30 April 2016
Sorrento, Italy:
No Bad Choices

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Do we stay in Sorrento?

Do we venture out of town to navigate the Amalfi Coast?

Do we explore some of the most intriguing places on earth, the ruins of Pompeii or the smaller and less-visited ruins of Herculaneum or Oplontis?

Do we head further north to the big city of Naples?

Or do we hop on a ferry and go west to the charming island of Capri?

There are no bad choices in Sorrento, which is why we come back time and time again. We were most recently here on April 9; you can read my blog entry for that day for more comments.

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Il Sedille Dominova, the Seat of Dominova, dates from the 14th century,  built as a gathering place for nobles for administration

ON THE STREETS OF SORRENTO

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ON THE STREETS OF POMPEII

Below, a section of the formal city of Pompeii with the cause of its destruction–Mount Vesuvius–looking over its shoulder.

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Below, a two-story apartment from Herculaneum, another settlement destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in the year 79.

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Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

29 April 2016
From Civitavecchia to Venice: A Journey Between Empires

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

To guests leaving us today,  we wish safe travels and arrivederci.  And welcome aboard to new fellow travelers.

We sail out of Civitavecchia–the ancient port of Rome built by the Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century and now one of the busiest modern ports of the Mediterranean for cruise ships, ferries, and cargo–and we are headed down and around the toe and heel of Italy.

Our goal is the seat of another great empire of Europe: Venice. As we pass east of the heel of Italy into the Adriatic Sea, we will sail through a large part of the thassalocracy of Venice: a dominion over water and ports.

Our itinerary takes us from Civitavecchia to Sorrento (gateway to Pompeii on the mainland and the enchanted isle of Capri) and then through the Strait of Messina to Taormina on Sicily.

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From there we head to Brindisi on the heel of Italy and then Dubrovnik and Rijeka in resurgent Croatia.

I hope you’ll join me here.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

28 April 2016
Livorno, Italy: The Gateway

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We’re back in Livorno, gateway to the glories of Florence, Pisa, and Tuscany. I posted a blog a few weeks ago, on April 7, with more comments.

On this visit,  I returned to Pisa to see if they have managed to repair their off-kilter campanile.  To the great relief of the tourist industry, the Tower of Pisa continues to tilt.

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Above, the Tower of Pisa peeks out around the baptistery on the Piazza dei Miracoli, the “Square of Miracles”.

On this trip I focused my camera on some of the details of the Baptistery,  Cathedral, and the Tower. It always pleases me to find a new way to view the tower,  a place I have seen more times than I can remember but always enjoy.

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A PISA ALBUM: THE BAPTISTERY 

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A LIVORNO ALBUM

Livorno is mostly a place tourists pass through quickly on their way to other lures,  like Pisa, Florence,  Lucca, and Sienna. But it does have its particular charms.

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At the Market in Livorno

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Below, from previous visits, the Duomo in Florence.

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Livorno Florence Duomo

The Basillica di Santa Maria dei Fiori was begun in 1296 and completed in 1436.

Alongside is Giotto’s Tower. It is topped with Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome, one of the world’s largest.

It is known, of course, as Il Duomo, the dome.

One of the best ways to see Florence is to climb 463 steps up the tower.

Behind the church is the Duomo Museum, showcasing art by Donatello, Ghiberti and Michelangelo.

For a mix of history and art, visit the Medici Chapels on Via Cavour, the private sanctuaries of Florence’s most influential family of the Renaissance period.

One chapel was designed by Michelangelo; there are also Medici family tombs dating back to the 16th century.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

26-27 April 2016
Genoa, Italy: La Superba

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

We’re on a ship, you see. A particularly nice one, as a matter of fact.

We have great food, fine accommodations, and a polished and capable crew.

What we don’t have is the ability to still the winds and calm the seas. The Mediterranean has been rather stormy for the past few weeks; nothing epic and not that evident aboard ship. But the swells in some ports have been quite high and that has affected our ability to use our ship’s tenders to come ashore in ports that do not have a dock.

That was why we ended up at the dock in Porto Torres on the island of Sardinia a few days ago instead of our intended call around the corner in Alghero.

We visited Cannes, as per schedule. But our captain decided that the forecasted seas offshore of Monaco and offshore of Portofino–our two following ports–were too high.

And so we diverted to Genoa, Italy for two nights. From Genoa we were able to offer tours by land to Portofino. And some guests went overland to other treasures of Liguria including Santa Margherita Ligure and Camogli.

But for many guests, it was Genoa that was a revelation. For many decades, Genoa was considered a dark and unappealing commercial port, off the regular tourist path.

Things are changing, nicely.

LA SUPERBA

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Genoa is a city more than one million, the capital of the region of Liguria. Its niuckname is La Superba,  the Proud One.

Genoa, one of the ancient Maritime Republics of Italy, had a glorious past and its old city is filled with impressive palaces and churches and other structures, many of them restored to their former glory.

The historic center of Genoa along Via Baldi includes more than a hundred grand palaces of the former wealthy elite.

Here are some photos from our visit.

The Basilica dell’Annunziatta is a spectacular church,  near the palaces.

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Down along the historic ancient port, the waterfront was redone,  in grand style,  in the 1990s under the plans of architect Renzo Piano, born in Genoa.

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All photos copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler.  If you would like to purchase a high-resolution copy of any image, please contact me. 

25 April 2016
Cannes, France: Stars in Our Eyes

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

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The Splendid is one of a dozen luxe hotels along La Croisette, the seaside promenade of Cannes

The Grande Dame of Cannes, along the La Croisette promenade facing the beach, is the InterContinental Carlton Cannes. The 343-room luxury hotel was built in 1911.

Which brings us to Agustina Otero Iglesias, born in Galicia, Spain in 1868.

As a young woman, she became a celebrated dancer, adopting her character La Belle Otero, a version of an Andalusian gypsy.

She became a star of Les Folies Bèrgere in Paris. And along the way she became one of the most popular—and celebrated—courtesans of France.

She was said to be close friends with the likes of Prince Albert I of Monaco, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, several Kings of Serbia and Spain, the Russian Grand Dukes Peter and Nicholas, and others.

She did quite well, accumulating a fortune of about $25 million dollars. But she was said to have gambled away nearly all of it, dying in 1965 in a modest one-room apartment at the Hotel Novelty in Nice.

Which brings us back to the, uh, cupolas of the Carlton.

According to some, the Carlton’s distinctive domes were designed to resemble the upper architecture of La Belle Otero.

Which is kind of frightening, except that La Belle Otero often wore conical, pointed devices.

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The Carlton Hotel in Cannes

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Le Suquet, the Old Town

Out in the bay are two interesting specks of lands, Les Îles de Lérins.

The smaller island is Saint Honorat, which has a monastery and ruined castle.

Monks have inhabited the island since 410 and, at the height of their powers, owned Cannes, Mougins and Vallauris.

Medieval vestiges remain in the stark church, which is open to the public, and in the ruins of the 11th-century monastery on the sea’s edge.

The Cistercian monks sell their own wine and a strong liqueur called Lérina.

The larger island is Sainte Marguerite which also has a castle, shops, bars, and restaurants, and some beaches.

And on Sainte Marguerite is a prison said to have been one of several places that held the “Man in the Iron Mask” in the 17th century.

The prisoner may have been the illegitimate older brother of Louis XIV, or in the writer Alexandre Dumas’ version, the king’s identical twin.

Either way, 34 years a captive, and from about 1687 to 1698, on the island half a mile offshore of Cannes.

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Le Tour du Masque

On Le Suquet hill,  the old town of Cannes,  the Tour du Masque, the Mask Tower, is the ancient watchtower.  A plaque there notes how the valiant militia of Le Suquet defended the place across the centuries against Barbary pirates and others.

And then it goes on to reference the Man in the Iron Mask, and it says in florid French: “Passers-by,  suspend your race and meditate on the suffering of the tortured, whose ghosts haunt these places. ”

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We were also here most recently on April 4; you can read my blog entry for that visit for more pointed commentary.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

24 April 2016
Porto Torres, Sardinia: Safe Shelter

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

In the teeth of strong winds and high seas, we made a minor alteration to our itinerary to come into the harbor and dock in Porto Torres. Our original plan had been to anchor offshore of Alghero.

Porto Torres is about 24 miles east of Alghero by road and many guests crossed the peninsula to visit our original goal.

We chose to stay in Porto Torres and explore this less-visited town.

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Silver Cloud at the dock today in Porto Torres,  fronted by the 15th century Torre Aragonese, a reminder of the premodern Spanish world.

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Silver Cloud is the largest building in town

Today, Porto Torres is a busy commercial and ferry port, but it does have some places of historical note.

Just around the bend from our ship are the ruins of the Colonia Iulia Turris Libisonis, believed by some to have been founded by Julius Caesar in 46 BC.

The site includes colonnades and ancient streets as well as a number of substantial homes decorated with mosaic floors.

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And just beyond stands a seven-arch Roman bridge from about the same time.  It was still in use until 1980, now replaced by a very ordinary modern crossing.

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At the top end of town is the Basilica di San Gavino, a Romanesque church built between 1030 and 1080, the largest and oldest of its kind on Sardinia.

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In the early 18th century, the European balance of power was shifting once again. After the conclusion of the War of the Spanish Succession, the Habsburgs were given Sardinia as the consolation prize to cover the loss of some of their Spanish kingdoms.

The Habsburgs further developed the region, bringing in Spanish style.

But in 1720, Alghero and the rest of Sardinia were handed over to the House of Savoy, which ruled northwest Italy on the mainland of what is now Italy.

The House of Savoy established the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Sardinia became a key pawn in the giant chess game that led to the Risorgimento, Italian unification.

The Kingdom of Sardinia, with Turin on the distant mainland as its capital, helped lead the way.

And in 1861, in essence, the Kingdom of Sardinia annexed most of what we now know as Italy and became the Kingdom of Italy. Which is why Sardinia is Italian today.

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We were also here on April 3, and you can read the blog entry for that day for more commentary.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

23 April 2016
Porto Mahon, Menorca: Location, Location, Location


By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

As real estate agents love to say, it’s all about location, location, location. The Balearic Islands of Spain are right there in the tides of history of time…in the Mediterranean between Europe and Africa.

They have been occupied since ancient times, and also saw most of the major migrations and tides of war of human history.

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Menorca is known for its megalithic stone monuments: navetes, taulas, and talaiots. They were built by what is known as the Talayotic culture between about 1800 and 1000 BC.

A naveta is a chamber tomb unique to Menorca. It has two vertical and two corbelled walls giving it the form of an upturned boat, the source of its name. While some certainly had a defensive purpose, others may have served as lookout or signaling towers.

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Silver Cloud at the dock in Porto Mahon today

And then there are the taulas, which are usually found nearby. The word, which means ‘table’ in Catalan, is a T-shaped stone monument.

Similar but not necessarily related are the “nuraghes” of Sardinia, the “torre” of Corsica, and the “sesi” of Pantelleria, an island off Sicily.

It is, though, believed there was a connection—or at least an influence—on Menorca from other Mediterranean cultures, including the Minoans of ancient Crete.

Some of the same features found at Knossos on Crete are seen on Menorca.

We were here a few weeks ago, on April 2, and you can learn more about Porto Mahon and Menorca in that blog entry.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

21-22 April 2016
Barcelona, Spain: Una vez más

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Once more from Barcelona, which is not by any means an unpleasant journey.

As our cruise from Nice comes to an end,  we wish departing guests safe travels and arrivederci. And we welcome aboard new friends on our next voyage from Barcelona to the port of Rome,  Civitavecchia.

My wife and I are great walkers, and few cities are as walkable and pleasurable as Barcelona. We always manage to find a new place to explore, mixed in and amongst old favorites.

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Today started out cold and rainy; we began our day with a pilgrimage to the Mercat de la Bouqueria, the great market of Barcelona. Don’t go there on an empty stomach…or do , and plan to eat your way through Catalonia.

Here’s some of what we saw today:

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That last fish is called a reloje costa, which translates as a Coast Watch,  as in a timepiece on your wrist. Can’t say that I know what do do with this fish in the kitchen,  other than to keep a close eye on it at all times.

Saturday morning we will call at Porto Mahon on the Spanish island of Menorca, the middle of the three Balearic Islands. From there we head east to Alghero on the Italian island of Sardinia.

And then we return to the mainland of Europe, calling at Cannes in France, then Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco. Moving to Italy, we are due to visit Portofino and Livorno (gateway to Florence and Pisa) before concluding this cruise in Civitacecchia, the port of Rome.

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I hope you’ll join me here.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

20 April 2016
Valencia, Spain: Beauty Ancient and Ultra-Modern

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Valencia is Spain’s third largest city, after Madrid and Barcelona.

That’s pretty impressive company.

But Valencia can stand on its own as a wondrous old city, the former capital of the Old Kingdom of Valencia.

The birthplace of paella. The deathplace of the fallas.

The host city for the America’s Cup in 2007 and 2010.

And home to a massive modern architectural project moved by Santiago Calatrava, the City of Arts and Sciences.

THE CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

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Palau de les Arts

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The roots of Valencia reach back to a Roman colony founded in 138 BC on an island in the Turia River.

The Moors held this part of Spain from the 8th to the 13th century, with the exception of about five years from 1094 to 1099 when Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar—El Cid—broke their hold in Valencia.

Despite being on the Mediterranean Sea, there is still a local expression that says “Valencia has always lived with its back to the sea”, meaning that the spirit and the core of the city is not necessarily oriented to the water.

THE MERCAT CENTRAL

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One of the most famous aspects of Valencia is a tradition that dates back several centuries, the Night of the Cremà, which takes place in March.

This is the burning of the Fallas, large wooden and papier mache dolls or effigies—sometimes representing politicians or celebrities or allegorical figures.

It is believed the tradition dates back to the carpenter’s guild of Valencia, who would celebrate the Festival of their patron Saint Joseph by gathering in front of their workshops to burn old tools, other wooden utensils, and candleholders they used to give them light during the winter season.

To me, a much more worthy exercise is the acquisition and consumption of Paella, the signature dish of Valencia.

The dish is named after the pan used to prepare it. You can, if you wish, think of it as a Spanish version of a wok.

Paella originated in the mid-nineteenth century near Albufera lagoon in Valencia. In many ways it brings together the Roman and Arab and indigenous flavors of the region.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

19 April 2016
Alcudia, Mallorca: Old Wine, Surrounded by New Bottles

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Mallorca is Spain’s largest island possession, and its second-most populated island (after Tenerife in the Canary Islands.)

On this visit, we are avoiding the hustle and bustle of the principal city of Palma de Mallorca, and instead coming in to the ancient village of Alcudia to the north.

Alcudia has seen human settlements dating back thousands of years, and today a village mostly  of the 13th to 16th centuries is flanked by Roman ruins and modern resorts.

ALCUDIA

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AROUND MALLORCA

There is something very special about the island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean.

Something that attracted ancient peoples, the Roman empire, the Moors, Pirates, and Vandals.

Also the great composed Frederick Chopin, the artist Joan Miro, the poet Robert Graves, and the great architect Antoni Gaudi.

Each came for short visits but left behind significant reminders of their genius.

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The capital city of Palma, with its broad boulevards and spectacular cathedral, is one of the lesser-known treasures of the Mediterranean.

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Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

18 April 2016
Sète, France: Joust, Not Kidding

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Sète is a place of poetry, mystical if not indecipherable love songs, mussels, and oysters.

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The Royal Canal of Sète, and Silver Cloud at the dock today

Sète is also the claimant as the world capital of the obscure sport of water-jousting.

And in 1947 it became the embarkation place for 4,500 Holocaust survivors on a barely seaworthy former cruise ship that on its way to Palestine changed its name to Exodus 47.

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A marker commemorates the point of departure for the S.S. President Warfield in 1947. Once it had skipped away,  it changed its name to Exodus 47

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Sète had earlier been the place of another difficult exodus, that of the Sinaïa, which set sail in 1939 carrying survivors of the Spanish Civil War. The ship headed to Mexico, the only country that recognized a Spanish Republic state in exile

The town of about 43,000 is situated on the south-eastern side of the Bassin de Thau, an enclosed salt water lake that is today used for oyster and mussel farming.

The lagoon connects to the Canal du Rhône à Sète, which reaches the river Rhône, and also by the Canal du Midi across the nation of France to Bordeaux via Toulouse.

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PÉZENAS

Up in the hills is the former fortified Roman city of Pézenas. Its old town center is made up of winding narrow streets lined by townhouses from the 16th through 18th centuries.

Among those who enjoyed the scene was the French playwright  Moliere, who was a frequent visitor on his own and with his theater company in the mid-17th century.

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Another interesting sight is the Abbey of Valmagne, which at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries was one of the richest Cistercian Abbeys in the South of France, home to as many as 3,200 monks.

The Cistercians planted vineyards.

Under the French Revolution, monasteries in France were confiscated by the state and either sold or destroyed. Valmagne escaped demolition and was sold in 1791 to a winemaker who converted it into a wine cave for the maturing of wine in large barrels.

Today it is once again a small vineyard and winery, with an ancient monastery as backdrop.

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Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

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————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

17 April 2016
Marseille, France: The Second City


By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Marseille is the oldest city in France, and the country’s second-largest city population behind only Paris.

Very much a working city, Marseille is France’s largest commercial port.

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Silver Cloud at the dock near the Vieux-Port of Marseille today

The city’s name is the latest version of several, reaching back to the Occitan name of Marselha, and before that the Greek name Marsiho. There’s also a not-much-used local dialect, which calls the place something like Mocx-sey-oh.

To the east, starting in the small fishing village of Callelongue on the outskirts of Marseille and stretching as far as Cassis, are the Calanques, a rugged coastal area interspersed with small fjord-like inlets.

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Recent additions to the old port include a dramatic ferris wheel and a handsome mirror canopy by British architect Norman Foster

Two large forts flank the entrance to the Old Port: Fort Saint-Nicolas on the south side and Fort Saint-Jean on the north.

Further out in the Bay of Marseille is the Frioul archipelago of four islands.

One of those, L’ile d’If, is the location of Château d’If, made famous by the Alexandre Dumas novel The Count of Monte Cristo.

There have been settlements in this area for almost 30,000 years. In 1985, diver Henri Cosquer discovered an underwater cave near the calanque of Morgiou southeast of Marseille.

Within what is now known as the Grotte Cosquer, or Cosquer Cave, were hundreds of paintings and outlines of hands. Scientists believe they date back to between 27,000 and 19,000 BC.

The city of Marseille was founded about 600 BC as a Greek trading port; it was named Massalia.

Facing an opposing alliance of Etruscans, Carthaginians and the Celts, the Greek colony allied itself with the expanding Roman Republic.


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The beautiful Notre-Dame de la Garde cathedral looms over the city, visible from almost everywhere

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The interior of the cathedral includes spectacular art and ex-votos left by parishioners, including ship models by hopeful or thankful sailors

Massalia became a link between inland Gaul and Rome, importing wine and other goods and exporting agricultural items and slaves to Rome.

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The Four des Navettes claims to be the oldest bakery in Marseille, dating from 1781

Massalia lost its independence in 49BC, when it backed the wrong side in a civil war against Julius Caesar. Now a Roman port, Christianity first appeared in Marseille; we know this because of catacombs found above the harbour and records of Christian martyrs.

According to Provencal tradition, Mary Magdalen evangelized Marseille with her brother Lazarus.

In 1792, Marseille sent 500 volunteers to Paris to support the French Revolution. The song they sung on their march from Marseille to Paris, a call to arms that became known as La Marseillaise, now the national anthem of France.

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The Palace Longchamps celebrates the arrival of fresh water to the old city

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

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16 April 2016
Saint-Tropez, France: An Artist’s Lure


By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Saint Tropez Sandler2

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When we say Saint-Tropez, most people think of Brigitte Bardot in a bikini or perhaps modern Children of the Sun lounging around on the beach in no bikini at all.

But the handsome French Riviera beaches and towns of the region were also home to a martyred saint from Pisa, a Japanese sumarai in the early 1600s, and an almost-forgotten World War II invasion site.

Many artists and fashion designers were drawn to the beaches and the special light of maritime places.

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Silver Cloud at anchor off Saint-Tropez today

The painter most directly associated with Saint-Tropez was Paul Signac, born in Paris in 1863, but a regular visitor and resident. In 1884 he met Claude Monet and Georges Seurat. He was struck by the systematic working methods of Seurat and by his theory of colors and became Seurat’s faithful supporter.

Seurat and then Signac abandoned the short brushstrokes of impressionism and experimented with carefully placed dots of pure color, intended to combine and blend not on the canvas but in the viewer’s eye. It was called pointillism.

Signac inspired Henri Matisse and André Derain among others, leading to the evolution of Fauvism. (The Wild Beasts, including Matisse, Dufy, and Georges Braques.) Pablo Picasso was also a frequent visitor in the early 1950s.

The next generation of artists who came to work in Saint-Tropez include Bernard Buffet, David Hockney, and Donald Sultan.

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Saint Tropez Sandler1

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

15 April 2016
Bonjour et bienvenue from Nice

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Hello, and welcome aboard from Nice on the Côte d’Azur of France, the Azure Coast.

At the same time,  we bid arrivederci and safe travels to guests leaving us here.

Nice is a handsome seaside place, somewhat surprisingly France’s fifth largest city. (First is Paris, then Marseille, Lyon, and Toulouse.)

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The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Nice, built by Czar Nicholas II of Russia in 1912 when the South of France was a favored gathering place of European Royals

We’re headed off on a cruise to some of the most culturally rich ports of France and Spain.

Midday tomorrow we are due to arrive in Saint-Tropez, one of the playgrounds of the rich and famous but also a place with a fascinating history. After then we visit Marseille and then Sète in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, a place with a distinct identity of its own within France.

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After then, its due south out to sea to Alcudia on the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Balaerics. From there west to Valencia, and then this cruise ends in the spectacular port of Barcelona.

I hope you’ll join me here for photos and observations each day.

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Not an itsy-bitsy spider, but a large piece of art climbing the walls of the Citadel in Calvi, Corsica 

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

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14 April 2016
Calvi, Corsica: No Island is a Man

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

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Silver Cloud at anchor in the Bay of Calvi today

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Snow still lingers in the hills above Calvi, even as summer arrives in Corsica 

Napoleon was born here. Nelson left behind a body part. And everybody claims Columbus.

But in the end, no island is a man.

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Corsica, at least in the wishes of its people for centuries, has always been a place unto its own.

A French flag, an Italian heritage, and a Corsican culture

It is an island of jagged granite mountains and dense, dark forests.

It even has its own perfume, a scent of the maquis: fields of aromatic herbs and shrubs.

Deep in the woods, bandits once roamed. And generations of Corsicans maintained blood feuds: vendettas.

For its entire existence it has been a fortress.

The Citadel de Calvi, in the main part of town and not far from the port, is the most popular attraction in Calvi. It was first built by the Genoese as a monastery in the 13th century, most recently rebuilt in 1570.

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Time passes at a different rate here on Corsica.

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Columbus was born here, or so say some wishful believers.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

13 April 2016
Olbia, Sardinia: Very Old and Very New

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Sardinia is about 9,200 square miles, the second-largest island in the Mediterranean. Only Sicily is larger.

In Sardinia, a disconnected and somewhat loosely culturally attached piece of Italy, the traditionalists are partial to the Sardinian language.

Although in Olbia many old-timers speak a dialect of Catalan Spanish.

Italian? Only when they must.

In Olbia itself, much of the older architecture and a bit of the culture is still heavily influenced by the Spanish and the Habsburgs who ruled here for many centuries.

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The Municipale, or city hall, in Olbia

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Olbia has been settled since pre-historic times. The Ozieri culture was present in the 4th millennium BC; while the Nuraghe civilization was active around 1500 BC.

Scattered around Sardinia are thousands of megalithic ruins known as nuraghes in Sardinian or nuraghi in Italian.

The name is believed to come from an old word meaning heap of stones, or confusingly, a cavity in the earth.

In any case, they are usually located in panoramic or strategic locations; about eight thousand have been cataloged, but perhaps 30,000 once stood.

They date from the middle of the Bronze Age (18th-15th centuries BC).

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But these days the old-timers are much outnumbered by an influx of international persons of great wealth and portability.

The newer construction in Olbia and in nearby modern gathering places like Porto Cervo are a little bit Las Vegas, a little bit San Tropez.

The lingua franca is Euros, American Express, MasterCard, and Visa.

And they call the region the Costa Smeralda: The Emerald Coast.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

12 April 2016
Trapani, Italy: Look Up

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Trapani, on the west coast of Sicily, was the ancient port for the important city of Erice.

It’s an interesting old city, worth exploring.

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But for me, the excitement comes when you look UP . . . or around the bend.

Above Trapani is Erice, on the slopes of Monte San Giuliano.

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Much of Trapani’s economy still depends on the sea.

Fishing and canning are the main local industries, with fishermen using the mattanza technique to catch tuna, which is a rather brutal and non-selective harvest.

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Trapani has some of Europe’s oldest salt marshes, and is still home to some of the windmills once used to drain water from the basins.

Drawing salt from water is a slow process involving a lot of sun and dry summers.

The dehydration technique was known to the ancient Egyptians, and in Sicily dates at least from the time of the Greeks and Romans. The windmills were added in Medieval times.

Sea salt is highly prized in Sicilian cooking.

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Erice is at the western end of Sicily, about 75 miles or 90 minutes from Palermo.

The town is located on top of Mount Erice, at around 2,360 feet or 750 meters above sea level, overlooking the city of Trapani and out to the Aegadian Islands off Sicily’s north-western coast.

The original settlement was named after the Greek hero Eryx, the son of Aphrodite and King Butes of the Elymian people on Sicily.

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Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS,  PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

11 April 2016
Valletta, Malta: A Place Apart

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

The two-and-a-half island nation of Malta is not quite like anywhere else, and that’s a grand thing. The sail-in and sail-out to the main city of Valletta is one of the most spectacular sights anywhere in the world…and that’s just the beginning of the experience.

Malta is pretty much right in the middle of the Mediterranean, 55 miles south of Sicily and Europe and 180 miles north of Tunisia and Africa.

It lies east of Gibraltar and west of Alexandria and Jerusalem.

That location made it so very important as a crossroads and rest stop for invaders, crusaders, pilgrims, and traders.

It is heavily Catholic and has a long tradition of Christianity, and yet it was greatly influenced by the Middle East and the British Empire.

Over the centuries, Malta has been ruled by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt, Sicilians, the Knights of St John, the French and the British.

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The view from the bridge as Silver Cloud arrived in the Grand Harbour at sunrise today

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Our ship at Pinto Wharf

In the Renaissance, artists from Sicily and elsewhere were brought to the island by the Knights of Saint John to decorate their churches.

Towering above them all was Caravaggio, who stayed about fifteen months and made at least seven major works.

Caravaggio’s The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Jerome Writing, are on display in the Oratory of Saint John’s Co-Cathedral in downtown Valletta.

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And then Mattia Preti of Calabria transformed the severe, Mannerist interior of the Co-Cathedral of Saint John into a Baroque masterpiece. Preti’s hand can be seen almost everywhere, including in the 3-D figures that float above in the cathedral.

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In 1530 Charles I of Spain gave the islands to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. These knights, a military religious order now known as the Knights of Malta, had been driven out of Rhodes by the Ottoman Empire in 1522.

The last colonial power was the British, and for that the Maltese suffered greatly, and stood up bravely, during World War II as the Axis powers pummeled Valletta.

Malta gained its independence in 1964 and became a Republic in 1974.

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The architecture of Valletta mixes Italy and Spain and the other sources of Crusaders with Arab and North African elements

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There are said to be 360 churches on this small island,  and nearly every one of them is a work of art. We visited some of the lesser ones today

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Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

10 April 2016
Taormina, Italy: Bubbling in the Hills

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Taormina is a charming old town, perched in the hills, about midway between Messina and Catania on the island of Sicily.

I say “hills” advisedly. Nearby is one very large and very active hill.

When we sailed south from Sorrento through the Tyrrhenian Sea we entered into the Strait of Messina. On our left was the big toe at the bottom of the mainland of Italy. To our right was the large island of Sicily, the football being kicked by Italy’s boot.

This is, in maritime and geological circles, an interesting place. The narrow strait has some treacherous currents (just ask Homer, who wrote about Odysseus’ passage between Scylla and Charybdis here.)

And then there is the bubbling deep down below. In this region, the Eurasian plate is moving down toward the African plate.

Which brings us to that hill: Looming at the end of town is Mount Etna: the tallest active volcano in Europe, nearly constantly bubbling over like a bowl of Arrabiata sauce left on the burner.

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The view of Mount Etna from our ship at anchor in the Bay of Naxos today

Etna stands about 3,329 meters or 10,922 feet tall, although every time it erupts it grows or shrinks. I’ve climbed to near the peak, but I left my tape measure behind.

Etna is about two-and-a-half times the height of the next tallest Italian volcano, Mount Vesuvius between Naples and Sorrento.

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Taormina is the jewel of the region, a lovely little town with a spectacular Greek Theater and an even-more spectacular view of Mount Etna.

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We are due to return to Taormina on May 1 and I will have additional photos and commentary in the blog entry for that day.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

————-

Now available, the revised Second Edition of “Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession” by Corey Sandler, for the Amazon Kindle. You can read the book on a Kindle device, or in a Kindle App on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy, please see the tab on this page, “HOW TO ORDER A PHOTO OR AUTOGRAPHED BOOK”

Here’s where to order an electronic copy for immediate delivery:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA9QTBM

Hudson Book Cover

Henry Hudson Dreams and Obsession: The Tragic Legacy of the New World’s Least Understood Explorer (Kindle Edition)

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS

9 April 2016
Sorrento, Italy: What Volcano?

By Corey Sandler, Destination Consultant Silversea Cruises

Sorrento is an ancient town,  established by the Greeks, elaborated upon by the Romans,  and now devoted to the Tourists.

It remains a place of color and charm.

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The backdrop to all of coastal Campania just sits there…tick, tick, tick.

Mount Vesuvius is the still-active volcano that buried the great Roman city of Pompeii as well as other villages like Herculaneum in the region.

This is one of the most attractive spots in all of Italy, and it is quite possible to forget about Vesuvius. Chances are it won’t erupt today. But it’s due.

Because of the dense population of the coast from Naples south to Sorrento, Vesuvius is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.

Pompeii was destroyed in the year 79.

The volcano has erupted dozens of times since. On occasion, eruptions from Vesuvius have blanketed nearly all of southern Europe. In 472 and 1631, Vesuvian ash fell on Constantinople (Istanbul), more than 750 miles away.

The most recent significant eruption came near the end of World War II, in 1944. Tick, tick, tick.

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Above, a street in Sorrento.

Below, a street in Pompeii, with Vesuvius in the background.

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Below, the famous Via Krupp on the lovely island of Capri, offshore of Sorrento.

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We will be back in Sorrento on April 30 and I will have additional comments in my blog on that day.

Text and images copyright 2016 by Corey Sandler. All rights reserved. If you would like to purchase a high-resolution image, please contact me.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF ONE OF MY BOOKS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

SEE THE “How to Order a Photo or Autographed Book” TAB ON THIS PAGE FOR INSTRUCTIONS