November 28, 2016 - The Old Colossus

Note: I still haven't gotten the issue with photos settled. Be sure to check the online version of the blog to see both of my posts today. The Old Colossus Emma Lazarus wrote a poem called The New Colossus, about the Statue of Liberty. "Give me your tired, your poor . . . " etc. So I am guessing that the old Colossus would have been the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was a bronze statue of Helios, the sun god. Built in the late third century BCE, it was 110 feet tall on a 50-foot pedestal (maybe one pedestal for each foot?), about the same size as the Statue of Liberty. It only stood for 56 years, falling victim to an earthquake. The remains of the statue have been lost, but the supposed location is marked by two pillars on either side of the entrance to Mandraki Harbor, topped by small bronze statues of deer. However, after showing us the pillars, our guide told us all the reasons why this robably wasn't the actual location of the Colossus. Never on Monday For the second time we have arrived in Rhodes on a Monday. Everything is closed on Mondays, including museums, archaeological sites, and the walk along the top of the Old Town wall. Boo. Don't come here on Monday. Most of Rhodes is also closed for the season now. Rhodes is part of the Dodecanese group of islands. It is just off the coast of Turkey, but it is part of Greece. Rhodes is supposed to be sunny over 300 days a year. The law of averages was not working for us today. It was overcast, and later on it rained. It was also very windy. Rhodes Trip Having walked around the closed for Monday/closed for the season Old Town last time, we opted for a tour this time. It was a Princess tour called Villages and Traditions. We drove around the island for most of the day (50 miles long x 25 miles wide). The tour wasn't particularly good, but it was ok. Our guide, Demetrius (James), was pretty good. Some of the places we went were kind of lame and the lunch was really not very good. We stayed much too long at several of our stopping points. We visited the site of Rhodes' ancient acropolis. There were only 3 1/2 pillars left, and they were surrounded by scaffolding. We also saw the ancient sports stadium, which was very large and in good condition. Next we drove out of town on some winding mountain roads (my favorite kind). We stopped at a tiny chapel that was sort of old and sort of crumbling. It had damaged frescoes that were hard to see. Stayed too long.  After more driving we arrived at the village of Appollona, where we visited a "museum." Three small rooms showed 1) what a village house would have looked like 200 years ago, 2) traditional clothing inside dusty display cases, and 3) farm implements, olive presses, and stuff like that - none of it labeled. Of the two shops in the village, one was open, and some of our busmates actually bought home-produced olive oil there. Another local specialty is soap made out of olive oil and donkey milk. Don't worry, I am not bringing any back as gifts for my friends. Stayed here too long. But we did get to see an interesting thing while we were waiting for our time in the village to be up. A small van drove up, stopped in the middle of the main intersection, and the drive started shouting things in Greek using an amplified megaphone. Some local woman walked up and he opened up the back and he had fresh (I assume) fish for sale. A few minutes later another guy drove up, parked on the other side of the intersection, shouted, jumped out, and opened up his boxes of fish - different types of fish. Within a few minutes they were both gone. Next stop was a tourist trap where we got to taste ouzo, local wines, local honeys, and jams. After that we stopped in a little village for lunch at a place only tourists on buses would eat at. I asserted myself when the guy next to me coughed and blew his nose and then tried to pass a plate of food to me. I really don't want to get sick on this trip. Then a long drive back down the other coast and back to the ship in the wind and rain. I didn't really see anything that would make me want to come back to Rhodes. We sailed away with a little extra help from a giant tugboat. The wind is howling and we are rocking and rolling. The entertainment tonight was another "mentalist" named Alex Crow. Kind of lame and boring. I think I slept through half of it. Tomorrow at dinner we will discuss how he did some of his "tricks."    

November 27, 2016 - Blog Updates

Here are some updates on our trip. I am having some technical problems with my blog. I think I have reached my limit on photo uploads and I am trying to find out what to do to resolve the situation. I can't easily research this with my limited internet access, but I am getting a little help from "my IT guy." We have hit some rough weather. Today the captain announced that the weather will be with us for a while, so our stop in Khios on Tuesday (a tender port) has been cancelled. Tuesday will be a day at sea. Wednesday, which was originally to have been a day at sea, will now find us at Katakolon, close to Olympia. We haven't been to either place, so it is not a big deal to us. I am way behind now in blogging, but I can't do much until I get the photo problem fixed. We REALLY like the small ship (670 pax vs. 3000). There are a few drawbacks but they are outweighed by the positives. There are never any lines for anything. On our first segment we had a very pleasant group of dinner companions. On the current segment, not so much. The first night we sat at our old table with a couple from Australia and a very entitled couple from Florida (VECFF), who sat in our old seats. The third couple failed to appear (MIA-C). Conversation was awkward. Also, it was really hard to hear Mr. VECFF. The second night We decided to try harder and hoped the MIA-C would show up and the dynamics would improve. The Australians did not appear and neither did the MIA couple. We thought the Aussies were staying away because they didn't like formal nights. Petros said he would get another couple for our table. I sat in my old seat because I though the acoustics would be better. I could tell that Mrs. VECFF didn't like me sitting in "her" seat the minute she arrived. We had an awkward dinner with VECFF.  The third night was Thanksgiving and I was dreading it. We saw the Aussies being seated at another table. VECFF wasn't there. Petros did not get us another couple. I didn't want to eat alone on Thanksgiving. We got another table after a bunch of attitude from Petros. VECFF showed up late and ate alone at the old table. Our new table is really nice. We are always the last table to leave the dining room because we are talking so much. I look forward to dinner. So glad we bit the bullet and changed.  We keep running into VECFF around the ship. Awkward. Sorry about all the gaps and layout issues with the blog. When I get home I will make it all look pretty. Meanwhile, I will blog on as time permits. It helps me process our trip, it allows me to vent when I need to, it creates a record of our trip, but most importantly, it connects me with friends and family. Keep checking in. Better yet, sign up to receive automatic notifications when I have added a post. (I think that if I add two or more posts in one day you only get one notification, so be sure to look at the online version to see if you missed anything.) I love getting comments. This evening the show starred Phillip Browne, a vocalist. He played Mustafa in The Lion King in the West End. His show included Circle of Life, pop, gospel, jazz and R&B. A good time! He even had Ken dancing.

November 26, 2016 - Mastering the Art of Moussaka

Today in Corfu we had a Princess tour of the town combined with a cooking demonstration and lunch. Our tour guide, Fofo, was so-so. She was kind of boring. It was hard to stay focused on what she was saying. The cooking demonstration was underwhelming, but the lunch was quite nice. All in all, I would say I should have known better. We could have taken a taxi in to town and eaten lunch in a nice place, and come out a little ahead. Though it may have been hard to find a place that was open. The Old Fortress:  

We went to a restaurant calle Rex ("the oldest restaurant in Corfu" - 1932). In a very cursory fashion we were shown how to make moussaka (moo-sa-KA, not moo-SA-kuh), tzatziki, and Greek salad. No chef's secrets were revealed, and we did not get copies of any recipes. However, I will venture to say that the secret to Greek salad is good tomatoes and the secret to tzatziki is full-fat Greek yogurt.    

 

 

Lunch is served!

I am starting to understand the geography of this region a little better. The "Greek Islands" are actually several very distinct groups of islands. Corfu is one of the Ionian Islands. It has been ruled by just about everybody at one time or another: Romans, Venetian, French, English, Germans.

 

Corfu has a very Venetian look, thanks to 400 years of Venetian rule.

Tower of St. Spyridon Church

 

The Palace of St. Michael and St. George, now the Asian Art Museum:

A trireme, Corfu's coat-of-arms

We stopped at a park honoring the Durrells, "writers and philhellenes" who lived in Corfu from 1935 to 1939.

   

Gerald Durrell

Lawrence Durrell

Everywhere you go in Europe (and everywhere else) people get the notion that if you rub the nose, foot, hand, etc. of a statue, you will have good luck. How silly.   15th century old fortress St. Spyridon church Kumquats, 2,000,000 olive trees Spianada - esplanade Where Odysseus was washed ashore Cinematastic - Deanna Julian

 

November 21, 2016 - Adventures in Venice

Today our first cruise ended and our second cruise started. While most of our fellow passengers were either disembarking or embarking, we took advantage of the time in Venice to pursue some unconventional Venetian experiences.  Adventure #1 - Rowing Standing Up We took a rowing class with Row Venice, a woman-owned and operated company. The lesson was so much fun. We learned how to row a batele. It is similar to a gondola but more stable. The instructor stood in the back on the top of the boat and steered. One of us stood in the front, inside the boat, and rowed. It was fairly easy to do and my muscles did not become fatigued. 

Some other rowers passed us

Each boat has two or more forcula. This is a piece of hand-carved word that looks more like a sculpture than a art of the boat. They are very expensive and are removed when the boat is not in use.

The forcula in the front

The forcula in the back is more complicated

We rowed around Venice for over an hour and got a nice sightseeing tour of the less busy canals. Nellzica was a good teacher and an amazing oarswoman.

Venice as seen from the canals:

Adventure #2 - Opera in the Palace In the evening we went to a site near St. Mark's for an evening of opera by Musica a Palazzo. It was La Traviata tonight. This was an opportunity to experience opera in an intimate and unique venue - an old palace. We moved to a different room for each act - a living room, a study, and a bedroom. Some of the seats were no more than an arm's length away from the performers. There was a very good 4-piece chamber orchestra. The soprano and the tenor were outstanding. Their voices were bright and clear and none of the words got swallowed. Most of the opera was staged using candlelight, or primarily candlelight.

Act 1 took place in this room

Act 2 was here

Act 3: the bedroom

On the way home the soprano got onto our vaporetto. One of many commuters going home from work. Adventure #3 - Getting There Getting somewhere in Venice is always an adventure. If you like orienteering, you'll love Venice.   You cannot get anywhere in Venice quickly. You cannot get anywhere cheaply unless you are prepared to walk and you are good at map-reading. Venice is fairly small, but we needed over an hour to get anywhere each time we left the ship. From the cruise terminal you can walk to something called "The People Mover" in 10 to 15 minutes. That is its name; it is not a translation from Italian. The People Mover costs 1.50 Euros per ride. It is an elevated tramway and it only goes to one place, Piazzale Roma, and the ride lasts about 60 seconds. It is totally automated, from ticket sales to operation of the cars. This makes it rather creepy in the evening when few people are around. We figured out that you CAN walk from the cruise terminal to Piazzale Roma, but it is not the nicest or most comfortable place to walk, though it isn't terrible and probably doesn't take any longer than The People Mover including the waiting time. From Piazzale Roma you can either walk or take a vaporetto. You really can't take a taxi, so you can't be in a hurry. There is a water taxi, but it is super expensive ($80 and up). If you walk, you have to plan your route very carefully. Venice is made up of about 118 islands. You have to make sure you include bridges in your walking route. You have to pay close attention because the "streets" are not always well-marked. Maps don't seem to be all that accurate. I carried three or four different maps at any time and referred to them frequently, like a good orienteer. One map was good for riding the vaporetto, but bad for walking. One had a lot of detail but was very hard to read. One was easy to read because it left out a lot of detail. One showed the landmarks. The other option is the vaporetto. The vaporetto is like a floating bus. It is 8 Euros per trip. Most tourists would not put up with that for a land bus, but this is Venice and you pay it. Each vaporetto stop consists of one to four pontoons, which are like the bus stops, but they actually float on the water. You have to figure out which pontoon to wait on and which vaporetto to board, since there are several lines. We didn't always figure this out correctly, but we bumbled along and always got where we were going on time. There is another waterbus service called Alilaguna. It's ideal because they have a stop right at the cruise terminal so you can skip the People Mover, but: it only runs once an hour, it stops Fairly early in the evening, and it doesn't go to very many places (and this information was not easy to come by). Once you learn the system it is time to leave Venice. But there is nothing like riding through the canals and just experiencing Venice, especially at night.

 

November 20, 2016 - New Kid on the Block

Rijeka is the new kid on the tourism block. It may not even be on the tourism block.  During socialist times Rijeka was an industrial city. The first thing you notice as you approach from the sea is a large number of bleak 10-story apartment buildings built in the socialist era. As you get closer you notice some more ornate buildings from the Hapsburg era, and you notice that they are moldering and peeling. The closer you get, the worse it looks.  

Our guide, Ana, is 31 years old. She is bright and witty and speaks very good English. She tells us that 5 years ago her job in tourism didn't exist. She is one of the many young Croats who find work wherever they can. It is not a steady 40-hour-per-week job, but as long as the tourists come there will be work.  

It is Sunday morning and it is still quiet downtown. Ana says most of the locals leave town if possible on the weekends. For one thing, there is no place to park. We use a taxi for our tour. The driver drops us off and we walk around for an hour or so and then Ana calls him and he picks us up and we go to the next place. There is graffiti, but maybe not as much as some of the other places, particularly Greece. There is trash on the ground - more than a little, but not a horrible amount. There are some people hanging around but it is hard to tell if they are homeless. It is the buildings that seem most depressing to me. They are just slowly decaying and withering.  

   

Basilica

Typical deferred maintenance

  The history of this land is: Ligurians, Romans, ________, Hapsburgs, Italians, Socialism, independence. After downtown we drove up a big hill to Trsat. This is a neighborhood and also the name of a 13th or 14th century fort. Not much has been done with the fort and it is not as interesting to see as it looked from down below, but the view is nice. A block away we see a church that was visited by Pope ______.  

  A 30-minute drive takes us to another world - Opatija. Opatija is pretty. It was built in the 1880's as a planned resort for the rich. There are Habsburg-style villas everywhere, and a few grand hotels and other large buildings. The waterfront has a promenade several miles long connecting a number of nearby coastal towns. There are modern statues everywhere. The "Girl with a Seagull" was really nice.  

We wandered into a tiny "museum of tourism." I don't think the name fairly describes it, because the name creates an expectation of something about tourism. Though we didn't pay to go to the upstairs part, because the downstairs part, which was free, was so uninteresting, the museum wasn't about much of anything. We saw old architectural drawings of some of the buildings in Opatija and a trompe l'oeuil mural, and an old table. Yeah. After all this hard work we needed coffee, so we stopped at a promising-looking coffee shop and Ken, Dom, Ana (Ana from the ship, not Ana, the tour guide) and I had macchiato and some outstanding cheese strudel. I don't think strudel like that can be found anywhere in Anchorage.  

Translation?: Ice cream is kugelicious

Back on the ship we enjoyed dinner and a show by "contemporary ventriloquist" Kieran Powell.