Can’t believe this cruise is coming to an end but here it is our last day on the ship so time to get packed and ready to leave but enjoy the last moments of this trip too. As we left the port of lucca the captain warned that we would be heading into some storms that night and the next day. It was pretty rocky that night and the next morning. It was Sunday so we got up in time for mass at 8 am and then had a nice breakfast in the Dining room. We went up to do our last Sudoku challenge in the Crow’s Nest but it was difficult to focus with the ship moving so much. We had two chances at Bingo but although coming close we never did win a game. ... read more

Haven't forgotten you all but have 3 days of long tours. Thu we had an 8 tour of Sorento and Pompeii. Yesterday we had a 12 hr tour of Rome and now we're getting ready to leave for an 11 tour of Florence and Pisa. Will try to catch up tomorrow before we get to Barcelona.... read more

For dinner the night before our return to the Italian mainland, Sharon had booked us reservations at the popular Tamarind; but, John was overwhelmed by too many Asian delights. Starting with the dumpling soup, John continued with 2 appetizers featuring lobster and shrimp, a scallop entrée, and topping it off with chocolate ginger mousse in dark chocolate cup. Sharon had the wasabi encrusted filet and of course the chocolate ginger mousse as well. The food was outstanding, and clearly, this venue is worth trying, even for those not fully enthusiastic about Asian fare. After dinner, we stopped in the showroom and sampled the Benny Goodwin band… and afterwards tried luck at casino. Sharon found her two machines, and had modest luck; while, John should have skipped the casino today. Silly songs were featured in the piano ... read more

We had a bit of a lazy morning and opted for breakfast in the formal dining room which we enjoyed with another couple from Southern California. As we boarded the bus we were glad we had both opted to follow the advice of the tour guide and brought a jacket with us. Some (foolish) people were wearing shorts. The port was blanketed in a heavy fog which we hoped/assumed would dissipate by the time we reached the top of Mt. Etna. Starting in the port city of Cantania, our heavily accented but understandable guide started telling us stories of “his” volcano. Over the course of his discussions we discerned that he was a geologist, had studied with and was friends with the chief geologist at Yellowstone, and had been featured on CNN during the 2001 eruption ... read more

Our visit to Santorini began when we were tendered to the port of Athinios. In the morning those going ashore without a Holland America tour were tendered to a different port. Complaints from previous tours resulted in this change, where previously booked tours disembarked first, but then had to face the daunting choices of how to get to the top of the hill: walk (not a very good option up thousands of steps), by donkey (probably a worse option, though some come here just for an impressive donkey ride, but it does take a long time) or wait for the cable car (at about 36 passengers a trip in 6 separate side-by-side cars going up and 6 coming down at a time… at 3 minutes a trip to the top not a bad choice but the ... read more