When we last heard from our intrepid travelers,
- George was officially quarrentined to his cabin with
Montezuma's Revenge.
- Sandy's sprained ankle made stairs difficult.
- The Canon S2 camera remained lifeless.
Ah, but the memories we have accumulated... We are travelers!
Now we embark on the second part of our cruise -
The Mediterranean Sea.
Civitavecchia, Italy
The ship docked at Civitavecchia (the gateway to Rome) on this turnaround day.
The passengers from the 3 contintent cruise departed while a
new group embarked for the Mediterranean cruise.
George was very happy to be released from confinement at noon today, long after
the tours to Rome had departed. He celebrated
by eating a hamburger by the pool.
French Riviera, in the South of France
The ship docked at Monte Carlo.
We took a delightful tour of several medieval villages, including a perfume
factory. The highlight was a picnic lunch at St Paul de Vence. George and I
ate baguette ham and cheese sandwiches while sitting in the shade by the city walls,
admiring the view of the valley below. It was romantic!
Nice, France
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St Paul de Vence, France
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Pascal, our tour guide
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Piza, Italy
The ship docked at Livorno, the gateway to Pisa and Florence.
We traveled through the Tuscan countryside to
Piza, where we saw the exterior of the leaning tower and the babtismry
(due to lack of time).
We enjoyed the marveleous paintings on the walls of the cathedral as
the organ played.
Leaning Tower of Piza
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Piza Town Gate
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15th Century Buildings & Arno River
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Herculaneum, Italy
The ship docked at Naples, the gateway to Sorrento, the Amalfi coast,
Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the Isle of Capri. We braved the traffic
to Herculaneum, a compact set of ruins located in the middle of a modern
town. I was amazed at the preservation of the town, down to even the
original wooden beams of some of the buildings.
Herculaneum
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Wine Shop (original wood)
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Original Mosaic on a wall
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Santorini, Greece
Santorini is the modern name for Thera. It is the site of a cataclismic volcanic
explosion that some say caused the demise of the Minoan civilization
about 1400 BC. In the morning, we climbed the volcano. The vents, which smell
of sulpher, are still active. In the afternoon, we took the cablecar up the mountain,
toured the Archaeological Museum, and wandered the remarkably
clean and safe alleys of Fira Town.
Fira Town
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Geologists Delight - A Colorful Volcanic Rock
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Kusadasi, Turkey
Turkey was an unexpected delight. We toured of the ancient
city of Ephesus and the nearby museum. The firestorm
in September 2007 (the month before the Green Valley Lake fire)
was evident on the museum grounds and in the surrounding hills --
Charred tree trunks stood sentinel amid the green grass.
We wandered through the ruins of St John's Basilica
(the church built on top of John's crypt) in Selchk. The tour group sampled
Turkish food and watched a folkloric show on the
grounds of a steam train museum (which George especially enjoyed).
The highlight was a visit to St Mary's house. The Roman Catholic Church says this is where
the mother of Jesus spent her last years, after she and John fled
into the mountains surrounding Ephesus to escape the Romans. The serenity of this
secluded valley was amazing. It is definately a holy place.
Library at Ephesus, the second largest library of the ancient world (behind Alexandria)
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Ruins of St John's Basilica with Crusader Fort in background
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Graceful Turkish Dancer
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Entrance to Mary's House
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Near Mary's House
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Mykonos, Greece
We wandered around this picturesque isle, amid white houses, narrow alleyways,
windmills, and tiny one-room Greek Orthodox churches.
Mykonos Windmill
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Octopuses drying in the sun
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Car in Narrow Alley
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MISSING DATA - I'll try to get his updated by early June.
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When we arrived home, there was a package waiting for George from THINK-GEEK.
This picture gives you an idea of how he is enjoying his second childhood.
The RC tank actually shoots pellets 25 meters.
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This is just a summary of our incredible holiday.
For George Schreyer's complete trip log, follow
this
link.
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