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TA HAL Oosterdam 2023TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
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TA HAL Oosterdam 2023

octobre - novembre 2023
Another westbound TransAtlantic to return us home from our annual trip to Türkiye ... with sightseeing along the way. En savoir plus
  • 68empreintes
  • 7pays
  • 26jours
  • 459photos
  • 15vidéos
  • 10,4kmiles
  • 4,4kmilles nautiques
  • 1,9kmiles
  • 5milles nautiques
  • 2milles nautiques
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  • TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
    Jour 3

    Meandering in Mykonos Town

    23 octobre 2023, Grèce ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    The only other time we were in Mykonos was aboard Celebrity Constellation … in 2013. On that occasion, we went to the Island of Delos by boat, and then returned to Mykonos Town, had a very late lunch before heading back to the ship. The short stroll we did then gave us some familiarity with the layout of the town today, which helped us make our way around easily.

    For this visit, I had planned for us to take the bus to the quaint village of Ano Mera. The ride, I read, was 20 minutes and busses departed every 30 minutes. Excellent. Except that when we got to the bus station on the far side of the harbor around 11:30a, we were told that the next bus was at 1:00p … even though the schedule showed one at noon. Time to jiggle our plans.

    The Archaeological Museum was temporarily closed. Mui wasn’t prepared with the necessary accoutrements to spend the day on one of the beaches with invitingly clear water. So, we decided on a meandering stroll in Mykonos Town followed by lunch. Using Google Maps to loosely guide us, we enjoyed the quaint atmosphere of the white-washed buildings sporting colorful doors and trims … mostly blue, but some red, grey, or orange as well. The narrow, cobblestone streets were delightful. That we rarely came across any others except the locals, added to the charm.

    Our meanderings took us up to a couple of windmills — icons of Mykonos … but not the more famous ones by the waterfront that are known as the Lower Windmills. One of the windmills we came to alongside a hilltop road had been restored; the other was not so lucky. Nonetheless, they both made charming subjects for photos … and they offered great viewpoints for aerial looks down to Mykonos Town.

    Eventually we made our way down to the windmills on the waterfront. A few clicks of the camera, and we made our way to a beach for a stroll to Little Venice … the historic houses that were built by the wealthy sea captains. Along the way we checked out a couple of places for lunch, but moved on when they did not prove satisfactory. That, in fact, worked in our favor … but that’s for the next footprint.    En savoir plus

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  • TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
    Jour 3

    Lunch @ Katerina’s

    23 octobre 2023, Grèce ⋅ 🌧 66 °F

    On a back street, we found Katerina’s … a gem of a restaurant inside one of the Little Venice houses. The establishment is named for Katerina Xidaki, a local woman who at age 18 became the first professional female captain of a motor vessel.

    There were no tables available on the tiny balcony, which was in the sun anyway. So we gave up the scenery to sit at the only table available in the A/C-cooled dining room.

    The menu offered a selection of Mediterranean dishes, with seafood featuring prominently. We opted for a bunch of mezes (appetizers). The portions turned out to be quite large … saganaki; feta cheese wrapped in phyllo, deep fried, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds; calamari; and tempura-style zucchini slices with tzatziki sauce. Mui ordered ouzo; I opted for an Alpha, the local beer on the menu. Everything was delicious and plentiful, making us happy that Mui had not opted to also order the mussels. Dessert — a mix of baklava and kadayıf — was compliments of the establishment … and a nice wrap to a very nice meal.

    We continued our meandering stroll through the streets, making our way back to the harbor. We came out not far from the water taxi drop-off point. Having purchased R/T tickets this morning, we made our way onto the next taxi to depart. It was right around 3:00p … just as planned.    En savoir plus

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  • TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
    Jour 4

    Day at Sea

    24 octobre 2023, Ionian Sea ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Had a quiet day at sea … cruising from the Aegean to the Med and up to the Adriatic.

    We spent the day relaxing … in my case, on the veranda most of the day … until it became bathed by the sun. It was a good day to process photos and draft up footprints for the past two days so that I can upload them when we get to Kotor tomorrow.

    Mui went to the art class mid-morning … “Creating Designs from Doodles: Bookmarks.” It was a “simple class,” but it helped to pass time. He’s looking forward to the watercolor classes promised by the instructor.

    We wrapped up the day with dinner in the Vista Dining Room, followed by tonight’s show on the Main Stage … featuring Cantaré, a quartet of guys from the USA.    En savoir plus

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  • TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
    Jour 5

    Kotor, Montenegro: No-Go!

    25 octobre 2023, Monténégro ⋅ 🌧 68 °F

    As you will see from the attached map, Captain Rens made an attempt to get us into Kotor. Alas, winds gusting up to 55 mph gave Mother Nature the upper hand and he regrettably had to turn the ship around and head back towards the Adriatic.

    The good news is that we’ve been to Kotor before. (How’s that for a silver lining spin on missing it on this cruise? 😉).

    At the moment, having gone through the Bay of Tivat and the narrow Kumbor Channel, we are at a standstill in Hercegnovski Zaljev (Bay). A light mist is starting to veil the scenery. But that is not why we are holding our position. Rather, Oosterdam needs to be cleared out of Montenegro before we can proceed. As well, we have a medical disembark and a crew change pending action.

    We will be at sea for the rest of the day.

    Tomorrow is scheduled as a sea day to get us from Montenegro to Italy. Will that still be the case now that Kotor is canceled? That is TBD.    En savoir plus

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  • TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
    1
    Jour 5

    Montenegro & Out to Sea

    25 octobre 2023, Adriatic Sea ⋅ 🌬 68 °F

    Having completed the medical disembark and collected the crew that was to have embarked in Kotor, Oosterdam was on the move from Hercegnovski Bay around 11:15a.

    As we moved out towards the Adriatic, Captain Rens came on the P/A and updated us on the plans for tomorrow, which will remain a day at sea as originally scheduled. But, the timing of our transit of the Strait of Messina has been moved from nighttime to daytime. And we are going to detour to the Island of Stromboli to take a peek at the volcano that makes up the bulk of the island. So, we get to do a bit of scenic cruising tomorrow.

    I spent most of our time at sea on the veranda … despite the rather gloomy weather. Mui joined me part of the time … going to the watercolor session to entertain himself mid-afternoon. The veranda is well protected from the elements. So much so that we even managed to sit through the squall Oosterdam went through … thunder, lightning, and sideways blowing rain notwithstanding.

    All in all, while we hadn’t planned on being at sea today, we didn’t mind it much either.

    I took no photos after we left Montenegro for the open seas, so I’ll share the ones I took while Oosterdam was transiting its way out to the Adriatic.    En savoir plus

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  • TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
    2
    Jour 6

    At Sea: The Sole of Italy’s Boot

    26 octobre 2023, Ionian Sea ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    We are currently sailing under Italy’s boot on our way to the Strait of Messina. Just starting to make the turn up from the toe of Italy’s boot.

    Close enough to get a data signal from shore … thanks to our T-Mobile plan.

    (Sorry about any wobbles in the video. It is fairly windy along the railing of the Promenade Deck.)    En savoir plus

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  • TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
    1
    11
    Jour 6

    At Sea: Stromboli

    26 octobre 2023, Italie ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    Captain Rens brought Oosterdam to Stromboli for a bit of scenic cruising this afternoon. He even opened up the ship’s bow deck for our viewing pleasure.

    After the initial approach to Stromboli, and a 360-turn to ensure everyone had a chance to see the majestic volcano rising out of the sea, Oosterdam continued around to the other side of the island. It was on this side that we saw signs of frozen lava that had made its way down the side of the mountain.

    With the cloud cover rising, we also glimpsed steam coming out of the crater, and a couple of small eruptions that spurted ash through the white steam … and even one that gave us a glimpse of orange-red lava that rose through the steam only to fall back into the crater.

    Surprisingly there is a strong cell signal from the island on which the volcano sits … hence this quickie footprint.    En savoir plus

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  • TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
    Jour 7

    Naples, Italy: Are We Going to Make It?

    27 octobre 2023, Italie ⋅ 🌬 72 °F

    For a minute there, it looked like we were going to lose Naples … as we did Kotor two days ago. But let me put your minds at ease. We made it. Here’s how our arrival story unfolded.

    It was 7:45a. We were supposed to dock at 8:00a. That clearly wasn’t going to happen as Oosterdam was still outside the breakwaters for the Port of Naples. The sea was an angry cauldron of white caps. The wind was blowing strong and steady.

    As we watched the shoreline, we noticed Oosterdam starting to turn. Oh oh! Were we leaving? Since no announcements are made over the P/A system before 8:00a, we’d have to wait a bit longer to find out.

    We continued to watch from the veranda. Oosterdam continued to turn. Our view changed to show us Vesuvius … veiled by mist and cloaked by clouds. Then, slowly, Naples came back into view again as Oosterdam completed a 360° turn.

    Just at that moment, the P/A came alive. It wasn’t Captain Rens, but Daniel, the Cruise & Travel Director. That was a good sign actually. After all, port cancelation announcements are in the purview of Captain Rens.

    Daniel explained that we were making our final maneuvers to line up with the entrance to the port. The bad news, however, was that we’d be late docking.

    No worries. It wasn’t like we were on a schedule today. We were just happy that we would not be losing Naples to the vagaries of Mother Nature.    En savoir plus

  • TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
    Jour 7

    Naples: Castel Sant’Elmo

    27 octobre 2023, Italie

    Once Oosterdam came alongside the pier, we made our way down to the gangway and joined the queue of independents ready to go ashore. The line wasn’t overly long as the ship’s tour groups were gathering in the Mainstage and would disembark from there. (Using two separate gangways to disembark passengers from a ship is brilliant IMHO.)

    In short order, the line began moving. There was good news to accompany the move … an hour had been added at the end of the day to make up for the delayed arrival. Oosterdam was now scheduled to leave at 8:00p.

    Off the ship, we exited the secure zone and walked towards the port gate. But before we got there, we found the underground tunnel to the metro. Perfect … since we needed to take Linea 1 two stops to Fermata Dante to then connect to the funicular that would take us up to Castel Sant’Elmo.

    Purchasing our tickets from the automated machine, our timing proved perfect. Hearing the ding of the doors, we ran the last few steps and got on the train that was about to depart the station. Before long, we were getting off and making our way above ground.

    Asking for directions from the locals, we walked the short distance to the Montesanto Funicular. Minutes later, we were being whisked up the mountain to the Morghen Station, the second stop on this two-stop funicular … an elevation difference of ~500 feet. Then, it was a matter of following the signs to climb further up the hill to get to the castle.

    Built by a Valencian knight in 1537, Castel Sant’Elmo is a transformation of fortifications that already existed at the time. Its six-pointed star shape is considered unusual, but the architect felt that having six points allowed cannons to aim in any direction. An added defensive feature of the castle is the thickness of the walls, which the architect said would be impossible to break down. He was right. The castle still sits intact atop Vomero Hill, proudly overlooking the city.

    After purchasing our admission tickets, we strolled up a gently sloped path to reach the entrance to Sant’Elmo. Before crossing the passeggiata into the castle, we stopped to check out the views and the colossal coat of arms of Emperor Charles V … consisting of the double-headed Hapsburg eagle with wings outspread … two subjects, dressed as warriors, at its feet.

    From our perspective, the walls rose high, the lower half of the castle carved directly into the tuff — volcanic rock —to create the moat surrounding the fortifications. The upper walls were constructed of bricks made using the excavated tuff.

    We made our way up into the castle, using internal ramps that carriages rolled up and down back in the day, carrying food and supplies. And which pedestrians walked to get to and from the upper reaches of the castle. We peeked through the small openings that were used to launch incendiary devices at the enemy, and stopped frequently to enjoy the slightly-misty city views from the embrasures carved into the tuff walls.

    Our steps eventually took us up to Piazza d’Armi … a huge open space overlooked by buildings. Today, there were just a few people wandering around the square. Back in the day, a nearby sign explained, there would have been at least 200 people here carrying out their daily tasks. Besides the castellan, the civil and military head of the fortress, also living here then were the chaplain and the sacristans, officials, soldiers, guards, workers. These people resided and worked in the buildings along the perimeter of the piazza. There was also a butcher, a tavern, a millstone, furnaces to bake bread, vegetable gardens, a workshop to make bullets … and more.

    After wandering around the ramparts for a while, we returned to the piazza where we came to an art museum housed in one of the buildings. The Museum — Novecento a Napoli … 1910-1980 — exhibits a collection of art from 1910 forward … by Neapolitan artists and others who were in the city at the time. We went in to check out what was on display, but didn’t dally long as we had another museum to visit that Mui said would probably take up a lot more of our time.

    Soon, we were continuing with our loose plans for the day.    En savoir plus

  • TA HAL Oosterdam 2023
    Jour 7

    Naples: Certosa e Museo di San Martino

    27 octobre 2023, Italie ⋅ 🌬 73 °F

    When I took a close-up or two of a church through the embrasures in the walls of Castel Sant’Elmo, I didn’t realize that we’d be heading there next … the Charterhouse Church and Monastery of San Martino.

    St Martin’s was one of the most important monasteries of the Carthusian monks. It was founded in 1325 as a complex following Carthusian rules. That is, it had a church, cloisters, and vegetable gardens. Not much remains of the original Gothic structure as much of it has been covered by decorative elements and stucco work that was added in the following centuries. After Naples was proclaimed a republic in 1799, the monks were forced to leave. Though they returned a few years later, their numbers were greatly reduced. In 1866, the monastery was handed over to the State, and a year later it became part of the National Museum.

    At first, the exhibits were linked primarily to Neapolitan history and were housed in the Prior’s quarters, the refectory, the old pharmacy, and the entrance hall. During the 1900s, the collections displayed grew and became more varied, and new sections of the monastery were added as exhibit space.

    We started out by checking out the Charterhouse Church, which was built between 1365-1368 as part of the original monastery complex. Beginning in the late 16th century, the Gothic structure underwent restoration work that added features that were Baroque in nature … followed by more restoration that added Rococo features to the interior … such as the amazing marble, gemstone, and bronze balustrade. We found the marble marquetry work especially beautiful and eye-catching.

    Then we went into the museum itself. The exhibited art was distinctly religious in nature. But there were also other interesting exhibits that had us spending time studying them. As well, the ceilings in several of the rooms were beautifully painted.

    One highlight here was the diorama entitled the Cuciniello Crib … so named for the donor of the pieces that make up the collection. Essentially a nativity scene exhibited in the monks’s kitchens, it includes shepherds, animals, works of still life, the procession of the Three Wise Kings, and more … all arranged to show everyday life in the 18th century. I found it interesting that the lighting went from dawn to daylight to dusk to night, changing the ambiance of the diorama. But I think it was also a gimmick to keep visitors moving along as most did just that after dusk fell on the scene.

    Another highlight was the Great Cloister. This common area would have been the center of activity in the lives of the monks. The original cloister was redesigned at the end of the 16th century in the Renaissance style. The landscaping was simple … though the arches around the quadrangle, and the balustrade of the Monk’s Cemetery — topped with sculptures of skulls — added eye-catching details.

    We strolled around the cloister before finding the stairs that took us up to the choir of the Charterhouse church, and behind the altar for a different perspective of what we’d seen earlier.

    The small gallery featuring paintings of Naples of old was our last stop here … an appropriate way to end our visit to the museum.    En savoir plus

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