Rhodes

Rhodes

Rhodes

(Thursday was a sea day.)

The largest of the Dodecanese group, off the southwest coast of Turkey, Rhodes is probably best known for the legendary Colossus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. That is long gone, but what remains is the medieval walled city of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem who took over Rhodes in the 14th century. Prior to that Rhodes had been inhabited by various groups and then captured by the Romans. When Rome fell, Rhodes be part of the Byzantine Empire. The Knights preyed on Turkish shipping to such an extent that, in 1522, Suleiman the Magnificent arrived with a huge force and defeated the knights after a 6 month siege. The Turks remained until 1912 when the Italians, the the Germans and British occupied the island. In 1948, all the Dodecanese were united with Greece

The city of Rhodes with it's lovely harbor is located on the northern tip of the island Nd has been designated a UNESCO world heritage site, but then so have most of the places I've visited. The first thing one sees upon disembarking are the towers and crenellations of the medieval walls and three old windmills on the jetty. The main harvor around around with a little sandy beach. The formidable walls, moats and drawbridges are emblazoned with the coats of arms of the Knights, Grand Crosses, Bailiffs and Grand Masters of the Order which are basically signatures in stone.

Entering the old town through one of the gates, I came into a square containing the ruins of the Temple of Aphrodite and a delightful allee of shaded trees and restaurants. Delightful squares abound, bordered with cafes and shops, of course. The Street of the Knights is lined with the inns and is virtually unchanged. Each inn or auberge has it's own character, the most beautiful one is the Inn of the Auvergne which has been restored and turned into a cultural center. At the top end of the street is the Palace of the Grand Masters which was restored by Mussolini. The Hospital of the Knights is now an archeological museum. Apparently the patients were laid out in canopied beds and served on silver plate by the Knights themselves.

Met up with Jan and Layne for coffee...always delightful to sit outside and watch the world go by!!! We wandered around and found the lovely old mosque of Suleyman, built in 1522 when the Turks conquered Rhodes.

We split up and they headed for the harbor and I just wandered the streets and ramparts.

We all met back at the ship for a late lunch. None of us had wanted a long day. We were determined to take it easy after the long and intense visit to Istanbul.

Istanbul

I neglected to mention that, last night, we drove around the Taksim area, up on a hill, where there is a huge park and square...where everything happens!!!! When we drove back from the show, we drove down very steep and narrow one way streets... very exciting and interesting.

So today we started at the Topkapi Palace, a sprawling complex in Gulhane Park which occupies most of the headland overlooking the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. The palace was the heart of the Turkish Empire for nearly 400 years, from 1465 to 1856. Sultan Mehmed I starter construction of the complex which insist of four main courtyards, each with a different function leading from the public to the private. The palace, whose population on exceeded 4000 people, functioned as a city within a city where the sultan lived in imperial seclusion, rarely venturing out. Silence was maintained within the inner courtyards and running water in the Divan, or Council chambers, ensured no eavesdropping. The complex grew over the centuries as each sultan added pavilions.

Through the massive Imperial Gate, one enters the first courtyard where the Janissaries, or bodyguards were stationed. Only dignitaries and foreign ambassadors were allowed through the Gate of Salutations into the second courtyard. From here paths radiate in all directions, to kitchens, imperial council chambers, the Tower of Justice, a treasury, an armory and the stables. Beyond the Gage of Felicity is the third courtyard, or the inner palace.....audience and privy chambers, library, schoolrooms, mosque, the imperial treasury and the harem with its warren of rooms and courtyards for the sultan's wives, mother, concubines, children, eunuchs. Here I visited the extraordinary treasury which contains thrones, ceremonial military garb and arms all encrusted with precious stones; magnificent headdresses and pendants; spoils of conquest from several countries; two 47 kilo gold candlesticks; one enormous diamond; bowls of uncut emeralds.....and of course, the so-called Topkapi dagger of film fame with its three enormous uncut emeralds. The entire collection is blinding in its magnificence.....but then so is every royal collection!!!!!

The fourth courtyard is the sanctum sanctorum of the sultan. Known as the Imperial Sofa, it contains various pavilions and kiosks used for prayer, breaking fasts or meditation, and the circumcision room.

(By now you will have figured out that sofas and divans were rooms, not furniture!!!!)

The last visit was the costume exhibit of the sultan's caftans and later, western uniforms.

The off to the Grand Bazaar, dating from the 15th century and which contains some 4000 shops. It is truly impressive....a dazzling array of jewelry, leather, carpets, tiles and much more. We had lunch in a typical restaurant inside the Bazaar...I had the eggplant puree, of course, and some delicious spicy kebab....followed by a Turkish coffee, of course. Turkish and Greek cuisine are very similar, but Turkish food is spicier. I found that I preferred the Turkish kefte and dolmasi....and everything they do with eggplant is divine. I even prefer the Turkish kadayif to the Greek baklava.

Next stop, the spice bazaar with it's wonderful colors and aromas. I bought two boxes of REAL Turkish delight...one for our table and one, shrink- wrapped, to bring home. Yum!

Then the Yerebatan Sarnici or Cistern, an amazing 1400 year old Byzantine underground construction supported by 336 enormous columns, built below one of the main squares for use during siege or drought. The columns and different are all different, having come from all parts of the Byzantine Empire. They were simply building materials, so much so that two Medusa head capitals were used as bases, one upside down, the other on it's side!!!! Now there is only about a foot of water in the cistern where carp await their feeding. It has been recently restored with appropriate lighting and music. Quite an eerily beautiful experience.

Marike treated me to roast chestnuts from a street vendor......more yum! We nibbled them as we walked along to catch the boat for a ride up the Bosphorus. It has been very windy for the past two days and it was cool up on deck, so we sat inside. We went along the Asian side as far as the second suspension bridge and then turned back along the European side. We saw the Dolmabahce Palace, built in 1853 by Sultan Abdul Mecit in what one can only call extravagant opulence. ( Double horseshoe Baccarat crystal staircase!!!!!!!) At the time, the Ottoman Empire was in decline and the building was financed with loans from foreign banks. Across the water, two sultans built two Baroque summer palaces in the 19rh century. What was most interesting was to see the various styles of Yalis, or villas along the shore, particularly on the Asian side. The oldest, a fairly large wooden house, painted a rust red known as Ottoman rose, dates to 1699 and is the oldest building on the shores of the Bosphorus. It looks more Russian than Turkish and the wooden clapboarding reminds me of New England. Since the 17th century, the yalis have become larger and more elaborate. Some of them can rival our mansions. While various building materials are used, some are still painted the traditional red. There are some brightly colored wooden houses in the old part of Istanbul, but they are restorations.

Alongside the dock where the ferry dropped us, by the Galata Bridge, were three unusual vessels bobbing in the water. Gaily decorated with gilt fish designs, they were dispensing fried mackerel and onion sandwiches to patrons at a restaurant on the do k. The cooks had no problem even when he bobbing was at a sharp angle. Fascinating.

And then it was time to sash goodbye to Istanbul. I loved every minute. I'd love to come back....there is so much more to see.

We sailed away at 8 pm and the captain swung the ship around 360 degrees for one last amazing look! The first Bosphorus bridge was playing it's computerized light show. Then we sailed back down the Bosphorus past the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi, all beautifully illuminated. What a sight!!!!!!

Istanbul

Hagia Sophia

Istanbul

Blue Mosque

I finally got one photo up. Yay!!!!!

Istanbul

We sailed through the Dardanelles, past the war memorials to the Ill-fated battles, and into the Sea of Marmara....and, then, there it was.....Istanbul. Breathtaking, as we passed the Sultanahmet area which juts out where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus and in which are located, virtually side by each, the three most beautiful and most important attractions: Haggia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace.

We sailed farther up the Bosphorus to our temporary anchorage, while awaiting our berth. I was able to get on the first tender around 3:30 and found my guide waiting for me by the Galata Bridge. Melike and Hassan, the driver, whisked me off to see as much as possible in the few hours before dinner.

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, the second largest metropolitan area in Europe, and the fourth larger city in the world with some 13-16 million people (no one is quite sure!) It is the only metropolis in the world to straddle two continents...Thrace in Europe and Anatolia on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. In its long history, Istanbul has served as the capital city of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Latin Empire and the Ottoman Empire.
Ankara is the capital of modern Turkey. The original name for the city was Byzantium, the Greek name for the colony established by King Byzas. Emperor Constantine the Great made it his capital in 306 AD and it was renamed Constantinople, the name by which the world knew it until 1930, even though the name Istanbul had also been used over the centuries. Istanbul is also known as the " City on Seven Hills".

Today, Turkey is a thriving secular democracy, thanks to Mustafa Kemal, known as Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI, he became the national leader, becoming the new republic's first president in 1923. Not only did he abolish the Sultanate, he also abolished the Caliphate, effectively separating state and religion. By law, Turkish men may have no more than one wife. No laws require women to cover themselves with any form of garb. Some women choose to wear hijabs ( and very posh ones, too, i.e. Coach!) and some choose to wear long drab raincoats and hijabs. Very few, mainly older women from more religious families, choose to wear a full burka, but even these are not as all-encompassing as those of Saudi Arabia. It is very common to see a young woman in the latest western fashions arm in arm with a friend wearing a hijab, or a raincoat.....or families wearing all three styles of dress. What predominates, however, is western dress. And.....western customs. Marike is expecting her first child in February and she knows it is a boy. So, when we visited the circumcision room in Topkapi Palace, I asked her about circumcision in Turkey. Traditionally, in Islam, boys are circumcised between the ages of 3 and 10. But modern Turkish families have it done right away, in the hospital, by the doctor. For those who do chose the religions ceremony later, the clothing for the boy is elaborate. We passed several shops selling the outfits....white satin or velvet pants, elaborate traditional Turkish jackets with marabou trim and turbanswith elaborate trimming and feathers. Our visit started in the Hippodrome, once the track for Roman chariot races and capable of holding 100,000 spectators. The actual track is now below street level and covered by a modern square. There is one third of a Karnak obelisk (1500 BCE) resting on a carved block depicting Emperor Theodosius and his family. Also in the square is the Serpent Column from Delphi. Both spoils of conquest. We then visited the Blue Mosque, built in the 17th century. It's real name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, but the stunning blue Iznik tiles provide it's familiar name. Islamic tradition does not allow depictions of humans and rarely of animals, so their artists turned to geometric and floral designs, which are incredibly diverse and beautiful. Each Sultan designed his own calligraphic seal; these are works of art in their own right.

Our next stop was the highlight for me. The great Byzantine Hagia Sophia, also known as the Sancta Sophia. This Church of the Holy Wisdom was built by Justinian from 532 to 537 AD. It took 10,000 men to build it with ivory from Asia, marble from Egypt and columns from the ruins of Ephesus. Even though the Turks converted it to a mosque when they conquered Constantinople and they plastered or painted over many of the extraordinary gilt mosaics, much was left untouched, including the magnificent vast dome. The mosque became a museum in 1935. And the mosaics and paintings have been restored to their former glory. In some cases, the layers of plaster have been left in place to show the history. In actual fact, the plaster layers helped to preserve the magnificent mosaics. They are breathtaking. I must admit that I was never really drawn to Byzantine art during Art 11 (!!!!!) in college. The faces seemed expressionless. But, close up, the expressions are varied and intense....the artists conveyed feelings in the eyes. I was so struck by one large wall mosaic of Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist. The face of John in particular is riveting. There is far too much information about this incredible edefice for this blog. Suffice it to say that it is truly awesome.

Marike dropped me off at the ship so that I could freshen up before the evening's activities. We sent to a large nightclub for dinner and a show....the Kervansaray. Yes, definitely touristy, it the only way to see the top belly dancers, which is what I had requested. And it did not disappoint. The food was very good...especially the meze plate (appetizers) and the eggplant puree. The local red wine was very nice. The show consisted of four belly dancers, each one exhibiting a different style, and folk dances from various regions. I was really in luck. The most famous belly dancer in Turkey was the final act. Asina. She is gorgeous and wears very very high heels, something I have not seen before. And she performed part of her dance on one leg....and another part almost on her knees. Unbelievable watching all those amazing moves - the entire torso rippling while on one leg atop 4-5 in heels. Remarkable!

I returned to the ship well after 11 pm with the rest of the tour booked to start at 8:45 am tomorrow...in time the opening of the Topkapi Palace.

Kusadasi/Ephesus

Kusadasi is a lovely resort town on the Aegean coast of Turkey, some 50 odd miles from Izmir. I had booked a private tour of Ephesus and my guide was waiting for me. Tilda, from Izmir. Extremely affable and knowledgeable. We got along like a house on fire. She whisked me off to Ephesus, about 10 miles away, hoping to see the House of Mary before the hordes arrived. Alas, half of Eastern Europe was there! According to tradition, Mary came with St. John, for protection, somewhere between 42 And 50 AD and this was her last home. Only a small part of the house would be original. What is interesting is the prayer wall where people tie prayes to the stones with pieces of ribbon or rags.....or even a scarf.

How to begin to describe the scene when we came down from the mountain!!!!! :). Ephesus spread out before me......and the cruising hordes. if Ghengis Khan had encountered them he surely would have lost!!!! Haha!! What can you do? Well, get a private guide because you can go at your own speed and sit in the shade and wait for a lull in the madness!

Seriously, Ephesus is remarkable. It dates back to pre-Ionion times of Mother Goddess worshipers. The Temple of Artemis (ca.550 BCE), she of the numerous breasts, was one of the wonders of the ancient world. By the 11th century BCE, the Ionians set up a new city which became a prosperous trade and banking center. In the cirst century AD, Ephesus was the largest city of the east after Alexandria. The city fell to various nations over the centuries, and by 133 BCE, Ephesus had become a Roman city. What is visible today are Roman ruins dating from that time to 262 AD when the Goths visited much destruction. Ephesus never recovered it's former glory and had, by the 15th century declined to the status of a village. In addition, the silting up of the river sounded the death knell to maritime commerce and the city lay in ruins under layers of earth until modern excavations and restorations.

Highlights: The Great Theatre which seated 24,000; the extraordinary Library of Celsus, the most beautiful ruin; the Agora; the Odeon; the Temple of Hadrian; the marble street with perfect drainage; the fountains, baths and he public loos, with every mod con!!!! Yes running water....clay pipes lined with lead. Of course, there are columns, statues, pediments, etc. all over the place. Excavations, many of which are sponsored by Austria, are ongoing and one can see just how extensive the city once was.

The most exciting part of the visit for me was the Terrace Houses, the excavation of which is fairly recent. One entire area has been enclosed so that reconstruction work can proceed unhampered by the elements. These were the houses of rich merchants, of varying sizes and designs, joined by common walls.....think condo townhouses!!!!..... and cascading down the hillside.

In addition to the special material which encloses the area under a soaring roof, the floors have been covered with heavy plexiglass so that one can see the restored mosaic floors without walking on them. One proceeds up and up on staircases, past each house until one is about three or four stories high. All the houses are visible and one gets a remarkable idea of the layout. At each house along the way, one can see beautiful mosaic floors, wall paintings and decorations. The working tables of the archaeologists are laid out in some of the larger rooms, but off limits, and one can see the amazing work of piecing fragments of marble or paintings together....it is a jigsaw puzzle. Remarkable work.

Athens/Corinth

Well Athens isn't burning....but there are rumors of a general strike tomorrow! In any case, I had planned to get out of town. So off I went to the Corinth Canal and ancient Corinth on the Peloponnese.

It was another gorgeous day....blue skies and hot. We drove through Piraeus and pas Athens in the distance where one could just make out the acropolis. It didn't take long to reach the canal. We stopped for a coffee and we could walk across one of the bridges and look down into the deep cut into the aquamarine water. Very impressive. We then drove to the Aegean end of the canal and embarked on a boat for our trip to the Ionian Sea.

The idea of a canal through the Isthmus dates to classical times and an abortive effort was made to build it in the 1st century AD. Construction finally got underway in 1881 but was hampered by geological and financial problems that saw the original builders going bankrupt. The idea was to save the 430 mile journey around the Peloponnese and it worked fairly well until the advent of modern ocean freighters. The canal was completed in 1893, but due to the canal's narrowness (70 ft.), navigational problems and periodic closures to repair landslips from its sheer walls, it failed to attract the level of traffic anticipated by its operators. It is now used mainly for tourist traffic. The canal is only 4 miles long and there are no locks since it was dug at sea level.

The round trip was very nice. We were 75 feet down and it was impressive to see the signs of the hand cutting. No explosives were used. In addition to the road and railway bridges, there are two narrow bridges at each end, so at sea level. I have never seen any like them anywhere. Between the banks, the roadway is lowered to the seabed...it literally disappears beneath the water, so that boats can pass. Once the boats have cleared the area, the roadway ascends until it is level with the banks. It is really spooky seeing the road disappear beneath the water.

After our little cruise,we went to a nice resort hotel on the Ionian sea and had a very nice lunch of Greek food: dolma, tzaziki, cous cous etc., all washed down with a Nice dry white wine.

Then it was off to anent Corinth. There are so many permutations of Corinth going back to the 5th millennium BCE: Bacchiadae, Tyrants, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Biblical (specifically Paul), Byzantine, Crusader, Ottoman.

The ruins of Ancient Corinth are spread out at the foot of the huge rock of Acrocorinth atop which is found the acropolis. Until it was eclipsed by Athens in the 5th century BCE, Corinth was the biggest and wealthiest classical Greek city-state, with two bustling ports, a famous ceramics industry and distant colonies in Syracuse in Sicily and Kerkyra on Corfu. The town was prosperous until it was razed in 146 BCE by the Roman general, Lucius Mummius. In 44 BCE, Julius Caesar rebuilt Corinth as a Roman colony. Consequently, the remaining monuments are mainly Roman; only a few are Greek. Attaining a population of 750,000 under the patronage of the emperors, the town gained a reputation for licentious living that St. Paul attacked when he came here in 52 CE. Excavations have revealed the vast extent of the city, destroyed in Byzantine times by earthquakes. The ruins constitute the largest Roman township in Greece. We wound our way through the Lechaion way with it's footpaths and gutters, past stoa, or stores, the agora, the bema or judgment seat where another Roman governor refused to pass judgment on religious matters and left Paul's fate to the people. We saw the odeion, the Temple of Apollo and the Temple of Octavia. We learned that it was here- of course - that the Corinthian column was born and we learned why the statues had removable heads.....to recycle the torsoes. Cunning people, the Corinthians!

Corfu

We arrived here at 8 am for half a day. Corfu is the northernmost and second largest of the Ionian islands. It was rued, over the centuries, by the Phoenicians, Romans, Lombards, Arabs, Normans, Sicilians, Genoa and Venice, and, for a short periods France, Russia, Turkey and Britain, ultimately becoming part of Greece in 1864. Venice ruled Corfu for 400 years and left an distinctive architectural legacy in the old town in it's tall houses and narrow streets. The French built the Liston, a beautiful 19th century arcade based on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris. The Liston looks out onto a broad marble esplanade, bordered by cafes under welcoming shade trees, and the Spianada, a lovely park which includes a cricket pitch a relic of British rule.

The Old Fort dominates a peninsula to the east. Most is derelict now, except for some army buildings, a small church and the beautiful Greek chapel of St. George, modeled on a Greek temple. Inside, it is bare except for some lovely chandeliers and many icons, mostly of St. George and the dragon. Prince Philip was christened here, as his birthplace, Mon Repos palace is nearby. The views from the old fort are spectacular, especially of the crystal clear Ionion sea.

There is also the New Fort, a 16th century Venetian structure, hi on a hill, overlooking the old town.

All of this provided a very nice morning visit...in the hot sun...90s!!! As I arrived, I witnessed some lovely Greek folk dancing. The last visit of my little tour was to St. Spiridon, an Italianate Green Orthodox church. The painted ceiling and the silver oil lamps are magnificent. What is most interesting, though, is a side room containing a silver sarcophagus in which lie the mummified remains of the saint himself, a 4th century bishop. Greece is about 90% Orthodox, of which about 60% are practicing Christians. It was, therefore, not surprising to see the locals lined up to present prayers to the saint by placing them in a receptacle at one end of the coffin. A priest presided over the gestures. At the other end of the coffin, under a glass window, the mummified head and shoulders of the saint were visible. Here, some people became very emotional, kneeling and crying, holding the sarcophagus, then kissing the glass.

Outside, another icon was the object of veneration and kissing.

After lunch, we set sail for Athens....at top speed, since it is a long run. We moved our usual venue for drinks to the Chart Room and then had an early dinner in one of the alternative restaurants - Prime where we had some excellent steaks.

Split, Croatia

Another beautiful day found us in the Dalmatian Coast port of Split in Croatia. When I was last in this area, it was part of Yugoslavia and I visited Dubrovnik and Kotor. What a lot has changed since then. Croatia has recovered from the dreadful war and has become, once again, a very popular tourist destination.

I slept in....still trying to catch up on lost sleep here and there. Took the tender ashore and wandered around Diocletian's Palace which forms the old part of town. Although there was a Roman settlement here before Diocletian, it was this emperor who decided to build his retirement home in this spot in the 4th century. The complex was inhabited by regional despots, then fell into disuse and eventually repopulated by refugees who salvaged living quarters and fought off attacks. So over the centuries, many parts of the ancient Roman palace were absorbed in all sorts of ways into a medieval town. Today, 3000 people live within the old precinct in about 250 houses of all kinds. One can see a house with Corinthian columns embedded in the walls here and there, especially along the Riva. I entered the town through one of the four gates, the Bronze gate, which took me through the vaulted halls of the original basement of the central hall of the palace. I emerged into the central square, the Peristyle with it's massive walls adorned with Corinthian columns, arches and cornices. On one side, houses, on the other the 13th to 15th century St Duje's cathedral and the Romesque bell tower. On yet another side, the Temple of Jupiter. All a delightful jumble of Roman, Medieval and modern,all connected by narrow cobblestone streets and some lovely squares with cafes.
And shops, shops, shops...of all kinds, for tourists and locals, but not spilling out into the streets at least. We tourists shopped with the locals. Rather like Carcassonne....but, thankfully, Carcassonne does have have cruise ships!!!!!!!

Met up with Ross and Jan, but quickly lost Ross and Jan and I went shoe shopping. Layne had gone off to the yacht basin to look at boats.....he's a sailor. The walking shoes I brought are killing me and my sandals are about to expire.Well, Split is shoe heaven.....shop after shop..inexpensive and on sale. We both bought sandals....and now I am comfortable.

Then, before returning to the ship, we just sat on a bench on the Riva and enjoyed the beautiful views.

Relaxed for the rest of the day, watched sailaway and then it was time for cocktails and dinner. Our first formal night and the black and white ball. I had hoped to have an early night, but we put the clocks forward!!!!

Sent from my iPad

Venice

>Jan, Layne and I went back to San Marco on a vaporetto to catch a to Murano. Ross went off to see as much of the Biennale exhibits as possible.

Murano is the island of the famous glassworks of Venice. Initially, the works were on the main islands, but the fear of fire drove the city councillors to move the glassworks to Murano. Apparently this move also helped protect the secrets of the process.

Venice no longer enjoys the monopoly on the industry and the shops are replete with Chinese imitations. However, Murano glass is still prized. We were told that Chihuly leaned his art here. Watching the process is fascinating...it all happens in the blink of an eye. This is necessary because the glass must not cool down as they work it. I kept missing the actual blowing, because I was so focused on the tools being used at the other end of the pipe. Of course, there was the obligatory walk through the showrooms....such beautiful pieces. I love the millefiori....so I treated myself to a small bowl.

After our return, via some canals through the Castello, to San Marco, we found a small cafe for a quick bite and then we headed for the gondolas. OK, OK....touristy, yes, expensive, you bet. Worthwhile, absolutely. ( Unlike Harry's Bar!! ). We went down some lovely mainly deserted canals through quiet areas, and then burst into the Grand Canal for a little while. Amazing how the various craft dodge each other. And the way the gondolieri, and others, steer around each other and around corners in the narrowest of canals and never even graze each other or the buildings. It is an art.

Back to the ship and sail away. I has an amazing view of Venice from my balcony on the port side. It is truly amazing to sail so close to the shores. I sipped my champagne and bid arrivederci to this beautiful city as we sailed out past the Lido and into the Adriatic.

We all met for cocktails in our favorite place....the Commodore Club. Then on to dinner, where we are at a table for eight. A couple from Cape Town, but originally from Pretoria, and whose daughter had one of my cousins as her third grade teacher!!!! The other couple, from the UK consists of one of the Cunard lecturers and his wife. I went to his lectures on maritime history while on the QE2 in 2008. What a small world!!! We had a lovely dinner!

A note....there won't be any photos. The Internet is just too slow for photo files. I've tried and tried. Also, the iPad has self-correcting and sometimes I don't catch some of the weird words it comes up with.

Sent from my iPad

Venice

Another glorious day. After breakfast on the rooftop terrace again, we set off to explore the shops but did not do any retail damage. At noon, we took a water taxi to the Victoria, checked in, had a bite to eat, unpacked and then I took the shuttle back to the Piazza San Marco and walked over to La Fenice, the opera house, where I had booked to see Mozart's "Don Giovanni". I was early, so I popped into the San Fantin Church across the street to see one of the Biennale exhibits. It was part of a monumental work by Ukrainian artist, Oksans Mas made of over three million painted wooden Ukrainian eggs. It represents works of the Van Eyck brothers and their depictions of the gardens of paradise. It is utterly fascinating....a blend of the old and the new, the eggs resemble pixels, each one, according to the artist, symbolizing the destiny of mankind. And.....a soundtrack of bird calls played all the while.

La Fenice is a gem! It has been rebuilt three times after fires, the last one, in 1996, was deliberately set and the perpetrators were sent to prison. The damage was exacerbated by the fact that the fire services were unable to reach the scene because nearby canals had been drained for cleaning. (cf "City of Fallen Angels", a great read"). La Fenice means "phoenix". The building is neo-classical. Inside, it is a horseshoe shape with several tiers of boxes and an orchestra section. No mezzanine or balconies. The orchestra seats are Louis XV style armchairs upholstered in pinkvelvet....and oh so comfortable! The decor is based on a 19th century style, but it is highly gilded, ornate and colorful, complete with rosy-cheeked putti. When you enter, it just tackeds your breath away.

The opera was delightful. A dark story, to be true, but such glorious music. The scenery a continually rotating series of rooms all decorated in very pale colors And illuminated by candlelight, throwing long shadows, was very unusual. The director's interpretation of both the duel between Don Juan and the Commendatore and the final scene was rather weak, but I was just thrilled to be there. There were many tourists in the audience, but mostly Venetians, who were dressed beautifully for the occasion. ( There is no doubt that the Italians have style,especially the women.). The audience was very discerning were quick to judge the performances. Don Ottavio got far more ovations than Don Juan!!!! What a thrill it was!!!!

I caught the shuttle back to the ship. It had been a long day. No doubt about it, the opera will be one of the highlights of the trip.......maybe THE highlight!

Sent from my iPad

Venice

We had breakfast on the roof terrace of the hotel....glorious views. And vivid blue clear skies after the rain cleared out the humidity. A perfect day. Ross set off for Murano and the glass factories (which I will see later in the trip) and I met my guide, Daniela. As we left the hotel, we walked straight into Jan and Layne who had just arrived by train from Milan. So now we are all here.

Daniela took me up the campanile for panoramic views of Venice. It was so clear we could see all the way to the snow-capped Dolomites. As I turned toward the east, what do I see but the Queen Victoria coming into the lagoon on a serpentine course....she passed within meters of the Piazza. What a sight!

We then set off to explore the various backs streets and campos (squares) with their wells. Santa Zacaria, Santa Maria Formosa, both in the Castello Sestière are typical of the way Venice e developed. Off the campo Santa Maria Formosa, we went to a mask factory which was fascinating. The real masks are made of papier mâché. I bought a small one to hang on the wall.

We continues toward the Rialto area, passing through part of the Cannareggio to the campo San Zanipolo, a contraction of Giovanni and Polo in local dialect. The 13th basilica of Santi Giovanni and Polo dominates the square. Then on to the 15th century church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli. Churches, basilicas and campaniles dominate the skyline; Venetians were in the habit of building them each time they escaped the plague.

We then crosses the Grand Canal on the Rialto Bridge, which is lined with tourist shops and, unfortunately, marred with graffiti. Watching the bustle of the water traffic in every direction and made up of every sort of boat was fascinating. We walked along the riva to have a close look at some of the extraordinary palazzos, notably the Ca' D'Oro, so-called because it's carvings were once gilded. It is considered the quintessential example of Venetian Gothic architecture. There are, however, many other beautiful palazzos along the Grand Canal.

We arrived at the Rialto market just before it closed. What a visual delight....all the fruit and vegetables, all labeled with their origin. And the fish market, in the Campo della Pescaria, with piles of squid, cuttlefish, octopus, all kinds of shrimp, crab, branzini, sardines.....and on and yummy on.

For lunch, Daniela chose a traditional Venetian restaurant where I could eat cuttlefish in its own ink. Sepia in tecia. Eat your heart out, Montalbano! Served with polenta, it was delicious. I had a glass of Prosecco, the regional specialty, and some "S" cookies, so called after the shape of the Grand Canal.

After lunch, we crossed the Rialto Bridge again and made our way back to San Marco. We stopped at La Fenice the house but could not visit because rehearsal was in progress. "Of what?", I asked. "Don Giovanni". Well, I bought a ticket then and there for the next night.

We devoted the rest of the afternoon to the Doges Palace, the 15th to 16th century Byzantine/Gothic/Renaissance building on the piazza San Marco, which housed various offices. There is very little in the way of furniture in the palace because each doge had to bring his own furniture which was returned to his family upon his death. The various chambers are filled with extraordinary paintings and frescoes, mainly Tintoretto and Veronese, but two beautiful Titians also. And gold, gold, gold!!! The doges loved gold and dressed in gold. All the paintings were framed in ornate gilt frames.

We visited the prisons and crossed the Bridge of Sighs, of course. From the outside, only part of the bridge is visible, since restoration work is In progress....a never-ending process here. I bid Daniela goodbye after 8 wonderful hours in La Serenissima drinking in the glorious sights and the history of this amazing city. There is so much more to tell, but not here!

We all met in the bar at the Daniele, then proceeded to Harrys Bar for more for more drinks. My Bellini was served in a oversize shot glass. What a rip-off! Four drinks......100 €. Another drink episode for a good laugh!!! Yes, we knew it was touristy, but we had to find out!!!! I must say, though, they pour some pretty strong drinks. A vodka on the rocks turned out to be a triple.

After a lovely dinner of gnocchi with prawns and mushrooms, it was time for bed!

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Venice

Arrived in Venice after a stop-over in London. Beautiful views from the plane of the Veneto region all the way to the Dolomites. Runway starts practically in the lagoon so one gets a good feeling for the lay of the land....or the islands!!

The taxi "stands"...slips?....are a few minutes from the terminal. A heady ride of about ten minutes in the water taxi, as the various islands that are Venice hove into view. It is all about water!! A quick turn right down a narrow canal and we burst into the lagoon in front of Piazza San Marco abustle with tourists....and, most unfortunately, several buildings draped in scaffolding. Ah well! Then a right turn down a narrow canal to the side entrance of the Hotel Danieli. Not easy getting on and off the boats! But getting there was certainly half the fun. The main part of the hotel is a 14th century doge's palace. My room is in the 19th century wing. It is beautiful and comfortable. And awash in US and European military personnel here for a conference. 5-star hotel! Our tax dollars at work.!!!!!!

I changed and set off for the Piazza San Marco, just two canals away. It had rained earlier and there had even been some aqua alta which had left some water in front of the basilica. The guards had their wellies on and we had to use the raised wooden walkways to enter. Just like Brunetti! Before I visited the basilica, I needed a bite to eat...it was 3pm by now, so I headed for the old Caffé Florian right on the square for a quick bite. A quick bite that cost 30 euros which included a 6 euro music charge!!!! Well, you don't go to these places for the food, but for the spectacle which unfolds all around you. "The finest drawing room in Europe", according to Napoleon.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, I visited the basilica, which is a Byzantine delight of mosaic work....every wall, dome and ceiling....all covered in mosaics, much of it gilt. It is an extraordinary building. Built from the 11th to the 13th century, it's history is fascinating and far too long to recount here. Every dome depicts a different Biblical story. I climbed up to the gallery overlooking the square, where there are replicas of four equestrian statues, the originals of which are in the museum, behind the gallery. And they are stunning....gilded bronze from the 4th. century B.C., either Greek or Roman booty. From the gallery there is a magnificent close-up view of the ceilings. I also took a detour to see the Pala d'Oro, a 10th century altarpiece of gold and jewels inscribed with stories from the Gospels and the Apocrypha.

There wasn't time to do much more other than admire the campanile, the clock tower and the Procuraties Nuovo and Vecchie. Ross and I were to meet for drinks and dinner at 6, but his plane had to turn back an hour out of Dubai and make an emergency landing. So he did not arrive until 8:30. We had a quick drink and then I called it a night...I was exhausted.