Nov. 1st Messina Sicily
By Jain
We are now in Messina, Sicily. At 7 a.m. Our Captain announces our arrival and the fact we will be docking late. He explains it is because they have scheduled three cruise ships to arrive at the same time and docking crews and customs officials have their hands full. He adds his apologizes and simply states "but after all this is Sicily".
The only reason people come to Messina is that it is where their cruise ship or ferry from South of Italy lands. Outside of a few churches there is nothing here that would attract the visitor. Jay and I took a walk around the town main square with its astronomical clock and Cristo Re Church viewpoint and we were back at the ship in an hour. The city is surprisingly pretty quiet for a port city, very dirty and boring. If you want to stop and smell the garbage this is a good place to do it.
Most tourists get out of Messina as quickly as they can and head to Taormina, a small town with medieval charm that overlooks the Ionian sea. Others go to Mt. Edna, an impressive volcano, or simply drive through the beautiful Sicilian vineyards. If you are a movie buff you can choose to go on the Godfather's tour in Savona. This is a small village where Francis Ford Coppola shot some scenes for the Godfather movie. Since we were in Sicily a year ago we have seen those sights so decided just to walk about and appreciate Messina's graffiti, broken sidewalks, and stray dogs.
We have made a commitment to go to the gym every day. As I have shared with you before, the gym is pretty well empty most of the time, so we have our choice of machines. Even with few people, it is not without its strange characters. For the second day in a row "Granny" who has to be at least ninety is there and it is hard not to notice her. With her ball cap on and headphones blasting away she is singing as loud as she can. Once she gets on the treadmill, she does not walk but she starts hopping and dancing on the belt. All the time she is on the treadmill she has a pencil in her hand and she is doing a crossword puzzle! Every once in awhile she takes a big gulp from her 16 ounce Diet coke, no water for her. She would be quite entertaining and inspiring if she wasn't so irritating. My treadmill was next to hers and I couldn't even hear the tv on my headphones and with her erratic behavior I am afraid of what she will do next. Tomorrow, I am picking the treadmill that is as far away from her as possible.
On day two of our cruise we have met more fellow cruisers. Many are big time cruising buffs. One older fellow says he is doing 10 cruises in a row. He started in September and he is currently on cruise #3, and says he will be home in April 2017. Carla and her husband are from Montana and love to cruise. They just completed a 32 day cruise, but they are very unhappy with our ship because they couldn't get the Haven suite, which is over 4,000 sq feet. They had to settle for a 2 bedroom suite. Let's just say I don't think she shops at Walmart.
I am sure we will meet more of the rich and famous this evening. Since we have a Penthouse suite we have been personally invited by our Captain Karl Staffan Bengtsson to a VIP cocktail reception tonight. Who knows maybe Granny will be there to liven things up! Gotta go and decide what Walmart cocktail dress and heels I will be wearing.
Update….. we went to the party and met the Captain and his staff, nice looking lot. I also found 35.00 euros on the floor while having cocktails. Jay said he thought the man who dropped it had grey hair and was overweight. Since that could be any man on the ship I say the money is mine.
Went to the show Comedian Al Brown and fell asleep.
Good night from lovely Messina.
We are now in Messina, Sicily. At 7 a.m. Our Captain announces our arrival and the fact we will be docking late. He explains it is because they have scheduled three cruise ships to arrive at the same time and docking crews and customs officials have their hands full. He adds his apologizes and simply states "but after all this is Sicily".
The only reason people come to Messina is that it is where their cruise ship or ferry from South of Italy lands. Outside of a few churches there is nothing here that would attract the visitor. Jay and I took a walk around the town main square with its astronomical clock and Cristo Re Church viewpoint and we were back at the ship in an hour. The city is surprisingly pretty quiet for a port city, very dirty and boring. If you want to stop and smell the garbage this is a good place to do it.
Most tourists get out of Messina as quickly as they can and head to Taormina, a small town with medieval charm that overlooks the Ionian sea. Others go to Mt. Edna, an impressive volcano, or simply drive through the beautiful Sicilian vineyards. If you are a movie buff you can choose to go on the Godfather's tour in Savona. This is a small village where Francis Ford Coppola shot some scenes for the Godfather movie. Since we were in Sicily a year ago we have seen those sights so decided just to walk about and appreciate Messina's graffiti, broken sidewalks, and stray dogs.
We have made a commitment to go to the gym every day. As I have shared with you before, the gym is pretty well empty most of the time, so we have our choice of machines. Even with few people, it is not without its strange characters. For the second day in a row "Granny" who has to be at least ninety is there and it is hard not to notice her. With her ball cap on and headphones blasting away she is singing as loud as she can. Once she gets on the treadmill, she does not walk but she starts hopping and dancing on the belt. All the time she is on the treadmill she has a pencil in her hand and she is doing a crossword puzzle! Every once in awhile she takes a big gulp from her 16 ounce Diet coke, no water for her. She would be quite entertaining and inspiring if she wasn't so irritating. My treadmill was next to hers and I couldn't even hear the tv on my headphones and with her erratic behavior I am afraid of what she will do next. Tomorrow, I am picking the treadmill that is as far away from her as possible.
On day two of our cruise we have met more fellow cruisers. Many are big time cruising buffs. One older fellow says he is doing 10 cruises in a row. He started in September and he is currently on cruise #3, and says he will be home in April 2017. Carla and her husband are from Montana and love to cruise. They just completed a 32 day cruise, but they are very unhappy with our ship because they couldn't get the Haven suite, which is over 4,000 sq feet. They had to settle for a 2 bedroom suite. Let's just say I don't think she shops at Walmart.
I am sure we will meet more of the rich and famous this evening. Since we have a Penthouse suite we have been personally invited by our Captain Karl Staffan Bengtsson to a VIP cocktail reception tonight. Who knows maybe Granny will be there to liven things up! Gotta go and decide what Walmart cocktail dress and heels I will be wearing.
Update….. we went to the party and met the Captain and his staff, nice looking lot. I also found 35.00 euros on the floor while having cocktails. Jay said he thought the man who dropped it had grey hair and was overweight. Since that could be any man on the ship I say the money is mine.
Went to the show Comedian Al Brown and fell asleep.
Good night from lovely Messina.
Sent from my Galaxy Tab® S2
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