The weather forecast said it would be fine
& 28 – great for moving about dragging cases and certainly better than
yesterday’s rain!
Well we did all the right things about
getting to the train station on time & asked questions at the counter about
where the Civiteveccia train left from.
The guy said between platforms 23 & 28. When one case up it was at platform 26. The 1st 22 platforms are all alongside each other, but 23 – 28 are
another 400m walk.. So off we went, got
there & loaded our bags onto the train.
After a few minutes we saw a railway
employee so thought we’d double check.
Unfortunately, thought we had asked and had got on the train with the
correct destination showing we were on the wrong train. Who would have thought that we needed to be
on the train signposted Milan to get to Civiteveccia? By now we were cutting it fine, so had to
scurry (had to do with 3 cases) back the 400M and then find the correct
train. And of course we were in the 1st
carriage of it – about 300m back along the platform.
So we went from in control & casually
waiting to arriving with 2 minutes
to spare & read faced & sweaty –
not the start we had planned .
Anyway – a very comfortable 40 minute ride
& we were there. Talked to the
ticket office & bought our return ticket then off to the port. We were so early we stopped for a coffee and
breakfast at a seaside café & then walked down to the port. And there are absolutely no signs anywhere
about how to complete the journey from the port to the ship! Trip Advisor said that there was a free port
provided shuttle bus, but we couldn’t find it.
So we took turns to reconnoiter while the
other minded the cases in the shade – things were getting warm. After a while Rhonda had talked to a few
people & they were all as lost as
us. While we were still a bit lost at
least we were confused with many others.
Finally we solved the secret & got ferried out to the ship where
things immediately took a turn for the better – clear signs & instructions
& uniformed staff who efficiently processed us.
Its amazing how what appear to be little
things can be magnified when in an unfamiliar environment – but alls well that
ends well (someone once said).
Despite our paperwork saying that boarding
would commence at 1pm they started letting people on at 11:30 – just after we
got there.
The ship is better than we had expected in
terms of comfort and space. Luxurious
bordering on excessive is perhaps the best way to describe things. I’ll post some photos some time. You can see some pics at the company website –
we’re on the Noordam. See www.hollandamerica.com
So we had a few hours to wander, unpack our
bags and then attend the lifeboat drill before sailing. We noted that people were very compliant
about the drill – and given the recent Italian cruise ship “accident” that
isn’t surprising. They did a roll call &
made it very clear that if people did not turn up they would be disembark anyone
who did not participate.
We arranged Internet access & I get a
good wi-fi signal in our room –which is apparently not universal. There are various plans, none very
cheap. I’ve signed up for 250 minutes
for $100. So – 25 minutes a day to
research, plan, read the news sites from home etc. I will have to be careful. I am unused to timed access – takes me back
more than a decade. (So I am writing
this post in word & off line & then I will cut & paste it into my
blog. I know that Blogger really struggles
with Mac formatting – but we’ll see how we go)
We were up on the 9th deck as we
sailed out of port at 5pm & watched the land recede until about 6:30 and
then went down to get ready for dinner.
Being novices we just wanted in – we that
some people were being specific about sitting as a couple, and had to wait so
we said we’d be prepared to share a table.
We ended up on a table for 10 & going by what we have seen it was
probably pretty representative of the clientele. A couple from Belgium in their 60s, same aged
Canadian couple, likewise English, though the wife of the couple is Spanish
& then a retired father & his son from Luxemburg (thought the son is
studying medicine in Innsbruck in Austria.
Dinner was great & we left the table at
about 10:15 and went straight off to bed.
I’m in that phase of not sleeping much so
was wide awake at 5:30 & am sitting in the dark writing this while Rhonda
sleeps. Looking out the window it is
gradually getting light & I expect sunrise soon. I’ve just tested the outside temp & it is
lovely, so I am now sitting on our verandah watching the sky lighten. But I’ll finish up & go for a dawn
walk. Someone said a circuit is 300m –
so I need to do at least 10 laps before breakfast.
Today is at sea, as we work our way around
the bottom of Italy and over to Dubrovnik by breakfast tomorrow. Oh – one bonus. When we booked this cruise there was some
uncertainty about whether the last full day would be spent in Messina or
Naples, and all their literature says Messina.
However we are going to Naples – which will allow a day trip to Pompeii
– which we immediately ran down and booked.
I’m more than happy to go & for Rhonda it is a dream come true. And given that we were unsure that we would
get there, an added bonus!
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