65th Birthday Celebration - Second Photos - The Navigator of the Seas, Pisa and Lucca

65th Birthday Celebration - Second Set of Photos

The Navigator of the Seas, Pisa and Lucca

On October 4th, we arrived in Civitivecchia, to board Royal Caribbean's 138,000 ton Navigator of the Seas.  I had done a twelve day transatlantic crossing on her in April 2008 so I already had made some crew friends on board the ship and two long time friends, Edsel Toscano, casino

cashier supervisor, and Robert Wood, Restaurant Operations Manager, had recently joined the ship.  I was very much looking forward to seeing them again.  This was my 76th Royal Caribbean cruise in 14-1/2 years and as a "Diamond Plus" member, we had a special check in line and were soon ready to board.  We had a phenomenal surprise awaiting us!  Our balcony cabin had been upgraded to a Royal Family suite!  It was a huge aft cabin with a living room, dining area, TWO bedrooms, TWO bathrooms, numberous drawers and closets and the most

wonderful cabin steward ever!  Also, the balcony ran the entire length of the room and accommodated a table and chairs and three chaise lounges.  Too bad the cruise was only going to last six days.  I was ready to go around the world in this suite!

This is our suite living room - couch made into a sofa bed

This was my bed - I had a nice dressing table and a row of closets and shelves

One bathroom in our suite

We even had a tub in this bathroom!

Desk and bar area - we had enough glassware to host a big party!

Dining area with my roses from Crown and Anchor

Second bedroom

Wonderful balcony for morning coffee or evening wine!

Side viewof our balcony

With my dear friend, Robert Wood, of England, Restaurant Operations Manager

One of my favorite spots on the ship was Vintages Wine Bar and the wonderful "wine tenders" who staff the place.  One of the Royal Caribbean Food and Beverage Managers, Chris Nothdurft, knowing my love of wine, had recommended Vintages to me when I did the transatlantic last year.  Much to my delight, several of the crew I knew from that time were on board for this cruise.  They greeted me like family which is the way it gets to be when you are a frequent cruiser.

Here I am with Olga - who I met for the first time this cruise.

This is Michelle from the Philippines.

Last, but not least, is Christina - I got to meet her mother who was sailing with us this cruise.

Livorno, Italy - with Ricardo

Last year, when I cruised in the Mediterranean on the Legend of the Seas, we were fortunate to have Ricardo show us about Pisa and Lucca.  As soon as I knew we were coming on the Navigator, I contacted the taxi company and was able to have him escort us again.  He is such a delight and we had the most wonderful day.

Pisa is a lovely city in the central Italy region of Tuscany, on the Arno River.  It has a population of about 80,000 people and is famous for its leaning tower.  Pisa figured signifignantly in ancient times and during the Middle Ages.

The tower and cathedral at Pisa

The leaning tower and statue of cherubs

The leaning tower of Pisa

The leaning tower is the freestanding campanile or bell tower and is the third structure built

in the square, following the cathedral and the baptistry.  While it was meant to stand vertically,

soon after construction, it began to shift, because of a poorly laid foundation and loose

substrate.  Restoration work, which began in 1990, has corrected the lean 1.51 degrees.

The construction of the tower took about 177 years, progressing in three stages.  War halted construction, at one time, for almost a century.  The tower houses seven bells, one each for a major note on the musical scale.

 The Baptistry

A coffee break in Pisa

Close up of Pisa cathedral facade

Little police car

Pisa street scene

Lucca, Italy - birthplace of Giacomo Puccini, opera great

Lucca is a Tuscan city in Italy, situated on the River Serchio.  It became a Roman colony in 180 B. C. and its Renaissance-era city walls remain intact.  Napoleon took over Lucca in 1805.

Lucca scene

Lucca's Giacomo Puccini, composer of operas La Boheme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly

Crowded shopping street, Lucca

Tall tower, Lucca

Beautiful Luccan Square

Angel looking out on the square

The square is almost deserted at the end of the day

Our final toast to Lucca

Passing a luxury Italian yacht builder

Apartment living in Tuscany

We had spent a wonderful day in Pisa and Lucca and I bade farewell to Ricardo for a second consecutive year, somewhat sadly, wondering if this might be my last trip to this area of the world.  If I ever return, he will definitely be the first person I will call to take me about, perhaps to Cinque de Terre or another wonderful area near the port of Livorno.  

Take the Time

TAKE THE TIME

Take the time to pause and wonder,

At the things you see today,

The brilliant hues of morning sunrise

The racing gulls upon the bay.

Take the time to feel the breezes.

Soft and cool upon your face,

Savor every special moment,

Of your lover's sweet embrace.

Take the time to smell the roses,

As they make the air so sweet,

Look in wonder and amazement,

At miles and miles of swaying wheat.

Take the time to smile at children,

As they learn about their world,

Keep their sense of awed excitement,

As new mysteries are unfurled.

Take the time to say I love you,

These are words that one should share,

How sad to say, when life is ending,

"But they have to know I care".

Take the time while there is time,

For all of us, time has to end.

Let's hope that every second left,

Brings love and happiness, my friend.

Carmen Henesy

                                                 

65th Birthday Celebration - First Photos - Rome

Much to my relief, I did arrive at Rome's Hotel Napoleon in time for their Friday evening "wine appreciation hour."  I had been worried about that, since my flight didn't touch down at FCO until nearly 4:30PM and, with clearing customs, and evening rush hour, I was sure I wouldn't make it by 6PM.  When I stayed there in April 2008, a year and a half ago, it was such a fun event, attended by hotel management who treat you like family - and their Italian wine selections were superb!

Here I am with Roberto Cioce, Hotel Manager, a most delightful gentleman who has become a friend.  Now that I am retired, I am not sure I will ever get back to Rome but I have delighted in staying at the Hotel Napoleon during my two visits, in April 2008, and for my birthday, in October 2009.  I would recommend this warm and pleasant hotel ( which came highly recommended on TripAdvisor ) to anyone visiting the Eternal City!

With the ultimate concierge, Francisco Quirinis, who is the best I have ever met, anywhere in the world.  He is handsome, magical, charming and can accomplish anything.

I was so amazed that Pietro, the bartender, remembered me, as did other staff, a year and a half later.  It is such a family hotel and the employees stay for years.

My friends and me, enjoying the "wine appreciation hour" to the fullest!

The Coliseum, within walking distance of the Hotel Napoleon.

We headed out to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican on my birthday, October 3rd.  It was a beautiful day, bright and sunny.  This building was across the street from the ticket entrance to the Sistine Chapel.

 

We already had our tickets but there was a long line and, of course, this group of boys were being boys and had tried to make a pyramid up the wall.

Pretty apartment buildings across from the entrance to the Sistine Chapel.

Sturdy shrub growing through the bricks!

Vatican Statue

Beautiful stained glass 

Vatican Square and St. Peter's Basilica

Driving back to our hotel, we saw this bride and groom on a hillside!

My birthday lunch - yummy grilled vegetables and very good house pinot grigio!

Sign above the restaurant entrance to downstairs - I found it quite comical - I guess it referred to the low overhang but I wasn't totally sure!

My birthday dinner at Orso 80 in Rome.  I discovered this restaurant last year when I was in Rome for my 64th birthday.  It is a delightful family run restaurant, famous for its local dishes.  On TripAdvisor, it is rated #127 out of 1593 restaurants in Rome.  

 

We ordered the Roman Antipasto for the table, deciding to wait to order anything more and that was a wise decision.  We could not have eaten another dish.  Plate after plate of fabulous antipasti ( fifteen in all ) arrived - grilled eggplant, proscuitto, grilled zucchini, olives, meatballs, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, shrimp, salami, mushrooms - I can't remember everything!  Topped of by an excellent Italian red wine, recommended by our waiter, we were totally content.

My first plate - there was a second to match this.

This was an amazing surprise, out of the "small world" catergory.  We were sitting at our table, when this lady approached and asked if I was Carmen Henesy.  I thought she looked vaguely familiar.  She said she was dining with her companion Delta flight attendants when we passed their tables.  "I recognized your by your eye shadow." ( I always match my outfits...have done it for about 50 years! ).  Anyway, Jennifer and I attended a Spanish child forensic interviewing course in Huntsville, Alabama together two years ago!  We've corresponded since but haven't seen each other.  It was such a surprise to run into her in Rome at the very same restaurant!

 

The finale!

 We left the restaurant and decided to walk to the Piazza Navonna for a nightcap.  There were little vendors in the street and my friend, Phil, bought me this sweet bracelet for my birthday.  Since my friend, Brenda, was wearing a red dress, I let her wear it for the evening.  She modeled it for this picture, with our bottle of wine.

It was pretty crowded at the Piazza Navonna so we spent about an hour, sipping wine and listening to strolling musicians.  Lovely!

Someone must have hugged off part of my eye makeup!  After a little wine, who cares?

Our time in Rome flew by all too quickly.  Fortunately, I was there last year and had been several times before so sightseeing wasn't so much an issue.  I was able to relax and just take it easy. 

We left early on Sunday morning for Civitivecchia to board Royal Caribbean's huge Navigator of the Seas for our six day Mediterranean cruise.  More on that and pictures, of course, in another episode.