Ocean princess venice to rome

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Decorative ceiling

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Back outside in the sun on a street with brothels, noted by the phallus sticking out of the wall above.

 



 

One of the "beds" in a brothel. I don't want to hear a peep out of people who think the Princess mattresses are too firm...

 

Only pieces of the puzzle remain to fire our imaginations of life back then. There had been an Earthquake 17 years before that had damaged many buildings in the town and after the volcanic catastrophe it was abandoned and left for about 1500 years before being discovered.

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Some walls withstood the blast and the heat and the rain of ash

 



 

A modern spigot where a drinking fountain once was

 



 

Next the main square or piazza...

As we were walking to the main square to end our visit to Pompeii I was talking to a fellow passenger who had shared a couple of tours with us-Lydia who is in some photos in white pants with a black backpack-about Cruise Critic. She was unaware of it's existence. I mentioned I would be writing up a review with photos etc under the name Bimmer09. At that point a lady in front of us turned and said "are you Bimmer09?". "Why yes ma'am" I said, fluttering my imaginary Oliver Hardy tie. "I read all your stuff.". That was very gratifying to hear.

I asked for her screen name but she says she doesn't post but reads the boards avidly.

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This lady was posing for her husband, not me. I am not usually a poser in front of things and maybe the only guy who could visit the Eiffel Tower and not have his photo taken to prove he was there. The Tower is the star. I prefer non-posed photos but those ship photographers always get me-and there is no obligation to buy. Vesuvius looms in the background, 5 miles away. He 's saying "hey-don't look at me! I was just doin' my job,pal " Fair enough.

Here's another great detail- white reflective pieces of quartz embedded in the streets which shine in the moonlight helping people keep their footing on the cobbles .

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And we were back to the world of commerce (and fridge magnets) where we would have a 15 minute restroom break before heading back to the bus a few blocks away.

There's a 3 minute video I took in Pompeii. Keeping up with a guided tour while trying to film and take photos and see with my own eyes and listen means there simply wasn't time to catch more. Some of the places like the baths were too dimly lit for the videocamera to get good results.

Three minutes is better than nothing and I believe there are National Geographic documentaries on Pompeii which are more elaborate and better filmed (gasp!) than this. I have been a Member of Nat Geo for over 20 years and approve this message.

Also I am going to include one last photo from the public square that got left out of the mix before.

So-here's the video

Norris

Loved this day....I will not be able to do the actual tour....as a very small child I saw pieces of a movie of the volcano and never forgot my mother explaining what it was....four years of latin and anything I could read and I will just be glad to ride by on the way to positano...thank you for bringing it to life...

Loved this day....I will not be able to do the actual tour....as a very small child I saw pieces of a movie of the volcano and never forgot my mother explaining what it was....four years of latin and anything I could read and I will just be glad to ride by on the way to positano...thank you for bringing it to life...

Thanks and I am glad you liked it. I had Latin at school too and have no idea why it was taught. Amo, amas, amat-I'm out! If they had taught Italian at school I might have found a use for that. I did enjoy French and that has proved useful.

Glad you are still reading along.

More to come.

Norris

Perth Australia was on my photo list. I needed to find someone who hailed from Perth Australia and get a photo of them with myself. Perth was the second city on my list of places that were the furthest away from my home city of Centennial, CO. It 16,278 km away from Centennial. Dang it, dang it, dang it!

Thanks for the frame capture of us with the balloons! I sent it to my in-laws who are currently in Mexico. They loved it!

Norris, I am so glad you and Carol took your fall foliage trip! It gave me some time, so I have finally managed to catch up!

The photos of the OP are beautiful! While all of our sailings have been on large ships, I suspect I would love sailing on the OP. Since we are aft cabin lovers, I think 6088 would be the perfect place for us.

I'm not going to comment on every little detail of my catch up reading and viewing. I'm just going to say that I am thoroughly enjoying the journey and I'm looking forward to following you the rest of the way.

Norris, I am so glad you and Carol took your fall foliage trip! It gave me some time, so I have finally managed to catch up!

 

The photos of the OP are beautiful! While all of our sailings have been on large ships, I suspect I would love sailing on the OP. Since we are aft cabin lovers, I think 6088 would be the perfect place for us.

 

I'm not going to comment on every little detail of my catch up reading and viewing. I'm just going to say that I am thoroughly enjoying the journey and I'm looking forward to following you the rest of the way.

As always I haven't read this from cover to cover yet myself but usually leave that until the end. I know parceling it out one event at a time with so many photos and videos isn't ideal but it is the only way when something is this long.

If I was showing you the Patters, every menu and each dish in the buffet I would never get finished. If the cruise was heavy in sea days I might have time for all of that but getting up early and off the ship every day bar one means this is heavy in excursions and not so much ship life.

Thanks for stopping in and I am glad you are in for the long haul!

6088 was pricey but was the best suite we have stayed in-for space and storage and the giant balcony.

Norris, Positano coming up next.

The Marketplace area at Pompeii is a mass of people going every which way so it's a good idea to listen to your guide when they arrange a meeting point after your 15 minute or so break to use the bathrooms, buy a cameo or lesser souvenir or grab another coffee.

You can also use your time to get a photo taken with the Roman Centurions in full costume who ply their trade. They were doing a brisk business.

While waiting I heard an Italian tour guide tell the leader of a Japanese tour that he would have to help her as "your people don't speak Italian or English and they are just roaming everywhere when they are supposed to get back on the bus" and indeed it was like herding cats. Poor woman.

Our guide Maria had no such issues and led us on a march to where our bus was waiting- the bus can't come closer to pick you up. Stay with your group!

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Our route would take us on a 45 minute drive back through Sorrento and then along the winding precipitous coastal road to Positano which hangs onto a cliff with it's fingernails before resting on a sandy beach. There we would have lunch.

Even though I was on a small bus on a sunny day and window reflections and speed were an issue I had to take photos as I might never get the chance again. Same applies to the video I shot between photos. So, flawed as some of the photos may be I am going to show them anyway to give you a flavor of the trip. When you just catch glimpses of your destination as you round a rocky bend after rocky bend it heightens the anticipation.

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We've got an aft OS on the Pacific Princess next year for our 40th. We've had aft VS and PH before and are certainly looking forward to the OS as you did - pricey but great, including the huge balcony.

Your exquisitely described verbal and pictoral tour of the Ocean Princess and your cruise (our two choices were Med and French Polynesia) are wonderful mental and informational prep for us! As you know, part of the joy of cruising (or any vacation or upcoming fun activity for that matter) is the anticipation, and you bring it alive for us.

Plus we just love how you love telling your story.

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With each hairpin turn on a corkscrew road we came lower and lower into the town-the video will show us in the narrow streets as we descended between the houses and shops and photos of houses clinging to the hills were no longer possible.

So the video will come next. Pompeii to Positano and at 12 minutes long you may be tempted to fast forward if motion sickness sets in.

We've got an aft OS on the Pacific Princess next year for our 40th. We've had aft VS and PH before and are certainly looking forward to the OS as you did - pricey but great, including the huge balcony.

 

Your exquisitely described verbal and pictoral tour of the Ocean Princess and your cruise (our two choices were Med and French Polynesia) are wonderful mental and informational prep for us! As you know, part of the joy of cruising (or any vacation or upcoming fun activity for that matter) is the anticipation, and you bring it alive for us.

 

Plus we just love how you love telling your story.

I'm glad to see you are keeping up with this. You will love the suite and the ship and that exotic itinerary.

Thanks for the kind words.

Norris

Ok here is a video of the long and winding road.

There's a caveat in that the camcorder is moving at 40 mph for much of it and the objects it has to focus on range from a bush (3 ft away) to a cruise ship (2 miles away) so of course it has issues (don't we all?)

It is what it is. Don't start shaking your computer or cleaning your eye-glasses.

It will be fine when we get to Positano and slow down and say addio to the bushes.

Norris

I saw this poster as we walked from the garage where the bus had to park as there was no guaranteed parking beyond. The streets were steep and narrow but there were still cars to consider coming behind you. We followed our guide down and down further. None of us knew the name or location of the restaurant we were booked at and hunger drove us on.

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It was a lovely day

 

 



 

 

We would miss the fish festival by one day

 



 

No time to stop for Limoncello, alas. All of the shops were small, wonderfully clean and well lit and very colorful. A person who buys more than fridge

magnets could load up on beautiful souvenirs.

 



 

 

Soon we saw our restaurant-Covo dei Saraceni

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Maria talking to Cliff before leaving us to be waited upon. The service was impeccable and friendly as all our meals in Italy had been. We spoke as much Italian as we could to the waiters and I had no problems getting my wine refilled and if there's a bottle left on the table I am not shy about pouring for the group.

Norris, my DH wants to have a word with you! It would appear that your picture diary and colorful descriptions of all things Italy is FORCING me to repeatedly show him WHY we must go back! Our 2007 visit to the Amalfi coast was such a wonderful experience - we've always said we wanted to go back. (as I have been reminding him!) Hmmmmm....you are making it very hard for me not to start checking things out!

I've been away from CC for a few days. Just got caught up with your review. As always, great job. I especially loved your outstanding photos of Pompeii. I've been fascinated with Pompeii for the last 50 years, ever since I read a book called "Lost Cities and Vanished Civilizations" by Robert Silverberg. Your amazing photos brought it all to life. Chances are I'll never get to walk the streets of Pompeii in person. Your photos were the next best thing. Thanks for the tour.

Norris, my DH wants to have a word with you! It would appear that your picture diary and colorful descriptions of all things Italy is FORCING me to repeatedly show him WHY we must go back! Our 2007 visit to the Amalfi coast was such a wonderful experience - we've always said we wanted to go back. (as I have been reminding him!) Hmmmmm....you are making it very hard for me not to start checking things out!

I believe "you only live once" and should go where your heart and mind tells you to (as long as it's a place with clean running water and insects smaller than you are- that's pretty much my criteria but rules out half the globe).

You can't really visit everywhere on the globe in a meaningful way and there are special places one fits into nicely-in our case one of those is Munich( which we use as a base to explore from) which I think we have been to 6 times now and will go again.Each year we add a few new places too.

I think by the time I finish this (ROME) your DH will be putty in your hands.

Squeeze him, mould him- and then book the tickets. He WILL thank you once you are there.

Do it.

Norris

I've been away from CC for a few days. Just got caught up with your review. As always, great job. I especially loved your outstanding photos of Pompeii. I've been fascinated with Pompeii for the last 50 years, ever since I read a book called "Lost Cities and Vanished Civilizations" by Robert Silverberg. Your amazing photos brought it all to life. Chances are I'll never get to walk the streets of Pompeii in person. Your photos were the next best thing. Thanks for the tour.

Jasperdo-good to see you here again.

Why do you think you'll never walk the streets of Pompeii in person? If my photos help you feel like you have been there then I am glad but wish I had been able to take more. Maria set a good pace and I am glad she did considering how crowded it became later in our walk. It was fascinating to say the least and I had to let the camera hang at times to listen to Maria, to look with my eyes and not through a lens and let my imagination wander trying to imagine what it was like before the eruption.

I am glad that you are getting something from this photo journal.

Carol is too as she is seeing the photos and video for the first time.

Norris

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Soon this thing of beauty came to the table and luckily I photographed the label so I can track it down in Chicago. Hopefully it is exported. Every glass of wine I had in Italy was absolutely on-the-mark as far as my taste goes.

We have a cat at home, who comes into the kitchen every time the fridge door is opened as she thinks there will be food.

On the Princess board we have a poster who is lured by Food Porn, so these next shots are for she who can sense when a photo of food has been posted on the boards....rdsqrl.

Salad course. Very few ingredients which gets my seal of approval as the flavors can harmonize. Less is more when it comes to the number of items on my plate and simple preparation always trumps elaborate. My mom never used liquid nitrogen or olive-oil snow or bacon-jam in any of her recipes. No sous-vide in our kitchen. Give me fresh and light and tasty in my salad.

Some warm, crispy-crust Italian bread helped me soak up the juices on this plate and more wine was brought forth as I was tucking into that as well.

Although not captured on film, Carol's notes reveal that I had a rum baba for dessert.

The meal, the setting and the company of fellow cruisers-half Aussies, half American was such that I could happily have spent a few more hours there, talking and drinking wine, joining Cliff on the beach for an occasional smoke.

Night could have fallen around me and I would have enjoyed that just as much with the lights from the houses shining on the warm sea washing ashore.

But we had to be somewhere and that was back in Sorrento. After 8 hours, a lot of walking and a lunch with wine a nap sounded like a great idea so there was no resisting Maria's call to return to the bus, which was uphill all the way.

Norris,

Love keeping up with your thread. Two questions; Did you arrange private tours with other CC's or did you take ship's tours? Have you felt any vibration in your aft suite and if so,has it been annoying?

We willbe on the OP for 52 days in March.

Thanks