June 30, 2008

Went to the fuel dock this morning & topped off the tanks. Took off south from Rome for a day sail. We anchored at a port called Nettuno. It is right next to the famous World War II beach of Anzio.


June 29, 2008

A day of rest and relaxation. Melissa and I went down to the beach to cool off. I begged my way into a sand volleyball game and we anhilated the competition thanks to all the practice I got from my volleyball associates in the USA. Thanks guys & gals.


June 28, 2008

A great day for us. Melissa is finally aboard. She is a fabulous person and an incredible adventurer. We couldn't have picked a better shipmate. She spent time exploring the sites of Rome while we were stuck in the boatyard in Palma so we talked her into guiding us on a tour of the best sites.

We took the train into the center of Rome and went to St. Peter's Basilica & St. Peter's Square first. The pictures don't even come close to showing it's magnificence. I had goose bumps the entire time I was inside. It is absolutely unbelievable. Next we walked over to the "Castel Sant' Angelo" (Castle of Saint Angelo). I screwed these pictures up by leaving the camera on "movie" and thought it was taking pictures so there's only one of the castle. I'm nervous... I think I may be teetering on the brink of being demoted from photographer to "Trash Hauler". From there we walked to the "Piazza Navona" (Plaza Navona) and saw the "Fontana de Moro" (Fountain of Moro). We continued on to the Pantheon. This is a huge domed basilica that, even today, they are not sure how the dome was created without collapsing. From there we walked over to the "Fountain of Trevi". This is Rome's most famous fountain. It was designed by Nicola Salvi in 1732 and depicts Neptune's chariot being led by Tritons with sea horses - one wild, one docile - representing the various moods of the sea. The water comes from one of the city's earliest aqueducts and the name "Trevi" refers to the "tre vie" (three roads) which converge at the fountain. From there we walked over to the "Piazza delia Repubblica" where we saw the fountain of the same name. I am surmising but I think this is the fountain that is referred to in the age-old song "Three Coins In A Fountain". I am ready to be corrected. We then took the train over to the Colosseum. What a sight. It looks large in pictures but is huge when standing in front of it. The Romans were no slouches when it came to architecture. It was getting late so we didn't actually go into the Colosseum. We then walked along the edge of the Palatino (Palatine) ruins. This is an incredible place with ruin after ruin. The Palatine is where Romulus killed his brother Remus and founded Rome in 753 BC. Overlooking the Roman Forum, the Palatine was ancient Rome's poshest neighbourhood; aristocrats sought to build houses here and successive emperors built increasingly opulent palaces. But after Rome's fall, the Palatine fell into disrepair and in the Middle Ages churches and castles were built over the ruins. I think the entire center of Rome is littered with ruins. It is nearly impossible to walk a block without seeing something left over from by-gone days. From here we walked over to the "Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II". Victor Emmanuel II, King of Italy (Italian: Vittorio Emanuele II; March 14, 1820 – January 9, 1878) was the King of Piedmont, Savoy, and Sardinia from 1849 to 1861. On February 18, 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy, a title he held until his death in 1878. Our last visit was to the "Colonna di Traiano" (Trajan's Column). In the course of it's search for new freedoms, Roman historical art seized upon and perfected a convention known as the 'continuous style' - where the same character is repeated from scene to scene in a single undivided composition. The convention recurs in Roman reliefs, particularly in mythological stories on sarcophagi of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The greatest manifestation of this type is the Colonna di Traiano, a sculptural document erected in the Roman Forum in AD 113, which records the campaings and victories of Trajan over the Dacians in a breathtaking continuous spiral, providing a constant reminder of the virtues of the emperor and by extension the success of the state.

Miscellaneous Pictures

St. Peter's Basilica & Square

Here's an INCREDIBLE virtual tour of St. Peter's Basilica. Use your mouse or arrow keys to move around.

Movie of St. Peter's Square from just outside the Basilica (Caution: large 27 meg file)

Pantheon

Fountain of Trevi

Colosseum

Ruins at Palatino

Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II

Colonna di Traiano (Trajan's Column)


June 27, 2008

We hung around the boat today and in the afternoon went grocery shopping in preparation for leaving Monday morning.

June 26, 2008

This was to be a very busy day. We took the train into Rome and went to the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel. We are also to meet Melissa at the Leonardo da Vinci airport at 10:15pm. The museum was staggering. I committed a cardinal sin and forgot my glasses AND my camera. So much for trying to hurry. We just went from room to room with our jaws dragging on the floor. It is absolutely unbelievable. Even had I brought the camera, there is no way I could have captured the hundreds even thousands of things there were to see. To see it effectively you would have to visit it daily for at least a week, it is that mammoth. The end of the tour was the Sistine Chapel. It is also staggering to see. Michelangelo Bournarotti spent 4 years on his back painting the ceiling. I apologize for the lack of photos but it would serve you well to do a picture search on Google for "Vatican Museum". It is unbelievable and a "must see" if you are ever in Rome. We took a cab out to the airport to meet Melissa. She never came through the gate and at 11:35pm, believing we might have missed her, went back to the boat. No Melissa. John e-mailed her our marina address and berth number and we went to bed. At some point in the wee hours of the morning Melissa made it to the boat.


June 25, 2008

We have made it to Roma, Italia. We spent the day cleaning the boat and resting from the trip.


June 24, 2008

We got up this morning and put away the sun shade. We then pulled up the anchor and went in to Bonafacio to refuel. It was a facinating place but a very narrow channel. Finished refueling then took off around the southeastern corner of Corsica, through many islands and now we're off to Rome.

Click here for the pictures.

(Caution: This movie is 14 megs) We're on our way to Rome with Corsica in the background.


June 23, 2008

We are anchored in a beautiful little cove next to the port of Bonafacio in Corsica. I was still asleep when we got here and John wanted to anchor in the Bonafacio marina but he saw a sign in there that said "No Anchoring" and "No Parking". So he came back to this cove. It is very pretty. There are two little sand beaches with people using one of them. We will just rest for the day. We had a wonderful relaxing day today. We put on our masks & swim fins and went swimming. The water was crystal clear and about 15-20 feet deep. You could see all the way to the bottom. It was pretty cold but after swimming a little it was fine. We will refuel and leave tomorrow morning for Rome. We should be there Wednesday morning.

Click here for the pictures.


June 22, 2008

We are at sea and on our way to Corsica. We should be there tomorrow morning. The good weather has finally found us.


June 21, 2008

We arrived in Mahon about 6:30am this morning. It is an interesting place. We will change the oil in a short while then refuel. We will leave for Corsica about 5pm this evening. It will take us about 40 hours to get there. The lunacy with the Balearic officials continues here too. Our guidebook shows a particular place for anchoring. We dropped our anchor there and were shortly thereafter advised by some port officials to move the boat. John told them we were having engine problems and they retorted they wanted the boat moved in 5 minutes regardless.


June 20, 2008

We waited in line at the fuel dock and finally left Palma, Majorca about 10am. We are now heading for Mahon, Menorca. We should arrive there tomorrow morning. John wants to refuel there and rest for the day. We will leave the next day for Corsica. That will be a 2-day trip.


June 19, 2008

The engine is finally installed and finished. We took the sailboat out for a test run. All went well. We will be leaving tomorrow morning for the port of Mahon on Menorca. We will not miss Majorca. It was nearly impossible to find help getting to Palma from Andratx. The port officials hassled John endlessly about paying a tax on the engine and demanded that he return with an interpreter when the official spoke perfect English. It was an exercise of small minds in positions of power. I won't go into all the details but we will be happy to get out of the Balearics and have little or no desire to ever return.


June 12, 2008

Great news to report, at least from our standpoint. The engine has finally arrived and is in the process of being installed.

Click here for the pictures.