Malta, Taormina, Castelmola and Mt. Etna

More on Malta...we docked in Valletta, the capital city on Saturday. You can walk off the ship and get tickets for the hoho bus tour around the island. It's s great way to see the ancient capital of Mdina and get a good overview of the island The cost was 15 euro per person. Cathedrals, palaces, forts, beautiful gardens, and a war museum provided a full day of exploration. As we were in Valletta on Saturday, I think most of Malta's 370,000 inhabitants were on the marble pedestrian streets with us!! Maltese cuisine is similar to that of its closest neighbor, Sicily. Rabbit is a local favorite and we saw it on many menus as we were deciding where to lunch! Cafe Regina won our vote so we got a table for 2 at the outdoor cafe. Ken ordered one of the local seafood specialties, spnott otherwise known as sea bass. Presentation was beautiful with the whole fish nestled on sautéed veggies.. Eggplant, zucchini, onions, and tomatoes.

 
 Me, being a bit more timid, chose another local specialty of spaghetti bolognese... Just couldn't do the rabbit! The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce was a light tomato & minced beef with chunks of carrots. The side salad came with French fries! The tax rate in Malta is 18%! Though I searched the island, I saw no Maltese dogs while in Malta; but I did see dogs that reside in Malta! I miss my little Maltese dog Zoey!

We returned to our lovely home away from home to enjoy some iced fruit tea, zumba class, cocktails in sky lounge for sail away, and another yummy dinner in Blu with four friends. Prime rib was on the menu..prime rib, lobster, pheasant, pizza, pasta,.. How spoiled am I?

A highlight of this trip was Sicily! Sicily has been on my dream list and it did not disappoint! In fact, it surpassed my expectations. We had pre-arranged a tour for our group of 25 with "Sicily with Mario". This company is owned by brothers Mario and Ignazio. Ignazio, who must be a twin brother to my friend Bob, was an excellent guide. He picked us up pier side at 8:15 and we were on our way to Taormina! Taormina (village of the bull) is 35 miles from Messina where we docked. It was founded in 358 BC and is a breathtakingly beautiful town perched on high cliffs. My camera almost gave up on me because of over use! Every which way I looked was a stunning view and photo-op! We entered through one of the ancient city gates, visited S.Nicolas Cathedral, the Teatro Greco, Roman wall, ancient gardens, shopped along Corso Umberto, and savored a glass of local wine at a ristorante in Piazza 9 Aprile.

 Do you want to know about my shopping finds? To be honest, I was so busy snapping photos, that shopping took a back seat. However, I did find a fun shirt in a boutique.. It complements by black Capri tights so well.. Adorned with swarovski crystals that decorate a puppy dog sitting on a motorcycle, this shirt had my name written all over it! Though I really wanted a pair of Geox shoes, I will have to order them from Zappo's when I get home as they would put me overweight on luggage! I also purchased a few small ceramic pieces and a special chef apron that was embroidered before my eyes!

 Following our visit to Taormina, we boarded our bus to head high up the mountain to Castelmola. Castelmola translates to castle on rock.

My palms got a bit sweaty as our bus traveled along the winding road up and up and up to the little village. From here we got a superb view of the smoking Mt. Etna! Mt. Etna is the highest point on Sicily and is an active volcano, which erupted a week before this cruise. The smoke billowing out was white. Ignazio told us that it becomes darker, turning to almost black before an eruption. He offers tours up to Etna on big four wheelers so when we return we shall do this!... Unless I chicken out...it would be an adventure for sure. Lunch at La Taverna dell' Etna was delightful. We were seated on a terrace overlooking Mt. Etna. Being a pizza connoisseur, I chose pizza and tomato salad both of which were simply divine.

 With very little time for shopping, I did manage to purchase some jewelry made from Etna's lava rocks. Upon Ignazio's suggestion, we went into Turrisi Bar to see the unique works of art that decorate the restaurant...I must admit that I've never seen such decorative pieces...phallic symbols everywhere from door pulls, to ceramic jars, lamps, chandeliers, and paintings. Our friendly shop keeper gave us a menu or such that describes these art works.. I don't know if I have an appropriate place to display this at home!

 Before our trek back to Messina, Ignazio gave us a sample of the local almond wine, which you can evidently only get in Castelmola. I was quite pleasantly surprised..it was light and fruity with an almond flavor but not too sweet at all. Nicky from our group poured a taste of limoncello for each of us and some of our group slept all the way back to Messina! Following a quick tour of Messina, we boarded the Silhouette with an hour to spare before 6 pm sail away.

 Fortunately we were seated at a window seat in Blu for dinner so our table of 4 had an up close view of the majestic active volcano Stromboli which rises out of the ocean! A bit of Sicilian trivia now: swordfish are prevalent in the seas around Sicily so there are many swordfish boats. These are small boats that accommodate 6 to 8 fishermen and are usually owned jointly by the families. Singing by the fishermen attracts the fish! Perhaps my voice is more suited to fishing than to karaoke! This journey is coming to an end but the friendships and memories will last a life time. I'll probably do one more blog entry before we depart for home sweet home! Loving and missing you, Me

Searching for Maltese dogs in Malta

Good afternoon from Valletta, Malta!  We arrived here early this morning and jumped on a hop on-hop off bus for a tour of the island.  Malta is larger than I thought but just as beautiful.  I've seen a dog from Malta, but not a single Maltese dog!  I guess that's a good thing because if I saw one I would probably get homesick because I am missing Zoey!  After our tour we found this little internet cafe to catch up on mail, facebook, and such. We are going to find a typical Maltese restaurant for lunch and vino, wander and explore, and be back onboard the ship for our 6 pm sail away.  Yesterday we went to a lecture given by Captain Pagonis... we had met him previously at a senior officers' party for Elite Captain Club members and I knew he was a nice man!  He is so intelligent, witty, and even good looking!  His talk was excellent... I learned lots about navigation of this giant ships and even a secret or two from the Captain.  Do you know that he wears a green sock on his right foot and a red sock on his left foot so that he always knows which is starboard and which is port side of the ship???  Did you know that whales sleep on the surface of the ocean at night?  From the bridge, the look out uses night vision binoculars so that they don't hit one of the endangered species of whales, such as the right whale. What was for dinner??? Oh me oh my... it was lobster and was perfect even though it was a warm water lobster.  Food has been great and we are really enjoying the ship as well as the ports of call.  Tomorrow we will be in Sicily and I can't wait!!! Mt. Etna, Taormino, Castlemona, Godfather search, food and wine... what could be better? Thank you for your emails... they always make me smile and feel happy!   Love ya, Miss ya,     Me

Wine Tasting from Bari, Italy

Now it's Kalisera, as it's afternoon, in Corfu!  I don't have my notes so I will try to recap our wonderful day of wine tastings.  Giavanni and Maria were superb tour guides.  Our group of 11 cruise critic members were met pier side and hopped into our van.  We visited two wineries in the Puglia region of Italy.  We learned that "love is wine" and "wine is love" and that some Italian grandmas were given a glass of wine each night before bed and they had 12 children!!! LOL!

The first vineyard that we visited, Cantine Polvanera, was a smaller one and the owner and master wine maker, Filippo Cassona, was so handsome and sooo Italian if you know what I mean. We toured the vineyards as well as the cellar and had a tasting of spumante, red, and white wines.. note that the sampling was an ample serving in a Reidel glass and was served along with antipasto... bruschetta was prepared table side with olive oil from their farm and balsamic vinegar ... also served was foccacia with tomatoes, garlic, anmd olive oil... crackers and such.  oh my! 

We purchased a bottle to take back to the ship for enjoyment on our balcony.

The next winery was a larger and older one.  We learned how they bury cow horns in the soil beneath the vines ... I'll tell ya about that later.  Another tasting... and then on to Matera for lunch and a walking tour of the charming city with cave dwellings or Sassi

  Lunch was at a small local family owned trattoria... anti pasto plate with 4 cheeses, 4 meats (salami, proscuitto, etc.) and grilled vegetables along with bread, local red wine by the pitcher,pasta, and meats... lovely ricotta/coconut/almond/chocolate cake for dessert... I was in heaven.  Next up was a quick walking tour of Matera before heading back to the ship... I think we were the last ones onboard.. if you know Ken, you can imagine how he was checking his watch!!  OK, this Greek computer has stopped again... so signing off once more...

Love y 'all miss y'all,

Kalimera from Corfu, Greece

Greetings from Mamma Mia Island... well it sort of looks like it when you get out of the old town and fortress parts... found an internet cafe behind a old church...

have been all the way up to the new fortress which bounds the old city on one side and will now head to the old fortress... lots of steps, ancient ruins, beautiful views... well worth it.  the sea is azure and turquoise and crystal clear, while the skies are carolina blue!  Found some olive wood treasures ... and a beautiful oil/vinegar cruet but I don't think it will make it back in my luggage so that has to be left behind.  Also looking at ancient greek and roman coin jewelry on this trip.. i have a collection of sorts, with a couple of spanish treasure coin pendants, an old roman pendant, and a greek one... but we are looking for one with an interesting setting.  much of the gold here is 18 ct. thus far i have only seen one piece that made me smile.  we noted where the shop is so perhaps on the way out???  We plan to have a beautifully presented greek salad for lunch along with local vino.  we are so glad that we brought appropriate shoes as we have walked millions of miles on this trip and climbed thousands of steps! 

Now, let me catch you up on yesterday's wine tour to the Puglia region of Italy.  Our guides Giovanni and Maria took our group of 11 on the most wonderful day trip to visit two vineyards, walking tour of Matera, and lunch in a small local family owned trattoria.  This entire cruise has been wonderful, but this was a highlight... for some reason this greek computer is not letting me write as much as I want to, so I am signing off for now, but will send another email...  Love and Kisses, from Me

Kotor, Montenegro

I am walking around with my mouth open in awe!  I can't stop saying wow and taking photos.  The coast of Montenegro is like none other.. Huge limestone mountains reaching into the clouds coming straight out of the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic sea drew us right in.  Kotor  is very clean and the people are friendly... I'm in a youth hostel now using their wifi and my iPad... Rick Steves would be proud of me!   I found a few treasures yesterday in Dubrovnik .. Known for filagree jewelry I found a fish pendant with large eyes and purchased it from the designer ( or so he said).. We had a lovely fruit and yogurt along with s glass of croatian wine at Restaurant Dubrovnik, which was highly recommended on Tripadvisor.  Up and down the beautiful narrow streets.. Up leading to The Wall!!!  Following that we stopped for lunch at the Baracuda Pizzeria.  Some little soaps jumped into my bag before our return to the ship.  Onboard, it was pool time to enjoy the beautiful Croatian sun and work on my tan! Zumba class followed pool time, then cocktails in sky lounge (we are really enjoying our Elite perks)!  We tried once again to find Carlo but he is now in the martini bar.   We headed to the show which featured one of the West End theatre stars who performed in grease, les miserables, etc.  Lindsey Hamilton was phenomenally good.. Her show ended with "The Prayer" as a duet with our cruise director who sounded just like Josh Groban.   Dinner in Blu, martini bar to find Carlo, and a chocolate martini for dessert topped off a perfect day.  We finally met Carlo and he even  comped us a bottle of Opus One and signed it! Signing off now to explore more narrow cobblestone streets, take photos of the famous Kotor cats and sample montenegran food & wine... Tomorrow we will be in Bari, Italy for our independent wine tour to visit two wineries and the city of Matera.. Therenwill only be ten of us in a 24 seat van!! Love and kisses, Me

Walking Dubrovnik Walls

good morning from beautiful dubrovnik, croatia. itćs sunnz and beautiful here... please excuse mz spelling because this croation kezboard is not cooperating with me. we are at an internet cafe beside a piyyeria and novices we are, we are the help desk staff at this cafe. i think the z and y are misplaced but just hang with me and donćt laugh too much. croatian music is plazing everzwhere... accordians, dancers, folk songs, and more. the views are extraordinarz and i just maz have to walk the walks again. the first time i walked the old citz walls, i couldnćt make it all the waz around because of mz fear of heights. so perhaps i will trz it again... we will definitelz check it out. croatia is so verz beautiful and the people are so friendlz alnd helpful. as we did zesterdaz, we came over with susan and dan to get them started off on their daz.. setting them up with a walking tour. we will have lunch here... once again seafood specialties and piyya and pasta along with local wines are top notch. the selection of fun restaurants is so numerous that i shall go on tripadvisor to find a good selection for our lunch.

ken finalllz sorted out for me whz people on the jogging track are going in both directions. i alwazs to go counter clockwise thinking this is the correct waz. but on this ship, half go clockwise and half go counterclockwise..there are over 600 brits onboard and thez are going clockwise and we from the US go counterclockwise. lovelz dinner in blu last night.. mz cod was excellent and again i had sorbet for dessert. i am loving the sorbet so much. afterwards we joined david and judz for a chocolate martini at the martini bar.. it was girls night so we ladies enjozed ours at half price.

this morning we had breakfast in the elite lounge which is in the tuscan grill. the location at the verz aft with a wall of windows was perfect... as was mz cappucino.

OK I am stopping for now to get on with mz adventure...

love zall, miss yall (zippee.. i finallz got one of mz y in the right place

Koper, Slovenia and Split Croatia

Koper, Slovenia Dober vecer or good evening! Silhouette docked in Koper is a sight to behold! A beautiful modern ship rising out of the Adriatic Sea against the backdrop of the ancient walled city made for a perfect photo op. Upon disembarking a large group of Slovenian travel agents were waiting to embark for a tour of our ship. Slovenia is officially and culturally bi-lingual; Slovene and Italian are the official languages. Koper is clean and non-touristy. We had a do it ourselves day which was perfect as we like to be "unstructured" and unherded. Our self guided Koper Stroll was fun. We saw the ancient 7th century Cathedral of St. Nazarius with it's 5th century bell tower dominating Tito Square. The architecture is primarily Venetian. I discovered an interesting local handicraft shop with a lovely owner/ artist where I purchased a couple of treasures. Atelje Terracotta was the best shop in old town! As we were in town on Saturday, the flea market, fruit & vegetable market, and antique vendors were in full swing. I found a beautiful antique wooden bread board but it must've weighted 5 pounds & was large and bulky so I had to sadly leave it at the antique market for someone else. There was a HoHo bus that took you from Koper to Izola, Piran, and Potoroz and back to Koper. Some of the cruise critic group went to Lake Bled and some went to the Capital, Ljubljana. Our weather has held.. Rain was forecast, but it didn't rain on us! Following cocktails and appetizers for sail away in sky lounge, we had dinner in Blu.. Braised short ribs, lobster salad and coconut sorbet. By the way, those dining in the main dining room, Grand Cuvee are raving about the food too. Today we are in Split, Croatia, so dober dan (good day)! Sunny weather but rough seas made for tender problems... From the time we got our tender ticket until the time we boarded was almost 2 hours. Nonetheless we had another memorable day in gorgeous Split. This area is known as the Croatian Riviera and i can see why. Palm trees, seaside promenade, sidewalk cafes, azure sea along with the ancient walls make for a sort of a storybook feel. Speaking of story books, I searched all over for those 101 Dalmatians but never found even a single one! The focal point of Split is Diocletian's Palace, built in the 4th century. The entire of Old Town is within the palace walls! We found a lovely typical local restaurant for lunch. Croatian specialties are seafood, Dalmatian brodet (fish stewed with rice), pasta and pizza. Croatia is also known for wine...which we enjoyed with our lunch. Back on board Silhouette we stopped by for a spot of afternoon tea and relaxed a bit by the pool...oh yeah the pool band was just playing "Black Magic Woman" really loudly!! In my opinion, not the kind of music I want to hear in beautiful Croatia! Looking forward to tomorrow in Dubrovnik! Love ya, miss ya, Me

Venice and Ravenna, italy

After a long and cramped overnight flight we arrived in Venice on time and safely.  Our USAirway flight did not make Ken smile..though we had a 2seat row and he was on the aisle, there was little room between the rows.  After 8 hours though we were in Venice and made it through customs, onto our transfer bus, and on to the ship in about an hour.     We booked an aqua class room as we really enjoy dining in Blu, the specialty restaurant reserved only for aqua class passengers.  Did I mention that aqua class staterooms also enjoy special spa perks?  To add to our delight we are also Celebrity Elite passengers so we get lots of perks for this status as well.  Complimentary cocktails from 5 to 7 daily, special breakfast each morning in Tuscan Grill, free laundry(this one really brings a smile to Ken's face as he is my laundry man!) are only a few of the elite benefits.     A couple of notes about our time in Venice.  New since we were last in Venice a couple of years ago is the "people mover".  This makes it both convenient and inexpensive to get from the cruise terminal to Venice proper.  It's about a ten minute walk from the ship to the people mover monorail train.  Fare is one euro and the ride takes about four minutes into the Santa Croce area.  We happen to love Santa Croce, but you can walk to Rialto and San Marco in about 15 to 20 minutes.   I can hardly wait to get home to get my photos organized!! I took lots of photos of Venetian doors & door hardware, laundry hanging and dangling from windows and verandahs above the canals, flowers, gondoliers flexing their muscles, and of course food and wine!  Pizza, pasta, wine, and gelato in Venice did not disappoint.  We shared a pizza at Trattoria da Silvio, the Venetian pizza - tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, ham, and artichokes.  It was yummy.  We had fun in a little glass shop and got to know the owner and his daughter.  Then it was off to the Coop grocery store near Piazzali Roma to get those provisions that I didn't pack trying so hard to stay within the allowed airline luggage weight limit.   Sail away festivities were to begin at 4:45 pm at the sunset bar for our CruiseCritic group of 165.  We all retrieved our name tags and got acquainted.  Beautiful scenery, great Italian music (Andrea Bocelli), and new friends made for a memorable time.  Next on the agenda  was the elite cocktail party, then shower time, then the cruise critic party with our large group and the senior officers, followed by dinner in Blu with 6 new friends.     Just a little note about our cruise critic group:  countries represented are US, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Singapore, UK,  and United Arab Emirates so we are quite a diverse group.     My favorite from last evening's menu was the pistachio encrusted grilled scallops!  Being daring, I also had pheasant and yes it tastes like chicken.  We didn't finish dinner until after ten pm and were still a little jet lagged from our travels so I didn't hit the karaoke bar.   After a great night of sleep we awakened in Ravenna, Italy.  Breakfast of spinach tomato omelet and fresh squeezed orange juice fueled us until lunch time!  We hopped on the shuttle bus (14 usd round-trip per person) and were on the streets of old town Ravenna.  Ravenna is considered the gateway to the Emilia Romagna region.  There have been three recent earthquakes here, each resulting in some deaths so I was a bit concerned but all went well and we felt no tremors.     We saw the highlights of Ravenna, the beautiful mosaics in basilica San Vitale and the mausoleum di Galla Placidia,  Dante's tomb and then I was on a mission to find Ca' de' Ven for a lunch experience with local cuisine and wine.  I think Ken was ready to give up  but I finally found it and it was worth every moment of the search!  It's in an ancient building..enoteca vine di romagna .. Ken opted for the seafood pasta which he declared as the best he has ever had!!  Tagliatelli with clams, mussels, shrimp, calimari, langostino in a light tomato sauce.  I ordered another regional specialty, ravioli!  Yes, both seafood and stuffed pasta are both superb here.  Ken ordered local red and I had local white wine.  Oh me oh my!  I had come across this restaurant in my research so it was top of my to do list in Ravenna.     Now we are back on the Silhouette and will depart at 6 pm for Koper, Slovenia.  I'm going to zumba at 4 and then we will go to elite cocktail time, and meet our new friends for dinner in Blu at 8:30.     Love y'all, miss y'all, Hugs and kisses,  Me