A large amphora buried in the floor. The amphora was used to store wheat or other grains.
Friday, April 30, 2010
April 30 – Cagliari, Sardinia and the ruins of the Roman city of Nora
Today we arrived at Cagliari, the capital of the island of Sardinia. The city is quite large with a population of 450,000 approximately. We boarded a bus and drove briefly through the city on our way out to the countryside and the ruins of the Roman city of Nora. Cagliari is busily preparing for tomorrow May 1st when the festival of their patron saint, San Esefio, begins. From what we saw of the city it looked fairly unremarkable.
We traveled out to the southwest corner of the island to Nora which was the site of the first Roman settlement in Sardinia. The city was built on a peninsula and has suffered from the ravages of the sea and wind and is totally in ruins. Many of the stones and bricks were stolen over the centuries and only recently did excavation and restoration begin. Our guide pointed out the areas which were the homes of patricians. These were identified by the elaborate mosaic floors of the structures, since only wealthy families could afford such decoration. One area of the site was a marketplace, while others were thermal baths and even a small amphitheater. In one of the patrician homes it was interesting to see a large amphora, used for storing grain, buried to its mouth in the middle of the house.
Our bus ride took us through farmland where we saw a lot of sheep grazing. Sardinia is famous for its pecorino cheese made from sheep’s milk. We also passed through a lot of olive groves. From the hill overlooking the city we were able to see one of the things that made Sardinia important in ancient times, the salt flats. Salt was mined there for shipment to the rest of the Roman Empire for food preservation.
It’s an interesting place and a relatively short touring day. That’s good because tomorrow we begin a series of long days as we visit Rome, Florence & Pisa, and Cinque Terre.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
April 28 – The Day the Lights Went out in Gibraltar
A pair of Barbary Apes at the top of the Rock
We docked early this morning in Gibraltar on the European side of the Straits of Gibraltar. In ancient times this was known as the Pillars of Hercules. We had booked a tour which would take us via cable car to the “Top of the Rock.” A minibus took us to the cable car station where we joined a very long line to board. As we waited the cable car stopped and sirens could be heard in the streets. The power went out, as it turned out, everywhere in Gibraltar. We waited nearly half an hour in the line hoping the power would come back on. When it didn’t, we went out on the street and with several other people hired a van and driver to take us on a tour.
( In retrospect we were truly lucky that we weren’t either stuck in a cable car halfway up or stuck on the top with no way to get down except by walking a very steep road which made many switchbacks.)
Anyway, the driver drove us up to the summit with a few stops along the way. The famous caves and tunnels of Gibraltar were closed due to the power failure so we missed them. At the peak we encountered the monkeys, Barbary apes, for which the place is known. We had been told that we needed to be wary of them because they would try to steal cameras, purses and sundry other things. We found them to be very placid creatures that just wanted to sit on the roofs of the cars or on the railings and trees along the road munching on fruits and vegetables. Some looked like babies and one of those sat on Katie’s head after being coaxed there by a driver.
From the summit we could look westward to the Atlantic, north to Spain, east to the Mediterranean and south across the Strait to Africa and the Atlas Mountains. The view was breathtaking! We continued our drive down from the peak and along the way stopped for a view of the runway of the airport. The main road connecting Gibraltar and Spain crosses the runway so traffic has to stop whenever a plane takes off, not a convenient arrangement at all.
We stopped briefly in the main shopping area, but with no electricity, the shops were dark and restaurants were closed so we headed back to the ship.
Gibraltar has a population of 30,000 and has 22,000 registered vehicles. Much of the land has been reclaimed from the sea and dredging for more reclamation was visible everywhere. It is, of course, part of the British Empire (much to the chagrin of Spain) and the residents are British citizens. It’s a big banking center and the main industry is exportation. I asked our guide how that could be since they don’t produce anything in Gibraltar. He explained that their taxes are so low, that they are able to import all sorts of things and resell them making a profit! If the number of ships lying at anchor are an indicator, that must certainly be true.
Now we’re sailing in the Mediterranean with our last sea day coming up tomorrow. Our next port of call will be Cagliari, Sardinia on Friday.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
April 26 - Land Ho! Madeira!
Around 10:30 AM we got our first glimpse of land in a week. Our crossing of the Atlantic was nearly over. Madeira is part of a small archipelago of islands which lies about 400 km off the coast of Morocco. By 2:00 PM we were alongside the dock in the capital of the island, Funchal, and cleared to land.
Madeira was discovered by the Portuguese in 1419 as they began their exploration down the coast of Africa on their way to the Spice Islands. When they found the island it was uninhabited and completely covered in forests. Later when they returned to settle, the Portuguese set fires for 7 years in order to clear land for cultivation. Now virtually all the usable space is terraced (it’s very hilly and steep) and planted with something. Everywhere you look there is a profusion of flowers and trees. The island produces lots of bananas – enough to export – and a variety of other fruits and vegetables. Despite the rich volcanic soil and lush growth, the island doesn’t produce enough to feed the population of 260,000 so food has to be imported.
Our driver/guide Daniel took us on a whirlwind tour of the island. Our first stop was the highest point above the city where we had spectacular views of the city and the ocean below. While there we took a very unique ride. We climbed into wicker basket sleds and rode 2 km down the hill with two Madeiran brakemen guiding our ride. This was a tradition started more than a hundred years ago when people at the top of the hill needed to go down to buy things at the lower levels. It was a truly different experience careening down the road in a basket.
Next we were off to the “Grand Canyon” of Madeira. Deep in the middle of the canyon is a place called Corral des Freiras , the Corral of the nuns. The story is that a convent of nuns lived down in Funchal and was afraid that they would be ravished by pirates so they fled from near the ocean. They climbed the mountains and settled on the floor of the canyon. Before the road was put in, there were people who were born and lived their entire lives in that place and never saw the ocean despite the fact that it is only a couple of miles away.
To get to the overlook of the canyon, we passed through pine and eucalyptus forests and the air was full of the wonderful fragrances of both. Along the way we also saw lots of evidence of the massive floods and landslides that hit Madeira in February of this year. Apparently the island had already experienced a colder and wetter winter than usual and in February after torrential rains the mountain streams became raging rivers which cascaded down the hills carrying huge boulders with them and crushing everything in their paths. 42 people lost their lives and hundreds were left homeless.
Next we visited the Cabo da Girao, the second highest sea cliffs in the world and the highest ones in Europe. From a height of approximately 2000 ft. (681 m) the cliffs rise nearly vertically from the ocean level. From that high up we felt as if we could see forever!
Our final stop before heading back to Funchal and the ship was Camara de los Lobos, the harbor of the wolves. There are no wolves on Madeira, but seals were called “sea wolves” hence the name. This is a small fishing village and we could see all the boats pulled up on the beach in the little harbor. All around the boats were lines filled with drying fish. Daniel told us that the fish were the Madeiran version of bacalao (or cod). Overlooking the harbor was a terrace where Winston Churchill used to come to paint and a mural depicted the old statesman smoking his trademark cigar as he sat before his easel.
Finally we drove back to the city passing through a very modern hotel district and lovely parks full of flowers and fountains. All in all, it was a lovely day. Madeira is definitely a place with many things to see and I felt we just touched the surface.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
April 25 – Our Last Full Sea Day before Landfall
I’ve been very bad about posting on the blog. On these many days at sea there hasn’t been all that much to talk about. Almost every day we have had to set our clocks and watches forward an hour. Today it finally caught up with me. I awoke at 10 AM but felt like it was 8 AM. I finally had to take a little siesta this afternoon. I think I like the 25 hour days you get going westbound better than these 23 hour days.
Yesterday was a stormy day. The wind was blowing around 50 mph and the seas were running pretty high. Fortunately they were off our stern and the ship rode very well. All the outside spaces were cordoned off except for the area around the pools. The surf was up in the pools with waves sloshing back and forth and spilling everywhere. Today was a much more calm day with partly cloudy skies and that is the forecast for tomorrow when we arrive in Funchal, Madeira.
Tonight we did our traditional tossing of a message in a bottle overboard. Last October, Al and I tossed one over the side in the Atlantic past Gibraltar. A couple of months later I received an e-mail from a 22 year old Algerian man who had found it on the Mediterranean coast of Algeria. We shall see if this bottle comes ashore where someone finds it.
Well, that’s all for tonight. Our position is currently 33° 7.90N, 22°23.06 W
Saturday, April 24, 2010
April 24 – 33° 37.44 N, 35°40.93 W
Here we are 2380 miles from Ft. Lauderdale and 948 miles from Funchal, Madeira. This is our fifth day at sea and it’s our first somewhat stormy one. We have light rain and the wind is blowing at a little more than 47 knots. Despite that the ship is riding well as we head nearly due east at 21.7 knots.
We’ve been setting our clocks forward nearly every night. We’re now 4 hours ahead of EDT and this morning for the first time I really felt it. We didn’t get up until almost 10 AM. Between the dark clouds and the change in time it just didn’t seem like it was time to get moving. I think I like going in the other direction with 25 hour days better!
Katie tried to go up to Deck 19 to see how the sea looked from there but it was closed off as are some of the other outer spaces. We’ll just hang out in our cabin or a lounge I guess.
The last couple of days have flown by. Katie has been working on her lesson plans for the class she’ll be teaching in summer school. I have accomplished nothing constructive but it has been relaxing. Yesterday afternoon we had a luncheon for members of our internet group. More than 80 people showed up and it was very enjoyable. After lunch Katie and I played a round of golf up on the Princess links. We don’t pose a threat to any pro golfers!
We have another day and a half at sea after today before we arrive in Madeira. Hopefully tomorrow the weather will clear up a little. At some point during the night I woke up and we were doing some pretty good bouncing. Between the creaking of the ship and the clattering of the hangers in the closet we had a little symphony going on.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
April 21 - The Ultimate Ship's Tour
Another sea day but this one is very different. Katie and I were among the group that got to take the Ultimate Ship’s Tour. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos along the way.
Our group of 12 gathered at 2 PM and we began our look behind the scene backstage in the Princess Theater. After getting a look at the dressing room (which must be absolutely hectic during a show since some costume changes take only 30 seconds), we made our way forward to the forward Mooring Station. Seeing the lines and the anchor chains up close was incredible. In ports like Port Everglades where there are fixed gangways, the ship must be positioned to within 5 cm. of the exact spot in order to match the gangways. For our nearly 1000 ft/ long ship, as many as 12 lines are used to secure us to the dock.
Our next stop was the galley. It was mid-afternoon so it was relatively quiet there. Nevertheless, the pastry chefs were busily preparing desserts for the dinner service and the bakery was turning out breads and rolls. Everything is made aboard the ship , including all stocks for soups, ice cream and pastas. After passing through the Galley we made our way to the food storage areas, which are vast. The ship brought on tons of food in Ft. Lauderdale, so that we won’t starve on the way to the Mediterranean. With approximately 5000 people on board including passengers and crew, a tremendous quantity of food is consumed. The ship will be in the Med until October and all fresh things like produce will be bought at some provisioning ports there. All meats and many staple items, though, are sent via container from the US. The food orders are sent in 2 months in advance. We stopped by one of the cold storage lockers and it was amazing to see the vast amount of fresh fruits and vegetables being stored!
Our next stop was the Engine Control Room which is in the middle of the ship. From what looks like a miniature Mission Control with banks of monitors, every system is continuously monitored and data updated. For each system there is triple redundancy so that in the event one system goes out another can take over.
From the control room we went to the Laundry, stopping along the way at the Photography Lab (where on an average cruise 20,000 photos are printed) and the print shop which turns out all manner of communications to both passengers and crew. The Laundry was incredible! There were huge washing machines which could hold 350 pounds of laundry each. The Ruby Princess is the first ship in this fleet to have automatic pressing and folding machines. The machine can detect holes or tears in sheets or tablecloths and spits those out the side. The good ones are sent through the machine where they are dried completely, folded several times and deposited outside. The ship carries enough linens to change every sheet, towel, etc every day. The passenger laundry is equally impressive, since they manage to keep track of each cabin's individual items without getting them lost or mixed-up.
We visited the Medical Center where if necessary surgery can be performed if the ship is too far from land for an evacuation. In the event that someone becomes ill, the response time of the medical team is usually less than 3 minutes, less than it would be on land should we have an emergency in our home.
Our last two stops were the funnels near the stern of the ship. We climbed partway up to see the massive pipes used to vent the engines, incinerators, and other systems on board.
Finally, we went forward to the Bridge where the Captain greeted us with champagne and petit fours or chocolate covered strawberries. Everything on the bridge is automated . We’re cruising along at an average speed of 21 knots and at this speed we can come to a complete stop in approx. 1.5 km. At this speed we can sail round trip across the Atlantic without refueling. If we were to reduce our speed to 12 knots we could sail for 2 and one-half months without gassing up.
Well, I’ve probably told you more than you ever wanted to know about the ship. But we found it absolutely fascinating.
The pictures I’ve included today are of the lovely Atrium, which is the center of activity during much of the day.
April 20 – A lazy day at Sea
There’s not much to report for today. It’s partly cloudy and a little cool. We spent the day relaxing. Katie went to the pool briefly in the late afternoon but even she thought it was chilly. We ate dinner tonight at Sabatini’s. The service was excellent and the food delicious. Since I think pictures of the ocean probably get boring, today I’ll include a couple of Sabatinis where I eat breakfast every morning and where we dined tonight. It’s a beautiful place up on Deck 16 with windows overlooking the ocean on one side and a terrace with fountains on the other.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
April 19 – Time to Board the Ruby Princess!
When we awake Monday morning it is to overcast skies, but at least the rain has stopped. We can see the ship from our bedroom window so we know we’re good to go. After getting ourselves together, our car arrives and takes us to the cruise terminal.
Boarding was easy and the afternoon passed quickly. As it progressed the sun came out and it turned out to be a beautiful afternoon with low humidity and a very pleasant temperature. Just before sailaway, some friends came to our cabin for a little party. These were old friends I had cruised with before and new ones I met on the Cruise Critic Bulletin Board.
At 5:30 we cast off our lines and were on our way from Port Everglades for our trip eastward. The seas were very calm and as the evening progressed we saw a beautiful sunset off our stern. I hope in the next 6 days we’ll see several more just like it each evening.
April 18 – Our 2010 journey begins
This year we’re sailing from the New World to the Old. Our cruise begins in Fort Lauderdale and will take us across the Atlantic to our ultimate destination, Barcelona, Spain. Along the way we’ll visit Madeira off the coast of Africa and then a number of ports in the Mediterranean.
After uneventful flights to sunny south Florida, we arrive to first a light drizzle and then a deluge. Instead of exploring Las Olas , we spend the afternoon in our hotel playing a warm-up Scrabble game. Hopefully, this weather is not an omen of the weather when we sail.
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