Having arranged to transfer my morning booking to the identical afternoon excursion, I still awoke at some silly hour of the forenoon without getting back to sleep. However, I welcomed not having to rush to meet in the Royal Court Theatre at 8.10am. We were docked at Italy’s gateway to Rome, Civitavecchia. The last time I was here was in late March 2007 on the last sector of QM2’s maiden world cruise. It was cold and sleeting. The will to visit Rome was not there, nor did I feel like venturing anywhere that day. The brief hot weather of Dubai and Egypt was long gone. And today, there was no evidence of the warmth of previous months. However, I did sign up for a what should have been a delightful country drive. Three people apparently failed to show up for the trip; the coach was held, much to the increasing disgruntlement of some of those who seemed incapable of just waiting a little while, including a German woman sitting next to me who was exhibiting her annoyance, exacerbating what was fast becoming a very unpleasant situation. I decided to bail out! However, I was persuaded to re-board the coach. Two other people did “leg it”, & I don’t blame them for one moment. I then occupied a middle seat at the back of the coach, offering the leg room of Business Class. If I had done this on previous trips, I would not be struggling with knee problems now.
The tour guide sensibly didn’t drown us with none stop commentary, but did point out all that was important with necessary additional information. Excellent!! Our eventual destination would be the small town of Tuscania with a plethora of ancient architecture and a tiny but lovely park overlooking a gorgeous green valley and ancient buildings beyond. Before that, we called at a farm which was open to the public. There we sampled several local savoury dishes with wine and home produced olive oil. Our journey was through lush green countryside which I might not have associated with this part of the world. A few modern and tasteful residences were in evidence throughout the ride through this countryside. What started badly turned into a delightful afternoon in charming country, complete with thunderstorm and a torrential downpour. We were all warm and dry, and by the time we were back at the ship, the inclement weather had subsided.
I counted five passenger ships in port this evening, including the brand new “Symphony of the Seas”. Perhaps out of character for me, but I did like the look of this latest mega cruise ship. However, nothing at sea anywhere holds a candle to Queen Mary 2. I have almost completed four months venturing almost as far away as it is possible to be from home. Occasionally, I do feel slightly jaded, as do one or two others. But these calls in the Mediterranean have been a most pleasant surprise and a reminder that one does not need really to travel through 13 time zones to be in the loveliest of places.
I will publish photographs when the internet is more robust.
Many thanks for reading,
David.
David's Cruise 