Florence, Italy (guest writer)

For some reason writing "guest writer" makes me thing of the song Ghost Riders in the Sky.  This post was written by my mother, the Guest Writer in the Sky.  She is still alive, so far, and is only in the sky while flying on an airplane that I know of.  OK, I will get on with it... and let her tell you what she did while Katherine and I were running the Cinque Terra trail in Italy.

Below is "the Mom's" account of the day:



Day Three – Port of Call – La Spezia

Ciao!

After a 2 hour bus ride with our tour guide Patrizia, we arrived in Firenze (Italian for Florence.)

The port adventure we selected was “Florence on your own,” so our guide left the group at the statue of Dante in the Piazza de San Croce to explore by ourselves.  We figured the best way to start was to stop at a coffee house for an espresso and a cappuccino.

The Piazza de San Croce

Within minutes, Patrizia by chance, arrived at the same cafe.  Of course, we asked her to join us.  She inquired about our plans for the day and we told her that we intended to find the jewelry store, Manetti Jewelry, where I had purchased a cameo ring 40 years ago.

(A Cameo is a piece of jewelry that is carved from stone or shell in a positive relief configuration.  They have long historical significance dating back to the Greeks and Romans.  Italy is best known for the artisan work of the small types that are ring sized, but you can also find large ones the size of necklace pendants.)

Patrizia pulled out her cell phone and verified that the jeweler was in fact still at the same location.  Luckily, the shop was just a short walk from the cafe, and a block from the famous Duomo cathedral. Patrizia asked if we would mind if she joined us.  (I think her curiosity was getting the better of her.)  How fortunate for us to not only have a private guide, but an interpreter as well. 


(Below are our pictures of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore,  also just called the Duomo.  It was completed structurally in 1436.)

Manetti Jewelry was as I remembered it: a small store on a side stone street with friendly, helpful clerks.  The actual storefront is just above Partizia's head in the photo below.

The clerk asked how he could assist us.  I began to tell my story of purchasing a cameo ring some 40 years ago during the period of time when I was living in Germany.  I showed them (the clerk and a 35 year old (+ or -) lady who worked there) the ring and the box that I had kept all these years. 

At this point we found out that the lady is the great-granddaughter of the original owner family of Manetti jewelers.  She wasn’t even born at the time of my first visit to their store.  She proceeded to show us the original business license for the shop dated 1919.  She was intrigued by the ring box I had and said that she remembers when they used that style box. 

She gave us a brochure showing a photo of the original family members who started the business.  She also showed us a photo of her parents, herself and her brother, who now run the business.  Of course, I felt the need to try on rings and make a 2014 purchase.  We all enjoyed the experience and took pictures.  We were encouraged to return to Florence, shop with them again, but not wait another 40 years.

After this memorable experience, we had to find the outdoor market and rub the snout of the brass black pig and insure that there would be a future visit to Florence.  From there, we headed to the Ponte Vecchio (a neat ancient bridge with shops built on it), stopped at an outdoor café where we sat under an umbrella with spray mist cooling, and enjoyed lunch while we plotted out our shopping plan.  Leather driving gloves and a leather purse somehow made it into our shopping bag! 

Ken and Jackie

"Arno River and Ponte Vecchio, Florence" by Gary Ashley

Flickr: Ponte Vecchio. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

Photo Link

Ken chilling out on the bridge.

On the way back to the port, we could see the giant mountains in the distance.  What looks like snow is actually marble!  This is where all the craftsmen got their raw material to create the wonders we have seen.  The miners remove large chunks of the marble and bring it to the workshops to then be worked.

It was a very tiring but rewarding day for the both of us.  It will be interesting to share our stories with Katherine and Garner and also see what happened to them on the coastal trail.  

Cruise Day 9: Mykonos, Greece

We got the blood flowing today with a run on deck four of the Disney Magic.  Our ship moored at the "New Port" in Mykonos, Greece.  Katherine and I were here once before in 2011 with her brother, but it looked nothing like what we now saw at the port.  It was just a flat barren landing area for the ships.  Most of it was dirt and there were no buildings or security, and there was certainly no small inner harbor.

This is how the "New Port" looks today.

Back then, we were at this location waiting for a 2:00 am ferry to take us to Samos, and then to Turkey.  We spent many hours waiting for that boat and were all alone with Andrew and some cats at this place.  Wow! It has changed.

Below are the old posts about our travels here in 2011.

Mykonos 2011 Day 1

Mykonos 2011 Day 2

Our tour today was brief, but took us to places on the island we didn't see before.  We met up with my mom and dad after the run, got breakfast, and headed to the tour bus.

Many tourists rent four wheelers to tour this small island.  And, this Greek island might be small, but it has a huge party scene!

This is a cool map of the island our tour guide pointed out.  On the map you can see the airport runway.  That really gives you a sense of how small this place really is.

Me trying to be funny on the bus.

We stopped at a quiet cove area just to take a look around and allow time for people to take pictures.  Our tour guide told me a few things that I never knew about the island.  For one thing, some families build and maintain a chapel on their property.  It is always aligned east to west and built about the size of a small bedroom.  Not all properties have one, we were told, since they are expensive.  Inside they keep the remains of deceased family members so the living will always be near their ancestors.  Once we knew what to look for, we saw these chapels all over the palce.  Yes, creepy indeed.  

A second thing that was new to me was that there are pigeon houses across the island.  In the past the islanders would eat these birds for meals.  In liking the meat, and also needing it with the limited resources on this desert island, they would build little roosts for the pigeons.  Today, the roosts still remain in places and the design of the roosts are used in many of the houses.   We were told that no one eats the piegons any more.  I do not believe it. Why would you pass up a good meal?

We stopped at Panagia Tourliani Monastery which is one of the oldest monasteries in the Greek islands.  This place was used as a hideout to stay safe from the pirates.  With the giant wall around it and it's great vantage point from atop a hill, we can see why. 

After the monastery we stopped for a little sampling of Greek food.  In the pic below we are trying a few types of olives, the local cheese, tzatziki sauce, bread with tomato, a lamb meatball, and glass of Ouzo.  This was a perfect lunch snack before we headed back to the ship.

After our snack, we stopped at a small beach.  We had time to sip a cold drink and take in the beautiful scenery.  For me, the beautiful scenery included the Jeep below.  Yes please!

Katherine and I got back on the ship, while my parents stayed out for a bit of time after the tour and walked the streets of Mykonos Town.  The village center is full of winding streets and colorful white walls.  I was a little tired and wanted to hit up the ship's water slides before our fancy dinner at Palo.

There are 2 water slides onboard the Disney Magic.  The first slide we tried is found in the Aqua Lab pool area, which is designed for young kids.  The slide, however, is pretty large and to ride it you have to be taller than most of the kids that are playing in this area.  We climbed the stairs all the way to the top, where there was only a line of 3 kids and 1 adult in front of us.  Katherine and I both took the lead of the experienced water sliders, and when it was our turn launched ourselves forward by swinging off of the bar at the top of the slide.  With the little extra push to get you started, you really haul down this thing.  The splash pool at the bottom to stop you was deeper than we expected, and left us both temporarily blinded and breathing in a bit of water.  Also, you move quite fast so the joints that hold the sections of the slide together can really do a number on bare skin.  Next time we'll follow the lead of the seasoned veterans and wear a shirt.  Overall, this is a really fun water slide.  Even though you find it where the tiny kids are playing, it can give big kids a thrill too. 

Our next stop was the slide called the Aqua Dunk.  This bad boy is not for the faint of heart.  You stand on a near vertical platform that drops out from underneath you, causing a couple seconds of super fast slide riding fun that takes you out in a transparent tube over the edge of the ship before you are dumped into the splash pool at the bottom.  When we started to climb the stairs there was a sign that said it was a 40 minute wait from that point.  Luckily, there were only 3 kids in front of us.  We saw that we were once again wearing improper protective gear for the slide.  The experts were fully covered.  One boy said he already rode the slide 30 times this week, and wished us good luck.  Katherine went first and pretty much lost her bikini once she hit the splash pool.  She had anticipated this, but still experienced a wardrobe malfunction at the bottom and was trying not the give all the children too much of a show.  I followed, and also had the pleasure of hitting the splash pool with so much speed that I thought my shorts had blown off.  Once I got my bearings I realized that they were just crammed into my butt crack.  I also had red lines down my back for the next hour.  If I ever find myself on this cruise ship again, I will definitely ride this slide, but with different swimwear.  It is like being flushed down a toilet of fun.

We didn't have time to ride the slides more than once, because we had to get ready for our dinner at Palo.  After having such a nice brunch at the restaurant earlier in the cruise, we were really looking forward to the meal.  It did not disappoint.  

After the Palo dining experience we headed to deck nine for a night time walk.  My camera lens had some fog on it from the temperature change and dew point which created a nice unintended effect.

Tomorrow will be a sea day on our way to Malta.  We are all really excited since none of us have ever been there.  My friends that have been there say that it's awesome, so we can't wait to check it out.

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Cruise Day 8: Kusadasi, Turkey

We were excited this morning to be back in Turkey. Katherine and I had a quick breakfast at Carioca's and then headed to the tour meet up location.  On the agenda for today was a tour of Ephesus, a wonderful ancient Greek site in modern day Turkey.  We were here in 2011 and liked it so much, we couldn't miss a chance to see it again.  The place is always changing since more and more of the ruins are unearthed every day.  Let's take a look:

Here is Katherine exiting the port in Kusadasi, Turkey.

After a brief bus ride, we arrived at the "House of the Virgin Mary."  Really, we can prove this?  Some nun had a vision about this in the 1950's so it must be true.  No matter what, it is a beautiful place in the hills just outside of Ephesus.  Atilla's Getaway (the hostel we stayed at in 2011) was very close and visible from the road at the top of the hill.  

It was interesting to watch the people arrive at the house.

This is a little prayer wall where people write messages.

After the Virgin Mary House, our tour continued back down the mountain to the site of Ephesus.  It was kind of like we remember, but looked even better.  There has been a lot of excavated done in the last three years.  Very nice.

One of my favorite columns and tops.  Oh, the Ionic design. 

Below is a picture of our guide.  She was amazing and full of info.  We did not have a guide on our first trip here in 2011, so it was neat to fill in some gaps in our knowledge of the place.

Our view of the library.

A recently unearthed mosaic in front of the apartment style houses.  None of this was viewable when we were here before.

My dad had to take a picture of the urination station from 2100 years ago.

More library action.  We took this shot from the brothel.  Funny thing... the library has a secret tunnel leading here.  How convenient!

My mom and dad enjoying the site.

The marvelous theater.  A giant crane loomed over the place in 2011, but now we had a better view.

Glad to see the genuine fake watch shop is still there.

Here we are at the site of St. John's Basilica.  It is built at the site of the first and second Ephesus towns.  Rumor has it that St. John was buried here back in the day, but has been removed.  Now, three places claim to have parts of his body.  Wow.  

After an intense sightseeing tour we took a break for lunch.  The place we stopped was really interesting.  In this area of turkey, they have giant roadside entertainment and restaurant buffets that cater to the tour busses and cruise ship people.  We saw them back in 2011 while walking the road to Atilla's Getaway, but of course did not go in since we were not on a tour.  The experience started off with a brief show, and then we went inside to eat from an elaborate buffet display of food.  The property is essentially a mini theme park.  It is built to look like you are in the ancient city during it's heyday.  The staff were wearing period costumes and there were screens playing computer animated depictions of what it looked like in Ephesus during ancient times.  The buffet contained a good assortment of quasi traditional Turkish food.  None of the people on our bus, except for Katherine and I, had been to Turkey before so this was their one chance to get a little sample of the cuisine.  They all seemed to like it, considering how high their plates were piled with food.  

After eating, we discovered that our departure from this roadside oasis was in jeopardy since we were waiting for a new bus.  The driver backed up with the bus door open and smacked the door into a rock at the basilica.  He forced the door shut to take us to the lunch place.  While we were eating, the driver decided to "fix" the door, and now it would not close at all.  Now we were off schedule and our guide did not find this humorous at all.  Disney cruise port adventures run on time, every time.  She kept her cool by vacuuming down the cigarettes. 

Our new bus finally arrived, and we were on our way.  On the way back to the port, we stopped by a Turkish rug wholesaler.  They set up an informational session for the us about the rugs, their history, and of course a sales pitch.  The company is called Matis, and is the real deal.  No Chinese machine-made fakes here.

Matis Turkish Rugs

Katherine and I ended up getting a small carpet after everyone else from our tour left.  We had a few things going for us.... The guide recommended this place, Disney Cruise Line guarantees them, and we like cool looking rugs.  So, why not get one?  We did, and worked a little Turkish bargaining for the sale.  Later I read more about this process with the rugs and typical prices, and found out we got a smoking deal, partially since we agreed to hand-carry it.  It's small at 59cm x 84cm, but quite nice.  Yay for us.  

Now happy with our rug in hand, we headed back to the ship.  And look who pulled up next to us: a Princess Cruise Line behemoth.  

The Disney Magic.

Time to rest and chill by the pool.

Leaving the port, the tugs watch carefully.  You don't want to bump you cruise ship into anything.  It might leave a mark.

We briefly saw a Beatles cover band, called the Beatle Maniacs, playing on the deck by one of the pools.  They were actually pretty good.

Mom and Dad made a friend in the "Key's" lounge, Tim from the Philippines.  The Canadian dude playing the piano is also named Tim.  Hanging with the Tims was great.  

My mom with a professional Bacardi cocktail, her favorite.  

For dinner we headed to Lumiere's.  The mediterranean menu had some nice choices.  Katherine and I both started with soup.  She had Egyptian green soup, which was spinach soup with garlic and coriander.  I had the spicy andalusian tomato soup, which was not spicy but yummy all the same.  I next had the herb-crusted monkfish with braised fennel on a polenta cake.  It was Katherine's turn to try some lamb tonight.  She ordered preserved lemon and rosemary rubbed lamb sirloin served with eggplant caviar, toasted Israeli couscous, lamb jus and red bell pepper drizzle.  It was really good.  Neither of us had room for dessert, but we did have espressos.  As we were finishing up our satisfying meal, we realized that the movie Saving Mr. Banks was about to begin.  Katherine and I rushed down to the theater and sat down just as the first scene was beginning.  It was a long eventful day.  

Tomorrow we head back to Greece, but to visit the small island of Mykonos.    

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