Today is Friday, September 1, 2023. This is a day at sea, so no off-shore excursions are taking place. It is a beautiful, sunny day, and it is in the high 70s Fahrenheit, although it feels much warmer beneath the beautiful and always-uplifting sun. Our cabin is on Deck Four (out of ten); and we are one deck above the promenade deck (Deck Three). The Promenade Deck is a quieter, relaxing space, with a wooden-floor, covered-but-open-sides track, which goes all the way around the outside (circumference) of the ship. There are cushioned lounge chairs and wooden benches all around, and this deck is especially valuable as a walking/running/jogging path. I love it because I can view the sea and any land we pass on all sides of the ship. I like to walk around the deck; John likes to relax and read on the Promenade Deck. It is just one floor beneath us! Sweet!
We also have been relatively out of communication, phone- and internet-wise, since Thursday evening shortly after we set sail from Katakolon, Greece. We look forward to docking at port in the morning, when we can once again communicate electronically more easily for awhile.
We left Greece, although we will stop again at Katakolon in a few days as we move toward southern Italy. I have loved Greece and everything about it, and I can’t believe the strong foundation the Greek language has on much of our U.S. Vocabulary! The roots for many of our words are found in the Greek language! If we encounter a brand new word but known some Latin and Greek, we could probably figure out the spelling and meaning of that word!
On to Trieste, Italy, with an arrival around 7:00 A.M. Saturday morning. Outside of our cabin, we have seen far-away land every now and then, and the ship’s navigation map shows that the land is Italy. A few minutes ago, I could see a few lights across the water, and supposedly we are passing San Giorgio, Emilia-Reggiana, and Tuscany, from east to west across Italy. Those are the regions of so many of my ancestors, where I was born, where my mother and father were born! I feel it in my chest, and I took a moment to give a special personal tribute to all of my ancestors and my native land! Trieste is Italy, but it was actually part of the Hapsburg Empire (Austrian) at one point. It is across the water from Venice, and it is adjacent to Slovenia. We dock in Trieste, and we have a shore excursion in Slovenia. I am excited to hear my native language spoken on native land! More on this tomorrow.
Today, it was an opportunity to let our legs recover and catch up on a little bit of sleep. Thus, we ate too much all around the ship, all the time, it seemed. We attended a beautifully done presentation on life aboard the ship and what goes on behind the scenes aboard this ship to ”make everything function as it should to make it all look seamless to each and every guest and to give each guest a memorable experience.” We were introduced to the Captain and many others who make this ship “work” and as safe as they possibly can. These presentations are enhanced by what seems to be an extremely talented technology staff. The visual supporting effects are phenomenal. As a finale, we were introduced to a parade/stage-full of crew members who come from all around the world, leave families behind to come to work for long periods at a time, and who often send their earnings home for family and perhaps for future use.
I attended an excellent presentation on Traditional but Modern. The basic point was that when we see artisan shops , restaurants, culinary specialties, and so on in the Mediterranean region, they are more than just crafts, careers, businesses, and so on. To the artisans, these modern activities are integrally connected to their personal, ancestral, and national pasts. They take great pride and satisfaction in performing their crafts the way they do, and they want to protect them so that they are as authentic as possible. Even Neapolitan margherita pizza, for example, is one of those crafts. There are standards that Neapolitans insist upon. So, for example, a Neapolitan pizza must be round, must have a raised circumference, must be about 13 inches in diameter, must contain simple ingredients, including Buffalo mozzarella, tomato sauce, and fresh basil. It must be baked in a very hot oven and not for very long. It can have no burn marks. To protect the authenticity of the Napoleon pizza, there is an association that monitors and promotes these standards. Those establishments that comply could boast certification of compliance. And so on with other types of traditional crafts/items.
We attended afternoon tea on board in the ship’s fine dining room. Hot tea was served, and each table held small finger sandwiches and a variety of pastries. It only lasted about an hour because the crew needed to prep the dining room for dinners beginning at 5:00 o’clock. The afternoon tea was a lovely experience, and we hope to do it again before we disembark. We were among the first to attend dinner in the same restaurant at 5:00 P.M.
Dinner was great as usual. We could choose to dine at the general buffet, but John and I believe that we can control portions and food quantity better when dining in the restaurant. Hmmm…. This shall be an experiment, for sure!
This evening, we watched a presentation on the history of the Holland America cruise line. Very interesting, indeed, and I found the part about how Holland-America treated emigrants (kindly) from other countries during the late 1800s/1900s very interesting, indeed. The geanealogical work I’ve done so far suggests that many of my own ancestors would have benefited from some of the innovative practices Holland-America introduced at that time when ships were still more focused on transportation rather than cruising.
Saturday morning, as those of us continuing to Barcelona go for off-shore excursions or enjoy a relaxing day on board, others are ending their cruise and disembarking in Trieste. Still yet, new people are coming aboard to begin their cruise from Trieste to Barcelona.
We are scheduled to gather at 8:10 A.M. For what looks to be an awesome trip to Slovenia and then Trieste on our own. I’m certain we’ll eat too much again all day. TTFN.
Our Travels 