* LIVE from the Rotterdam - 30 day Passage to Spain and Western Europe - Mar. 30th*

[kazu]

I am really enjoying your posts and photos. Thank you so very much.

 

The Easter Menu: no fewer than 4 entrees I would love to order. Leg of Lamb, Pesto Fettuccine, Braised Oxtail, Dover Sole! Plus, two appetizers and 2 soups and desserts that sounded very good: there ought to be a law for offering so many excellent choices at the same time!

 

Well I can vouch for the leg of lamb and the Dover sole. They were both delicious! We opted for the 1st dessert. I will post a pic shortly as it was so cute

 

What breathtaking views - it makes me feel like I'm right there with you! It's lovely to see brides who go for elegance, rather than sexy. As a Marriage Commissioner, I see many young women who opt for the sexy look, which isn't always flattering.

 

Your flowers are beautiful - you have a flair for arranging them so nicely.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

 

Thanks Gerry. The brides were all dressed very nicely. The one bride was obviously older than the others we saw. Truly beautiful and elegant! And, they were all radiant!

[kazu]

Good morning from the lovely Rotterdam & Livorno.

 

It's April 17th here, but let me take you back to yesterday and our lovely tour. First on the agenda was Siena. It's quite a trip to Siena but with our all aboard time we had the leisure to be able to do it.

 

 

 

 

Siena is medieval city in perfect condition located at the top of the hill for protection.

 

Once we arrived we headed to the plaza duomo (Church). This Church is revered and there were a lot of people lining up to go to Mass as this was Easter Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

A few more pictures of this beautiful church. Some close ups so you can an idea of the detail on it.

 

Some of the marble that the church is made of is the same marble that was used to carve the famous statue of David that is in Florence.

 

 

 

The Romans were here of course and there are still remnants of their civilization which are lovingly cared for. These appear on each side of the church - the symbol of the birth of Rome

 

 

Whatever you do - DON'T sit on these. They are ruins and not for sitting.

 

 

Typical of a medieval town, the streets are narrow (except for the plazas) and they are VERY steep.

 

 

Remnants of days one by. See the rings in the wall? Those were to hold the horses and donkeys years ago and still remain.

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

Here are a few of inside the church. Not great but at least you can get an idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

We headed to the other square and on the way, we admired this lovely building. Closed due to restoration inside by the work outside is lovely.

 

 

 

On to the square

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped for a light bite where we saw a number of locals eating

 

 

Of course it was pizza and quite good!

 

 

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[kazu]

We headed up the other stairway leading back to the duomo as it would soon be time to meet our driver

 

 

 

 

One last look at the magnificent tower at the plaza before we go

 

 

 

 

And we are off to visit San Gimignano

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

Views abound as we travel. First Siena from the distance.

 

 

Hard to capture them with the speed but I tried.

 

 

 

And soon we had arrived.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

It was very crowded - Easter Sunday.

 

There are tons of little shops here fitting into small spaces so cleverly.

 

 

 

For the chocolate lovers out there

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, that is liquid chocolate. And,they were passing out free samples. YUM!

 

Pretty, pretty little town.

 

 

all too soon, it was time to head back to the ship. After over 8 hours of touring, none of our group was objecting.

 

 

 

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[kazu]

Good morning from the lovely Rotterdam & Livorno.

 

It's April 17th here, but let me take you back to yesterday and our lovely tour. First on the agenda was Siena. It's quite a trip to Siena but with our all aboard time we had the leisure to be able to do it.

 

 

 

 

Siena is medieval city in perfect condition located at the top of the hill for protection.

 

Once we arrived we headed to the plaza duomo (Church). This Church is revered and there were a lot of people lining up to go to Mass as this was Easter Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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YIKES, i said we are in Livorno. OMG - we are in Civitavecchia today of course. It's April 17th so we MUST be in Civitavecchia - LOL. The pics are from yesterday when we were in Livorno.

 

 

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[kazu]

Back on the ship, we headed to our Easter dinner.

 

A couple of treats awaited us.

 

A gorgeous sunset (sinking fast). Through the dining room window..

 

 

 

And our special dessert after dinner. Hopefully you can make out the easter egg.

 

 

So today we are in Civi and on another private tour arranged by Gallinule (Michael).

 

Today's agenda includes Montefiascone with Lake Bolsena, Orvieto and Todi.

 

Kazu had a hard time opening the eyes this morning after two full days of touring but the day is now underway and was definitely worth the effort!

 

We headed to Montefiascone first as it is the furthest away and can get really crowded so Alberto wanted to make sure that we beat the crowds.

 

The roads are a tad bumpy but we had some lovely views along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

We arrived in Montefiascone & here is lovely lake Bolsena

 

 

Montefiascone has lovely stone work.

 

 

 

And some beautiful views too from that spot

 

 

Next we were off to visit Cathedral Margherita. The outside is quite plain but the inside is unbelievable.

 

Tap a talk does not want to load any more pics on this post for some reason so I will continue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[IllinoisGirl1978]

How are the cafes?

 

 

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[kazu]

How are the cafes?

 

 

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All the cafe's aren't open as this is Easter Monday which is a serious holiday here but the ones we have visited have been wonderful.

 

 

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[kazu]

Here is the inside of this beautiful cathedral.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This city is actually called the City of Popes. When it was not safe to be at the Vatican this is one of the places that the Pope came to to reside. No wonder the Cathedral is so lovely inside!

 

 

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[kazu]

Next we were on to the Civita di Bagnovegio. This is a very old city, vey high up which requires a long walk to access.

 

 

Somehow our driver convinced the police (who block access to the closer view) to let us pass so we could just whiz through. He lied. We stopped and admired.

 

Here is the history and story on this wondrous medieval town

 

 

Only about 45 people are permanent residents here. The rest are visitors.

 

 

One picture gives you an idea of the distance. The other is a closeup of the town.

 

 

And a pretty view looking down.

 

 

The ride is getting bumpier and bumpier and bumpier.

 

I am starting to think that our driver has taken us down every back road in Italy (to quote one of my travel companions).

 

 

 

 

 

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[kazu]

Having enjoyed the view we moved on to Ovierto and to the famous duomo there and the plaza and streets.

 

Our first visit had to be the church of course.

 

 

A bit of detail:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is said that MIchelango's inspiration for the Sisteen Chapel was after he visited this Church. Let's go inside and you will see why.

 

 

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[kazu]

The side walls are old mosaics that have been there for centuries. Again the same type of marble, but when you go into the two side altar rooms it is truly astounding (as is the main altar area).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

Playing catch up again.

Reports and pictures are great.

Thank you for taking the time to write your "Live" reports and post pictures.

[bennybear]

Wow you covered a lot of ground! Orvieto duomo is one of my favourite! We just looked at Bagnoricio too!

[sambamama]

Sounds like you are having a super time!

[kazu]

Playing catch up again.

Reports and pictures are great.

Thank you for taking the time to write your "Live" reports and post pictures.

 

Wow you covered a lot of ground! Orvieto duomo is one of my favourite! We just looked at Bagnoricio too! ��

 

Thanks both.

 

 

I had to stop posting suddenly yesterday. I had free wifi in the van and was using it when I could but it went intermittent at times and if a picture was loading I think it sucked the battery time from my ipad (couldn't have been me loading all the pics - LOL).

 

Have to go back to the old type, copy and paste now or catch up in Cagliari.

[kazu]

Sounds like you are having a super time!

 

We were a tad tired last night with 3 heavy tours back to back but it was worth every minute of it.

 

Thankfully, today, April 18th we arrive in Cagliari at noon, so we got to sleep in today.

 

For "las ninas" your mother was wishing for a sea day. LOL. She also tried the casino for the first time. I showed her how to use her card to charge to the room. She's up so far so Jose (her DH) isn't upset. LOL.

 

She's broken it to him that she might be spending $10 a day there. LOL.

[fancy234]

Haha I knew moms feet would start getting tired but judging by your pictures it's well worth the exhaustion!! There is just so much to see and do!! Mom loves the casino machines and they can be lucky ...I have won a fare share while on cruise ships !! Glad everyone is enjoying themselves so much nobody is going to want to go home lol

 

 

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[kazu]

Haha I knew moms feet would start getting tired but judging by your pictures it's well worth the exhaustion!! There is just so much to see and do!! Mom loves the casino machines and they can be lucky ...I have won a fare share while on cruise ships !! Glad everyone is enjoying themselves so much nobody is going to want to go home lol

 

 

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Can you send me some of your and your Mum's luck please?

 

I think I need it.

 

 

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[kazu]

Good morning from the lovely Rotterdam. We are sailing on our way to Cagliari (Sardinia) Italy.

 

It was so nice to be able to post for a bit yesterday without typing, copying and pasting. LOL.

 

Back to conservation of minutes or time it takes to post.

 

Now where did I leave off????

 

Oh yes, the inside of the lovely church of Orvieto.

 

Here are just a few more pics to try to show how lovely it is. No flash is permitted of course so it can cause some issues but I hope you get the idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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