I Am A Celebrity!

Sunday, February 15, 2026

2015 - Montenegro

Kotor, Montenegro
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

MONTENEGRO IS an Eastern European sovereign country on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea; part of what has historically been known as "The Balkans." It was once a part of the communist Soviet "Eastern Bloc" Yugoslavia. Gaining its independence in the early 2000's makes it a rather young democratic nation, but with strong traditions and national pride.

The Port of Kotor, Montenegro
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

THE QUIET little port of Kotor, Montenegro Kotor, our port stop, is one of a few popular seaboard cities, but it is tucked way back into the very end of the only fjord on the Adriatic Sea. A medieval town, Kotor is walled, or fortified.

Section of the wall around Kotor, Montenegro
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

BOUNDED BY the famous WWI "accellerants" of Bosnia, Herzogovina, Serbia and Croatia, Montenegro was part of the former Yugoslavia during most of the 20th Century, becoming independent only some time around 2006. Its Slavic origins date back to the early 2nd Century, coincident with the time of the Byzantine Empire.

Kotor, Montenegro
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

TO THE east are the Dinaric Alps (smaller, but similar range than the Alps found in central europe), with deep valleys, peaks, and stunning views. I didn't really get to see that, but my travel mates did. Sometime between the evening after Rome and the morning we docked in Kotor, my mistake of drinking "tap" water in Provence caught up to me, with a stomach issue that was pretty intense, along with headache and just general malaise. We had an excursion scheduled that involved walking around inside the walled city, and then a trip up into the mountains to visit a family farm, sample the food, and (I heard) the grappa! I did part of the walk and decided the best course for me was to return to the ship. It was a sunny, pleasant, warm day (not hot) and before returning shipboard, I laid down on one of the outdoor benches. I fell asleep and was still there hours later when the group returned to the ship. Sounds like they had found. Don't know when/if we will ever return there. The rest of the group thoroughly enjoyed their day in the mountains.

Sunday, February 8, 2026

2015 - Rome

Rome, Italy (Spanish Steps in the distance)
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

ROME IS another one of those "ports of call" that is really not a port at all. The center city of Rome is all of 40 miles from the nearest seaport of Civitavecchia, the port stop "for Rome." It is at least an hour and probably more like a 90 minute drive in good traffic conditions. It is possible to get from there to Rome by train (probably a 45 minute to 1 hour train ride - which we would do in 2017) or by private car. Either way, it means you really need a long day in Rome, which is a city that you could easily spend a week in. In 2022, we had the great fortune of spending 4 days in Rome and got so see many of these sights much more intimately (more on that in a future post).

View from the top of The Spanish Steps - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

WE HIRED a private driver (Rome-in-Limo) for 6 people for this one. Another couple joined us and we all had a good time - but a very busy and long day. This time, we had tickets to the Colosseum and to the Vatican. Our shortened 2013 cruise had originally included those two venues also, but we missed our tour by a couple days due to the ship breakdown. We spent just an afternoon, walking around the city. We were very fortunate to see as much as we did see on just one short afternoon there. Ironically, we had the best view of the Trevi Fountain during the 2013 trip. The fountain was under repair on this 2015 trip, which was a disappointment. I got the "standard" shots of the Spanish Steps in 2013, and for some reason that entire area was less crowded than when we were there in 2015. Already having some shots, I concentrated on some more "intimate," and unique views of the area.

Looking down on the Roman Forum - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2015

ENTERING THE city of Rome from the highway, we got a kind of whirlwind tour of some of the city's highlights. We saw the Roman Forum from a viewpoint up above it briefly (our future, 2022 visit to Rome would include a much more in-depth visit to the forum). We drove along the Tiber River and got a nice view of Castel Angel on the way to the Vatican.

Castel Angel - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

WE DROVE by the Mayor's Palace for a quick photo across the busy avenue on Capitoline Hill where it is situated. We made a quick stop at the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps.

The Mayor's Palace - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

THIS TRIP, however, was the one and only time we have seen The Pantheon, making a brief stop there in the mid-day. On of the things I truly appreciate about private excursions/tours with a professional guide is that they have "license" to get us in places we might not otherwise see. They can generally get their cars into areas that have no room for a bus. The Pantheon was one of those spots. I would love to get back there again, perhaps with nicer light.

The (Roman) Pantheon - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

Swiss Guard at one of the Vatican Entrances
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

BUT OUR primary focus were our two booked tours: The Vatican in the morning and The Coliseum in the afternoon.

St. Peter's Plaza - The Vatican
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

VATICAN CITY - not really a city, is the smallest (by area) country in the world. It is, of course, its own sovereign government, with its own laws, law enforcement (the colorfully dressed, but highly trained and professional Swiss Guard), and boundaries. Both times we visited there (2015 and later in 2022), our Rome guides and drivers had to drop us off and we had to switch to a Vatican guide, approved by, and licensed to guide in the Vatican. Both times, we had fortunately booked in advance. In 2022, as we entered, it was raining and there was a line of well over 100 people in line.

The comparatively modest Papal Residence

ONCE YOU get inside, even though the entire property is less than 1/4 mile square, you get an idea for the immensity of the grounds, as you see St. Peter's Basillica, and the Papal Residence off in the distance. Not surprisingly, the residence is not part of any Vatican tour.

Inside The Vatican Museum Halls

MOST PEOPLE know, of course that the Vatican is where we most often see the Pope speaking to an audience, and where up in a small room in the tiny Sistine Chapel, the College of Cardinals elects each new Pope. Perhaps less well known is the extent of riches that are held in the halls of the Vatican, especially priceless art work. Those halls and the Sistine Chapel were the absolutely most crowded places I have ever visited. I was told by our guide that this is pretty much a year-round phenomena (though in 2022 - perhaps affected by the lingering aftermath of the 2019 world-wide Pandemic - we were pleasantly greeted with very small crowds and great ease of moving around and seeing things). It was so crowded that it was nearly impossible to really see the things our guide pointed out - and virtually impossible to photograph them.

St. Peter's Plaza; The Vatican

AT THE end of our tour, we waited for just a few minutes and then filed quietly into the hushed, Sistine Chapel. There is no talking allowed. Nor are any photographs permitted. It is quite a humbling experience, no matter your religious beliefs.

The Colosseum - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2015

OUR AFTERNOON was mostly taken up with our next scheduled site: The Roman Colosseum. We had only seen the exterior of the Colosseum on our brief visit in 2013, and then much of the exterior was shrouded in scaffolding for repairs and restoration. We were determined to see the inside of this rather amazing structure. Amazing in terms of architecture and of history.

The Colosseum - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2025

THE COLOSSEUM is the largest ancient ampitheater ever built (and today is the largest standing such venue). It was constructed over an 8-year period from A.D. 72 - 80). The chambers you see above could be flooded and/or drained. It was used for gladiator contests, wild animal "hunts," and sometimes for executions (by putting one or more persons condemned to death out in the ring unarmed to face the wild animals).

Colosseum - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

THE THEATRE was constructed mainly of travertine, but persons of high status had special seating which was a higher class of stone, as can be seen here.

"V.I.P" seating just above the main stage - Colosseum; Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

BY MEDIEVAL times, the venue was no longer used for these events. It went through various states of "state" storage, a military staging and planning area, and ultimately a museum. It is one of Rome's most visited tourist sites today.

ALL TOO soon, we needed to be on our way back to Civitavecchia to re-join our Emerald Princess. Our next stop would be Kotor, Montenegro.

Sunday, February 1, 2026

2015 - Pisa and Florence

ONE OF my pet peeves with cruise lines is the "selling" of port stops that really aren't the ports at all For example, Livorno and LaSpezia as: "for Florence and Pisa." Neither Florence, nor Pisa is on the water and the closest deep water port is Livorno, some 45 miles from Florence and just under 15 miles from Pisa. Some of the cruise lines "sell" it from La Spezia (which is even further away from both cities). Misleading, in my view. A short day in Florence is possible if it is a full day on shore. Getting both Pisa and Florence in is tougher. An overnight mooring might be ideal from Livorno, but a day stop is challenging no matter what. In this case, if I recall correctly, it was one of the days where it was a slightly shorter stop, due to a pretty good run to the next port (Civitavecchia). But from La Spezia, it just doesn't seem feasible to me (though there are those who do it).

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Duomo Pisa) - Pisa, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reviewed

FROM LA Spezia, it is 50 miles to Pisa and 90 miles to Florence. Given local driving conditions the trip to Pisa is probably well over 90 minutes and to Florence, between 2 and 2 1/2 hours each way. That cuts into a port day in a big way. Unfortunately, most of the current Celebrity ships seem to be docking in La Spezia these days. On-line and website resources suggest that the reason for this is for better access to Cinque Terre. I suspect there is more to it than that and that we won't see it publicly discussed. In the early years, there was no deepwater pier in La Spezia for cruise ships, despite it being a major commercial and military port. In 2013, a cruise pier was completed, allowing for at least 2 ships to dock. The couple times we have been there, we have docked. I personally believe that the La Spezia port - for whatever reason - is giving cruise ships a better economic deal; enough so that they are moving from Livorno. I also think it is a less congested port as cruise ships go. This is unfortunate in my view, as I do not think it is tenable to visit Florence and/or Pisa from there and do either city justice, unless you are overnight. If your ship is going to dock there, I recommend that you plan your on shore visit around Cinque Terre. It is very easy to get there and you will not be disappointed!

THIS TRIP, however, our Emerald Princess docked in Livorno. On this day we had a private guide/driver for just the 4 of us. He met us down on the pier as early as we were able to get off the ship. He wanted to get a fast start and felt that if we did Pisa first, we would be among the first to arrive there. He was right, and for most of our visit there (we were there for maybe about an hour to an hour and a half), we had the place virtually to ourselves. That was very nice for photography and I got a few very nice images of the Tower and of the surrounding church and buildings.

I OFTEN photograph small, closeup segments of a subject I am photographing as a whole. Revealing the precision, shape and color of the underlying stonework is often not only photogenic, but gives us insight into the skill and artistic talents of the creators. In this case the marble work, in terms of geometrics, craftsmanship and color, is really spectacular. The interior of the cathedral, like many of the classical churches in Europe, is also impressive.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (Duomo Pisa) - Pisa, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reviewed

BECAUSE WE had one of our shorter days, we were really only able to do Florence in pretty much a whirlwind fashion. We were there on the day the Accedemia Museum is closed, so that wasn't an option anyway. We mostly drove around the city with a couple quick stops at some of the most important parts of the city. We started with a view from high up of the city as a whole. Florence is one of those places you should probably plan to visit over a minimum of a 2 - day period. Once the home of the rich and famous Medici family who were instrumental in bringing Europe out of its "Dark Ages," with its emphasis on art and commerce, Florence is a pretty impressive place.

THE DUOMO in Florence (The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore) is one of the most famous in Italy (if not in the world). Designed by the famed Renaissance architect, Filippo Brunelleschi, it is a double-domed design (a dome inside a dome), which can be climbed via a spiral staircase between the two domes. Constructed in a mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles, it was one of the primary new buildings of the Renaissance. It is a central feature of the center city.

PONTE VECCHIO is yet another famous feature in Florence. A unique, enclosed bridge, it once housed artisan shops (originally butchers and tanners, but re-purposed for artisans - in particular goldsmiths and jewelers) during the Renaissance period. It was also know for the secret passage Vasari Corridor, used by members of the Medici family to travel between palaces on either side of the bridge. Ponte Vecchio is both the oldest bridge in Florence (originally built by the Romans) and the only bridge in the city to be spare from bombings during WWII. "My" image here, was actually shot by our driver who stopped ever so briefly on the road heading toward the bridge. He was unable to stop for us, or even for me to get out for a quick shot. I really would like to have some time to explore the city on my own in a more leisurely fashion. I have determined that it will require at the very least, an overnight stay in Florence some day.

WITH OUR time running short, our driver took us past one other notable site in Florence, Palazzo Vechio, where Mussolini made his impassioned speeches asserting the dominance of Fascism from a balcony (pictured) on numerous occasions in Florence. From there, sadly, we had to return to Livorno in order to be back on board for our sail-away.