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Cruising from Rome
  • Making another memory

Cruising from Rome

15 days aboard the Odyssey of the Seas, with a taste of Rome starting our trip. Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 16, 2024
    Making another memoryCruising from RomeTraveler
    At the Fontana di Trevi.
    The "not too busy" experience at the Trevi Fountain, or Fontana di Trevi.A serene roadway through the Villa Borghese Gardens.Loved these trees in the Villa Borghese Gardens.Enjoying a moment in the Villa Borghese Garden.A view of the Spanish Steps.The city has imposed fines for sitting on or eating upon the steps, but enforcement is...relaxed?Sicilian cannoli at Giano.The long, 45-minute taxi line at Rome's airport.

    A sweet taste of Rome

    Aug 16–18, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 97 °F

    We are boarding a cruise ship today in Civitavecchia, so we planned this trip to Rome as a short buffer in case our flights from the U.S. were delayed.

    Our flight out of JFK was delayed for three hours on the tarmac—our first time being on a plane that taxied and then turned around to offboard a passenger—and it took us a while to make our way from the airport in Rome to our hotel, so when we finally did arrive at The Hoxton we were pretty wiped. We enjoyed a good, early dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, and set out after an excellent breakfast the next morning to see some sights before it got too hot.

    A leisurely stroll through the Villa Borghese Gardens was a great way to start our exploration. From there we made our way to the Spanish Steps, weaving our way through many fellow tourists as we descended the much visited, monumental 135-step stairway. A few years ago, fines were enacted for sitting on the stairs (€250) or dirtying them (€400) but no one seemed to be concerned about enforcement while we were there.

    It has been scorching hot and humid in Rome, so from the steps, we made our way to a sidewalk cafe to cool down with some sparkling water before heading on to the Fontana di Trevi.

    There were lots of people at the the largest Baroque fountain in the world but we were able to get close enough to take a few photos, in alignment with Google Maps’ assessment of it being “not too busy.”

    By then we’d walked about 5 kilometers and were ready to take a cab back to our hotel. We made a “confirmed” dinner reservation online to eat at a nearby restaurant, known as a great place for pizza, or “pinse” as the Romans call it. Unfortunately, we were greeted by a “closed for vacation” notice when we got to the establishment that evening. After some quick online searching and a couple of phone calls, we took a taxi to Giano, a Sicilian restaurant at the W.

    The food at Giano was delicious and the courtyard seating a pleasant way to wind down our day. We had a grouper carpaccio and a slow cooked veal antipasti, and “bottoni” stuffed with shrimp and spaghetti with clams as our pastas. A shared Sicilian cannoli capped our meal and was a sweet way to mark our time in Rome.    Read more

  • Making another memoryCruising from RomeTraveler
    A faded and blissfully shaded mural in Pompeii.
    We were among so many tourists, all melting in the heat!A promenade in Pompeii.A view of picturesque Vietri.A cheese shop in Vietri had our mouth's watering.Allan on his birthday in Vietri.Donkeys are much appreciated in the Almalfi, Rafaelle, our guide explains.Exploring a charming alleyway on Mykonos.The wind was whipping when we stopped in Mykonos, which felt great given the high summer temps.Allan was in awe of this puffed bazlama, a tasty Turkish flatbread.

    7 nights on the Med

    Aug 18–25, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    We’ve had a lovely, smooth sailing this past week on the Odyssey of the Seas, stopping in Santorini, Kusadasi, Mykonos, and Naples.

    We celebrated both of our birthdays with much gratitude given a recent health scare that reinforced how precious and fleeting our lives can be!

    Given that some recovery is still underway, we spent more time on the ship than off it, admiring Santorini’s white rooftops from afar in the blazing afternoon sun, thankful that we’d have a second chance of visiting in a few more days at an earlier—and cooler—time of day.

    We did enjoy exploring Kusadasi, Mykonos, and seeing a bit of the Amalfi coast at Vietri and wandering the ruins of Pompeii.    Read more

  • Making another memoryCruising from RomeTraveler
    The photo doesn't do justice to the impressive scale of the Parthenon.
    The choreographed changing of the guard at the Presidential Mansion in Athens.A view in Ephesus.Making our way through the ruins in Ephesus.My face says it all in the gondola at Santorini-I don't enjoy these rides!A view of Fira in the morning sunlight.A religious symbol in the wall at the Thira Monastery.Lilly, our guide, explaining how wine grapes grow in Santorini.A string of donkeys heading home through the streets of Fira.Beginning our descent of the 588 steps to the port.

    The Parthenon, Ephesus & Santorini

    Sep 2–11, 2024 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    On this nine-night cruise, we ventured off the ship into Athens, where we toured the Acropolis to see the Parthenon, bussed through Kusadasi to visit Ephesus, and drove around the picturesque island of Santorini to get a bird’s eye view from a monastery.

    After our Acropolis tour, we caught a choreographed changing of the guard at the Presidential Mansion, made a quick stop at the Panathenaic Stadium, and forayed into the Plaka neighborhood for some delicious souvlaki.

    Visiting the ruins in Ephesus was an interesting walk through the past. In its day, the city was bordered by the sea. It lost importance as a trading hub when the harbour slowly silted up over the centuries.

    Our tour of Santorini was a highlight of our trip. We had an excellent tour guide and we thoroughly enjoyed our time visiting different spots around the island. To meet up with our guide, we had to take a gondola ride from the port to the rim of the caldera. Not my favorite moment of the day but Allan enjoyed the view!

    We had time to wander the narrow walkways and enjoy a morning snack in Fira before our tour started.

    From Fira, we drove to the Thira monastery, the highest vantage point on the island. The monastery’s grounds were serene and peaceful, and the panoramic views of the caldera and its volcano impressive.

    Our next stop was a stroll through the village of Megalochori, the closest experience to how things used to be before the tourism boom of the 1980s, according to our guide, Lilly, who was born on Santorini.

    At one of the many grape plots dotting the island, Lilly explained how Santorini’s wine grapes grow close to the ground and are rarely irrigated—this year being an exception. We heard more about the island’s grapes at a lovely tasting at Anhydrous winery later that afternoon.

    Before that, though, we had a two hour lunch break in Oia, a scenic village that is home to the quintessential three blue domes that grace so many Santorini photographs. We stood in a line for a few minutes to take our photos of the landmark, and witnessed a surprise marriage proposal by a couple just ahead of us. It was met by applause, cheering, and many misty eyes after the bride to be said yes.

    At the end of the day, the line to board the gondola in Fira for the ride down to our ship was so long that we opted to descend the Karavolades stairs’ 588 steps, sharing the way with strings of donkeys that carry tourists for €10 up or down from the port. We felt quite accomplished when we made it to the bottom without taking a tumble, after witnessing two unfortunate tourists meeting that fate.

    We’re en route to Civitavecchia as I make this post, enjoying a final sea day aboard the Odyssey of the Seas. Tomorrow morning we’ll hop on a train and head north to Florence!    Read more

    Trip end
    September 2, 2024
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