Robertson International Travel

Sunday, April 18 ~ Florence/Livorno, Italy

OUR SPRING DAY IN LUCCA AND PISA

Livorno is a cruise ship's main gateway to Florence, Italy's Renaissance City and a favorite of ours! What was wonderful today was the weather - clear, crisp, and that perfect day with spring flowers lifting everyone's senses. It was a great day to visit Florence and most of the ship took the round trip Crystal transfer, a multitude of Crystal Shore Excursions, and private cars to the "City of Michelangelo's David". A few even took the train! As for us, we have "been there - done that" so decide to strike out on our own and head for a little town neither one of us had previously visited - the Tuscan walled town of Lucca. What a delight! But first, we got off the ship and talked to several taxi drivers, rent a car folks, and then spotted a very distinguished gentleman and a lady offering a private car and English speaking driver. It turned out he was the driver and the "car" was an extra large van! "Jian" was THE perfect driver AND GUIDE for us! Off we went and arrived in Lucca only 30 minutes later.

The town was completely encircled by a very large fortified wall and inside, one of the most delightful towns we have ever visited. It didn't take long and we were so mesmerized by this quaint place.    

Italian families and lovers out for a Sunday outing and all kinds of little features to draw a small gathering like the display of Bugatti's, the small stands selling paper thin and delicious italian pastries, and an antique market.

We treated Jian to some of our treats and then it was off to the real highlight of Lucca, the "town rotunda square" lined with little restaurants and tables outside.    Just like Venice, it even had a few pigeons to go with the atmosphere. Of all things, we discovered that Pinnochio was born near Lucca and this little guy is all over the place!  We had a mouth watering pizza and then off to the gilatto store and that after lunch dessert.   

 Then it was off to Pisa where we, once again, marveled at the Leaning Tower of Pisa and including what everyone does here is take a picture holding up the Tower! All too soon, we were back in Livorno and aboard our Crystal Serenity. From our stateroom veranda, we had a wonderful view of Livorno at sunset and, from all reports of all of those who only went into Livorno on the Crystal Shuttle, they very much enjoyed this little town right at our doorstep! Next time....next year!

OUR THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.....

"The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning". Ivy Baker Priest (1905 - 1975) Public Official

Saturday, April 17 ~ Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

CIVITAVECCHIA - GATEWAY TO ROME

This is the end of our sixth segment on this world cruise and tonight we begin the seventh and final segment to Southampton. We wanted to visit Rome today, but we have recently been in Rome with our Santa Barbara group a few years ago and we will be returning to Rome next year on the Crystal Serenity President's Cruise from Rome to Barcelona!  With an hour and a half into Rome and an hour and a half return, we could not do our remaining time justice. We decided to stay on the ship (not a bad option relaxing in the Bistro!) and say goodbye to our Voyager Club members leaving us today and welcome the new arrivals. With the volcanic ash situation delaying and cancelling many flights, we decided to stay close to the situation for our Voyager Club members.

For those who did take the transfer into Rome or took the Crystal Adventure tours, there were great reports from everyone as they returned to the Crystal Serenity late afternoon. A few traveled by taxi only 20 minutes to our Virtuoso partner and property for lunch, the La Posta Vecchia, former home of John Paul Getty.

We have hosted several group functions at La Posta Vecchia and it is a marvelous hotel in a great location, especially for cruise passengers who do not want to go into Rome and stay closer to Civitavecchia to board the ship. La Posta Vecchia is located half way between Rome's International Airport and Civitavecchia.

OUR THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.....

"Whoever doesn't know the past must have little understanding of the present and no vision of the future."

Friday, April 16 ~ Naples, Italy

THE ORIGINAL MARGARITA PIZZA AND THE MOVIE SET OF "EAT, PRAY, AND LOVE"

Sailing into Naples is always picturesque with Mt. Vesuvius as a backdrop. Many went to Pompeii today, the main attraction out of Naples that was destroyed by the Mt. Vesuvius lava flow including Heraculeum, also destroyed.  The romantic side of this area, Sorrento and the Amalfi Drive are favorites of ours.  We have traveled here many times on our world cruises so decided to visit a special place in Naples - the restaurant where the Margarita Pizza originated, "L'Antica Pizzeria De Michele" located at Via Cesare Sersale 1/3, Naples! Yes, we followed in the footsteps of Elizabeth Gilbert in her wildly popular book, "Eat, Pray, Love" where, on page #83, she describes her experience at Pizzeria da Michele. Over a year ago, we were extremely excited when our son, Scott Robertson, a 1st Assistant Director in major motion pictures, announced to us he was going to do the movie, "Eat, Pray, Love" with Julia Roberts starring as Elizabeth Gilbert. The entire movie was filmed last year in New York, Rome, Naples, New Delhi, and Bali following the book and will be in theatres August 13th of this year. Pizzeria da Michele was the movie set in Naples. We took a taxi from the ship and before we knew it, we were there - at 11:20am. We didn't dare get there any later with reports that there is a line out into the street by 12:00noon. For fun, we took a picture of son, Scott, to show the Michele staff and they immediately shouted, "The movie boss with Julia Roberts!". All of them were so kind to us and anxiously showed us their picture with Julia on the wall. They then wanted our picture with them....what fun! As for the pizza, it was very different with a chewy thin crust and delicious! We had the double mozzerella and there are only two kinds - with and without.

        Upon leaving, we were so glad we got there early.........the lines were forming! What a wonderful experience!

 

OUR THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.....

"Work is a slice of your life.  It's not the entire pizza."  - Jacquelyn Mitchard

Thursday, April 15 ~ Catania, Sicily, Italy

VOLCANOS - ANCIENT AND PRESENT DAY

We docked in Catania, Sicily this morning, a return for us from two years ago.  The view from the Crystal Serenity overlooking Catania with notorious Mt. Etna in the background is quite the picture postcard.  The harbor is full of beautiful yachts with interesting architecture from different periods lining the waterfront.   

We took the shuttle into town and revisited this ancient Roman port city so strategically important in the days of the Roman Empire.  Excavations in the middle of Catania and elsewhere remind us of earlier days on which this city was founded.  Nothing has changed from two years ago as we once again enjoyed the open market place.

Many of our Voyager Club members choose to travel south to Taormina, the picturesque hillside town where artists and writers abound and some selected to take the Crystal Excursion up the sides of Mt. Etna seen here in the background of our pictures. Sicily is a terrific destination if you have some time to explore. We really didn't have that coveted time except to get in a quick gelato and an expresso before returning to the ship to get some of our Voyager Club preparations completed.  We have Voyager Club members leaving us in Rome and a new group coming aboard - only a few days away.

 

 

 

NEWS FLASH! Later in the afternoon as we relax on the stern of the Crystal Serenity looking at Mt. Etna, we receive news that the big volcanic eruption in Iceland is now threatening the skies over the Atlantic and into Europe which will shut down air transporation in the entire area. Our Voyager Club folks planning on leaving us in Rome may have problems getting home. We are also concerned about those coming to Europe and Italy to join us in Rome. We will stay tuned to this breaking news!  Tomorrow we will be at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius, a killer in ancient times, namely the destruction of Pompeii and Heraculum.  Volcanos and news all around us!   

To lighten things up, this evening we had great fun at our costume party where everyone wore things they picked up on this world cruise. Our singers and dancers dressed up for the occasion and fun was had by all!

OUR THOUGHT FOR THE DAY....

"So many of our dreams seem impossible, then improbable, the inevitable". - Christopher Reeve

Wednesday, April 14 ~ Cruising the Sea of Crete and the Mediterranean Sea

A FULL DAY OF LECTURES INCLUDING GEOGRAPHER, HARM DE BLIJ, FORMERLY WITH "GOOD MORNING AMERICA"  AND OUR EVENING WITH THE CRYSTAL CRUISE PRESIDENT!

Today was  one of the most jammed packed days on this entire world cruise. Starting at 9:15am, our lecture programs ran until 2:30pm and then evening events that went into the late night with almost everything happening in the huge Galaxy Lounge. The enrichment programs and entertainment continues to amaze all.

One of our outstanding lectures today was with Harm de Blij, a favorite with Crystal Cruise guests and a good friend of ours after cruising with Harm over the past 3 years on Crystal World Cruises.  Author, professor, and television personality, Harm was the popular Geography Editor on ABC's Good Morning America.  We invited Harm to our Voyager Club Reception where he gave our Voyager Club members a briefing on his 3 lecture topics. Today, Harm talked about China and the role that China has and will play in the power and economic world. The highlights included the massive developments by the Chinese on a world-wide scale in many countries around the world. He definitely feels that China will be the world's super power within the next few decades if China changes many attitudes including the human rights issue.

Nightfall came quickly and we enjoyed the Captain's Formal Cocktail Reception where we had a nice discussion with Gregg Michel, President of Crystal Cruises.   Our main topic was our celebration cruise in the Mediterraneon in August 2011 from Rome to Barcelona!   It will be a big birthday for yours truely and it also happens to be Crystal's Annual President's Cruise hosted by Gregg Michel so we will all be together again in the Mediterranean next year!

OUR THOUGHT FOR THE DAY....

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" - Chinese Proverb

Tuesday, April 13 ~ Kusadasi, Turkey

THE CITY OF EPHESUS WITH OUR VIRTUOSO VOYAGER CLUB

The day we have been waiting for - Ephesus! What a perfect place for our Virtuoso Voyager Club Shore Event! We couldn't have asked for a better venue - the most preserved Roman city in the world followed by our special and exclusive luncheon at the Kismet Hotel overlooking the port of Kusadasi. So far - so good....the weather is absolutely perfect! We were greeted by our Virtuoso On-Site in Turkey, Nurdan's United Travel Service based in Istanbul. Back in Istanbul several days ago, we had a wonderful dinner aboard the Crystal Serenity with Nurdan Ustman as previously posted and now we are greeted in Kusadasi by Nurdan's daughter, Didem. What a warm welcome we received! We were also greeted by Ziya Gokmen and Yaman Yaka, our two exceptional guides who divided our group of 34 into two separate groups. We first visited the house of the Virgin Mary, considered by Catholics to be the last known house where Mary lived.
This was a great start to our day and very pleasant with very limited number of tourists including the tour buses from the cruise ships including ours. There were only 2 cruise ships in port in Kusadasi as compared to the summer months when there can be as many as 8 cruise ships unloading passagers all over the landscape in this very impressive and historical Ephesus, once a port city in the Bronze Age up to Phonecian, Greek and Roman times. After a short drive, we arrived at the upper gates of Ephesus and started our walk down through the ancient city. It never ceases to amaze us that every time we visit Ephesus, they have uncovered more of the City. It is interesting to note that when archeologists start excavating a city dating back to Greek and Roman times, it is generally a "rule of thumb" that once the capacity of the theatre is determined, you can multiply that capacity by 10 and you have the approximate population of the city. With an estimated capacity of the Theatre of Ephesus at 25,000, this gives us an idea that the population of Ephesus was around 250,000. To date, only 25% of Ephesus has been excavated. Of course, there is always the private side of life in Ephesus including the latrines of the past!  Then, there's always the shady side of life in those times including the carved sign in the road with the foot pointing in the direction of the local brothel! Since our last visit when only 15% had been excavated, a real highlight today was the visit to the newly excavated and enclosed "Terrace Houses" with a quality, richness, and size of the rooms strongly stating that only the wealthy and powerful lived in these incredible "mansions". As we climbed up the various levels of the observation platforms we could see the marvelous work they have done to uncover beautiful mosaics and paintings on the walls as if they were recently created.   A group of workers were gathered together in one of the rooms with, what appeared to be, jigsaw puzzles of tiles they were trying to put together to reconstruct the interiors of the walls.  Ziya and Yaman told us these men have been working on this for five years!  Next door is The Celsus Library, completed in 125 A.D, with its majestic facade and a perfect place to get a group photo of our Voyager Club members on tour. Further down Marble Road, we arrive at the gigantic Theatre previously mentioned. Before we knew it with our thoughts buried in the magnificence of Ephesus, we were on our way to our luncheon at the Hotel Kismet in Kusadasi. Our setting was a sheltered area overlooking the Kusadasi Harbor and our home away from home, the Crystal Serenity. We were so please with all of the arrangements by Nurdan's United Travel Service and certainly enjoyed having Didem with us for lunch and to oversea every detail of our arrangements.    To top the day's activities, we so much enjoyed the local dance troupe with their acrobatic dances and their special tribute at the end with the display of their country's flag.

It was very touching and from the accolades we received from all of our Voyager Club members, this was one of the best Voyager Club events they have ever attended - and they have been a part of many Virtuoso Voyager Club Shore Events on this cruise and in the past. Bravo Nurdan and Didem and United Travel Service!

OUR THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.....

"There is nothing permanent except change". - Heraclitus of Ephesus

 

 

Monday, April 12 ~ Cruising the Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea

THE DARDANELLES - A STRATEGIC AND IMPORTANT SEA PASSAGE AND A SPECIAL GUEST - CRYSTAL CRUISE PRESIDENT, GREGG MICHEL

We were greeted this morning with great weather as we cruised through the Dardanelles, a very interesting passage, especially if you are a history buff. Any time you encounter a narrow passageway between countries, you are bound to find ancient and recent history of brutal conflict. These narrow passageways can be the lifeline to countries who depend upon trade by sea. Such strategic passageways would be the Straits of Hormoz leading to the Gulf countries of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emerites; the very important Canals of Suez and Panama; and the Straits of Gibralter known in Paul Theroux's book, "The Pillars of Hercules", the rather narrow entry to the Mediterranean. The Bosphorus Strait and the Dardanelles, however, are so vital to Russia and Turkey, but especially to Ukraine, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Romainia - their only passage to the sea. We cruised past a very important battle site in World War I - the battle of Gallipoli which was one of the more important battles of that war (pictured above). Our destination lecturer, Jay Wolfe, has told the story of Gallipoli several times on our world cruises and there are Gallipoli Memorials around the world, especially in Turkey, New Zealand, and Australia among many other countries. We remember a Memorial we saw in Fremantle, Australia last year.

President of Crystal Cruises, Gregg Michel, boarded in Istanbul yesterday and today gave a presentation to all passengers about the results of the refurbishment of the Crystal Symphony and also that this ship will be going into extensive drydock in May 2011. Gregg was joined by Vice President of Hotel Operations for Crystal Cruises, Thomas Mazloum, and both held a Question and Answer period in the Galaxy Lounge. We were especially pleased to hear about all of the enhancements on the Crystal Symphony as we start to prepare for our Voyager Club Hosting on the Crystal Symphony Holiday Cruise to Hawaii, December 22, 2010 to January 5, 2011.

OPENING SEATING DINING OPTION!  Then, great news about the dining effective January 1, 2011 - there will be a 3rd option in addtion to the 1st and 2nd Seatings: Open Seating Dining! This is a great addition to the dining aboard Crystal Cruises, espcially for those who prefer Open Seating Dining! We were also very pleased to hear that Gregg Michels will be hosting the August 14 to 26, 2001 Crystal Serenity Cruise from Rome to Barcelona and will be the 2011 Crystal President's Cruise. That's the cruise we plan on hosting for Voyager Club!

OUR THOUGHT FOR THE DAY......

"There are roads out of the secret place within us along which we must all move as we go to touch others". - Romare Bearden (1914-1988) Artist

Monday, April 12 ~ Cruising the Dardanelles En Route to Kusadasi

Post Pending

Sunday, April 11 ~ Istanbul, Turkey

SUNDAY IN ISTANBUL ~ A DAY FOR THE ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM AND A SUNDAY STROLL IN OLD TOWN

Our marine archeologist friend, Bridget Buxton, suggested we visit the Archeological Museum and take a look at collection devoted to the Yenikapi excavations during the building of their subway system. Many ships were found and the pottery and items found in those ships are now in the Museum. All of the displays and features of the Museum were very impressive.

We then took a Sunday stroll around the areas of the Blue Mosque and the St. Sophia Church (now a mosque) and enjoyed a fabulous lunch while watching the world go by.

The ice cream vendors were very entertaining and for those of you who have been to Istanbul, you know the drill! We have never heard so much racket and loud chants trying to sell an ice cream cone! 

All too much fun on a Sunday afternoon!

OUR THOUGHT FOR THE DAY....

"Life itself can't give you joy, unless you really will it.  Life just gives you time and space, it's up to you to fill it".  

 

Saturday, April 10 ~ Istanbul, Turkey (Overnight)

ISTANBUL - THE ONLY CITY IN THE WORLD SPREAD OVER TWO CONTINENTS

This will be our sixth visit to Istanbul and we still want to see more of this fabulous city! From the reactions of our Voyager Club members and others, everyone is so happy we are getting the extra time to explore, for the first or revisit, this ancient and strategic city.   

Several bridges span the Bosphorus Strait dividing Istanbul between the European side and the Asian side. The ship and boat traffic on the Bosphorus can mesmerize you for a full day with poets, artists, and philosophers creating for us some of their best works by gazing out over the Bosphorus.

For the Old City of Istanbul, once of the capital Byzantium and Constantinople, we find the grandest of mosques, minerets, and museums with the most famous being the Blue Mosque, the St. Sophia Church, and the Topkapi Museum. There is so much to see in Istanbul that for those who have been, know the marvel of the treasures here and for those who haven't had the pleasure, must put this on their travel "Must List" or for those who saw the movie, their "Bucket List"! One of our visits today included one of our Virtuoso hotel properties, the Istanbul Four Seasons Sultanahmet, a wonderful retreat right in the middle of all the action!  Once a prison built between 1918 and 1919, was designed in the Turkish New Classical architecture, and served as a prison until 1970. In 1994, the project was launched to create a luxury hotel out of the buidling and in 1996, the luxurious Four Seasons Istanbul opened. Besides the history and quaintness of this beautiful hotel, you can not be in a better location within walking distance of all of the major and important sites of Istanbul. The inner courtyard is a quiet and relaxing refuge from the outside energy of the Old City and the interiors take you back to Turkish delights of the past.

OUR THOUGHT FOR THE DAY......

"We are mere journeymen, planting seeds for someone else to harvest" - Wallace Thurman (1902 - 1934) Writer