Last night on Celebrity and Off to Rome!

September 17/24

This morning we are leaving Celebrity and staying three nights in Rome before we head home.  Yesterday there were celebrations as our cruise was coming to an end.

There was always a great show in the Martini Bar.

The staff parading around the deck as we all clap.

Lounging by the pool…

Staff parading through the dining room as we all show our appreciation for all the good service.

Dress up night and picture with the captain.  There is a slight resemblance to George Clooney don’t you think?

The next morning we take the shuttle which we think will drop us off at the entrance to the Cruise Terminal where we have arranged to catch a shuttle to Vatican City which is supposed to be near our accommodation, Sophie’s Choice.  Problem is we are on the wrong shuttle and end up at the train station.  Good thing we are early and have lots of time but it costs us 20€ to take a taxi to the spot we are supposed to be in.  The shuttle finally comes and it’s about an hour to get in to Rome.  It’s starting to rain.  It’s only a 10 minute walk to our hotel which is great and the owner meets us.  The building is over 100 years old but it seems lovely. Lots of restaurants and shops around.

This is our elevator.  We are on the 5th floor so very happy to have it.  We both fit in with our luggage but no room for anything else.  There is quite a procedure to running the elevator but I think we can manage it.

This is the view from our window.  With parking at a premium note the cute little Fiat and Citroen on the bottom left. So cute!

We get settled in to our new home and then check out the neighborhood.  This restaurant was recommended to us and it was great.

The ravioli was delicious and of course the mandatory glass of red wine.

After lunch we decide to go to St. Peter’s Square to see the Vatican as Diane has a tour here in a couple of days.

We walk around and then buy some cheese, olives, salami and chips and go back “home”.  We plan on an early start tomorrow seeing the hi lites of Rome.

Kotor, Montenegro

September 10/24

Today we arrive in Montenegro at 8:00 am.  It’s beautiful. High mountains meet the sea.  Small villages dot the shoreline.  We arrive in Kotor where we have to tender to the port.  There is one other cruise ship in the port.

We are met by our guide who takes us to our bus.  We pass the old city walls 

and see a church far up the mountain.  

We start up this mountain road that turns in to a single lane winding up the mountain.  28 switchbacks.  The view is amazing.  

You can see the road below with these tight switchbacks.

We stop at a small restaurant in the village of Njegusi to have a snack.  This consists of fresh bread with sliced meat and cheese.  We also have a beverage and I have a glass of white wine even though it’s not even noon but I’m not driving!

Here you can barely make out the old trail that was the only way down to get groceries and supplies.  It took two hours down and two hours back and you had to pack what you needed.  Not for the faint of heart!

We then continue to Trojica, one of Montenegro’s oldest settlements.  They get a lot of snow up here whereas in Kotor they never get snow, frost or ice.  Trojica is at 3000 feet above sea level.  We then head back down to sea level to Budva. 

We head to the old town which is charming.  Diane and I decide to walk the old city wall before meeting the group for lunch at a local restaurant.

We have pork steak filled with smoked ham and cheese.  A cold beer goes with it. 

We head back to Kotor but there’s bad traffic and it takes much longer.  Unfortunately this cuts into the time we hoped to tour Kotor.  We do manage a half hour and see the town square with a very old church built in 1166.  They had a severe quake here back in 1979 which did quite a bit of damage.

It’s now raining lightly as we head back to catch our tender back to the ship.  Lovely day.

Messina, Sicily

September 12/24

Today we dock in Messina, Sicily at 8:00 am.  We have an excursion to Taormina. It’s a small town approximately one hour drive from Messina. 

After we arrive we make our way to a terrace where we can see Mt. Etna.  Mt. Etna is a live volcano and we are able to see it before the clouds cover it.

We pass through the walls to the old town.  A wonderful selection of shops, restaurants and accommodations..

Beautiful lanes going off in all directions.

One is barely wide enough to walk through. 

We visit the public gardens. So cooling.  Lots of beautiful plants and several types of cactus.

Beautiful view.

On our way back to the bus we stop for pistachio gelato and also pop in to a chocolate shop and sample lemon coconut chocolate. Fantastic!

We then board the bus for the hours drive back to Messina. We decide to go see the cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption and the clock tower. We also see the monumental Orion Fountain.

We then stop at a restaurant and have bruschetta with capers and anchovies.  A nice local beer to wash it down then it’s all aboard the ship. We leave port at 5:30.

Sea day

September 11/24

It’s a sea day today as we venture toward Sicily.  Nice weather, smooth seas. It’s nice to relax and not have to rush in the morning.  Had a great dinner (chateau briand), saw a great impersonator do Aretha Franklin and went swimming in the pool.  It was so crowded with everyone onboard that we had trouble finding chaise lounges earlier in the day. 

Dress up night.

Split

September 9/24

This morning we dock in Split at 8:30.  The weather forecast does not seem favourable however we hope to see some of Split before the rains.

There is a beautiful three masted ship in dock.  There are also many cruise ships so we expect it to be crowded.  Luckily we can just walk in to town from our ship.

First we go to The Palace of Diocletian which is on the list of World Heritage sites.

We have our picture taken with a couple of Roman soldiers (students).

We then start going down the maze of side streets with lots of shops and restaurants.  We find gelato and the salted caramel is so good.

The rain picks up and we head back to the ship. We are soaked by the time we get there but it’s warm out 24 degrees so not too bad.

Off to have lunch then find a quiet place on the ship to curl up with our books.  Then dinner at 6, entertainment in the theatre at 7 or 9 depending how long dinner takes, then off to bed.  We’re off to Kotor, Montenegro tomorrow and the weather looks promising.