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<\/a><\/p>\nAfter breakfast, I headed out to check the game area for table tennis opportunities.\u00a0 There are two tables, and several good players are already going at it.\u00a0 After playing a little and walking around the ship, I meet Judy in one of the lounge areas for an official \u201cCruise Critic Connections\u201d party.\u00a0 There are snacks, etc. and a great view of the ship\u2019s passage through the Messina Straits.\u00a0 Italy is to our east (port) and Sicily to the West (starboard).\u00a0 It\u2019s narrow passage, and there are lots of ships traveling in both directions.\u00a0 This is one of the spots where the captain earns his pay.\u00a0 Back in our cabin, we relax and then begin getting ready for our afternoon excursion to Siracusa.<\/p>\n
The group (8 of us) meet at 1:45 and we\u2019re able to exit the ship (docked in Catania) quickly, once we were cleared.\u00a0 We meet our guide\/driver, and start driving to Siracusa.\u00a0 It\u2019s an hour and a half drive, and the guide begins to tell us how tight our itinerary is.\u00a0 2:00pm is late to disembark a ship and begin touring.\u00a0 He keeps trying to make the point that there\u2019s little chance to do everything we were promised.\u00a0 He\u2019s in a tough spot.\u00a0 He\u2019s in a car with the actual guests.\u00a0 Whoever defined the itinerary and confirmed prices, etc. is back in the office trying to dodge the blame for promising, but most likely not delivering.<\/p>\n Sure enough, in Siracusa, we had three main destinations, the Roman Ruins Archealogical site, the Duomo (cathedral), and the Church of Santa Lucia (Caravaggio painting).\u00a0 Due to our late start on the day, and new winter schedules, the Ruins, are closing as we drive up (3:30pm?).\u00a0 We head on into town where we get the chance to walk around some interesting narrow medieval streets, enroute to the Duomo, and the Caravaggio painting.\u00a0 Of course, Church of Santa Lucia (painting) is closed on Mondays, and the Duomo is almost ready to close.\u00a0 We walk through the Duomo, with it\u2019s interesting mix of Roman and Greek architechture.\u00a0 After the Duomo, our tour options are limited, so we opt to sit in a caf\u00e9 along the waterfront, enjoying a light dinner, and the beautiful evening.\u00a0 It\u2019s warm, we\u2019re off the ship, no wind, and the setting sun makes a beautiful picture.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We make the drive back to Catania.\u00a0 On our way back, Michelle, our tour organizer, convinced the tour company to refund some of our money, so we got 30 euros refunded.\u00a0 Back at the ship around 7:30, we freshen up in our cabin and head to dinner.\u00a0 The traveling and jet lag are beginning to have an effect.\u00a0 Sleep couldn\u2019t come soon enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our favorite meal on our most recent cruises has been the breakfast in Blu.\u00a0 We sleep well and wake up early (body clocks not adjusted yet).\u00a0Breakfast was indeed great, and an added treat is the view of Mount Stromboli, a … Continue reading The Straits of Messina<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/a> <\/a> <\/a>These are the relics (bones) of Santa Lucia<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n