Italy - Amalfi Coast

Friday, 16 September 2016

Most of today was spent in a bus negotiating the narrow, twisty, and crowded road along the Amalfi coast from Sorrento to Positano to Amalfi and back. We got off to a late start due to port bureaucracy and competition for dock space with a large cruise ship.

A look back at our ship, the Variety Voyager. Our cabin is the last set of two portholes on the left.

The Amalfi coast is rugged with many rock formations and watchtowers. Some of the rock formations have inspired names: the left photo is the "Maiden with Flowers" and the one at the lower right is called "Garibaldi's Head" (although we all agreed that Abraham Lincoln would also fit).

It's unfortunate that this photo was taken through a rainy bus window on a (slowly) moving bus. The roadside is filled with these small "Christmas villages" that are elaborately decorated and illuminated for Christmas.

The towns along the coast hug the topography and the roads are far better for walking than for motor vehicles. This is Positano.

And this is Amalfi.

The churches in this region have elaborately tiled roofs on their domes.

Another church roof.

We visited the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Amalfi.

A gilded transom above one of the cathedral doors.

Below it is a large bronze door.

One of many frescoes in the cloister area.

A full moon rises over Sorrento.

Rome - The Vatican

Thursday, 15 September 2016

The cruise portion of our trip began in the afternoon. Before boarding the ship we had a tour of the most important sights in the Vatican. The crowds were oppressive, but it was worth it to see so many famous pieces of art. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed in the Sistine Chapel.

Our tour started with the Vatican Museums. This is "Lacoön and His Sons".

The Museums have several long galleries. This is the Map Gallery. The wall are all Roman paintings of maps of the ancient world. The ceiling has amazing small paintings.

A detail from one of the maps shows an Egyptian obelisk being transported to Rome. Not shown is how the obelisk gets on and off the ship -- and how it was then transported 80 km (50 miles) to Rome!

The exterior of St. Peter's Basilica gives no hints of the splendors inside. It pretty much looks like just another Baroque building.

Looking up into the dome.

Michelangelo's Pieta is now protected behind bulletproof glass after a damaging attack in 1972.

Piazza San Pietro ("St. Peter's Square") from the steps of St. Peter's Basilica.

Fountain in Piazza San Pietro.

At the mandatory safety briefing aboard the Variety Voyager. Rome's harbor at Civitavecchia is an 80 km (50 mile) drive from center Rome.

Rome - Ancient City, Piazzas, and Fountains

Wednesday, 14 September 2016

This morning we had an organized tour of the Colosseum and Forum. This is the Rome that everyone wants to see, and we were very glad that we were on a tour, since this lets us bypass the ticket lines. Tours also have their own entrance lines. What we did in the morning would have taken all day if you are not on a tour or do not hire an authorized tour guide.

The exterior of the Colosseum. While earthquakes are responsible for some of the damage, most of the missing pieces were "recycled" into other buildings after the fall of Rome.

The interior of the Colosseum is the interesting part. There were two levels under the large arena to hold gladiators, prisoners, and wild beasts. As for seating, the structure is very much like a large modern football stadium -- to a large extent function dictates form.

Near the Colosseum is the Roman Forum. You can see in this photo that it sits amid a lot of much newer buildings. There are lots of interesting structures to see in this area, but good photos are difficult to take.

After lunch, Lon and I spent the afternoon wandering on our own. We visited several of Rome's classic piazzas and fountains.

The Fontana del Tritone (Triton Fountain) in the Piazza Barberini.

The Pantheon was built by the Romans as a temple to all the gods, and became a church in the Middle Ages. The building is essentially a 142 ft diameter sphere. Some of the columns were "recycled" from Egyptian temples. Even back then, transporting finished pieces over the sea was easier than making them on site. The dome is the inspiration for many others, including St. Peter's Basilica and the U.S. Capitol.

We stumbled upon the Largo Argentina site while walking between the Pantheon and Campo de' Fiori. It is a large excavation of temples discovered in the 1920s.

A nearby cat sanctuary probably accounted for the large number of cats we saw near the Largo Argentina.

The streets in this part of Rome are narrow and winding.

Piazza Navona is one of Rome's largest piazzas. It was originally a racetrack built around 80 AD. This was probably my favorite area in Rome. It has three fountains, lots of space, many interesting churches in the area, and a large number of places to eat.

Fontana del Moro in Piazza Navona.

Pigeons love the Fontana del Quattro Fiumi (Four Rivers Fountain) in the middle of Piazza Navona. The fountain supports an Egyptian-style obelisk and is one of the most famous Roman fountains.

The north end of Piazza Navona is the Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune Fountain).

We wandered into Chiesa di Sant'Antonio dei Portoghesi because we heard the organ being played. The music was unremarkable, but even churches not marked in the guidebooks have impressive interiors.

The Colonna dell'Immacolata is near the Piazza di Spagna. The column dates from Roman times, but (obviously) the statue of the Virgin Mary was added much later (1857).

Many restaurants proudly display their fresh ingredients to attract customers.

Rome - First Impressions

While Italy and Malta do not really fit into "Horn OK Please", it seems a better fit than my U.S. blog. So bear with me as we take a trip to the Mediterranean.

Tuesday, 13 September 2016

We landed in Rome this morning, and had the afternoon to start wandering around the city on our own. I always find jet lag is worse going east, so we only walked for about 2 to 3 hours in two separate strolls.

The Porta Poinciana was just up the street (Via Veneto) from our hotel. Rome is filled with partial walls and gates like this. Just behind the wall is the Villa Borghese, now a large park, but formerly a private estate.

While not old by Rome standards, the streets in the central city are narrow (this is one of the wider ones), and usually not this straight!

The Trevi Fountain

The Piazza del Popolo ("People's Square") from the Villa Borghese.

Roof tops of Rome. St. Peter's Basilica is the large dome on the far right.

A closer view of the left side of the picture above. Lots and lots of churches in Rome!

Dahej and Mumbai

Dahej

Dahej is a developing industrial zone about 2 1/2 hours north of Vapi. The Nathanis are building a new mill there, and we both were interested in a tour. We took the Shatabdi (“high speed”) train from Vapi to Baruch, and then a car took us the 40-or-so km to Dahej.

Looking down the length of the machine.

Dryer Section and beyond.

Lon and Ashraf at the wet end.

Ashraf and Lon

Since the mill is under construction, a dog or two can wander into the site.

Construction worker housing. Note the satellite dishes.

Mumbai - Juhu

We spent Saturday evening and Sunday at the JW Marriott in the Juhu area of Mumbai.

Juhu Beach wasn’t terribly crowded.

Beach and grounds at the Marriott

High tide.

Dogs liked to dig out cool places in the sand to nap.

The “hair” on this statue is really there to keep the pigeons off!

An Unexpected Return to Vapi

WestRock’s India operations have been having a “rough patch”, and Lon was asked to come back as a consultant. He’s been here for five weeks. I had difficulties getting a tourist visa, but after four weeks, it finally went through, so I’ve been back here for a week. We return to the States tonight.

I had a great week back in Vapi -- it really does feel like our second home. I wish it had been longer. It takes a few days to adjust to the time change, and just about that time, it’s time to head back home.

For the most parts, Vapi’s streets have improved. This neighborhood added a nice even layer of crushed rock and now has sidewalks (or “footpaths” in Indian English).

Another view of the new sidewalks.

I’d wanted to take a picture of this for quite a while and finally got around to it. Getting a car is a big deal and requires a proper ceremony!

This trip I got to visit the Morai village school that is right next to WestRock’s Morai mill. About 60 students in Standards 1 through 4 study in a 2-room school. The school was established over 100 years ago!

Shoes are always left outside.

Muddy footprints on the stairs at the Vapi train station look like inspiration for a fabric print.

Lon was “felicitated” by the hourly workers at the milll. (Quite unusual). This is one of the three bouquets of roses we got, along with a shawl and three Ganeshas -- Ganesha’s big festival starts tomorrow. While expensive by Indian standards, flowers are a bargain here. I doubt if this arrangement cost more than $10 -- it has over 2 dozen roses by my count.