor can we pronounce it. We just point to it on the menu.
Saturday, 12.
Madama Butterfly at Arena di Verona was a very special treat for us as we had only decided to go to Verona two days before. Milan had seemed too crowded and somehow sadly uninteresting.
We got last minute tickets to the opera without even checking who was going to be in it. What a fabulous surprise it was to find we had lucked out with major stars Aleksandra Kurzak as Cio-cio san and husband Roberto Alagna as Pinkerton. I loved Kurzak as Juliette here in 2012. Alagna of course is considered one of the greatest tenors of our time.
We ended the evening with drinks at the hotel bar. Franco presented us with special snacks and stories about his 40 years as bartender at Due Torri.
Friday, August 11.
I thought I’d found another one of my smart discoveries- like Barchessa di Villa Pisani… Hotel Trieste looked really nice in pictures. Quirky, artsy, edgy. Booking.com rated it “Fabulous”.
Sadly, it turned out to be another one of my ill-advised recommendations. So after one night there, we moved to our longtime favourite Due Torri Hotel.
And so, happily we’re once again in a place we love.
August 13, 2023
Reentering EU
Thursday, 10.
On the train to Verona.
Monday, August 7.
We leave England for Italy for the remaining days of our 90-day stay in Europe.
Flying from Heathrow to Milan Linate on BA570.
At Hyatt Centric Milan, our room’s best feature is the view of the beautiful Bosco Verticale building.
The hotel has just reopened their newly renovated, very pretty, very green rooftop bar, Organics.
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