I Am A Celebrity!: Back to The Edge (and the Mediterranean)

Rome's "Spanish Steps" - one of the most popular sites in the city
Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

WHILE 2022 started out "soft," with our short western Caribbean cruise, it turned out to be a loaded travel year. We began in the Caribbean in January. Then in June, we traveled (all by land) to Portugal for over 2 weeks. By September we were once again cruising. This time in the Baltic, on the Celebrity Apex. And then, a month later, we finished out 2022, again on the Celebrity Edge (our second cruise on her). Each trip was more than 2 weeks. Pretty eventful travel year.

One of the world's most famous fountains, the Trevi Fountain was built in 1762, at the base of a clear-water aqueduct bringing clear water into the city. Built at the intersection of three important Rome streets (hence "Trevi"), it is a tradition for visitors to toss a coin into the fountain over their right shoulder. This act supposedly signifies that you will return one day. Sources say that about 3,000 euros are tossed into the fountain each day. It must work. I have done it 3 times now and have returned 3 times. 😁 This photo was made back in 2013 on our first visit. The fountain was so mobbed on this trip that it was near impossible to get a meaningful photograph.
Trevi Fountain - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

OUR MEDITERRANEAN cruise in 2022 was our 5th cruise in that part of the world. It is probably our favorite cruise destination. It was also our second time on the Celebrity Edge (and our third on an "Edge Class" ship). There would (will) be more. We love the Edge Class ships.

In spite of the Trevi Fountain's popularity amount tourists, our guide for the day in Rome opined that this fountain was more important, and more popular and famous among Romans than any other fountain in the city.
Fontana Dell' Acquia Paola - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THIS CRUISE was a bit unusual for us, because it involved some additional travel and time both pre and post cruise. I think this may become more of a trend for us in the future. It seems to us that once you have paid the money and spent the hours flying just about anywhere abroad from our home in the U.S., we might as well spend as much time as we can over there. Relative to the over and back travel cost, the rest is reasonably affordable. And as retirees, we certainly have the time.

Our VRBO was merely steps from this popular local piazza. It is a very nice site, flanked by fountains on either side, as well as fountains surrounding the obelisk in the center. The two churches are "almost" twin structures. It is said that the architect just could not bring himself to exact duplication, so there are some significant differences. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful, symmetrical view from the piazza toward the city of Rome. There are three streets converging (you cannot see the middle street in the picture) here. We ate 3 of our four dinners along these streets and I must say I had some of the finest pasta I have ever tasted.
Piazza del Popolo ("people's plaza) - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

OUR ITINERARY this time was full. We flew into Fiumicino for Rome, Italy. We stayed in a VRBO in Rome for 3 nights, before heading to Civitavecchia, and our cruise port. Aboard the Celebrity Edge, we made multiple stops along the Italian and French Riviera, and then to Barcelona, Sardinia, Sicily, and back to Naples, before returning to Civitavecchia. From there, we flew (Fiumicino again) to Marco Polo airport, spending another nearly 4 full days in Venice. One of our longest trips. But jam-packed with great things.

Fountain at the base of the Obelisk - Piazza del Popolo - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

I HAVE often said that one of the great things about cruising is that it is a good way to see the world, while not having to move hotels, pack and repack bags, and worry about travel destinations from one place to another (though we found it to be reasonably convenient and easy on our Portugal trip). It is also nice to have a 5-star restaurant (or a couple) traveling along with you (some may disagree on the "5-star" rating, especially more recently. But we have experienced mostly very good food and restaurants). The downside is that you have very little time in most cases to really get to know a place if you want to.

I spent a couple hours at sunrise at this piazza, just steps away from our VRBO, following our first night Rome. This is one of my favorite images
Piazza del Popolo - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

ROME IS certainly not exception to that last point. Having an opportunity to spend a few days (and nights) in the city was big. We have tried to do this with departure and arrival ports whenever possible. Because of that planning, we have spent a fair amount of time in Barcelona (a favorite city), Venice, London, Amsterdam/Rotterdam, and now Rome. It was nice to see and experience this historic and amazing city during all times of the day, for several days. We saw (and as a photographer, I was able to shoot) things and places we probably would not have otherwise done. Surely not on a short day-stop on a cruise (at least 2-3 hours of which would be burned up just by transportation to the city). We also experienced food (a few excellent restaurants and little shops) that we only could have had on a multiple day adventure.

Palazzo Venezia - Rome, Italy
(We were here on this trip on a beautiful, sunny day, right at mid-day. As nice as it looks in person, this image illustrates why photographers would rather have flatter, angled light)
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

THERE IS just so much to do in Rome, though, that we didn't get it all done. There are things I would like to do and see, and hopefully, we will have another opportunity. But in the meantime, we took full advantage. We had a pickup at the airport, and from there, a driving tour around the city for several hours. On that tour, we saw the Fontana Dell' Acquia, as well as - later - the Trevi Fountain. We also walked the Spanish Steps. The first fountain was at a relatively remote and tranquil spot (actually just above the Piazza del Popolo, and our VRBO). We also made a quick stop at the Palazzo Venezia (Mayor's Palace). The latter three sites are among Rome's most popular (and crowded) tourist attractions.

Our tour this time included a walk right through the Roman Forum (Rome's first real "downtown." On our previous visits we walked around the perimeter and stopped for a view from above during our whirlwind driving tour. This time we spend a couple hours with our guide and learned a lot about the history of the place.
Roman Forum - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2022- All Rights Reserved

OUR FIRST experience in Rome was at the end of our aborted Royal Princess Mediterranean Cruise in 2013. It was our first time in the Mediterranean, and my personal first time in Europe. We had keyed and looked forward to this cruise, which included some of the best parts of Europe - and particularly for a photographer. Unfortunately, "stuff" happens, and there was an unavoidable problem with our cruise ship. It all turned out well in the end (if interested, you can see more of that story here). We had a rescheduled flight out of Rome, and the day before, we booked a motel near the airport. We had met some friends onboard, and we shared a ride to Rome. They were staying in the city for a couple days. We dropped our baggage off at our hotel, and rode in with them, where we spent the afternoon walking around. For not having any guide or plan, we saw a lot of the city sights, including the exterior of the Roman Colosseum, The Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, and part of the Roman Forum. We returned for a day-stop a couple years later, with our friends, Paul and Linda. We had a tour that time which included admission to the Coliseum, as well as a tour of the Vatican. So we saw a few more of the sites. But even then, it was all too short. On this trip in 2022, we fared much better, in my view.

Temple of Antonius and Faustina - Roman Forum - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2022- All Rights Reserved

ON OUR first day, we had arranged for a guide, with a tour of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. The temple shown here with the green door was fascinating to me. Among other things, it is used as an illustration of the depth of excavation over the years. The door was added later in the temple's history, and at one time, was at (or very near) ground level!

Inside the Roman Colosseum - Rome, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2022- All Rights Reserved

AS WE walked out of the Forum, the Colosseum appeared in the near distance. I have a "favorite" photo of the structure, made back in 2013. It is a difficult shot to make, as there is so much going on around the outside - much of it what a photographer might refer to as "clutter." And in 2013, there was scaffolding up around much of the exterior where they were cleaning and restoring the stonework. On this 2022 visit, I didn't really try to get anything "better" as far as the exterior. We had tickets for the inside and our guide stayed with us, giving us the history of the place. One thing I did have with me that I had not had on previous visits was a wider-angle lens for my camera. I made - I think - a much better shot from inside the coliseum, showing the vastness of the place. I also made a couple more "intimate" shots of areas inside, demonstrating the detail that was put into this building that was completed in the year 80 A.D.!

THE FOLLOWING day, we had a relatively early morning tour of the Vatican scheduled. Our guide picked us up outside the VRBO and we headed for Vatican City. Our second trip in 2015 had also included a Vatican tour. This one was different. "Night and Day" different. In 2015, the entire complex was mobbed. This was particularly true in the Grand Hallway and in the Sistine Chappel, where it was shoulder to shoulder. While it was hard not to feel the grandiosity - it was, after all, The Vatican - it was nearly impossible to see things, and equally difficult to keep our group of 6 people together. We waited for a least 20 - 30 minutes on the steps down into the chappel before gaining entry. On this trip: we felt like we had a private showing. I was really astounded, as I had asked our guide back in 2015 if there was ever a time when it wasn't so crowded, and he told me basically: "no." I don't know how much this had to do with it being still post-Covid, and how much was just our early morning hour (I suspect - good news for other visitors - it was mostly the latter). Whatever the reason, we felt very fortunate, as we were able to see, and photograph areas we had barely gotten a glimpse of 10 years back.

THERE WERE a few more people in St. Peter's Basilica, but it still wasn't unmanageable.

AFTER A fun few days in Rome, we headed for Civitavecchia, and our cruise. Next up: La Spezia and Cinque Terre.

I Am A Celebrity!

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Back to The Edge (and the Mediterranean)

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