An Emperor’s Tomb, a Pope’s Hide-out
Thursday, May 4
We landed in Rome this morning. Yes, we are finally actually taking our Europe vacation! We’re staying in the fun and funky neighborhood called Trastevere, which translated to something like “the wrong side of the river.” We’re enjoying the narrow and jumbled streets and tiny shops and restaurants.
We walked to the Castel Sant'Angelo. This was a mistake since we had just spent something like 24 hours (it seemed) on an airplane with almost no sleep and we were exhausted. We splurged and took a taxi back.
The Castel Sant'Angelo has been around since Roman times, as a tomb and family mausoleum for Emporer Hadrian, a fortress, a prison, a papal palace, a secret escape for popes under attack, a museum, and a suicide site climaxing a famous opera. You can see all of those there (well, except the last one—you need to see Tosca). We enjoyed the history, the mix of eras and uses and the views over Rome.
Bernini Day
Friday, May 5
Today we went off in search of sculptures by Bernini. We had reservations for the Borghese Museum, where we had seen Apollo and Daphne 4 years ago, and we wanted to go back. First, we went in search of an even more famous statue, St. Teresa in Ecstasy in a church.
The outing started with a bus adventure. It’s not clear where you get tickets. Once you get tickets the machine doesn’t work. Then the bus goes for a few stops and everyone has to get off for some unknown reason (though the police are questioning passengers). Welcome to Italy! We figured with technology we wouldn’t have problems figuring out public transportation as we did in the 70s. Wrong.
We finally made it to the central train station. We knew the church was nearby. But so are a lot of other churches! We finally found it and some other magnificent Baroque churches.
The Borghese Museum was even more overwhelming than we remembered. There are Roman sculptures jammed around each room, not even identified. Paintings everywhere, even on the ceiling. Apollo and Daphne appear as the Bernini sculpture, and above it in a painting on the ceiling.
In the evening we went to a neighborhood restaurant and found ourselves in the midst of the evening passeggiata, which is somewhat like cruising on foot. A fire dancer/acrobat entertained the crowds.
Train to the Island of Sicily
Saturday, May 6
The cab driver taking us to the train station was incredulous. “You can’t go to Palermo by train. It’s too far. You fly there.” Yes, you can. A high speed train to Villa San Giovanni, then transfer to an intercity that goes across the Straits of Messina on a ferry and continues to Palermo. It takes all day, but it goes along the coast.
So there we were in a first class coach (sounds expensive but it’s not) sitting across a table from each other drinking espresso and eating pastries and enjoying the countryside—farmland, villages, an occasional Roman ruin, empty beaches. The cab driver was wrong. This is nice.
We left Rome around 9:00 AM and got to Villa San Giovanni around 2:00. We transferred to the next train with only minor confusion. We could see the ferry in the nearby port swallowing a train. We were next. Some clattering as they split the train into smaller sections, some backing and filling, and we found ourselves in the train on a ferry going across the part of the ocean that Homer used in his tales for the home of sea monsters.
When we got to Messina on the other side the process was reversed and we headed into Messina station. On to Palermo. We had checked the current status on the website. We had asked the conductor. We were going to Palermo. Well, no. There was an announcement in Italian and English, “This is the last stop.” What? That’s it? Not even, “If you’re going to Palermo you’re out of luck.” Nobody around to ask. We all got off the train and accosted the first Trenitalia employee we found. He made a lot of phone calls and then, after much confusion, made an announcement in very fast Italian. A kind English-speakign Italian summarized for us. First, the train to Palermo is actually a bus. Secondly, nobody can find the bus. We got on a later train to Palermo. We don’t know if they ever found the missing bus. Maybe the Mafia took it. Dinner was a quick ice cream bar in the Messina station and some pastries we had bought on the ferry.
The next problem was that the hotel desk was open only until 8 PM, so we had to tell them we’d be late and plead with them to let us in. We tried phone (may or may not have left a message) and email, no response. We were making plans for what to do if we couldn’t get in the hotel when we got a WhatsApp from them. Now the next problem is get a cab in Palermo, competing with all the people on the crowded train. It turns out it was easy. The driver took off on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Cars going every direction, many perpendicular to the flow of traffic and fast. There’s a logic to it we don’t understand. But we made it to the B&B. Next problem is getting in. It’s upstairs in a larger building with a big locked door. Someone finally let us in and we quickly fell asleep in our lovely room that we weren’t sure we’d ever see and slept well despite a wild passeggiata going on outside.
Palermo
Sunday, May 7
Here we are in Palermo. We started the day with a guided tour of the Teatro Massimo, across from our room. This is the third largest theater in Europe, after only Paris and Vienna. It was built in the late 19th century during the pride of the unification of Italy. The outside is stately classical. The inside is more flamboyant, the style the Italians call “liberty.” We were hoping to see an opera or something there but nothing on now. We got to sit in the royal box and admire the gold leaf, the Murano glass and the 5 tiers of boxes.
We spent most of the day just wandering the streets. Many are nominally pedestrian-only (watch out for motor scooters) and filled with people. In fact, they were filled with people all day. The streets also hold buskers and swap meet vendors, contrasting dramatically with the elegant stores. For lunch we had the local arancini, rice balls filled with meat or vegetables or cheese or sweets. Later we found a traditional open-air market. The shops were closed but there were many food vendors with enticing or intriguing selections. Whole squid anyone? We were sorry we had already had a large lunch and couldn’t try anything. Later gelato and then a seafood dinner so dramatically presented that I needed to take a picture of it. (How tacky!) Then we joined the passeggiata, listened to music and admired the light displays above the streets.
Wandering through Palermo
Monday, May 8
This has been a lazy day. Many places are closed on Monday. We had orginally thought we’d take the train to a nearby town today, but we’ve had enough of that train for a while.
We needed to find a place to do laundry, which we did, and even a nice English-speaking proprietor who was able to do it for us, so we didn’t even have to figure out the machines. Once we got that done, we had no plans, so explored the back streets and found good stuff to eat. Today was the first rain we’ve had, but it was light and we were fine with hooded jackets. The only problem was being accosted by umbrella vendors.
We had traditional Sicilian pasta for lunch. The African and Arab influences are evident in many of the dishes. Jerry had a pasta with sardines, raisins and pine nuts. MIne had local sausage and ricotta. Later we had enormous cannoli with the ends dipped in chocolate. The Sicilians know to put the cream in the shells while you watch to show it’s fresh. Carol enjoyed going into a fancy restaurant and getting an espresso at the bar in a lovely little cup and saucer. Price 1.50 euros (less than $2). And nobody in the US can make espresso this good. Because we had a big lunch, we just ate street food at dinner time. Good greasy fun. Then gelato a little later.
The place we had gelato yesterday is gone today. The market that was full of street food vendors yesterday is now all meats, fruits and vegetables. Things seem to appear and disappear. If you see something you want to buy or a restaurant you want to try, don’t expect it to be there tomorrow.
Puppets and a Palazzo
Tuesday, May 9
Today is the start of our tour. We’re meeting our group at 3:00, so we have time to change hotels and explore some more. We went to the Intenational Marionette Museum, which is near the hotel. Marionettes in all sizes and styles from all over the world. Some seemed to have only 2 stiff supports and one string for one arm. Others had an elaborate mechanism of many strings. There were Thai dancing puppets, Vietnamese swimming puppets, abstract puppets for avantgarde theater, life-size Japanese puppets and more. The only disappointment was that we weren’t abel to see any of them in action, except for a few videos.
We walked to the port and saw the ancient wall, then grabbed some panini with proscuitto and very nice tomatoes. We wandered through the market we had visited previously. This time it was seafood—giant swordfish with the head displayed, whole octopus, and a lot of fish we didn’t recognize.
We met our group on the rooftop of our hotel. After introductions and procedures, we all walked through another market area, along narrow streets between old houses. We went into a door that seemed no different from any other and found ourselves in a different world. Above us on the balcony was the Contessa, ready to welcome us into her palazzo.
Her husband is descended from royalty and his family has owned this house since the 16th century, when it was build atop the ancient city walls. She doesn’t know how many rooms there are (that’s the definiton of a palazzo). She has restored it beautifully and gives tours to fund the work. There is also the only tower remaining from the ancient walls within the house. She gave an entertaining and enjoyable tour. Now, as we see the old buildings in this town, we wonder what’s inside. It could be abandoned, or it could be a palazzo.
Multi-cultural Monreale
Wednesday, May 10
Sicily is a mix of cultures—Greek, Roman, Norman, Byzantine, Spanish and more. We’re still trying to understand their complex history. This cultural stew is represented in Monreale Cathedral, which has always been Roman Catholic, but welcomes Byzantine and Arab influences. Sicily was proud of its independence and welcomed Jews, Muslims and Orthodox in a time when Rome was running crusades. This was built in the late 12th century in just a few years using Arab craftsmen who knew mosaics. The interior is covered in intricate mosaics, including 200 lbs of 24 karat gold leaf. Around the walls are mosaics telling various Bible stories.
After we spent the morning in Monreale, about an hour outside of Palermo, we returned to Palermo and visited the Ballaro marketplace. We enjoyed the sights and the vendors announcing their wares, more Arab bazaar than European market. Grabbed lunch there, some mysterious but tasty local specialty.
Leisurely dinner in a restuarant near the hotel. Fish, pasta, greens and veggies, ending with a refresing sorbetto.
Ancient Lands and Fresh Cookies
Thursday, May 11
We’ve left Palermo and are on our way to Trapani. Along the way we explored the remains of ancient civilizations. First we went to Segesta, where the Elymians lived in the time of ancient Greece. Little is known about them, but they seemed to be wanna-be Greeks and left behind a wonderful Greek-style theater and an unfinished Greek temple. These are magnificently situated on tall hills that provided us with a hill-climb workout even with buses to get us most of the way there.
Next we went to Erice, also founded by the Elymians and built up in the middle ages—the castle in the upper left in the photo marks the edge of town. You wouldn’t think a bus could get up there, but it somehow did. We enjoyed wandering the twisty streets, though we weren’t sure we’d ever find our way back to the bus.
Next the bus took us to the nearby Pasticceria Maria Grammatico, where we had a lovely buffet lunch. Then Maria herself taught us how to make pastries. We started with sweets called nun’s boobies. The trick is to roll the dough ball around until it comes to a nice point that will get browned in the oven. Jerry managed to get a point on his, but mine were a complete bust. We also learned how to make “beautiful uglies” and how to stuff cannoli (not as easy as it looks).
After all that, a nice aperativo spread in the hotel’s rooftop bar was enough for dinner.
Salt Flats and Phoenicians
Salt Flats near Trapani
Friday, May 12
The salt flats near Trapani have been worked for hundreds of years. There are still windmills constructed by the Spanish in the 16th century. One is for grinding the salt and the two by the water are used to power the flow of water. The salt is still harvested by hand, with the finest top layer especially valued, called flor de sel.
Even earlier, the Phoenicians lived on the island in the lagoon until they were driven off by the Greeks. We took a boat out there to see the artifacts they left and had a lovely lunch.
Back in Trapani, we had gelato, pizza and (for Carol) pasta with tiny whole squid.
Valley of the Temples
Saturday, May 13
This is not Greece. It’s in the middle of nowhere in Sicily. That’s one reason they’re still standing. This was all Greater Greece at the height of their power. The decoration appears plain because, rather than sculptures, these temples were decorated in paint.
Lest you think this is all an archeological tour, I should tell you we had a grappa party on the bus.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Roman
Sunday, May 14
If you’re a really rich Roman guy, you can have a huge villa with two master suites. Then you cover all the floors with intricate mosaics like this. This is one little section of a huge corridor separating the two parts of the villa. This illustrates how he got his wealth—collecting exotic animals for show or combat. This villa is in the middle of nowhere, presumably centrally located for trade routes. The benefit for history is that the whole place was buried in a landslide and nobody bothered to find it, so it’s remarkably well-preserved.
We enjoyed seeing the great number and variety of mosaics—stories from mythology, children, animals, and the female athletes known as the “bikini girls.”
Next we went to the beautiful farm of a baroness, who welcomed us in and fed us a lovely lunch. On the way out we drove by the ancient hilltop city of Piazza Armerina.
Siracusa
Monday, May 15
Making papyrus
Here we are in Siracusa, ancient Syracuse, home of Archimedes. We’re staying in a 15th century convent overlooking the ocean. The city looks like no other because most of it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1690 and rebuilt in the Baroque style.
One feature of the town is a fresh water spring that forms a pond near the ocean. Papyrus plants grow there. There is a woman in town who makes papyrus paper from the plants and then paints on it. We bought one of her artworks, a painting of one of the beautiful ornate balconies of the old town.
We enjoyed a traditional Sicilian marionette show. Although we couldn’t follow what was going on, we were enchanted by the costumes and expressive movements of the puppets. Remarkably, it was all done by only 4 people, including voices and lights.
There are Roman ruins right in town. In fact, the church has been used for worship of one sort or another for 2500 years—a Greek temple, a Roman temple, a mosque and a Christian church. Now a statue of Mary coexists with the pillars of the temple to some Roman god.
Mount Etna
Tuesday, May 16
Mount Etna is an active volcano. It’s had a couple of explosions in the last week or so. We visited it on our way from Siracusa to Taormina, up a steep road through fields of lava rock to an elevation of over 6000 ft. We were able to park near a side crater formed by a previous eruption, where we could hike up to the rim and walk along it. But we were hit with knock-you-down wind, it rained, then it snowed, then we were pummeled with hail. OK, there it is. Quick picture and run back to the bus.
When we got further down the mountain, we toured a winery making award-winning wines in the volcanic soil. We had a lovely lunch and wine pairing.
Taormina
Wednesday, May 17
Taormina is lovely, but touristy, filled with high end shops and restaurants. It is situated high on a hill overlooking the Strait of Messina. Jerry took a walking tour while Carol recuperated from all the walking she did in Siracusa. There’s an ancient theater built by the Greeks for comedies and dramas. It was later converted to an arena for gladiators by the Romans.
We ended the day with a pizza feast with the whole group. Then we bid them a fond farewell since we needed to flee in the middle of the night to catch an early plane. Italian transportation did it again.
More Adventures in Italian Transportation
Thursday, May 18
No picture today, with good reason.
We found out last night that our flight from Catania to Athens, which we had nicely planned to fit between our tour and cruise, was cancelled due to a strike. Our amazing guide was able to get us a flight that would get us there in time for the cruise. But it flew out at 6 am today. So we were up late finding a hotel for an additional night in Athens and airport pickup as well as packing for air travel. Then in the morning we took a 3:00 AM taxi from Taormina to the Catania airport, flew to Rome and from there to Athens. We got only a couple hours of sleep, so here we are in Athens—lots to see—in a small, but expensive, hotel room flopped on the bed trying to recover. You don’t want a picture.
Athens
Friday, May 19
Today we should have been touring Catania with the group. But here we are in Athens. We walked the colorful neighborhood and got a glimpse of the Acropolis in the distance. We had to change hotels, but by chance they were only blocks apart. We enjoyed souvlaki and gyros. After the cruise, we’ll be back for some more in-depth exploring.
The cruise starts tomorrow. Internet may be spotty, but we’ll do blog posts if we can.
Cruising out of Athens
Saturday, May 20
Here we are on the Celestyal Crystal, a relatively small cruise ship of a very small Greek cruise line. As we sailed out of Athens’ port of Piraeus, we went up on deck, where the house band, which included a bouzouki, was playing Greek music. It’s festive and exciting to be heading out to sea, passing other ships, looking up at an enormous Princess floating hotel.
Our room is comfortable, with a couch and desk, more than we could say for some of our hotels. It’s nice to be able to unpack. The ship is a scaled-down version of an American cruise ship, with dining rooms, lounges, and a theater, but no water slides or climbing walls. It isn’t a trek to walk to the dining room. Tonight we’ll head north through the Aegean to Thessaloniki.
Welcome to Byzantium
Sunday, May 21
Thessaloniki was a major city in Roman Macedonia, and later the Byzantine Empire, second only to Constantinople. We didn’t have a tour today, just walked into the old town from the ship. Scattered through town were reminders of its history—a Roman arch commemorating victory of Emperor Galarius over the Persians, many Byzantine churches, and an Ottoman torture tower (the former Red Tower, now the White Tower). Most impressive was the Rotunda, a Roman mausoleum turned early Christian church (possibly the oldest), soaring with evocative mosaics.
Yet these things were scattered about in a surprisingly upscale and cosmopolitan city, second in Greece only to Athens. We admired the elegant architecture and the many pastry shops.
Ephesus
Monday, May 22
The library at Ephesus
Today we’re in Kusadasi, Turkey in the afternoon, the only port outside of Greece. We were a little apprehensive about this port, so opted for a ship’s tour. We’re glad we did. We went to the ruins of the Roman city of Ephesus. Even more impressive than Pompeii (though without the dramatic destruction)! The city was abandoned as their seaport gradually filled with silt and malaria-carrying mosquitoes. We walked the streets of the city and visualized where everything was, shops, apartments, public toilets. Most impressive were the terrace houses, a complex of huge, multi-story houses with common walls and intricate frescoes. The theater and the elaborate two-story library façade still stand. Scattered capitals of fallen columns are sometimes topped with sleeping cats.
This evening we got a notice that Mount Etna (which we had been standing on just a few days ago) had erupted, spewing ash over Catania, and closing the airport (that we had recently flown out of).
Land of the Minoans
Tuesday, May 23
We’ve seen Greek ruins, but now we’re on Crete, the southernmost point of Europe and site of an even earlier civilization, the Minoans. We took a taxi to Knossos Palace, palace of King Minos (they were all named that). We saw the throne room with the original throne, the oldest in Europe. There was a large basin in front of it at which visitors cleansed themselves out of respect. There were beautiful frescoes (the originals are protected in the museum that we were to see later). It’s a big complex, possibly the labyrinth of the Minotaur, if you are to believe the legends.
Our taxi driver waited for us and took us to the Archeological Museum in town. Minoan sculpture and pottery look very modern, including abstract human figures 4000 years old. We admired a sculpture of a bull jumper that showed a lot of movement and expression. An ancient, decorated tea pot wouldn’t have looked out of place in a shop in South Coast Plaza.
Santorini
Wednesday, May 24
We woke up to find ourselves on a ship in the middle of volcanic crater. This is a huge, ancient undersea volcano, which is still sputtering away in the middle, an island with hot springs. The rim of the crater pokes out above the water, forming narrow, curved islands, including our destination, Santorini. We could see it in the distance. Is that snow on top? No, it’s the traditional whitewashed buildings clustered on the edge of the caldera.
So the challenge is to get up that cliff from the port to the city on top. The choices are ride a donkey, walk with the donkeys, or wait in line up to 2 hours for the cable car. We chickened out and got a ship’s tour to take us to a different port where a bus would pick us up. We zig-zagged up the inside of the volcano, visited a charming wine village, and went to Oia, the site of many a poster—whitewashed buildings and blue domes on a cliff above the ocean. Yeah, you’ve seen the poster. Too bad there were several large cruise ships in port today, so tourists were lined up to take the same picture. We went back to Fira, the capital of the island, and had a lovely lunch looking down into the caldera. We took the cable car back down to the ship and watched the famous sunset on the cliffs and white buildings from the comfort of the ship.
The Birthplace of Apollo
Thursday, May 25
Temple lions on Delos
Today we’re on the island of Mykonos. We hired a guide to give us a semi-private tour, just us and a family of 3. We took a boat to the nearby island of Delos, legendary birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, and hence the site of a massive temple guarded by marble lions. What was a surprise was the extent of the city, an ancient Greek city. There were mammoth statues and a huge stoa to shade the many pilgrims, but there were also houses, a butcher shop, a fish shop, a wine press and other remains of a workaday Greek city. The whole island is an archeological site, the largest in Europe if they dug it up, but they’re leaving most of it buried for preservation.
We returned to Mykonos and explored its charming streets, met the local pink pelican and ate huge baklava in an ancient bakery.
The Island of Milos
Friday, May 26
We chose a relaxing day on this island. We were the only ship in port, so things were quiet. Here we’ve been in the Greek islands for several days and haven’t been to a beach. So we walked to the town beach for our port of Adamas, which was deserted. Carol took off her shoes and socks and rolled up her pants and waded in the Aegean. Cold! OK, done that. We enjoyed wandering through the town and had a nice seafood lunch oceanside. Greek food is good, cheap, and usually comes with some nice little desserts on the house.
The Acropolis Museum
Saturday, May 27
Our cruise ended early this morning and we took a taxi back into Athens, so we had most of the day to explore the city. We went to the new Acropolis Museum. The first level is items found on the hill of the Acropolis. Surprising number and variety of items, lots of pottery. Next floor is items from the first Acropolis, destroyed by the Persians in 600 something BC. Many large sculptures. Surprising how much of this survived. The top floor is the frieze, pediment and metopes of the current Parthenon. They are all here displayed as they would have been in place. This level is even oriented exactly the same as the Parthenon, which you can see through the big windows. Where they don’t have the original, usually because it’s in the British Museum, there is a plaster copy. The message is clear: all of these pieces belong here, there’s a place for them and we can take care of them.
The Acropolis
Sunday, May 28
The Acropolis rises out of the sprawl of modern Athens. Atop this high plateau is ancient Greece’s tribute to the goddess Athena, including the Parthenon. You can see it from just about anywhere in town. In the evening, folks pay big euros to view it lit up from roof-top bars (we didn’t). We wondered whether we could climb up to something so imposing.
We set out early to avoid the crowds and the heat. Apple Maps guided us up gradually. It was mostly a gentle slope or steps. Soon we were impressed with the view of the city that we had. We continued on to the Disneyland-style line to get in. Then more climbing. Finally, we passed through the entranceway of the Propylaea, and stood by the Parthenon, much bigger and grander than we had imagined. Once there had been other magnificent tributes to Athena, now merely suggested by piles of carved stone.
We went back down, being careful on the slick marble steps, and celebrated our trek with gyros in a café on the square, where we watched the buskers and hawkers of modern Athens.
Exploring Athens
Monday, May 29
This is our last day and we explored the city. We went to the Central Market, wandered the aisles of slabs of meat of various kinds and leftovers like hooves, piles of fish and weird seafood, pungent and colorful spices, and a sleeping cat in a meat display case. Then we walked to the Parliament building and watched the traditional changing of the guard.
Back in the neighborhood we’re staying in, called Psyrri, we explored the back streets. It’s an interesting mix of old-fashion cluttered little shops and sleek eateries. These shops are specialized and often cluster together. For example, on one side of our hotel there are 9 shops for decorative hardware (eg towel racks, door knobs) and on the other side of the hotel are shops for what we used to call sewing notions--ribbon, cording, buckles, etc.-- that looked like something from the 50s. Most of these have signs in Greek and only Greek. Interspersed are sleek, modern, open cafes and hotels with signs in English. We took pictures since we see these old shops (and maybe even the Greek language) disappearing.
Tomorrow we head home. We’ll get up at the normal hour and go to bed at the normal hour but in between will be 26 hours. Whew. Well, that’s the cost of being able to explore a very different and exciting part of the world.