While getting our morning coffee we met Ingrid, a fascinating lady from
Hanover, Germany. For the remainder of the cruise, we spent a good deal of time with
her, especially early in the morning. Most passengers were not early risers. This
surprised us as it is the most peaceful time of day on a sailing ship. And the early light
makes the sky and the sea extremely striking. Each day, there were only six of us out on
deck at sunrise: Al, me, Ingrid, Sheila, a lady from Amsterdam, and the woman in
the striped shirt who was always exercising.
Also, at this early hour, we could talk to the first officer on the bridge. Dariuz Zarwalski,
from Poland, was more than willing to answer all our questions about the ship, sailing in
general, our ports, our crew, everything. Topics weren’t just related to sailing; by the
end of our two weeks on board, our conversations ranged as far as the future of real estate
in Poland. Dariuz was the best example of how nice the crew was to passengers.
The sea was wonderful this Monday, with swells causing the ship to rise and fall as it
sailed south. Unfortunately, the swells also prohibited us from reaching our intended
destination. The schedule called for us to anchor off Agropoli, take the tender into the
harbor and then a bus to Paestum, a few kilometers away. But the sea was too rough to
safely transfer passengers into the tenders. So the captain changed course for Solerno,
about 30 kilometers north of Paestum. After a couple more hours, we docked at Solerno
and hopped on a bus for our tour.
On arrival, we were given 45 minutes for lunch. Al
poked about the small town, came upon a wedding at the local church, and unobtrusively
photographed the happy newlyweds and their friends. Meanwhile, I found the Herald
Tribune, our first news since boarding the ship.
Paestum was a Greek colony founded about 600 BC, originally called Poseidonia. It was
conquered by a local tribe two hundred years later and eventually fell under the rule of
Rome. Malaria hit the area hard near the end of the Empire and the town was deserted by
its inhabitants. The site was rediscovered quite by accident in 1750 when a road was
being built. Archeological work has been going on for 250 years but much of the old city
is still covered.
We had a wonderful guide, Professor Giovanni Schiavone. His enthusiasm for the site
was infectious and made his presentation all the more interesting. He could, and would,
have talked much longer than the allotted two hours.
There are three intact temples from
the Greek era, each a little different in style. The town center was the forum, surrounded
by a portico and shops. Also in evidence were remnants of the covered market,
amphitheater, gymnasium, underground temple, and many other public and private
buildings. The professor said that much more of the site had never been excavated
because it was on private land and the state didn’t have the money to buy it. The
archeological museum was closed today but that wasn’t a problem for us as it gave us
more time with the professor. Our bus had us back at the ship for a 4:30 sailing,
accompanied as always by the 1492 theme music.
At dinner that night we met a friendly foursome from Kingswood, Surrey, England.
They, too, were taking back-to-back cruises and we would get to know them over the
course of the two weeks. Stan and Pauline, and Ken and Sheila, have
known each other for many years and had taken cruises together in the past. “The
Surreys”, as we referred to them until we could remember their names, were charming
traveling companions. Our paths crossed many times on various shore excursions and
they were always a delight to be with and talk to.
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}