Civitavecchia, Italy - Thursday October 22, 2015

Well folks, this is basically the end of the 2015 blog since we will have very limited Internet from this point on.  We are currently in Civitavecchia, Italy waiting to get on the Celebrity Reflection cruise ship tomorrow morning.  We took a train from Termini station in Rome this morning at 10:15 and arrived in Civitavecchia about 11:30.  It was a beautiful ride once we reached the outskirts of the city of Rome.  We traveled through the countryside until we reached the Mediterranean coast and traveled north hugging the coast until we reached the port city of Civitavecchia.  Our hotel was very close to the train station, so it only took about 15 minutes to walk there.  We checked in and then took a walk around the small town and found a great place to have lunch.  The pasta, pizza and wine were great.  A bit later on we hooked up with our friends that will be cruising back to Florida with us.  We all walked around for a while until we located a small supermarket, where we bought our wine to take on the ship.  The limit is one bottle per person.  It is amazing how inexpensive the wine is ……….. about two Euros per bottle for Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Eventually we went back to our rooms for some rest and then met up again later for dinner.  Tomorrow morning we board the cruise ship about 11 AM and then sail for our first port, Funchal, the capital city of the Portuguese island of Madeira.  Madeira is off the coast of Morocco, north of the Canary Islands.  We will have three days at sea before landing here on Tuesday, October 27.  After leaving Madeira we have five days across the Atlantic Ocean before arriving on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and then onto St. Maarten and Haiti before finally arriving in Miami, Florida on Saturday November 7.

It has been a great trip and I hope to sum it all up once we get back to Florida and have Internet service again.  As many of you know, the Internet availability on any cruise ship is somewhat limited, slow and extremely expensive.

Thanks for following along on another great Sloane adventure.

Rome, Italy - Wednesday October 21, 2015

Jewish Museum

After our breakfast this morning we were headed to the Jewish section of Rome.  We were made aware that this section existed, so we decided to visit it and see the area.  We took a bus to this vicinity and found the Jewish temple and the Jewish museum.  It was interesting to see this area in the center of Rome, but we were disappointed to see so much security around the temple and museum.  Unfortunately this is reality in this day and age, but a very sad situation.  It is sad to see that people all over the world cannot leave in peace and get along, but seeing all the security around this temple and museum gives us all a sense of reality.  There were several interesting Kosher restaurants in the area as well, in addition to a kosher butcher.  Once we left this area, we walked around Rome a bit more and walked toward the Piazza Navona.  In this area we found a great pizza place and gelateria.  We had a slice of vegetable pizza that was outstanding and then had some gelato at Gelateriadel Teatro ai Coronari, a gelateria that I had read about on the Conde Nast website.  The choice of flavors were numerous and Gail and I tied a variety of five flavors ………. each was superb and freshly made.  Once we completed our gelato we walked over to the Spanish Steps again and then over to Trevi fountain to find them both still under reconstruction.  The tour groups and crowds were there anyways.  In addition to the crowds, there wer all the typical souvenir stands selling all the same typical tourist “junk”. Eventually we made our way back to our room for some rest.  After a break for an hour or so we went back to the Trastevere district of Rome for dinner.  We found a small restaurant that I found on the buzzfeed website.  The pasta was excellent as were the prices for the food and wine.  After a satisfying dinner we took the bus back to our B&B to organize our luggage for the train ride to Civitavecchia tomorrow for an overnight stay before getting on the cruise ship on Friday.  We have enjoyed our stay in Rome, but the crowds of thousands of people and tour groups were just too, too much.  As I recall from our last journey to Italy in 2007, the drivers here are extremely aggressive and are not courteous enough to allow anyone the right to cross the street unless they are forced to.  Everyone is in some kind of rush. We seem to be more relaxed in the small quaint towns of Europe that are off the beaten path. 

Tour Groups Everywhere

Crowds Everywhere!

Crowds outside the closed Trevi Fountain

Rome, Italy - Tuesday October 20, 2015

This morning we were up early in order to get into the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican for our 11 AM reservation time.  Since we were not really sure where we were going we left the hotel at 9 AM.  We found out which bus we needed, and were on our way.  We arrived at the Vatican by about 9:45 AM and found out exactly where we needed to go.  I had purchased our tickets online back in August and it was hard to believe that the day had finally come.  Once we arrived at the Vatican and museum entrance, we were totally overwhelmed by the thousands and thousands of people and tour groups.  The entire scene here was totally insane.  I have not seen this many people in one place since I was at the Woodstock concert in 1969.  The scene in Woodstock, I thoroughly enjoyed, but this was not fun. There were masses of people everywhere following tour guides with the upheld umbrellas and anything else they could hold in the air so their “clients” could follow them.  The general line to get tickets for the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums had to be at least 1/4 mile long.  Luckily we had our reservation, so we were able to get onto the “online reserve” line.  Once we were indoors, it did not make a difference.  We could barely move as the entire museum was totally packed with people speaking many languages, pushing baby strollers, in wheel chairs, etc.  The entire place was an insane sardine can.  I can honestly say I could not wait to get out of here.  The various exhibits were overwhelming in number and we finally arrived at the Sistine Chapel.  We looked around briefly and then headed for the exit.  I must say, if I had known the crowds were going to be like this, we would have never come here.  The tour groups and crowds made the entire experience exasperating.  The paintings were actually magnificent, but we really could not thoroughly enjoy them with all the pushing & shoving.  Once we got outside the museum and walked toward the entrance to the Vatican, the line to get in there was at least as long as the line for the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel.  Nothing that I can think of would be worth waiting on a line like this for.  I can only imagine what this place is like in the summer.  I surely would not want to find out.  We departed the Vatican area and walked toward the PiazzaNavona.  This area was quite crowded as well.  We walked around the area, took some photos and then were off to the Spanish Steps. As was the case yesterday at Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps was closed off for reconstruction.  How disappointing ………we have not been to Rome in 35 years and so far two of the major sites were closed off going through reconstruction.  After returning to our room for some rest, by 6 PM were headed over to the Trastevere district of Rome.  This area of Rome is noted for nightlife and many restaurants.  We found a small restaurant where we had a nice meal of caprese salad, pasta with bolognese sauce and wine. Once we completed dinner we walked around this area a bit and then took the bus back to our B&B.

Rome, Italy - Monday October 19, 2015

Trevi Fountain (under reconstruction)

Coliseum

We woke up early this morning, had breakfast and took the hotel shuttle to the Brussels airport.  The airport was quite crowded at 8 AM, but things went rather smooth as we checked our bags, went through security and waited at the gate for our departure to Rome.  Once on board the plane, we departed pretty much on time and arrived in Rome by about 12:30 PM.  We had arranged for a driver to pick us up and take us to our B&B, and he was waiting for us after we picked up our luggage.  The ride from the airport to the B&B took about 40 minutes.  On the way, we passed some of the famous sites in Rome, including the Coliseum.  Gail and I had not been to Rome since 1980, so it was interesting to see some of the sites we had not seen in 35 years.  After checking in at our B&B we were off to Trevi Fountain, which was about a 20-minute walk.  Once we arrived at Trevi Fountain, it was rather disappointing;  the entire fountain was totally enclosed in fencing, there was no water in the fountain and the entire area is being refurbished.  The way it was enclosed looked like a Polar Bear exhibit at any zoo.  Even though the “exhibit” was closed off, there were literally hundreds of people all gathered around looking at the dry fountain.  Some people were even throwing coins over the enclosure. After leaving here rather briefly, we walked to the area of the Roman Forum and Coliseum.  Along the way we passed by the monument to Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy, in the 1850s.  Everywhere we walked there were hundreds of tour groups and thousands of people.  In all my years, I have never seen this many people strolling around any city, carrying maps and/or following tour guides holding up various colored umbrellas, even though it was not raining.  Everywhere you looked there were small stands selling all kinds of tourist trinkets, photos and postcards.  Rome has become an incredible tourist town.  I have been to Rome three times since 1967, and seeing what has become here is unbelievable, and in my opinion, not for the better.  We stopped by the Forum & Coliseum to take some photos and just walked and walked.  We eventually made it back to the area of our B&B and had some dinner close by.  The proprietor of the B&B recommended this particular restaurant.  The food was OK, but nothing special, a bit of a disappointment.  Once we completed dinner we went back to the B&B for some sleep.

Trevi Fountain

Part of the Roman Forum

Monument to Victor Emmanuel II

Diegem, Belgium - Sunday October 18, 2015

This morning we had our breakfast and made arrangements for a taxi to take us to the Bruge train station.  We boarded an 11:57 AM train out of Bruges, which arrived in Brussels about an hour later.  The ride was very smooth, quiet and relaxing as we rolled through the Belgium countryside. We changed trains in Brussels Midi station to get the train to the airport.  We arrived at the airport by about 2:15 PM and looked for the shuttle to our hotel.  We found out the shuttle was not running today, so I called the hotel and they sent a taxi, complimentary, to pick us up and take us to the hotel.  After checking in at the hotel we walked into the local town, Diegem.  Diegem is a very small town near the airport with very few stores.  We assume the airport must support the economy in this town, which is only about one or two miles away.  In Diegem we found a small pub that was open and went in for a few more Leffe beers before we leave Belgium.  There were a lot of locals in the pub, drinking and watching a soccer game on TV.  After about an hour we returned to the hotel for some dinner.  Once we finished dinner we reorganized our bags one more time to be sure we were “travel ready” for the airline.  This task is always a pain, dealing with weight restrictions and the "3 ounce rule"  We were off to bed early for an early rise in the AM to board the 10:15 AM flight to Rome.

Bruges, Belgium - Saturday October 17, 2015

Cutting up our lunch!

We knew that today was going to be a slow more relaxing day.  After breakfast we were off to the Saturday market.  As I noted a few days ago about going to the Wednesday market, where all kinds of food and flowers are sold, there is also a Saturday market in a much larger location.  We arrived at the market place by about 11 AM.  This market was much larger than the Wednesday market.  There were many vendors selling all kinds of clothing and tapestries in addition to the large number of vendors selling all the varieties of food.  It was interesting to even see some vendors selling live animals, that were obviously sold for the purpose of ending up on someone’s dinner plate.  We purchased some excellent macaroons and then some lunch.  For lunch we bought a rack of ribs and roast potatoes.  The ribs were cut up for us and we eventually found a bench to sit on to enjoy our purchase.  The ribs were very delicious as were the potatoes.  We actually thoroughly enjoy walking around the markets of Europe and seeing all the foods and other items for sale.  It definitely gives a “flavor” of the country’s culture.  In many cases we enjoy the markets of Europe more than some of the museums.  The market here in Bruges was great, but not quite up to what we have seen at the Boqueria in Barcelona, Spain.   The Barcelona market is probably the best market place in Europe.  After taking in all of the sites and sounds of the market today, we walked around Bruges a bit more and stopped off into the old town hall and then The Church of Our Lady.  The Church of Our Lady in Bruges, houses one of Michelangelo's famous marble sculptures, Madonna and Child.  After some rest at the hotel and a bit more walking, we found a great little Italian restaurant for dinner.  As usual, we started off with some great Belgian beer, Leffe, before dinner.  By 8:30 PM we were back at the hotel to organize our luggage, as tomorrow morning we head to our airport hotel for an overnight stay, as our flight to Rome is 10:15 AM Monday morning. 

Madonna and Child by Michelangelo

Bruges, Belgium - Friday October 16, 2015

The Judgment of Cambyses 

By 10 AM we were off for another day to see the sights of Bruges.  Yesterday we purchased a three-day museum pass that entitles us to visit many of the museums throughout Bruges.  One of our first stops today was the archaeological museum.  It was rather small and did not have a lot of exhibits. We did not stay here very long and felt this museum was more geared to children.  Next stop was to the famous GroeningeMuseum.  The Groeninge Museum, is a rather small museum, but has an extensive collection of early Flemish art from the 15th and 16th centuries.  Some of the masterpieces of Jan van Eyck, Gerard David, Roger van der Wyden among others are on display.  What fascinated me the most were the meticulous, microscopic details in these paintings.  The painters used extremely fine-pointed brushes to capture the incredible details of bearded men, wrinkled foreheads, bloodshot eyes, expressive facial emotions, intricately patterned clothes and much, much more.  I had been here in 2011 and looked so forward to returning here again.  Two of my favorite paintings in this museum are The Judgment of Cambyses painted by Gerard David in 1498, and The Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele, by Jan van Eyck around 1434-1436.  Our journey next took us to the Belfry of Bruges, the Belfort. The Belfort is a medieval bell tower in the historical centre of Bruges.  Gail and I decided to walk up the 366 steps to the top.  It was an arduous task, but the view from the top was magnificent.  Unfortunately the sky was very overcast, so we were limited in the scope of what we could see.  After our trek down the 366 steps, which was a lot easier than the walk up, we went into a small pastry shop for some pastries and coffee.  Next we headed back to the hotel for a bit of rest before meeting our friends from Florida for dinner.  For dinner, we met at Bistro Den Armand, a great restaurant that I recommended.  I had eaten here in 2011 and remembered it fondly.  We were not at all disappointed, as the food was superb and as good as I recalled, if not better.  After dinner we headed back to our hotels.  We said goodbyes to our friends and look forward to seeing them in Florida in about another three weeks.  Today was an excellent day, despite the gloomy weather.  We visited one of my favorite European museums, had delicious pastries in the afternoon, and had a great dinner with good friends from Florida. This is what life is all about ……….. good sights, good food and good friends.

Bruges, Belgium - Thursday October 15, 2015

After breakfast, Gail and I were off for a walk around Bruges.  It was quite cold and we were very happy that we brought along gloves.  We walked around some “off the beaten path” residential streets to see what the town of Bruges looked like outside of the main tourist area.  I took many photos, but unfortunately the sun was not shining today, which has been the case for the past four or five days. Everyone we speak to in the area says the cold and overcast weather is not normal for this time of year.  We plan our trip, but have no control over the weather.  After a bit of walking, we came across De Halve Mann brewery.  I had taken the brewery tour here four years ago, so we did not feel it necessary to take the tour.  The brewery has been expanded and renovated since I was here in 2011.  Even though we were not interested in taking the tour, we could not resist having a glass of some fresh brewed beer ………. it was quite refreshing and delicious.  Once we finished our beer we continued strolling around the town and went into the Sint-Janshospitaal Museum (Saint John's Hospital).  This along with the Groeningemuseum (Groeninge Museum) in Bruges is among my favorite museums in Europe.  The Sint-Janshospitaal Museum is one of the oldest preserved hospital buildings in Europe.  Throughout the museum you see what life was like in a medieval hospital, seeing many paintings, medieval medical instruments, pieces of furniture, and more.  It was quite fascinating to see all of this, and think about what life and medical facilities were like over 500 years ago.  Additionally, there are several masterpiece paintings by the famous Flemish artist, Hans Memling, who painted in the 15^th century. After thoroughly enjoying this museum visit, we walked around Bruges a bit more, just taking in the sights and people.  Both Gail and I are amazed at the number of tour groups here in Bruges, which apparently are a tremendous help for Bruges economy …… at least 15% of the stores in Bruges sell either chocolate, waffles or pastries.  At 5 PM we went to the Bruges NH hotel where we knew some of our friends from Florida would be arriving and staying for a few days.  Sure enough, by about 5:05 PM they arrived.  At 6:30 PM we all went out to dinner to a small quaint Belgian restaurant for a dinner of mussels and frites (French fries).  By about 9 PM we were done with dinner and headed back to our respective hotels.  We made plans with our friends to meet tomorrow and hopefully go out to dinner again.  They leave Bruges and head back to the U.S. on Sunday, when Gail and I head to Rome for a few days prior to getting on our cruise ship back to Florida.

  As usual, click on any photo to enlarge it