We were oh so slow today, from the moment we awoke. Though the temperature was perfect, the day was grey and overcast and that did not help to spur us on. We did make it to breakfast together in the Club Restaurant this morning, which was a rare occurrence, and then went to the Panorama Terrace so G could enjoy the warmth...and a second glass of OJ. As we neared the port of Catania (our scheduled arrival was not until 10am), we moved to the Pacific Lounge with its floor to ceiling windows and watched as the Pacific Princess rounded the breakwater and spun into place across the dock from a Fred Olsen cruise ship.
Thank goodness that, for once, we were both equally lethargic at the exact same time. Neither one is us was pulling the other off the ship; instead we returned to the cabin and started to watch a movie and both of us (yes, me too!) fell asleep. I awoke just before noon and went to the Panorama Buffet for a slice of pizza and brought some ice cream down to G. After eating, we felt a smidge more refreshed, and decided to do something with our day. We walked off the ship and to the port terminal, and from there took a free shuttle to the entrance to the port. Our first (and last) impression of Catania? Not too impressive. Of course, we were likely in the dirtiest, oldest part of town, near the port, but my first words this morning when we looked out were, "It's another big city." It was true, and it even lacked the character of Napoli or the majesty of Rome.
We saw some canopies set up almost under the overhead railroad tracks to the left of the port and walked down to them. We discovered they were a combination rummage sale/antiques sale and decided to stroll around (because the nearby streets did not look that inviting). It was like a stroll through my childhood for me. At every table I was saying "Mom had one of those", or "Dad had one of those". Honestly. Every single table. It was like cleaning out my parents' house all over again. While I was walking down memory lane, G was fascinated by the old tools. Finally, he pulled me over to a table and a small model that I knew immediately was a boiler that ran a flywheel. G said, "Your Dad would have loved that". Yes, he would have, and so did my husband (and I could have explained exactly how it worked, thanks to the men in my life).
Stroll with me down memory lane as we revisit my childhood...
We ate lots of ground baloney sandwiches made with one of these...
...and decorated the Christmas tree with ornaments like these.
My parents had a large balancing scale with weights like these (which made a great toy!)...
...and Dad would have loved this (my husband certainly did)!
I don't recall cameras like these when I was growing up, but I sure liked the look of them.
The produce department- Italian style!
We sat and people (and car and scooter and motorbike) watched for awhile, but all the dirty buildings and streets and dented cars got a bit depressing. We made our way back to the ship, but not before stopping at the tourist information booth in the port terminal for a map and directions to the Allied Landing of 1943 museum in town. We're here one more time and will definitely do that the next time. The big draws of Catania are not Catania but the nearby village of Taormina and Mt Etna, the tallest volcano in Europe, and I recommend doing one of those two things, or the military museum on a day in port. I really didn't see much in Catania to get excited about. Although talking with next door tablemates at dinner, they said that the top of Mt. Etna was fogged in today. The consensus was that The Godfather tour was the best one today.
We were back on the ship by 3pm. G went to use a hot tub and I decided to do some photo management. I have photos on three devices (iPhone, camera and iPad) but I am using my iPad as the collective repository for all of them. I can most easily view them on the iPad, pick my few favorites to eventually be uploaded to this blog, and then AirDrop just the favorites back to the iPhone, just in case we find WiFi in port when I have my phone with me. It's a bit cumbersome, but it certainly makes any eventual uploading much easier.
After accomplishing that, I had a sudden burst of energy and did some hand laundry and showered for the evening before G returned. Faced with a day at sea tomorrow, I frankly can't wait. I want to do nothing, then walk and work out, followed by more nothing (but in a different location). Add in lunch in the Club Restaurant and that spells sea day to me.
We went to the PES Lounge at 5pm and then directly to dinner. I had the lamb kabobs again, and the always available salmon. The entertainment tonight was comedian Paul Adams, back for a second show. He is a very funny guy, by wenwere ready to call it an evening when the show was over. We've been hearing people talk; this ship is dead by 11pm. This is a busy cruise involving lots of jet lag for most of the passengers except the Brits. It is not a party cruise, although it's possible Halloween tomorrow night might change that.
Or not. But maybe we'll stay out until 10pm tomorrow. That would be a first!
ETA: Captain JP had said, during his 'welcome back on board' announcement, that there were gale force winds in the area and we'd have a rough night. We returned to our cabin to find the hatch was battened down (porthole cover was closed), essentially turning it into an inside cabin. And it was a tough night, but we were as comfortable as anyone in our low mid-ship cabin.