Voyager (Part II)

(And yes, that's a Star Trek reference.)

Since Liz already linked my blog in her own account of our adventures, I suppose I ought to finish up here myself. Pictures to come soon; there have been some problems in the sharing of all our photos, so as soon as I figure it out I will share them here.

In the last post I left you at Ephesus, with the great ruins and many cats. Today we sail for Istanbul, my favourite stop on our trip. And as a matter of fact, I will leave that for another post. It is too large to place here with the rest. I will merely say it was one of the most memorable and deeply touching experiences I've ever had, and I will not soon forget it.

After Istanbul we spent two days at sea, as we rounded the boot of Italy toward Naples. The first day in the afternoon we sailed into a storm, and Dad and I were swimming in the rain, but when thunder and lightening appeared we decided to go inside. Isha and I turned off all the lights in our stateroom and sat in our window, and watched the lightening strike the ocean, and then we went up to Deck 13 and watched it from there, talking and dancing to the pop music playing on the lower deck. The lightening over the water was spectacular.

The ship started rocking pretty heavily that evening, though that night I felt fine. Melissa and I went dancing, and it was pretty weird to be dancing and then suddenly the floor would disappear, or it would be too close. And you could see everyone on the dance floor shifting with the ship in one wriggling mass. The next day, however, I did not feel so well, and almost threw up at breakfast (though for some unfathomable reason I did not). I felt pretty blah so I lounged in Liz and Jacob's bed, ordered room service, and then felt better in the afternoon after taking a walk on the promenade. I just took it easy, playing Guitar Hero and singing karaoke. It was fun.

Napoli was fun and interesting. We didn't have a guide, but we paid for a taxi to take us to Pompeii, where we wandered in awe among the great city, erased of life by the wrath of Mount Vesuvius. It was wonderful and unearthly, especially seeing the casts of the molds of people found buried in the ash and lava. It was hauntingly beautiful and one of the creepiest things I've ever seen. Then we went downtown to a place called "il pizzioglio de presidente," where Bill Clinton ate once, and where I had the best margherita pizza I've ever had.  Then we just wandered around, looking at the impressive architecture and admiring the life of the city. We also saw a flash mob in a big covered piazza, where students from a local ballet school did a hip-hop performance. It was pretty awesome, and relaxing. It was nice to just walk around and get a feel for the city. It's a lovely place, and makes me want to live by the sea.

That night was the last on the ship before we returned to Civitavecchia and Rome, so I dressed up and we had dinner and went to the ship's finale show "Elements," which was incredible. So much so that I went twice. The dances were interesting and enjoyable to watch, and Dorota got to dance a short ballet, which was nice to see her in her dance background. But it's nothing compared to her aerial artistry, and you can just see how much more she loves flying. She and Roberto did a couple of pieces, and were a big part of the finale, which was grand and sweeping and gorgeous. It was incredible to watch, especially the individual presences and talents.

The next day we landed in Civitavecchia, waited a bit for a taxi, then arrived in Rome around noon. We got into our suite, a little place called mok house, then at the owner's recommendation had lunch at a tiny place just two doors down. We wanted to have pizza but they only served it for dinner, so we ended up going back there later. It was extremely delicious, and the hostess incredibly kind and welcoming.

That afternoon Liz, Jacob, Isha and I walked down to the Coliseum to look around and then take a bus tour so I could get a quick overview of the city before I had to leave. We explored the Coliseum, imagining it filled with thousand of people watching horrible and grisly things (and imitating those people). Then we got on the bus and sat on top, listening to the commentary and the strange midi-files of Italian music. It was very quick, and the only stop we got off at was the Vatican City, where the light of day was just fading over the piazza. We went into the Basilica, which was beautiful and humbling in a very different way than the Blue Mosque. Inside the Mosque I felt peaceful and awed by the beauty of life and creation, while in the Basilica I felt tiny and insignificant amidst the towering statues and high ceilings. I suppose both feelings have a place in life to some degree. We didn't see the Sistine Chapel because it was closed for the day, but we did see Michelangelo's "Pieta," which was stunning. Such beauty and detail, tension and rest, movement and grace. It was amazing.

By then it was dark, and we got on what appeared to be the Knight Bus from Harry Potter to finish the tour. Seriously, from the top and very front of the bus, any corner we took seemed to narrowly miss parked cars, lamp posts, and pedestrians, and we seemed to slip through the narrowest cracks in traffic. The rest of the tour was a bit of a blur, but I learned that Caesar was not killed in the Forum but at the site of some ancient churches, and I know I loved the feel of Rome at night: the Christmas lights, the bustle of people, the old and grand monuments appearing suddenly around a corner, warmly lit with a yellow glow. The bus dropped us off sooner than expected, so we had to walk to our landmark of the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore and to home. And later after dinner Jacob, Dad, Melissa and I wandered in our neighborhood and found gelato (kaffe gelato! What bliss!) and explored the then-quiet streets. Then I stayed up all night (which turned out to be a terrible idea, those of you who know how sick I got coming back), reading and watching videos online, and listening to the chatter of the Italians at the bar across the street. It was a quick view of the city, only a snapshot, but I loved it and I will return to delve deeper.

It is difficult to describe how I felt overall, but I will try. It is amazing how similar people are, no matter where you go. They may look a little different, speak differently, have different customs, but essentially human beings are all the same. We laugh, we cry, we smile, we get angry, we are curious and stupid, wise and courageous. I wish we could all just see and understand that we all have the same needs and wants, and not fight each other for our inconsequential differences. This trip has filled me with new insight and hope, and a vast and sweeping love of the world. If we only had a taste of another's world, why would we ever want to destroy it? I learned to look inside and listen quietly to myself and the world humming around me. I learned that the ancient world is full of watchful ghosts, that wish us no harm if we tread lightly and respectfully. At times the ancientness of the ground I stood on was so overwhelming I was numb to the wonder of it. I could not grasp in my mind the thousands of years that crossed the spot, or the lives of the thousands of people who lived there, who laughed and worked, had families and friends, were happy or not. They are like stories one can fold up and tuck away. It was baffling and wonderful.

And so it was. Shalom.