MEDITERRANEAN CRUISING PART1: ROME, POMPEII & DUBROVNIK

In September 2006 my husband and I took a 12 night Mediterranean cruise on the Carnival Liberty out of Rome. I have to say the ship was not my first choice but I got a travel agent rate I couldn’t turn down. Thankfully, the ship and crew were great and we really enjoyed everything about the trip.

September is a great time of year to visit the Med. The crowds are lessened after the summer and the heat isn't quite as unbearable (although we did have some 30C days).

We spent 3 nights in Rome, pre-cruise. After an overnight flight, we arrived at 7am in the morning. (By the way, I highly recommend taking No-Jet-Lag on any trip across the pond. I felt great even though I’d been traveling more than 16 hours and I’m never able to get more than 45 minutes sleep at a time on a plane.) It's a simple process to hop on the Leonardo Express train from Rome airport to the Termini --the main train station in Rome--and our hotel was walking distance from there. After an early check in, we left our bags at the hotel and started exploring the city.
 

First we made our way to St. Peter's Basilica. It's important to note that a dress code is in effect if you wish to enter most churches in Italy--no bare shoulders or knees. Pictures cannot do justice to the workmanship inside the Basilica and the Vatican, but I will include them anyway.

The view of St. Peter's Square from the top of the Basilica:

Then we took in Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Palatino and the Colosseum. It's so amazing to wander a city and continually come across famous monuments previously seen only in books or movies. It's a very walk able city, but we did take the odd bus to spare our feet. 
When riding the transit system in Italy, it's important to know that tickets must be validated when boarding the bus or train.  Unlike North American systems, the tickets purchased do not have a date and time so the ticket takes effect once validated.  The fines are hefty for travellers caught with invalidated tickets and the transit police check regularly.

Just one of many awesome sites excavated at the Palatino

 

The Colosseum                                                  

The next day we set off from our hotel on foot for the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.  They were very busy and it was impossible to get a picture that didn't have dozens of strangers in the background!  From there we visited the Altar of the Nation and the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuel.  After a long day of walking the city, we enjoyed a relaxing dinner in a cafe at Piazza Navona.  At night local artist's set up their paintings in the square.  It took ages to choose the one we wanted--and much haggling with the artist over price--but eventually we settled on an original work depicting a cafe on the Amalfi Coast. 

Our last day in the city was spent at the Vatican Museums.  The lines can be very long but it is an entertaining wait.  There are vendors constantly trying to sell their wares (all displayed on sheets next to the queue) right under the watchful eye of the police, who routinely patrol the area.  As soon as they get close, the vendors grab up their sheet of goods and run.  There are also beggars but one in particular was most disturbing.  A very old lady walking with a cane had one side of her scalp gone!  I'm talking completely open, red tissue and all.  At first we were all convinced it was a wig or some especially good makeup, but as she passed it was obvious that she had an open head wound!  I thought the woman in front of me was going to be physically ill.  Interestingly though, despite her seemingly dire situation, the police had no sympathy and escorted her away across the street.  Of course, as soon as they weren't looking, back she came! 

The ceilings and paintings in the Vatican Museums are simply stunning.  Without a doubt, it is worth braving the crowds and every minute of the wait to see such awe-inspiring work.  It takes hours to go through  the museums properly so be sure to allow enough time.

The next day we checked out of our hotel and headed to the cruise port at Civitavecchia, about an hour and 20 minute train ride from the Termini.  The research led me to believe it was a simple process to get there by train--and a fraction of the price of a shuttle--but in fact, with luggage, it can be difficult as one of the stations we transferred at had no elevators!  Once we arrived at the port, the cruise lines have shuttles to the ship for about 5 Euros per person.  Embarkation was super-quick and literally took about 10 minutes.  It was wonderful to sit by the pool and relax after our 3 busy days exploring Rome.
Our first port was the surprisingly ugly city of Naples.  I only feel comfortable saying that because our tour guide said it repeatedly and it was true!  Apparently there is so much corruption in the city that the inhabitants just build what they want and where, and the authorities turn a blind eye (as long as they are paid to).  We had a shore excursion to Mount Vesuvius, a Cameo factory and Pompeii booked.  I typically prefer to explore on my own and don't book cruise line excursions unless the port stay is very short, but we thought we'd give this one a try.  The excursion itself was excellent and we had a very entertaining guide, but we also had some ignorant people who got back to the bus late at each stop.  Honestly, I don't know why the tours don't leave people like that behind.  We are plainly told what time we need to be back and it's extremely annoying for the rest of the group to have the last stop--Pompeii--be shortened because of other's inconsideration.

The climb up Vesuvius isn't for the faint of heart.  It is steep (in fact they give you walking sticks) and very hot.  The view into the crater is worth the effort though, especially when you can see numerous puffs of smoke where the volcano is still active under the surface.  I could have totally done without the Cameo factory and had more time to spend at Pompeii.  It's an amazing place, if a bit eerie at times.  It's quite disturbing to see the frozen bodies, killed instantly in whatever position they were in. 

Our next port turned out to be our favourite; the gorgeous walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia.  It's a stunningly beautiful place on Adriatic coast.  I never expected to find Caribbean-like beaches in the Mediterranean.  The only difference is the water is a bit cooler!  We took about 4 hours to walk the ramparts; taking pictures, enjoying the views and listening to the audio guide.  Unfortunately, the city was heavily damaged in the Bosnian/Serb war but, as a Unesco World Heritage site, it is gradually being restored to its original state.