Medriatic Sojourn

A few weeks cruising around the Mare Nostrum followed by a couple of weeks in Italy—what could be better! Leggi altro

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Inizio del viaggio
9 aprile 2022
Medriatic Sojourn
Arrival in Barcelona
9 aprile 2022, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
It has been two years and two months since our last international trip. The COVID-19 virus seems to be subsiding and we are ready to travel again. A short bumpy flight to the airport in Newark was followed by a leisurely hiatus in the fabulous Polaris lounge. A Boeing 767 brought us to the airport in Barcelona, where we found that Spain was no less meticulous in enforcing its Covid regulations at the airport than it had been online. We went through multiple checkpoints to have our documents confirmed, and then re-confirmed, to have our temperature taken, and finally to spit into a test tube. So far it looks as though we are Covid free, and now we’re safe on board the Viking Sky. We have put away our clothes, met our new room steward (Yassin from Tunisia), and have our stateroom immaculate. We’re getting cleaned up after a long trip, and we’re looking forward to a beautiful meal in the restaurant tonight.Leggi altro
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Palm Sunday in Barcelona
10 aprile 2022, Spagna ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F
Although we had prepared ourselves for yet another lackluster bus trip through the city, the included excursion provided by Viking turned out to be a real treat. We started with a drive-through of some of the more picturesque neighborhoods of Barcelona. Martha our guide eventually led us to the church of the Sagrada Familia, designed by the world-famous architect Antonio Gaudi. Despite the grotesque ugliness of the building, it is a treasure trove of Christian iconography. Martha gave us a fascinating detailed description of the exterior of the church. Next we went to the Gothic part of the city where we saw artifacts going back to the time of the Roman Emperor Augustus, the cathedral of Barcelona, and the royal palace of the kings of Spain used in the 15th century. It was this palace that Christopher Columbus visited when he petitioned the rulers of Spain for funds to finance his voyage. Narrow streets and ancient buildings exuded charm in this historic neighborhood. I was particularly impressed by worshipers coming out of the cathedral bearing elaborately woven palm fronds and doing the traditional dance of Barcelona to music provided by a live band. We viewed the four huge columns formerly located at the Roman forum, reminding me that the ancient fortress overlooking the harbor was built by the Romans. We returned to the ship around 1:30 PM where I ate pizza in the World Cafe onboard the Viking Sky. Glenda let me finish her salad for her. Afterwards I went down to guest services to see whether I might be able to arrange for the use of a piano for practice while we are on this voyage. We finished the evening with a musical presentation in the Star Theater featuring American music from the 1950s and 60s. The ship’s departure was delayed by about four hours. We won’t leave the Port of Barcelona until 10 PM. That means we’ll get a later start tomorrow morning.Leggi altro
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Welcoming Sète
11 aprile 2022, Francia ⋅ 🌬 57 °F
Although we were delayed in leaving yesterday’s port of Barcelona, we arrived this morning at the charming little seaport of Sète in Occitania. A squadron of powerful little tugboats met us at the mouth of the harbor and led us in a delicate little dance. At the end of it our ship backed in to a small pier. This tiny Seaport is too small for any of the mega-liners that block the sun in major harbors, but our ship of 720 passengers with the help of half a dozen tugs slipped right in despite the forty-mile-per-hour winds that wanted to push us against the rocks. At one point our bow was less than fifty feet from the jetty. I observed that parking an ocean liner is an art. No one does it better than the crew of the Viking Sky.

This part of France has its own unique character. It certainly is not Paris. The region derives its name Occitania from a peculiarity of linguistic history. The Franks north of here said “yes” by using their word “oui,” which became standard over most of the country. However, in this little corner of France, speakers would say “yes” using their word “oc.” Their dialect became known to the other Franks as “the language of ‘oc,’ or Languedoc. The region thus became known as Oc-citania.

This area has been the theater for many cultural and religious revolutions that have marked French history, including the attempted reformation of the Roman Catholic Church by a group of ascetic reformers called the Catharii. But more about them in the next footprint.Leggi altro
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Carcassone and the Crusade
11 aprile 2022, Francia ⋅ 🌬 59 °F
The settlement of the site of Carcassonne dates to the sixth century BC when it was a Celtic fortress. It was part of the Roman province of Narbonensis until the 600’s AD when it was incorporated into the Visigothic kingdom that ruled this remnant of Roman Gaul. A hundred years later the Muslim invaders coming up from North Africa through Gibraltar and Spain became its overlords. In the 800’s it became part of the kingdom of the Franks.

In the early 13th century a small group of monks in the nearby town of Albi became dissatisfied with the wealth, corruption and immorality of the Church. Their public criticism of the excesses of the Church won many converts, and the monks’ success alarmed the civil and religious authorities. Some of the more extreme converts became known as the Catharii (meaning “the pure, or cleansed ones”). They took literally Jesus’ ethical teachings, giving away all of their possessions to the poor, even their clothing. Many gave away all of their food as well and died within a few days from starvation or exposure. Nevertheless, the contrast between their selflessness and the venality of the priesthood was apparent, and adherents came to this new reform movement in droves, even including many noblemen such as Raymond Roger Trencavel, Viscount of Carcassone.

Pope Innocent III declared these Albigensians to be heretics and mounted a crusade to exterminate them. Count Simon de Montfort was appointed as commander of an army to march to Occitania to erase the heresy. A number of military operations were conducted in the area around Albi against the Catharii. Given their literal interpretation of Jesus’ teachings, the pacifist Catharii offered little resistance. Most of these military operations can only be described as slaughter. Still, Trencavel offered the Catharii the use of his castle at Carcassone as a place where the reformers might have some sort of defense until God provided a miraculous rescue or until the Pope lost interest in his crusade. Neither occurred. While the castle was never breached, in 1209 de Montfort poisoned the water supply upstream until most of the resistors in the castle died. The few remaining Catharii surrendered and were executed by the civil authorities at the request of the Church. In 1226 the castle was handed over to the King of France. For centuries thereafter it served as a royal fortress protecting the border between France and Spain.Leggi altro
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ViaggiatoreWhere's Glendas Hat?
11/05/22Risposta
Chuck CookShe wore it yesterday, thanks to you.
12/05/22Risposta
1 mi piace
Medriatic Sojourn
Marvelous Marseille
12 aprile 2022, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
Marseille is the third largest ship port in Europe. It is exceeded only by Amsterdam and Hamburg. We have come through this amazing city a few times before, but we have never docked at the port here. The first time we came to this area France we docked down the coast at Toulon. The next time we were here we flew out of the airport following a cruise down the Rhône river. Today we get to see the port in all of its glory. It is a busy place, currently hosting at least four cruise ships docked nearby. One can understand why the Romans settled at this place, since it is the doorstep to the rest of the south of France.Leggi altro
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Coming Home to Aix en Provence
12 aprile 2022, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
Glenda and I had been here before on a voyage onboard the Ruby Princess. Then we fell in love with Aix-en-Provence (pronounced like “Ex on Provonce”). It’s amazing how sometimes it’s the little, out-of-the-way events that stick in one’s memory. For example when we were here before, the day was very cold and we had no plans for lunch, so we stopped in at little crêperie located in a dark underpass right by the Fountain of the Rotonde. I remember how the woman flipped that crêpe around with something resembling a yardstick. We went back today just to see if she was still there. She was not, but the crêperie was still there, staffed by two young women. We wandered for over an hour, retracing our steps back to the city market, and then to the church of Sainte Savieur. Earlier Dominique our guide delivered the clearest explanation of the connection between politics, art and architecture that I have ever heard. He pointed out how baroque art and architecture were a product of the Catholic counter-reformation. We stopped at a little coffee shop and enjoyed the warm espresso with a piece of lemon cake. These are simple memories, but they are the ones that stand out so vividly when the cruise is over. Many tourists come here to retrace the steps of artist Paul Cézanne, but we came here simply to enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of this strikingly beautiful French village. Of course, pilgrimages here to find Cézanne often end at his home on the north side of the town, which is preserved exactly as he left it the day he died. (See https://www.cezanne-en-provence.com/en/ ) Whenever we return to Aix en Provence, though, we come simply because it makes us feel as though we have come home again.Leggi altro
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Where are the Romans?
12 aprile 2022, Francia ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
When we were leaving Marseille, I went on deck to take some pictures of the sail out. I was surprised to see half a dozen beautiful arches spanning the canyons near the coast. I suppose there have been stonemasons and brickmasons here ever since the Romans built their settlement in Marseille. Reading history sometimes gives us the idea that the Romans left and then the Visigoths came. Then the Visigoths left and then the Saracens came. Actually I suspect that the transition from one government to the next seemed much more subtle to the people who actually experienced it. So the question arose in my mind where are the Romans? Looking at these arches one might be persuaded that the Romans never left. They are still here. Or at least their children are.Leggi altro
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Monaco—The Living Fairytale
13 aprile 2022, Monaco ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
Coming to Monaco was not high on my list. I’m probably the person least likely to enjoy a city that is nothing but a playground for people who are extremely rich, extremely famous, or extremely beautiful. After being here I see that Monaco is all of the above. However, there are some remarkable features to this fairy land kingdom. For one thing, there is no income tax here. The vast majority of the country’s income is derived from gambling and luxury taxes on expensive cars boats and helicopters. Although many of the buildings look old, most are relatively new. A section of the palace was built in the thirteenth century, but with renovations and reconstructions, I would swear that not a single stone of the “old” part is over one hundred years old. The result is that all of the buildings here are utterly beautiful, especially the opulent casino. There is not a piece of litter nor a mark of graffiti in the streets. Every public toilet has a full time janitor keeping it spotless. Already streets are blocked and grandstands are being built for the formula I auto race that will take place on the main streets at the end of May.

Before one can relocate to Monaco, he is required by the government to open an account in a bank in Monaco and deposit enough money to buy an apartment and sustain the kind of lifestyle expected here. This is the only place I’ve ever been where most of the women I see on the street (except for tourists) are wearing clothes and makeup that probably cost more than my car. Most really do look as though they just stepped out of the pages of Vogue magazine. Yet their beauty is not all cosmetic. From the time our ship arrived early this morning I have seen women (and a few men) of various ages out on a dockside exercise area receiving coaching in kickboxing, judo, and weightlifting. They were working hard.

People of my generation remember the wedding of movie star Grace Kelly to Prince Renier in 1956. It was depicted as a union that would make the girl from Philadelphia the Princess of a fairytale kingdom. I assumed all of that myth was merely Hollywood hype. Now that I have come here, I see there was more than a grain of truth in that description. Renier, like his father Prince Albert I, was an absolute monarch, but both were also astute businessmen who ran the kingdom like a corporation. The wealth concentrated here is truly astounding. The 64-year-old son of Renier and Princess Grace, Albert II, is the current monarch, and he is more concerned with the environment and with social issues. A special interest is the preservation and renewal of the oceans. He has founded an institute for oceanographic studies that operates a fantastic museum and aquarium, which we were privileged to visit today.

Monaco is a remarkable place of unusual beauty. The oceanfront on this windy day is magnificent. The architecture is glorious. I do hope you can come here one day—for a visit, of course. No one I know could afford to live here.Leggi altro
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Livorno
14 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
We are in Livorno ancient capital of Liguria. Once this seaside city was the capital of a large republic that extended along an arch marking the north of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Now it serves as the gateway to Pisa Florence and other inland towns.Leggi altro
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The Plaza of Miracles
14 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F
We had visited Pisa once before, but the sun was setting and our light was leaving. I took a few interesting photographs of the exterior of the cathedral, the baptistery, and the famous Campenille. Today we were actually able to see much more of the interior of the buildings. I was particularly pleased that since today is Maundy Thursday, a mass was being celebrated at the cathedral by the archbishop of Pisa. We saw Cathedral doing what a cathedral is supposed to do—housing a liturgical gathering. Unfortunately because the service was in progress, we were not allowed to take photographs inside. So we went over to the baptistery, made our photographs, and then returned to the cathedral to enjoy the rest of the worship service.Leggi altro
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Second Day in Pisa
15 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
Because of a scheduling error we were required to visit Pisa again for the second day. Today was completely different from yesterday with its procession at the Cathedral and the Maundy Thursday service. Today is good Friday, and there were no services at the church, admission was free of charge, but pictures were forbidden inside the cathedral. So we spent the morning sitting outside enjoying the crowds. I took a few more shots which I will share. After saying goodbye to this beautiful town we began the hour-long journey to the medieval city of Lucca.Leggi altro
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Lucca—A Window to the Past
15 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
We spent most of today in the beautiful medieval city of Lucca, a crown jewel in Tuscany. I had heard that some medieval buildings still existed here, but I did not realize that the entire medieval wall is still intact, nor that most of the buildings inside actually date from the 12th or 13th century. Much of today was given to visiting Lucca’s many churches. All of them can trace their origins to the sub-apostolic age. An oral tradition links the founding of the first church here with the Apostle Paul. Our guide gave us a detailed history of this city-state, describing its wars with nearby Pisa and Florence. I learned that Lucca was the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini. After becoming a successful composer in nearby Milan, he made his home just outside of Lucca. For lunch we had a delicious pizza. The restaurant is is a large oval piazza that stands on the footprint of the old Roman amphitheater. Each street has its own kind of charm. This is a place where I would like to spend some more time.Leggi altro
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Back in Civitavecchia
16 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
It’s good to be back in Civitavecchia, our nautical doorstep to Rome and the first international port we ever visited. We came here back in 2013 at the beginning of our Mediterranean voyage with Princess Cruises. There have been some changes to the port since we were here last. It is larger, new piers have been added, and larger ships can dock here now. Of course, this port has been changing and growing ever since Roman times. Today marks the end of one voyage and the start of another. Passengers are disembarking to fly home, and new passengers are embarking for the next leg of the journey to Athens, Greece. This morning Glenda and I are doing our laundry, having a leisurely cup of coffee in the atrium, and completing our passenger response forms. We went down to the reservations desk earlier to book a river cruise in Portugal to begin in October of next year. We will do a little more work on our travel blogs before lunch, and afterwards we may take a short walk into the city. It contains the remnants of a harbor and shipyard built by the Roman emperor Trajan in the early second century. There is also a wonderful old fortress here designed by Michelangelo. Visitors cannot go inside now because it is still being used by the Italian military. Not bad to still be in operation after 400 years!

Perhaps this would be a good place to mention that I am now using my iPhone pro max 13 camera. This is the first cruise that I have made without my trusty old canon 5D Mark III. I must say that the camera in the cell phone is impressive. I am getting a higher percentage of successful shots, and I am particularly pleased with the way my new camera handles low light situations. While I miss my Canon, I must say that the performance of the iPhone pro max 13 is really impressive.Leggi altro
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Naples—Aborted Landing
17 aprile 2022, Tyrrhenian Sea ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
As we sailed into the Bay of Naples, I went out on a windy deck to take photos of our sail-in. I was snapping shots of Vesuvius when the ship suddenly turned away from port. “Something is up,” I thought, and a few minutes later the Captain came over the horn to say that high winds prevented our landing at Naples. It was almost lunchtime anyhow, so everyone headed to the restaurants, where the crew had prepared an ambrosian feast. To celebrate Naples, I had pizza (which was invented here) and a glass of wine. So now we are cruising slowly around the island of Capri. Glenda and I identified the place where we first went ashore there, and we’re happy to greet the rock formations known as the “Two Brothers” again. Now the Viking Sky is sauntering down toward Sicily, where we hope to land tomorrow.Leggi altro
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Catania—The Diamond of Sicily
18 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F
We have arrived in Catania, the diamond of Sicily. I have always wanted to come to Sicily and had thought that all of the towns here were very small and rural. What a surprise to see Catania, with its large churches, numerous office buildings, and busy airport. It gives me some pause to see Mount Aetna, still an active volcano, sitting majestically on the horizon. Not too long ago in a different cruise ship 100 miles out into the ocean we could see the volcano blowing her stack.

I am riding a bus down to Syracuse, and I have been remembering the ill will that developed here between U. S. General George Patton and British Field Marshal Montgomery in World War II. The British near here were ordered to fight their way northward to Messina at the northeast corner of Sicily, but they encountered what Montgomery considered impossible German resistance. While Montgomery continued to complain and ask for more time and more help, Patton ripped eastward from Palermo along the northern coast and was already in Messina when Montgomery finally arrived. The American General had covered twice the distance required of the British, and he did it in less time and against heavier German resistance than that facing Montgomery. Patton’s early arrival was a huge insult to the prickly Montgomery because Patton had not even been assigned the task of occupying Messina. His successful operation, however, was technically a violation of his orders and won the general a half-hearted reprimand from his boss General Eisenhower.

So we’re on our way to Syracuse. Both Catania and Syracuse started as Greek colonies, and the Phoenicians were here before the Greeks. This place is very old and rich with history, culture, and art. The old ways die hard here. We won’t be able to go west to see the town of Corleone, but the name of the town gives some insight into its history. It was this part of Italy that provided the basis for the series of Godfather movies. The political turbulence here following the nineteenth-century wars of unification set the stage for such organizations as the Mafia and the Cosa Nostra. While this is a period the local residents do not like to remember, Sicily even today gives a glimpse into the past and into one aspect of the character that shaped the Italian republic.Leggi altro
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Syracuse in the Rain
18 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
On this rainy day we visited Syracuse. The ancient town at this site was founded because the Aretusa Spring provided passing sailors a source of fresh water immediately adjacent to the sea. This unusual phenomenon occurs because water from nearby mountains is filtered through miles of volcanic pumice and comes out clear, cold and clean. The Greek city-states competed to make colonies here. Athens made one at Catania, while Corinth occupied the site of Syracuse. Palermo and Messina had similar Greek roots. I photographed a building constructed in the fifth century BC as a temple to Apollo, which later served as a church and a mosque. It is one of the few ancient buildings I have ever seen with monolithic columns. They are not stacked drums, nor are they veneered brick. They are solid stone, and this technique is one of the clues we have to determine its age.

Very few buildings constructed before the 17th century exist intact. Constant earthquakes repeatedly destroyed Syracuse, and the city had to be rebuilt time after time. Mount Aetna, still an active volcano, stands nearby. The citizens of Syracuse take earthquakes in stride, and they realize that the buildings now standing will not last forever. The old buildings still in one piece generally come from the time of Spain’s King Charles II. Most often they reflect Spanish baroque influences, with a tinge of Moorish flavor thrown in for spice. As we were driving from our ship’s dock to Syracuse, we passed through unbelievably fertile farmland. One cannot help noticing how poor the countryside is, though. Hundreds of old stone houses have been abandoned. Roofless, their old stone walls stand a silent vigil over lush fields of fertile volcanic soil producing lemons, oranges and kumquats. The name Sicily itself comes from two old Greek words that mean “olives” and “figs.”

While we have seen evidence of commerce in the cities of Catania and Syracuse, my overall impression is that, despite its rich and illustrious history, Sicily has more than its share of poverty. Like the citizens of post-Civil-War Charleston, the people are too poor to paint and too proud to whitewash. Even the old baroque buildings have a kind of shabbiness about them. Unlike Spain and Rome, there are no glass and steel visitors’ centers around the Greek temples. Many of them are merely piles of stones still lying in weed-infested fields. The good news is that such poverty means that these ancient buildings will not soon be further demolished to make room for new shopping centers and automobile dealerships.

Despite its poverty, or maybe even because of it, Syracuse can grab your heart. The ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes moved here in middle age and spent the rest of his life here. My wife grew up in a little community called “Lucia,” and I must believe that somewhere that name is connected with the saint who was born here. We walked down the street where locals can still show you the exact spot where St. Lucia was born. From my perspective today’s excursion was a big hit. The has long been an empty place inside me wanting to know more about this little town over which nations have gone to war, this colony about which historians have spilled so much ink, this village that Archimedes called home. Today that empty place was filled.Leggi altro
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Crotone Rolls Out Red Carpet
19 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F
We arrived in the beautiful little port of Crotone on Italy’s eastern coast this morning. This charming town was the home of the Greek mathematician Pythagoras. There must be something in the water here that produces great mathematicians. The town’s modern claim to fame is that it is the gateway to a large natural area of Italy, something like a national park.

We are only the second cruise ship to arrive here in recent months, so the town rolled out the red carpet for us. Schools remained closed for an extra day (Easter Monday is a civil holiday here) so that Italian students of English could operate hospitality tents and thereby practice their language skills. They gave us free samples of the products of Calabria—delicious orange juice, sticky pastries and other delights. Other students were posted at the gate of the local castle. My heart melted as one precious high school girl gave us the history of “King Charles the FIVE-th, the king of Ess-Spain” who used to rule here. As she struggled with English, my heart cursed the Anglo-Saxons for producing such a barbaric language. Citizens took the day off to serve as re-enactors of Pythagoras, the Greek goddess Hera or medieval residents of their town.

We took time for a thorough investigation of the local archaeological museum. There was a long line of my shipmates waiting to purchase tickets, but after a few minutes the ticket-taker just raised the barrier and waved us in free of charge. Although the exhibits’ descriptions are in Italian, I was able to get the gist of most of them. I learned that there is evidence of human habitation here going back to around 6000 years BC, though documented settlement began with the Phoenicians. Crotone was part of Magna Graecia and participated fully in Greece’s Olypiads and in her wars. Among the photos I took were pictures of an utterly beautiful Greek urn, and an incomparable diadem found at the nearby excavation of the Roman Temple of Hera Lacinia. I was surprised that the little museum here really is quite good.

Crotone’s most notable Greek son was the philosopher-mathematician Pythagoras, who contended that all of reality could be explained using numbers. He also came up with the notion of reincarnation several centuries before Gautama Buddha was born. I am not aware of any connection between the two thinkers, but it’s hard not to wonder whether Pythagorean ideas about the afterlife ever made it to the east as far as India.

For the first time in a foreign city I used Apple Maps to direct us, today to the the Museum of Pythagoras. The app worked perfectly. At the end of a fascinating thirty-minute walk through the new part of downtown, we found lovely Pythagoras Park overlooking the city. Some of the children’s playground equipment incorporated cubes, triangles or hexagons in silent tribute to Pythagoras. We finally found the museum itself, which charges an admission fee of five euros per person. The two lower floors display modern art from the region with no clear connection to the Greek mathematician. The top floor, however, displays a few exhibits and long line of wall posters giving the history of mathematics, highlighting not only Pythagoras, but also thinkers such as Newton, Paschal, Leibniz and Euler. While we are daily walkers who didn’t mind the half-hour jaunt just to see what the museum offers, I doubt that the trip would be worthwhile for most visitors.

So now we are back in a comfortable stateroom waiting for the ship to delight us with an Italian feast tonight. While the service Viking provides is impeccable, and we’re grateful for it, I must say that the overwhelming hospitality of all of the citizens of Crotone today won our hearts.Leggi altro
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Bari, Capital of Apulia
20 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F
Bari is the capital of Apulia. Although the city is lovely, our appreciation may not be as rich as it ought to be because of our guide. The young man who led us through town said he was originally from Ukraine. He has lived in Italy since 2015 and claims to have degrees in English, German, Italian and French. Our hearts went out to him because he was obviously struggling with the language.

We visited castles built by the Normans and the Swabians and then visited a cathedral dedicated to Saint Nicholas. This church is unusual in that it hosts pilgrims both from the Roman Catholic church and also from the eastern orthodox churches, who hold Saint Nicholas in special esteem. They claim he is buried here, and we saw his sarcophagus beneath the church. However, we have also visited a place in Ireland which claims to hold the saint’s body. There is also a church near Myra in Turkey which claims to have his remains as well.

One specialty of this town is a kind of pasta in the shape of a little ear. The Italian name for it is orecchiette. Glenda bought 2 kilograms of the pasta at a fraction of what she would pay in the United States. We just came back to the ship and had a wonderful lunch in the World Cafe. We are well fed and rested, and we are looking forward to tomorrow’s adventure in Šibenik, Croatia.Leggi altro
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Arrival in Šibenik
21 aprile 2022, Croazia ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F
We just arrived in Croatia again. The last cruise here we thought this would simply be a throwaway day, but it turned out to be one of our favorite places in the world. That was down the road in Dubrovnik. Today we are in Šibenik (pronounced SHEE-buh-nik) looking forward to more good times. On our sail-in alone I counted four ancient fortresses. No doubt there are many other historical treats awaiting.Leggi altro
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The Spectacular Waterfalls of Krka
21 aprile 2022, Croazia ⋅ 🌧 50 °F
A 30 minute bus ride in the rain took us to Krka National Park. Here are the most magnificent waterfalls I’ve ever seen. There must be a hundred of them ranging from small rapids to huge cataracts dumping millions of gallons per second. In the old days there were 17 flour mills here. Some of them have been preserved and they provide a wonderful demonstration of how water power was used. It was particularly interesting to learn that Nichola Tesla grew up here. We saw the first power plant he designed, along with the original turbine used to generate electricity. While this town was the first town in the world to use electrical power, this hydroelectric plant was actually the second one ever built. After making the plans for this facility, Tesla went to the United States to build the hydroelectric station at Niagara Falls. While that plant was finished before this one, making it the first one in the world, this hydroelectric station began to produce electricity before the one at Niagara Falls. Buffalo, New York had to wait another six months for power lines to link the hydroelectric station to the city. Here the lines were strung before the plant was built, so electricity started flowing immediately upon the plant’s completion.

The waterfalls here are beautiful beyond description. Today was a rainy day and our guide told us that the water falls are carrying about three times their normal volume. On hot summer days the line of buses and boats carrying tourists stretches for miles. Often tourists must wait as much as three hours to buy a ticket to get into the park. I can understand why this site is so popular. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that this is among the most beautiful natural phenomena I have ever seen.Leggi altro
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The Beauties of Skradin
21 aprile 2022, Croazia ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
Skradin is a little town that is two thousand years old. Roman sailors found a cove in the river here the hid their boats from marauders. These bad guys operated out of a little town up the river known as Varvara, hence they were known as Varvarians. In time their name became used by Romans to refer to any uncultured ruffians, and the name “barbarian” stuck. We saw Christian sarcophagi from the fourth century, and a watchtower built by the Saracens (Muslims) in the eighth century. Eventually the Christians won back the area, and they used the watchtower for their bell tower, and so it stands today. The marina here is one of the most expensive in Croatia. It gives boaters access to the Krka national park to the north into several Croatian cities to the south. This is a lovely quiet little town as charming as any we’ve ever visited.Leggi altro
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Medriatic Sojourn
Afternoon Walk in Šibenik
21 aprile 2022, Croazia ⋅ 🌧 57 °F
This afternoon our guide Irena took us on a remarkable walking tour of the city of Šibenik (pronounced SHE-buh-nik). This town was the first to be settled by the Croatians when they arrived here around the fifteenth century. Therefore, this village cannot trace its roots as far back as Dubrovnik or Çavtat, but until the plague wiped out most of the population, it was the largest city on the Dalmatian coast. Traditionally wine and olives were the main products. As part of communist Yugoslavia, it provided the USSR with aluminum and steel. But now this quiet little city hosts a population of some 35,000. Outgrowing it’s old city walls, which now form part of the public library, the town has expanded towards the Krka River delta, an estuary leading to the Adriatic Sea. Although it is a lovely and peaceful place, Šibenik’s important buildings were rebuilt after the war with Serbia from 1990-1994. Less important buildings still show scars from machine gun, mortar and artillery fire.

The bucolic charm of the city was dripping on every street, but I found myself especially taken with the cathedral. Begun under the design and direction of native son George of Dalmatia, his premature death left the completion of the church to other architects and engineers. Having absorbed the new renaissance philosophy of humanism in Venice, George chose to adorn the cathedral’s facade not with the faces of saints and angels, but with those of the common people of the town. No two statues are alike. The nave and sanctuary are remarkable in that this Roman Catholic Church is full of architectural and liturgical elements pulled straight out of the Eastern Orthodox traditions.

The main feature, however, that merits this cathedral’s listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Baptistery located downstairs under the sanctuary. This tiny octagonal room is filled with symbolism. In many systems of Biblical typology, eight is the number of a new beginning (after seven, the number of completion). The room has eight sides; baptism is a new birth. Effusive religious carvings adorn the walls up to a central boss in the center of the roof. On this central stone is carved the face of a stern older man with flowing beard and piercing eyes. This figure represents God the Father. Immediately below his chin is a descending dove, emblematic of the Holy Spirit. The puzzling aspect of this room is that the baby Jesus is nowhere seen. Yet it has been conjectured that the Son of God is symbolized by the presence of the human baby who would be placed in the water of the baptismal font. This ambiguous symbolism fusing human baby and human son of God would perfectly conform to the architect’s understanding of Christian humanism.

We had a rich and rewarding time in Šibenik this afternoon, and look forward to a return visit when we can spend more time enjoying this remarkable place.Leggi altro
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Medriatic Sojourn
Venetian Downpour
22 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ 🌧 54 °F
Because Venice has banned cruise ships in its waters, Viking has been parking its ships west of the city in the industrial port of Fusina. This port is not the most beautiful in the area, but there is a certain propriety in docking there since it is adjacent to the Fincantieri Shipyard, the place where the Viking Sky and her sister ships were born. However, just a few days ago our crew learned that “a continuing environmental study” would prevent our ship from landing there, and somehow the officers onboard scrambled and arranged to dock at the port at Ravenna, about a hundred miles south of Venice.

So . . .

We boarded a bus in Ravenna this morning in a blinding rain, expecting to ride about three hours to drive to the big bus parking lot on the west end of Venice.

But . . .

On the bus were told that we would not go to Venice. We would go instead to Chioggia, a very small port south of Venice, to board a boat for a ninety-minute “scenic” boat ride into the city. We got off the bus in a deluge with umbrella-breaking winds. With the rain and fogged windows we saw little beyond the gunwales of our boat. At least we were able to ride inside the boat, not up on the deck.

Four and one half hours after we had left Ravenna we disembarked in Venice in a pelting rain. It was difficult to appreciate the sights our guide valiantly described because we were working hard to stay dry. She also maintained her composure when at least two residents of the town passed our group and shot her with some rather strong insults. I had on rain pants, a water-resistant jacket with a rain shell over that. I was not soaked, but my underclothes were damp. Glenda danced to avoid being poked in the eye a third time by the tip of an umbrella rib. Our guide was wise enough to shorten her usual presentation to allow us passengers to find shelter and warm up in nearby coffee bars.

With only an hour and a half in the city, no one had time to visit churches or museums. Some of our group did not finish their lunches. Of course Glenda and I have been here a few times before and have soaked in the wonderful sights, museums and religious buildings. However, I felt sorry for the people who were here for the first time. They left here today with no idea of the art, history or culture of this magnificent city.

Glenda had the foresight to make two ham and cheese rolls in the ship’s buffet at breakfast. I packed them in my travel jacket with two bottles of water, several bags of peanuts and two granola bars. Our first time here we paid forty dollars for a little personal-sized pizza and a coke in St. Mark’s Square. But hey! We weren’t paying for a lunch: we were paying for a thousand years of architecture and culture surrounding us in the square. Today we huddled under a sotoportego on a quiet street to avoid the rain and had our own little Venetian picnic.

Venice has banned cruise ships in her docks. Next year the city will also begin to impose a stiff fee for visitors here. I was troubled by the obscene comments residents directed at our guide today. It may be that such measures will reduce large number of tourists who flood the city and make Venice more pleasant for its citizens. We passed the beautiful docks built just a few years ago by the Port Authority of Venice. They were empty—not a single ship. They looked like a ghost town. Perhaps Venice will go too far in reducing the number of visitors. Perhaps she already has. The city may already have made visiting Venice more trouble than it is worth. For us today, that was certainly the case. And that breaks my heart.Leggi altro
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Glorious Ravenna
23 aprile 2022, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F
We are back in one of my favorite places in the world, the city of Ravenna in Italy. For someone interested in church history this town is like Disney World. There are still two churches here that come from the closing days of the Roman empire, the church of San Vitale and the church of Saint Apollinare Nuovo. The Emperor Theodoric was actually a German whose tribe was eventually incorporated into the Roman Empire. He built his imperial chapel, San Vitale, here in the late fifth century. It’s wonderful mosaics were designed to dazzle the observer into remembering the Biblical story of salvation history. Even the position of the tiles make them sparkle. Each of the millions of golden flecks is set tilted slightly downward so that they will reflect the light down to the observer and glitter like a jewel. Consider it late Roman cinematography, designed to tell a story so that it would be remembered. The Church of Saint Apollinare was built half a century later when Byzantine tastes froze all of the figures into frontal rigidity. Even so, its mosaics are also stunningly beautiful.

Although the first of these churches was Trinitarian and the second was Arian, both depict the Christ as a young, vibrant man fresh from his resurrection. There is no depiction of the crucifixion in either of them. Panels showing the life of Christ jump from his betrayal and arrest to the first Easter morning. The theme is neither suffering nor penitence, but rather joy.

These lovely mosaics, like the early Christian faith, include many women. The Church of Saint Apollinare has all of its men—prophets, priests, kings and martyrs—running down one side of the nave. The other side contains only women—the widow giving her mite in the temple, the woman at the well, and, of course Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is also interesting to see the Emperor Justinian taking his place among the men, and the Empress Theodora among the women.

I love the victorious, optimistic faith these mosaics describe. For them Christianity is all joy.Leggi altro
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San Marino—Oldest Republic in the World
24 aprile 2022, San Marino ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
It does not inspire confidence in passengers for the guide to shout to the bus driver in two languages, “What the hell are you doing?“ Of course, he had just turned onto a one-lane dirt road. But more about that later.

We spent the morning in beautiful San Marino, one of the micro-states of Europe. It is the oldest and smallest republic in the world, and its citizens are rightly proud of that. The city-state flings its thirty-six square miles down one side of a very steep mountain side, giving breathtaking views of the Adriatic Sea.

When Giuseppe Garibaldi unified the Italian states into a single nation in 1861, San Marino said, “No, thanks. We prefer liberty.” The tiny nation is not part of Italy, and the citizens want you to know it. The word “liberty” appears on their flag, on their street signs and over the altar of their basilica. For the people here liberty is sacred. Their refusal to align themselves with Mussolini and the Axis powers during World War 2 put them in a position to save the lives of more than 100,000 Italian citizens who refused to support Hitler.

The republic here is one of the purest examples of that form of government. Their system began in the year 1243 and has remained largely unchanged. There is a legislature composed of 60 members elected to five-year terms. Each of the nine townships receives proportional representation. However, the most interesting feature is that there are two chief executives, called Captain-Regents elected by the legislature to six-month terms. One Captain-Regent is chosen by lawmakers from each of the two political parties, so that the two Captain-Regents must come from different parties. Can you imagine how it would be in the United States if the Democrats in Congress elected their President and the Republicans elected theirs, and the two Presidents were required to govern together! The Captain-Regent cannot make a law. Only the legislature can do so. There is no such thing as an “executive order.” Their Constitution makes it clear that their “President” is an executive, not a king. She has the power of persuasion but not the power of the purse. Many women have served as Captain-Regent, and one of the current occupants of the office is openly gay. This notion of a dual head of state is a direct survival from the old Roman republic in which two consuls shared executive power. Once a Captain-Regent’s term ends, citizens have three days to file official complaints against them, and if warranted, the former Captain-General may be indicted and tried for misconduct.

The accompanying photos show the stately ceremonial governmental palace in which the legislature meets. However, it is no more beautiful than the city-state itself. Steep streets pass houses and restaurants clinging to their mountain terraces. Views of the surrounding countryside stretched for a hundred miles on this clear Sunday.

Glenda and I stopped at a local restaurant for a Nutella crêpe and a cappuccino just before we had to leave. The wind picked up and gray clouds gathered in the west. Shortly after we started our bus ride back to Ravenna, the rain started. Our driver disregarded the directions given to him by our guide, and eventually they started arguing like an old married couple. Finally, our guide threw up her hands, and muttered something in Italian. She kept silent until the driver turned onto a one-lane dirt road full of potholes. Then came her wide-eyed shriek, “What the hell are you doing!” He shouted something about a short-cut, but her shouting continued. Glenda got tickled and start laughing. Out loud. And we were in the seat behind our bus driver. He turned his head and shot us a sneer.

I patted her lap and said, “Now, Florrie!” (Those of you who knew Charles and Florrie Mercer will understand.) Glenda laughed louder. What should have been a ninety-minute drive had already taken two hours. Suddenly we saw our ship. The problem was that it was on the other side of the canal, and the nearest bridge across it we had passed fifteen minutes earlier. By this time Glenda was laughing uncontrollably. Tears were coming from her eyes and she had gone hysterical.

I kept on soothing, “Now, Florrie . . .”

The bus driver was not amused.

Glenda did regain enough composure to allow herself to start humming the theme song from the old TV show “Gilligan’s Island.” She kept singing the words “a three-hour tour . . . a three-hour tour.”

Our guide pulled out her cell phone, loaded up Google Maps and started barking orders for our driver to turn: “RIGHT! LEFT! LEFT! When we finally crossed the bridge that put the bus and the ship on the same side of the canal, everyone on the bus broke out into deafening applause. The trip back to the ship, that should have taken an hour and a half, took two and a half hours. We got through security as quickly as we could and screeched our tires into the ship’s buffet less than a minute before it closed. Now we are back in our stateroom well fed, dry and warm, reliving and absolutely wonderful day in a magical place. If you ever have a chance to visit San Marino, don’t pass it up.Leggi altro
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