Cagliari, Sardinia (Italy)

            It is about 4:00pm and we are sitting on our balcony overlooking a beautiful harbor with the city of Cagliari spread out on a high hill with stunning buildings set afire by a perfect afternoon sun. It is about 75 degrees and the clear blue skies again bless the calm blue waters of the Mediterranean. Wow, we really like this port-of-call. An Italian province with a unique history, the old walled city atop the hill contains one of the most beautiful Catholic Cathedrals we have ever encountered outside St. Peter’s Basilica.

            Debbie tells me that it is 27 degrees in Columbia, Missouri. Hearing this my wish is to stay here and keep moving south – I am not ready for winter. Nevertheless, the news makes me even more appreciative of our sailing this great and historic sea.

David at the Gates to the Walled city

            Earlier we bid Monica and Ray good-bye as Monica’s foot, injured prior to our departure from the States, keeps the two of them on the ship – better to rest it than to risk further damage. Well, it turns out that it was a good idea for her to stay aboard. While beautiful, Cagliari is only for the hardy. The walk to the top of the city, while taking only 30 minutes, is a steep, steady, continuous uphill climb; Debbie and I had to stop several times to catch our breath before gaining the summit inside the old city on the hill. I, of course, find the most remote way to scale the hill. Like in Athens where we ascended the Acropolis from the less used Western side, we pick side streets to reach an elevator that lifts us from the West in Cagliari. As a result, however, we walk through the old residential part of the old city and encounter many elderly Italians going about their morning walks. Old people in an ancient setting seemed appropriate.

Debbie on one narrow steep street

Hello to a dead Pope

            The Cathedral of Cagliari was rebuilt on its current location in 1245AD and since then, has undergone several modifications – the most significant was the removal of a baroque façade that the Romans had added during their occupation. We were astonished as we entered the beautiful edifice. As I said earlier, with the exception of St. Peter’s Basilica, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful Cathedral. The sculptures, the paintings, the traditional layout in the form of a cross, marble and marble floors throughout, bring on a spiritual feeling. The spell is broken, however, when we see in one of the corners of the church, a life size cardboard picture of Pope John Paul II. He looks remarkably real. And with his hand raised, I couldn’t help myself but to position in front of him so that Debbie could take a picture that would look like I was high-fiving him. A few glances from other tourists suggest that they consider my actions a bit sacrilegious, but had the real Pope been there, I think he would have smiled.

            We continue up the hill a short way before making our turn for the less difficult downhill walk. We pass several stunning vistas and ultimately find a different elevator that assists us in reaching the bottom of the walled enclosure. We still have a good distance to walk to sea level. The avenue is ornamented with large umbrella-like trees like the ones on Gregorio VII in Rome. They provide plenty of shade and a steady breeze makes for a comfortable stroll. Reaching the bottom we find a café with free WiFi, water that we gulp down followed by cola-zeroes, along with two very large donuts similar to the ones we enjoyed in Naples. It was a relief to get off our feet and restore communications with family and friends.

            Returning to the ship, I shower and hit the bed and am out like a flash; Debbie goes to the hot tub to sooth her legs. The plan was to make good our special invitation (as a result of being “Diamond” cruisers) to attend a private ice-skating show in the ship’s ice arena. However, sailing out of this simply gorgeous harbor was too memorable not to experience. We remain on our balcony and enjoy the slow exit. We now see mountains surrounding the city that we missed as we arrived here in the dark of night. It adds to the ambiance, the serenity, and a spiritual awareness wells up in our hearts and minds.

            Passing out of the harbor Debbie captures with her camera zoom a picture of a fisherman doing his thing. Whether he catches anything or not, he is certainly in the right spot on a perfect Thursday afternoon.

Marble everywhere!

            Dinner was wonderful – a wild mushroom appetizer and roasted peach soup followed by fried shrimp. Desert for me was a non-fat angel food cake with coffee; excellent! Our waiter has definitely warmed after his cold greeting and having been chewed out for it by the Head Waiter. The Assistant Waiter, Luis from Chile, was always Johnny on the spot with rolls, silverware, water, tea, and more. The best thing about our dinner setting on this, the Western Mediterranean cruise, is the live music located on the upper dining room deck, but just above our table. There a piano player can tickle the keys better than most. I simply love listening to him play and this particular evening I climb the stairs to tell him so. It turns out he is a Japanese man who speaks perfect English – he was delighted to hear my compliments. Tomorrow evening I may get up enough nerve to ask him to play “Send in the Clowns,” my favorite.

            Ray and Monica purchase shuttle tickets to accompany us into Palma de Mallorca tomorrow. If the weather is a repeat of today, it will be a splendid experience. They, along with Debbie, head for the casino while I head for the cabin for some private time and reading. The ship’s free movies are simply atrocious, but you can purchase up to 85 pay-for-play topflight movies in your cabin. Last night, Debbie and I purchased “Red 2” that failed to live up to “Red 1,” but there are many others from which to choose. World ESPN is simply not up to snuff when compared to coverage we get in the good ‘ole USA, and CNN is a step behind as well. Saturday we hope to listen online or follow online the stats of the Mizzou vs. Kentucky football game. If we can get a picture, we are prepared to break the bank to do so.

            I am down to my last and third book I recorded on my iPad for the voyage(s), Steven King’s new novel “Doctor Sleep,” and the opening pages are promising. He has a way with words that I have always envied, and his development of characters second to none. If the sci-fi doesn’t get too crazy he can usually spin a great story. When my eyes slam shut I am hoping I will awake to another day like today. Instead, Debbie returns to the cabin with an amazing story of how Monica was down to her last two dollars and decided to put them in a penny slot machine (“Cleopatra”) – well, she repeatedly got extra free spins, and surrounded by onlookers, walked away with over $150. What a lucky gal; I can’t wait to hear the story first-hand tomorrow and most likely many days after – it is one to tell over and over. Way to go Monica! We fall asleep laughing.