Hello and Merry Christmas to anyone who might be reading this!

I am currently in Civitavechia, Italy, which is really just the port in Rome. While everyone else went off on tours to see the sights of Rome I have been strolling around the port town here. It is really quite interesting with lots of artifacts from the Roman era and some from way before. I think the museum had pieces from the 12th century BC so that's pretty old.

This is a long day in port and it is in a place I've seen before (Rome, that is) so I decided I should take some time out and send a Christmas e-mail. Five out of the next 6 days we are in different ports on Malta, Libya and Tunisia. We actually only have one day at sea so it's a very busy cruise and you actually have to get up really early every morning!!!

Anyway, by the time the cruise finishes next week, Christmas will be over. That's why you're getting your message now as I won't likely be phoning any one or sending cards. I just really can't believe it is Christmas already and I have been on the road for 6 months. That's just too amazing. The first six months have been interesting and I expect nothing less from the next six months.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and get lots of rest, spend lots of time with friends and family, sing lots of Christmas carols, get whatever presents you really want (or need), and even eat way too much. I think that all goes with the season.

There are lots of British people on this cruise so lots of people to talk to so I certainly won't be alone. This year-long trip is present enough for me for the year and yes, I'm sure I will eat way too much. However, I'm also sure that I will definitely miss seeing family, friends and colleagues over the holidays and believe it or not, I do think of you often.

I wish you all the peace, health and happiness that Christmas can bring, and all the best in the New Year!

Jayne

PS - For anyone who has forgotten, you can always reach me at by e-mail at k.jaynebrooks@gmail.com if you want to contact me.

Mediterranean Cruise - December 2nd to 12th

I am going to type this just as I wrote it so it will jump around a bit. However, I'm sure you'll be able to follow it.

Friday, December 8th - Funchal, Madeira

I have come to the conclusion that I will never get caught up on my writing unless I start doing it nightly. Tonight I am starting the process as the Costa Victoria sails away from Funchal Madeira and heads for Malaga Spain. There is a strong wind and a rough sea so I'm not sure how the writing will be as we hit the open ocean. I'm also not sure how I will be. For someone who can easily get motion sickness in a car, rough seas are a challenge. I finished my gravol last night but luckily they are dispensing a similar product at the information desk so I should be set for another day or two.

We arrived in Funchal at 8 a.m. this morning after a very rough night. I was up at 7 a.m., showered and down to breakfast to meet a tour departing at 8 a.m. We returned to the ship just before 1 p.m. in time for lunch. After lunch I walked downtown and back. It was at least 2 km from the ship to the start of the city centre so definitely good exercise. The weather was cloudy at times but very warm and comfortable. At one point it was very hot and I had to put sunscreen on as I felt like I was burning.

Funchal and all of Madeira that I saw was very beautiful. The island is hilly and on the sides of the hills you have white houses. Sometimes you see a cream colour or a pale yellow or pink but mainly it is just white. Partially because of that I think, it looks like a very clean and well cared for city. I say cared for because the lawns are gardens are beautiful. And of course they have an incredible variety of plants and flowers - poinsettias, birds of paradise, azaleas, bougainvillia, hybiscus, etc., which make for a colourful setting.

The city is decorated for Christmas and it would have been fun to see the decorations lit up at night. However, we were only there for the day and left at 6 p.m. before the lights were on. On one street they have a choir singing, a band playing and elves pulling a sleigh - all as statues of course but it was really cute. On another they have small houses with each specializing in a different Christmas item. Each one was staffed by 1-2 females in red Santa helper suits. They weren't doing much business when I went by but they looked great. Every street has decorations and lights hanging overhead. At one point I came across a 15-20 piece brass band playing Jingle Bells and other Christmas songs. They were really good and fun to watch and hear.

The bus tour took us around the main city and up to the smaller village of Monte. It was a very long winding road and I didn't envy the bus driver his job. However, the views of the valleys and the sea were spectacular.

Saturday, December 9th - at sea

Well I survived the rough seas yesterday but I didn't get much writing done. I slept most of the day away instead. Today it is still "very ruogh seas" on the chart so the rocking and rolling ride continues. I was fine while I slept, which was almost until afternoon! Once I got up I needed another pill. I have managed to shower, dress, have some lunch (breakfast?) and make it back to my cabin for some more writing so we'll see how it goes today.

Back to Madeira ...

At Monte we visited the Church of Our Lady of Monte, a 15th century church remodelled in the 18th century after an earthquake, and beatified in 2004 by Pope John Paul II. It has plain light walls but the paintings and decorations on the wall make it beautiful. Some of the decorations are beautiful pine wood carvings. Charles I, who succeeded Frans Josef in 1916, came to Madeira in exile at the end of the Hungarian Austrian empire, died here and is buried in a chapel just off the Church nave.

The church is right on the top of the hill and there are stairs up to it on two sides. Just in front of the church there is a large terrace looking out over Funchal and the ocean. There is then a scenic pathway down to the two cable car stops. The one goes right down to the city centre and the other goes to the Botanical Gardens. We took the latter and on the walk also saw the wicker baskets that you can ride down the hill in. Two men guide the basket, much like a dog sled, as it runs down the rails in the street. As we were on the tour schedule, none of us tried this ride.

The cable cars each hold 6 people so it took a while for several bus loads to get through. However, the view was worth the wait. You literally slide down the cable in a glass car hundreds of feet above the lush green valley and the city and sea and mountains provide breathtaking scenery. The ride to the Garden took 9 minutes and that was long enough to relax and enjoy the view.

We spent about an hour in the Botanical Gardens, which were very lush and green and very colourful with hibiscus, bougainvillia, birds of paradise and so many other beautiful plants. (Can you tell I don't really know how to spell these names?) There were some "wild" areas and some well groomed areas with intricate geometrical patterns in the flower beds, and a secion with groomed trees in all kinds of shapes. It was a very relaxing and calming visit with the immediate greenery coupled with the views of the city, sea and moutains in the distance. The funniest part of the tour had to be the parrots at the exit. They didn't say much but boy could they imitate a laugh. And every time they did it the crowd would start laughing too. It was hilarious watching and listening to the crowd's reaction.

From the Gardens we went to a craft market and Madeira outlet in downtown Funchal. The embroidery was beautiful but incredibly expensive. One short-sleeved blouse with embroidery at the top was really nice but at 497 euros I definitley didn't buy it. There were also some very nice ceramic pieces but I wasn't interested in any of them. Luckily others were buying at least some small things. The Madiera itself was pretty ghastly in my opinion. However, it was popular with others. The 1908 vintage is the oldest now being sold and it sells fro 700 euors per bottle. Hopefully it ages well and tastes better when it's that old.

It was a holiday for some reason so many of the stores and markets were closed, which of course didn't bother me any since I'm not a shopper. I just like wandering the streets to see the sights. I found an internet cafe but didn't last for long there as the whole room seemed to be swaying. Of course it wasn't but I just couldn't focus on the screen and finally had to leave. Besides, the connection speed was really slow so you were waiting most of the time anyway.

Some last thoughts of Madeira: Funchal is the capital and has about 120,000 inhabitants. The island itself has a population of 245,000 but most (over 70%) live on the Funchal side of the island. Sugar cane was once a main export but now it is not as important. We were treated to some brandy and some cake made from it and they also make honey from it. Bananas are the most important export now, and of course tourism is very important.

Madiera is made up of five islands and is an "independent" region of Portugal. In Portuguese, Madeira means wood. There are large trees on the island and they were used to repair the first boats that discovered the islands. Chirstopher Columbus was one of the first explorers and he lived here for a while. Madeira has a mild climate with temperatures between 15 and 28 degrees Celsius, which is why it has such lush vegetation and flowers that bloom several times a year.

There is a lovely promenade around the shore of the city. The harbour is large and there are restaurants and shops along the promenade. At the end near the the harbour there is a small old fort almost in ruins. I climbed to the top and that is where I ended my tour of Madiera, taking pictures of the Costa Victoria with a rainbow above it.

Sunday, December 10th - Malaga, Spain

We arrived in Malaga at 8 a.m. and rushed ashore as we only had until 12:30 in port. It is now just 2 p.m. and we are heading east across the bottom of Spain. The resort towns are all along the seacshore with the moutains behind and it is very scenic from our viewpoint.

Today's tour of Malaga was very quick but very interesting. Malaga is larger than it appears with 600,000 inhabitants, and is one of Spain's largest cities. Phoenicians, Arabs, Carthagians, Visgoths and Romans all appeared to like the area so there is a lot of history in it. Our guide, Rafael, was an archeologist and he also told us that some of the oldest human remains on earth were found in this are,a but I didn't get the exact details.

We took the usual long winding roads to the top of the hill and the fortress of Castillo Gibralfaro (hill of the lighthouse), which dates back to Phoenician times. The views from there were incredible but the fortress itself was interesting with many different levels, gardens, walls all around, and ruins of old buildings. The pathways were narrow and often hard to walk on but well worth the effort.

We then took the bus down to the old city to visit Alcazaba, another fortress with palace in the Moorish style. This was the summer home of the King of Arabia and it was also on many levels and had gardens and courtyards and small rooms throughout. In places there were Roman pillars still remaining and even older remains have been found from 6,000 B.C. And just to mix the time periods even more, some parts of the castle are Gothic in style. The two castles or fortresses were joined by a steep path up the hill and all of that area plus the old city were surrounded by walled fortifications, most of which don't exist today. Below Alcazaba you find the remains of the Roman Theatre. It was not as large as others I've seen in my travels but it was still impressive considering how many centuries ago it was built.

We saw Picasso's birthplace and where he lived for the first 10 years of his life. A new tidbit of information picked up here was that Picasso was born at the same time as photogrpahy was developed. Artists up until that point in time made their living mainly painintg portraits for rich and important families but with photography their services were not as necessary. That is one of the reasons Picasso went after a different style and started doing compositions or painting parts of objects. He also considered it his job just to paint. The viewer had to interpret whatever he saw and each viewer and each viewing might interpret something different. Cubism, I believe it was called. I can honestly say that I am a failure at appreciating its worth. I guess my interpretation skills must be limited.

The downtown area has small narrow streets andn large wide pedestrial streets as well. In the Jewish quarter the streets were very narrow with small shops on each side. On the streets closer to the waterfront, there were trees along the boulevard and larger shops - all very modern. Their Christmas decorations were up and near the harbour they had a nativity scene that had life size figures made of plants and flowers.

The port is very long and stretched out so it was a long walk from the ship to the town. I was glad I was on a tour. The ship had a shuttle service but it cost 5 euros per person just to get to the end ofthe port so not many people were using it. What a rip off! Other cruise lines provide shuttles for free but not Costa. Maybe that's how they got their name - Costa!

Well, I guess I have to talk about the cruise for a bit now since I flipped two pages in my book and now have some space to fill before hitting the end of Malaga. The Costa Victoria is nice but it's definitely not new. It is in need of some renovations in some areas but it is clean and comfortable.

The food leaves a lot to be desired, which surprises me. I think you can eat almost any time so quantity is not a problem. However, the quality is sometimes questionable and that is coming from many people, not just me. The one thing that is always good though is their soup.

The fees are incredibly high: 30 euros per hour for internet ($50 Cdn), 4 euros for a coke ($6 Cdn), 99 euros for a massage ($150 Cdn), etc. The only thing cheap seems to be the levels of play in the Casino, which can go as low as .20 euros or $.30 Cdn. That's my kind of machine as my 5 euro bill lasts longer that way.

There are pools but they weren't used much on this cruise because it hasn't been hot enough. The lounges are comfortable and the entertainment is fantastic. They have about six different individuals or groups performing in different places all evening, as well as the msin show in the theatre. So far we've had a classical concert, a variety show, a magic act, an acrobatic act, musicals, a 60's and 70's show, and a dance show. All have been very enjoyable. Tonight is the formal Captain's Dinner so it will be interesting to see what the special entertainment is.

Now back to Malaga.

We went past the Cathedral but did not go in as there were services taking place. The Cathedral is very large and it was built between 1720 and 1780. It started out Gothic and parts of it ended up Renaissance as the times changed. It was built on the site of an old mosque that was no longer in use, and has only one of its towers finished. The other just stops part way up. The side entrance was one of the first parts completed and it is very ornate. The front facade is very wide and impressive with several different styles incorporated into it.

The climate in Malaga is tropical and it is a popular tourist location. This was also true in the past which was why the King of Arabia had a summer house here. The buildngs are again white or light colours, which help to deflect the sun's heat. They have small patios with flowers so the area is generally cool and shaded there. The front doors to the streets and the windows are often left open so the cool air from the patio can rush through to replace the hot air. Voila, instant air conditioning!

The old city wall used to come right down to the sea side. Now however, there are several more blocks between it and the sea as they reclaimed a lot of land from the sea and built a new port beyond. City Hall, the University, etc. now have beautiful big buildings facing the waterfront. There is a lovely promenade along the waterfront and the busiest place today seemed to be the outdoor ice rink where people were lined up to rent skates. I don't know whether it is just a Christmas thing or whether it is there all winter but it sure seemed to be popular. It was only a small rink within a tent so you weren't going to be going too fast in it or you weren't going to get many people in at once. However, it was interesting to see it there at all.

Oh my gosh. I'm not even a third of the way through my pages and I'm already tired and hungry and my eyes are going crazy. I may have to do this in several parts. Maybe I'll do better after some food and a rest but for now this is all you get. And I'm just going to post it now because it's too scary trying to save this stuf any where as I'm always afraid I'll lose it. I promise I'll get the rest to you soon so stay tuned for the rest of the cruise - but don't hold your breath.

Jayne

Hello all and Seasons Greetings! I hope this blog finds you in perfect holiday spirits.

I'm not sure exactly what this blog will talk about but I've been told I haven't written lately so I guess I had better get something down.

My cruise was great and I will eventually post something on the cruise itself and the ports of call: Barcelona (yes, I know you're still waiting for the original one from there!), Casablanca, Tenerife, Madeira and Malaga. Once Casablanca is hobbled together in my notes I'll sit down and type it for you and get it on its way.

Since I got off the cruise a couple days ago I have been busy planning what's coming up on the agenda and then enjoying myself. So first, let me tell you what's coming up. I don't have the details in front of me at the moment so I'll be guessing at some of this. I am doing two more cruises in the Mediterranean. The first is an 8-day cruise to Libya and Tunisia mainly (18th - 26th). The second is a 10-day cruise to Greece, Cyprus and Alexandria, Egypt (28th- 6th). Then from the 11th to 25th I am in Egypt on a trip with my brother and his wife. I don't yet know what I'm doing from the 6th to the 11th but I've got a while to worry about that. I'm also not sure about the 26th-28th but Savona sounds like a good spot to hang out, especially since that's where the first cruise ends and the next one starts. However, I may make the train trip to La Spezia and try to finish what I didn't get done in the rain today.

So I guess that leads to where I am now and what I've been doing. I am currently in La Spezia and using it as a base for exploring around Cinque Terre, Italy. Cinque Terre is the name of an area that includes five small villages on the coast of Italy: Monterossa, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. The area is all within a protected national park area and there are walking trails all through the park. Yesterday I took the train to Monterossa, toured around there for about an hour, did the walk to Vernazza, toured around there for an hour and had some lunch, did the walk to Corniglia, toured around there for a while and then took the train back to La Spezia. The footpath from Corniglia to Manarola is closed at the moment because of a mudslide so I couldn't do that portion. I have yet to do the last section between Manarola and Riomaggiore. It was too dark yesterday and too wet today. If it rains tomorrow I may never get it done. I'd also like to do the walk from Campiglia to Porto Venere, which is part of a much longer trail, but that is also questionable if it's still rainy tomorrow.

Today I took the bus to Lerici, toured around there, walked to San Terenzo, toured around there and then took the bus back. The rest of the afternoon and evening I spent wandering around La Spezia and touring the Amedeo Lia Museum. There was a lot of walking on both days and aside from a quick sit just to grab a drink of water or down a piece of pizza, I was on my feet and moving for over 8 hours each day. That may not seem like a lot to some of you but it's a lot to me, especially since most of it was non-stop stairs up and down and up and down and .........

Cinque Terre really is quite remarkable. There are over 7,000 km. of stone walls holding up steep terraces all along the coast. As you walk the footpaths you generally have one side to a stone wall and the other either to an incredible view of the ocean below or to vineyards or orchards or just wild vegetation. I have to keep reminding myself that it's December but the place was so quiet it was unbelievable. You just walk and walk and walk and the only sounds from time to time are the birds or the waves or a bee buzzing by. I'm sure it's different at harvest time or other times when the workers are in the fields or in the summer when there are thousands of tourists around!

The landscape with the terraces is so unique that it has been designated a UNESCO Mankinds World Heritage Site. When you are at the bottom looking up at the terraces they really are quite amazing. I just kept thinking about the poor workers who had to carry baskets of grapes up and down the pathways. I would never survive. I could barely get myself over them! Many of the terraces are in vineyards. Some are in orchards of what appeared to be oranges, lemons, limes and olives, although I confess that I wouldn't know an olive tree if I tripped over it.

The paths are all over the place but the basic routes are very well marked so quite easy to follow. Well, maybe that isn't the right phrasing there. The paths are easy to find but they are not necessarily easy to follow. About half of the time you are on steps which could be 3" or 3' in height, narrow or wide, and generally with very uneven and stony surfaces. Just when you think going up is tough, you get to try going down and for me that was even worse. The feet held up fine but I really had to watch which foot went first and where it was placed. Needless to say, I took a bit longer than they said was required for each section of the walk. However, I had to enjoy the scenery and take pictures and smell the flowers and, most of all, watch the path!!!

From Monterosee to Vernazza there were endless stone walls and lots of vineyards and lots of great views of the cliffs and the sea. In some locations the path was less than a foot wide and with a solid rock wall on one side and a drop on the other I would have appreciated a bit more room. Of course it didn't help to know that part of the closed path was closed because the path had given way!!! The path was definitely not busy. Three people passed me, only two of which commented on how slow I was going! And I only met 5 people coming from the other direction so it wasn't too bad trying to get around others on the pathway. I can't imagine what it would be like in the summer with a continuous flow of people in both directions on the path. In most places it would be no problem but in other places, it would be interesting. I started this path with my jacket on but the sun was so hot and I was working so hard climbing all the stairs that the coat came off right away. It remained sunny for about half the trip but it was hot even when cloudy.

Between Vernazza and Corniglia the path was basically the same but the immediate scenery was different. There were fewer vineyards and orchards, except at the beginning and end of the path. Most of it was simply wild with small trees and shrubs and cactus. Every once in a while you crossed a tiny stream and I could imagine that they aren't always that tiny. I had individual people pass me at each end of the trail and I met 4 people on the trail. I did however have lots of cats for company. Supposedly they are stray cats but they sure looked healthy and well fed to me. For a while I had 4 of them with me and I was literally tripping over them and almost kicking them out of the way so I could keep moving. When I thought I was almost there I panicked to see a town behind me to the left as I thought I'd missed a turn off and was going to have to go back. But around the corner someone assured me that I was still on the right path and all was okay. I guess I was seeing San Bernadino up on the hill. It was cloudy all the way along this path but I was still hot.

The sea was very, very blue and I had a sunset that seemed to last for hours.It would be nice to do this trip again in spring or summer or fall and see what it looks like then. There were a few small flowers out but not many. The cliffs are remarkable and when you get a view of the sea it is awesome. There are also many hidden beaches along the shore and it would be interesting to see it as a summer resort instead of a winter one.

Monterossa was very quiet and peaceful and even in the town the only sound was the sea. It was bright and warm and everyone and everything seemed to move at a very slow pace. The beach was a mix of sand and stone. There was a nice promenade all along the sea shore and there were squares and parks where people were relaxing and there were small cafes every where. The town is divided into two parts and separated by an outcropping of rock and an old fort - Torre Aurora. San Giovanni Battiste Church has a black and white facade on the outside and balck and white floor tiles, pillars and arches on the inside. The walls are very light and plain and the church is very nice overall. They even have gas heaters in the nave - the kind you might find at an outdoor cafe to keep it warm in winter. I guess these old stone buildings aren't the warmest at this time of year! The other buildings in town were all light earth tones and pale pastels and they seem to just climb up the side of thes cliffs. Some of them even have stilts on one side to help them.

Vernazza has a lovely little harbour - the only one of the five villages that actually has a protected harbour. The church is right at the seashore by the harbour and there is a castle right out on the point. Both were closed so I couldn't visit. However, I did go as high as I could on either side so I could get some pictures. There are benches all around the harbour and an open square so it was very relaxing. It was lunch time so many of the shops were closed. There was one main street from the harbour up the hill out of town. All the rest were small winding alleys off to the left or right, most of them pedestrian only and all of them going up so often involving stairs. The houses were very colourful in pink, beige earth tones, and they seemed to be stacked on top of each other.

Corniglia was very different from the other two villages as it is up on the top of the cliffs and does not get down to sea level at all. It provided some great views from its perch. It appeared to also have one main road and then a lot of narrow alleys off of it in every direction - this time both up and down but still often involving stairs. There were many covered alleyways and I really had to wonder whether the buildings were over the alleys or whether the alleys were through the buildings. Many of the alleys were unlit and as it was getting dark it was hard to get around in these areas. I also found it difficult to find my way to the train station but eventually I found the signs. Well, I'm glad the train was about an hour late because I never would have made it in time. I knew I had to go down but I had no idea how far down. The stairs just zig-zagged back and forth down the side of the hill. I think I was well over half way down before I started counting and I got to 297 so there must be over 600 steps. And at the end of that there is at least a kilometer of sloped walkway before you actually get to the train station. It was of course after I got to the train station that I discovered there was a bus that went back and forth between the town centre and the station. Somehow taking it would have been like cheating anyway! The only other thing I'll say about this train station, which is a small station with just three tracks, is that when they announce that there will be a train in transit on track one and you are standing or sitting by track one, hang on to everything you've got and keep your eyes closed! Those trains don't slow down one bit and they are moving. You could easily lose small pets and children as those trains fly by.

It's interesting as you do the walks to watch the village you have just left disappear and then disappear again after the many twists and turns in the path. At the same time you see the next village appear and reappear many times as you move forward. You think it is just down the hill but there is always one more corner or another hill or valley. The paths wind in and out and up and down and you change directions a million times. I don't know who made these original routes but apparently they were the only routes for a long time. And even yesterday I passed one couple heading from one village to the other and they were carrying their bags of purchases. I could barely get myself down the path but they were handling their Chirstmas shopping or bags of groceries as well. And at one stage a man with a load of sticks on his shoulder passed me. He was literally running in comparison to my speed. These folks are in great shape. They think it is so silly that we actually have big paved areas just to park cars in and that we drive cars everywhere! I of course could take that even farther and told them that I've been known to drive to one of those parking lots and go into a store and then get back into my car and drive to the other side of the parking lot to go to another store. Perhaps that helps to explain why I was so slow on the trails!

Speaking of slow .... The first trail was supposed to take two hours and I took three hours. The second trail was to take an hour and a half and I think I took about two, although in all honesty I forgot to check the time when I started. Despite not making the specified times I think I did really well and I had a great trip.I really hope it's nice tomorrow because I want to see the other two towns and do the last walk. It's a much easier one with an elevator at the beginning and the end so you don't have to do the big up and down portion. The last two villages are also supposed to be the prettiest and most authentic of the five.

Today I went the other way around the Gulf of La Spenzia. Lerici is about 15 km from La Spenzi and about half way down the east side of the Gulf. Lerici is a port town that has a history going back to well before the 12th century. It is in a beautiful location and has a harbour full of boats. The Castle Of San Giorgio, which is up on the hill, was closed but I went up to the terrace to take some pictures. You can see across the gulf to Port Venere and the islands, and you can see all along the coast in both directions. Of course, since it was cloudy and rainy today, the view was rather limited.The beauty of Lerici was favoured by poets and writers alike. Hotels, restaurants and streets all seem to have names like Shelley and Byron, and the bay is referred to as Poets Bay. There is a beautiful sandy beach along most of the shore, although at times it seemed more pebbly. There is also a promenade most of the way along the shore and it goes for several kilometers. I followed it to San Terenzo and then too a bus back as it was raining rather hard.

There are many streets open to traffic in the city and it seems much larger than any of the Cinque Terre villages. The hills are farther from the shore and there is more room for houses and roads than in the other locations. However, you still have a fair number of narrow, winding pedestrian streets and stairs.The Parish Church is very plain on the outside and Baroque in style. The inside is very beautiful and has some great art pieces in it. However, they didn't have many lights on and it was a dark day so it was hard to see anything in detail. I was impressed by the huge frescoes on the ceiling but it turns out they are 20th century paintings and not from the original church, which was a 14th century construction and later redone in the 17th century. The Church of San Rocco is much smaller and down by the harbour. It was built in the 13th century and its walls are very plain. However, it's also very pretty in its simplicity and it also has some beautiful artwork. It was interesting to note that gas heaters were placed in these churches too. I guess that's standard practice for old stone churches in cooler weather.

I guess I should say something about La Spezia itself. Unfortunately for the town, I think its claim to fame is that it has a lot of accommodation and is close to Cinque Terre. However, it is a beautiful city and I really wish I had more time to spend in it. My hotel is right at the train station and yet it's close to everything and I have wandered all through the town, which is well decorated for Christmas and very busy. There is a beautiful promenade and garden area down by the sea and a big harbour. And like all of these towns, the hills and mountains frame the other side. La Spezia is more spread out than the others but still has lots of pedestrian streets, which is where all the shopping takes place. I could actually get to like shopping if it was all like this. Well, kind of at least.

I toured the Museo del Sigillo the other afternoon but really didn't mean to. I just got the wrong museum. I'm not much into offical seals but it was interesting. Obviously seals have been around for a long time since they have examples going from the 5th century BC to current day. Some of the actual imprints are simple designs and some are very intricate. And the same can be said for the seals themselves. From simple rings that made impressions to large ornate objects carved or made from everything imaginable. There were full human figures, busts of known and unknown people, animals, and ornate designs that defy description. And they were made from wood, ivory, silver, bronze, shells, procelain, glass, gold or whatever. And many of them had more than one purpose such as a ring or perfume bottles or corkscrews or hammers. It's amazing what you learn when you enter the wrong door.

I made it to the right museum this afternoon, the Museo Amedeo Lia. All of the art in the museum came from a donation from Amedeo Lia and his family so I think it's fair that it's named after him, whoever he was. There are paintings from the 13th to 18th centruy as well as acient, medieval and modern sculptures and art objects. The whole first section is religious art and artifacts and its quite a collection. The applications of Mathematics reared its head again as the audio guide explained why paintings changed from the 13th to 15th century when the principles of perspective started to be applied. The mueum layout and the audio guide did a good job of comparing pieces and explaining what was different and why. This was true on perspective and on shading or outlining. It was quite interesting. In one of the rooms they had a small decorated glass perfume bottle from the 1st century BC and it appeared to be in perfect condition. It amazes me that anything could be in perfect condition after that many years but glass particularly. The last room was on still life paintings so I wasn't much looking forward to that. However, Giocomo Recco had some great flowers with vibrant colours and Andreas Belvedere was not bad either. I may even get to like that stuff before this trip is finished.

Well, I think that's all for this time and I really should get on to something else. Take care and I'll write again as soon as I can, although with more cruises coming up that could be tricky.

Merry Christmas, and do take time for some relaxation over this holiday season!

Jayne

PS - It is now the following evening - December 17th I think. I spent many hours and about 20 euros trying to post this last night and it wouldn't go through. However, I did eventually get it e-mailed to myself so at least it wasn't all lost. Today was pouring rain so there was nothing to do but sleep in and then travel to Genova for the night. I'm now here and hopefully have an internet connection that works. I copied and pasted the blog from my e-mail into here and lost all formatting so hopefully I have the paragraphs in the right place now. If not, you'll just have to guess at what description goes with what place. The spell check didn't work last night or today so please forgive any spelling mistakes too. The good news is that I did have time today to get my notes from the cruise all together so maybe you'll actually get a second posting tonight. Cheers!

Hello all

I don't know whether to say Buenos Dias or Buonguirno now. At the moment I am once again sitting in Barcelona, Spain but I am on a one-day excursion from the Costa cruiseship I am currently on, which is from Italy.

I had hoped that the 10 day cruise would give me lots of time to get caught up on my e-mails and get the blogs finished up. However, when I discovered that the ship's very elegant internet cafe cost 30 euros per hour, I decided I wasn't really going to get anything done there. Thus I am taking time out of my touring to visit an internet cafe and get caught up. And yes, this time I am guarding my new backpack carefully.

Barcelona is beautiful today. It is a warm sunny day, probably in the 60's, and everyone is out and about shopping. I think this must be their weekend or start of the Christmas festivities because there are markets and stalls everywhere selling Christmas goods (toys, crafts, flowers, trees, etc.) and every square and street is packed with people. They all have winter coats on but some of us tourists are running around in just our T-shirts.

One of the squares has a wonderful exhibit that people are walking around. It appears to be a minature (but very large) nativity scene. There are mountains in the background and trees and pastures. In the one corner the shepherds are out in the fields with their sheep. The wisemen are coming through the mountain pass. The whole place was packed and I didn't actually see the nativity scene itself but perhaps it wasn't even there. Perhaps it gets added later. Anyway, it was fun to see the square so alive with people - quite different than my last visit.

The cruise is going well. It is with Costa Cruise lines so mainly Italian. Everything seems to be translated into about six languages so it's hard to tell what they are speaking at times. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was seated with an all-English speaking table last night for dinner and two of them I had already met. We actually have an interesting table. Somehow they managed to keep the academics and the military types all together. There is a young couple from the US who are stationed in Germany and a young guy from the US who is stationed in Kosovo. Then there are two other couples. The one is from New Brunswick where she was a public school teacher and he worked for the University of New Brunswick. The other couple is from Johannesburg, South Africa and she was a teacher and he is a business man but I haven't figured out exactly in what area. Anyway, we had a great discussion and a very enjoyable dinner.

Costa is definitely not Holland America, which is who I have cruised most with. The South African couple and I both commented about the fact that there isn't a piece of art anywhere in the halls of the ship even though it's Italian which is known for its art. The buffets are quite scarce and very simple - nothing like the decoration found on other cruises. And the information is hard to come by. A lot of people missed breakfast this morning because they just didn't know when or where it was. Oh well, I'm sure things will get better and you can rest assured that I did not miss breakfast.

I left Florence on the 30th and took the train to Genova where I stayed on the night of the 30th and the 1st. On the 2nd I took the subway from Genova to Savona to catch the cruise ship. It was at that point that I met the first couple. We caught the bus from the subway stop to the harbour together.

Genova is an interesting city. At one of the first plazas I hit, I met a young girl from Genova who had studied for a year in Toronto. The buses were on strike so she was walking to meet her mother and she gave me a tour as we walked along. She was a great tour guide. I made some comment about it being a very nice city but not talked about much in the tour books. She said that was because the people of Genova never have liked tourists and they have tried to avoid tourism. It showed in many ways, like the fact that most of them won't or can't speak any English and aren't very helpful. My tour guide, however, was very helpful and informative.

We walked down Carroll to Garibaldi and then XXV Aprile to the main piazza. By the time we departed here I knew where the main museums were and where to go to see the other sights. And I actually managed to find them all thanks to her great directions.

The old city walls are still intact around part of the old city. Porta Soprano and the wall from it to the sea is still awesome. I stayed within the city wall except just at the Porta soprano where I went through for less than a block to reach Casa di Columbo.

The old house that Christopher Columbus lived in is a small narrow three-storey (counting the gorund floor) stone house. I say small but in those days it was probably quite large with two main rooms on each floor: the store and workshop on the first, the kitchen nad dining room ont he second and two bedrooms ont eh third. His father was a weaver and the family moved in to the house in 1455. So there you go. Christopher Columbus was Italian from Genova, not Spanish as some of us might have assumed.

It didn't take long to look at the house, which is currently bare. The real time here is spent reading a book of legal documents that have been translated into a dozen different languages. His father´s will, his will and his son´s will are there. I include the son´s because much of it was a duplicate of CC's will. The debts listed therein hadn't been paid yet so the son tried to ensure they ahd been covered so he and his dad could both rest in peace. There were also court decisions over disputes from some of CC's shipping transactions and who owed whome what. At one point the judge asked CC who he thought should win the case or who should get hte money and CC wisely answere with something like, "the right person" or "the one who rightly deserves it", which I thought was a pretty good answer.

Well, it looks like my time is just about up so I´'ll have to continue this and all my other stuff later. I may not write again soon as the cruise is 10 days and just started yesterday. I don't know when I'll get back to any of this but you can be assured that I am safe and sound on the cruise.

Cheers!

Jayne

PS - no time to proof - sorry!