Cruising Podcasts

I have been listening to Podcasts for a very long time.  Way before they became mainstream.

I use to download them to my little MP3 player - yes I am dating myself.  Then when I was working I would play them and dream of far away places.

I have a few favorites.

Cruise Radio is my favorite - Doug and I go way back and I have been on his podcast quite a few times.  Check him out.

Doug also has Cruise Radio News that I will listen to for a quick, short news brief all about cruising.  You can also follow them on Facebook.

Another one I listen to often is Always be booked cruise podcast.

I use to listen to the Cruise Dudes Podcast but gave up as there podcasts are so long and they just ramble on and on.  So I have dropped them, but they are still a good source of information.

There are a few podcasts that are cruise line specific, but I really don't subscribe to them but listen to them on occasion.  

I also enjoy travel related podcasts too with my favorite being Rick Steves.

Do you have a favorite Cruise podcast?  Let me know.

Of course there are many great Youtube cruise channels but that will be a blog for a future date.  But send me your favorite Youtube channels for travel.

Thanks for following, stay safe everyone.  

Researching Northern Europe - Must Have

So if you know me the main thing I love about travelling is the research.

If you are cruising to Europe you must get Rick Steve's cruise travel books.  He has two books.  One for Northern Europe Cruise Ports and the other is Mediterranean Ports of Call.

I used the Mediterranean book extensively on each of our Mediterranean cruises.  I now have the Northern Europe book on order from Amazon.

Also make sure to check out YouTube and Rick Steve's page for his shows on Northern Europe.  Here is a link to a valuable show to learn about the entire area covered in one lecture.   

I will also go through Rick's App and download tours and interviews from his podcast about the ports we will visit.

Thursday November 12, 2015 – Livorno for Florence, Italy

This is our second time here this cruise.  The last time we travelled to Pisa on the train, you can read more about it here.

Today our alarm is set for 6 am and we have arranged for breakfast for between 6:30 and 7:00.  But there is a knock at the door at 6 am and he apologizes that he is so early.  I swear they have some kind of roulette in the bell box with the room service orders.  Okay let’s take this one a half hour early, let’s take this one ten minutes early, oh and this one ten minutes past their time.  Either way we are up and I start to get ready while Bernie eats his breakfast.  Then I eat while he gets ready.

We are heading out with six others (total of eight) for transportation to Florence.  I booked it quite a while ago with Tau Touring www.tautouring.it   they were very helpful with providing information quickly and efficiently.  

Our driver Gaetano was there with our name and he takes us to the Mercedes van for a very comfortable ride to Florence.

The ride is about 1.5 hours and Gaetano points out some interesting sites in the distance.  He was very professional and helpful to one of the ladies in our group who needed more assistance getting in and out. He even drove her right to the Uffizi Museum because she has difficulty walking.

We are dropped off at Plaza Republica and we arranged to meet him back here at 3 pm.  From here we all went off on our own to explore Florence.

It is lovely right now – it is 9 am and most of the tourist have not shown up yet.  We are able to get some amazing shots of the Duomo and the Baptistery.  We do part of Rick Steve’s Audio Tour called Renaissance Walk for around the Duomo and down the street.

We especially liked the Orsan Michele Church and the statues outside.  We did not go into the church as you now have to pay and we would like to come back and get the Florence Card and spend more time here seeing many of the museums, and boy there are a lot of them here.

We stop for two cappuccinos and croissants at a lovely coffee shop – again we drink it at the bar and the cost is less than 5E for it all.

Back to the Duomo and it is now open (it opens at 10) and when we enter I have to admit we were a little underwhelmed.  After seeing so many magnificent churches all over Italy and especially so many yesterday in Rome the Duomo is sort of – a non-issue. Oh that sounds bad, it was lovely but it really just was underwhelming.  We wander around and then back out rather quickly.

I will say though that the Baptistery and the Campanile and the outside of the Duomo are stunning and quite impressive.  Ghiberti’s Bronze Doors are quite impressive up close, and with so little crowds we can really get up close.

Oh I should add a note about the weather.  It is similar to yesterday, cool in the morning with some light fog and you will need a sweater and jacket.  But later in the day the sun comes up and the weather really warms up and we start removing the layers.

We walk up Via Martelli North towards the Accademia.  I had pre purchased our tickets for 10:30 – 10:45 window.  I will comment that when you arrive there are Two Entrances.  One for those with no reservation and one for those with reservation.  So we head to the one with reservation and there are two lines here, one for groups and one for pre reserved.  Okay we line up, the line is not long and we soon realize they curtail how many can enter because as soon as you enter you have to go thur a security screening, bag check and walk thru one, similar to what you get on the ship.

Then you go to the ticket window with your reservation and show them your pre reserved ticket and they exchange it for two tickets.  Then in you go.  They do have an audio guide you can purchase too, but we just used Rick Steve’s Audio guide.

When enter you look down a long hallway and there it is!  David all 17 feet of him.  The symbol of the Renaissance Man.  It really did take my breath away and hard to believe I am actually looking at it!

Now it says no photos or video but it seemed everyone was taking pictures and no one was saying a darn thing.  In fact those dreaded selfie sticks were coming out too and were only getting in the way.  

So well if others are taking pictures so will I.  So I snap a bunch of pictures and not a word from any of the security officers.  Although later as it got busier someone did state no photos to some others.  So I guess go with the flow, and I am glad I got some amazing pictures before anyone said anything.  So Un Canadian of me.

We walk back and check out other uncompleted statues called the Prisoners that Michelangelo did.  Really amazing to see the work and how a large piece of stone can turn into such amazing art.

     

There is also a bust of Michelangelo right at the entrance that is quite nice too.

One of my favorites was the Pieta, the figures struggle to hold up the sagging body of Christ. 

In all we spent about an hour in the gallery and were quite amazed at how quiet it was.  I really don’t think I could handle it during peak times. Again another reason I am so glad we visited at this time of year.

Upon leaving the Gallery we walk out to Piazza di San Marco (stark contrast to the San Marco Square we saw just a few days ago in Venice).  Here it is more of a busy bus loop/terminus with a lot of students around from the nearby university.  The San Marco Museum is here and again we would like to visit but we will have to wait until we are back for a longer visit.

I want to see the Market so we make our way West to Mercato Centrale which is a grand building that you will get lost in full of shops selling pretty much everything you would need for a great meal.  Fish, meat, cheese, pasta, fruits, vegetables, oils, wines, breads, pastries, chocolates, honey and so much more.  There are a handful of eateries here too – more like sandwich and a glass of wine places but certainly economical and fast.  There is a washroom here if you need it for a small fee (which is quite common here in the Mediterranean).

All this looking at food has made us hungry and we wander around and really want to get away from the crowds and tourist to a smaller more local type restaurant.  We follow these guidelines when looking for a restaurant:  keep away from the tourist sites, head down alleys or small streets for true gems, look for a lot of locals inside, pick a restaurant that does not have pictures of their food dishes on an easel, small menu with local foods. 

We find this great restaurant called Ristorante il Vezza at Via Guelfa 58R.  They have a paper menu that shows the starters and then a special for a lunch with just a first course 10E, or first and second course together 16E and a glass of wine for 3E.  There are locals enjoying a lunch away from work.

The server comes and we order wine of course and he explains the features today.  Bernie gets the pasta with the clams and I get the pasta with oil, garlic and hot peppers.  Both are very good and we clean up our plates with some amazing fresh bread.

We share a secondi of chicken cacciatore which was so damn good I know I am going to try and replicate this at home.  Again so flavourful! 

What a great meal, boy we have not had many bad meals – probably one of the highlights of this trip.

Back out onto the street and we have a few hours to kill till we get picked up.  We need to pick up some more wine so we wander back into the market and buy some local wines (3 bottles).  We wander down the road towards the Arno River looking at many of the stores.

We walk along the river to the Ponte Vecchio which although was busy was once again much quieter than in high season.  Hard to imagine because I find it busy now but this is nothing the locals tell us.  We walk to the high point of the bridge and well unless you are into gold/jewelry this bridge is personally a let down. 

We do run into our friends Barb/George and we pose for pics.  But my thought is if you really want to enjoy a beautiful bridge head to one of the other ones that cross the River for a much better bridge pictures and a heck of a lot less people. 

Back into the heart of Florence and the crowds we walk to the Uffizi Gallery and Piazza della Signoria and the Palazo Vecchi and the Political Center of Florence – it’s City Hall. 

Here is the replica of David – but hey we saw the real thing a few hours ago. 

I enjoy the Rape of the Sabines by Giambologna which he carved from one piece of marble. 

We saved room for a bit of Gelato and this is our last stop in Italy so we enjoy two scoops and people watch everyone in the square.

We are both getting tired and we meander back to the Plazza de Republica to meet up with others in our group and shortly thereafter Gaetano shows up – ten minutes early, but we are ready.

Gaetano wants to take us to an amazing outlook spot.  It is well worth it as the view is beautiful.  We get a group photo.

Back in the van and we are back at the port 1.5 hours later. 

Great service with Tau Touring and would not hesitate to use them again.  We would love to see more of the area and definitely want to come back to this area and stay longer.  It is nice to get away from the big cities and see the rolling Tuscan area.

Back on board we drop off our bags and agree to meet up with friends in Explorer’s Elite Lounge for a drink.  Today’s feature is Japanese Slipper which I get and Bernie gets a Cosmo. 

Tonight will definitely be dinner at the Horizon Court, we are pooped and I think it will be an early night again.  Tomorrow is Toulon and we don’t have big plans but I am really looking forward to being back in France.

I will add that you can not walk from the ship to the port gate.  There is a private shuttle service here that takes you from the ship to the main square in Livorno for 5E per person.  It is not run by Princess and you need cash for the tickets and Euros only.  It is a little annoying that we dock here and there is no way to get off the ship and see the area without having to pay for the shuttle.  This really should be a free shuttle or the price added to your cruise fee when you book and then given for free to all.

Not much is happening tonight but there are a few things:  Princes Theater is featuring Michael Bacala, Movie Aloha on Muts, Who Sang What Country and Western Edition, Stateroom movie Ex Machina, Majority Rules Game Show, Country and Western Night, and Princess Pop Star.

Wednesday November 11, 2015 – Civitavecchia for Rome

It is an early port day, we arrive for 7 am but we are docked earlier to that and clearance came quick.  The NCL Epic is in port too and we have friends getting on her today.

This is an industrial port and you have to take a ship’s shuttle to the main port gate – note that the main port gate is a little further north than it use to be and from what Rick Steve’s mentions. 

The Patter mentions that the first shuttle will start at 7:30 but we are down there at 7:20 and they are loading the shuttle buses that are like public buses now – when we came to board on Oct 25 we had big highway coaches and place to store luggage underneath.  The buses we have now are quick and easy to load.  The shuttle ride is about 7 minutes and drops you right at the port gate. 

Once at the gate you can meet up with your private guide here (note Princess Excursions come right to the pier to pick you up).  You can also hire a taxi here as well.  The other option was to take the small shuttle bus to the train station – cost was 2E each.  

the shuttle from the port to the train station

But since we have about 50 minutes before our train leaves we decide to walk.  The walk is an easy one and pretty flat and for us it took about 15 minutes but give yourself 20 minutes just in case.  In fact when we arrived at the train we beat the shuttle that many from our shuttle bus were on.

the train station

Now when you arrive at the train station there was a ticket booth selling bus tickets with hop on hop off tickets and at first we were going to go in there but we noticed it said travel agent and did not look like the train ticket booth.  Sneaky… cause many were buying them, and perhaps unwittingly.

We find the ticket booth in the train station and we buy the BIRG ticket which is 12E each (may be cheaper for seniors – but I can’t confirm).  The BIRG ticket gives you round trip transport on the train and then unlimited use of the buses/trams and metro in Rome, ticket expires at midnight.

We are taking the 842 train into Roma – but we will get off at Trastevere.  Note the stop prior is San Pietro for the Vatican, but the train then heads to Termini if necessary.  

don't forget to validate your ticket

You should check the train scheduled from their website ahead of time.  The train trip to Trastevere is about 45 minutes give or take five.

check the board for what track your train will arrive on

but first a coffee stop

Once off the train we catch the #8 bus – or you can take the tram to Cesto Bridge where we start Rick Steve’s Trastevere audio tour. 

We love the tour and the places it takes us. 

The Santa Cecilia in Trastevere is stunning and the story behind it even better.

Another great church is Santa Maria in Trastevere.

   
The tour took about an hour and we cross over the bridge over the Tiber and wander around checking out churches, sites and even the Piazzo Navona. 

We are determined to go to a restaurant that our friend Claudio recommended.  We tried on two different occasions to dine her when we stayed in Rome but to no avail.  This time we make it to the restaurant Maccheroni.

The place fills up quickly with workers, no tourists, but they are very helpful and we get a starter.  Anchovies in butter for Bernie and I get a cheese and honey plate.  For our entrée I get the pasta with spicy cheese and Bernie gets their penne with tomato and basil and chilies and it is good too.  Of course a litre of house wine.  No dessert and the whole meal comes to 50E and was very very good.

We are full and we have been walking a lot but we are determined to walk to the Trevi Fountain now that it is now open.  It is a short walk of about 15 minutes and the place is packed – a lot different than the last time we were here.

We each throw a coin into the fountain to ensure our return. 

The place is hoping – all of Rome is it seems.  The weather is great (low 20s) in fact we take off layers.  We are walking back and stop by the Pantheon and then catch the tram, back to a few stops shy of the train station.  We walk back to the train station after picking up a few sundries – shampoo/conditioner and aspirin.

At the station we run into Karin and John who are just heading back too.  We catch the train just after 1500 (I believe it was 1527) and it is busy.  The ride is quick and we get up and get off all together and we notice it is a little different but we start walking along the roadway and we are laughing and catching up with John/Karin. 

After walking for about 15 minutes we all comment that this just doesn’t look similar to this morning. 

Oh no we got off at the stop prior to the one we needed to.  What town are we in?  It is not Civitavecchia.  Okay we can turn around and high tail it back and hopefully catch another train.  We are early, still it is around 16:30 and the last shuttle from the pier is 1800.

Thankfully we walk fast enough to catch the 16:55 train!  

Our last option – next option would have been a taxi.  But if by chance we did miss the ship we could easily have taken a train to the next port of Livorno for the next day.  But we made it and we are off in Civitavecchia – now this station does look familiar at 17:05.

The 2E shuttle was there waiting but we have enough time to walk back and I want to see the town a bit more.  There is quite a bit here.  You will certainly find anything you may need here.  The town is lovely and I would love to explore it some more in the future.

Taking the train into Rome is a very easy option and very economical and you have the flexibility of planning your own day.  It is very unlikely you could catch any train prior to 8:15 if docking at 7:00.

We are back on board and we are beat!  I don’t want to dress for dinner and we head up to the Horizon Court – but we are not the only ones with that idea.  The place is very busy, but the ship seems to manage quite well.

It will be an early night for us – we are both tired and I am just under 30,000 steps today.  All that walking in Rome and then back and forth from the wrong port sure adds up.  See even I can screw up but it was easily fixed and makes a great story now.

We are watching tv in the cabin right now and we have put out the breakfast room service menu for tomorrow.  

Tomorrow we are in Livorno and we are heading to Florence with a scheduled meeting time of 7:15 in Crooners we better get a good rest.