Sea Days

Instead of boring you all to tears with each individual sea day – figured it would be best to just combine them all into one post – so here goes…..

What’s our typical day onboard? 

Mornings:  We keep gaining hours as we make our way westward, so we are getting tons of sleep – but at odd hours.  We’re up early every day – regardless.  It’s off to the gym at 7 to fight for a machine, then shower, down to the International cafe for real coffee (thank heavens for the coffee card that gets you discounted cappuccino and no charge regular brewed coffee!), then breakfast at either the cafe (excellent egg and bacon muffins) or the buffet.

Trivia:  There isn’t a lot to do on this ship – there are 4 or 5 trivia quizzes every sea day.  A little  much for us. We’ve decided to only do the morning and late afternoon trivia.  So, we meet Murray and Ro every day at the appointed locations and proceed to lose.  Well, not everyday.  We did actually win once with a perfect score! We were thrilled. Woo hoo! Lanyards for prizes. What a deal!

However, that has put us in a little bit of a bind. You see, there’s a couple on this ship who has sailed 1850 days (I’m not kidding – it was in the Princess Patter today) and they are serious Trivia fiends.  They win virtually every quiz (well, yeah, duh, they've heard all the questions probably a million times).  So, when we won with 20, they really didn’t take too kindly to it.  They’ve sailed with Murray and Ro in the past and so we were sort of prepared for a reaction, but whatever, it’s just lanyards!  We moved on.

The next morning in Trivia the emcee admonished us all not to cheat and that he’d throw us overboard…hmmm..wonder why that came up all of a sudden.  Then, that afternoon, this “well sailed couple” won the evening trivia with a perfect score and they gave them a bottle of champagne too.  When asked why we didn’t get one the day before we were told these questions were harder. Uh huh.  The next day, the couple was in a tie breaker to win and the question asked was what was the capital city of the Canadian province in which they lived.  Uh huh.  Then, and this is the best, one day, they sent spies over to join our team for the evening quiz. Kid you not!  A couple came over (who we knew were friendly with the “well sailed couple”) and asked to join us.  Sure, the more the merrier.  We lost – no biggie – but this couple got up from the table and made a bee line to the “well sailed couple” to report.  Honestly!!!  It’s a GAME for LANYARDs!  Why would anyone care – and particularly anyone who has sailed as much as they have.  It’s a sad, sad state of affairs……

Afternoons:  Lunch at the buffet or sushi and Tapas from Vines; chicken salad from International Cafe.  Once we had the pub lunch of fish and chips in the wheelhouse.  Fun going different places for different food.

Sometimes we sit out for a while before or after lunch.  It’s great on this ship – these people don’t go out much so we can always find a chair on deck. We’ve taken to sitting behind the screen in Movies under the Stars.  It’s right in the sun and never crowded.

Afternoon trivia – see trivia rant above.

Gym – then new routine – hot tub. Every night, aft deck underneath Skywalkers disco. NOBODY is there. It’s great. We just sit and watch the water, have our beer and wine and relax in the peacefulness.

Dinner – our own 2-top in anytime dining, by the window.  Got reservations for the whole cruise the first night.  Jan the head waiter is great! A computer fiend who is personable and knowledgeable about all sorts of stuff – like food, medicine, health – he’s just great to talk to.  Pachnai is our waiter –from Thailand. There are way more Thais on this ship than we’ve ever seen.  He and Rosebern (asst waiter from India) are adorable and take great care of us.

Nighttime – well here’s the rub – this is by far the oldest cruise we’ve ever been on. No one is out at night and if they are – well it’s for the ballroom music or some other inane activity.  The rock parties –well let’s just say their definition of rock and ours – not a match. They had rock-a-rokie last night where you get to sing with the band – the first song a passenger sang?  It was Frank Sinatra – for heaven’s sake!!!  The Rolling Stones?  Doubt anyone has ever sung one of their songs – not even in the shower!  (At trivia we had a question about the lead singer of Black Sabbath and half the room didn’t even know what Black Sabbath was!  Oy!)  We’ve danced once – Motown night – actually played real Motown songs.  Amazing!  One of the bar servers last night said “you picked the wrong cruise!”  We died laughing!

Shows – guess they are good. Of course we’ve not been to a production show yet, but have seen 2 really funny comedians. The event staff is really funny too – and the international talent show with staff last night was great.  A silly magician from Mexico (who dropped his levitating ball in the first show) and this cute little Thai water who sang Hotel California.  So cute – and did a great job btw!

Finally saw the production show on it’s last night – and it was very good. Excellent staging and choreography. And really different scenery – all done with video and imagery on white walls. Not explaining it well – but it was quite good.

Adagio- We’ve been using Adagio as our private balcony. Off the back of Adagio and Sabatini’s there is a little patio with nice tables and cushioned chairs. It’s reserved for smokers, but no one really goes there – so we have it all to ourselves at night.  You get a great view of the aft pool and the wake.

The last several days we have been filling the time between the gym and dinner with a visit to the hottub on deck 16, aft.  Usually no one there and the last night we were treated to a clear, horizon to horizon rainbow.  Awesome way to end the trip.

10-18 Ponta Delgada

Our last look at land until Ft. Lauderdale, 6 days away.  And what a look it is!  Having been here in May, we scoped out the activities and the island then- and did some research when we got home. So (yes big surprise!) we had our Ponta Delgada day all planned out.

Luckily we docked at the new dock right in town – which meant an easy 5 minute walk to the rental car agency. Got there first thing, picked up our cute little Wingo car and off we went – straight out to Sete Cidades – the little town nestled in the valley of the volcanic calderas. 

Very easy to navigate (although Catarina at the rental agency said a few year ago we’d never find our way – they’ve improved the signage that much for the tourists recently) – we sped through the winding narrow village roads and out into the countryside. The road hugged the coastline and it was just beautiful looking out over the water, past the cow pastures (and let me tell you  there are TONS of cows – cheese production here is a major industry – and we can see why!), and up toward the looming volcano craters before us.  The plant life here is incredible – Hydrangeas all over the place – framing the roads with their lilac, white and pink colors.  Also beautiful lilies (we think they are ginger lilies) that spring up on the side of the road with hardy stalks to keep them straight and tall.  They are so beautiful, they almost look fake  - we thought the first few bunches we saw were actually shrines on the side of the road. We’re a little bit past peak bloom, unfortunately.  Can’t image how gorgeous it would be if everything were still at the peak.

After about 1/2 hour of increasingly beautiful scenery – and more hydrangeas, lilies and now towering pine trees - we made it to the Vista do Rei, the scenic point overlooking Lago Azul and Lago Verde – the two lakes in the valley of the caldera.  The vista is incredibly gorgeous with the tall sweeping volcanic ridges towering over the lush valley and shimmering lakes.  Pictures can’t do it justice, but we sure tried!  

We tore ourselves away from the view and headed down into the valley itself to Sete Cidades, a cute sleepy little village.  On this Sunday morning, we arrived in time to watch the whole village walk to the church at the center of town.  It’s a very compact little town, and with everyone at church, we ended up driving through, then stopping at the trail head between the two lakes.

Our intention was to hike up the ridge of the caldera for a few hours, then come back down.  We had a great book that provided every detail you would need for the hike.  We started out climbing up the forest path so lush and green – it’s almost – or maybe it is – sub-tropical. It’s quiet here – except for the cows in the distance and the rustling of the wind through the woods and pine carpet.  As we made our way through the increasingly overgrown wilderness we started to encounter mud puddles on the path. After about 15 minutes we hit a puddle that straddled the entire path with no way around except straight through.  Since we are only hobby-hikers – we weren’t exactly equipped to go marching through a deep, dark puddle. Our sneakers and clothes need to last the rest of the trip – so, disappointingly, we had to turn around and head back.

We ended up walking a bit more down around the banks of Lago Verde – which was out in the sun and the crisp fresh breeze.  Turned out to be a nice walk/hike after all.

Next we headed off to Ribeira Grande, the oldest city on the island.  Unfortunately, there were 3 exits to R. Grande from the road we were on, and we were unsure of which to take. So, we quickly regrouped and headed straight for Furnas – a lake in the Western part of the island.  We wound through towns and villages on little teeny roads, watching what seemed like entire villages standing outside on the side of the road.  Kind of odd – everyone just standing around in doorways and watching the cars go by – but – maybe it was a Sunday afternoon thing.

We arrived at Furnas after about an hour of driving (again through increasingly beautiful scenery – but now with clouds rolling in).  The area surrounding the lake has underground springs so hot the water boils and it keeps the ground at a constant hot temperature (like Furnace, yes) – hot enough that locals come out and cook their food in the ground.  When we arrived there was a bicycle relay race going on, so there were tons of people and bikes – and yes – cooking in the ground.  For some reason we didn’t get any pictures of it – but there were mounds of earth piled up over the baskets of food – each with a number on top so you could find your food.  When you reached  down to touch the ground – it was hot – everywhere. Too wild!

Next, we circumnavigated the island through R. Grande and back to Ponta Delgada.  Along the way, the scenery was just mind boggling.  We had wanted to picnic somewhere, but didn’t think about bringing food from the ship and then couldn’t find any place along our route to stop for food.  So, we contented ourselves with taking pictures from the perfect picnic area we found above R. Grande.

Of course, right after we found the picnic area we found the grocery store in R. Grande. But, by then we figured we’d just stock up on cabin supplies and head back to the ship for a quick snack. 

Back in town – we dropped off the car, hit the ship for nourishment and came back out to wander around P. Delgada a bit, snag some free wi-fi at the mall and have a last couple on-shore beers and wines before heading out to sea for 6 straight days! 

What a great last port. As much as we love Madeira – we like this place much better.  Every curve in the road brought more and more gorgeous views, every scenic point was more beautiful than the next.  So we’ve added yet another island to our list of places we want to visit again.

10-16 Lisbon

Our last mainland Europe port.  We’ve only got 6 hours here – a short little pit stop – mostly to refuel for the long journey home across the Atlantic.   We don’t get in until noon and we don’t have any time to waste – so we are with the first to get off when the ship is cleared and we make our way quickly to the train station located right outside the port. 

We are heading to Caiscais – another beach town on the Mediterranean (this seems to be the beach trip!).  Another gorgeous sunny and warm day –perfect for exploring the coast of Portugal today.  We hop on the train right away – they come every 20 minutes or so – and watch the little towns and villages on the outskirts of Lisbon slip away as the train heads west along the coast. 

After about 15 minutes, the train stops at one of the stations and there is some long announcement. Unfortunately we’re not even slightly fluent in Portuguese so we are clueless.  Almost everyone immediately gets off the train though. We sat for a moment wondering what was going on (memories of Helsinki when we were all thrown off the tram for no reason are running through our heads).  Fortunately a kind local takes pity on us and tells us we must get off here and get the next train – in a few minutes.  After we look harder at the train map, we realize this is the local train that stops here and then you transfer to another train that goes to Caiscais.  Problem solved!

So – 15 minutes more on the next train and we’re deposited in Caiscais. We once again navigate our way from the train station to the waterfront – with a short stop in the tourist bureau where we had to endure a British couple asking the tourist rep the same inane questions over and over again.  I finally, politely, interrupted and asked for a map – and we hit the streets. 

We walked down the shoreline a little while to the Boca de Inferno – a cove that where the tide comes in and out with a fury.  It was a great site – good for pix too!

 

 

Heading back into town, we took a detour in the large park located just on the edge of town. A lovely shaded respite from the hot sun.  Lots of vegetation, and animals. The peacock was right on the walkway and didn’t care one whit that we were there! Just like the  Galapagos – just a little more accessible!

Back toward town, we passed the marina where all the fishing boats come in.  There were pots and pots and pots all stacked up on the dock. Whatever they fish here, they fish it in quantity – that’s for sure! We figure it’s off season now, since the pots are on the dock and not out on a boat.  Back in town, we wandered the little windy streets and ended up grabbing a snack at a little cafe in what we were calling the food court plaza.  

There must have been 8 or 9 different cafes and restaurants in the little plaza – we chose the pastry place (of course!!).  Ed wanted octopus (what a surprise!) – but the waiter said it was bad – it smelled bad and was slimy – thanks for the info!  Ed decided to change to a crab salad and I chose the crab sandwich- figuring those pots were for crab.  Figured wrong!  The crab was fake – should have asked before we ordered – but whatever.  It was still really good with our beer and wine. 

Heading back to the ship – we missed the train by minutes – bummer!  So had to wait another 20 minutes to get the next one.  Then we decided to stop at Belem and walk back to the ship.  Had to change trains again – since we were on the semi-rapid train. Though maybe we could walk from the station before Belem – but changed our minds at the last minute because it looked so far. Good move!  It was REALLY, REALLY far to Belem and all on a major road. We would have been so unhappy.

In Belem, we chose not to visit the monument – figured we could get better shots of it from the ship – rather than at the base. So we hiked our way back toward the ship, walking along the promenade on the riverfront. It was really a nice walk and a pretty day – so it all worked out. EXCEPT that I never got to try the Belem tarts that everyone raved about. Bummer!  (Like I need one more sweet! Ha! I’m lucky my pants still button!).

We actually had time before we had to be back onboard so we stopped at the Havana Bar – in a strip of renovated warehouses that had tons of restaurants and bars.  We relaxed, cooled off and hung out as long as we could without having to rush.  Wandered back to the ship and then headed up to the hot tub to spend sailaway on the top deck, in the tub, watching the scenery slip by as we head out to the Azores and our last port on our trip.

10-14 Barcelona

Yay! Barcelona!  One of our favorite cities.  The skies have cleared, the temperature is a balmy 68 degrees, and we are in port right on time at 7:00a.  We hop off and head to the metro. This is the first time we’ve ever walked from the dock – it’s a hike – but we count it as our early morning exercise. 

Takes us 45 minutes to the metro station, but then its an easy trip to the Estacio Sants to pick up the train to Sitges, an adorable little beach village 1/2 an hour up the coast from Barcelona.  We just missed a train leaving the station, but they go every 20 minutes, so it wasn’t long before we were on our way up the coast to Sitges.  

  It’s a beautiful day to be touring the Spanish coast. Sunny, bright, but cool. We navigated our way from the train station through pedestrian areas and down to the beach promenade without much trouble.  Not too many places open this early and we had to do a little searching for a cafe where we could have cappuccino.  Every place along the beach was a hotel where they were serving the hotel breakfast – we just wanted cappuccino, so those didn’t seem like much of an option.  We settled on a place up the street more into town and had the best chocolate croissant along with our cappuccino.  Turns out this place was a hotel too – but whatever – it worked!  Also the first time ever we had to take an elevator to the bathroom. There were stairs in the back of the cafe, but for some reason the girls there told us to take the elevator to the basement for the WC.  Pretty weird.

  After our break, we headed out to the beach promenade where we walked along the beach for a while. It’s a huge beach – long – with a fantastically landscaped and incredible well taken care of promenade stretching all along it.   (There are signs all along the grass border that warn of a 750 Euro fine for letting animals do their business there or for humans who walk on the grass.)  We basked in the sunshine and the fresh air for quite  while, taking in all the low rise hotels that morphed into individual homes and villas the further away from the town we strolled.

Heading back, we spent some more time idly wandering through the pedestrian areas of Sitges. We stumbled on a great palace that is now a museum – Palau Marycel.  Sitting at the top of a promontory, with a commanding  view of the ocean and the town – you could wander in between the  Palace buidlings through the most picturesque alleyway.  The palace architecture was amazing – the doors, iron work and the windows!  We took tons of pictures of the detailed sculptures used as ornamentation for the windows.  It was just fantastic.

 

The whole town was really great.  From the relaxing beach, the waterfront promenade, pedestrian zones with cute little shops (including the “Happy Pills” shop that sold candy in little medicine bottles with remedies you could choose!), we can see ourselves coming back to visit, it was a nice change from the city and looked to be a great place for a quiet getaway – at least in the shoulder or off season.

Back in town – we took the subway all the way to Catalunya so we could walk the Ramblas.  Everything was so familiar yet different. It was February when were last here, and the warmth and change of season brought so much more life out to Las Ramblas. We meandered off the main path and had a snack at Estruch, a cafe that was established in the 1800’s.  Right across from the cathedrale off Las Ramblas, we had an enjoyable snack of iberico prosciutto and octopus (Ed is getting his fill of Pulpi – that’s for sure!).

Later we wandered through the back streets, ending up outside Los Caracoles (my favorite restaurant from our very first visit to Barcelona years ago) and then back on Las Ramblas and the long walk back to the ship. 

10-13 Marseilles – or not

Today was to be Marseilles – the only port we had not visited on this cruise. We were looking forward to exploring the old port city and going to Aix en Provence for the markets. But, unfortunately, this was not to be!  The weather had turned nasty the night before with 70 MPH winds and rough seas. The Captain had warned us that if the winds kept up, we may not be able to get through the little narrow cut in the jetty that protects the entrance to the port.

Well, as it turned out, the winds kept up. We were rocking and rolling and listing something fierce that morning, so the decision was made for us to add another enjoyable day at sea – rather than risk getting into to Marseilles.  A disappointment for sure, but again – out of our hands. The funny thing is that in all the cruises we’ve taken, this was only the 2nd canceled port we’ve ever had. Pretty amazing.

So, we hung out and relaxed and rejuvenated from almost a week of running hard and fast every day in different ports and cities. It was actually a well needed break to tell the truth!

10-12 Livorno

Ed and Cathy’s greatest hits continue.  Today we have a car waiting for us on the dock, and our plans are to run to Siena, wander around the Campo, stroll the back streets, then head up into the Tuscan hills for San Gimignano.

All goes according to plan, except the skies look threatening – dark, cloudy, stormy and a little chilly.  Nothing we can do about it as we head out of the port – get stuck in 20 minutes worth of traffic just getting through a roundabout – and finally hit the road to Siena.

We programmed Alice (our new name for the GPS – named after the wi-fi network at the hotel Vecellio in Venice) for Siena but took a wrong turn when we went off on the autostrada and she wanted us to stay on the more rural roads.  Another 20 minute delay (and a u-turn) put us back on track for Siena at 11:00a.

We rolled into town exactly on time, parked in our normal parking garage (it’s great when you know EXACTLY where you are) and headed up into the centro.  All is well (and the same) in Siena (of course it’s the same, has been for centuries and will be for centuries more, I’m sure!).  We strolled through Il Campo, wandered around the Jewish Ghetto, looked out over the lush parkland area that sits in the basin below the Campanile, and just generally enjoyed the atmosphere and being there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After about an hour, we struck out on familiar roads once again in the direction of San Gimignano.  45 minutes through little windy Tuscan roads, heading up hill through towns and villages, finally catching glimpses of San Gimignano on the hillside.  We decided to not chance the upper level parking lot, since last time here we got all turned around up there. So we chose to park in the lower lot – which is the furthest away from town.  Plenty of parking, and easy access – worked for us!

Only takes about 10 minutes to climb the hill to the main town, where we wandered the somewhat idyllic main street (too many tourists to really call it idyllic) and ducked under cafe umbrellas when the first drops started to fall. As it turns out, it’s the same cafe we ate in on our last trip – not on purpose though – just a timing thing.  We had bruschetta with local chiangale proscuitto and an antipasto with all sorts of local meats and cheeses. We nursed our beer and wine as the rain came down in buckets and we watched people scurry to and fro through the raindrops.

When the rain finally let up, we wandered up through the town, under the archway past the church and to the jewelry store where I wanted to get some Lira (old Italian money) earrings. They were closed for siesta, unfortunately, but the store across the street had some cute 5 Lira earrings, so those are coming home with me.

  

 

 

The  skies were really starting to threaten again, so we headed out of town, hitting a couple of wine stores to stock up on Vernacchia and then a couple pastry stores looking for Ossi di Morti (“bones of the dead” cookies only made during All Hallow’s Eve in this part of Tuscany). We couldn’t find any, but we did find Ossi di Siena, which are basically the same. We picked up a pack as the lights went out in San Gimignano and we all had to do everything manually. 

The storm had really rolled in by now, and it was pouring. Sheets of rain were coming down, thunder, lightening, the whole 10 yards. And here we are, stuck in town, the car a good 10 minute hike down the hill.  As one of our friends used to say “this is so not good”!  We tried to wait it out, but there was no stopping this storm. So – we took a deep breath and made a dash for it.

You have never seen such drowned rats in your life!  I only wish I had thought to take a picture of us once we hit the car.  In our lives, we have never been that wet with our clothes on!  It looked like we jumped in the shower fully wet.   It was hysterical (in one person’s opinion anyway).  

We headed out of town following Alice’s directions – and meandered through the Tuscan countryside, heading north toward the main road to Livorno. Even though it was rainy and overcast, it was still a beautiful drive through the Tuscany hills – dotted with vineyards, farmyards and cottages sitting atop hills surrounded by the ubiquitous pine trees found here.  The skies finally did dry up – as did our clothes, and the while not exactly sunny – it did seem a little bit brighter as we headed into the Port at Livorno to drop off our car.

Safely back aboard, we hung our clothes out to dry completely and headed off to our normal life at sea – gym, dinner, Adagio for drinks on our “terrace”.  Another adventurous day comes to an end aboard the Ruby Princess.

10-11 Rome (Civitavecchia)

Up and out way early today! We’ve joined with a group of Cruise Critic folks to take a chartered bus into Rome for the day.  The bus was supposed to pick us up at 7:15 – so we all dutifully met in the Piazza at 7:00 and headed out to the dock. Unfortunately, there was a little miscommunication and the bus didn’t actually get to the pier until 7:45.  Oh well – for us – it was better.  Our plans were to go hike the Appia Antica, then have lunch at the Hosteria Antica Roma – so for us the extra half an hour wasn’t an issue.

When the bus did arrive, it was very nice.  Leather, new, clean.  Smooth ride into the city – didn’t take but a little over an hour.  Marcello, our “guide” – or more like the bus chaperone – gave us a quick little tour of the city before letting us all loose near the Barbarini square.

We headed out to the metro station a block and a half away – and hopped the first train to Colli Albani, the stop closest to the Appia Antica.  Again, timing was impeccable – the train came within minutes of our arrival and deposited us quite quickly at the Appia Antica station.

We wandered down the street, getting our bearings, looking for a place for cappuccino and WC.  There was a very busy pasticceria on the corner that was a bit too busy for us – but we did spy a grocery store nearby we planned to hit on the return trip.  We headed to the park – which was only a few blocks away – and stumbled upon this cute little local bar for our rest stop.  Reasonable as all (85 euro cents for cappuccino) and clean WC.  Can’t ask for more!

From there, we walked to the park – stopped at the information   booth and got a map.  The subway stop takes you to the back end of the park – to get to the actual Appian Way, you need to walk through trails and the “natural” part of the park. It was totally different than how we arrived the first time to the Appian Way, through the main entrance from the city.  It was a great way to  enter the park, a beautiful sunny day, a walk through fields and trails, with tons of Romans walking, jogging and riding their bikes through the park alongside us. 

Took us about 45 minutes to walk to the cobblestone road.  From there we headed up onto Appia Antica, skirting the catacombs, taking a side trip to see the goats and sheep making an inordinate amount of noise on the side of the road.  We walked a good distance, but not so far as the old large cobblestone section of road we rode our bikes through on the last trip. 

We tried to time our walk so that we would arrive at the Antica Roma at 12:30 when they opened.  But, we were a little over cautious and ended up cooling our heels in the lot by the “reserved for Harley riders” signposted tree.  Around 12:20, a large family arrived and went into the restaurant, so we decided to follow.  Paolo, the owner and Harley Davidson devotee, greeted us, and put us in a table in the main section of restaurant under the walls of the old catacomb. 

We soaked up the atmosphere – with the party on the other side of the large outdoor room – and waited for Paolo to bring us menus and specials.  As we waited, other guests came in, one group that had a reserved table for “americanis”.  They were from Seattle on a tour, and their guide had brought them here – not unusual – sort of how we got there the first time.  Paolo regaled them with his Harley tales and stories of his visits to the US. 

He is quite the personality and a great host.  He made us feel right at home- and while he didn’t remember us (how could he? with everyone he meets) he still made us feel right at home, like friends  The food, as usual was superb. Ed had the antipasto buffet for a starter (and I sneaked a few things off of his plate!).  Then I had the lasagne bianco (white lasagne that Paolo says is an ancient recipe made during the original Antica Appia days).  Ancient or not, it is absolutely awesome!  I had been waiting for it for months now!  Ed had linguine vongole – and of course loved it. 

We had beer and wine – I actually ended up with a whole bottle somehow – which I couldn’t finish so I corked it and took it with me in the back pack!  We hung out as long as we could without rushing back to the subway. As we were leaving Paolo gave us another bottle of wine as a gift – instead of the usual poster with the restaurant depicted (since we already have those – one of which is hanging on the filing cabinet in Ed’s office).  Definitely worth the repeat stop, and probably more visits if we return to Rome again.  It’s just too great a place to miss!

We wandered back through the trails and the sun to the subway stop. Of course, by the time we got there, the grocery store was closed, which we sort of knew would happen. Siesta time of course – 13:30 to 15:30 – have to watch out for those hours and retail in non-tourist areas.  But no matter, we didn’t really need too much and knew we’d have a car the next day in Tuscany to help fill our larder.

Back on the subway, back to Barbarini, back to the bus stop with time to spare.  We kind of nebbutzed around the little shops right there on the road, found a great wine/spirits store where we sampled limoncello and melon liqueur which we ended up buying.  Ed had mentioned getting limoncello when we were in Praiano, but I had said no.  Didn’t know when we’d drink it. So when we tasted it in Rome and it was right there – we decided to go ahead and get some.  We’ll have tons of supplies for Sanibel and beyond!

The bus arrived, a little early actually, so those of us who were there boarded (or collapsed – depends on your viewpoint) and waited for the rest of the crew.  We had to circle around once before the 4 remaining folks we were missing showed up – but once aboard we headed out of town without delay. 

About an hour into our drive – we were close to Civitavecchia, but still on the highway, and the bus started smoking up a storm. We had smelled this noxious rubber burning smell earlier, but no one seemed to mind, and we kept on driving. Well, now it’s smoking and it’s coming in the bus. The driver stopped at a rest area – got out – looked in the engine, while we fanned the smoke away out of the passenger area – shut the engine door and drove off.  It was a fan belt or something we guessed, and obviously not too concerning – but still – we are not having luck with busses lately (remember the St. Petersburg debacle!).  But, we did make it back to the port on the bus and in time! 

Normal ship routine – then to bed to get ready for Livorno and Tuscany!