One Day at a Time

So after a  week of creating our own fun, Frank and I came onboard the Viking Sun and are letting Viking Ocean Cruises do all the work until just before Christmas.

Yesterday, Frank took a well deserved “lay day,” and I signed up for the one-day whirlwind “tour” of Rome.  I was dreading what a one-day tour of Rome might be like, but actually, the tour guide did a great job, given all the circumstances.  We were on the bus more than we were off the bus, of course, but we got a glimpse of the ancient city at the Circus Maximus and Colliseum; we drove past the Victor Emmanual monument and each of the four main basilicas of Rome, and we spent what “free” time was possible at Vatican Square.  A few die-hards stood on line to get into the basilica; I remember when we just walked in and wasn’t interested in a line, even if it were “only” 30 minutes long.  Instead, I people-watched, and enjoyed Bernini’s plaza, and admired the life-size creche, which was (literally) sculpted from sand.

And too soon, it was time to return to the ship.

Last night we went to the Italian restaurant on board, which is supposed to be a big deal.  The food was great, and brought back memories.  Veal marsala! Zabiaglone! Yum! No wonder I gained so much weight when I spent a semester here! But frankly, I didn’t think the service was what Viking is known for, and Frank and I decided to avoid the restaurant for the rest of our trip.

And then we set sail.

This morning we awoke to great weather in Naples.  Our tour was to Pompeii – Frank had not been there before, and of course for me it’s been 45 years.  I had forgotten how close Pompeii is to Naples, and how close Mt. Vesuvius is to all of the above.  Our guide was NOT the finest, but it didn’t really matter; Pompeii speaks for itself.  And you really have to see it to believe it – the fact that the city is so immediate; the town so alive until suddenly it wasn’t; and modern scholarship can tell us everything we need to know and somethings we really don’t – like what the inhabitants ate for their last meal prior to eruption.

Frank found walking on the cobblestones difficult, but he hung in there, and I think he’s glad he did.  I found putting up with the guide difficult, but I hung in there as well.  Yesterday, when I was off in Rome, Frank had found a Norwegian deli on board.  Not only is it an antidote to the “regular” casual breakfast/lunch dining on board (which I find pushy-pushy-pushy), but Scandinavian waffles for breakfast and open-faced sandwiches for lunch are pretty special.  So we indulged, and tonight is the start of the next adventure.