MAR-26: Piraeus, Greece

ROTTERDAM docked in Piraeus before sunrise.  Piraeus is the port serving Athens.  It is the hub of ferry service to the Greek Islands and Crete.

Just before our tour started there was a short period of light rain.  I mention this only because it was a novelty after not seeing a single raindrop since Singapore.

Tour Description:  Ancient Corinth & Canal

Visit the famous Corinth Canal, which is four miles long, 70 feet wide and has sloping sides 170 feet in height. It connects the Ionian and Aegean seas to provide a maritime shortcut. Your next stop will be at Ancient Corinth. The ruins that lie in this area are a surprising mix of an ancient 6th-century BC Greek city and a 44 BC Roman city—the latter was built after Julius Caesar placed a colony on this desolate site. See the ruins and excavations of both, including a Christian Basilica, the starting lines of a Greek racetrack, a sacred spring with its bronze lion’s-head spouts, and the elaborate Roman fountain of Peirene.

Tour Experience

The drive out of Piraeus revealed a relatively unattractive city negatively impacted by the dismal state of the Greek economy.  Our guide told us that the unemployment rate is Greece is currently twenty-six percent.  She noted that illegal immigrants from Albania, Pakistan and elsewhere are exacerbating the financial problems of the country.   She did not mention the government policies over previous decades that drained the economy.

We drove generally west towards the Peloponnesus until we arrived at the Corinth Canal.  We disembarked the bus and walked over the canal on the pedestrian bridge.  We were closer to the eastern end of the canal.  The following pictures are looking towards the western end.

Although not completed until the late 1800’s, it was started by Roman Emperor Nero 17 centuries early. 

The purpose behind building the canal was to avoid the circumnavigation of the Peloponnesus.  Storms and rough seas there claimed so many lives that it was believed to be one of the entrances to the underworld (not to be confused with hell in Greek beliefs of that time). 

Before the canal was built freight was off-loaded on one side of the isthmus, hauled overland and on-loaded on a different vessel on the other side.  Later on entire ships were hauled overland from one side to the other.  By the time the canal was built, steamships were making the voyage around the Peloponnesus much less hazardous.  Many smaller ships still transit the canal, but unlike the Suez and Panama canals, it’s growth in traffic stagnated. 

We crossed the bridge to get an eastward view of the canal.

Two recent bridges (not pictured) added to the canal are unique.  Built lower than the other bridges over the canal, these bridges submerge.  A ship transiting the canal passes over them rather than under them. 

Our next stop was the Corinth Museum in Korinthos on the Peloponnesus a few miles south of the canal.  We did not know what to expect out of this museum but thought it might just be padding for the tour.  We were pleasantly surprised. 

The bust in the pictures above is of Nero.  In the picture below it you all the heads are missing.  The size of the heads and the fact that they were often the most artistic portion of statues made them desirable souvenirs for visitors who came to the site long before the Greek government prohibited such destruction. 

Archeologists are still actively working this site.  Our guide explained a major problem confronting these and other archeologists in Greece.  The history of the country is so old that civilizations have been built on top of structures of prior civilizations.  When archeologists find a structural artifact they face the dilemma of whether there is a more important artifact underneath it.  Sometimes they will extensively photograph and measure the artifact, then remove it to see what is below it.  If an artifact of greater significance is found, the artifact found on top of it is moved to another location.  If the lower artifact is of lesser significance, the upper artifact is replaced using the measurements and photographs to reposition it.  This technique is practical when there are only two layers of artifacts.  The problem becomes much more complex when there are multiple layers of artifacts.  This is the most common problem at the site of ancient Corinth.

From the museum we could see a fort high on a mountain.  In addition to a history as a fortification against invaders this mountain top was believed to be a home of the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

Back on the bus, we rolled over the Corinth Canal again, continuing on to Piraeus.

We sailed out of Piraeus at 1800, the sun breaking through some late afternoon clouds to light up the buildings on shore just before it set.

A full moon rose as we cruised south to round the Peloponnesus before turning west on route to Italy.

MAR-28: Messina, Italy

ROTTERDAM entered the port of Messina at sunrise.  Messina is the port in Sicily closest to the Italian mainland.  For this reason a lot of ferries operate out of this port.

Tour Description:  Castelmota & Taormina

Pass Messina's Viale Boccetta and Immacolata Church, then travel by freeway to Taormina, about 31 miles away. The road is a gravity-defying series of tunnels and switchbacks. Taormina is situated high on Mount Tauro, overlooking the calm Ionian Sea, with a delightful medieval character and many interesting shops. The town dates back to AD 39. On your walking tour of Taormina, admire Palazzo Corvaja and the impressive Greco-Roman theater built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC and later renovated by the Romans. Renowned for its unique acoustics, it is still used for open-air performances. Stroll the Corso Umberto, a mostly pedestrian street, where shops beckon you to explore.

Tour Experience

We were off the ship and on the bus early.  Our first destination was Castelmota.  In the seventy-five minutes it took to get there the bus went through over 40 tunnels and across more than 70 bridges.  The driver earned his pay navigating the bus through numerous hairpin turns as we wound our way up the side of the mountain to Castelmota. 

We found Castelmota picturesque.  The village looks down on Taormina and across at snow-capped Mt. Etna, the biggest and most active volcano in Europe.  According to our guide, Castelmota is off the beaten path for the majority of tourists.  Note the smoke from the volcano in the upper left quadrant of the picture.

We certainly seemed to be the only visitors there.  We walked around the narrow roads.  Perched on a mountain top, all the streets seemed to angle either up or down.  Everywhere there were staircases.  Before getting back on the bus we sat in a small piazza drinking an espresso.  It was a pleasant moment.

Retracing our path through the switchbacks, we descended the mountain as far as Taormina.  Taormina was most definitely a tourist magnet.  Nevertheless, we found it interesting.  Although the main street was a flat walk, all the streets and alleys feeding off it were a modestly steep incline or decline.  It offered views of Mt. Etna.  It had an impressive theater originally constructed by the Greeks and later modified by the Romans.  Around the town we saw Easter Sunday decorations.  We walked through the botanical garden on our way to lunch.

After lunch it was back on the bus to return to the ship. 

ROTTERDAM departed Messina for Naples.  We sailed past Reggio di Calabria and after disembarking the pilot entered the Tyrrhenian Sea.

About 2030 local time we passed within a nautical mile of Strombolli.  Since it was well after sunset, the only illumination we had for seeing this active volcano was a full moon.  We saw several significant jets of magma.  It was an impressive sight of which I have no record.  A clear time exposure picture taken at night from a moving, vibrating ship was beyond my photographic skill.

MAR-29: Naples, Italy

Tour Description:  A Cruise to the Isle of Capri

Begin with a jetfoil ride to the island of Capri, taking in several lovely sights, including Capri Town and Anacapri, then enjoy a typical Italian lunch. Roman emperors such as Caesar Augustus and Tiberius vacationed on the island, and you'll see the remains of their magnificent Roman villas. Capri is a popular destination for artists and the wealthy. This tour, although escorted, is unstructured, so you will have free time to explore, browse or shop.

Tour Experience

Our guide Fabio met us when we left the ship.  It was quickly apparent that the tour description significantly understated the guide’s involvement in planning our time on Capri.  He outlined a great itinerary and assured us that he would be with us providing tickets and general assistance throughout the day.  

It was a short walk from ROTTERDAM to the high-speed ferry for Capri.  The ride was about 45 minutes. 

It was off the ferry and onto a bus for what Fabio described as a “Mama Mia” ride to Anacapri.  It did not take long to find out what he meant.  The narrow road, hairpin turns and sheer drops were exhilarating. 

It was off the bus and onto a chair lift for a ride to the top on the island.  The chair lift ride was fun and the views from the top spectacular. 

It was back on the chair lift to return to Anacapri where we spent a few minutes looking around before boarding another bus for the trip back to Capri.

We arrived at the upper part of Capri.  Here we had lunch and wandered around the narrow alleyways.  Capri being built on the side of a steep mountain, we always seemed to be ascending or descending.

We descended from upper Capri to the waterfront (Marina Grande) on a funicular.  We wandered around, then sat in a café having something to drink and people-watching until it was time to board the ferry for the return trip to Naples. 

 We enjoyed our trip to Capri.

[NOTE:  If you have made the association between Capri and the famous Blue Grotto and in doing so wonder why it was not including in our tour, it was closed due to sea conditions.]

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From the stern off ROTTERDAM, Mt. Vesuvius was clearly visible.

It was growing dark as we sailed out of Naples. 

Tomorrow’s forecast for Civitavecchia is rainy and cool.