medicalma'am

For the PRIMA on Jan. 17 out of Galveston, my itinerary change email stated that we would be able to make excursion choices in 3 weeks for the three new ports. It has now been over 5 weeks and only 2 excursions for one port are listed and a second port yesterday showed one excursion listed. Still waiting on excursions for the third port to be listed. I am frustrated that all our carefully made plans changed and we are at a standstill. I have a lot going on in my life right now and I would like to get this finalized. That said, does this mean they are having problems lining up venders at this late date? Please tell me that there will be more excursions available soon. Anyone with experience with this happening? Hopeless in Texas

Our day Saturday started very early. Whe got to the airport at 4:30 am. We just stood inside the doors trying to orient ourselves. We just saw NO information at all as to where we were to go for ticketing and luggage. Drop off. Several people we asked who could speak English could not help us. Finally I determined that we needed to go to the Air France counted. THE LINE! Oh my were we going to make our 6 am flight??? We stood in line for 10 minutes when I saw a “Priority” line. I checked the Delta app on my phone and decided that was our line! So much quicker and easy. Then to find security. Another long line! In time we made it through and found our gate. You have to show your passport at several places including with your boarding pass before getting on the plane. Also, there are VERY few seats at each gate. Luckily we did not have much time to wait. It was a two hour flight to Paris, then the task of finding our way to the correct gate for the next leg. We were so relieved once there to find the Sky Priority Lounge was very close. We had a relaxing 2.5 hours there. We were first to board and they led us out to a trolly bus. What was this we wondered. We took a drive 1.5 miles long to our plane!!! We could see the plane but were held on the bus. I guess they weren’t ready for us. On the bus. the ride our plane we were waiting to be readied Finally boarding. Home for now Where my feet go We could lower the partition between us. It was 40 degrees F out, what a change. The stairs to the plane were a chilly climb. Then a glasses in gateway and we were on our home for the next 9 hours 40 minutes. It took almost an hour for the passengers to all board. We received a welcome drink during that wait. We arrived in Atlanta and had to get our luggage and go through immigration and customs. Then we checked our luggage again, found our gate and were the first to board again in first class. Soon we were back in Houston. We got our car and it was a rough drive home, a two hour trip. It was 6 am the next morning ( Barcelona time) when we unlocked our door. It had been a long 27 hours. We had been only able to nap on the Barcelona - Atlanta leg of the trip and we were both really fighting sleep the last hour drive! We both kept each other awake though. What a wonderful vacation of a lifetime and I am so glad we did it. Now I have a mountain of laundry fo tackle, and the cupboards are bare. Back to real life!

BARCELONA We had a last wonderful breakfast in the Haven restaurant, then found our way off the ship. It was easy to find our luggage in the “priority” section. We got a taxi to our hotel even though it was only 8:30 am. We settled into our hotel after leaving the ship. They stored our luggage and let us use their beautiful lounge and library until we had to leave for our arranged tour of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. We were again in the H10 Catalonia Boutique Hotel. We watched the early morning goings on in the Piazza. We got a taxi right out front of the hotel to the basilica. I was told by my “German daughter” (foreign exchange student from 1998) that this was NOT to be missed. She was right!!! It was incredible. I had arranged our tickets two weeks earlier. It is recommended to do it two months in advance of your visit if you want a guided tour. The only thing available when I booked was the general admission, which was sufficient for us. It included instructions to download their app and access to the Bluetooth version of the tour. We just used our own earbuds and followed the instructions. Entrance This is a work in progress and will be for years to come. Detail on the main doors on this entrance Inside these doors you have the feeling of being in a forest. The architect used so much in God’s creation in nature throughout. The windows in the East side are predominantly blue and green The windows on the West side are seen in reds, oranges, and yellows, as in a sunset. Stairs to the altar IMG_2767.mov this is the crypt under the altar that you could look down into from above from several windows. There were wedding photos being taken. Outside the West doors is the whole story of Jesus last days. There was so much here that we spent 45 minutes taking it all in. And finally the empty cross! We had about 3 hours here to take it all in. I will never forget it and bought a book in the gift shop to remember it. I went outside and googled books on a website to see if I could get this book once home and did not find it. There were many languages to choose from. So worth the weight in my luggage. We easily got a taxi back to the Piazza Catalonia. This was the worst taxi driver of the whole trip! He must have thought he was transporting a woman in labor to the hospital, the way he drove! But we did make it back safely. We were then able to check into our room. We soon realized we were hu fry and found a Hard Rock Cafe. Very close. We feasted on nachos and burger sliders. So delishous. We loved our waiter. He was from Venezuela and had spent extensive time in France, the US, Spain, Amsterdam, and is thinking of going to Dubai when he graduates in may 2025. We headed back to our hotel full. We went to the lounge area for a glass of complimentary wine and took it to our room. We arranged our things for our 2:45 wake time and agganged for a taxi. We could not get our air conditioning to turn on so we just opened the balcony doors as it was very cool outside. We listened to the bustling of tourists and locals (pickpockets) on the street 4 stories below as it lulled us to sleep.

Wendy, Just too much of the same thing. I wanted to get a start on packing and enjoy the balcony and rest. Dexddd, Gosh, I hope not!!! But I think if NCL did, it would be a much better quality.

Sunrise in Barcelona the next morning.

PALMA, MALLORCA Again we are blessed with beautiful weather. Here we chose the Palma, Tapas and Flamenco Dancers excursion. This was a later excursion so we had a great breakfast in the Haven restaurant with a view. We went to the Escape theater and were called to our bus. There were about 120 people going to this. We rode through the outskirts of Palma which seemed dry and not lush looking like other places we had been. We were oriented to what we would be enjoying. This was not a restaurant per se but a big event center where Gypsies have weddings and such celebrations. We were told in detail about the 3 Gypsy dancer ladies, how they each danced, and which one the guide thought was the best. Now I had always imagined these dances to be done in pairs of male and female, that the ladies wore large wide skirts that were very much a part of the dance, and that the dances were lively between the pair. Keep this in mind. There were many round tables of 10 each which made some people seated with their backs to the stage. There was a bottle of wine and a pitcher of sangria on each table, plus water. The sangria served about 4 people then we had to wait for more. I tasted a bit of it before pouring some thank goodness. It was strange compared to sangria in the US. It had a strong taste of anise to me. I decided on the wine. This was not good either and seemed watered down. I did note that each wine bottle had an artificial cork stopper instead of a cork that would have originally sealed the bottle. Shortly a large lazy Susan server was set on each table with small portions of different foods. We all were able to take a small taste of each item. There was a “potato salad” that was made of sliced potatoes, bell pepper, onion, and mushroom similar to how I have made a skillet potato side dish. There were olives, 2 types of sausages, a potato scallop casserole cut into small 1 inch squares, tomato wedges, a sour cream garlic spread, a tomato spread, and slices of a rustic bread. These tables were so large, that each person had to stand and reach to serve themselves. Nothing was tasty. I did not like either sausage and heard two men commenting as we walked out later that both were disgusting. I had to agree. A guitarist came on the stage and started playing. He was amazing! Later the dancers came out a danced. The costumes were not what I thought of as traditional. The best dancer in my opinion. IMG_2652.mov What I thought of as a more traditional dress of Flamenco dancers There were no male dancers, which I was disappointed by. We returned to the city and got off the bus at a stop where there was a free shuttle back to the port every 20 minutes or so. We chose to just go back to the ship instead of walking the old part of the city. I had seen enough of narrow streets and churches at this point. It was predicted to start raining anyway. Some views on our way back to port. I wanted to pack and relax before our dinner in the Haven restaurant that evening. We enjoyed some time on our balcony also for the last day. After the rain there was a double complete rainbow. The perfect ending to our cruise. IMG_2682.mov Dinner in the Haven restaurant A late sail away. Beautiful city lights. this is as they were just loosening the mooring. Random pics from the Haven bar We always knew the direction to go back to our suite was opposite the direction the fish were swimming!

Regrouping. It has been a rough couple of days, with travel home. More to come later today!

CAGLIARI We started our day in the Haven restaurant since we had a 9:45 meeting time for our excursion. I took pictures of the breakfast bar even though we ordered from the menu. The coffee is a French press but I have to admit that the coffee that the machine in our suite makes is more to my liking. They have Jelly’s right at each table. The haven entrance from inside. We did the usual pre excursion routine and were quickly on our way. We drove through the city and to a lookout. Then we went to a quaint area for sone shopping. This was an orange tree right in the street We met the bus again. It had double parked and just waited right there for us! We went to a very small winery run by a brother and sister. We had a brief tour then were seated. I found the bottling process most interesting. They plant rose bushes at the perimeter of the fields so they can tell is there are any problems. They said that if the roses are not doing well, they know to check on the vines. We were served a tiny plate of things to sample the wine with. We were served a white, rose, and a red. They were ok but not anything I would buy. That night we had reservations at Cagney’s. We were seated near the windows but near the grill. This part of the restaurant is very loud. There is no partition at all to section it off from the Meridian Bar. There is open visual ironwork but nothing that would make it soundproof from the noise of the bar. It was just not an atmosphere to my liking at all. Dinner was delicious. We both had the filet medium and they were PERFECT. We took the rest of our bottle of wine and finished it. The green peppercorn sauce was diving as usual. The menu I was served the largest wedge salad I have ever had. Oh my, it was fabulous! My filet and green peppercorn sauce Broccoli perfectly steamed Truffle Parmesan crusted fries I should not have ordered. We only could finish a few. I ordered the apple pie for dessert but could only eat a bit of it. I didn’t get a picture of it. We were so full that we just went back to our suite and relaxed on the balcony.

Valletta. Woke to a beautiful sunrise. You could see the shadow of our ship on the cliff. We went at our meeting time (7:30) to Headliners, where they have a different process than the Escape theater. You get your bus number sticker when you come into the club. Then you are told so sit until they call your number. Soon we were called to go to our bus and got on the road quickly. Our driver and guide got us to the old city Mdina first so we really had it to ourselves! The landscape here is quite desolate. I don’t know how they grow things here. The land is so rocky that the fields are divided by walls made of the stacked stones found in the fields. We were the first bus to make it to the city entrance. This is a completely walled city high up on a hill. It is inhabited by an aging population. One couple in their 80s have owned the huge house for generations but the younger generations have moved away. The streets are narrow and we had to move out of the way for delivery trucks coming into the city. It was one Main Street and several cross streets. There is a convent but only one nun lives here currently and she is elderly we were told. Don’t know if this is her because he said she never leaved the convent and the only ones allowed in are doctors The doctor has to be approved by the Pope before going in he said. Maybe this one takes care of her. We were able to walk the length of the walled city, enjoying it to ourselves. A side street It was beautiful every direction we looked and spotlessly clean. As we walked back to the city gate a few shops were opening. It was fun to witness this sleepy place ‘wake up’. The city walls were 3 meters thick and the view was lovely. A small church was open. Walking back to city gate There is a park in what I guess was a mote. We drove back to Valletta. We entered the new entrance, walked to the upper garden, visited the Saint John’s Co-Cathedral, where 440 of the Knights of St. John are buried. Each knight has a marble representing things in his life. UPPER GARDEN A street of lanterns St. John’s That is gold leaf on the ceiling Altar and behind knight’s grave coverings. Can anyone read Latin. (It’s been a long time since high school Latin for me). We also visited an archeology museum. Lots of pillars, pot shards, and curiosities. We walked back to the bus and headed to port. We went to the Haven for a drink at the bar and returned to our aft suite for sail away. Our steward brought our laundry. I relaxed with some hot tea. The espresso machine heats the water, uses pods, and makes the most amazing cup of coffee. There are 2 sizes cups supplied We went to Pinchos Tapas Bar for dinner. I used my Latitudes dinner with a bottle of wine. I chose a Merlot that was very good. We had a glass each and brought it back to the room for tomorrow. We each were able to order 4 things from the menu. This was dates wrapped with bacon then grilled. This was my favorite thing. We also hadn’t caramel sauce that was Smokey and spice that I dipped apple slices into. Thomas was our waiter. We had never been to a tapas bar but he explained it to us. We shared each thing we ordered at his suggestion. It was a wonderful meal. We walked outside on deck 8 for a bit as it was not windy and temperate. Then we wandered back to our home away from home. I left a couple of friends behind too!

This is the symbol or crest for the town We walked up a steep street to the theater and arrived at the entrance this is a carob seed from a tree growing at the entrance. stage some fallen columns seating. this theater is still being used today. It had amazing views We wandered back through town to our meeting place. We did the “elevator dance” and found our bus. Now to get out of here. This bus, that bus, then our turn. It was fascinating to watch. More 10 point turns and we squeezed through the car sized exit only to be facing a 6 foot diameter cement post! We all applauded when our driver got past it without touching it. It was an hour drive up to the winery. I was amazed that we saw so many different things growing. Lemon trees galore, cactus, bougainvillea, grape vines, and leeks. We received a welcome glass of wine. It was beautiful here. We had a feast of roasted eggplant, olives, sun dried tomato, cheeses, salamis, herbs, butter, purple salt, and 4 wines. Just when we had gotten our fill, they brought us roasted potatoes and sausages, and more of the wine we liked best. It was a sleepy hour drive back to port! We went to the Haven for a drink and relaxed on the upper outside deck. When I said a dirty Tanqueray martini with extra olives he took me seriously! I got an extra glass with just the olives. lol A nice sunset Then we returned to our suite on deck 12 on our aft balcony to watch Sicily disappear into the distance. Ore suite snacks, Ferdinand never fails to please!!

This is the symbol or crest for the town We walked up a steep street to the theater and arrived at the entrance this is a carob seed from a tree growing at the entrance. stage some fallen columns seating. this theater is still being used today. It had amazing views We wandered back through town to our meeting place. We did the “elevator dance” and found our bus. Now to get out of here. This bus, that bus, then our turn. It was fascinating to watch. More 10 point turns and we squeezed through the car sized exit only to be facing a 6 foot diameter cement post! We all applauded when our driver got past it without touching it. It was an hour drive up to the winery. I was amazed that we saw so many different things growing. Lemon trees galore, cactus, bougainvillea, grape vines, and leeks. We received a welcome glass of wine. It was beautiful here. We had a feast of roasted eggplant, olives, sun dried tomato, cheeses, salamis, herbs, butter, purple salt, and 4 wines. Just when we had gotten our fill, they brought us roasted potatoes and sausages, and more of the wine we liked best. It was a sleepy hour drive back to port! We went to the Haven for a drink and relaxed on the upper outside deck. When I said a dirty Tanqueray martini with extra olives he took me seriously! I got an extra glass with just the olives. lol A nice sunset Then we returned to our suite on deck 12 on our aft balcony to watch Sicily disappear into the distance. Ore suite snacks, Ferdinand never fails to please!!

SICILY When we arrive in port and the ship does a 360 turn, our cabin does a shimmy shake! That has been my wake up alarm. Today was no different. I made myself a cup of coffee and went out on the deck. what a beautiful morning it was. We got ready and I filled a laundry bag for the cabin steward to take. This is free as one of my Sapphire perks. I don’t know if it is a suite thing but I like the cloth drawstring bag. I usually bring 3 inch wide tape and reinforce the paper bags I have had before in cabin before filling them. They were cheap thin paper and you could not put much in them or they would tear! We headed to the meeting place (theater) and got comfortable. It is usually quite a wait. Not today. In 10 minutes they were calling our excursion number and off we went. You go down the stairs, get your bus number on deck 4, scan your key card, and walk off the ship to your bus. Then take your excursion ticket there and you load up on the bus. The PRIMA is in town with us today. We had a scenic ride through town and countryside with lots of hairpin turns. We were on our way to Taormina, a small town across the island. When we arrive we find the tiniest parking garage I have ever seen! It is several stories but not large. It was built for cars….. not buses. It was a tight fit just driving in with about a foot on either side of the bus. That would be fine if you are driving straight in, it not if you have to turn upon entering! Then we do a 15 point turn to make a 90 degree turn. We get off the bus before he parks it because there is no room to get off otherwise. there are 4 elevators for 8 busses arriving. Tour guides “take” an elevator and ride it until all their bus is up to level 7. Then another tour guide gets that elevator. Crazy. Once we are all assembled at the top where the town is we see a beautiful view. We start our narrated walk through town. It is a honeymoon destination we were told. There are. It’s walls, old churches, shops, and beautiful views. Shops were just starting to open. This was a chocolate shop. That chocolate is pouring! This is the narrowest alleyway in town. 30 inches. Most are at least this wide. Next the GREEK THEATER

Naples! That means Pompeii. Every day gets better I swear. Another early morning, this time in Headliners. There was a different process here than in the theater. We got our bus stickers first then they started calling bus numbers. We were the second called. A quick bus ride and we were there. our first glimpse This was a gladiator training ground. the perimeter was a covered colonnade back in the day this is a wall. It was put together in a way that hindered it crumbling in earthquakes we were told by the guide pictured a theater this is where they cooked and sold street tacos. Or whatever food was popular on the run. It was on the Main Street into ‘town’. The proprietor lived above the store front. the street was a drainage system and to cross it could be, well, messy. They had these stepping stones to cross it at evenly spaced intersections. Better view os a main street this was painted on a wall. It is literally a campaign sign. “Vote tor Cornelium”. Seemed timely. decorated wall on a fancy house at the entrance inside the “entry hall”. This must have been an important person’s home. in the middle was a shallow pool. Along the sides of this room was said to be benches where those wanting to see the owner would have waited. a beautifully decorated wall in a smaller room. it had an open air atrium. another “pool”. decorated walls ones found storage room wall and alley in the back of this house Servants rooms in this alley water collection system near servants quarters - floor basin and hole in the roof second store of this house demonstrated another plaster cast of a body. It was so sad to see how this person died. They said most were able to escape. I hope that is true. decorated exterior wall this was a gymnasium it had a pool it had male and female saunas at either end of the gymnasium at each end of the columned portico a central court for the public this was a 2 story government building. Very fancy the central court was paved with these stones. Only a few remain mount Vesuvius A word about our guide. We have had great guides that tried hard to keep us together. Pompeii was VERY crowded and we were strung out in long lines all day. We had the nifty radios so we could hear him…when he was in range. We struggled all day to keep sight of him and see the little sign he wouldn’t hold up high enough. At the end of the day at our meeting place one lady said her friend was missing and had been most of the day. We waited for about 35 minutes while they contacted her by phone and tried to get her out of the maze that is Pompeii. I was not at all surprised that this happened. Trying to keep up with him made for a stressful day. We were also dealing with the uneven terrain and incredible crowds. back on the ship we went to Haven restaurant for a late lunch. Brie burger and a couscous salad another beautiful sunset from our balcony good bye Naples.

The Supper Club was complimentary. It an be booked (recommened). We were admitted early as we are in the Haven. The show was great, but the venue was not full. All reserved seats are released 10 minutes prior to the show start time if there are no shows. So you can line up and hope for a seat if it is booked fully. THE DAILYS ARE AN 8 by 11 folded format as shown. But you can view them on the app. I don’t see why the couldn’t eliminate the paper version. You can also view on your in room tv screen.

Rome, what can I say. So unbelievable. We started out in the theater again but didn’t have a long wait. We had a more comfortable bus today with more leg room. It took about 1 hour 40 minutes to get the Vatican parking spot then a 12 minute walk to the entrance. The parking garage was the cleanest I have ever seen! It was crowded but less so than normal our guide stayed. The traffic was definitely less being a Saturday after a holiday. Saint Peter’s Square was impressive. We first passed the gate where the pope enters. There were the papal guards there. Where smoke is seen when pope has been chosen. We had some gelato before meeting the group again. Parking garage we went over the Tiber river. We continued to the old city. The streets are so very narrow and we followed our guide like ducks in a row praying we wouldn’t get lost at times. She was an expert making sure we were all there at every point. She gave really good instructions which direction she was going so even those at the end of the line could end up at the right place. It was a 15 minute walk. She explained what we were seeing along the way. City Hall We were here at noon and there is an obelisk that shines on the plaza making it a sun dial. see the long thin stone? there were guards/police there. more walking, more piazzas with statues. Roman columns. This is damage done to a Roman building and pillage for artifacts. Soon it was time for lunch and we chose a restaurant she re ommded. She made sure we knew where and when to meet after. All of the streets were like this. I kept kicking at birds that got near me, soon they stayed away! I have a personal grudge against Rome birds. We saw one girl sitting too close to the building get bird poop in her hair. The Pantheon You can see the roof here. There is so much revitalization going on in Rome due to the 2025 celebration. Um, stuck here as to what they are celebrating. She told us but I just didn’t remember it. That is why there was scaffolding everywhere. Entry to the Pantheon was much lower than street level now. This was street level then. A 20 minute walk back to the bus (it was ,unchecked more crowded now) and we were moving again. a park. This was huge. The US Embassy. There were more buildings behind it and it was green and pretty. a fountain under restoration. Just don’t remember name or sculptor pine trees that produce pine nuts. They grow in an umbrella shape. On to the Colosseum. We walked about 10 minutes from where the bus dropped us off. Hubby walked the perimeter of it. Our stop did not permit time to go inside. Next time maybe. Our walk back to the bus was pretty. We had a drive of about 1 hour 45 minutes back to port an aquaduct The sun went down on the way and we all got some shut eye. I definitely heard LOUD snoring much of the was from behind us! Some of the 7 hills surrounding Rome. a beautiful sundown Getting closer to port we watched a ‘bird symphony’. I did not catch a picture of it but they danced in unison at waters edge. There were thousands in several groups. Back at port We arrived back at port as MANY busses were arriving. The line to get on the ship was SO long. We had to be in the HAVEN at 6:10 to be escorted to the Supper Club and it was 5:35. We were discouraged and sure we would miss our treat of the Carlos Santana tribute ( well I was, Hubby is a bit younger 🙄). He wondered out loud if there were a HAVEN representative there to take us onboard. I saw no big ‘Haven’ that we had seen before. Then our hero arrived! A concierge staff coming down the line carrying a HAVEN sign! We were whisked to the gangway as others were held back, taken right to the gentleman who scans your key card, to the security check, and to an elevator reserved for HAVEN guests. There was Lyster to take us to our cabin’s deck. We took the quickest throwers we have ever taken, dressed and were the first of 10 HAVEN guests being taken right to the check in for the Supper Club. Viola. We were the first ones in and could choose from any seat there! My Hubby said “ I don’t even feel a bit of guilt doing this!” as we skipped those lines. FOLKS, THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT PRICE FOR A SUITE IS SO WORTH IT! When you are dog tired at the end of a 14,000 step day in overly crowded conditions, worried the whole time that you will become lost from your guide, and stressed that you will miss evening plans - THEN is when you know why you went for the Haven suite. Our view of the stage at dinner. The menu was a wonderful salad, Chicken Parmesan, and carrot cake. It was all amazing: the service, the show, and the meal. Freestyle Daily 😊

Dinner last night was at La Cuccina. It was the second of our FAS dinners. I still have 2 dinners with my Sapphire status perks, one with a bottle of wine. I had the best chicken cacciatore I have ever eaten in my life there! Hubby had pizza which he said was good. We were seated at a window, which I prefer. The polenta was decadent, fried I think in butter. I so wanted to finish it all, but was full. I love balsamic vinegar and the had it with olive oil for the bread. I use white balsamic vinegar at home for a salad dressing. I could drink that stuff! The bread was wonderful, crusty but soft inside. Perfect. My dessert was panna cotta. I appreciated regular tables and comfortable chairs and the decor here. The wooden tables and benches just do not suit me if I am at a Specialty restaurant. Even if it is an Italian ‘kitchen’ I prefer to be comfortable. There is seating outside but it was not open. We peeked inside Syd Norman’s after dinner. We wanted to walk outside on deck 8 but there was a sign on the door that said it was closed due to high winds. That was confusing as we were moving very slowly to the next port and there was no wind seemingly at all. We woke this morning to find the NCL Dawn ‘parked’ behind us. Nice to see a friendly smile.

Here you go Cruiservictor! and the lovely stairs in the 6th deck lobby

More of the Freestyle Daily for you Dinner last night was at the Haven restaurant. We both had the crab cakes and they were delicious. Dessert was chocolate for Hubby and coconut pudding for me. I had a dirty gin martini that was ice cold also. Today we got up at 6:30, ate and got ready. We headed to the theater and arrived 7 minutes late. When I got there just 2 minutes behind my hubby I did not see him there. I asked up front and the person dismissing people said the group had already left!! She decided to check with the busses and they were still in the port. Whew. I turned and see Hubby coming in. (He had gone to the wrong place). We ran down to deck 5 scanned our key cards and found our bus. Two ladies who were supposed to be on another bus traded stickers with us and we got on bus 4. You see, in the meeting place, they give you stickers for the number bus you are on. So now we were on bus 4 and had #4 stickers on our shirts. So what a wonderful day we were in for! We had a 1 hour 40 minute drive to Florence and our guide had commentary part of the way. They provided us with those nifty receivers with earplugs so we could hear her at the end of the line. We got off the bus and walked 15 minutes to the old city center. I could not believe that vehicles actually drove on the narrow streets! They just beeped their hornets and folks moved out of the way. We saw the only remaining Roman building in the city. We saw a house belonging to the Medici family. His wife complained that it was too small so he built a larger one. Although she died before moving into it. That’s what she gets for complaining I guess. the too small house Her husband’s (on a horse) statue sits in front. This was on a small square. Looks big enough to me. We went to the museum where Michelangelo’s David was. This was really amazing to see. We had seen the hills where the marble came from, and learned how he chose his marble for his works, and now seeing how massive the finished product was it was hard to imagine how they transported it down those hills. Notice his jugular Vein is very prominent. Our guide said that this is an image of David just before his meet up with Goliath and he was scared so his blood pressure was up - thus the jugular being seen. I quite disagree that he was scared. He had complete trust in God to do the killing by directing his stone from the sling. If his blood pressure was up, it was because a holy anger! There were other works in the museum but it is quite small. It didn’t take long to tour. Also, there are. Clean free toilets in the museum. We then had e hours of free time to peruse the ultra expensive shops. The guide had a beautiful ring that expanded into a bracelet. I found in the shop that it was $3200€! No thank you. This was gold and hers was silver but we didn’t find that silver shop. She also directed us to a leather shop and ‘demonstration’ but we left to find someplace to eat. Lunch was delicious. I had a Greek salad, a beer, and a triocolori pizza. It had tomato sauce, cheese, sun dried tomatoes, and pesto. Hubby had lasagna. We had a table outside on the plaza. oops. Upside down again. I will turn the phone correctly from now on. the church on this plaza We still had two hours to kill after shopping so we walked several blocks. Back at the square we found a spot to sit in the shade. Soon we found that the ‘beggars’ came around. Those who would try to start up a conversation and ask where you were from. They would try to find a commonality with you, sell you their wares, or get a handout. One man with an African accent told us he had to get to his sister in France or Chicago (I was only half listening) and how Americans were his only ‘savior’. Move on, buddy. I can ignore them but Hubby makes the mistake of conversing with them. I told him to be mean and say “NO”. We got up and walked about again to avoid them. We had been told that these folks were illegally selling their wares. Only the stores and little temporary shops were legal. Buying from them could cost them and you a $600+ € fine! We FINALLY met with our guide and started the 15 minute walk to the bus. As we drove away from town we stopped at a scenic lookout for a beautiful view of where we had been. Enjoy. Upside down.

Yes. Livorno is the port. Pisa one day, Florence the next day.

This was an early day. We got up at 6:20 and our butler delivered breakfast at 6:30 on the nose. We ate and got ready for our adventures. Off to the Escape theater at 7:25 for our excursion. We booked “Pisa and a Taste of Tuscany”. After 20 minute wait we were directed down one off the ship to our awaiting chariot with Edwardo driving and Miranda as our guide for the day. As we drove to Pisa she gave us some history and funny stories. I have watched “Medici” on Netflix a couple of years ago and had read about the family so found this very interesting. A peek of the city of Pisa in the distance. Do you spy the tower? We passed beautiful countryside to Pisa and could see the marble in the mountains in the distance. That is not snow! A nice 20 minute walk from where the bus parked and we were there. The pics speak for themselves. The cathedral oops. I have no idea why this loaded like that. Maybe because I turned my phone to landscape. peek inside ceiling! marble sidewalk! The Baptistry, the Duomo (cathedral), and the Bell Tower (which is famous for it’s leaning characteristic). Baptistry. Can you see the difference in architecture? The first story is Romanesque and the other is Gothic. the Bell tower there were people up there. Yikes! We had sufficient time here for an Americano at a cafe before meeting our guide, Miranda again. Side note - the toilets ant the site are clean and cost 1 Euro by credit card only! After our walk back to the bus parking lot we were on our way to the Tuscan hills. We arrived at a winery and walked some of the vineyard and the olive orchard. They make wine, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar here. We learned the ins and outs of buying quality virgin olive oil, what to look for on a label, and about their wines. The grapes were harvested already. Almost time for pruning, which we learned about. That is their dog Bruno. Very dark ripe olives on this tree, but they harvest the dark and green at the same time. We then went inside the restaurant (a walkout basement room full of vats of wine) and sat at large tables for a wonderful meal. We were served pasta with meat sauce, bread with sun dried red peppers, olives, salami, and a garlic bread. There was balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Parmesan also. There were 6 different wines on the table and we were encouraged to try them all and just ask for more of what we liked best. All was delicious! Such a beautiful setting. We walked back down the hill to the bus and honestly I slept the hour it took us to get back! So back on the ship and to our suite to find snacks brought by our butler again. Yikes, not tempted at all! Hubby is napping and I am enjoying this big balcony. Even though it is a large industrial port, there is not much going on so not too loud. And I am smelling wonderful aromas from somewhere on the ship. Ciao for. now!

Costalbreezes, you drop off your luggage and immediately look for the person holding the Haven sign. We just followed the line to the end and it went around the corner. But as soon as our line moved back around that corner (which did’t take long, we saw the Haven gal and she took us right in to security then escorted us all the way to the Haven ‘lounge’. dexddd, we had a deviled egg in our afternoon suite snacks but I wasn’t hungry so didn’t partake. 😅

Pat, I was tempted by the spices, but alas we could take nothing back onboard. Sis, I love that pic! I need to change mine too as mine is 10 years old.

Day 2 Freestyle

Day 1 Freestyle