Keeping with the theme of our first day in Italy, the second and third were HOT. Like mid-90s hot.  “Walk on the side with shade,” became our constant refrain.

For Rome, we decided to do a day on our own – no guided tour. The highlight of the day was the Capuchin Crypt, a museum that tells the history of Capuchin monks and showcases the bones of more than 4,000 of those monks in artistic forms. Sounds creepy, but was an eerily beautiful memorial. We weren’t allowed to take pics but I downloaded one from the web to give you a feel for it. There were 5 or 6 dioramas – all made with bones and they told a story of how the monks lived and their beliefs about mortality. A really nice tour and – bonus – it was air conditioned!  The rest of the day consisted of a bit of the hop on/hop off bus, a less than inspired pizza and drinks in our favorite piazza in Rome, the Piazza Navona, and a walk back to where we picked up our transportation back to the ship.

In our port stop of Sorrento, we had signed up for a “make your own pizza” excursion that would take us to Naples. The tour was less than interesting, but the pizza was pretty good and we had a great time during the hour or two we were left to our own devices. A little drinking, a little shopping. The hydrofoil trip back across the bay of Naples gave us spectacular views of Sorrento as we returned.

The next day was “at sea,” and we made the most of it by totally relaxing.  After lunch, we wandered to the casino where we were told there was a blackjack tournament. There were just six of us signed up so the tourney was a quick seven hands. 15 minutes later, guess who was the winner? One Kristi DesJarlais. $180 richer, we wandered back to our room to sit on our balcony and drink the fabulous bottle of Chianti we purchased on our wine tour in Tuscany. Total relaxation. Later that night, after dinner, we teamed up to play trivia with the Aussies we had met at dinner a few nights before. Against about 10 other teams, we came in first place. A winning day for the DesJarlais!

I haven’t mentioned it before, but this cruise line – Oceania – is exceptional. The ship is about the same size as one of the really big ones – maybe a few fewer floors – but there are only about 1,000 people onboard. So it makes for a really open, uncrowded feel. All spaces – staterooms and public spaces – are bigger and more luxurious than any other ship we’ve been on. And most everything is included so it feels really easy and great. All in all, a fantastic experience. Can’t recommend Oceania enough.

 

We had a beautiful first day in Italy. Mid-80s, not a cloud in the sky, a fantastic tour guide and loads of great food and wine. Heaven.

The ship docked in the port of Livorno, which is just a bit southwest of Pisa and about an hour west of Florence. We chose to book a tour on our own with a local guide – Guido. I can’t recommend him enough! He is a native of the Chianti area of Tuscany and his love of the region and its food and wine really shines through. I don’t think he and Biker stopped talking for a single minute of the seven hours we were together!

We stopped at two beautiful wineries – each with a lovely story of how they came to be and each having fantastic wines and olive oils to try.  First up was Castello di Fonterutoli, a centuries old – 1435! – fort where the owner’s family has been making wine since the 1700s. Here we sampled great Chiantis, a nice Vermentino and a good Cabernet (although IMO the cabs from California are far superior). We also learned the origin of the black rooster as the symbol for the DOCG certification — in the early 1200s, the area was war torn as Siena and Florence fought over ownership of the Chianti region. Tired of the fighting, the two sides agreed to draw the dividing line at the meeting point of two knights, each riding from their city at the early morning crow of the rooster. It’s said that Florence’s black rooster was starved the day before so that he would crow early, giving the Florence knight a head start. When the two met – at the small hamlet of  Fonterutoli – the Siena knight had just barely begun his journey (you can see Siena from Fonterutoli). The dividing line was set, and when the Chianti certification of DOCG was established the black rooster was chosen as its symbol.

Our next stop was at Castellare di Castellina, a beautiful winery made up of four properties that were bought together in the 1970s. We toured the cellar, with a “library” (of old wine vintages), and had a nice tasting of four Chiantis.
Our next stop was lunch, and it was magnificent. We had pasta and a beautiful bottle of our absolute favorite wine  – a Brunello di Montalcino. The weather was perfect for sitting on the patio and enjoying the lovely views. 

Back to the ship for a requisite nap, a workout and then a lovely dinner in the ship’s French restaurant.

Heaven.

We’ve spent the past two days in the South of France – first in Aix-in-Provence and then in Antibes. We’re reminded of how much we enjoy the vibe of France – walking through town, stopping for a coffee or wine and a bite to eat, people watching and the incredible art and shopping.

Our first stop in France was in the port city of Toulon. We took a shore excursion to Aix-in-Provence but quickly ditched the walking tour for our own wander. It started to rain so we found a nice restaurant where Biker could get his daily pizza and I could have the Croque Monsieur I suddenly craved. Plus wine. Of course. Back on the ship, it was a nap, a dip in th

e pool, drinks with new friends at the bar and a show that featured music from old movies.

Day 2 in France was in the lovely little city of Antibes. With no scheduled excursion, we wandered into town and though the local market, where we saw – and smelled – amazing spices, salts and herbs and every curry known to man.

 

We headed toward the Musee Picasso – a restored castle of the Monaco Grimaldi family where Picasso painted for a bit in the 50s.

It’s a nice little museum with 50 or 60 of his works, plus a photo exhibition of behind-the-scenes of Picasso’s life over the course of 20 years or so. Great views of the sea from the terrace.

After the museum, we found the Absinthe Bar, a little basement bar Picasso frequented while living here that serves the mysterious green liquid. It’s an interesting process. We were given a container of water with spigots around the bottom, two glasses filled with a little pure absinthe, two slotted spoons and a cup of sugar cubes. The barkeep instructed us to place the slotted spoon across the lip of the glass, put a sugar cube on it and open a spigot to drop over the sugar, melting it into the glass of absinthe. There’s a lot of lore around this drink – that it’s a hallucinogenic, a drug and a way to find your artistic self. Before drinking it, Biker was a bit nervous that it might show up in drug tests. So, Google being our friend, we did some due diligence before taking a sip. Turns out the tales are all quite tall and it’s just regular alcohol, especially when diluted about 4:1 with water and sugar. Tastes like licorice and leaves your tongue feeling funny. Not my favorite drink.

 

As the ship sailed away, we bid goodbye to France and hello to our favorite European country – Italy. Can’t wait to spend the next three days exploring new depths of this beautiful and fascinating culture.

Ciao.

 

After two and half beautiful days in Barcelona, we boarded our cruise ship – the Oceania Riviera – around 2:00 Tuesday afternoon. After settling in, we decided to start a new cruise ship tradition – start at the top of the ship and have a drink at every bar or lounge all the way to the bottom of the ship. Six drinks later, we decided this is an excellent tradition.

Oh, and along the way, Andy decided to start doing videos about his thoughts. Trust me when I say they got pretty funny as the night wore on. Perhaps we’ll share a few along the way. Or perhaps not. 🙂

On the first cruise day, we stopped at the port of Palamos, Spain, where we took a shore excursion to three medieval villages. Interesting history about how people lived in these walled towns and why – pirates! – and how the towns have been restored. Back on the ship, we had some lunch and took a nap, then I had a massage while Andy entertained people at one of the bars on board – natch – then off to a very nice dinner and a comedy show. Night was topped off with Andy winning $70 at the casino. Score.

 

 

Barcelona, like most European cities, is a study in contrasts.  Old structures mix with modern buildings, the pace of traffic is scary fast and yet a meal is agonizingly slow, wide treelined avenues mesh with narrow alleyways where it’s easy to get lost, lots of healthy movement and yet they all smoke and there’s tempting gelato everywhere.

Our two days here were spent exploring this vibrant and proud city. Our primary means of transport was the double decker tourist bus – an easy way to get around and hop off when we wanted to see something or have a snack or drink.

The highlight of our stops – beyond wine and coffee! – was the Sagrada Familia, a church that’s been under construction for 100+ years. They say it will be completed in 9 years, in time for the 100th anniversary of architect Antoni Gaudi’s death. Gaudi’s work is everywhere in Barcelona. It’s a whimsical style, ornamented with colorful tiles and mirrors. It’s all a bit gaudy, and Andy and I wondered if that’s where the word ‘gaudy’ comes from but Google says no.

Our experience here was heightened further by the fact that we happened to arrive three days after the terrorist attack where a van plowed into a crowd of people in a very busy pedestrian area.  Our hotel is just about a block off the spot on La Ramblas where it all happened. There are 13 memorials – one for each victim. During the day there are peaceful gatherings where people hold up signs indicating solidarity between Christians and Muslims. Another group holds up signs offering free hugs; there’s a long line. At night, prayer vigils are held near the memorials. Police are everywhere we go; they  carry automatic rifles in the open and are on high alert, watching people very intently. And yet life goes on. The tourists keep coming. The city’s dichotomy continues – fast and slow, old and new, pain and healing.