Cruising Costa . . . ummm, quite a different experience . . . .

This last September (yes, I know . . I am extremely late on this post and the ones to follow) my brother and his wife came out to Europe for a little visit with us.  We all decided that since our last cruise was so fabulous another cruise would be the best way to see a good amount of Europe in small amount of time.  Our grave mistake??  We booked a European owned cruise line (Italy specifically) instead of a cruise line based out of the United States.  We set sail on the Costa Pacifica bound for France, United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain and Italy . . . the stops were fabulous but the cruise itself, not so much.

The first thing I noticed about the ship was that the interior was not quite as roomy.  It seems as if the walls were a little closer to one another, the ceilings a little lower and the furniture a little more cluttered.  The great promenade of the Royal Caribbean ship was long gone and replaced with a small piano, stairs, and a bar.  The outdoor activities were limited to several pools and hot tubs . . no mini golf, ping pong, basketball, etc. The food was decent . . . we ate when we were hungry . . not really something I looked forward to each night.  I have the say the cruise director was pretty amazing . . . she spoke at least 5 languages fluently and would have to say the same announcement five times in five different languages!  She didn't miss a beat!  The biggest disappointment of the ship, however, was the entertainment!  It consisted of the same group of thong-clad dancers and two singers every single night!!  We kept trying . . and kept being disappointed.  Night after night we left from the shows early . . . they were terrible!

Overall we were happy to spend quality time with family even if it wasn't on the best ship in the seas.  We were also able to meet a pretty cool couple from Austria as they sat at our table every night.  We enjoyed Santiago de Compostela with Biannca and Klaus as well as some intense matches of table tennis, aggravation and foosball. I can say that I will never again cruise with Costa . . . and it makes me a little nervous to cruise with other European companies as well.

Rome again, Rome again

Once we disembarked we took the train back to Rome to see the rest of the city we missed during our stop at the Vatican city.  Mom's first reaction to the Colosseum was priceless. . . "I just can't believe it!  This is incredible!  I can't believe I am here!" . . . hehe.  (I got it on film but unfortunately the process for uploading video on blogger.com is not working at the moment.  Maybe someday it will work and I can upload some videos).

 

 

 

The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in the world!  Construction was started in 70 AD and was completed by Titus in 80 AD.  It is estimated that the Colosseum could hold between 50,000 to 80,000 spectators and was used for gladiatorial contests as well as many different public spectacles.  When in the interior of the Colosseum we could see where the floor used to be and beneath it the various cages to hold animals and men for the contests.  It is still quite unbelievable that these types of games actually took place in history.

Above is the Arch of Constantine ~ A triumphal arch built in 315 dedicated to a victory of Constantine won in 312

 

The Roman Forum is an ancient plaza surrounded by several important ruins of government buildings at the very center of Rome . . within walking distance to the Colosseum.  It was the center of ancient Roman public life.  This site is in constant excavation and it was crazy to see the same site from a Youth on Missions Trip years ago that was now completely dug up and unearthing more ruins from below.

 

The Pantheon (above) is a Roman temple constructed "to all gods" and was built in 126 AD.  Unfortunately it was closed so we were only able to see it from the outside this time.

 

Gelato continued to be a favorite "snack" throughout our Italian journey . . . such smoothness. . . sweetness. . . coolness . . . and the colors!! Such bright, vibrant colors! 

 

Our last stop for the day was the Trevi fountain . . . the most famous fountain in the world! And for good reason!  It is absolutely beautiful!

First Cruise stop: Messina, Sicily

We did not book the cruise because of this port, that is for sure.  In fact, the excursions were so unexciting that we did not book any at all!  We decided this would be one of our "cheap" stops and we would invest in a walking map of the city.  It was nice . . . but pretty much uneventful.  It is an ancient city founded in the 8th century BC by the Greeks but much of the ancient structures were destroyed by a devastating earthquake as well as multiple attacks and plundering throughout the ages.

Our first stop after disembarking from the ship was the church of Annunziata dei Catalani.  It was pretty but definitely not as elaborate as other churches we had visited.  This church was built in the late 12th-13th century and had a series of arches and a noteworthy dome.   
 

 

 

We next continued up the Cathedral of Messina and the Astronomical Clock.  This cathedral was much bigger than the church and was very peaceful . . . we took some time to sit and enjoy the inside of this quite place.  The ceiling was rather beautiful!  It was built in the 12th century but the majority of the structure had to be rebuilt in the early 1900's due to a devastating earthquake. 

 

We continued our walk through the streets of Messina (stopping for gelato at various intervals) with my dear o'dad exclaiming "Bonjourno" to each Italian he saw . . . sigh.  After walking to the top of the city we were able to behold a rather pretty site of the city, ship and sea below.  We also met and Italian fellow dressed up as Mickey Mouse who offered so generously to drive us about in his car. . . I am sure his intentions were pure. 

That was basically it.  Like I said, pretty uneventful.  We headed back to the ship early.  Definitely not a must see location . . . but we were looking forward to the promise of Athens!

 

(back to our road trip through Italy) . . onward to Pisa and Cinque Terre!

Wow . . . never thought I would make it to the leaning tower of Pisa . . . but that is just where I ended up one sunny day in May! :-) Pisa was great!! I have heard some negative comments about the fact that the only thing to see in Pisa is the tower . . . but I definately think that is enough! It was fabulous! I think we enjoyed looking at all of the poses people were striking in an effort to "hold up the tower" almost as much as viewing the tower itself. Truely was beautiful and I am so glad we did not listen to those negative comments and decided to stop! I LOVED it!!

 

 

 

 Our next stop was the Cinque Terre! The cinque terre consists of 5 small villages (within hiking distance to each other) along the coast of the Italian Riviera. The five cities, along with the area surrounding, are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We personall visited the fourth city, Vernazza, which is the most famous and most pictured of all 5 cities. We were able to see first hand the great distruction that came the the Cinque Terre in October of 2011 when torrential rains caused severe flooding and mudslides. Almost two years later we could still see the damage that was done. Vernazza was colorful and full of life! (it was also raining and quite wet) We enjoyed a nice lunch at the edge of the pier and continued with a hike up in the hills to get better views, and pictures, of this little Italian jewel. I would have loved to stay a few days and hike (or take the train in the event of sudden laziness) from one town to the next. I have heard that each of the cities have their own unique style and beauty. Well . . . I have a year left here in Europe . . . perhaps I will make it back before I leave :-) We also witnessed the sneaky fingers of "umbrella snatching Bev" . . be careful with your umbrella. If it is left laying about she will snatch it faster than you can blink . . . we added two large umbrellas to our stash this day

 

(boys enjoying one of the many "gelato" stops)

 

 

(umbrella snatching Bev strikes again . . and again. . and again)

 

 

 

On the road once again . . stop number three. . Vatican City!

Our third stop in our Italian road trip was back up again to Rome.  This day we spent most of our time in the Vatican City, mainily St. Peter's Basilica.  It seems to me as if I have used the words awesome, incredible, beautiful, amazing, etc. way too many times during my posts already so I am a little at a loss for a new word.  St. Peter's Basilica was all of these things and more!  My only regret was that we were not able to visit the Sistine Chaple (most famous of all Vatican City buildings for the painted ceiling done by Michelangelo . . . think "creation of adam") on this visit.  We had run out of time and would only be able to see one of the two . . St. Peter's Basilica or the Sistine Chaple.  Seeing as I have seen both in previous years I left the decision up to my fellow travelers.  We stuck to the basilica.  Think of the most ornate builing you have ever seen . . . add incredible paintings and sculptures. . . then add in the tomb of St. Peter . . . add some more gold to that . . . then multiply by ten. . . you have St. Peter's Basilica!!  St. Peter's is of Renaissance architecture and time period and is one of the largest churchs in the world.  St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".  I have included some video footage so you can see for yourself the magnificence of this structure!  After spending several hours in the Vatican we then headed off northbound for our adventures to Pisa and the Cinque Terre!
 
 

 

the second stop in our Italy roadtrip . . . beautiful Amalfi

 

Amalfi coast was absolutely stunning!!  It was a stop that we did almost as an afterthought after Pompeii.  We were done with Pompeii with several hours to spare for the day . . . I had read about the Amalfi coast and we decided to take the drive.  Boy was it worth it!!  I wish we had spent at least a whole day here!  Instead we had just a few charming, romantic and thrilling hours.  The coastline drive to Amalfi was gorgeous!  We stopped at one point just to take in the beauty . . and of course a few photos.  As we descended into the city we were met with a variety of tightly packed buildings which gave it a quaint feel.  Amalfi is located right across the street from the ocean so we were provided with a lightly scented ocean breeze and a fine mist on our faces.  As the sun started to set the lights of the city came out.  Stringed lanterns of different shapes and sizes gave this small village a feeling of "home".  The further we wandered back into the small alleyways the more of the city came into view.  Where you thought you may just be walking down a dark pathway you ended up in a wonderful market square full of sea food and lemoncello products!  Of course there were plenty of gelato shops as well!  We ate at a well known seafood restaurant complete with live music and a feeling of jovial hospitality.  I think we were all very hesitant to leave this little jewel of a city on Italy's southern coast.  It is a must to anyone traveling in this region of the country!