13 August Sicily, Messina - Etna

The earliest start of all as we have to be back to the ship for an early sailing at 2 PM. our destination today is Mt Etna. We had an entertaining tour guide (with a Sicilian sense of humour ) who doesn’t see her job as work. We had a great bus driver too. He had to be. We took seats behind him so we could see how he dealt with traffic. Getting there and back was part of the entertainment. He had to anticipate what cars and trucks were doing by sounding his horn before it happened. The best sort of defensive driving, To do this, you treat everybody like an idiot and did he have great instincts .It does help by being the biggest and most imposing on the road when you are tackling a hairpin bend. We were a wee bit concerned for other motorists and the 1.5-hour trip didn’t seem to take as long. Etna means “Mountain of Mountains” and is the largest active volcano in Europe. The bus took us to 2000m and we viewed the Silvestri Craters. Due to the time constraints we only had 45 minutes to walk around and as our guide said, “ Ïf I don’t get you all back to the ship my Sicilian bosses will deal with me and you know how they do that”. There was a cable car that could take you to the top or pretty much near it, but the round trip was too long which was a shame. They also ski on Etna in the winter, which surprised me as I thought Italy would be too hot, but there you go you learn something every day. To commemorate the event we took some small Etna rocks to say we have been here and done that. Hopefully after soaking them in hot water, we can get them through NZ customs. They have delicious Sicilian Honey but alas we are not even going there.
The trip back was interesting; our driver’s motor skills were tested to the limit when we nearly took out two motorcyclists. The village streets are so narrow and it is not uncommon for a car to play chicken with the bus. A truck in front of us took out a parked car’s wing mirror and we were unsure of the fate of a small Citroen parked around the corner. Funnily enough “Barf” bags are not on this bus and then it happened….one of our younger passengers couldn’t hold it in any longer and stumbled to the front of the bus nearly emptying the contents of her stomach over the floor and driver and missing me by inches. Fortunately it was fresh ice cream and not more digested. A plastic bag was dispatched, the offending mess was cleaned up and peace reined supreme again.
Passed the village of Sambuka, which was used as the location of the GodFather because it is still authentic 1940s style. Francis Cappola took a couple of years to find just the right location.
Back to the ship with our nose now pointed towards Rome and our departure from the ship eminent so sorted out our limo transfer to Rome. The ship took a diversion past the island of Stromboli which is Sicily’s other active volcano. Amazed there is still a sizeable village here but that is Italian’s for you (Sorry Michael, I still love you)

In reply to Lynn on how spunky the butler is… I am not that sort of girl dharling. Romy is Honduran, 28 years old and attached. Easy on the eye, but a bit short, but you know I fancy only older men. He was more interested in polishing Bill’s shoes, tying his tie on formal night. Don’t think he combs hair and runs a bath, but he does laundry and makes cool towel sculptures…Now let me think… there was a gorgeous Frenchman who worked on the Railway information desk in Paris, now thought of bringing him back for Wendy….

12 August Malta

What a difference another port makes. Coming into the natural harbour of Malta was a dream with all these ancient buildings and ruins in our sights as we were having breakfast. The docking area was immaculate with everything very orderly. Our guide informs us this was a British protectorate hence the well put together infrastructure though France took over for a short time before it was taken back. The Maltese were happy to let France take over initially until Napoleon wanting ready cash for invading other lands started looting their churches. That was the ultimate insult for the peaceful Maltese people. If you toucha the church you are in deadly strife. With the help of the British, France was given the boot and in the end didn’t put up much of a fight.
Today, another hot day in the early 30s but if you drinka lotsa the water you don’ta getta da dehydrated. Well it worked for us.
Malta is situated between Libya and Sicily and has been inhabited since 5200 BC. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with 1500 people per sq. km. The name Malta was the name given to it by the Phoenicians, which means “safe shelter”. The island’s biggest claim to fame is later in history, that it was the Headquarters for the Order of the Knights of St John (yes, St John’s ambulance has the Maltese cross as its insignia. There is a connection) Other cultures have had a piece of the cake as well, but you can google the details if you want to know more.
Our trip today was called “Valetta and Mdina” in order to see the rich cultural sites. We saw some amazing churches, the best yet. We are still to see the Sistine chapel in Rome. Valetta is the capital of Malta. St John’s cathedral in Valetta is one of the world’s heritage buildings with masterpieces by Carravaggio and others. I studied him in High School when I learnt art history. We also visited Mdina 12km inland where the apostle Paul, after been ship wrecked on his way to Rome was incarcerated. To think the apostle Paul walked these streets centuries ago. It is known as the silent town. No tooting of horns and horses are supposed to have rubber shoes. In reality this is not the case as its not enforceable. Malta is also known for its Horse and carriage “taxis” which are very charming.
After the completion of the excursion and lunch it was into the pool for the afternoon. Our tans are looking quite presentable. The sun is not as strong here because of the pollution. Early start tomorrow. We are visiting Etna in Sicily, an active volcano.

11 August Tunis & Carthage

A bit of a novelty, we got to sleep in today and to eat a leisurely breakfast with the rest of the holidaymakers. Because of the distance to Tunisia we didn’t get off the ship till 2.30 PM. This port was an interesting one as it is usually closed to westerners. Being a part of ANZUS (Australia. NZ. US) and with Tunisia being predominantly Moslem we are not on the most favoured list with the chance of us obtaining a Visa being zilch. However, with the pursuit of the elusive tourist dollar, if we booked an excursion from the ship we were allowed out under supervision. To show us who was in charge we all had to fill out an arrival form and produce a passport.
Africa is definitely an acquired taste. You see a light pollution cloud which makes the landscape hazy. It was very hot but Ok if you drank heaps of water. The buildings are stark white so there is a type of exotic beauty about them. I didn’t feel safe and thought that there were plenty of eyes staring at us. Our Guide was a real sleaze and like many of these types where corruption is rife, before our visit to Carthage he announced to our bus that in order to take photos we had to pay 1 Euro for the privilege of taking photos. That did not go down well and I guess was his ultimate downfall especially if you are part of a bus of English speakers/ There was a sign in the bus saying he welcomed tips. We were there to take photos so decided to pay the Euro, as this had now become his tip. The whole bus as one agreed. He then at all the spots told us the shops to buy in (his mates who were in on his wee scam) They missed out too as we bought at every shop except his mates.
Carthage was built by the Phoenicians about 800BC until they were invaded by the Romans who destroyed it then rebuilt it as a Roman Bath.They held onto it for 600 years. It was then destroyed by the Vandals.There is not a great deal left as the photos show. We visited the Birsa Church, which is a Christian Church but no longer used. Reading between the lines here I would say the Christian church has been driven under ground through persecution as the country is 98% Moslem, This lovely church is going to become a Christian Museum. Quite sad really.
We also visited Sidi Bou Said, a “typical” Tunisian village with white and blue houses. That was a highlight for us as you got to see how Tunisians lived. Glad to get back to the ship and into the cool. Malta tomorrow

10 August Barcelona

We are now in Spain, in Barcelona to be exact. This is a city we would have liked to spend more time in. Today we had to be back on the ship by 2 PM as we are off to Tunisia at the top of Africa, 493 nautical miles. This is the longest leg of the cruise, which will take till tomorrow afternoon to reach. We realise today that we English speakers are definitely in the minority with 8 Languages being represented on the ship. We are running into the same English-speaking people on each excursion, which is quite nice. We understand that another New Zealand couple have just embarked on the ship, but the chance of us meeting unless they are in the Yacht club or on an excursion are fairly slim.
Our excursion was a bit different today. It was called “Gaudi’s Experience “ We did a tour showing the finest works of the city’s most famous architect Gaudi. Very controversial man as his designs are very off the wall. Heather and Bev, you would have loved this tour. We viewed the exteriors of a couple of his houses he designed and is now owned by private families. His influence is Neo-Gothic and Naturalist. We looked inside one of his unfinished works; this amazing church called “Sagrada Familia”. It was started in the late 1800s and is still unfinished. Gaudi was very visionary but not that practical. When he died the church was only 12% finished. Fortunately, with modern technology, they have been working on completing the church. It is now 60% finished a great achievement. When it is complete it will have 16 towers. (8 are built now) What has been done is amazing. 120 workmen are working full-time on the project. They believe that it will be finished in about 20-30 years and that is using modern technology. It could possibly be classed as one of the wonders of the world on completion. The photos give you a taste. We also viewed the “Park Guell” that Gaudi designed. Capitalising on his unique style he has constructed both stone and mosaic work into the landscape blending art with nature. Very cool.
Back to the ship, enjoying relaxing in the spa till our toes wrinkle and consuming “Dirty Bananas” which I will attempt to produce when we get home. I can’t believe how long we have been out of New Zealand. Seems like forever. Had a funny dream last night where on returning home I had forgotten where the back door of my house was. I put it down to consuming Dirty Bananas. Bill is affected in other ways like losing his way on the ship. He has become too reliant on his GPS ( Garmin and Me) It could also be a side effect of turning 50.