Italy and the Greek Islands 2012

Italy and the Greek Isles

September 28-October 16, 2012

Our much anticipated return to Italy and Greek Islands began Friday, September 28 with uneventful flights from Houston to Toronto on United and nonstop to Rome on Air Canada.  A reprise of our China trip, we were traveling with Leon and Pam, our long-time friends and partners in travel.

The Baths of Diocletian in Rome

Rome Adventure

    We arrived around 9 a.m., tired but excited, and were waved through Italian Passport Control into Leonardo di Vinci Airport. We carried our suitcases up to level 2 to board the Leonardo Express, running approximately every 30 minutes between the airport and the Termini, the central train station, in Rome.  A ticket costs 11 Euros and must be validated at the machine at the end of the platform.  A mid-morning arrival meant that our train wasn’t too crowded and we watched the scenery as we passed the ancient Roman walls that surround the city and headed into the chaotic Termini.

    Off the train, we headed to the Marsala exit.  A left turn outside the station and then a right on Via Vecchia by the church and we were just a few blocks from the Hotel Canada.  We had stayed at this comfortable and friendly hotel three years ago and found it just as welcoming this time.  Although our room wasn’t as large as our first stay, it was well appointed and we settled in quickly.  Revived by pizzas at a restaurant near the hotel, we headed to the Baths of Diocletian just a few blocks away.

     The baths, which could accommodate 3,000 bathers at a time, were built around A.D. 300 by the Emperor Diocletian. We toured the museum and the adjoining Santa Maria della Vittoria, which was once the great central hall of the baths.  Today, the church houses several important works of art, including Bernini’s statute, the swooning St. Theresa in Ecstasy.

    After visiting the baths, exhaustion set in, so we returned to the hotel for a glass of wine and snacks.  We loved the Hotel Canada’s cocktail hour where guests gather on comfortable sofas in a homey setting and enjoy free snacks and drinks (for purchase but much cheaper than nearby restaurants).  We dined at Mama Angela’s nearby.  Bill and I had eaten here on our previous trip and found it as good as before.  The veal and the house red wine were both delicious.

   Sunday morning, we enjoyed a great breakfast at the Hotel Canada before heading out in search of our Roma Passes.  We had intended to purchase them the night before but tired out before doing so.  Now, we found that the Tabacchi (tobacco) shops that normally sell the passes were all closed.  We finally bought them at the Termini’s Visitor Information Center.  The passes are a great value at $30 Euros.  You get free entrance into your first two attractions and deep discounts at those thereafter.  Public transportation is included in the pass.  You validate them by writing your name and the date on the back and then using them at your first venue or Metro stop.  We boarded the Metro at the Termini and rode it to the Colosseum where the passes allowed us bypass the incredibly long line and head straight in. 

The Colosseum represents Rome at its grandest.

    The Colosseum was built in A.D. 80, when the Roman Empire was at its peak. The Flavian Amphitheatre (its real name) was an arena for gladiators and public spectacles and could accommodate 50,000 roaring fans.  The Romans pioneered the use of concrete and the rounded arch, which allowed them to build on this scale.  The stadium was inaugurated with a 100-day festival during which 2,000 men and 9,000 animals were killed. It originally had a canvas roof made of sails that could be drawn to protect the audience from the hot Roman sun. 

    Just outside the Colosseum stands the Arch of Constantine.  It marks the military coup in A.D. 312 when Emperor Constantine defeated Maxentius in the Battle of Milivian Bridge, making Christianity a mainstream religion in the western world.

    Our Colosseum entry on the Roma Pass also included entry to Palatine Hill, so we headed there next.  Palatine Hill provides great insights into Roman history.  It includes the huts of Romulus and Remus, the Imperial Palace, a view of the Circus Maximus and much more.  After climbing a long hill, you come first to the Imperial Palace, the residence of emperors for three centuries.  The palace was built by Emperor Domitian in about A.D. 81 and it is enormous.  Later, you arrive at an archeological site purported to be the huts of Romulus and Remus from about 850 B.C. 

    From the heights of Palatine Hill, we descended into the Roman Forum, the city’s ancient political, religious and commercial center.  The tour begins at the Arch of Titus, commemorating the Roman victory over the province of Judea in A.D. 70.  From there, we walked down the Via Sacra into the Forum where on our right we saw the enormous hall of justice, the Basilica of Constantine.  The original building stood 130 feet high and was longer than a football field.  Strolling through the Forum, we came to the Temple of Julius Caesar, where Caesar’s body was burned after his assassination in 44 B.C.  Before mounting the long staircase out of the Forum, we saw the Arch of Septimius Severus commemorating the emperor’s battles in Mesopotamia and the columns of the Temple of Saturn, the Forum’s oldest temple built in 497 B.C. 

The bronze statue of the She-Wolf suckling twins Romulus and Remus.

     We trudged up steep a staircase out of the Forum and into Capitol Hill’s main square.  Originally a site of temples to the gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, the square was transformed by Michelangelo in the 16^th century from pagan to papal.       

    The highlight of the square is the Capitoline Museum.  We climbed to the top of the museum for a magnificent city view and lunch in the café to rest our tired feet.  Afterwards, we toured the museum to see the original bronze statue of the She-Wolf suckling twins Romulus and Remus.  Among the other famous works are the Spinario, a bronze work of a boy extracting a thorn from his foot.

    Down the hill and around the corner, we stopped to see the famous Victor Emmanuel Monument—a site we had seen many times from a distance but never up close.  This monument to Italy’s first king built to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Italy’s unification in 1870 is also affectionately dubbed “the typewriter” or the “wedding cake” by locals.  The 43-foot-long statue of the king of the horse out front is the largest equestrian statue in the world.

The chains the held St. Peter are on display.

    Our final stop of the day was at St. Peter-in-Chains, founded in A.D. 440, the church built to house the chains that held the apostle Peter during his imprisonment in Rome.  There are two sets of chains linked together—one set held Peter when he and Paul were in the Mamertine Prison in Rome, and the other dates from when Herod jailed Peter in Jerusalem. According to the legend, the two chains were miraculously joined when they arrived at the church.  The church also houses Michelangelo’s Moses, depicting Moses’ face when he returned from his meeting with God.

     Exhausted, we made our way down the steep stairs to the Metro stop and back to the Hotel Canada.  Many of the restaurants were closed in the area, but we found a small place two blocks away that served excellent pizza and salads.

      Monday, we had tickets for the Vatican Museum at 10 a.m.  We arrived right on time and began our tour with the beautifully decorated papal apartments, ending with the Sistine Chapel.  The Sistine Chapel, which is the personal chapel of the pope and is where new popes are elected, contains Michelangelo’s ceiling and huge Last Judgment.  The chapel is magnificent and would be very moving if it wasn’t filled wall-to-wall with tourists.  After the chapel, we perused several other wings of the museum, including a new area filled with incredible sculptures.

    On our way from the museum to the Vatican, we spotted a McDonald’s sign and lunch was immediately ordered.  We gorged on Big Mac’s and McRoyals (the European version of the Quarter Pounder with Cheese) fries and Cokes. 

St. Peter's Square is set up for the Pope's Sunday Mass.

    Afterwards, we entered St. Peter’s Square with its ring of columns symbolizing the arms of the church, welcoming everyone.  No matter how many times you visit the Basilica is awe-inspiring.  We stopped first at the far right entrance to view the Holy Door, opened only during Holy Years (every 25 years).  It was last opened in 1999.  Inside, the church is huge—two football fields long, it has a capacity of 60,000 worshippers.  The beautiful Pieta, Michelangelo’s statue of Mary carrying the dead body of Christ, is now behind glass but is nonetheless a masterpiece.  It is the artist’s only signed work. 

    After exploring the inside of the Basilica, we took the elevator to the dome where we looked down on a service being conducted.  It was magical.  Outside, the dome, we were on St. Peter’s rooftop where we had a commanding view of the square and all of Rome. By then, our feet were aching, so we headed back to the hotel. 

    Dinner was a special treat.  We visited the Trattoria dell ‘Omo located at Via Vicenza 18 near our hotel.  A true family restaurant, we were greeted by Mama who spoke no English but proudly showed us the dishes she had prepared for the evening.  She then brought us a carafe of  red table wine.  The food was basic Italian home cooking—delicious!  Her son arrived a bit later.  He spoke English fairly well and was very helpful.  At the end of the meal, Bill went back to thank the cook for a great meal and was rewarded with a huge hug from Mama.

    Our last full day in Rome began with news of a Metro strike and streets filled with cars. This was the day when we had planned to cover all the remaining top sites, and now it would have to be on foot.  We started at the National Museum of Rome, the home of major Greek and Roman statues that were formerly scattered in other museums around town.  We especially enjoyed this museum both for the quality of the artifacts but also for the descriptions which told us about hairstyles and fashions of the time.

The Cappuccin Crypt holds the bones of more than 4,000 friars.

    Afterwards, we set off across the city, stopping for lunch in the Piazza Barberini.  Then, we headed up the Via Veneto to the Cappuccin Crypt below the Church of Santa Maria della Immacolata Concezione.  The crypt is decorated with the bones of more than 4,000 friars who died between 1528 and 1870.  As you enter the crypt, you are reminded that “we were what you are...you will become what we are now.”

    Our next stop was the Spanish Steps, which is named for the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican which has stood there for 300 years.  Hundreds of people hang out at the steps each day.  On this particular day, we witnessed a fight between a man and a woman which started with a screaming match and ended with the woman storming away while the man chased her.  The Sinking Boat Fountain, at the foot the steps, was built by Bernini, or his father, Pietro, and is powered by a Rome famous aqueduct system.

    We relaxed our feet with a stop for gelato and then found our way to the Trevi Fountain where all of Rome’s tourists seemed to have congregated.  Completed in 1762 by Nicola Salvi, this Baroque fountain also used the Roman aqueduct system for its water supply.  We enjoyed the quiet of the beautiful church on the corner by the fountain and the view from its porch.

    A brief shower sent us looking for cover and we ducked into the beautiful Loyola church.  It was an amazing find, hidden on a back street with incredible art and soaring ceilings.  The churches of Rome never cease to amaze us.

    Our final stop of the day was at the Pantheon.  Formerly a Roman temple dedicated to all of the gods, the original temple was built in 27 B.C. by Augustus Agrippa.  The structure currently in place was rebuilt by the Emperor Hadrian around A.D. 120. It is the oldest religious building still in continuous use. Its dome was used as the model for all the other domes that came later.  A marvel of engineering, the dome is as high as it is wide—142 feet from floor to rooftop and from side to side.  The base of the dome is 23 feet thick and made from heavy concrete mixed with travertine, while near the top, it is less than five feet thick and made from a lighter volcanic rock with pumice mixture.  The coffered ceiling reduces the weight of the dome without compromising its strength.

    Leaving the Pantheon, we found a cab and seized upon it to take us back to the hotel.  It was a crazy ride through the tiny back alleys of Rome.  We breathed a sigh of relief when we arrived. Dinner was al fresco at a small trattoria on the corner.

    On Wednesday, October 3, it was time to board the ship.  We boarded the train at the Termini and for 4 Euros, made our way to Civitavecchia, Rome’s port, about an hour away.  No cabs were available when we arrived at the station, so we walked a few blocks to the port entrance and caught a shuttle to the Crown Princess.  A few minutes later, we were on the ship, enjoying an upgrade to our first mini-suite.  

Florence and Pisa

    After a restful day at sea, we arrived in Livorno, gateway to Florence and Tuscany. Florence means “the Flowering” and the city is aptly named.  The famous Duomo, designed by Filippo Brunelleshi, symbolizes the wealth and power of Florence as the jewel of the Renaissance.  Outside the Duomo is Giotto’s Campanile, or Bell Tower, and in front is the Baptistry, decorated with white and green marble. 

Michelangelo's David is perhaps the world's most famous statue.

    We began with a short walking tour, we visited the Accademia, which houses Michelangelo’s original David.  The statue is magnificent; however, Bill commented that his hands and feet were much too big.  From the Accademia, we walked through the Piazza della Signoria, the heart of Florence.  In front of the old palace are copies of several famous statues, including David and Donatello’s Florentine Lion.  We walked past the Uffizi Gallery to view the Ponte Vecchio, a 14^th century bridge spanning the Arno River. 

    After lunch at an Italian restaurant, we shopped in the International Market before heading to Pisa to see the famous leaning tower.

    Pisa once competed with Venice and Genoa for rule of Mediterranean trade.  Now, it’s just a sleepy town that is overwhelmed with tourists due to its leaning bell tower.  The best known buildings in Pisa are gathered in the “Field of Miracles,” and include the Cathedral, Baptistry and the Campanile.  This Campanile is the world-famous Leaning Tower, which is now inclined 14 feet due to settling topsoil.  The entire area is surrounded by markets selling cheap goods and panhandling Gypsies.

Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast

    The next morning, we arrived in gritty but beautiful Naples, our springboard to the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii.  After boarding the bus, we headed south along the winding coastline toward Sorrento and south to Amalfi and ending in Salerno.  The twists and turns, the incredible views of the Bay of Naples and the coastline further south kept us oohing and aahing all morning.  We stopped for an hour in the town of Amalfi which is situated at the mouth of a deep gorge.  Once a powerful center of trade, Amalfi is now a touristy town of shops and boutiques.  Our lunch stop was at a rooftop restaurant in Salerno overlooking the beach a few miles away.

The head of a statue looks out of Pompeii's ruins.

    The rest of the afternoon was devoted to the ruins of Pompeii.  Pompeii and the neighboring town of Herculaneum were destroyed and buried by a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. which killed more than 20,000 people.  The eruption stopped life in its tracks and a visit to Pompeii shows us much about life 2,000 years ago.  The shops and stores reveal a fascinating glimpse into commercial life while the homes show us about daily life.  Deep ruts are cut in the stones where carts and chariots wore away the pavement.  There are also plaster casts of several bodies that have been preserved at the site.  Most sad was the cast of a pregnant woman captured in the throes of death.

Santorini, Greece

    Our first stop in the Greek Islands was beautiful Santorini.  The Crown Princess dropped anchor in what was once the caldera of the volcano, Thera, which erupted in 1600 B.C.  Many believe Santorini to be the lost continent of Atlantis; however, that theory is much disputed since Atlantis was supposed to be in the Atlantic Ocean. 

The views from Santorini are unparalleled.

    Nevertheless, the eruption gave Santorini its “fishhook shape” and formed the high cliffs on which towns like Fira and Oia sit.  Looking up at the cliffs to Fira, it is easy to see the levels of volcanic debris laid down by each eruption of the volcano.  Santorini sits on the same fault line as the infamous Stromboli, Vesuvia and Etna and had its last eruption in 1948. 

    The views from Fira are unparalleled.  After catching the cable cars from the bottom, we walked along the edges, taking pictures of the dramatic views that appeared with each turn.  Returning to the center of Fira, we shopped and stopped for pizza at a restaurant overlooking our ship below.  Late in the afternoon, Pam and I sat in the pool on the back of the ship and marveled at this incredible place and how lucky we were to be there.

Athens

    Our arrival in Piraeus, the port for Athens, was preceded by concerns due to an unscheduled visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel the next day.  In anticipation of riots protesting Greek austerity measures, the ship cancelled a number of tours that featured the center of Athens and passengers were discouraged from going ashore independently.

    Our tour went off as planned.  We left at 7 a.m. and actually drove through Parliament Square, which was peaceful and quiet.  We stopped at the Olympic Stadium, the sight of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.  Then, we headed to the Acropolis, which dominates the Athens skyline.  A steep walk up 80 steps takes you to the Propylea, which leads to the Parthenon, the Erectheion and the Porch of the Caryatids. 

This was our second visit to the Acropolis, but once again, we were awed by this incredible group of structures.  Equally moving, is the enormous rock just below the Acropolis where the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenians, bringing Christianity to Greece for the first time.  

The Parthenon draws huge crowds.

    After the Acropolis, we spent some time shopping in the Plaka.  This 19^th century shopping district at the foot of the Acropolis is lined with restaurants, shops and boutiques.  We then boarded our bus to leave central Athens, watching as the Police closed the streets behind us in anticipation of riots. 

    We stopped for lunch at the Metropolitan Hotel on a busy thoroughfare.  It was your typical tour buffet lunch with reasonably good Greek food.  We then headed to the Temple of Poseidon outside of Athens.  In this part of the tour, the journey is really the destination.  The road follows the beautiful coastline to the tip of Cape Sounion.      

    The Temple, built in the 5^th century BC, sits on the tip of the cape overlooking the sea.  Supposedly, the changing light and crashing waves once inspired Lord Byron.  For us, it was a beautiful stop but with difficult walking over jagged rocks.

The Temple of Poseidon overlooks Cape Sounion.

    After the Temple, we headed back to the ship. On the way, our guide shared interesting information on the Greek protests.  She explained that unemployment in the country is over 25 percent and is even higher for young people.  Most college graduates cannot find jobs.  In addition, salaries have been slashed.  For example, a school teacher with 10 years of experience now makes only about 580 Euros per month.  The average rent for an apartment in Athens is 4-500 Euros monthly.  So while we were under the impression that the rioting had to do with people not wanting to give up their incredibly generous benefits such as 6 weeks of vacation and early retirement, the protest is actually about salaries and unemployment.  We saw evidence of the economic problems everywhere we went, from closed businesses to shuttered resorts.

    We arrived back at Piraeus and rejoined the ship late in the afternoon.  The sail-away from this busy port is particularly interesting as we shared the facilities with huge tankers and dozens of ferries.  Our departure at sunset was an impressive sight.

A local Mykonos resident make her way home

Mykonos, Greece

    Our first visit to Mykonos three years ago inspired us to take this cruise.  One of the most idyllic Greek Isles, the narrow winding streets of shops and restaurants overlooking the sea and the whitewashed cube-shaped houses with their colorful doors and shutters give the place a charm unlike any other place on earth.  Mykonos town sits around a harbor where fishermen bring their catch each morning.  Around the bend is Little Venice.  During the 16^th and 17^th century, pirating was common and it is believed this area was used for the necessary quick loading and unloading of goods.  There are a large number of Greek Orthodox churches, but also a surprising number of Catholic chapels that hark back to days when Mykonos was part of the Venetian Republic.  

The windmills are Mykonos' most recognized landmark.

    The windmills have been the most recognized landmark of Mykonos since the 16^th century.  Due to its geographic position, Mykonos was situated on major sea trade routes.  The need to refine grain and compact it for transport combined with a year round supply of wind, made Mykonos the perfect location for this operation.  The windmills that are left are just a fraction of what was once a thriving industry on the island.

Petros, the giant pelican, is the mascot of Mykonos.

    Once again, we enjoyed shopping and roaming the back streets.  We lunched in Little Venice, climbed up to the windmills and had a great visit with Petros, the mascot of Mykonos.  This time, the giant pelican was with a local friend who demonstrated how he could put his head inside the bird’s mouth and how he keeps Petros’ beak in fine condition. 

Katakolon (for Olympia) Greece

    The next morning, we docked in Katakolon, a quaint fishing village on the Peloponnese Peninsula in western Greece.  Katakolon is the gateway to exploring the birthplace of the Olympic Games in Olympia.  Like most of the cruisers, we booked a tour to visit the ancient Olympic facilities.

    The games at Olympia were held every four years beginning around 776 B.C.—a tradition that lasted more than 1,100 years.  The games were held in honor of Zeus, father of the god, during July or August at the full moon.  The Temple of Zeus was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. While they lasted only five days, athletes prepared for years to compete in the events. 

    The religious aspects of the games declined once the Romans took over and were stopped altogether after 393 A.D.  The site was abandoned and fell into ruin.  An earthquake in the 6^th century further damaged the site and it was only rediscovered in the 18^th century. 

The ruins of the Olympic gymnasium are massive.

    Today, the excavations are impressive and tourists can wander among the ruins imagining what it must have been like to compete in such a magnificent facility.  Most impressive, is the Olympic Stadium where more than 40,000 spectators witnessed contests ranging from foot races to the pentathlon.  After nearly 1,500 years, the 2004 Olympic Games held the shot-put contest here.  The games were resumed in 1896 when they were resurrected in Athens.  Since then, the torch bearers return to Olympia to ignite the flame, which is then carried to the site of the games.

    After visiting the Olympic site and the adjacent Archeological Museum, we enjoyed a traditional Greek lunch at a lovely hotel.  We spent a little time shopping in the town of Olympia.  A small Greek town, it clearly showed the ravages of the economic crisis with a large hotel that was closed and a number of closed businesses. 

Corfu, Greece

    Our last stop in Greece was on the beautiful island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea.  So different from the other Greek Islands which are made from volcanic rock, Corfu is lush and fertile.  Olive trees are everywhere, and olive oil is a principal export.

Achilleion Palace was built for Empress Elizabeth of Austria.

    Our first stop was at Achilleion Palace, originally designed as a villa in 1890 for the Empress of Austria.  Empress Elizabeth, or Sissi, was a Bavarian princess who married Franz Josef.  She found court life stuffy, so she spent years travelling and vacationing in beautiful places like Corfu, where she built a palace.  The Palace gardens are filled with statues and flowers and the views are gorgeous.  Inside, the rooms are much like they were during the Empress’ stay there.

    Next, we visited the Monastery of the Virgin Mary, a treasure trove of Byzantine and religious art founded in 1288.  Then, a drive high into the mountains gave us commanding views of the bays and coves around Corfu.  We stopped in a tiny village where we enjoyed cumquat cake.  Then, we headed down the mountain for lunch.

     Our tour was to have included a walking tour of Corfu Town, however, a storm sent us all back to the ship early.  We waited in the rain in a long line for tenders to take us out to the ship and watched the storm as we sailed for Croatia.

Split, Croatia

A dog lives with his family in the walls of Diocletian's Palace.

     The biggest surprise of the trip was the small city of Split on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast.  We began our visit with a driving tour (that we arranged on the pier) to the beaches and suburban areas near Split. 

We then toured the historic center of the city built around the magnificent palace of Roman Emperor Diocletian in 293 A.D.   

    Diocletian was born in Salona near Split and returned here after he retired.  What was once a walled settlement is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site with residents living in apartments in the palace walls. It was amazing to see wash hanging and children playing in a 1700 year old building.  In the middle of the 8.4 acre walled city is the Cathedral St. Domnius, which was Diocletan’s former mausoleum.  It was highly recommended that we climb the steeple for a great view of the coastline.  We voted unanimously to decline.   

Split's beautiful waterfront.

    After visiting the historic center of the city, we enjoyed wandering through Split’s open-air market in People’s Square. One of the largest we’ve ever encountered, vendors were selling everything from vegetables to designer goods.  Late in the afternoon, we returned to the ship to prepare for our last port—Venice.

Venice, Italy

    The captain strongly encouraged passengers to be on deck for the 7 a.m. sail-in up Venice’s Grand Canal.  We took his suggestion and were so glad we made ourselves get up to see Venice at sunrise from the top of the Crown Princess.  The colors, the views…it was all incredible.  We sailed past St. Mark’s Square, the Doges Palace and many other historic sites.  But the real spectacle was simply the sight of Venice as the morning light spilled over the city.

Sailing into Venice at sunrise was spectacular.

    The reality of Venice was somewhat different, however.  Once we were secured at our berth, we departed on a tour that included the Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s and Ca’ Rezzonico.  Once we disembarked at San Marco, the streets were filled wall-to-wall with tourists, making walking difficult.  The crowding problem was compounded by an historic high-tide that swamped the streets with water.  People were forced to walk slowly along elevated wooden platforms to get to the historic sites.

    Our first stop was Doge’s Palace, the seat of Venice’s government and world influence dating back to the 13^th century.  We viewed the palace’s interior with its Golden Staircase and Renaissance masterpieces. Crossing the Bridge of Sighs, we peered through the decorative scrollwork to see the last view of freedom glimpsed by many before entering prison.

At St. Mark’s Basilica, we were unable to visit the inside of the cathedral because it was Sunday.  The famous St. Mark’s Square was filled with chairs for an afternoon mass, not the pigeons we had seen in so many photos. 

Gondolas ply the Venice waterways.

    We boarded a water taxi for Ca’ Rezzonico Palace, one of the grand historic Palazzos now a museum of 18^th century Venetian life.  It was beautiful, however, our tour guide chose to describe every fresco in excruciating detail and before long, we were bored and the guys were complaining.

    Done with the tour, we walked through the area around the Accademia (Venice’s famous museum of Renaissance art) and across the bridge to San Marco Island.  We stopped for lunch at a sidewalk café, calming the grumbling stomachs of Bill and Leon, and then through the back streets.  We walked around St. Mark’s Square again as the mass was being conducted and finally caught the water shuttle back to the ship.

    The next morning, we said goodbye to the Crown Princess.  We loved the ship and the cruise.  It couldn’t have been better.  We especially enjoyed our mini-suite which gave us room to spread out and a large balcony to watch the scenery. Thanks for upgrade, Princess.

    On the dock, we caught a taxi to our hotel—the Hilton Garden Inn—near the airport.  I was a little worried about this location, but it worked out perfectly.  Our rooms were ready, so we were able to drop off our bags and head out for sightseeing.  We purchased a one-day transportation pass for 18 Euros from the front desk and caught Bus 9, which stopped in front of the hotel, back to the Pizzale Roma, the transportation hub for Venice.  There, we caught a Vaporetto water bus back to San Marco where we had intended to see the inside of the St. Mark’s Basilica.  Once there, we were once again hampered by the crowds and high water, so we decided to take the Vaporetto to Murano, famous for its beautiful glassworks.  

A record high tide forced tourists to traverse raised walkways.

    Murano turned out to be a great call. The village is lovely and quiet. We walked along the canals and looked at the artistry of the glass in the shops.  We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant where we had the prix fixe meal for 15 Euros with three courses.  It was delicious and we were the only tourists in the place. 

Our plan had been to return to San Marco to take a gondola ride and do more sightseeing before having dinner at a restaurant suggested to us by a friend.  However, a thunderstorm blew in and the rain came down in torrents.  Finally, we opted to take the Vaporetto back to the Pizzale Roma and return to the hotel.  We stopped at a store and picked up snacks and a bottle of wine and enjoyed our farewell cocktail party in our room followed by dinner at the hotel.

    The next morning, we were up early to catch our flight for home.  We flew from Venice to Frankfurt on Lufthansa where we changed planes for a non-stop flight on United to Houston.  Three meals, four movies and 11 hours later, we arrived home.