Trastevere, Rome, Italy--A Walking Tour

Today we followed Rick Steves audio tour, via his mobile app, of the delightful neighborhood across the Tiber River called Trastevere.

First, we purchased our 72 hour metro/bus/tram pass for €18. Only took us 3 machines, 2 helpers and a wad of bills (unbent) to do the transaction. Our credit card wouldn't work, not sure why. Once armed with our tickets we zipped down the Line B towards Laurenti from Termini to Circo Massimo. Avoiding the guys with the big guns (security is very evident everywhere) we strolled back along the Via Del Circo Massimo imagining the chariots thundering around the circle below us.

Crossing over the Ponte Palatino we walked along the Tiber River to the Ponte Cestio where the audio tour begins. There is a stone insert on the bridge which dates from 370 and mentions Caesar.

Entering the Piazza Piscinula, dodging trucks squeezing through impossibly small spaces we see one of the oldest towers in Rome. Winding our way up the little lanes we pass under old towers that have been incorporated into new buildings.

On the via Salumi we are caught up in the mid-day exodus of kids from the school built in the Mussolini era.

Following the tiny alley of the athletes and winding around a couple of corners we find ourselves in front of the Church of St. Cecilia. She was the early Christian who told her husband on their wedding night that she intended to be chaste! It took angels intervening to convert her husband too and eventually they were both martyred.

In St. Cecilias we were treated to the organ practice session of one of the resident nuns.

On our way to the next stop on the tour we waylaid to use the cash machine. Luckily it was more straightforward than the ticket machine at the station. Can't say the same would be true if you actually wanted to enter the bank. To do that you have to open a door into a circular contraption like the TSA scanner at the airport. Once you enter you are stuck in a glass tube for a few seconds before the interior door opens. It only fits one person at a time and you have to reverse the process on the way out.

After crossing the main road of Vale Di Trastevere we decided it was time for a four course meal. Actually, we were just looking for a quick bite, but ended up with the €10 full lunch at a delightful spot in  a small piazza.

Bruschetta followed by a large plate of spaghetti alla carbonara, followed by salad with chicken (a few small sprigs of lettuce and half a chicken) followed by creme caramel. That was mine, Fritz had lasagne and cake as 2 of his courses.

After lunch we finished up our walking tour at the Church of Saint Maria in Trastevere which has some amazing mosaics and ceiling tiles.

With renewed energy from lunch we continued our walking tour by winding down the little lanes back down to the river. There we strolled along until we became even with the Vatican complex, so we popped up for a quick photo (we have been a number of times before).

From there we hiked back to the metro and did our sardine impression along with millions of others. My iPhone said that we did almost 14,000 steps for 6 miles of walking. Instead of dinner we are taking ourselves out for Gelati!

   

Loreto, Mexico

Loreto is a lovely little port on the Sea of Cortez in Baja California Sur.

It's obvious that not a lot of cruise ships come here because it doesn't have that tourist-crazy atmosphere that you get where ships go all the time. I sure hope it doesn't get that way because right now it's a small (15,000 population) pleasantly sleepy town. 

We used the ships tenders as the harbor has no large dock, just a few small fishing boats and a sizable squadron of Pelicans. 

The town itself is a few blocks walk from the harbor along a lovely Malecon.

There were some interesting local events today including an art show, a Mariachi band playing in the town square, and the Elementary school children also put on a dance program in the town square.

There were plenty of shops selling local goods, but no one offered to sell me anything at all! 

This is the main shopping street.

We stopped in at a local hotel with our new friends Christine and Richard and whiled away some time discussing the state of the world. Actually, I think it was more likely how cute our grandchildren are!

Afterwards we meandered the side streets and checked out the beach. All in all a relaxing, enjoyable time in Loreto!

La Paz, Mexico

It was so much fun to explore a new port in Mexico. La Paz is on the Sea of Cortez in Baja California Sur (Miguel our bus guide says you must always include the Sur, it is not just Baja California--learned something new!)

On that note, La Paz is the Capital City of the State of Baja California Sur and has a population of approximately 275,000. The weather today was perfect--in the mid 70's and the water temperature was reported to be about 60 degrees. The ship docked in an industrial port which also services Baja ferries which deliver most of the goods used in the area.

It's about 10 miles from town so the municipality provided a steady stream of free buses to take people to town with a stop at Coromuel beach for those that wanted it. The trip took about 30 minutes during which we learned a little something about the area.

In 2014 the area was devastated by Hurricane Odile. Miguel used the word "apocalypse" and then apologized that his English was pretty basic (he should hear my Spanish). Apparently they lost all power and water and most basic services. He said how terrible it was that there was no internet or phone and they all went crazy not being able to share photos. Actually, the community was not at all prepared for the devastation and didn't have a response plan. We had heard the same about Cabo San Lucas, which was also hit hard, but now both communities are much more prepared. 

The downtown area made us think that this is what Puerto Vallarta must have looked like about 30 years ago. There is a Malecon that goes for miles along the waterfront, but there weren't people selling trinkets every 10 feet. The number of regular businesses outnumbered those specifically targeting tourists, and there seemed to be lots of lovely coffee shops. 

There must be some forward thinking officials in La Paz because there were these great recycling and garbage cans all along the front. In fact the entire area was amazingly tidy.

In town there is the requisite mission church and, directly across the street, the plaza sporting a gazebo. The Popular Arts Center is on the opposite side of the square. We are not sure about the goats and sheep? Down the side streets we came across a small farmer's market with the most divinely smelling basil, and a delightful little pocket park where we were the sole visitors.

La Paz Cathedral and Velasco Garden Main Square

Popular Arts Center

Farmer's Market

Pocket Park

Of course being a tourist is thirsty work so we repaired to the balcony of this restaurant across from the pier for a local beverage.

While we enjoy wandering around town some of our more industrious fellow travelers went off to visit the Reptile Center. Word has it that Mexico has the largest variety of reptiles of any country in the world (707 known species). There are also lots of water related activities like whale watching, snorkeling, and scuba diving. You can also go swimming here with whale sharks and snorkeling with sea lions. 

We give La Paz thumbs up!

Share Restaurant--Ruby Princess

Last night we dined in the new Curtis Stone specialty restaurant onboard the Ruby Princess. It was formal night, so we decide to treat ourselves to a new experience. What we failed to realize was that for such a gastronomic experience one really should go into training. One should not overindulge in bread pudding or Guinness at the pub lunch, or nosh on canapés and gin and tonics in your cabin as a prelude to such a meal!

Still, we put forth a Yeoman's effort and enjoyed every minute--even though we could have used a forklift to get us back to our cabin.

Let me set the stage--we were all dolled up. In the words of our delightful cabin steward, Krystian from Poland, darlinks you look fabulous!

The restaurant is on the 16th deck overlooking the stern pool. 

From our window table for two we had a lovely view of the sun twinkling off the water which gave way, on about course number 3 or 4, to a beautiful sunset where the sun appeared to plunge across the horizon. 

Our waiter, Nick from Macedonia, (they were robbed of the coastline during the breakup of Yugoslavia--Croatia got it) took excellent care of us. From recommending a delicious wine from Italy, to educating us on the provenance of every last ingredient he added to the enjoyment. 

Here is the menu which is based on Curtis Stone's restaurant in Beverly Hills. We were told that to secure a reservation there you call 6 to 9 months in advance. 

The concept is based on "sharing" good times and good food. You can order for yourself or you can have it on the table to share--we shared. I have no photos of the food. Well, we didn't want to be "those" people, and to be honest, we just didn't think to take the camera! Trust us when we say that the presentation of every morsel was spectacular!

Everyone gets the Charcuterie--this course alone requires a good 10 minutes explanation of the source of the ham that is dried for 36 months, and the preparation of the olives from Italy and the marinade used for the 1 tablespoon of tiny diced cauliflower that accompanied the plate. It came with a delicious loaf of fresh bread shaped like the head of a piece of wheat. I know I shouldn't like it, but the pate was to die for--my gourmet husband said it reminded him of liver wurst!

We had the cheese course next (yes I know--how gauche) but Nick recommended it to go with the wine, and I think he was worried we would run out! We had the Bethmale goat cheese from France which came with honey and part of the comb on yet more paper-thin baguette. We also had the La Gruta from Spain, but we ate the cubes of Quince paste rolled in toasted pecans separately because we thought it overpowered the cheese. This was my favorite of the two cheeses, which I believe we were told came from goat, sheep and cows milk. I'm sure we knew their names too, but I have forgotten--blame the wine!

Our appetizers (over an hour in at this point) were the Shrimp Salad and the Tagliatelle. No cocktail sauce for the shrimp--it was in a light marinade with matchstick-sized carrots or radishes (tasted like carrots, but had red tips and a mottled red and white center)--you tell me. The brioche was almost missed as it was beyond paper-thin. The tagliatelle was unbelievable--the freshly made noodles melted in your mouth and we said a special thanks to the Deadliest Catch crews for the Alaskan crab. 

Main courses--I waffled over whether to have the very popular Twice Cooked Duck, but ended up with the Roast Turbot White Fish Gratine. Fritz had the Beef Cheek Pie. As we shared I am able to say that you cannot go wrong with either one of these choices. The Turbot came on a bed of spinach, with a layer of Duxelles mushroom and a Gruyere topping. I couldn't really taste the mushrooms, maybe it was the Gruyere, or maybe the white vermouth--but it was delicious. The Beef Cheeks came in a crock with mushrooms and a light flaky pastry and a side of gravy--well, who ever has enough gravy! The sides we ordered were the melted leeks and the potato gratin. In my mind you can never have too many really rich courses with melted cheese and cream, but I think we had reached our limit and we probably could have done without the leeks in their very rich creamy sauce. Maybe asparagus or green beans would have been a better option (not one of the choices, but still). 

At this point, we were well after sunset and probably couldn't have gone on, except that the restaurant is at the back of the ship and had this gentle vibration from the engines. We think it helped to shake down the courses leaving room for, as Nick told us, the best course. For dessert Fritz had the Dark Chocolate Cremeux and I had the Tarte Au Citron Vert. Those of you who know us will understand that there was very little sharing of this course. My Tarte was a delightful and thankfully petite lemon Tarte with three swirls of meringue and a couple of curls of candied peel. The granola consisted of a line of microscopic dust that decorated the plate. Fritz's Cremeux was a mousse and the toasted hazelnut feuilletine was a wafer of roasted hazelnuts that were dried for 6 hours (I couldn't make this up). The burnt vanilla bean ice cream was amazing. We topped it off with some fabulous (not to be found elsewhere on the ship) coffee. We waddled out hours after we arrived having savored every bite.

Was it worth the $39 pp extra charge. We certainly think so! The whole dinner was one of those special occasion meals that you long remember. We liken it to our once in a blue moon special anniversary dinner at Canlis in Seattle. If you get a chance--do this one. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. And, tell Nick hello!

San Diego

I am embarrassed to say that in all the trips that we have made to San Diego that we have never before visited the Gas Lamp historic district. To be fair, San Diego has so many wonderful places to see, many within walking distance of the port or the Santa Fe train station, that we might be excused for overlooking this delightful neighborhood.

Today, as we arrived by cruise ship, we simply crossed Harbor Drive and strolled down Broadway. We kept a pretty good pace for most of it because the homeless couple walking closely behind us were singing loudly and we didn't want to be pulled in as chorus. We nipped into CVS for the few toiletries that we forgot and wandered into Macy's to pick up a belt which wont be necessary after the first few desserts. 

Exiting Horton Plaza we stopped to watch a dozen police officers with 6 cars block the street so that some poor guy from an Environmental Clean-up company could spray something in a red plastic bin. We figured it probably wasn't anthrax as everyone was just leaning on their cars, and the pedestrians weren't kept away--just the cars. 

The Gas Lamp is full of old-time character with turn of the century (20th) lamps and some lovely old brick buildings.

It has many quaint cafes, bars, coffee shops and restaurants and shops. You can tell that 11o'clock on an overcast Saturday morning doesn't show it to it's full potential.

We know that it's a bustling hive of activity at night as it has a very central location, bordered by Petco Park, the Padres baseball park, and the San Diego Convention center. There are lots of new condos towering over the older low rise buildings.

Petco Park

Avoiding the trolleys we hiked up and over the mountain-like steps at the convention center. Unlike the lady in the photo who was doing 4 steps at once we struggled with one at a time.

The view of the Coronado bridge, the Embarcadero walkway and the harbor was worth the work out. 

Completing the circle tour we walked back along the Embarcadero, through Seaport Village, past the US Midway aircraft carrier to our ship--the Ruby Princess. 

Tomorrow we will be At Sea, the next day Cabo San Lucas!

Belize City, Belize

The only thing that can mar a morning spent snorkeling at Sargeants Caye on the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere is Pica Pica! Apparently these little buggers are actually the eggs from mature coral that are setting off on their own. We swam through a swarm (school, whole large cloud) of them and they sting! And, I mean they STING! But, according to our dive master, who look mildly surprised as I came shooting out of the water spluttering and flailing my arms as my mask filled with water, they only affect some people. 

In our group of 7 only one other man and I reacted when every surface of exposed skin felt as if it were being assailed with acupuncture needles. We are also the only two who admit to being tormented by Mosquitos. Jerry, the guide, assured us that no permanent damage was being done---"they're not like jellyfish". I can't tell you how little comfort we took in these words.

Besides the killer Pica Pica we saw gorgeous fish ranging from small neon blues to large spotted things with frills, live conch and stag, brain and huge fan corals. Jerry might have given us the genus and species of all of them, but a million needles in your body tends to cause trivia to flee from your brain.

After some snacks on the dive boat we spent some time lounging on an island drinking rum punch. We then returned to the ship, one of 4 cruise ships here, which were all anchored quite a distance off shore to avoid the reef, and because it's fairly shallow and they can all remember the "Costa Concordia".

Fortified by a shower and lunch we took the tender into shore to check out Belize City.  There is a large cruise port facility here and they warn you travel in groups, wear no jewelry, and to be alert if you go outside the area on your own.

So, of course, we marched right through Diamonds International out onto the street, turned left, left again at the bridge and ended up "in town". We never felt unsafe and there were police every 100 yards or so, but there really isn't much for tourists to see in town. There were more banks than a city of 80,000 might reasonably need, some cool old government buildings, and a very 1950's department store that we wandered through which was blessedly air conditioned. 

The Capital is no longer Belize City, as it was moved about an hour inland as the hurricanes kept destroying the records and flooding the buildings. 

Before heading back to catch a tender we fortified ourselves with the local beer (of course you say) and chatted with the bar tender who was born and raised here! 

Now we are sitting on the balcony watching the last tender disappear behind the neighboring cruise ship, listening to the steel drums up by the pool, and wondering if Fritz will order yet another Princess Love Boat Dream for dessert? Any bets?

P.S. Molly, I am still tormenting school children wherever I go. Your father says that one day I will be arrested. Here's today's willing victim!