Click on selected pictures to view them full-size

Day 9 - October 10th, 2000

At Sea

Setting course for the Strait of Messina

A full day at sea - FINALLY! We take it easy this morning, and enjoy an extensive breakfast under clear blue skies on the Ocean Terrace. No matter what time of day you come here, there's always a table available. Which is quite incredible if you think that we have some 2,000 fellow breakfast, lunch and dinner guests on this cruise. Fortunately the winds have died down and MILLENNIUM is calmly cruising in westerly direction. Lucy and I find a sheltered spot in the sun - ahh, the good life! Wait a minute - isn't that land on the horizon? It most certainly is! We are setting course towards the Straits of Messina, the narrow stretch of water that separates Sicily from mainland Italy. On both starboard and port sides the shores of Italy are now visible, and a school of dolphins accompany us towards the towns of Messina (on Sicily) and Reggio di Calabria (mainland Italy). Ferries cross this busy waterway - one of them circles our huge ship in admiration. We see Cunard's CARONIA docked in Messina, and thoroughly enjoy watching both shores. We are so close by that we can see cars drive on the highway! The pilot comes on board and slowly we make our way to the Thyrrenean Sea. Mount Etna appears above a patch of clouds as Jim Cannon tells us all about the Strait of Messina over the PA System. Lunch is again taken on our "private veranda" aft of the Ocean Café, and over Mexican chicken lasagne we see the rocky Italian coast pass by from our front row seats. It's wonderful.

After another session in the sun it's time for tea. High tea on the high seas! We have been invited by Judith and Kees for afternoon tea in their Royal Suite. We arrive at the same time as their butler, who is carrying trays with cookies and other snacks. We admire our table mates' palatial living quarters and sit outside on the large veranda (with jacuzzi!) enjoying the view of Stromboli, one of Italy's most active volcanoes. We have a great time, and it's not long before the tea is replaced by wine. At 6.30 PM we are back in our cabin to dress for dinner. Tonight is our last formal dinner, and I'm not unhappy about that. This is a very formal cruise (3 tux nights, 3 suit-and-tie nights), which is OK when you have a lot of sea days, but having to dress up after a dusty day in Kusadasi is a little too much of a good thing for me. After a quick e-mail check and another portrait session we join Judith and Kees for dinner in the Metropolitan Dining Room. Tonight is the Gala Midnight Buffet, and we feel some (if not all) of the attention has gone to the buffet instead of our dinner. The lobster is NOT the best, the ladies' frog legs rather (no pun intended) unmemorable, and for dessert we can choose between Baked Alaska, Baked Alaska and ... Baked Alaska. But, we do sing "Auld Lang Syne" together!

Showtime is the best so far on this cruise. The Celebrity Singers & Dancers perform a medley of Broadway melodies, including showstoppers from "Phantom of the Opera", "Grease", "Les Misérables" and "42nd Street". It's all very well done and the cast receives a well-deserved standing ovation. Then it's off to the dining room for a look at the Gala Buffet. It looks stunning, but the thought of eating right now makes us sick. So after picture taking we take the panoramic elevator down to deck 2, and see a streak of lightning light up the sky - it looks like there is more picture-taking going on! When we are snugly tucked in one of us mentions the fact that we have a full 51/2 hours of sleep left before our day-long exploration of Rome begins. Aargghh..

Day 10 - October 11th, 2000

Civitavecchia, Italy

Bart and Lucy on the Piazza Navona, wondering where next to go

By 8.30 AM we are off on coach 28. The drive to Rome takes approximately 11/2 hours, and we cannot help but doze off every now and then. We receive instructions about reporting time and place for the return trip, and at 10 AM we are left to our own devices in the shadow of Vatican City. What's that we hear? It is indeed the Pope! He sits under a canopy in the middle of St. Peter's Square, watched by thousands of faithful fans. Every Wednesday in this "Holy Year" the Pope celebrates mass out on his front porch, and it's quite fascinating to see the huge number of people from all around the world that have come especially to Rome to see him. Since St. Peter's Church is closed this morning because of the festivities, we start our exploration of Rome at the Castel San Angelo, and walk along the river Tiber to the old center of town. From our first step we are completely fascinated by all that we see.

For the three of us, this is our first time in Rome. Is there anything more thrilling than standing next to the Colosseum, where the Romans used to re-enact sea battles? Or see the excavations at the Forum Romanum, right in the heart of the city. Here, history is an almost living part of modern days. Ancient buildings are right next to busy roads with a dazzling amount of cars and scooters. It's a combination that seems odd at first, but makes it all so much more alive. This is Rome, here and now! Our goal for today is to see all major sights, and we walk our feet off to accomplish that goal. We manage to see the Spanish Steps, Via Condotti, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and ... last but not least ... St. Peter's. We stop at a gelateria on the way to buy some of the delicious Italian ice cream, and use one of the snack carts on the sidewalk as lunch room. We arrive back at Vatican City (our 11th country on this vacation!) in the afternoon, when the Pope has disappeared and the crowds are still there. There's a long line to enter the church through the Holy Door, so we elect to be a little less holy and enter through the regular front door. What we then see is awe-inspiring. Jaw-dropping. And drop-dead gorgeous. There is no question about it: this is the biggest cathedral in the world, and everyone should know it. Sculptures by Michelangelo, gold and marble everywhere and a dome that takes your breath away - it is really impressive. Pilgrims and tourists walk here side by side. It's fascinating to be able to visit such a holy place.

Before we know it it is time to head back to the coach for the 90-minute return trip to Civitavecchia. Too bad, as we would have loved to spend more time in this gorgeous city. Our guide is waiting for us and takes us back to the parking garage where our coach is parked. By the time we reach Civitavecchia we open our eyes again and see our ship waiting to welcome us back. Part of the joys of cruising for me is coming "home" on your ship after an exhausting day in port, returning to your cabin, throwing your back pack in a corner and crashing on bed. Too bad we can't rest for too long, as it will be time for dinner soon. And having skipped lunch we are actually looking forward to a bite! After dinner Kees and Judith come and visit our cabin to see how "the other half" lives. They are pleasantly surprised that our inside cabin comes equipped with many luxuries, including Lucy's nifty sofa bed - there's obviously no need to feel sorry for us!

ß previous page

next page à

Back to my Homepage

- e-mail: b.de.boer@tip.nl