Visiting Verona Via Venice

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We went up to the Lido for breakfast after Sharon attended the last mass for this cruise. The first leg of our cruise was nearing an end. The Lido was packed with people and we walked up and down and couldn’t find any place to sit. We finally found a table for six that was being used by a British couple and had two additional place settings (for us we hoped). They motioned for us to sit down. The first couple soon left; but, not before another couple sat down across from us. They, unlike us, first staked out a place to sit, and then rushed off to get their food. We had to fend off others who wanted to sit down, after yet another couple now occupied the spot left by the original British couple. When the lady across from me returned I noticed a tiny cup that she had returned with, as to whether that was indeed Swiss muesli. She said that it was and I asked her where she’d gotten it. They keep it by the coffee. Well that explains why I didn’t see any. It wasn’t with the cereal that is for sure! I’ll have to remember that for tomorrow.



We went up to the Crow’s Nest to find a spot to play. The whole combined Crow’s Nest and Explorer’s Lounge was packed, looking out as we made our way towards Venice in extremely rainy and cloud shrouded conditions. We went up about forty minutes early to find a spot for Team Trivia. We walked all over and could only find four seats at the bar itself, so we sat down in the middle two seats and put stuff in front of the other two for Jeremy and Audrey. Sharon ordered a Sprite. We only managed to finish the Easy Game before they arrived. No other seats vacated so here is where we sat when Dave arrived to ask the questions. Sharon of course knew, and I would have guessed, and our British partners were clueless as to “Which is not a square dancing step? A. Do-ci-do, b. Nip-and-Tuck, c. Clover-leaf, and d. Sashay. That’s right the name of that TV show about plastic surgery! Some people playing actually missed this, sort of double-negative question: “Is the following statement True or False: Contrary to popular belief, blood is not thicker than water?” But they came right back know what Diego Maradona is famous for: Playing Soccer. When it came to art, we missed “What painting style first introduced by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac in the 19^th century of forming an image using small distinct dots?” Now we know about Pointilism. Sharon knew the duo that won a grammy for songs that they didn’t sing and didn’t write: Milli Vanilli. We missed “What is the only way to kill a werewolf?” And I thought silver bullets were just for vampires. Into the bonus questions: “What two movies did Tom Hanks win an Oscar for as Best Actor for two consecutive years in 1993 and 1994?” We chose Forrest Gump and The Green Mile. The latter was instead Philadelphia. And we missed a repeat question from Alaska, but at least we remembered that the answer wasn’t one or two! How many hearts does an octopus have? It’s three! For one point each: What city is Alhambra in; and, what city is Faneuil Hall in?” The answers are Granada, Spain and Boston, Massachusetts USA. We did do so well on this trivia, missing two in the regular set and getting killed in the bonus!



We went to The Dive In for burgers and took them back to the cabin. We got our passports and prepared for a rainy tour to Verona. I had to rush back to the room to get my jacket… oops. When I got back to the Showroom our group had already been called (there were only two tours going out today). I caught up with Sharon where they were issuing stickers for the tour near the exit. It was more misty now than rainy. We made our way through the terminal and from there onto the coaches.



It was about a fifty minute drive to Verona. We stopped on the way at a roadside stop to let people use the restrooms. Once in Verona, we picked up a local tour guide for our walking tour. Arriving by a park beside a river, we exited the bus to walk across the old roman bridge and into the inner city. The pink marble used in the buildings and for many of the sidewalks and walkways comes from a local quarry. The buildings sometimes have intriguing layers of white and red (pink marble and bricks) used in the walls of the buildings and some towers (e.g. clock towers). Looking around the skylines you can’t but marvel at the number of different towers that you see, something that we noticed in Venice and again here in Verona.



Our guide told us that we would be visiting three courtyards. The first was rectangular, not terribly large, but with old looking buildings facing from all sides, some with ornate designs and trimmings, some very official looking. What strikes you walking into this first courtyard is how quiet it is. We moved on to the second courtyard, and it was quite a contrast to the first in so many ways. First, it was not quiet. Second, it was not rectangular, more of a drawn out elongated courtyard pinched in at the ends. This courtyard bustled with life and served as the green market, six days a week (every day except Sunday). In addition to produce, venders were selling all imaginable local and touristy goods, almost a mini-Turkish bazaar.



We moved on to visit the villa of the Capulets (as in Romeo and Juliet). In this courtyard you can see the front door to that villa and the balcony made famous by William Shakespeare. The covered archway and hallway leading into this courtyard today serves as a canvas where people leave behind their graffiti in bright, vibrant and indelible colors, one layer over the previous layer. Many people were busy leaving their marks upon the wall.



We made our way towards the courtyard with the large horse statue which is the meeting place for going back to the coach, and back to the ship in Venice. On the way we saw the Arena that Verona is famous for. It looks a lot like the coliseum in Rome but is a bit smaller, in much better shape, and still in use many times a year. They were preparing it for an Opera on Ice this weekend. It was just starting to rain, so we sought the shelter under the awnings of a ristorante gelatoria. I had a coconut and dark chocolate cone. Sharon had a cup of coffee and dark chocolate. I’m not a fan of chocolate ice cream, but this flavor was great, truly like semi-sweet chocolate.



We didn’t arrive back at the ship until 7:30 PM, well after our normal dinner time. This being the final shipboard night (for some), meant that there was no strict dress code when it came to “smart casual” and eating in the Dining Room. Sharon and I both showed up in our blue jeans. Most of our fellow diners already had their suitcases backed for their disembarkation the following morning. And the Dining Room was jam packed fuller than I’d seen all cruise. I had the Brie in Phyllo dough, the mushroom soup and the vegetable curry with glass noodles. Sharon had the “everyday chicken” which wasn’t listed as a selection on tonight’s farewell menu. We had to order desert when we place the order for our main meal, and I had the Napolean and Sharon just asked for ice cream (again deviating from the nicely planned Last Supper painstakingly prepared for us and had to revert to having another of her “Special Meals”). Sharon’s siblings take a great delight in telling me of all of the “Special Meals” that Sharon got as a child. Her sister Erin doesn’t recall ever having a “Special Meal” herself!



We made our way to the piano bar where Jeremy was busy at the piano. We somehow managed to sneak in and sit fairly close without being regaled with “New People” and applause from those listening. The priest got such a kick of it this week he started using it during mass and is trying to figure out how to use it when he gets home. When we got there, there were just a few people, but things did eventually get lively with songs from Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles and such. Sharon wanted to request Herman’s Hermits, but refrained. We’d come to hear his revival of his American Pie revival, but he never seemed to quite get to it. We watched for over an hour, and then decided to call it a night since we have an early tour in the morning.

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