'Echo-ing' Round the Med on the Shadow - June 2019

[Master Echo]

A few more pictures from Porto Santo Stefano showing the old farmhouse La Parinna, the grounds and the winery and finally our appetisers and wine.  The last picture in the shop - this is a help yourself to a glass of wine from the barrel payable by the glass or more precisely by the plastic cup.  Three different prices, depending on the quality.

 

Edited June 23, 2019 by Master Echo

[Master Echo]

Porto Santo Stefano

 

After the visit to La Parinna the next stop was the sustainable fish Presidium puctures below.

 

This ended our day in above.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

 

A few notes about life on board will follow shortly

[Master Echo]

Bits & Pieces

 

At the Venetian party two nights ago, we were told that 75% of the passengers on this cruise were VS members.  The FCC commented that this was the highest he had ever encountered.  The most travelled member had a total of 752 days.

 

Sir & Madame dined that evening with the HR Manager.  It was interesting to learn the reason for the significantly higher proportion of Eastern European crew as opposed to Filipinos.  It is easier to arrange visas for the former than the latter, although there is a view that they are more reactive in their service, whereas the Filipinos are more proactive and the Eastern European are not quite so ‘family’.  Something with which I would concur.

 

This is the first time I have sailed with Henry, the HD.  He is highly visible and very approachable and takes a ‘hands on’ attitude to monitoring the service standards.

 

Last night’s deck party started at 10.00 pm and featured chocolate desserts. The full blown BBQ, thankfully being a thing of the past.  The Voices of Silversea and the band did a sterling job and dancing went on for some time.

 

New suite alarm clocks feature a Wi-Fi charging pad as well as a USB socket. Also new to me is a sachet containing a make-up remover wipe.

 

All for now - Palermo to follow

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

 

[Master Echo]

Saturday June 22 Palermo

 

Palermo is in the northwest of the island of Sicily and is over 2,700 years old. It is widely considered to be the most conquered city in the world.   You dock at a modern pier, within walking distance of downtown.

 

The main sites of interest are:-

 

Teatro Politeama: This theatre was constructed in 1891. It is circular in shape and has a double portico with a series of slender Ionic Corinthian columns.

 

Teatro Massimo: It is one of the largest opera theatres in Europe. Construction of this neo-classical theatre was started in 1875 by Giovanni Basile, but completed by his son Ernesto in 1897.  A reconstruction project was started in 1974 but due to interminable delays, it remained closed until just before its centenary in 1997.  The interior was as the original.  Incidentally the Godfather part 3 ended with a famous shooting scene which was filmed on the theatre’s steps.

 

 Quattro Canti: The square is also referred to as the ‘theatre of the sun’, since it is illuminated by the sun’s rays from dawn to dusk. The four buildings that comprise the Quattro Canti have sculptures on their façade depicting different themes like the four seasons amongst others.

 

 Palazzo Steri: The palace is a square, clean-cut structure and its façade is embellished by exceptionally beautiful three-light mullioned windows. The great hall is famous for its beautiful wooden ceiling with paintings of biblical episodes and tales of chivalry.

 

 Orto Botanico: The botanical garden is home to at least 12000 different species of plants and is situated at 10m above sea-level.

 

Stazione Centrale: is the main railroad station, and has an elegant wide facade and is as imposing as one  would expect in a city such as Palermo.

 

 Palazzo Reale: The palace was the summer residence of the Emirs of Palermo and is situated on the highest place in the city. At present the palace is the seat of the parliament of Sicily.

 

 Cattedrale: The huge cathedral was built in 1184 in place of a mosque.

 

 Mercato Vucciria: It is an old and popular open air market. 

 

Docking at 8.00 am the forecast temperature for the day was in the low 90’s.  

Sir & Madame caught the ship’s shuttle to a street close to the Teatro Massimi and from there commenced a city tour.  Included in this was the places referred to above. This involved criss-crossing parts of the old city walls.  

 

It was evident that the city’s history reflects many cultural influences, with mosques from the Muslim era converted to Christian worship. The open air market was still very much operational on this Saturday afternoon, however it was soon evident that the vegetable and fish stalls were gradually winding down for the day, but it was very interesting to see the wide variety of produce, including herbs and spices on sale both on stalls as well as in small shops.

 

Whilst the central part of the city was quite clean, the route to the catacombs took one through more unkempt streets with rubbish lying around.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo -

hopefully some pictures to follow!!

 

[Stumblefoot]

On 6/18/2019 at 6:33 AM, Master Echo said:

Communication with Venetians will be stepped up and this will include details, the like of which are often sought on these boards, such as who is currently where.

 

Considering how often that particular question is asked on the SS forum, it will be a welcome addition I am sure.

[Master Echo]

Good. Morning from the Adriatic

 

As promised some pictures from Palermo

 

Information on Taormina to follow with pictures later

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[Master Echo]

Sunday June 23 Giardini Naxos/ Taormina

 

Giardini Naxos was founded in 735 BC by a group of settlers who came from Greece and historians now believe they named this island the same as the one in the Aegean.  Today it is a low end beach resort, and many camping parks in the area.  It is also the tender shore base for ships calling in this area visiting Etna, Taormina and other sightseeing options.  Messina is also used more for larger ships to visit both the above.

 

Sir & Madame went ashore after lunch and took the ship’s shuttle to Taormina, a thirty minute drive away, which has views overlooking the bay including the Silver Shadow.

 

Taormina was also founded by the Greek settlers from Giardini Naxos around the same period.  One of the most important towns in Sicily because of the strength of its position and height of 204 metres.  It became a tourist destination from the mid 19th century and many famous writers, authors and painters stayed here.

 

The shuttle drops passengers off at an underground carpark, from where it is necessary to take the elevator to the 7th floor.  On alighting you are met with a short steep walk up the street to gain access to the main town.  Being a Sunday it was natural to expect most shops would be closed, nothing of the sort, and the whole town was  buzzing with many tourists, not least by several coach loads of passengers from a Celebrity ship, which was docked in Messina.  They were seen sporting lapel badges with the name of their ship and a telephone number in case they got lost, something one does not suffer on Silversea.

 

On the return journey to the ship, in a narrow back street in Giardina Naxos, the bus came to a full stop behind a queue of other vehicles including another coach.  Having ascertained that the ship was not too far distant, most of the passengers got out and walked back to the tender port.  Seemingly a local group had blocked the end of the road by driving cars up a one way street and leaving them!!

 

Photos to follow

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[Master Echo]

The tiny dot taken from the top of Taormina is the Silver Shadow nestling at anchor in the bay

Edited June 25, 2019 by Master Echo

[jpalbny]

Taormina is gorgeous; thanks for taking us back! I think I bought a kilogram bag of salted capers there for about 5 euros. One of my favorite souvenirs - they lasted me a few years. 

[Master Echo]

I

Monday June 24 Gallipoli 

 

Situated on the west Ionian coast of Puglia’s Salento peninsula, the heel of Italy, this Gallipoli may not be as famous as its Turkish namesake, site of the disastrous 1st World War battle, but its history is long and varied and its historic centre a delight. Surrounded by water, Gallipoli still more than lives up to the provenance of its name, 'beautiful city' in Greek.

 

The main attraction of Gallipoli is in the beauty to be found in the centro storico (old quarter).  The Castello Angioino di Gallipoli dates back to the 13th century and is the most famous landmark in town. In the mid-1800s most of the castle was torn down to make way for new buildings and accommodate the new bridge. 

 

This port was another first for Silver Shadow, though not for Silversea.

 

Sir & Madame opted to explore Gallipoli on their own, aided by a map provided by the local hospitality rep who came onboard.  The ship docked at the old pier and the walk to the town along the causeway, was about 15 minutes.  Silversea had marked the route with signs stuck to the wall, so it was easy to know when to take the stairs to get to the upper level.  Having reached this point, one had the choice to take the left, to the castle, or right, walking along the coast road to gain access into the old city, on the left side.  It was therefore possible to do a complete circuit.

 

The local tourist rep had recommended a visit to a small church along the route Sir & Madame took.  This is unprepossessing from the outside, facing the ocean, but the interior was beautiful and far superior to the cathedral.

 

From here they turned into a maze of alleyways, although unlike Mykonos’s streets, which were built deliberately to confuse raiders, it was easy to negotiate.  The streets were quiet, just with locals going about their daily business and virtually devoid of  tourists - Silver Shadow being the sole ship.  Turn a corner and one might be greeted by the sight of someone’s bedlinen hanging from an upper floor balcony, drying in the sun.  An archway led into a courtyard which had previously been the place where the women did their washing, with the baths used today for plants.

 

The only modern building seen appeared to be a school and even the cathedral had been shoe-horned into a cramped space, and was nothing special either inside or out.  The area adjacent to the cathedral housed most of the shops, both for locals and also for tourists, who apart from those of us off the ship, appeared mainly Italian.

 

From the cathedral, the street led downhill towards the old castle and the shops became more tourist orientated.  Several restaurants bore signs offering ‘Menu Turistic’.  Needless to say the prices appeared identical to each other!  Opposite the castle entrance was a large old building bearing the legend that it had originally been a smokery, sadly now long since gone, and it has been converted into a restaurant.

 

Having completed the circuit, Sir & Madame returned to the ship for a very welcome swim.

 

Gallipoli is a delightful town and well worth visiting, and one can only hope that it doesn’t become a haven for cruise ships, destroying its character.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

Pictures to follow - hopefully

 

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by Master Echo

[jpalbny]

Yes! This Gallipoli is really charming. We were there on Silver Cloud in 2014. The harbor was breathtakingly beautiful, with such clear water that the boats seemed to be floating on air. 

 

I think that this is the port where we could tour an old olive oil press. Have to check my notes and confirm.

 

Enjoying your posts, as always. 

[Master Echo]

Apologies for the gaps between postings - tempus fugit!!

 

The following notes are out of strict port sequence and were compiled during the 75 minutes back from Ljubljana yesterday - Kotor and more bits and pieces to follow soonest.

 

Thursday June 27 Koper Slovenia - Ljubljana

 

Silver Shadow slipped into the harbour of  Koper early and was fast alongside by 8.00 am.  After a room service breakfast, Sir & Madame made their way ashore,  to get on the coach for their trip to the capital ‘Ljubljana on your own’.

 

Unsurprisingly only around 16 passengers had elected to do this trip to the capital, the meaning of which is  ‘beloved’.  Ljubljana is some hour and a half by road from where we docked.  Undoubtedly it would take longer if it were not for the new highways which criss-cross Slovenia.  It was a surprise to see road signs for Trieste, and other towns outside Slovenia, proving how close various countries are in this part of the world.  Our guide reeled off the amount of hours taken to drive to places like Trieste, Italy - 30 minutes, and Budapest only six hours.  

 

As we neared the centre of the city, it became obvious why Ljubljana had won the accolade of the Green Capital of Europe for its lush vegetation and traffic restrictions in 2016.  There is little vehicular traffic, and none in the centre.  People can hire bicycles for free to get around the town, and it certainly seemed to be a popular idea with the number we saw.  Parts of the old Roman walls are still in evidence and houses are built within. The Roman occupation ended with the invasion of Slavic people from the Carpathian mountains in the 6th century, and this explains the influence within the Baltic region of peoples with this ethnicity.

 

Leaving our coach at Congress Square, a leafy green little oasis, most passengers headed to the Triple Bridge and the information centre to obtain a map of the city, and from there everyone dispersed to do their own thing.  

 

This bridge across the River Ljubljanica, which flows through the city centre, which gave the city its nickname – Little Venice, connects the historical medieval town with the modern city.  Originally there was only the old central bridge, but due to high traffic volume, even a tram line, two further pedestrian bridges were added on each side in 1930. The  Preseren Square, virtually the city’s central point is the beginning of the old town. The  large colourful Baroque Franciscan Church here, originally painted red, the symbolic colour of the Franciscan order, has now faded to salmon-pink.  

 

Having orientated themselves with the map, they saw a little electric train across the street.  For 8 Euros, and an hour’s tour, this offered a trip round the town, and in 32C, 86F, temperatures, it seemed a splendid idea!  Climbing out of the centre, the first stop was at the medieval 15th century castle which dominates the city, and stands on a hill 60 metres above the Old Town.  The time allowed here was ten minutes, and it was expected a similar duration would be given at each landmark, unfortunately not.  However it was a very good chance to see many parts of this delightfully clean and litter-free city without walking.

 

Arriving back into the centre, Sir & Madame had some lovely ice cream sitting at a little street side cafe, with only cyclists pedalling past and free fast Internet!  It was then time to return to the Congress Square,  our coach and Koper.

 

Koper itself has little to offer the sightseer beyond its mediaeval square and church.  This area was very easy to access because Silver Shadow was docked immediately across from a new glass fronted elevator which whisks people up to the level of the old town.

 

MainsD took up RachelG’s suggestion of the HOHO bus which departed feet from the quayside, and enjoyed the tour very much, particularly Piran.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo - pictures from this port to follow.

[spinnaker2]

So enjoying your travelogue!

Thank you for bringing it alive in words and photos!

[Master Echo]

Here are the pictures from Ljubljana 

[Master Echo]

Venice June 28th/June 29th

 

The heatwave which arrived in Western Europe from the Sahara around the 26th/27th June continued during our stay in Venice with temperatures around 90F, 36C.  

 

The Lady Shadow was berthed in Marittima Cruise Terminal along with a Celebrity and RCI ship whilst for the second time this cruise, Seabourn Odyssey had the prime spot in San Basilio, the first occasion being in Kotor, when she was docked and we had to tender along with Emerald Princess.

 

The 28th was turnround day and my friends MainsD and pm8718 were amongst 279 disembarking passengers.  287 boarded, including 30 children!!  This therefore brought the total to 382, now all feet to the middle!!  It was here that Silver Shadow lost one Cruise Director, Alan King who was leaving to join the Wind, and the arrival of Sandra Martins on her first contract as Cruise Director.

 

The passenger demographic for the next leg to Athens has changed completely, with only 199 Venetians, around 52% of the total, compared to 75% on the previous sailing.  The age profile has dropped probably 20 years.  The combination of a relatively short nine night cruise, a full ship, and half the passengers new to SS will all add up to a very hard job for the Silver Shadow’s crew.

 

 

The 28th was also Madame’s birthday and by prior arrangement friends came on for the day, to celebrate her birthday but also their wedding anniversary.

 

At midnight Seabourn Odyssey and the Lady Shadow swapped berths, we came to San Basilio and the former to Marittima, presumably as it is easier to disembark and embark passengers than at San Basilio.

 

On the morning of the 29th there were up to 9 cruise ships docked in Venice, the number varied depending on the source of information, but I counted at least seven.  Azamara’s latest acquisition now named Pursuit, ex P&O’s Adonia, Royal Princess, Swan Hellenic’s Minerva 2 and initially- Renaissance ‘s R8 was next door to the Shadow, undertaking a turnround.  This is Azamara’s regular berth in Venice and has been for some years.  However the terminal has very little vehicular access and the terminal itself is small and this morning quite chaotic, with outgoing and incoming passengers, compounded by our happy band exiting for tours.

 

Sir & Madame took a ship’s tour with only 8 others round the Venetian Lagoon, seeing islands off the normal tourist route.  I was told that the maximum permitted speed in the Guidecca Canal is 10 knots, and within the city limits - 5 knots.  The  vaporetto appear to regard this as advisory rather than mandatory!

 

Due to the volume of exiting cruise ships, our departure was delayed somewhat until 22.30 pm.  The Shadow followed Azamara Pursuit out of the Canal at a sedate 5 knots, into the open sea and onwards to their next destination.  Today the weather had been perfect, the scenery beautiful and our shore trip a lovely way to spend two hours.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

 

Photos to follow

[JohnGinPBG]

Belated Happy Birthday to Madame!

 

Excited to hear about the next portion of your cruise, as Mrs. and I are on the Spirit from Venice to Athens on October 18. Our ports in common are Dubrovnik, Rhodes and Santorini. We're looking forward to all, but worried that Santorini will be a bust with over 11.000 cruise ship passengers there for the day. There is much concern that the cruise industry is overwhelming many ports and I fear we will experience this first-hand.

 

The Shadow, however, looks like it will be the only ship visiting when you're there, so enjoy the uncrowded visit.

 

Smooth sailing!

[Master Echo]

Photos from Venice taken on our lagoon trip on Saturday June 29.

 

The last photo was taken by my girlfriend and felt it was so good, it was worthy of inclusion.  As you probably all know The Bridge of Sighs, and how it got its name - - Lord Bryon bequeathed the name, saying that all would sigh as this was the last view of beautiful Venice they would see before being taken down to the orisons.  It truly is an evocative view.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[Master Echo]

As promised some pictures from Venice - this has already been posted once BUT thanks to CC it has disappeared into the ether, presumably never to be seen again ever!!

 

it would appear that the three last posted as we left Venice, are still there, so apologies, the night shots come first!!

 

The last photo was taken by a friend and I felt it was so good that it should be included.  You probably all know how The Bridge of Sighs got its name - courtesy of Lord Bryon - who said one would no doubt sigh if this was your last view of beloved Venice, as the prisoners were taken down to be incarcerated.

 

the treadmill is getting less, apart from Kotor which I  still have to post, and Pula, Croatia today I think I am finally up to date.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[Master Echo]

Tuesday June 25 KOTOR MONTENEGRO 

 

Kotor has now become a major cruise destination for many cruise lines.  The hour long sail in up the fjords to Kotor is reminiscent of those in Norway or the Rhine with spectacular scenery.  It has the most indented coastline on the Adriatic, often called the southernmost fjord in Europe, but actually is a submerged river canyon.

 

Half way up this fjord is an island known as Our Lady of the Rock opposite the little town of Perast, where small boats take visitors across to the former. This is the only artifically built island in the Adriatic and covers an area of over 3000 square metres.  A chapel is built on the rock after two Venetian sailors from Perast found a picture of the Virgin Mary there in 1452.  There are in fact various legends as to how the island was formed.  

 

Originally when arriving into Kotor, the Captain of the ship would sail around this island, sounding the ship’s horn,  the nuns living in the adjacent convent would ring the church bells as a blessing to visitors.  Seemingly this practice has now ceased, not unsurprisingly with the inordinate number of cruise ships visiting beautiful Kotor, nestled in the Bay of Boka.  One could imagine the nuns would have no time for anything else if the practice had continued!!

 

Having visited this town on many previous occasions, Sir & Madame opted to book a private tour with Tours by Locals, a Canadian owned company with whom they have booked tours all over the world, very successfully.

Their aim was to go further afield and explore the mountainous area above Kotor.  To this end they chose a trip to the old Royal capital of Montenegro - Cetinje, and a village called Njegusi, and then a spectacular drive back to Kotor negotiating 25 serpentine bends with spectacular views over the bay.

 

Silver Shadow arrived at 12 noon, expecting to dock, however Seabourn Odyssey arrived first, so both us and Emerald Princess were tendering, ours being the furthest away, a twenty minute tender ride. 

 

Captain Luigi left the ship here and Captain Mino took over.  The latter is no longer on the Spirit, but has charge of one of Silversea’s expedition ships.

 

The drive to Cetinje took about an hour,  via the coast road to Budva, a very thriving tourist seaside town, before turning inland and climbing.

 

This old royal capital is a bit of an enigma.  In the centre, which is partially pedestrianised, along part of this street are former embassies.  In  this quiet treelined boulevard is a large colonial style circa 1890’s villa which belongs to the President.  However we were told that he rarely visits and prefers to remain in the capital Podgorica. 

 

They viewed the outside of the nearby monastery, but were not correctly dressed to go inside and see the priests whilst they were chanting.  Facing this was a wide expanse of green space with forests in the distance.  In the foreground was a stone circle, which was 

where the chiefs met to discuss and make decisions.  

 

From here we drove to a little hamlet called Njegusi, an old urban settlement, and to our guide’s friend restaurant.  In an adjacent field were very small eco-chalets in which visitors stayed. Our host provided a very tasty platter of home produced ham, cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers. To accompany this were glasses of their home made pomegranite juice.  This establishment has its own smoke houses for its ham and cheese.

 

The return drive to Kotor should have been via the serpentine road.  Our driver, however was aware that this had been closed between 1400 and 17.00 pm for the filming of BBC TV’s Top Gear programme.  Unfortunately the closure was extended to 19.00 pm which forced a circuitous detour via Budva.  The one benefit however, was that the new route involved climbing higher than the original road to approximately 1800 metres, 6000 feet. We stopped at a viewing point, high above the Bay of Boka, where the Lady Shadow was the size of a pinprick at the bottom (photograph to follow).  This drive was through the Lovcen National Park on which sits the ancient mausoleum of a famous poet and philosopher, accessible by 461 steps!!  An ascent almost mandatory for locals in their youth. 

 

Seabourn Odyssey sailed at 22.00 and we followed at midnight.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

Photos to follow

 

[Master Echo]

Photos from Kotor Montenegro

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[Master Echo]

Me again with a few more pictures

 

all for now 

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[jpalbny]

Really pretty shots! We have visited Budva on a tour from Kotor (years ago), and we have climbed to the fortress behind the Old Town for panoramic views. Thanks for this new (to us) perspective!

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks for all your photos ME, particularly loved the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ shot, reminded me of my first visit back in the early 70’s. Glad that you enjoyed Slovenia and especially Ljubljana, it’s a lovely city with an excellent night life! When we were there for a wine tour last year we managed to pop both in and out of Italy on the way to one winery and also made it over the border ‘fence’ into Austria from a second. Slovenia is about the size of Wales, but without either sheep or the Welsh!

[Master Echo]

Bits and Pieces - 2

 

Most of my reporting whilst cruising has been as a travelogue, but I thought it was now timely to give a few notes about life on board.

 

It appears that Kirk has not joined a competing cruise line, and there is every possibility that he will return at some point.

 

For  a ship shortly to undergo an extensive refit in dry dock, the Shadow is in very good condition overall.  In fact, I have sailed on her in a worst state.  Having said that, on the Monaco to Venice  leg, there were several plumbing leaks, one on Deck 7 was so bad that the dehumidifiers were working overtime and the suite had to be re-carpeted.

 

On the first leg, Sir and Madame were part of a Trivia team of six, that complemented each other with their specialist knowledge.  Of the ten occasions, they won eight times.  At the end of the final victorious day,  a woman on another team announced to the room -“they cheat”. This was totally untrue,  but displays the ill grace amongst some passengers,

 

Travelling with two friends during the first leg, MainsD and pm8718, the overall verdict concerning the food was that it was certainly not the best from  Silversea.  The main disappointment for pm8718 was La Terrazza, and he is an Italian American, mainly because the menu is drastically  reduced - e.g. the long and short pasta is no longer available. 

 

The lunch time seafood buffet, the most expensive meal on the ship, featured lobster which was undercooked, and the ice on which the lobster claws were laid, inevitably melted, making the fish watery.  Whilst caviar is available on board, a straw poll revealed that passengers were unaware of its availability.

 

In the MDR, the core entrees remain the same for several days, however there is also a separate menu of country dependant dishes.  This is perhaps a precursor to the SALT concept to be introduced on the Silver Moon.

 

On the upside, the lunch time tuna in both the restaurant and pool grill has been consistently excellent.  Executive Chef Grant has also prepared his marinaded Jack Daniels ribs for pool deck lunch, which are magnificent

 

The food and beverage service has been of a consistently high standard, and those on pool deck have worked extremely hard in sweltering conditions.

 

A surprise was that there was no commentary whilst sailing up the fjords to Kotor, something I have experienced on previous visits.  Moreover, the Venice commentary only started as the ship passed San Basilio, and turned into Marittima Cruise Terminal to dock!  Did the lecturer oversleep?

 

Thats all for now but the next instalmenf will feature the battle of the Venetians!!!

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

 

 

[CruisinPashmina]

I have been reading every word and taking in all the beautiful pictures. As is usual, I have learned SO much.

In September I will be on a Girls’ trip..our 5th cruise....hosting my daughters and an adored niece. Very excited to share this wonderful itinerary with my darling girls.

Madame and Sir are treasured Silversea friends.. proof that travel can be much more than touring.