Dogs and Cats of Sicily

These dogs know how to siesta!

And the cats: one looks awfully pissy, and the other ... what is she doing?

 

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Sicily

Today we visited the island of Sicily. We drove in the morning to the village of Segesta where around the 5th century BCE the Romans had begun construction of a great temple but never finished it, probably due to the occupation of the city by the Carthaginians in 409 BCE.

We then drove to the mountaintop village of Erice where first we had a delicious lunch at a hotel restaurant. We then toured Erice -- it took a half hour to drive up the switchbacks to the mountain village, but the views were worth it!

Then back to the town of Marsala and our ship.

A lovely Sicilian sunset. On to Tunisia, in North Africa, in the morning.

 

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Malta

We sailed into the tiny island of Malta this morning. Malta is its own country, having become independent of the British in 1964. It is just south of Sicily and near Tunisia. Its capital, Valletta, is an ancient walled city as you can see here.

We journeyed across the island to see the ruins of a complex of temples that were built here 1000 years before Stonehenge! They were discovered in 1919 and, like Stonehenge, they are so ancient that no one knows why and how they were built. Above are some of the limestone rocks, 2 tons each, that formed the outside wall of the temple.

Then we went to the church of St. John in the center of town. I wasn't prepared for how gorgeous and ornate it is.

Then over to a cute cafe on the town square where we had delicious mushroom soup. Off to get gelato next, but must upload this post while I have benefit of the cafe's wifi.

 

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Albania

Albania! A tiny country on the Adriatic coast, south of Montenegro and north of Greece. Albania is a country that was under Communist rule and closed to the outside world (nearly like North Korea) until 1991. The dictator Hoxha had died in the mid-80s and by 1991 it had converted to democracy and gradually opened itself to the outside world.

Today we docked in the town of Saranda and drove to the ancient Roman ruins at Butrint. In the picture above you can see, if you squint, row upon row of apartment complexes, built without any planning, and despoiling a beautiful seaside town.

Another interesting thing is to see the pillboxes that Hoxha had built to defend the country from invasion from the West, certain that he was that the outside world was going to invade.

Butrint is a small place south of Saranda that is the site of an amazingly well preserved ancient Roman site, actually built atop an even more ancient Hellenic city. Here's a view of the Roman amphitheater, an expansion of the Greek theater, and remarkably well preserved.

The seats are marble and granite and our group looks like it is ready for a performance!

We also saw an ancient Basillica (church) whose walls are still intact.

Buried under the sand is the original mosaic floor.

We now have a day at sea tomorrow as we sail around the boot of Italy on our way to the tiny island republic of Malta.

 

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Dubrovnik

The Pearl of the Adriatic! And what a jewel it is. An ancient, walled city on the sea. Dubrovnik was an independent city state for nearly a thousand years, perhaps because of its fortifications. Now it's the southern tip of Croatia.

The view of the city from atop the western wall.

And on the Main Street, packed with tourists!

We found a quiet cafe at which to have lunch.

Debb got six whole shrimp!

And, of course, gelato afterwards.

Debb makes a new friend: Izzy!

 

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Zadar, Croatia

OK, it doesn't get any better than this! What a beautiful day. A bit crisp, but wonderful in the sun. We awoke this morning docked in Zadar and spent the morning in the town square, with a mix of the old and new: viewing Roman ruins from two centuries ago and enjoying a lively Saturday morning in the outdoor cafes and shops.

The low rock walls are from the Roman forum (town square) ca. 100 BCE. The roundish cathedral was built on the site of the forum about a thousand years later, and interestingly they built it using forum ruins for the foundation and interior columns. Recycling at work.

Forum walls as park benches ...

... and a playground.

A two-thousand year old column.

Lively, bustling cafe with street musicians nearby.

We had a delightful time with Tea, a shopkeeper who sold us a bottle of maraschino liqueur. We had a taste of it, and that plus Tea's winning personality closed the deal!

Debb tries on a crocheted shawl sold by Adriana, also quite funny and interesting.

Adriana had heard of Nashville!

 

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Last Lunch in Venice

Quick photo from yesterday in Venice before we sailed. A wonderful lunch outside on a crystal clear beautiful day. Gondolas in the background. I had spaghetti Bolognese and Debb had spaghetti with garlic and red pepper. And, of course, a half-liter of the house white. Mmmmmm......

 

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Aboard the Corinthian

Friday afternoon we boarded our home for the next two weeks. I've learned that internet will be very spotty so these posts may not come with regularity or as many pictures.

Our cabin is beautiful, spacious, and the tap flows with champagne! JK...

 

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Uh Oh ....

Welcome to Italy (and really, all of Europe) where the public unions rule the country and make life miserable and anxiety-provoking for the rest of us. We have to take a taxi across the city tomorrow to meet up with our Stanford group and board our ship. Not sure how this is going to work out!

 

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