Home again -- and busy!

We've been back from the Bahamas for two weeks, and I'm still trying to catch up.  Since I was away from my "office" for most of October -- and busy with details of the two October cruises before that -- The Touring Club's plans for 2010 are seriously late.  I'm working or re-writing the website, planning cruises and other trips for next year, and also working with clients on plans for their travels in the new year.  It's good to be busy but I'd like to catch up.

The cruise to the Bahamas on Carnival's huge ship, the Triumph, was really fun.  There were 35 people in our group, and all of them were pleasant and fun to be with.  (We attempted -- rather unsuccessfully -- a group picture, which you see above.  You can see better pictures on The Touring Club's Facebook page if you are signed up with Facebook.)  The ship was very glitzy!  There's a 4-story high (or more) central atrium lobby with glass elevators.  Every surface is outlined in neon.  That's the first thing a passenger sees when boarding the ship. The ship is about 850 feet long, and my stateroom was at one end, so the hallway looked like a hall of mirrors that went on forever. 

Our room was very pleasant -- quite large with a very comfortably-sized bathroom.  In addition to the two beds there was a small sofa.  The service both in the cabin and in the dining room was first rate.  So was the food!  We were offered lobster, rack of lamb, prime rib (twice), molten chocolate cake every night -- and a great many other creative, well-prepared dishes.  The cafeteria was always busy and always had many good things to offer.  I can't begin to imagine how to cook for 3000 people all day, every day -- and to order everything in advance and have it delivered in about six hours turn-around time. What an operation!

I had never been to the Bahamas before, and I found both Nassau and Freeport to be disappointing.  In the 80s and 90s my husband George and I made a few trips to Bermuda.  It was beautiful then (and probably still is).  I expected the Bahamas to be like that, but it was much poorer, much dirtier, and little more than a shopping center.  We took a van ride that went first to an old fort at the top of the town where some women were selling cheap souvenirs.  Next it took us to Atlantis, the spectacular resort/casino on adjacent Paradise Island.  That was interesting -- quite a contrast to everything else we saw. For people who are athletic and want to swim or golf or explore the island, I'm sure there are plenty of things to enjoy, but we were an older, more settled group and only a couple of us engaged in those activities.

We were on the ship for Halloween, and that was fun!  We loved seeing the people who had planned ahead and packed really interesting costumes.  Some of them looked like they had been borrowed from stage wardrobes.  Two of our group, Donna and Susan (shown here on the right), were among those who brought very clever and complete costumes.

The entertainment was first rate.  The recreational facilities at the top of the ship were extraordinary.  I thought Carnival really delivered excellent value for a low fare on this cruise. I looke forward to sailing with them again.

Sailing Away Again

Today, with 34 clients of The Touring Club, I'm sailing to the Bahamas on a six-day cruise.  We'll be cruising on Carnival's big ship, The Triumph.  (Click here to read about this beautiful ship.)

We're looking forward to six relaxing days in the sun.  The relaxation will begin the minute people board our motorcoach in Fairfield Harbour or New Bern -- no airport hassles, no crowded flights, and no worries about how to get to the ship -- with luggage.  Everything will be simple and comfortable until we are underway.  Then we'll enjoy fun, food and frolic (well, maybe not too much frolic) all week.

I'll resume the story of The Touring Club's recent trip to Italy and the Adriatic next week.  If I am able to do so, I'll be posting the story of this week's adventure here in the coming days.

Libbie

P.S. The picture above was taken on Azamara Cruise's ship Quest during our recent cruise.

A Bus with a View: Two Days in Florence

On Monday morning we moved on to Florence. On the way, at the suggestion of our bus driver, we stopped briefly to visit the American World War 2 cemetery south of Florence.  It was a beautiful and moving experience.

We arrived in Florence (in Italian, Firenze) in the late morning and had an afternoon free to explore that small but very interesting Tuscan city. All around us were beautiful churches filled with great art, ancient palaces, trendy shops, sidewalk cafes and hordes of tourists.

Many of our group decided to first experience Florence from the top of a double-decker tour bus. This is always a good way to at least glimpse a city's best known places and to get a bit of a sense of a city's layout.
As I was still without a camera, I have no pictures to offer from my most recent trip to Florence. Patsy Nolan has come to my rescue again by allowing me to share with you some of her photos.  Patsy's pictures begin with the view from the top of the bus.  In addition to the few shown here, see more of them on our Facebook page (click here).  (I confess to also inserting here a few pictures I've taken on previous trips to Florence.)

On Tuesday we enjoyed a guided tour of Florence led by Paola, a very witty and pleasant Florentine, proud of her city and anxious to share it with us.  We began in the enormous, fabulous food market and continued on through the outdoor "leather market" filled with many offerings of fine apparel and accessories.

Paola then led us into the center of the city, toward the famous "duomo" -- the cathedral -- which we entered. She explained the history of the building to us, and the history of the beginning of the renaissance in Florence.

Paola showed us the famous carved doors of the Baptistry, located next to the duomo.  Next Paola took us to a little-known, medieval tower house where we could see for ourselves how wealthy Florentines lived 500 years ago.

Of course we saw the copy of Michelangelo's David in the central square of the city, so full of tourists. Next we  to the famous church called Santa Croce -- Holy Cross.

We scattered for lunch and for exploring the city (a.k.a. shopping) before meeting again around 4:00 for a tour of the Uffizi Gallery, home to some of the greatest art in the world.

In the evening we enjoyed dinner in several places in town, and one last night at our most interesting hotel, the Hotel Cellai. We can recommend the Cellai to anyone making a trip to Florence: it is a living piece of history. Probably opened (or re-opened) ca. 1950, very little has changed since. There are several public rooms, including a billard room, all decorated in post-war vintage style. It's very European and very lovely if a bit quirky in places.

Our Day & Night in Tuscany

On Sunday morning we left Rome in a very comfortable large motorcoach driven by a charming driver named Gianni. We drove north through Lazio, Umbria and lower Tuscany to the town of Cortona. The land we passed through looked just as it should: olive tree groves, grape vines, ancient villages on hilltops, here and there a castle. It was a beautiful ride, lasting about two hours. Some of us took pictures from the moving bus of the hilltop towns and the countryside outside the windows.

If you recall the book or saw the film Under the Tuscan Sun you may recognize Cortona as the place where the author, Frances Mayes, made her home in Italy. It is a classic, beautiful ancient Italian town -- Etruscans lived here hundreds of years before the Roman empire was formed. There are large stone piazzas, thousand year old churches, many charming shops and good restaurants. We were disappointed when a restaurant named Osterio del Teatro refused to honor our reservation -- apparently we were "outbid" by a larger group. After arrogantly telling me to go away the maitre d' welcomed a group of about 50 people departing a huge bus outside his door as some of us watched from the street.  We all found a good Italian Sunday lunches elsewhere in Cortona and enjoyed both the food and a lovely Sunday afternoon in the sunshine.

When we left in mid-afternoon, our destination was Sienna, but upon arrival we discovered that the town's bus parking was completely taken up by football (soccer) fans who had come to see Sienna play a German team. We decided to go instead to San Gimignano, near our hotel for the evening.

San G. was wall-to-wall with tourists flocking into the many shops, and we added 16 more! Our group had a very good time searching for special items to bring home or to give as gifts.  San Gimignano is famous for its medieval towers, built centuries ago to protect the warring families from one another.  The town is encircled by high stone walls and visitors enter through great medieval gates.

Our hotel for the evening is located just outside San Gimignano.  It is a country albergio called Villa Ducci located in the Tuscan country side. The heart of the property is an old farm house but comfortable rooms and facilities have been constructed more recently. When we arrived three gentlemen carried our luggage inside while a lady welcomed us all and told us our room assignments. We were all very impressed by our lovely accommodations -- some of us seemed ready to reserve a week there next year!  We gathered on the terrace as the sky darkened and shared some wine.  Later we enjoyed a dinner of traditional Tuscan foods and wines together, topped off by homemade tiramisu.  I'm sure we all wished we could stay much longer in this lovely and comfortable place in the hills of Tuscany.

My primary camera was broken on the first day of our trip and during our day in Tuscany I was relying on an unreliable, inexpensive backup camera.  The pictures here are a few I shot, but for a much better view of our day, please go to our Facebook page (click here).  There you will see an album of photos taken by Patsy Nolan, who generously shared them with us.  Patsy's pictures will give you a true taste of our day.

Libbie

Day 2: Exploring Rome

Saturday, our second day, began with a walk from our hotel to the near by Spanish Steps. We took lots of pictures of the Spanish church, the Steps, the Fountain and the expensive shops in that area. Although the hour was early, the area below the steps was already crowded with tourists.  We found that Rome (and Italy) were full of tourists this autumn.  (We frequently asked one another, "what recession?")

We found our way to the Trevi Fountain, and mingled with the huge crowds there.  Of course we threw three coins into the fountain so we could someday return to Rome!

We walked to the Pantheon, built about the year 115 A.D. Still in perfect condition, the 148-foot dome covers the tombs of some of Italy's most important men.

From the Pantheon we walked toward the Piazza Navona, a beautiful large public space occupying the ancient oval hippodrome (racetrack) where Roman charioteers once competed. We paused here for lunch before continuing our walk to the Vatican.

The Vatican was farther away than Google maps had suggested, and we rushed to meet Giuseppi, our Vatican guide. We learned a bit of the history of the museums and the popes, we saw the magnificent Sistine chapel and a few more objects, and then we arrived at St. Peter's Basilica.

Unfortunately, our Vatican tour was rather disappointing. Our guide was obviously disinterested in our experience and we were just shuffled through with crowds of other tourists, and shown only a very small part of the museum. Our disappointment continued in St. Peter's, which was was to host of meeting of all the world's cardinals beginning on the morning after our visit. The basilica was filled with portable chairs and dividers and hanging curtains, and again, we were simply shuffled around the edges. Unfortunately, our group wasn't really able to feel the overwhelming size and magnificence of the spectacular building.

During our day in Rome we walked through a few miles of its history and its magnificence.  The picture at the top of this page shows some of our group enjoying a yoga stretch outside St. Peter's basilica at the end of a busy day.

Perhaps the most exciting (?) part of the day for some of us was the ride back to the hotel in the crowded and chaotic Roman Metro (subway).  At least, it will be the most remembered part of the day for some of our friends, I suspect.

Saturday evening we scattered to find separate places for dinner and to explore Rome after dark. Most of us were in bed pretty early because the next day was schedule to begin with an early wake-up call.

The best laid plans...

It seemed like it would be so easy!  A blog here to record our adventure and a place on Facebook to post some pictures.  Our friends and family would be able to follow us.  Great idea!

Except. 
Except finding the time to create the words and edit the pictures wasn't so easy.
Except finding an affordable wi-fi connection with time to connect was impossible.
Except uploading pictures via the cruiseship's wi-fi connection was forbidden (and very expensive had it been allowed).
Except the photographer broke her camera on the first day and had nothing to show for the next several days.
Except the author came down with a wicked cold on the second day, a cold that hung around for nearly the entire trip, and so really didn't have the energy needed to resolve the problems listed above.

So, we're home now.  It seems wrong to allow the great time we had to go un recorded and unreported. 

Yesterday I uploaded some of our photo's to our Facebook page (click here to find them) and I hope to add more as the others in the group share their pictures with me.

Today I'm going to begin catching up, but showing and telling about our wonderful trip.

We did have a great time!  We were a very friendly and cooperative group of 19 travelers.  We saw so much, we ate so much!  We made new friends and met many charming people along our route. 

Maddie Bacarelli of Kublai Viaggi in Italy planned our five-day pre-cruise tour, and everything she arranged for us was perfect.  The hotels were both affordable and charming -- and located within easy walking distance of city centers.  The buses she found for us were driven by very polite young men who spoke excellent English.  The guides for our tours told us much about their cities.  And Maddie was the very soul of patience with me, as we worked together for months to fit the pieces of this puzzle together.

Our cruise on Azamara's ship Quest was all that we expected and more.  The ship's crew, beginning with the cheerful captain, worked hard to give us an excellent experience.  More about that in another post.

Over the next few days I'll post here the pictures and comments I thought would be easy to share with you from the road.  I hope somebody somewhere finds these messages!  If you do, it would be great if you'd leave a comment.

Libbie

Buongiorno from Roma!

It's almost 7 a.m.on a beautiful Saturday morning in the Eternal City, and soon our second day is beginning.  We all arrived effortlessly yesterday morning, following long and sleepless flights. We are staying in a small, traditional hotel in the northern part of the center of Rome. Our hotel, the Hotel Modigliani, provides excellent service and spotlessly clean rooms.  The rooms are typical of European hotel rooms, which is to say small, but our every need is met.  There's a lovely large breakfast room/lounge where I'm working now, connected to the Internet wirelessly, waiting for my first cup of coffee.

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed a very detailed tour of the center of Rome and the Forum with Teresa Ferrari, a very well informed guide.  We walked from our hotel to the center of ancient Rome.  To my surprise, the Forum -- the center of Roman government 2000 years ago -- has had a facelift since I last saw it in 2002.  Then we enjoyed easy access to a large field of rubble, filled in April with blooming poppies. Now everything has been tidied up, and there seems to be much reconstruction (where possible) of the porticoes created by rows of 2000 year old columns.  Clearly much archaeolgical work has been carried out and the foundation outlines of major buildings can now be seen.  Unfortunately, ticket gates have sprung up, and it's no longer possible to simply stroll where Julius Caesar once walked.  The whole thing has a slight tinge of "Disney-was-here" about it.

After walking around half of Rome in the brilliant sunshine (we couldn't ask for better weather!) and coming toward the end of a 36-hour-day, we soldiered on after dark, going to dine at an old and very traditional Roman restaurant last evening.  Da Tullio is located in a small side street off Piazza Barbernini, very near our hotel.  We had reservations for 7:30 and we were the first to arrive.  We enjoyed being looked after by a most charming waiter who spoke English well.  We enjoyed such dishes as osso buco, pasta fijole (bean soup), incredibly good buffalo mozzarella, and many more fine Italian entrees and appetizers.  The house wine at €15 or €20 a bottle was quite good.  It was a fine dinner.

Today we're off to explore the Rome created after the renaissance and to the Vatican for a tour.  Check back tomorrow for our next report.  We're posting pictures at our Facebook page (the link is here).

The Touring Club in Rome

Some photos from our dinner at DaTullio