EUROPEAN VACATION – WEEK 9

We’ve gone from warm to cold, from dry to damp, and from ship to shore, all in the space of one week!

Last Sunday, we were basking in the 26-degree sunshine of Analya, Turkey, climbing to the top of the walled fortress and strolling along the beautiful seaside promenade.  Analya is on the “Turkish Riviera”, a beautiful stretch of coastline on Turkey’s southwestern Mediterranean coast.  A stretch of sand there called Cleopatra Beach is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe.  I must admit that it ranks right up there with Basin Head, number one on my list.

 

As we strolled along the main drag by the bay after I’d taken a dip, Elva ducked into a few hotels to check out the prices.  To our great surprise, we could have stayed in one of the best hotels in Antalya for about $85 that night, including breakfast and dinner!  Definitely a place to consider, if we ever come back this way.  The people are friendly and we didn’t get the impression they were out to get our money any way they could.

 

After Antalya, we had a quick stop in Cyprus.  We didn't see much of interest in Pafos, except some intricate and beautiful mosaics from the 2nd century A.D.  I snapped a photo of this fit-looking tour boat.  The sign says: Luxury Unforgettable Sailing.  I can just imagine!

 

 

Our last day aboard was a sea day.  We made the best of it, taking a tour of the massive galley, and dining à la grandeur in the luxurious dining room on our last evening.  Being on board for forty-two days, we got to know many of the crew members on a first-name basis, and many of them reciprocated.  The kitchen staff are almost all Filipino, and the rest of the crew is Indonesian, many of them from the Island of Bali.

All crew members are highly skilled at what they do, and very friendly to boot.  We got to know our cabin stewards best: one was from Bali; the other from the Island of Celebes in Indonesia.  They work 11 hours a day; 7 days a week; 8 months on; 4 months off.  I didn’t dare ask how much they made; I’d probably have been shocked at the number.  Suffice to say we left them a generous tip.

On average, the ship carries 1,300 passengers and has a crew of 600.  Of these, 100 work in the kitchen and about the same number work as servers in the various restaurants.  Each week, passengers and crew consume 1,700 pounds of meat, fish and seafood; 12,000 pounds of fresh vegetables; 18,000 pounds of eggs; 2,900 pounds of flour; and 20 pounds of caviar!  It’s no wonder people gain weight!

We ended our cruise on Wednesday morning when the MS Rotterdam docked in Athens.  We hung onto the rails on the gangway by our fingernails, but the crew threw us off!  We flew from Athens to Rome, arriving mid-afternoon, and took the train and the subway to our comfortable apartment near the Vatican.  We were met by our host, Fabianna, and settled in for eight nights here.

On our first full day in Rome, we started by putting on a few extra layers of clothes and walked around Vatican City, arriving eventually in massive Saint Peters Square.  Vatican City State was established as an independent country in 1929 and, at just over 100 acres, is the smallest country in the world.  Pope Francis is not the President; Cardinal Giuseppe Bertolo holds that position.  The Pope is considered however to be the Head of State, and the Vatican is an absolute monarchy.

The Vatican has a permanent population of 800, 450 of whom hold citizenship, and a staff of 2,500 or so.  It has its own post office, publishing house, bank, Corps of Gendarmes, state department, and department of international relations.  The Pontifical Swiss Guard (those funny-looking soldiers with the orange and navy blue vertical stripes) has been guarding Popes since the early 1500s.  They must be Catholic, unmarried males with Swiss citizenship to qualify.

From the Vatican, we walked past the massive Castel Sant-Angelo and across the Tiber River, heading in the general direction of Piazza Navona.  Along the way, we entered several churches to take in the magnificent interiors, each one containing several chapels with ornate sculptures, frescoes and gilded moldings.  By far the most impressive was the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.  Like many churches in Rome, we considered this one ‘over the top’.

 

Then, it was on to see one of my favourite buildings in the whole world: the Pantheon.  This magnificent structure was completed during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (my favourite Roman Emperor) about 126 A.D.  It is one the best-preserved structures from the Roman era and has been in continuous use for almost 1,900 years.  Its dome is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome, measuring an astounding 43 metres in diameter, and 43 metres in height.

 

The next day, we walked to the district of Trastevere.  Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate, and so we didn’t see the place at its best.  We did visit a few churches, including Saint Bartholomew, Saint Cecelia, and Santa Maria in Trastevere.  The steady rain that began on Friday dogged us for the next two days.

On Saturday, it was time to visit the Vatican Museum.  We bought a guided tour and set off with a group of 23, trying like hell to keep up to our guide through the most incredible crush of people I’ve ever been in; worse than the New York subway at rush hour!  In fairness to our very capable guide, she had to squeeze a three-hour tour into two hours because the Basilica was closing early that day.  We did our best to take it all in and did get a few nice pictures; not allowed in the Sistine Chapel, unfortunately.

 

This morning, we awoke to clear skies for the first time in five days!  But, it was only 8 degrees and ‘raw’.  We knew the Pope was saying Mass in Saint Peters Square at 10:30 and we wanted to be there in time to get a good seat.  As it turned out, we got to the square at 8:30 and took our places, trying our best to keep warm before the ceremony started.  The square filled up quite quickly.  Judging by the many flags in evidence, people were there from all over the world; even a contingent from the war-torn country of Eritrea.

 

Those of you who’ve read my blogs may find it surprising to learn that I’d wait two hours in the freezing cold to attend Mass.  Well, the only way I can explain my motivation is to say that, curiously, it’s one of the things on my bucket list.  Being there, in the presence of as many as 60,000 people, all of them quiet and respectful, all of them wanting to see Papa Francesca in person, I found quite moving.  

Since it marked the end of the year of the Faith and the day Saint Peter’s remains were put on public display for the first time, most of the Cardinals were there, as well as representatives of allied faiths such as the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches.  I’m not a great admirer of the Catholic hierarchy, but I do like Francis I, and I wish him well.

In the afternoon, we walked to Piazza del Popolo, and down the Via del Corso toward Piazza Venezia.  Along the way, we visited the Spanish Steps and the magnificent Trevi Fountain.  Along a three-block stretch between Piazza del Popolo and Via del Corso, we counted five churches!  We counted three more on the way to the Spanish Steps.  When in Spain, the boys and I decided Spain has too many roads.  Elva and I decided Greece, Turkey and Cyprus had too many ruins.  Well, Rome definitely has too many churches!

 

After seeing as many as we have in the past four days, we’ve concluded that these churches were not built for the right reasons.  How does one justify eight magnificent churches in an area measuring six blocks by six blocks?  Were the old ones at capacity?  Were they ready to fall down?  More likely, they were built to glorify a person, somebody who wanted his name above the door. 

To illustrate my point, on the face of the Trevi Fountain, one finds the engraved names of three Popes: Clement XII, Clement XIII, and Benedict XIV.  Did they pay for the privilege, I wonder?  Not likely!  There are buildings, statues and arches with the names of Popes spread all over Rome.  They remind me of dogs marking their territory!

 

Still, Rome is a city of wonders, and the food is great.  We have a few left to see, including one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, the Colosseum.  I’ve seen it before, but I can’t wait to show Elva.  And then, later this week, it will be off to Paris and home; the end of our magnificent adventure!  Along the way, we've visited 15 countries and 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.