The View from 58-inches High

After the disaster that was Monemvasia, we decided it was a good idea to skip the excursion in Santorini.  I had talked to destination services and gotten “the scoop”. There was both great eating and great shopping in Santorini. The first set of tenders would take the guests to the buses then the boat would reposition and send more tenders out to the main port of Fria. The city is actually up a bluff from the port and there are three ways up; the cable cars, the donkey rides, or walking up 740 stairs. The woman at destination services assured us that the cable car line would not be bad and gave us two tickets. We had heard that the line was always over an hour long so we were skeptical. The plan was to meet up when to get on the first tender out to Fria.

Chau and Curtis were going to do their excursion so I was surprised when Chau called in the morning asking if she could come along. Apparently Curtis was not feeling well after the fun of the night before. We met up with Holly and Ed at about 9:30 and made our way onto the first tender. It didn’t take us long to see that the cable cars were not going to be an option. The line was well over an hour long. The weather was beautiful and we were looking for an adventure so we all decided to walk. We walked up and down the dock but all we could find was the cable car line and the donkey ride line. We made our way over to the information booth and asked about the stairs. It quickly became obvious that humans walked with the donkeys and all we had to do was push passed the line and start walking. The woman laughed at us and called us brave. She asked us a few times if we were sure that we wanted to walk.

We brushed off her comments and made our way, with a bit of an American swagger, to the donkey road. We were feeling full of ourselves and ready to tackle these stairs which, surely, could not be any worse than the stairs in Italy. We made up every reason in the world why the woman was so shocked that we would choose to walk. I still remember Holly saying  “Ohh well, the Greeks are vary sedentary people.”

We started up the road and quickly realized that what seemed like a few donkeys was actually more like 200. They were lined up against both walls; rears facing right at us. I’m not sure what everybody else’s expectations were but it had never occurred to me that there would be so many unattended donkeys. I also hadn’t thought about the fact that they spend all day on this road with no bathroom breaks. I looked to the rest of the group but they all seemed committed. We were taking the steps, head down to watch where we stepped, and had gotten passed one of the switchbacks when we heard some commotion up ahead. We were all pretty separated at this point. I stopped to see what was happening when I saw a herd of about 20 donkeys, riderless, down the stairs straight towards us. My first thought was that a herd of riders had gotten loose and soon the situation would be remedied. That’s when I noticed the one rider at the back of the pack with a whip. The next thing I noticed was that everybody else was running to the walls for support. It didn’t seem to matter. Even though clinging to the wall seemed to prevent trampling, it certainly didn’t stop the donkeys from rubbing all over you as they ran by. I suppose that on top of all of the other obvious realities that we missed it shouldn’t have surprised me that we also didn’t think about how the donkeys that took people up got back down.

The Donkeys of Santorini. You can't really tell from the photo but the wall is the only thing protecting you from avery long drop. At times you had to literally shove the donkeys away.

We regrouped and briefly discussed whether we wanted to go on.  We were all pretty committed at this point so, on we went.  The next 30-minutes of our life were a strategic mix of watching the road ahead for the next stampede and watching your step. Some of the deposits were large enough that you would not get your shoe back. In another show of brilliant planning, most of us were wearing open-toed shoes.  By the top, the exertion was the least of our concerns. We were sweaty as hell but we were also pretty sure that the odor that would follow us the rest of the day was not our own. When we finally passed the last of the donkeys at the top and the road cleared of all obstacles we stopped to take photos to commemorate out death-defying feat and rest. We noticed there were quite a few cafés and restaurants advertizing cold drinks. Even though it was only about 10:00 in the morning, we all decided a cold beer sounded fantastic.

We walked passed a few shops and looked at a bit of nice jewelry before hitting an out of the way restaurant. We were thinking cold beers and a few appetizers would really hit the spot. After the gruel we were served in Monemvasia, we were anxious for some good food. The place wasn’t really open yet but they told us we could head up to the top deck and as long as we ordered dinks and apps only we were fine. We ordered baked feta, fried zucchini, and (???). It was all fantastic. The view, the beer, and the food totally hit the spot.

After refueling, we opted to split ways to get optimal shopping done. Chau, Brian, and I headed back to one jewelry store we really liked. I had my eye on some earrings that I really liked. On the way we stopped in a store to get some olive oil. We wanted to be down at the pier by 1:30 for lunch so we were shopping under pressure. We kept hearing that you should bargain for everything but nobody seemed interested. I think much of that was because we were just not spending a lot of money. I’m not really sure how the bargaining is supposed to happen so It could have been my skill at it as well. I’ve bargained furniture before and I know you do better when you have multiple purchases.

We finished up our shopping and headed for the line to the cable cars. I had some more stuff I wanted to buy at a store right next to the line. At this time, the line was at least 30 minutes long, I left Brian and Chau in line to get my final purchases. The line ended up being more like 45-minutes and we were a little later than we wanted to be. We got a nice table outside and knew we had the right place when we saw all the cruise staff and locals. We ordered lamb souvlaki, greek salads, and friend eggplant. Just as our salads arrive, we see Ed and Holly; totally sweaty. They took one look at the line for the cable cars and headed for the donkey road again. Luckily, the donkeys were mostly off the road and the poop had been scooped. Still, it was a walk for the heat of the day.

At first they said they weren’t hungry and just needed drinks. Holly ordered a beer “as cold as you can get it”. The waiter made a confused face and asked if she wanted it frozen. The waiter brought her and Ed nice frosty beers and after a few sips, they caved and helped us finish off the food. We boarded the tenders with time to spare; still grinning over the great day we had.

Today we landed in Florence; technically the port of Livorno. The port is very industrial and not an attractive site out the window. Not too big a concern as we were off the boat most of the day. This stop had options to see Florence, Pisa, Lucca, and Sienna. There’s far too much to see in just one day. Brian and I struggled with which excursion to do today. In the end, we opted to skip Florence because we knew it was too large to see in 10-hours and it would be a huge tourist destination. Instead we opted for Sienna and San Gimignano. We had looked into Sienna as a travel destination before we booked the cruise and new it would be interesting. I didn’t think I’d ever heard of San Gimignano.

The drive to Sienna was 2-hours long. We had a good guide but it was still difficult. Sienna was a mix of history and modern day. The entrance to the city has a relatively small church, San Dominco, which houses the skull of St. Catherine; who was born in Sienna. Rome kept the body to commemorate the work that she did to bring the Pope back from France to make his home in Rome again. The entrance to the city looked small and very historical in comparison to the city found around the corner. We learned about the history of Sienna and that the first public bank of that era was started in Sienna. We also saw the Duomo di Sienna. It had beautiful mosaic floors and 4 statues by Michelangelo. The Duomo is huge and includes the Piccolomini Library which included frescos and choir books painted by the Umbrian Bernardino di betto, called Pinturicchio.

Outside the Duomo was the Piazza Del Mercato where the Palio Di Siena is held twice a year. The famous horse race is held around the edge of the piazza. The city is separated into contrada’s (districts) which each have their own colors and animals. The race runs three laps and lasts no longer than 90-seconds.

The city is actually quite large and is also bustling with shops and restaurants. It seemed to be a favorite spot for locals and the guide said that it was known for expensive shopping. We didn’t take any time to shop but did take off on our own for lunch. My plan was to find one of the smaller restaurants we had passed when we were on the tour. It had the best smell and quite a few locals hanging out. Instead we got lost and ended up eating pizza on the Piazza Del Mercato. The pizza was surprisingly good considering it was in the middle of tourist central. It really makes me wonder what we might have had off the beaten path.

Next we were on to San Gimignano. I said earlier that I didn’t think I had ever heard of it but it turns out I had been buying a wine from there at the grocery store. They make inexpensive, light white wines. We did have a little time to shop as the town is very small and the only real sights are the Piazza Del Duomo and the Basillica S. Maria Assunta. We did make time to get some of the “world’s best gelato”. I couldn’t decide which I wanted so I got lemoncello, pistachio, and on a recommendation from the guide, gorgonzola.

On the way out, Brian and I were waiting for somebody from our group to come by to take our photo on the wall. The couple that we saw pass was a younger couple like us. They were from Houston and were also celebrating their 10^th year anniversary. We hope to catch up with them more. It was an excellent day.

Today was our anniversary and it was a packed day! Our tour started out at the historic town of Eze in France. It was a tiny, fortified town that now consists of shops, restaurants, and hotels. There appeared to be a few local residents because we could see gorgeous lawns from over the walls. The town was a maze of passages that, we were told, all led to the middle like a conch shell. We tried to get lost and found some amazing spots for photos. Next we went to historic Monaco. Our tour took us through some of the more important buildings and talked about the, not so ancient, history. Compared to Rome, it felt like just a display of power and money. I was surprised that I’d lived 33 years and never knew that Grace Kelly was part of the Monaco royal family or that she had died in a car accident.

Rather than take the bus back, we headed over to Monte Carlo where the plan was to check out the Casino and have drinks. Well there was a little SNAFU with the GPS and I ended up taking us to see the Casino pizza parlor. I think someday we will laugh about it by at the time Brian was pretty upset. We did find the Casino, but opted not to get drinks as rain was rapidly threatening the day. We made our way back to the ship around 2:00, with plenty of time to get ready for dinner. When we walked into our room, we saw that it had been completely decorated with balloons and a banner for our anniversary.

I booked an up-do at the salon and Brian took a nap. Our reservations were for 8:00 so we had a while to prepare. I wore the slinky black dress that Brian convinced me to buy from Black/White with the necklace I got from my grandmother. Brian wore his sport jacket but decided against the suit.

Dinner was very nice and many people were commenting on my dress and asking if it was a special occasion.  The girl at the table next to us started up a conversation with Brian while I was in the restroom. Turns out they were from Texas too. It was two sisters and their mother who were on a ladies only retreat from the family. They were very nice and we were happy to find more people who were not complete pretentious assholes.

After dinner, we went to catch the end of the show and ran into Holly and Ed. We made plans to meet up for dinner the next night. I’m glad we made friends already.

Well we made it to Rome but not as uneventfully as I would have hoped. I woke up at 6:30, after only 3-hours of sleep. It was nice to have time to double check everything before leaving but I was very tired. We got to the airport with plenty of time and actually got into Charlotte 30-minutes early. I could not get comfortable on the plane and was feeling nauseous by the time we landed. We were checked through to Rome but had to show our passports and boarding passes at the gate prior to boarding. It seemed like it took forever for them to get started boarded. When they finally did start boarding, Brian and I were in the early group for business class. They scanned Brian’s ticket but mine wouldn’t scan. The woman told me that my boarding pass would have to be “pushed” by the gate agent. I went over to the gate agent who searched through a list of tickets and told me I didn’t have a seat; it would have to be reassigned. She told us to stand behind the gate and she would call us. 20-minutes went by as the boarded the rest of the plane and still there was no word. Finally we asked what was taking so long. The woman, a different one than before, told me I would have to get in line to get a new ticket. I was really starting to get livid. There were a number of us in the same boat, literally as many of them were also on the cruise. When they finally assigned my ticket it was clearly a coach ticket. I’ll never forget this; I looked at the woman and said “this is a coach ticket”. She grabbed it back up, glanced at it, and said “No, it’s and isle.” By this point I couldn’t help it, I was so exhausted I just started crying. Brian ended up taking the coach seat and not sleeping at all. I spent the first 3-hour of our flight trying not to vomit I was so sick with anger and frustration.

We got off the plane over an hour late, got our bags and started looking for our cruise representative. Turns out, everybody was coming in at the same time and when we left, it was with a full bus load of people. The bus stopped at the first hotel and most of the bus got off. We were at the Excelsior, further into the city by the Spanish steps. It appeared that there were about 25 people staying in our hotel; most of them much older than us.

Our original plan had been to immediately hit the city to take in as many sites as possible. The boat didn’t leave until 6:00PM the next day so we figured we had about 2-days to sight-see. Well, we didn’t actually arrive at the hotel until 12:30. When we did arrive, our room wasn’t ready so we couldn’t change into more comfortable clothing. Also, the Regent agent told us we were to meet at 9:45 the next morning to catch the bus to the harbor; much earlier than I had anticipated given the 6:00 departure. They were offering a tour that evening and, since we were exhausted and had no plans, we signed up.

After lunch, I begged Brian to come to the coliseum with me so I could see it. He did not want me wondering around Rome alone. I had GPS on my phone so I figured we could find our way to the subway and take the subway there. After walking far too long to a station that was not actually the closest to our hotel, Brian decided we could just walk to the Coliseum. We continued to head in that direction as best we could, given that the streets constantly twist and turn you off your path. We came upon the junction point for the two subway lines and Brian suggested that we take the subway the rest of the way instead. We searched for the actual train platform in the midst of a huge mall. When we finally found it, it turned out they only took coins! Brian got very upset that I didn’t do my research and the whole thing devolved into two temper tantrums; his and mine.  At the end, I gave up and we went back to the room so he could sleep before heading out for the Regent dinner that night.

The dinner was totally campy. They fed 61 people and served bottomless wine. Our guide was cute and very funny. She had to kill quite a bit of time because the bus was stuck in a huge traffic jam due to a celebration of the police. We watched all sorts of dignitaries fly passed the bus with their police escorts. We even saw the president of Italy’s car. The highlight of the night was the people we met. It was funny because they told us all that we had to pack into the seats in order to ensure no seats were left empty. They basically told us where to sit. They were pointing for one couple to sit with us and the husband was saying “do I have to sit there? I don’t want to sit there.” I can only imagine what he was thinking when he saw us. Little did he know we were so old at heart.

The night ended on a good note and I’m hopeful that the rest of the vacation will be much better than the start.