20220428 Saint Paul de Vence, Nice, Eze Village: Up at our normal time, dressed, went on the deck to see us coming in at Monte Carlo port. While it was a picturesque city way back in 1962 when Marian and I were there, it is now a city of very high and concentrated very tall buildings. Had our breakfast in the suite, went down an got on our bus for an eight-hour tour.

In driving through Monte Carlo, we could see the preparations being done for the Grand Prix being held the end of the month. Barriers, grand stands, etc. We went under the starting line banner…on our bus. Then out of town heading to Saint Paul de Vence. The traffic was horrible, so it took some time to get to the major highway.

Saint Paul de Vence is a lovely hilltop village. It’s an artist’s haven with many galleries and public sculptures. Had a long time to wander around and see the whole village. It was our favorite place of the day. Had fun watching lots of folks playing petanque at the foot of the village. Also saw the entrance to La Colombe d’Or, a restaurant Marian and I had visited in 1962. And our family was here in 1985 as part of Dad’s 80^th birthday trip.

Back on the bus, we headed for Nice, where we had lots of time for a leisurely lunch and exploring the old city and along the seaside promenade.

Our final stop was Eze and Eze Village. My parents, sisters, Marian and I had stayed here at La Chevre d’Or in 1985 on Dad’s 80^th birthday trip. I’m back at age 81.

Back to the ship to unwind, download images, and have supper in Compass Rose about 8:00. Back in the room, we planned for our “Florence on your own” day tomorrow. Found out it is a two-hour drive each way and we will have six hours there.

Oh, I hit my trifecta today. Had double espresso at breakfast, octopus in Nice for lunch followed by a pistachio and chocolate gelato…and I got a Monaco Grand Prix cap.

20220430 Siena and San Gimignano: Was a ten-plus hour day. Before I begin, some other stuff in no particular order.

• Regular laundry onboard is free (well, included in the price of the cruise). You leave it out in the AM and it’s in your suite when you return in the PM.
• Wine-by-the-glass (red and/or white) is complementary. I have bought two bottles of wine since I have some shipboard credit to use. They cork what you don’t drink and bring it the next night.
• When one takes a jacket off a hanger to wear for dinner, when you return afterwards the hanger has been moved to the side of the closet where the unused hangers are.
• There are lots of dogs everywhere. Nice dogs of all sizes. When I have commented on a couple of them saying “hello, puppy,” each time the owner has said that the dog was not a puppy but was ten or eleven and I respond by saying my dog is eleven, but I still call her my puppy or baby dog.
• In the places where we park the bus at a city, the restrooms cost 50 cents per person.
• There are glass bottles filled with some branded water in the suite These are never allowed to be anything but full. Leave the room and they’re filled. Glass out, and it’s gone and been replaced.
• Use a towel and leave the suite, there is a clean towel when you come back.
• There was a bottle of champagne waiting for us in our suite when we boarded…and the butler has brought another just waiting to be enjoyed.
• I have been acquiring euros since I need many for our guides in Rome and drivers who all want cash. In withdrawing in various ATMs in various cities/countries, I have found out that even though my financial institution says I can withdraw up to $1,000 a day, all the ATMs limit me to 300 or 350 euros.
• Looked at ceramics in San Gimignano at the same place I had bought some in 2015. Wow! Expensive. Did not buy anything.
• Food is excellent in all the restaurants. While we have had breakfast in our room each day, our butler told us that on Sunday, tomorrow, there is a caviar and champagne breakfast in two of the dining areas. Guess we’ll just have to go out for a meal!

Now to today. Up at 6:30, shot some images of sunrise from the deck, dressed, had breakfast in the room. Got on our bus about a bit after 8:00 and did not return until 6:30. Drove about 1.5 hours to Siena. Today we have a local guide for both the cities we visit, Carlo. He is low key and gives us a nice history in an approachable manner.

In Siena, we stopped first at the Basilica of Sanra Caterina for a good introduction to the city and their patron saint. Then up, up, up to the center of the city and the Duomo of Siena. The group with Carlo went on from there, but Jeff and I spent an hour inside marveling at all it’s features and colors. Wanted to go up to the second-floor tour which would have taken me to the spot where I took an iconic image down the nave in 2015, but the only reservations available were too late for us. We had fun walking around and taking images from as many angles as we could find.

We were running out of time given when we were supposed to be at a meeting point to walk way, way, way down to the bus. Went to the Campo where we would assemble, but realized no time for a sit-down meal and got nice sandwiches and espresso, met the group, and went back to the bus.

Next stop about an hour away was was San Gimignano. Jeff had been here ten years ago and I had been here seven years ago. So, after a brief introduction by Carlo, we left the group and wandered on our own. Went to one of the best places for gelato in Italy…long line and well-worth the wait. http://www.gelateriadondoli.com/

Back to the bus and the hour-plus trip to the ship. Spent a little time in the suite and then down to Compass Rose for dinner. Now back finishing up computer stuff and going to bed. Tomorrow the ship is “at sea,” so we will have to just relax and have our feet do a bit of recovering. Oh, and then there is the caviar breakfast.

20220429 Florence: Jeff and I had a wonderful time in Florence. Regular wakeup time, regular breakfast time, regular getting in the bus time. Bus was full of folks for the “on your own” experience. Some even are staying overnight and coming back with the bus tomorrow. We left the ship about 9:00 or so and got back around 7:30.

Walked from where the bus stopped to Basilica of Santa Croce and its square. Then, Jeff and I walked to the center of town by the Duomo, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, where the crowd was thick…I mean thick! Walked a 360 around the church and baptistry for images. From there, we walked to the Mercato Centrale, a huge general market with lots of food booths. We wandered around the first floor (found a great biscotti vendor) and climbed to the second floor where there is a great variety of food and drink and tables to sit and enjoy your lunch, which we did.

Next, we went to the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, which is quite lovely….and also quite empty of crowds! The basilica is beautiful and contains some fantastic art and frescos. Also has nice cloisters. Spent lots of time there.

Then we walked to the Arno (with its crowds along both banks) to look at the river and Ponte Vecchio and past it to the Uffizi and then back to Santa Croce square where we got gelato and waited for the group to walk back to the bus and the long drive back to the ship.

Went up to Sette Mari for another great meal and then to the suite for downloading, emailing, texting, and shower/shave to bed. Also, I am icing one foot due to the results of the five miles we walked today.

Tomorrow we are a time schedule starting at 8:00 for our drive to Siena and San Gimignano for the day.

20220501 At Sea: Today is an “at sea” day where we are moving south from Tuscany to Malta tomorrow. Got up at 7:30 just because that’s when I woke up. Now, I want to talk about protocols.

Before we left the US, we had to fill out online a health form for Spain, get a QR code, and show it at the airport upon arrival. We did and did. Also had to fill out online an EU locator form that Italy and Malta needed for us to show when going there. Finally, a day before departure, another online form specifically for Malta for another QR code. Before we got to an Italian port, we were told that the locator form was no longer needed. Yesterday, as we headed toward Malta, we were told that the Malta form was no longer needed. In Spain, mask requirements were relaxed so only needed for transportation and museums, churches and such.

The ship has a mask policy that is often ignored onshore. On the ship, we are required to wear masks at all times except in our out suites or eating/drinking. Masks are to be worn on buses that take us on excursions and, except for when outdoors, elsewhere in the cities we visit. There are many folks when we are onshore that ignore the protocol. On the bus, some don’t wear masks. Some people wear masks at half-mast with their nose sticking out. Jeff and I are particular in our mask wearing even putting on new masks every couple of days. Onshore, if we are outside in a place with lots of people, we keep our masks on. While a guard at a site onshore (e.g., entering a church) requires a mask, the guides from the ship do not enforce masks. I guess they don’t want confrontations when then are there to show us around.

And we are supposed to carry around picture identification such as our passport and our vaccination card. No one so far has asked for either. At a takeout place in San Gimignano yesterday, there was a sign out front that you had to show your vaccination card. No one asked. And in Spain at the hotel where we stayed, a requirement for our restaurant reservation was that we had to show our vaccination card. Nope. Never asked.

Today was “caviar breakfast.” We went down to Compass Rose about 9:00 and enjoyed. Bigger selection than breakfast in our room, so we indulged. Got our camera gear and went from Deck 12 down to Deck 3 spending time shooting aspects of the ship. Back to the room for a rest. At 1:00 we went to the buffet at La Veranda and gorged.

Stairs. Let me talk about stairs. Our suite is on Deck 9. The restaurants are on Decks 4 and 5 and one on Deck 11. We use the stairs and not the elevator 99% of the time. We do use the elevator after a day’s excursion and walking 5 miles when we go from Deck 3 up to Deck 9. Gotta burn off just a tad of all the calories we consume.

After lunch and doing some tasks, I fell asleep on deck and Jeff on his bed. We were awakened by Anbu with the afternoon canapes of spring rolls. About 7:30 we went to Compass Rose for supper returning at about 9:30. Hope to get to bed as a somewhat reasonable hour.

Tomorrow is Malta in the morning, a massage in the afternoon, and the steak restaurant onboard in the evening. And the adventure continues.