vacation – Page 8 – Destination NOW

California Dreamin’

I had started writing about Napa and Sonoma while visiting there in August. I got distracted (which is not uncommon for me) and completely forgot about this post, leaving it to languish in my drafts folder until now.

Since then, fire has destroyed parts of some of the areas we had visited. Sadly, right now, southern California is also burning.

According to this Forbes article, the percentage of wineries damaged fortunately was low. So, time to publish this lost post to remind everyone of the glories of California wine country. Please visit, and bring your tourist dollars to an area that needs our support. You’ll have fun doing so–as we did last August.

My “lost post” follows:

It has become abundantly clear that our one and only offspring has become a Californian. As with everything in life, there is an upside to having our son three time zones away. We now have yet another reason to visit the greater San Francisco area.

So here’s the sad truth. My memory is definitely NOT what It used to be. I realized that I have been using my WordPress Posts as my memory bank, helping me to figure out where I was and when. Unfortunately, I neglected to post about our past California winery trips–and was dismayed to discover that I couldn’t remember which ones we visited, and which ones were favorites, worthy of a return trip. SO, this post is designed to correct that shortcoming. If it is helpful to others that plan to visit wine country and the greater San Francisco area, so much the better. It’s my way of giving back to all the generous bloggers and posters who offer travel tips, answer my questions on forums, share information on Trip Advisor. Thank you!

Let’s start with the airport. Whether you are renting a car, or taking mass transit, you will take the terminal’s elevator to the third floor, follow the signs for the skybridge and hop on the blue Sky Train. That same train will take you to the BART and Caltrain, if you opt for that mode of transportation. Last time, we took the BART. As I vaguely recall, it was relatively easy to use the machines to buy tickets. (Next time, I’ll pay attention and post about it.) THIS time, we were heading to Santa Rosa, so we rented a car. All of the rental car desks are at the same BART stop.

Note to self: Next time we rent a car, be sure to pre-register for the express option (or whatever the car company calls it). We cooled our heels for about an hour waiting in line for our Budget rental. Ah, the things you forget when you haven’t had an assistant arranging your business travel in almost six years!

For lodging, we did a mix of hotel and vacation rental. In the past, I only used VRBO, and was very pleased with our selections. This time, inspired by Janis over at Retirementally Challenged we decided to try AirBNB. I had had the mistaken impression that with AirBNB you rented rooms in people’s houses. In the past, the rentals I viewed had fewer photos than the rentals on VRBO. As with most things in life, it is good to update your perceptions every now and then. We were delighted with this beautiful little house in Santa Rosa.

For about $300 a night, we had a “serene, centrally located 1500 square foot” 2 bedroom, 2 bath house in a nice neighborhood in Santa Rosa, within walking distance of a few restaurants, a good wine store (that sold killer chocolate truffles) and close enough to the county fair grounds that you could sit outside and listen to the evening concerts, if you were so inclined. We LOVED it!

Santa Rosa has more than its fair share of great restaurants. Our first night, before our son joined us, we dined at John Ash & Co.

The setting was lovely, with lots of windows, overlooking gorgeous gardens. The food and wine were good, but was it worth $250 for 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, one desert and one bottle of not expensive wine? The answer is a resounding “NO”! Good thing our son wasn’t with us. We would have blown our entire travel budget on that meal alone. Fortunately, much better values were awaiting us.

Both the Parkside Cafe and Two Spinsters offered wonderful breakfasts. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at LoCoco’s Cucina Rustica in downtown Santa Rosa. But MY very favorite meal was at Francis Ford Coppola’s restaurant, Rustica, in Geyersville. (The Californians sure do like the name “Rustica”, don’t they?)

I opted for the Menu Di Stagione, which was 4 courses with paired wines for $69 (plus tax and tip). What a feast! I started with gazpacho, followed by caesar salad, then this delicious rack of lamb, ending with chocolate mouse.

as you can see from the glasses, I was having a hard time keeping up with the wine pairings

According to the menu, each course was accompanied by 3 oz. wine pairings, but my perception was those were very generous 3 ounces. The only mistake we made was doing a wine tasting BEFORE lunch. To say I was happy by the time the chocolate mousse rolled around, would have been an understatement.

We had never spent $90 for a bottle of wine, and after tasting this expensive stuff, I’ve concluded we aren’t missing much.

It was fun seeing the movie memorabilia. In addition to photos, posters and other props, you can get up close and personal with the godfather’s desk. Well, not too close. You aren’t allowed to sit in his chair and put your feet on the desk. Don’t ask how I know that.

The winery grounds are absolutely beautiful. If you want, you can make a day of it, by renting a cabana and hanging out by the pool. If you plan on swimming, it might be an excellent idea to wait till later for the wine tasting.

This is definitely a winery I’d visit again. I’d just skip the tasting and go directly to lunch or dinner. Speaking of dinner, after our huge lunch, we were all satisfied with a snack that night.

Our other favorite winery was actually one we had visited before. I recognized it as soon as we arrived there. Beringers has a fantastic tour of its winery.

We took it years ago and greatly enjoyed the experience. THIS time, we just went for the tasting. What we learned: If you are a member of their wine club, (our son is) the “basic” wine tasting is free for up to four people.

Sadly, this tasting proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am indeed a peasant. Can I tell the difference between $70 and $170 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon? I cannot. I can’t even tell the difference between their $48 bottle of wine and the $10 bottles we normally consume.

For our final evening, we switched from our airBNB to a hotel. The River Terrace Inn, as the name suggests, is right on the river that runs through Napa. It is ideally located–you can stroll along the path that hugs the river to the nearby CIA, where we feasted on a wonderful, and inexpensive dinner. (That’s Culinary Institute of America, not the spy organization–although their food is probably delicious too.)

Yes, that big fork is made up of thousands of little forks!

Also nearby is Oxbow Public Market, site of the Kitchen Door Restaurant, which makes the most amazing mushroom soup on this planet. That soup alone would justify a trip to Napa.

We didn’t make it to Mike’s favorite restaurant, the Rutherford Grill (in Rutherford, of course), but there’s always next time. I hope there’s a next time (or a first time) in wine country for you too.

Making Your Disney Cruise Magical

If you are thinking about taking your first Disney cruise, then this post is for you. If princesses and talking mice are not in your future, well, this post just may not be YOUR cup of tea.

Before you leave home:

As soon as you start contemplating a Disney cruise, be sure to check out the MouseSavers web site. It is FULL of great information. including ways to save money.
Download the Disney Navigator App. This is what it looks like:

If you don’t, you will have to download from the internet when you are aboard and accessing the internet can be costly. Better to plan ahead to get it for free while at home.
The app is about the only thing that works on Disney’s free wifi. Why is it such a great thing to have? Well, the app allows you to text — an easy way to find other members of your group. If you drop kids off at the Oceaneer’s Club (more on that later), staff will text YOU when/if your kid wants to be picked up. To me, it was much easier to use the app to text from my iPhone than to have to learn how to use the “WAVE” phones in our cabin (there are two), remember to carry one more thing with me, and remember to charge it every night.
Another great feature of the Navigator App is the daily events schedule can be accessed right from your phone, and trust me–there is always LOTS going on. You DO receive a paper schedule of the next day’s events every evening, but like my sunglasses and keys, it was never where I remembered putting it.
After booking, you will be told the earliest date that you will be allowed to make reservations for spa appointments, character meetings and specialty restaurants. Pay attention to it, and don’t dilly dally. Things DO get booked up. The web site instructs you to visit the customer service desk on your first day, if you want to make changes or additional reservations. What do you think THAT line looks like? LOOONG doesn’t begin to describe it.
Depending on your status, (and as a lowly first time Disney cruiser in a non-suite, we had NO status), you will be allowed to book a certain number of dinner reservations in the specialty restaurant. Disney Magic, the oldest and smallest ship, has only one specialty restaurant–the larger ships have two. For our four night cruise, we were allowed to book one night, plus a second night if we were willing to dine there on the first night.
I had thought that we would each receive lanyards to keep our room keys up close and personal. Nope. First time cruisers are the only ones that don’t get lanyards. Had I known that, I would have brought one from trips I had taken with other travel companies. Does Disney think lanyards are an effective inducement to book future trips? And can you tell from my distress at not having a lanyard that I have a tendency to misplace things?
Be sure you have all of the necessary legal documents for EVERY member of the party. See my earlier post for more on this topic.

Which Cruise to Choose?

Living in new Jersey, with family members coming from Massachusetts made the choice easy for us. Departing from New York meant that we didn’t have to worry about flight arrangements, security screening, potential delays, missing baggage — all those things that can go wrong when you fly, especially when traveling with 3 and 4 year olds.

We also opted for the shorter cruise. Not only was it less expensive, but we also weren’t sure how well the girls would adjust to sleeping on a ship. (They were fine).

The length of the cruise turned out to be just right for us: one day getting aboard, three full days on the ship, and one morning getting off.

We chose an October cruise, figuring it would be less crowded (it was) because kids would be in school (many weren’t). Another bonus–all October cruises are considered “Halloween on the High Seas”, giving some an opportunity to don costumes.

The down side of an October cruise? You probably won’t be able to take advantage of all the water attractions. The water wasn’t even turned on for these outdoor showers.

Cabin Choice
This is obviously a matter of personal preference and budget. Rather than struggle with deck plans to try to figure out where we might be happiest, we had Lauren at Small World Vacations offer guidance.

She got us connecting ocean view cabins on the 7th deck, in the front of the ship. This worked out really well for us–we were close, but not too close to the elevators and stairs.

The pools and spa are on the 9th deck, and best of all, THIS section is also in the front of the ship–just two flights up.

Our cabin was surprisingly quiet, considering the number of children aboard. Another plus for being in the front—we didn’t feel any vibration from the propeller.

The Cabin Layout

This ship was definitely designed with families in mind. The upper bunk drops down at night, so 4 can comfortably sleep in one cabin.

There is a curtain separating the bunk area from the king sized bed, so privacy is somewhat possible. Unlike other cruises, the king sized bed can not be reconfigured into two twins. Not a problem; it was not the first time my sister and I have shared a bed.

There was sufficient storage space, especially if one chooses to pack light–something I highly recommend.

Oceanview staterooms have nice big windows.

The bathroom is split in two–with a tub/shower combo and sink in one and a toilet sink combo in the other area. Great idea! The toilet/sink combo has a crappy wall hair dryer but there is also a regular dryer in the desk.

Our connecting ocean view rooms worked great. A balcony wasn’t important to us, because there was so much going on, we were rarely in our cabins. We also didn’t have to worry about the younger one, who is a climber, trying to balance on the balcony’s railing.

For those that aren’t claustrophobic, an interior cabin would be kind to your budget.

Dining

Disney DOES do a wonderful job getting everyone aboard with a minimum of hassle, however it still is a lot of stimulation for young kids. For the first night, my niece wisely opted for room service. I never cracked open the room service menu, so I’m no authority on its contents, but knowing the culinary preferences of the young ladies in question, I can say with confidence that hamburgers, pizza and mac & cheese were most definitely available.

I, on the other hand, along with my sister (the REAL grandmother–I’m just pretending) opted to spend our first night dining in the specialty restaurant, which allowed us to dine there a second time. For our “bonus” reservation, we opted for the LAST night.

Let me tell you, dinner was well worth the extra $30 per person. Excellent service, fantastic food, great ambiance.

The brunch was also amazing, especially if you are a seafood lover, and my sister clearly IS. A Bellini (or if you prefer, a mimosa) is included in the $30 surcharge.

You can opt for made to order omelets, waffles, eggs Benedict etc, but why fill up on that when the desserts were so delectable?

Although the food was plentiful in the other restaurants, it was clearly designed with kids in mind. I’ll admit to being spoiled by Oceania and Viking cruise lines. This restaurant food was on a par with those lines’ every day cuisine. The food at the other three restaurants and buffet was more like what you would get at a theme park.

I had never been on a large cruise ship before, so this was the first time I had a set dining schedule. Disney rotates its guests through the other three restaurants, but you have to choose either a 5:45 or an 8:15 seating. For the specialty restaurant, you choose your time when you make the reservation.

You can request a certain sequence of restaurants–which is why a travel agent can be so very helpful. The Animator’s Palate has a wonderful show that should not be missed, so if you plan on dining in the specialty restaurant, make sure your reservation is not on your Animator Palate night. We requested the rotation that had the second and third nights in the Animator’s Palate, just to make sure we didn’t miss the show. It was breathtaking.

The Cast of Characters

As a newbie, I had no idea what I was signing the girls up for when I reserved a 9:45 appointment to meet Disney princesses. So here’s what it means: your ticket allows you to get in line for a photo op with the characters that show their OWN faces. Although Disney has their photographers snapping away, there is no pressure to purchase photos, and you are free to take your own, which I did.

For this photo op, the kids got to meet THREE princesses. Rapunzel was the star of the show, Tangled, featured on night #3.

Okay, I identified Rapunzel and Cinderella, but I have NO idea who the third princess (the one in the white dress) was.

If you didn’t get tickets, don’t despair. You still can get character shots with the ones that DON’T show their own faces, no tickets necessary– you simply get in line.

Many of the kids brought their autograph books, but these girls were too young for that concept.

Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab

So, THIS feature is the reason I think a cruise is preferable to a theme park for families with young children. FREE babysitting, for as many times as you want!

Not only that, but the kids LOVE this place. In fact, when my niece went to fetch the girls around 10 PM, they refused to leave. She had to return at midnight–closing time.

The kids are given a bracelet that operates like the ankle bracelets prisoners on house arrest wear. It is also a “key” that gets them into the area, and it is a homing device that allows the staff to know EXACTLY where each child is.

When Bonnie couldn’t find her sister, a staff member looked up Katherine’s location on the computer, then summoned another staff member to bring Bonnie to Katherine. Pretty impressive. As mentioned before, the staff will text or call you (or any other authorized member of your party) should a child want to leave. When you board the ship, your photo is taken so the staff member is always able to verify that you are who you say you are.

Another plus–your room is only an elevator ride away when it becomes clear that one or more of the kids is in dire need of a nap. Even if you are staying in the theme park, you still have to ride the monorail to get to your lodging.

The Spa

So what might you be doing while your kids are having a great time at the Oceaneer Club? You can choose from a full array of spa services, or you can opt for a day pass to the Rainforest Room. This room includes a couple of steam rooms, a sauna, showers, plus your day pass entitles you to a complimentary jar of scented body scrub.

Those that are watching their spending (and on a cruise, the extras can mount up fast) can still use the locker room, which has a free sauna, shower, dressing room and storage bins, PLUS bathrobes and slippers. (You don’t get bathrobes in your room, but no one stops you from taking one from the free locker room, in the spa area. These are not the luxury robes that you get on more upscale cruises, but they are quite sufficient.)

The view of St. John, New Brunswick from an exercise bike.

You have to walk through the spa, to the very front of the 9th deck, to reach the exercise room, which is equipped with treadmills, bikes, weights, and machines.

The adult only area on the 9th deck has a heated pool and two hot tubs. The weather was a bit too cool for the heated pool, but the hot tubs got a lot of use.

The Shows

Living in New Jersey, I’ve seen my fair share of Broadway shows, and Tangled was definitely on par with those on the Great White Way. Although there are shows every night, we only saw two. The shows were a bit long for the three year old. On both nights, she was “done” before the shows were. In my opinion, three is just about the youngest age to maximize enjoyment for a cruise like this. (But then, my experience is limited to this cruise and these two kids.)

There are two “BIG” shows per night: at 6:30 and 8:30, to accommodate the late and early dinner schedules.

Showtime is not limited to the Disney extravaganzas. No indeed. Every evening the audience gets to participate in contests and game shows. Fortified by copious amounts of “fire water”, some fellow cruisers were induced to exhibit some very “unDisney-like” behavior.

And yes, that is a bra on one of those fine fellows heads. And yes, the owners of those bras were indeed in that same lounge. And no, they were not part of our group.

Theme Nights

Apparently every cruise includes one Pirate Night, and it should not be missed. Pirate Night was the second night of our cruise.

The waiters were all dressed in pirate costumes, and after the meal was finished, they led the kids around the dining room, marching, dancing and singing “yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.”

At 7 PM there was a musical show on the 9th deck, that had these little girls rocking. Although I was able to get them right up to the stage, by asking the adults if they could squeeze through (surprisingly there were a lot of adults on this cruise traveling without kids), I think a better choice would have been on the balcony of the 10th deck. The grand finale? Mickey zip lines from the top of the ship, down to the stage. Pretty exciting stuff when you are three or four.

What a night! First the pirates on deck, then ANOTHER show in the theater. And if THAT’s not enough, you can watch movies in the kid pool area–sorta like being at the drive in, but instead of sitting in a car, you can climb into the hot tub.

Notice the attire of the “life guard”. Still, someone braved the chill to experience the heated pool.

Was our cruise wonderful and magical? Yes, indeed, because to me, it was all about the kids. What a wonderful opportunity for family bonding,

and for experiencing wonder through the eyes of a child.

Embarkation: Let the Fun Begin!

I’ll let you in on a little secret. My family’s nom de plume is Murphy. That law that you’ve heard about? We live it on a daily basis, and this day was no exception.

Sorta like being in the airplane’s middle seat, but with better beverages

I won’t bore you with the details. Instead, I will share some helpful hints so that YOUR embarcation goes more smoothly than ours.

Parking at the port was easy. We arrived a little after noon, drove to the terminal (entrance is on 55th and 12th Ave– the ship was berthed about another block or two south of the entrance) where porters were waiting to help unload the luggage.

If by any chance you have forgotten the preprinted luggage tags Disney sent out with your cruise package, not to worry. The porters had extra and quickly solved the problem.

Dad parked the car, while mom, the girls and aunt (that would be me) made our way inside to a terminal that was not crowded at all. Cruise parking at the Manhattan terminal is $40 per 24 hours, payable in advance.

The girls met some very friendly greeters. In case you’re wondering, their shirts say “My aunt is the coolest”.

Two other members of our group (my sister/girls’ grandmother, my nephew/ girls’ uncle) who drove from Massachusetts, reserved off site parking that charged half as much as the port. The best part–their service included driving you to the terminal in your own car, and helping unload luggage. Good thing too, because between more than one stretch of bumper to bumper traffic and getting lost, they almost missed the boat. They had no time to spare, to look for a space in the Port parking lot, park the car and high tail it back to the embarcation area. There’s a lot to be said for arriving the day before departure.

IF you arrive around 12:30 PM, with proper documentation, you could probably be on the ship by 1:00 PM. If, however, you happen to be missing a legal document, such as an official birth certificate for a child, you CAN have someone either fax or photograph it and email or text it to you. See if you can figure out how I know this.

By the time some of us were on board, (2:15 PM) our rooms were ready. Checked luggage arrived around 5 PM.

All’s well that ends well, with everyone checked in and aboard by 4 PM. The wonder and glory of sailing out of NYC might have been lost on the smallest member of our group, who was far more interested in her burger, but the rest of us loved watching the city’s skyline and Lady Liberty roll by.

Mother, daughter, and a young, cool grandmother also known as my niece, great niece and my “little” sister

About those Fish Extenders (FEs) that I mentioned in a previous post? This is what they

look like. Notice the metal fish above the room number? That’s where the name came from. The idea is that group members leave little surprises for each others’ children in their FEs.

Wanna know how great some of the other passengers were? My niece discovered the Facebook group (and FEs) about a week before departure–too late for her to create or purchase surprises for other group members. Despite her inability to reciprocate, people STILL left gifts for her girls. The white board was one of the gifts–another was stuck inside the fish. No extender necessary.

Lots of VERY kind, considerate shipmates were aboard!

Disney’s Magic

Every now and then you have to experience a very different kind of travel, and for me, that time is tomorrow. I’ve never been on a big cruise ship, never chose a cruise that featured only one port and never cruised with children. If those things had been on my bucket list, I’d be getting ready to cross them off.

Disney’s Magic sets sail tomorrow from Manhattan’s cruise terminal for a 4 night trip to St. John, New Brunswick, then back. Just getting ready for the cruise has been a learning experience. For example, Cruise Critic is NOT the “go to” place to get information about THIS cruise. Nope. My niece discovered that the happening site is Facebook, where she located a private group just for our particular cruise.

Let me tell you, there is quite a Disney culture out there. People have been getting ready for this event for some time, creating their “FE’s” and special gifts to put in the FEs. Until yesterday, I had no idea what an “FE” is, and I bet you don’t either. It stands for “Fish Extender” and it is some sort of container that you hang from your door. Does that help? I promise a future post will include at least one photo of a Fish Extender, so if a Disney Cruise is in your future, you can decide whether or not you want one.

The people on the page are all very helpful and friendly, so I’m looking forward to a great time. The theme for this cruise is Halloween on the High Seas. Not only is there an opportunity to wear a Halloween costume, but there is also “pirate night”. There IS a costume, of sorts, in my luggage. I’m going to be a princess. I know, not very imaginative, but SOMEONE has to lower the bar, right?

Speaking of princesses… right now these two are en route from Massachusetts, with mom and dad. Arriving shortly. The excitement level is sky high!

Catania, Taormina, Mt Etna–Oh My!

Okay, be honest. Before the G7 meeting, had you ever heard of Taormina? If I had, it didn’t register, until we booked this trip.

But before heading to Taormina, we still had lots to see and do in Catania. I’ll tell ya, I was totally unprepared for how much I enjoyed Catania. What a pleasant surprise. It was easy to get around, with lots to see, and of course, with an abundance of great restaurants.

The city was conquered by the Romans in 263 BC, and as with other areas in their empire, the Romans left their mark, which the city has wisely preserved.

P1180542 — I love the way the old and modern structures coexist. This amphitheater lies beneath the modern city

Yes, Catania has the requisite number of churches, fountains and statues. It also has lots of interesting streets, like this one. It isn’t immediately apparent, but as you climb all those stairs,

you are rewarded with views like this.

As one would expect of a city smack dab on the ocean, Catania’s fish market was HUGE, as were its products. Check out that swordfish.

Coming from coastal Massachusetts, however, this girl wasn’t all that impressed.

I DID get excited about the market’s fruit, though, especially those cherries. I don’t know who was more excited about my purchase–him or me? To show his appreciation, he gave me a slice of the most delicious cantaloupe I’ve ever tasted. Fresh, delicious fruit… aah, that’s what I call quality of life!

But I didn’t fill up on cherries. Good thing because we had yet another incredible lunch at a little outdoor cafe off of the main square, across from the cathedral. You’d think by now I would remember to write the cafe’s name down or take a picture of the menu, but I did neither. Sorry, future visitors to Catania. I believe it was on the corner, facing the elephant’s behind, where the tan umbrellas are.

On to Taormina, where security was tight. Good thing our group was in great shape, because we had to walk quite a distance. Bus access into the town and to the amphitheater was limited, even though the leaders would not be arriving for another week.

Notice the two different uniforms of the military/security people in this photo. I think every country must have sent their own people. There were LOTS more milling about!

The amphitheater was the perfect spot for a group photo. And what a group we were! All seasoned travelers, everyone was considerate, friendly and easy to be with. Of course I had my favorites (and they know who they are), but I would be thrilled to see any of them on a future trip.

Great traveling companions! Back row: Tom, Maxine, Jane, Sharon, Ann, Carol. (Ann should have been in the front!) Middle row: Sue, Sue, Lavonne, Al, Joel and Henry Front row: Mike, me, Daniel (way in front), Shirley and Owen.

The Greek Amphitheater is still used for outdoor concerts, but those white plastic chairs are not normally in place. People usually sit on the stone steps, bleachers or the grassy sections. The plastic seats were set up for the following week’s G-7 conference.

The view from the site is unforgettable. See that cloud of smoke in the distance? That’s Mount Etna.

And that’s where we were headed on our last day in Catania. But first, one last shot of Taormina. Yes, the streets in the city are a bit steep, but none of our group needed a golf cart to get around. (I’m just sayin’…)

Okay, so I’ll admit it. I was absolutely thrilled to be able to hike on an active volcano. Of course, this being OAT, we were accompanied by Marco, our expert local guide who made sure we were safe at all times. Marco came equipped wth visual aids, walking sticks and hard hats!

We learned our group was unique, in that EVERYONE made the hike and descended into the lava tubes. Apparently this was a first for Marco. He said on all his other tours a couple of people waited at the base and didn’t take part in all the activities. Yay us!

Here’s one of our guide, Daniel’s, photos. As you can see from our clothing (and my hat) It was cold and windy on the volcano. I was glad I’d packed my fleece!

P1010680 — That’s not OUR group in the distance. I wasn’t that brave (foolhardy) to stay behind to get that shot! In fact, WE were up higher than they, as you can see from the angle of my shot.

So why did we need hard hats? Well, when you climbed down into a lava tube, it’s a good idea to protect your head and turn your head lamp on.

Yet another one of Daniel’s photos–the group inside the lava tube.

If you think this blog post was a whirlwind, you’d be right. And that’s how it felt to be on the trip. A very nice, interesting, FUN whirlwind. We definitely got a lot for our money!

We said good-bye to our new friends at that night’s farewell dinner.

IMG_20170516_195855 — Once again, thank you Daniel!

Most were headed home, but very early the following morning (5 AM), Mike, Owen, Shirley and I started our Malta adventure, which I’ll be posting about next.

Eureka, We Found Syracusa!

For the last three days of our OAT tour, we were based in Catania. Enroute, we stopped in Syracusa, the birthplace of Archimedes. Remember him? He’s the guy in the bathtub, who shouted “eureka” when he discovered something of great importance? I don’t remember what he discovered, but I sure did like his word choice.

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably wondering why he’s holding a mirror, instead of sitting in a bathtub, like a Cialis commercial. Well, there are a couple of stories: The original legend was that Archimedes developed a parabolic mirror that captured the sun’s rays and then directed them toward the invaders’ wooden ships, setting them ablaze. Valeria, our local guide, said it was more likely that the mirror was indeed used to capture the sun’s rays, but was probably more effective temporarily blinding the enemy. You are free to pick whichever version you prefer. Archimedes also invented a crane with a metal hook that could pull a ship out of the water, known as “Archimedes Claw”. Now THAT would have made one hell of a statue!

We didn’t spend much time in Syracuse, instead moving to the fortress island of Ortigia, another lovely Sicilian town just packed with Greek and Roman ruins, Medieval Norman structures, and Baroque buildings, plus great restaurants and lovely boutiques. We weren’t there long enough!

P1180484 — Typical street in Ortigia. Lots of pedestrian only walkways.

We made a stop by the Fountain of Arethusa. You’ve all seen fountains before, so I decided to share a photo of this plaque instead. Don’t you just love it when there is an English translation? I hope it comes through large enough for you to read it!

Arethusa was one “wiry” nymph who didn’t rejoice in the “gifts of her body”. What a great translation!

After lunch we took a boat ride around Ortigia Bay. (This photo is courtesy of sweet Daniel, our guide, who shared the photos he’d been taking of us during the entire trip.)See that bridge? Wonder how we were able to fit under it?

Don’t worry. I’m going to show you…

Our captain instructed us all to scrunch down, then the awning was lowered. Okay, so it isn’t the best photo I’ve ever taken, but I’ll bet got the idea!

Something else to wonder. How do people on boats get take-out delivered? Wonder no more, because once again, I’m going to show you.

P1180523 — Yes indeed. That IS a pizza being lowered.

Our day wasn’t over. We had one more stop before we checked into the hotel. The World War II Museum commemorated the allies landing in Sicily. My favorite part of the museum was entering the replica of a Sicilian town, hearing the air raid sirens go off, piling in to the bomb shelter (which shook as the “bombs” went off) then exiting to see the devastation that took place.

There was lots more to see, but I decided to share this poster with the folks back home.

Lucky Luciano was sprung from a US prison so that he could communicate with his Sicilian Cosa Nostra connections to ensure that the US knew exactly where to land. As you can imagine, this was somewhat controversial, especially because some claim the US support of the Cosa Nostra leaders only strengthened their hold on the region after the war ended.

After settling in to the Katane Palace Hotel, Daniel took us for a quick tour, pointing out Catania’s version of “Restaurant Row”, where we had a wonderful dinner.

The perfect ending to a fantastic first day in Catania.

Ragusa

Full disclosure. This is no longer coming to you “live”. We have been home for a week. My blogging just couldn’t keep pace with our activities. We were BUSY! And when we weren’t busy, we were recuperating from the busyness… and drinking…and eating…and drinking.

Speaking of recuperation, the good news is that our friends recovered in time to join us the evening before we left for Ragusa. Daniel, our wonderful guide (We all love you, Daniel!) sent a doctor to the hotel in Palermo, then arranged for a driver to pick them up and bring them to our next lodging–the beautiful Agriturismo Berlingeri. AND while they were in Palermo, he had them moved to a larger room so they could be more comfortable. Pretty thoughtful!

Looking good after taking advantage of the Italian medical system!

So, about Ragusa. It is actually TWO towns–lower and upper Ragusa. After the earthquake in 1693, the majority of the population moved upward, but fortunately, some stayed behind to rebuild what is now Ragusa Ibla, the old town.

The two towns are connected by a LOOONG staircase. Graciela, our local guide, packed us onto a bus (and we were indeed packed) to the upper city so we could walk DOWN, which gave us ample opportunity to take in the panoramic views.

I didn’t count the steps, however it was NOT a strenuous stroll, especially given our frequent pauses–bathroom break, cold drinks, ogling everything. Graciela’s interesting stories kept us entertained and engaged all the way down.

Take a look at the underside of this balcony. Graciela pointed out that the top figure on the left is asking the top figure on the right for more food and drink. The figure on the left is responding with the universal hand signal for “go do something unmentionable to yourself.” Too bad the central figure is missing. Wonder what HE would have had to contribute to this interaction.

Lesson learned: take time to look UP. Cool things are EVERYWHERE!

Is it just me, or are some of these characters in dire need of dental care?

Our walk ended at the cathedral, where St. George plays a prominent role. Here’s HIS story. Initially, St. George was portrayed as a Roman soldier, who saw the light and ended up slaying the dragon. Graciela explained the dragon symbolized the pagans who were threatening the Christians.

Sometime during the middle ages, St. George got a make-over, becoming a medieval knight. This time the dragon was more specific; he represented the Muslims and Turks who were battling the Christians for control of the holy land. THAT St. George is portrayed in the huge painting on the cathedral wall. Nobody seemed bothered that George was killing dragons in two different centuries!

I bet you’re wondering what that silver and gold box in the middle of the cathedral is all about. Nope, it doesn’t hold the 10 Commandments and it isn’t a casket–but close. It holds 32 relics! Fingers, toes, pieces of the original cross–who knows? We didn’t get the specifics. One of our guides later commented “How many fingers and toes do you think the saints had?” Let’s ponder that for a while, and commend the entrepreneurs of the middle ages.

After our tour ended, we had free time to enjoy this lovely little mountain town.

Although there is a little trolley that can take you on a tour, we decided to walk off some of the great food and wine we had been consuming. Good thing, because the next day we headed off to a farm for a “Day in the Life” of a Sicilian family.

All OAT trips include a home visit or some kind of cultural exchange, and this trip was no exception. Here are Maria and her son John Baptiste, welcoming us to the family farm. John Baptiste, an archaeologist by training, is restoring the farm, which was his mother’s childhood home.

I know this looks like it could be an instrument of torture from the Spanish Inquisition, but it is actually the original wine press.

We didn’t make wine, but we DID help with the cooking, sorta the way my little 3 and 4 year old nieces help with cooking. The woman in the brown shirt and white apron? If it weren’t for her, the result would have been VERY different!

The food was magnificent! We could even tell ourselves that WE did some of the cooking.

Check out the oven. Doesn’t get more authentic than this.

So what else would you need to know if you are going to visit Ragusa? Well, the hotel we stayed at–the San Giorgio Palace Hotel– is ideally located. It is at the edge of town, carved into the hillside, and is within walking distance of everything — all of the restaurants, shops, cathedral and park. There is a nice patio on the 4th floor, where you can sip a glass of wine and watch the sun go down over the hillside. It was quite wonderful.

Next stop–Catania.

Oh, To Be Rich in Ancient Sicily!

No one knows for sure who lived in the Villa Romana del Casale. Some think it might have been the country home of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius; others theorize a provincial governor lived and conducted administrative duties here.

It was constructed in the middle of the 4th century AD, and owes its remarkable preservation to the mudslide that covered the villa in the 12th century. The building remained hidden until the 1950’s excavations.

Katya, our local expert, explained that we were going to view some of the finest examples of Roman mosaics in all of Europe, with scenes ranging from Homeric escapades to depictions of daily life, at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Katya was excellent, and that was true of all the local guides on our trip. We learned that our main guide, Daniel, had a choice of 4 or 5 different local guides for each site, and I have to say, he chose very well. Katya was interesting and so informative, a delight to listen to.

We began our tour by the aqueduct, which was the source of water for the baths–starting with the hot bath, and ending with the frigidarium, the cold bath.

The slaves kept the fires going in these ovens so that the baths were at the proper temperature.
I wasn’t taking notes, so don’t hold me to it, but I THINK this was the frigidarium. Or it was something else. Whatever. It was impressive.

The main attraction of the villa is the floor mosaics, and they are absolutely magnificent.

Probably the most famous room, the 10 maidens are exercising, wearing the ancient version of bikinis. And look, someone appears to have won the swimsuit competition, earning her a crown and a palm leaf to wave around.

Not quite so famous, but certainly as intriguing were these: one example of the many scenes of a hunt.

This woman’s clothing indicates she was from the eastern empire, possibly Muslim. There is another mosaic of a similarly attired woman, being carried off by soldiers. It isn’t hard to imagine what that mosaic was illustrating.

No commentary necessary for this one.

I particularly liked the depiction of the theater. Looks like the legend of the Cyclops was being featured.

Those white squares on the mosaic–I thought someone had been littering, but no. They were placed there intentionally to absorb moisture.

Here’s a close up of Cyclops. I really DID like that mosaic! Isn’t it amazing what the craftsmen were able to do with little colored stones?

One last look at the countryside and we’ll be on our way. Our timing was fantastic. We were leaving, just as hoards of tourists were arriving!

On the Road to Piazza Armerina

I know. You are all just itchin’ to find out how we are getting from point A to point B on this island. Well, itch no more, because not only will I TELL you, I’m also giving you the visual. We have been traveling in comfort on this lovely bus. There are only 16 of us, plus our guide, so we have LOTS of room to to spread out.

The view from these huge windows has been amazing. We definitely chose the right time to visit Sicily–the wild flowers are blooming, everything is lush and green, and the temperature has been perfect!

We are all so grateful that Marco, our bus driver, is manouvering along these winding, VERY narrow roads, up and down the hillsides. All we had to do is sit back, relax and take it all in.

Once again, we will be time traveling, all the way back to Ancient Greece. I don’t know why, but I just got a flash back to Mr. Peabody and his boy, Sherman, of the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. (“Every dog should have a boy”. God, I loved that show! ) How sad that so much of my knowledge of history, at least what stuck, came from cartoons and Walt Disney! But I digress.

When we arrived at the Valley of the Temples, we were greeted by another Marco, our guide for the site. An archaeologist, he came equipped with maps, diagrams, and an abundance of enthusiasm.

Sadly, the site had been picked clean by those successive waves of conquerors, so it was difficult to extract much information about the lifestyle of the original Greek inhabitants of Akragas (as the area was once known) from artifacts, bones, shards, etc.

Fortunately, though, eight Greek temples remain at this UNESCO site, all built between 510 and 430 BC. The best preserved temple, called “Concordia” by the non-archaeologists, (because the archaeologists didn’t have sufficient info to determine the correct names of the temples) was saved from being scavenged by the locals because it was transformed into a church by the Normans. Walls were built between the pillars, and the entrance was changed, then at some point (and yeah, I forgot what Marco said. Sorry!) it was all changed back.

From the valley, you can see the modern city of Agrigento, just beyond Greek temple F (the archaeologists’ name for Concordia. )

What Marco COULD tell us was that these arches were once the entrance to Greek tombs, that were later repurposed by the Normans for shelter, with the actual grave used as a manger for their animals. The Greeks dug shallow graves — only about a foot and a half deep– and covered the hole with rocks. Who knows what the Norman’s did with the remains they found when they moved those rocks!

My favorite part of the site, however, was this incredible sculpture of Icarus, who fell from the skies because he flew too close to the sun. Clearly, HE hadn’t been under water for 2,000 years! Also clear was that he was a modern addition to the site.

After our tour, it was time for lunch at this lovely private home.

You’d think we would have figured it out by now. What we THOUGHT was the lunch, was actually just the antipasto, followed by several other courses. We have concluded that we need to get much better at pacing ourselves! But if the food wasn’t enough, there was yet another surprise in store for us: The owner’s grandfather had been a renown craftsman, creating donkey carts that were truly works of art.

The paintings on the sides of the carts were of historical events, like this one depicting the assassination of Julius Caesar.

Even the spokes on the wheels were intricately carved.

Here’s our hostess, who also functioned as guide, cook and server.

These magical interludes are a big reason that Mike and I travel with OAT. We NEVER would have been able to arrange for some of these fascinating encounters on our own!

By now, we were completely sated with food and culture, ready for our one night stay at Vecchia Masseria in Piazza Amerina.

And yes, it really WAS that beautiful. Another agritourismo, in a pastoral setting with delicious, locally sourced food. Life is good.

Phoenicians, Salt and The Port of God

What an island! Strategically placed between Africa and Europe, the east and the west, Sicily was home to successive waves of conquerors, and for our second day, we visited one of the conquering heroes’ settlements. The Phoenicians, originally from the area that is now Lebanon, were among the first waves.

But first, we took a close look at the commodity that gave us the word “salary”. Sal (salt) was once used by the Romans as currency. Unlike other parts of the world, where salt is mined, the salt here is extracted from the sea. The water evaporates from shallow beds, leaving behind a substance that is low in sodium, high in potassium and magnesium. The Trapani salt is practically a health food! The sea, the wind, the sun all work together, with a little help from human workers, to create this miracle ingredient. Doesn’t get more natural than that.

After learning more than I ever thought possible about salt, we boarded a boat for the little island of Mothya, where almost 3000 years ago, Phoenicians built a fortress and a settlement.

There’s not much left on Mothya, just some walls, (header photo) and a museum that once was the home of Giuseppe Whittaker. Whittaker, in fact, owned the entire island. Fortunately, he was interested in archaeology and history, left his home and property to the public.

The salt museum contained this rendition of what the settlement was imagined to be.

It’s not a big island; we were able to walk from one end to the other, working up an appetite for this amazing feast!

Our last stop was at the place the Arabs called “Marsa Allah”, the Port of God, now known as Marsala, for wine tasting. Check out the size of those barrels. That’s a whole lot of Chicken Marsala!

It is rare indeed that my wine glass is still full after a wine tasting. In fact, I would say that this was a first. To me, Marsala is way too sweet. Okay for cooking, but definitely not my choice for drinking.

Next stop, the Valley of the Temples.

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