Vista Vacation: Navigating Naples

Hi Readers!

I'm back from a short unintended blogging break... I downloaded Pokemon Go last week, and it took over my life. Also, it took me a little while to think of this alliteration.

I'm a little sad, because we're on our fourth last port of call on the Carnival Vista (meaning the cruise is almost over!) and we are halfway through our European vacation.

Naples, Naples, Naples. If only I had known you had so much to offer.

In terms of choosing an excursion, Naples really did have a lot to offer. There were just so many many things to see and do! We knew we wanted to explore the famous ruins of Pompeii, but we also wanted to see the Amalfi Coast, so Amalfi Drive and Pompeii it was! Our Carnival excursion cost $180. It was about 9.5 hours long, and it included lunch (thank God!). Docking in Naples was also a little bit different. Passengers disembarked on Deck 3 into the terminal. However, since we were on a Carnival excursion, we left the ship as we usually do, via the gangway.

Our brilliant tour guide, Andreas, obviously knew what he was doing. He switched the order of our day's activities. The first thing we did was visit the local cameo factory. I learned that cameo was a method of carving an object, such as a piece of jewellery. We weren't interested in making a purchase, so we waited outside for the rest of our tour. Luckily, there was a wall of flowers outside, perfect for a photo op.

Immediately after, we drove straight to Pompeii. We arrived before the gates opened, so Andreas gave us some time to grab a bite, and look around the souvenir stands. We had just enough time for a cappuccino, and a few postcards. By the way: Tip #1, don't try to be cool and hide your number, Andreas gave me crap for doing that - for good reason. It was ridiculously crowded inside Pompeii and it was easy to get lost or end up following another tour group. Right at 9 am, we entered Pompeii. Pompeii is one of the most famous excavation sites in the world. At the time of its destruction, it was a flourishing modern Roman city. When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, the entire city of Pompeii was covered in a thick layer of volcanic ash. The city remained buried and undisturbed for centuries. It wasn't until 1599 when the initial discovery of the ancient city was made.

The weather was cool in the morning, and the cobblestone was difficult to navigate. Tip #2: Wear proper shoes! My pretty sandals were no match for Pompeii's cobblestone roads and dusty dirt grounds. I stepped into a crack, and my foot got caught between the cobblestone. I ended up scraping my shin (it's now a nice little nano sim card sized scar). Pompeii reminded me of Ephesus, but it was nothing like I had imagined. Ephesus felt magical and godly. Pompeii truly felt like a town that had just stopped living one day. It was an eerie and sad feeling. As we exited Pompeii, we went through an exhibition with a video of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, showing us the events of that fateful day. The exhibition also showcased a preserved plaster cast of a body found buried in Pompeii. It was a very surreal experience.

It was a smart choice to visit Pompeii in the morning. While the sun was peeking through the clouds, we could feel the heat in the air. Our tour was only about two hours long. By the time we left mid-morning, the temperature had shot up - it was hot! Parking was limited in Pompeii, so we had to walk a little bit to meet our motor coach driver. Off we were to the Amalfi Coast!

It was a two hour drive to the Amalfi Coast. Unfortunately, we sat on the wrong side of the bus, and we missed a lot of the gorgeous views you see in pictures and postcards. The left side of the bus, which we were on, saw the walls of the cliffs, while the right side had the incredible ocean and coastline view. It was a challenge to drive on the coast as well, as the roads were narrow and windy. Only one bus can pass at a time, so there were a lot of traffic jams along the way. We arrived at Il Calaianara Restaurant (at the Hotel La Conca Azzurra) at 1:30 for lunch, where we were served lasagna, vegetables, parmesan chicken with a sweet rum cake and a cappuccino for dessert. It was quite delicious. The ocean view at the restaurant was beautiful. I could live here for a week or two!

After lunch, we continued on our drive along the coast. We finally arrived to our destination at 3:20, but with only 40 minutes of free time. We entered through the Porta Della Marina gateway, one of the Medieval entrance stop the city from the waterfront. We first decided to take a leisurely stroll to enjoy our time in the marketplace, then when we realized we only had 15 minutes left, it was a flurry of rushed purchases, and we ended up running back to our meeting place. It was a gong show. Our tour guide had told us about a few amazing ice cream shops, but we didn't have time to try it out. I ended up buying some limoncello, lemon soap, lemon candy and postcards; while the boyfriend had stopped by a deli to buy some salami.

It was a long drive to the port. Traffic was bad and there were a few times when we thought we wouldn't make it back. We both fell asleep during the bus ride. All aboard time was 6:30, and we finally arrived at the port terminal at 6:15. The lines to boarding were ridiculously long. In Naples, we had to go through X-ray with the Italian port officers prior to boarding. And yes, the salami made it back on board!

We were exhausted when we finally got on board, but we knew there was a clear, gorgeous view of Mt Vesuvius during sail away, so we rushed up to the deck to take photos. It was pretty magical view, alright. On one side, it was Mt. Vesuvius with blue skies, on the other side, the sun was setting. Don't miss this view!

Dinner is served... On the menu for me was lobster bisque, a salad and fish again. Did I just have fish three nights in a row!? The boyfriend had fish (no chips) and beef wellington. We both had bread pudding for dessert. Hmm.. there has been a lot of fish on the menu during this cruise. 

Tonight was officially the last night for Anthony Scott in the comedy club. We enjoyed his shows so much! In the Liquid Lounge for an evening of comedy and hypnotism was Rich Guzzi. We had previously seen him on a Royal Caribbean ship so we decided to pass this time.

This was the best excursion thus far. We had the best time exploring Pompeii, and an even more amazing time at the Amalfi Coast. We did feel rushed and naturally, we wished we had more time at the Amalfi Coast. I would love to go back to Naples to visit Positano, Sorrento and Capri one day. I definitely recommend this excursion, and Carnival did a great job in selecting this tour company. It helped that our guide was so invested in our group as well. Andreas truly wanted us to have a memorable experience in Naples, and we sure did. Thank you, Andreas!

I hope you enjoyed this entry. Next up is Rome! Don't worry, I promise I won't take an entire week to update this time!

Vista Vacation: Expedition Etna

Messina is the third largest city on the island of Sicily. It is located on the tip of Italy's boot, which gave us a hazy view of the Strait of Messina. We chose our excursion without knowing much about Messina. There are two main attractions: Taormina and Mt. Etna. We would have loved to see both, but we were on a budget. We ended up choosing to see Mt. Etna, Italy's most active volcano, which is also o a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There was multiple Carnival tours for Mt. Etna, with the most expensive one being Mt. Etna at 10, 000 ft ($200). We viewed Mt. Etna's Silvestri Craters at 6, 500 ft ($60). Mt. Etna was an hour and half away from the port. Unfortunately, we woke up late for the excursion and barely made it to our meeting point. We slept through the entire bus ride, and missed all of Sicily's beautiful landscape. I guess I just partied too hard on my birthday the night before (I'm just kidding, we didn't).

 

Our tour guide, Val, was very knowledgable about Messina, and she liked to talk a lot - a little too much. Once we arrived at the crater, we separated from the group and explored on our own. It was a pretty awesome experience. We got to walk around one of the craters (top right), and the views of the mountainous landscape from the crater were stunning (bottom left). It was a very larger than life feeling.

We didn't have much free time and with the crowds up at Mt. Etna, it was even harder to enjoy our free time. Bathrooms had long lineups, cafes were full, and gift shops were packed. There were over 20 tour buses up on the volcano. We had seen the Celebrity Equinox with us at the port, so the crowds was expected. By noon, the buses started to leave, as did we. The roads down the mountainous regions back to the ship were very windy (bottom left).

When we reached the port, we decided to head back to the ship for a quick lunch before coming back for a stroll. Hawkers were lined up along the terminal, trying to sell passengers souvenirs through the fence. Souvenirs at Messina were some of the most inexpensive ones during our entire cruise.

After lunch, we left the ship again to explore the port. We were there on a Sunday, so a lot of stores were closed. We stumbled upon the Cathedral of Messina by accident. We were trying to find a souvenir shop that was opened, and just around the corner, we saw a large square with a bunch of hawkers. As we turned the corner, we saw the cathedral. It was accompanied by a bell tower with the largest mechanical and astronomical clock in the world. It was opened so we walked through quickly, admiring the Gothic architecture. We walked back to the port shortly after, stopping for a croissant and cappuccino at a cafe along the way. There were only two cafes opened by the port, and they were busy. When we got back on the ship, we went straight to the deck to take some pictures of the golden Madonnina. Val had told us that the port of Messina is protected by a golden statue of the Madonnina.  It was a seven metre high gold statue, and it is indeed very magnificent.

The entertainment that night was Flick. We caught part of the show before dinner, but we had to leave to for dinner, and we came back afterwards, to watch part of the end. I wish we could have seen the entire production from beginning to end, but that darn dinner seating just didn't work for us. The Carnival Playlist Productions cast of singers and dancers brought the silver screen to life on this cinematic adventure. The singers performed soundtrack favourites such as Take My Breath Away, My Heart Will Go On and Skyfall. It was a high energy show, and it shouldn't be missed.

I had two soups to start (I know! I'm a soup addict!), one was a squash soup and the other a hearty vegetable soup. The boyfriend tried a quiche, and a plate of cured meat. I also had two entrees (tee hee), I had fish again and a macaroni carbonara. I had asked for a side, but apparently, since they are pre-plated, I had to have the entree size. The boyfriend had a country fried steak. I was very pleased with the food. I was a huge fan of the carbonara, but dessert - not so much.

That night, after Flick, we went to the Limelight Lounge for the Comedy Club again. We'd learned that we weren't a fan of Tony Vino, so we ended up leaving early after Anthony Scott's show. I went back to our cabin, while the boyfriend went to the casino to try his luck.

Naples is our next port of call. We had a long, but exciting Carnival excursion booked. It was by far my favourite excursion on the entire cruise, so I'm very excited to write about it. Stay tuned!

Vista Vacation: Malta Minute

Happy Canada Day & Happy 4th of July!

Our stop in Malta coincided with my birthday, so naturally, I got to pick the excursion. I wanted to see as much as Malta as I could in one day. The one place on my "must-see" list was the Blue Grotto, and that narrowed it down to Top 10 Best of Malta. This long 7.5 hour Carnival tour costed us $100 per person, and it did not include lunch. (The other option was the shorter Hagar Qim, Blue Grotto and Marsaxlokk excursion, which I wish I had chosen in hindsight.)

We had a slightly rough start in the morning. Room service did not take our order sheet, so we did not have breakfast that morning. We had thought they were just late, so we waited and waited - until about 15 minutes before our excursion meeting time, when I had this feeling they weren't coming at all. I opened our door to see if our order sheet had been taken. There it was, sitting on our door handle. I was furious, but seeing that it was my birthday, I didn't feel like starting my day with an angry complaint. The boyfriend called Room Service, but they said it would take half an hour to bring us breakfast - which was a couple of croissants and other baked goods. They were pretty unapologetic about the whole ordeal. I had no time for that, so we just ate our tartinis from Turkey. Thank God for the tartinis.

We had a lovely tour guide in Malta. She was a single mother, who worked as a tour guide during the weekends. I can't remember her name, but it was similar to mine, I think it was Florentine, or Florentia? She spoke great English, and even cracked a few jokes. There is a lot of history in Malta. She told us just enough about Malta's history, and allowed us to ask questions.

We were taken by motor coach from the port into the city. Our coach dropped us off by the entrance to the city of Valletta. Our first stop was the Upper Barrakka Gardens, a public garden (with wifi). Here, we were given ten minutes to use the washrooms, and walk around the garden.

The terrace at the Gardens offered an amazing panoramic view of the Grand Harbour and the Three Cities.

From the Gardens, we walked back to the city of Valletta for a short walking tour. Behind the walls, it was hot. The main highlight was our walk was St. John's Co-Cathedral. We didn't know we had to line up to enter the cathedral, but we did. The queue took about twenty minutes. The boyfriend stayed in line with the tour group as I wandered around looking at the souvenir shops. When we got to the entrance, I was offered a shawl to cover my shoulders and knees (I had my own, so I didn't use theirs). The interior of the cathedral was extremely ornate. The gold carvings on the arches are amazing - you would not expect it from the outside.

The busy streets of Valletta...

The image above on the right is the Auberge de Castille. Its original purpose was to accommodate the knights of St. John. It is now the office of the Prime Minister of Malta. I wasn't sure what an auberge was, I had to look it up. It's actually French for inn or sometimes, restaurant, so I'm thinking it was a bed and breakfast. I wish we could see the inside of the building, as it is known as the "finest building in Malta." I also noticed there were a lot of cannons around Valletta.

We got back on our motor coach and headed to Vittoriosa (left) for a quick photo op. I learned something during this excursion: I'm not a huge fan of short stops. They're just too rushed, and I don't know what I'm looking at. But really, what was I expecting with such a packed tour! We boarded the motor coach, and headed to Marsaxlokk (right), a traditional fishing village. Unfortunately, this became a washroom stop for the women on the tour. I didn't have a chance to walk around the marketplace, but I snapped a few pictures of the harbour. In Marsaxlokk, they have brightly painted traditional fishing boats, that look like gondolas, called luzzus.

Our next stop was the Blue Grotto. The Blue Grotto is actually a number of sea caverns. The water is crystal blue, and at the right times of the day (from sunrise to 1 pm - according to the time stamp on our pictures, we were there just before 1), you can see gorgeous light reflections in the water and white frothy waves splashing against the walls of the cave.

After our short twenty minute stop at the Blue Grotto, we all hopped back onto the motor coach. We drove through Buskett, the only woodland area in Malta, which was planted by the Knights of St. John. We arrived in Rabat for our quick snack. By this time, it was 2 pm, and we were starving! I was ready to eat my own arm. We went to a kazin (a band club or bar), where we were served sandwiches, and drinks. Maltese bread is really hard. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be, but I had a really hard time eating my sandwich. The boyfriend didn't even get past two bites. We also tried Maltese soda. We had seen Kinnie everywhere, so we decided to try it out. The bottle said "bitter orange soda," and bitter it was. Needless to say, snack time wasn't very enjoyable for us. We also had some free time so we walked around the area when we were finished. It was a weird feeling. It was siesta time so the streets were completely empty. It was a ghost town.

When everyone was finished their snack, we followed our tour guide to our last attraction of the day, Mdina. Mdina is a fortified medieval city with high defensive walls and narrow, cobbled street. Without a map, it would be easy to get lost in its maze. It was also very hot inside the walls. In Bastion Square, a parapet above the walls gave a breathtaking view of the island of Malta.

However, I have to admit I was a little disappointed with Mdina. There wasn't much to see or do. There were only a few cathedrals (which required entrance fees), a few museums, and a medieval show of the Knights of St. John. We didn't quite have enough time to sit down and eat, and there were no cafes or quick service restaurants. We were only able to buy an ice cream cone. Maybe we were just too tired, hot and hungry, but either way, we were completely out of energy. So we left the city, and went to our meeting spot for the motor coach, twenty minutes early. Funnily enough, almost everyone from our tour group was already there waiting.


When we got back to the ship, it was past 4 pm. Our first priority was to find food. We didn't feel like having Guy's Burgers, so we waited for Bonsai Sushi to open at 5 pm. We shared a wagyu short ribs appetizer with a spicy tuna roll, and we each had a bowl of miso soup. It hit the spot for us! As you may know, we're from the West Coast (in Canada), where we have some pretty amazing Japanese chefs, and plenty of fresh fish,  so we're a little bit snobby with our sushi. Let me tell you, this sushi was good and I don't even think the chef was Japanese! 

And now, our actual dinner, which was at 8:15 pm... (I know, we eat a lot.)

Dinner was great. I had my soup (minestrone) as usual and a beet salad, while the boyfriend had proscuitto and another appetizer (sorry, we can't remember what it was). I enjoyed basa fillet of my main course, while the boyfriend had fried chicken. Then, I had a birthday cake! I'm not even gonna try to be surprised about this, I knew it was ordered. It was delicious, moist chocolate cake, which I've had it before on the Lido Deck, but I loved it. We still ordered dessert, and we both had bread pudding. I was a happy girl.

As for onboard entertainment... The Vista also welcomed two new comedians in Malta, Tony Vino and Anthony Scott. We loved Anthony Scott, he was hilarious. He was a Scottish man, but he talked a lot about home, Tenerife, and that planted a seed in our head for our next cruise adventure.

Now as for why I wished I had chosen the shorter, but more concentrated Blue Grotto excursion... we were glad we were able to see so much of Malta in a day, but truly, the quick stops for photos took away the feeling of being in Malta. We didn't get to soak in what we were looking at, and we didn't have a lot of chances to eat (I'm sure by now, you can tell that we love food). I think a shorter, less packed tour would have given us a better experience of what we wanted to see. It would have also allowed us to either have breakfast before the excursion, or time to find a place to eat in Malta, or return to the ship and eat.

Well, that concludes day five on and off the Carnival Vista. I hope you enjoyed reading about Malta! Up next is Messina (Sicily), Italy.