Central Europe and the Mediterranean, 2007

May 12, 2007: Backing up a bit, our vacation adventures began a week or two before our actual departure, with both of us wondering if we would get our passports in time. Gina didn't get hers until the day before we left! So our nerves weren't in the best shape when we finally made it (late) to the airport and got a lecture at check-in. Gina is smiling because they let us on the plane anyway. 

May 13, 2007: We arrived in Frankfurt Airport (that one wasn't any fun either) where we caught our connecting flight and were incredibly happy to finally land in the Czech Republic. Gina had plans for us immediately - straight up to Vyšehrad, the site of the old castle structure. We toured what's left of the castle, visited the graves of couple of our favorite composers (Smetena and Dvořák), and got some great panoramic views of the highlands surrounding Prague. That night, we attended a concert during the Prague Spring Festival, featuring music by Janáček, Stravinsky, and Strauss. Overall a very musical day.

May 14, 2007: We visited the lovely St. Nicholas Church in Malá Strana and strolled across Charles Bridge before all the crowds got there. We climbed up Bridge Tower for a lovely view of the Castle District. Then we took a ride up Petrin Hill and climbed up some more steps for another great panoramic view - this one was cut a bit short, however, when Gina felt Petrin Tower moving with the wind. Later in the afternoon we wandered around Old Town and watched the amazing astronomical clock strike the hour (a la Disney's It's a Small World). We barely managed to squeeze in a tour of Municipal Hall (no pictures allowed), where we got to enjoy some examples of Alfons Mucha's striking Art Nouveau paintings. We also visited many shops carrying exquisite crystal and were very tempted to buy some. Our day ended with a visit to Wenceslas Square where we saw the statue of St. Wenceslas in front of the National Museum.

May 15, 2007: We saved the best in Prague for last! Getting up early to beat the crowds (Gina made sure we took the longest and steepest route possible on foot), we came to the Castle Grounds. Gina had been waiting for 15 years to return to St. Vitus Cathedral, and when Ed stepped inside, he understood why: arguably the most brilliant and gorgeous stained and painted glass in the world. The crowning achievement is Alfons Mucha's window, pictured below. We also inspected the rest of the castle complex, watched the changing of the guard, and visited No. 22 on Golden Lane, where writer Franz Kafka lived for several years. We stopped in to see the National Art Gallery. After tearing ourselves away from all the brilliant crystal in the shop windows, we finally made our way to the train station to catch our sleeper train to Hungary.

May 16, 2007: We arrived safe and sound (and early) in the Budapest Keleti Train Station, where we were met and warmly greeted by Ed's dad and his cousin Tamás. We were treated to a cozy breakfast in Mom and Dad's apartment. The four of us stopped by to visit Tamás and Marika's cafe, and then spent the rest of the morning trying to get tickets for a tour of the Parliament Building. Mostly an exercise in frustration, but we did finally get in. It was worth the wait. The Hungarians really know how to decorate: everything was gilded! This is one building that is truly as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. Later in the afternoon we explored the State Opera House and St. Stephen Basilica. Seeing the opera house inspired Dad to buy opera tickets for all of us to see that night, which we did: Puccini's Tosca. We slept well that night (mostly after the opera).

May 17, 2007: Having spent the majority of the day before on the Pest side of Budapest, today we spent most of it in Buda. First thing in the morning the two of us went to see Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion. We were joined by Mom, Dad, and Dad's cousin Bandi, who graciously took us on a tour of the palace complex. Gina had really been looking forward to seeing the Buda Royal Palace and was almost dancing with anticipation when we finally got there. What lovely vistas to the Danube River! The two of us split off again to visit the Hungarian National Gallery. Then we returned to the apartment where Bandi was waiting to drive us to his lovely suburban home in the hills to spend some time with his wife Gabi and son Bandach. We ended the night at a fabulous restaurant, a special treat from Bandi's family.

May 18, 2007: Mom and Dad had planned a river cruise down the Danube for today, so all we had to do was sit back and enjoy it! We met all of Dad's cousins today, including Cousin Peter, Cousin Marika and her husband Tamás and mother Utka, and Cousin Bandi and his wife Gabi. The boat ride was wonderful - hours of gentle floating until we came to Visegrád, famous for the remains of the early Renaissance summer palace of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. We'll have to come back someday to give those remains a better look-over, but for today we were just enjoying time with family. After a lovely lunch and leisurely walk back to the boat, we boarded and returned to Budapest. There was an excellent surprise waiting for us on the bank when we got there: the shining Parliament Building glimmering in the sunset. Marika and Tamás, with their children Andre and Peter, graciously invited us to their home for dinner where they ordered in vegetarian pizza - yum!

May 19, 2007: From Budapest we flew on the best airline yet, Malev Airlines, to Rome. We had very little time in Rome, and Ed is glad for the sake of his sanity that he didn't know from the beginning how little time we actually had. We decided to see the Coliseum and Arch of Constantine, and when we showed up were persuaded to take a guided tour inside the Coliseum and then up on Palatine Hill, where ancient emperors used to live in grand palaces. Then it was a mad rush to the station to catch our train to Civitavecchia, where our cruise ship awaited. We barely made it on time, with Ed flagging down the shuttle bus that looked like it was on its way home. Once on the ship, we collapsed, extremely glad for the next day and a half of cruising and forced relaxation.

May 20, 25, 27, and 29, 2007: These were cruising days on our ship, days where we did nothing but sail at sea. We read several books and took occasional walks along the upper deck. Most of the time the sea was very calm and enjoyable. We attended a midnight chocolate buffet - that was something else! We were so pleased with the service we received from the staff, and of course really relished all the down time.

May 21, 2007: Our first official shore excursion from the ship was to Delos, an island off Mykonos, Greece, where we took a guided tour of the ancient holy site dedicated to the sun god, Apollo. We enjoyed imagining what the ruins would have looked like when Hellenism was at its peak. Ed posed next to the famed Lions of Delos. Then we returned to Mykonos in time to photograph the church of Panagia Paraportiani and the Windmills of Kato Myli, as well as a gorgeous golden sunset. (That's our ship in the background.)

May 22, 2007: We didn't know what to expect when we got to Turkey. Our tour guide was wonderful and took us to several different important historical sites around the port, including the Basilica of St. John, where the Apostle is said to be buried, and the shrine believed to have once been the home of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The highlight of the tour occurred during our visit to the ancient ruined city of Ephesus, where we not only learned many things about normal life in the Hellenized world, but also got to see the beautifully restored library of Celsius and the Grand Theatre, where a riot was incited long ago against the Apostle Paul. We returned to our bus via the Arcadian Way, where Mark Anthony and Cleopatra once rode in procession. Our last stop was the Ephesus Archaeological Museum, where we saw the extremely well-preserved statue (idol) of the goddess Artemis, which was removed from her temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, before it was destroyed. On our return to Kuşadası, where our ship was docked, we attended a presentation at a carpet shop where the merchants tried to sell us Turkish carpets. We weren't in the market, although the "flying carpets" almost sold us!

May 23, 2007: Ed made sure we woke up to Mannheim Steamroller's Sunrise at Rhodes the morning we docked there. Wasn't that sweet of him? Aside from the gorgeous blue water and flawless clear sky, we also enjoyed just walking the cobblestone streets of the Old Town looking for some of the city's main features, which included the Palace of the Knights, the ruins of an old Temple of Venus, and the Square of Jewish Martyrs. The Mosque of Suleiman contributed to the city's cool Byzantine vibe. Another of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Colossus of Rhodes, used to stand in the harbor; it is unfortunately no longer in existence, having been destroyed in an earthquake less than 60 years after being built in 280 BC.

May 24, 2007: We learned a lot about the history, geography, and horticulture of the small country of Cyprus during our tour this day! Gina learned so much she fell asleep during the tour so she could process it better. The tour took us to Kourion, where we got to see some wonderfully preserved mosaics in the House of Eustolios as well as the nearby Greco-Roman theatre, from which we got some spectacular shots of the sea. Next we visited the ruins of the Temple of Apollo; Gina decided to throw caution to the wind when she touched the altar, but she didn't get struck by lightning or hurled into the sea, so all is well. We had lunch at the small village of Omodos where we bought some lacework, then returned to the port city of Limassol. The only attraction we visited there was the Medieval Castle of Limassol, now a museum, also the site where Richard the Lionhearted married his wife Princess Berengaria of Navarre before he rushed off to the crusades. That was a very very cool castle!

May 26, 2007: Wow, Egypt! We were awed by the beauty and history of this country, not to mention that it has the only remaining original Wonder of the Ancient World: the Great Pyramid at Giza. (It used to have another one: the Lighthouse of Alexandria, destroyed by earthquakes and gone by 1480.) Those were just awesome. It took a couple hours to get from Alexandria, where we docked, through the desert to Cairo, but it was worth it. Another excellent tour guide entertained and educated us. After seeing the pyramids and the Great Sphinx, we were taken to a river cruise luncheon on the Nile River, complete with exceptional vegetarian fare and belly dancers! Who could ask for anything more? Gina even got a chance to steer the boat. We were amazed by the grandeur and exquisite interiors of the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali (not the boxer). Our last stop before returning to the ship was the Papyrus Institute where we were shown how they turn the river reed into strong paper that will last for centuries. 

May 28, 2007: Athens was one city we were happy touring on our own. It was raining heavily (unfortunately this did not deter the crowds) and we discovered that entrance was FREE to all the sites we were interested in. We started at the Acropolis to see the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena Nike (awesome), with umbrellas featuring prominently in all our photos, and afterwards the Acropolis Museum. We then walked down to Ancient Agoura, another place the Apostle Paul came to chide its citizens about their monument to "the Unknown God." After lunch we headed over to the National Archaeological Museum which had a lot of neat artifacts (and many many vases). We returned to the Pireaus port via metro, procuring some spectacular baklava along the way, and were very pleased with how resourceful we'd been today.

May 30, 2007: Our next official stop was in Naples, but we spent most of our time in the surrounding area instead of in the city itself. Of course, before we could go anywhere we had to stop at the obligatory local artisan shop, this time for cameos. It was kind of cool to learn how they are made. The tour we had chosen included an early morning hike to the volcanic crater of Mt. Vesuvius, which is still active, incidentally. Like magic the fog lifted long enough for us to get dazzling views of the bay and the crater, and then came rolling back as we descended the mountain. After that, the only logical place we could go was: Pompei. Its ruins are remarkably preserved, including the tiled entryway to one home that features a fierce canine with "Beware of Dog" in Latin under it. We wish we could have spent more time there. On returning to the port we walked a little around Naples, where the most remarkable thing we saw was the heavy traffic (both vehicular and pedestrian). We definitely need to come back to Naples when we have more time - there's lots we didn't get a chance to see. By the way, best pizza ever.

May 31, 2007: Back in Rome again, our typical sightseeing mode kicked in, and we did a lot. Our first day back included visits to the Pantheon and the Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere. Then we joined an organized tour that took us to see Circus Maximus, the Bocca della Verità in the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, and several other important archaeological sites including portions of the famous Roman aqueducts. We took a bus on the Via Appia Antica to visit the St. Sebastian Catacombs (no pictures allowed). Our tour culminated in the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli, where we saw the chains that bound the Apostle Peter as well as Michelangelo's magnificent Moses. The day ended with visits to the Spanish Steps and the Fountain of Trevi, accompanied by a fantastic dinner of pizza and homemade gelato. Mmmmm!

June 1, 2007: Our last day of sightseeing got off to a rocky (and late) start when the tour group we were supposed to go to the Vatican with didn't show up as planned. But anyway, we still got in ahead of the crowds. Totally worth the wait! The Vatican Museum is immense, with hundreds of treasures of incalculable worth. Paintings, maps, statues, works of marble, brass, and stone - all incredible. Of course, everyone goes to see the Sistine Chapel, and it's every bit as magnificent as its reputation. No photos allowed, of course. (!) Afterwards we stepped inside St. Peter's Basilica, the largest Catholic church in the world, to see things like the tomb of the Apostle Peter and Michelangelo's Pieta. Awesome! After mailing some final postcards from the Vatican post office and taking some pictures in Piazza San Pietro, we made our way back to the airport to catch our flight to Frankfurt. Good bye, Rome! We'll be back someday.

June 1, 2007: One of the longest days in our lives; we woke up in Frankfurt and went to sleep in Redlands. It was nice to not have to scurry from hotel to air gate, since we stayed at the Sheraton right next to the Frankfurt Airport. We ate breakfast in the airport McDonalds (our only American meal the whole trip, not counting granola bars) and topped it off with some excellent strudel, and then started our 24-hours-plus journey back home. We hope to be back soon - maybe Spain and Italy next time?

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