Livorno

Whoa- what happened? A whole bunch of days went by – real fast. It is now Friday night and we are getting ready to leave Livorno (they seem to be holding off for a couple of late arrivals), and then tomorrow we disembark and head off to Rome for a few days. We have an apartment there, which will be nice in some respects (laundry, kitchen, quiet (?)) and not so nice in others (no happy hour, free buffets and fancy dinners, no spa, and pool, etc., etc.) The cruise life is easy to get used to, although I am increasingly anxious to get home to all of you.
Today we went to Florence for a very brief whirl around the city, fitting in quick trips to the Uffizi museum (Norv wanted to see the Botticelli’s) and the Academia (I wanted to see David), and a walk around the Duomo. This whole adventure involved more time on the shuttle, the bus, the train – and then repeated in reverse order – than in Florence, but hey, at least we saw it. No time to buy souvenirs, much to Chris’ s disappointment, but I figure you can buy Florence stuff in Rome. It would be fun to go back someday. Oh, and our lunch consisted of pre-made deli sandwiches and sodas from a little supermarket across from the gallery. We ate them sitting on the sidewalk as people walked around us; Norv said this put a whole new twist on a sidewalk café’.
Yesterday we were in Cannes, which was beautiful and a nice change in language. The guys walked around the town in the morning while I shopped and hunted for an internet café so I could work on grading for my online class. I found a café, which was way cheaper than the ship’s internet, but unfortunately, the time I was there coincided with the time the course website is down for maintenance. So I’m hoping to find a café or have wireless in our apartment in Rome. The grades are due in a few days, and I just need a couple of hours to finish this up. It has been somewhat of a pain trying to teach while cruising, but only because of the unpredictable and incredibly slow (and hugely expensive) internet on the ship. But this class is what is paying for the cruise for me, so it’s worth it!
In the afternoon yesterday, Chris and Greg and some friends went to the beach, and Norv and I took an excursion to Nice and Eze, which is a very quaint, exceedingly beautiful medieval town on a very high cliff. It reminded me of Carmel because the shops were so high-end and tiny and set into little holes in the mountain –so adorable. Norv bought a handmade glass mosaic plate, and we both bought bright white cotton shirts. We lunched at yet another sidewalk café – this time at a table – in Nice, which was very, very good. Chris joined us for dinner last night and we had a very good time with him.
The day before yesterday, which must have been Wednesday, we went to Barcelona, which blew me away. It is so stunning and classy and there was just beautiful art and just plain style everywhere – in the signs, the stores, the landscape – everywhere. We wandered around getting lost again, but it was fun – to a point. Did I mention that the heat and humidity is really, really getting to me? It just wipes me out. So at one point, Norv actually broke down and asked for directions, which is pretty impressive. Good role modeling for the boys, I thought. We went to the Picasso Museum and saw lots of his very early and very late pieces, and it was extremely interesting. The progression in his skill and style was fascinating, and we got some good souvenirs in the gift shop. We ate in a Spanish restaurant and had tapas and sangria. Greg enjoyed acting like a Barcelonian (?) – with a coke, of course. And Chris had his usual spaghetti.
I just had to run out to the balcony (at Norv’s request) and see the pilot jump back on his pilot boat after escorting the ship out of the harbor. It’s a beautiful evening here, and I guess everyone is getting nostalgic about it being our last night. Anyway, tons of us were hanging over our balconies, taking pictures, and when the pilot finally got on the boat, everyone started clapping and yelling. He obliged us by waving grandly for the photos for several minutes. I love these sea traditions…..That and the way we all run out and wave to the people on passing cruise ships, who of course are waving madly at US. It’s all very touching and silly…….
So all I’ve left out really (besides a fun day at sea in which all we did – literally – was read) is our trip to Messina on Sicily. Besides another terrific lunch, what we remember most was a trip to the town – yes, another medieval town - of Taormina, which was one of my very favorite places on this trip, It also has a mixture of Greek and Roman ruins. I can’t explain it, but there is just something different about the sunshine in Sicily and the people there. Maybe it is in my head, but it sure seems to be a real difference . As most of you know, I took a road trip around Sicily 4 years ago, and I absolutely loved it. So many different countries have left their mark there that it has the ability to seem like another country every time you move to the next town. So much variety and beauty. Anyway, when I was there I saw three of the four Greek/Roman structures on the island, which are just stunning, and may be as close as I ever get to Greece. So it happens that Taormina was the only town I didn’t have time to see that time, even though I really wanted to – there just wasn’t time. So it feels wonderful to have filled in that gap and to have seen all four of the ruins. I even bought a cheesy souvenir dishcloth with pictures of all four of them on it, which just wouldn’t have been right to own until now. So I’m pretty pleased with life right now.
And now it is time to get packing…..
Oh, I forgot to tell a few of you who would care that we drove right by the hospital in Nice yesterday where Angelina just gave birth to the twins. Definitely the highlight of the whole trip…..It is RIGHT across the street from the beautiful beach.