Sicilian Masterpieces
Trip Start
Jun 18, 2006
1
13
18
Trip End
Jul 02, 2006
Messina,
Sicily,
Italy
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Again, the behemoth of a ship comes into port. I am not getting enough sleep for some reason... a case of too much vacation and I'll need to go home to get some rest. I was up early again so I could see us sail into Messina. We docked literally right on a street, so that once the ship was secure, it could have been mistaken for a grand hotel. I shot more pictures (there are thousands on my hard drive now) and went up to get coffee, have breakfast before our final tour. There is a lot going on this morning. We set sail at 2, so they are planning things for us to do when we return, like setting up stuff for the final art auction, and you can see the shops getting ready to set out bargain table.
For every tour, we meet 10 or 15 minutes before the allotted time in the Vista Lounge on two
Sail into Messina
. Have I described the Vista Lounge? It is a large theater, not like the one on the NCL cruise we were on where the dancers hit their heads on the ceiling when they did a move. This is large enough to put on real theater, it has a balcony and can seat almost a thousand at once. This ship is truly remarkable. So we meet here and get our color sticker that has a number on it so we know what tour we are on. Today we are Blue 15 and our tour is actually a late one. We are not to leave the ship until 830 or so. We are going to see the Tindari ruins, Roman ruins atop a mountain on the other side of the island. Bob and Carol are... how do I put this tactfully, bickering. I can totally see where Michael gets it form now. . . . but it is not bad, just a case "oh my God, I have spent so much time with you over the last few weeks!" , which is partially why we came along, to give them a break. Our tour is called and we head down the gangway and out onto the bus. No crew member dressed up in costume for us to pose with today, no photo op for us to buy later on....
The bus ride is a good 50 minutes, on a major highway that rises through the hills to cross the island on a series of bridges and through some spectacular tunnels, one so long you could not see the other end when we went in..... it is dramatic countryside, beautiful, and again, a lot like Northern California. The sea and city lay beneath us, I can see another cruise ship coming into port, and the multiple ferries and freighters plying the waters as well. The road takes us higher and Messina disappears and is replaced with the Sicilian coutryside. Everything form large, well kept homes to ram-shackled shacks, orchards of lemon, lime, oranges and olives....
Look who else is here!
. industry and life goes on around us, we are just visitors to their land and their lives go on, unaware we are even there I suppose. We learn form our guide that we are not only going to see the Tindari ruins, but the Church of the Black Madonna. The actual name of the church is probably something else, but we are to see the famous black Madonna. Interesting. Me? I wanna see more tumbled down ruins.
We arrive at the sight, and as we climb the final few hundred feet by foot I realize the entire mountain top was the Tindari city at one time, and this church was built on top of the ruins. All is no lost, there is a dig and extensive ruins that we get to see. Some beautiful mosaic floors are preserved, and there are some impressive arches and a partial building still stand, and the amphitheater is still there. We walk around the ruins, I pay little attention to the guide, they all drone on about stuff in an accent that is hard to understand. We do discover our guide is German, who learned her stilted English in Buffalo and now lives here in Sicily. She is not enthused about the ruins, but they are impressive to me. I am truly awed by the sheer dimensions of work that goes into the original building of these (or any) ruins.
After seeing the Amphitheater, we are led back to the small Museum of some of the artifacts that have been discovered here
Going ashore
. Interestingly enough, there is an actual dig in progress (laborers digging, and a couple of archeologists at work in a roped off area) at the site. I find that the most interesting. The Museum is small, but interesting, and some where along the way I messed up the camera I'm using (Carols new one that she has yet to use) and it is all black and white photo's. Jeon Francis would definently not make it back to the states from all these ruins, his bags would give out form all the weight of a stone column or he would be arrested for pilfering national treasures to adorn his garden. I seriously thought about it myself. . . . . . .After we see the museum, we have about 45 minutes to kill before we meet back on the steps of the church of the Black Madonna. Now, the guide seems most excited about showing us this, and about the natural lakes that change shape at the base of the mountain hat the church stands on. She takes time to point out these lakes and talk about them. These 5 "lakes" are salt water and are in the sand, waves and such change their shape, but there are always 5 of them. Interesting. And once, after a great storm, one of the lakes was changed into the shape of the Madonna (and she whips out a postcard to show us... now, with Jason cynicism I look on.... Ok, if you squint your eyes, are standing in the bright sun, had a few cocktails and are a fervent believer, yes, it looks like the Madonna
on the tour bus, heading to the black Madonna
. It was a stretch, believe me.As we waited for our tour of the church and to see the Black Madonna, Michael and I grabbed some gelato, and chilled in the shade on the steps. I did poke my head around in the shops (really, REALLY tchokie filled, religious memorabilia and Disney Princess dress up sets side by side) and hung with Carol for a few minutes.... some old Sicilian woman won 100 euros on a slot like machine next to the table we were sitting at.... and all with a hundred yards of the church... a country of contrasts, obviously.
Finally we began our tour of the church. As our guide explained, somewhere in the 500's, a terrible storm washed over the Sicilian coast, and when it was over there was a ship in the harbor that had no one aboard... and it was not even anchored. It stayed there for days upon days. After some time the local fisherman began to remove things from the ship, yet it continued to stay until at last they removed a large wooden crate. As the crate was being brought ashore, the ship began to leave the harbor. When the crate was opened it was revealed to contain a Madonna and child carved from a black wood. The locals took it as a sign from God that the Madonna wanted to be part of their island. So, they took it to the spot on the top of the mountain and built a church around it
still on the bus
. The church was later burned by raiding infidels (unfriendly folks from another part of the world), yet the only part to survive was the area where the Madonna resided. A new church was built, which still stands INSIDE the church we were about to enter. In the 80's the site became a Basilica because the Pope performed mass here. Inside, it was cool, and refreshing. The mosaics in the new part of the church were amazing, and the sheer size was impressive. Europeans really know how to do up religious temples and churches. Bob and I lost the tour group and wandered around the church taking in the beautiful mosaics and the story of Christ. I finally figured out the way up some steps to the old church and we joined the rest of the tour group. The Madonna truly is black, although a bit primitive in it's sculpture. I said a few prayers, looked at the view of the 5 lakes out a window and left with the others. Interesting. I love the tales and stories that have grown up around these religious relics.... and even more so that people actually believe them.
The bus ride back was uneventful. I napped, Michael napped, and DANG! I needed o go pee really bad. We were back aboard ship by 1, and met in the dining room at 1:15 for luncheon with Carol and Bob
walking to the church
. We were seated at a window seat with a very nice couple, who it quickly became obvious would have rather dined alone. Ask me for the details and I'll selectively explain. Lunch was fine, and then Michael and I left to have some down time before games and such for the rest of the afternoon. Actually, he ended up going to final bingo (one of the few times he went to bingo at all) and I packed.... which made me sad. The cruise was really coming to an end. [SIGH] I went on deck and took a few laps to get some air, stopped by the shops to see if there was anything I couldn't live without (there wasn't) and finally stopped by the Explorers café to use the computer and check flight times and such for the following day.
I dressed in slacks, silk sweater and Navy blazer for dinner, then headed to the Ocean Bar for one last drink or two.... and of course they come by with nibbles too which I always enjoy. Again, I was really going to miss this. that 112 day cruise is sounding more and more appealing. Michael joined me, but did not cocktail with me. I wish he would have. Dinner was lovely. The staff sang to the dining room an Indonesian farewell song, one I'm sure they made up. It was cute, and again, just a little too cheesy for my tastes. (Carol LOVED it and poked fun at me for thinking it was undignified like the Baked Alaska night.)
After dinner, we strolled the deck, the four of us swaying back and forth since the ship was making time and had a gentle rock to it this evening. We went down to the casino to use up Michaels winnings (tokens he had won earlier in the cruise, about 10$ in nickel tokens)... and he ended up walking away with 50$... pretty cool. Carol is all tears when we part, as she is each time she leaves her children. It really has been a nice time with them, and good to get to know them better. We say our fare wells, then it was to bed. Toss our dinner cloths into a bag, seal up everything, double check the cabin and set our bags out to be picked up. [SIGH] Tomorrow we dock at Civitavechhia and will disembark between 7 and 8 a.m.. One final nights rest though..... I'm going to miss the Noordam.
