GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER?

           We were very excited to be going on an Italian Cruise. Not just the fact that it was a cruise, but, an Italian one. Our itinerary would be as follows: fly to Genoa, Italy, drive to Savona, where we would board the ship. First stop would be Palma de Majorca, then on to Barcelona, Spain, overnight to Malta, then over to Sicily, sail up to Rome and ending back in Savona.

           There will be day stops at each place; up to 6 hours for each stop. We would be able to reboard the ship at any time, as long as we were aboard by 4 p.m. We didn’t want the ship to sail without us. Since we had been on a cruise before, we knew what to expect in size and opulence of the ship. So, huge. If you saw a picture of me outside the ship; I looked as tall as an ant would look standing next to me. Not only was the ship something to behold, seeing all the passengers, and hearing the many languages. It was a good thing that the ship’s crew spoke several languages. But, we came prepared; we brought an English/Italian dictionary.

           After we settled in we went touring the ship; where we expressed many wows. It’s amazing at all the shops and services offered, let alone the variety of eating places. We have the buffet, casual dining rooms, formal dining rooms, as well as snack bars on deck, poolside. We grabbed a snack and settled ourselves on deck chairs to watch the people and listen to the different countries represented.

           Our first night on board we visited the buffet area, and then wandered around to find out what activity we can participate in. Activities ranged from pool games to dance games; as well as the separate games room.

           First stop, Palma de Majorca.  What a beautiful city. After reboarding we relaxed, and then dressed for our first formal dinner. We found our table and found that we would be dining with three other couples. One couple was American, so there was no worry of not understanding them. The other couples were Italian and Polish. The Italian and Polish couples spoke very little English, so our dinner was interesting. By coincidence, we all chose a pasta dish, but the Americans call it noodles. There was the debate whether we should eat using a spoon, but the Italians said only children use a spoon. The Americans said they were told a spoon is used to twirl the noodles with the fork. We did not use a spoon, neither did the Polish couple. There was also debate about whether to call it spaghetti or pasta. The Polish word for pasta is kluski. There were many giggles listening to us trying to pronounce it. All in all, it was a pleasant meal. After dessert we all went our separate ways, but came upon each other walking the upper deck.

           Our stop the next day was Barcelona, Spain. Such a magnificent place. The history.  One church we visited was absolutely beautiful. There was so much gold used, we wondered how much it cost to furnish this one church. We assumed that all the churches in Barcelona were the same. There was an atmosphere of reverence. We walked around the piazza, did a bit of souvenir shopping and stopped for a café con leche. Back to the ship for a pool activity we signed up for. Since we didn’t book a table in the formal dining room, we decided that after the pool activities we would just want to go to the buffet and relax. The Polish couple was also participating in the pool activity.

           After sailing all night, we docked at Malta. It is a tiny island just off the north of Africa. We were anticipating extremely hot temperatures, and were not disappointed. Here we came across the church that was named after the apostle Paul when a ship he was on was shipwrecked on Malta. It was a special time for us to be able to see where one of Jesus’ apostles was.

           That night we had reserved a table in the formal dining room. We were curious to see who our tablemates would be. We were surprised to meet a British couple as well as a German couple. There should have been a third couple, but they had been delayed, (maybe they missed the boat)  another coincidence, all the wives ordered a chicken dish, but with different sides. And the men each ordered steak. While waiting for the meal, the men’s conversation was discussing the different cuts of steak. It was easier for us all, since the German couple did speak English. We regaled each other with the places we had seen at each stop. Since the German couple was older, they said that they only walked around Malta for a short time, then sat and enjoyed a coffee and pastry. The British couple was the youngest of the group and told us that this was their first cruise. We were surprised that each of us was planning to attend the on deck sing along. After the wonderful performance, we again went for a walk around the decks before grabbing a snack to take up to our stateroom.

           Our next stop is Sicily. It meant a lot to me because that is the island my mother’s family originated from. Sadly, we were not stopping at the city they were from, but just being in Sicily gave me a good feeling. We did the usual tourist things, looked at the sights, bought a few souvenirs, sat and had a café while watching the other tourists and locals. Back on board we hung around the pool before getting ready for which will be our last formal dinner. We will take our other meals at the buffet or one of the deck cafes. Our seating companions were all English speaking. One other Canadian couple as well as another British couple.  We told of our different experiences at each port we visited. All of us at that table had been on a cruise before and enjoyed the experience, so that is why we all went on this cruise. 

           Our last stop before docking back at Savona, will be Rome. We did not venture too far from the docks, since Rome was such a big city, we were not sure that maybe we would be caught in traffic and miss the boat. Back on board we started packing, trying to stuff everything in our suitcases, hoping we did not buy too many souvenirs. We enjoyed a relaxing supper and again walked around on deck to savor the sights one more time. Tomorrow we dock at 9 a.m.

           We had a wonderful time on this cruise. We saw some beautiful country and dined with interesting people of different cultures. We were strangers when we sat down, but I feel that some of the strangeness wore off as we ate.