Dateline – Someplace in the Aegean Sea
We got up Monday morning, breakfasted, and got ourselves packed. We could have spent 150 euros on a taxi direct to the cruise port at Civitavecchia, some fifty miles away from central Rome but we decided 5 euro train tickets would be a better use of money so we schlepped our suitcases the few blocks from the hotel to Roma Termini station and found the train we needed. Most at line at the ticket machine were on the same cruise so we managed to help each other get to the correct platform and off at the correct stop.
Once we hit Civitavecchia, we all piled into taxis for the quick trip to the pier and into the boarding process. I’ve been on a number of cruises in my day, but this is my first time with Celebrity and they seem to have gotten the process down to an exact science. I have never boarded so quickly and seamlessly. No hurry up and wait. The usual mob scene of lifeboat drill replaced by some videos and a brief check in so we were in our stateroom within the hour of having hit the dock. We spent some time exploring the public area of the ship, found the location of the important things, like the bars, had lunch followed by a couple of drinks and settled in for a nap. Then some time on deck to enjoy the sunset, the dusk and the sea breeze, and the Italian coastline slipping by before dinner at a grill on the top deck. Early to bed. Both of us are unwinding into true vacation mode.
This morning up for breakfast and time on deck watching us pass through the Straits of Messina with the toe of the boot of Italy on the port side and the Sicilian coast line on the starboard. The weather continues to hold. Sunny but not too hot. I don’t find it sunbathing or pool weather but it’s perfectly acceptable book in a deck chair weather. It’s a sea day so nothing much to do. I don’t feel much like participating in the organized activities (although I did come in second in the trivia contest) so it’s strolling, people watching, eating, and the occasional cocktail. Dinner tonight was lentil soup, roast duck, and crème brulee. All rather good. There was a show in the theatre tonight but there were no decent seats available by the time we finished eating and it looked like the sort of Las Vegas revue that I could easily miss so we declined and returned to the cabin early to watch some movies. MNM needs to get cracking this week. Tomorrow is our first port call at Chania, Crete. More about that later. We plan to explore on our own.
I caught up with the political news earlier today. As the midterms approach and it looks like the Republicans are likely to be routed, the actions of the administration appear to have been turned up to eleven with defiance of court orders, overriding of laws duly passed by congress, and a rapid attempt to tear down NATO so that Trump can continue to show fealty to Putin. Then there’s all the usual threats against the social institutions that continue to stand up against him including higher education, the press, and the judiciary. When the current regime is gone, I still wonder how the enablers are going to try to explain themselves to friends, family and posterity. ‘I didn’t know’ isn’t going to work as everybody knows what’s going on and ‘I was just following orders’ went out as a valid defense with World War II. I would like to take a deep dive into some of what’s going on but I’m on vacation and trying to reset my brain, not overload it with things about which I can do nothing. Be safe everyone. Anything is possible and nothing makes sense.
