Milan and Savona, Italy and Cruise Ship (continued)

Sat Nov 19
We got up to a delicious buffet breakfast at the NH Grand Hotel Verdi where we stayed last night in a nice comfortable room. We then left for a guided bus tour of Milan and learned much of it's history back to medieval times. Much was also explained about Leonardo De Vinci who grew up around this area as an illegitimate son with no last name. Consequently he became known by his Italian first name of Leonardo "from" (De) what was known as "Vinci."

Ancient castle with moat now drained but very evident

Yes, it was a little chilly

Duomo Cathedral built entirely of marble

Large "Indoor" but open air mall

We then took a couple-hour bus ride to Savona to board our ship. The first part of the trip was rather boring with much flat farmland. Later on it became mountainous and the highway became a series of bridges and tunnels along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. There were literally dozens of tunnels of varying length from fifty yards to about a half mile.

Once on board the ship our luggage caught up with us and we were off to sea. The two couples with whom we traveled and two others joined us at our table for a nice dinner before looking around the ship a bit and turning in for the night.

Our Ship (Costa Fortuna Genova)
This cruise was unlike any other we have experienced. The ship itself was very beautiful and clean and the service was excellent. There were close to three thousand passengers but only about fifty spoke English as their native language. All announcements including entertainment introductions in the theater, lifeboat drills, etc. were made in six languages in sequence: Italian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and English. Virtually everyone you met in hallways, elevators, etc. were speaking a foreign language. It felt similar to our time in Europe this summer. It also precluded some traditional cruise events such as a scavenger hunt, sexy legs and belly flop contests or the newlywed game. Nearly all entertainment where vocals were involved was in some foreign language also. Here we have provided just a glimpse of some of the ship's highlights.

Our ocean view cabin

Atrium

Typical painting on stairway

All elevators had painted doors except glass ones in atrium

One of three formal dining areas

Our dining table group: L->R: Jerry Sanford & Lorie Ross, Lorraine & Drew Day (seated), Dottie and Darvel Allred (standing), us, Carma & Bob Johnson

One of two pools (other was in solarium that could be covered)

Crowd gathered for token "baptisms" by King Neptune as we crossed the equator

Malaga, Spain and Morocco, Africa (continued)

Sun Nov 20
This morning the group of LDS members on the cruise got together for a mini testimony meeting with the rest of the group joining afterwards for a get acquainted round table. This was a lot of fun and we got better acquainted with our group members. We took it easy most of the day and after dinner on a formal night we watched an older but still talented and energetic Spanish-speaking entertainer named Pepito Alvarez's show. While we didn't understand most of his dialogue we were able to understand a tribute he gave his father for inspiring him to be the success he has been during his career.

Mon Nov 21
Today we visited Malaga, Spain on our own.

We did a walking tour of several sites near the port. As with so many European cities we visited this summer there was a huge and ornate Catholic cathedral. However, unlike in Belgium, there was no open central plaza associated with it.

We then visited the ruins of an ancient Roman theatre situated on a hill. This was huge and interesting but looked like the complex included much more than just the theatre.

We then walked around a bull fighting arena but it was not open to see inside.

On the return we walked through a beautiful park with meandering pathways, lots of tropical trees and flowers, statues and fountains. It was a very pleasant day overall.

Tue Nov 22
Today we joined our entire party of thirty-eight for an eleven-hour tour in Morocco on the African continent. We first visited the city of Casablanca.

We had a knowledgeable and entertaining tour guide. The most memorable stop was at the Hassan II Mosque on the Atlantic Ocean shore. This is the third largest mosque in the world. After visiting so many beautiful Catholic cathedrals it was an interesting contrast with a house of worship of the Islamic faith. It was completed in 1993 and is huge and ornate inside and out with a minaret over 600 feet high. The first thing you notice is that there is no seating, just carpeting on the spacious marble floor for religious services and an obscure pulpit from which the imam preaches.

Pulpit is in rear on right side

The guide explained much about the Islamic faith and practices. As with other Christian sects it was interesting to note their practices and beliefs that have some things in common with our LDS faith. We then traveled north about sixty miles along the coast to the city of Rabat where the seat of the Moroccan government is located. We got to drive through the walled complex where the king's palace and houses of parliament are located. We then visited another religious shrine built on the grounds where the remains of an ancient mosque which was destroyed by an earthquake a couple of hundred years ago. A former admired king was buried there.

 

We then took a walk through an ancient part of the city known as a Medina. Behind the fortress walls were residences with walkways only a few feet wide. It was like finding your way through a maze.

While there were many nice buildings and upscale homes there were also many very poor, trashy shanty towns. What was interesting to note, however, was that no matter what the class there were satellite dishes projecting from sides and rooftops of every building.

Apparently once the equipment is bought you have a lifetime free subscription to satellite TV. There must have been one dish for every one of Morocco's inhabitants. We had lunch at the Restaurant Saadi in Rabat and finished with stops at two shopping places. There were many hand-woven rugs, articles made of wood, jewelry, clothing, etc. but I didn't buy anything hoping to find something to bring home from Brazil.