Pictures from Civi, Roma, and the countryside. Goes with the Roman blog!

The Fourth City: Dubrovnik—How I love thee!

            So before I get to my new favorite place in the world, I would like to share a ship event. As you may have noticed, we spent the 4^th of July, not in the USA. Needless to say, there was no pomp and circumstance, no fireworks, no bbqs. I spent the 4^th in Sorrento and while it was nice, not like spending the 4^th at home in the USA. Plus July 4^th is my mom’s birthday and she usually insists that we have bbq in honor of her birth (and the country’s independence J). The ship crew is so amazing; they served bbq on July 5^th on the night we all got back on the ship. The bbq started at 530pm, people started lining up at 4. It is so funny how meaningful the reminders of home can be when you are far away…

            Another interesting thing I forgot to mention in the last post, we ran into a group of black women in Sorrento. They were in Italy on a college trip. They were so excited to see other black people that one of the girls hugged Chela. Unsolicited and unannounced she embraced a perfect stranger. It was amusing but also understandable. As you traveled through Italy, there were very few black faces. Now don’t get me wrong these countries have deep-seated racism and xenophobia but many of the divisions are between ethnic groups. So to most outsiders, it looks like one white group hating another white group. The differences between the various ethnic communities are not as physically visible as the white black dichotomy that exists in our country. I think I wrote in a previous post that many of the faces, which look like mine, belong to African immigrants. Countries in Europe, like the USA has seen an increase in immigration from neighbors to the South. Much of this is due to economic opportunities and the fact that the European labor force cannot sustain itself. However unlike the US, many of these countries have had a homogenous population for centuries. They are not used to dealing with issues of difference in their public policies. So imagine every ugly thing that you have heard about immigrants in the US, then double it and you have the situation in many European countries. To aggravate matters more interesting, many of these immigrant groups do not have access to rights that we take for granted in the US. For instance, we met a young woman in Greece, she was born and raised in Greece, did all her schooling in Greece and by most cultural and societal standards is Greek. Except her parents were born in Sierra Leone. She does not hold a Greek passport and is not entitled to the full rights of a Greek citizen. It gives you pause…but I digress this post is about Dubrovnik…one final word: As a person of color wandering about these countries, I am always on heightened awareness. Whether or not it is warranted I don’t know but when you see so few people who look like you, it makes you wonder…ok, DUBROVNIK!

            I had ZERO expectations about Croatia. When I saw it on the itinerary, I thought, oh that should be an interesting rest stop as we navigate to the more interesting ports of Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco. Boy was I wrong! We arrived in port at night, so I could not take in the city. When the sun rose, I took it all in and was more than amazing. Dubrovnik is beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, paradise-like.  I cannot come up with enough words to describe it. The water was the purest blue, the sky gorgeous and I sat in awe of its beauty. Several times during my time in this port, I just had to stop and reflect on the beauty that surrounded me. I don’t think my picture does it justice. Particularly after leaving the dirty, busy, bustle of Naples, Dubrovnik was like a breath of fresh air. Our interport student called it the Pearl of the Adriatic and she was not lying. Ok, enough superlatives!

            The first day in port, I set off by myself to explore the Old City. It’s such a charming little town that traveling by yourself presents no major challenges. In fact, in Dubrovnik, I did not even wear my money belt. That is how safe I felt. Anyway Dubrovnik has an Old City which is completely enclosed by a set of walls. These walls served as defense fortifications during days of old. They serve no functional defense purpose today but are still a wonder to observe. I wandered about the old city and took in the city. It is high tourist season in Dubrovnik so the city was jam-packed. There were miles and miles of stores. The Croatian currency is the Kuna. Yes, it is as fun to say, as it is to spell. I have to admit that in Dubrovnik, I spent my Kuna liberally. I think my desire to spend is directly connected to my love of the place. As I loved Dubrovnik a lot, I spent A LOT. In one afternoon I bought 3 dresses and two bags. Everyone knows that I do not lack dresses or bags in my wardrobe but I just could not resist. The prices were not any better than they were in Spain or Italy; I just liked this place better.

            So before my shopping spree, I ran into a group of 4 students. These four students are some of the international students on the ship. International students are one of the populations that I am responsible for in my position responsibilities but had not made any real inroads with as of yet. They invited and I accepted to spend the afternoon with them. We wandered through the town a little bit. We tried the traditional Croatian brandy. Before we got off the ship, everyone encouraged us to try the brandy. They swore it would be delicious and definitely an experience not to be missed. They were right on one of those assertions. It definitely was an experience. That brandy burned a path down my chest that nearly bought me to tears. It was just a sample to taste and I felt it. Hard. So after our alcohol adventure, we decided to walk the city walls. Walking the walls is THE thing to do when visiting Dubrovnik. Its sort of like climbing the Great Wall of China---but less so. So we embarked on the wall. Like many of the outdoor sites, there was no shade to be found on the wall. No shade at all. So it was hot. But the views from the wall are so inspiring that you don’t want to rush the process. I took so many pictures from the wall. You get amazing aerial view of everything. The students I was with have a tradition of taking jumping pictures. They did not let the fact that we were on a massive wall curb their jumping affection. They took several jumping pictures, which almost made my heart jump. But they were having so much fun; I could not really fault them. The wall took 1-1.5 hours to complete. It was great fun.

            Dubrovnik was preparing for the Summer Festival when we arrived so the city was alive with activity. On that first day, John McEnroe was playing a charity tennis match in the town square. A ticket costs 200 USD.  Needless to say, I found other diversions. But there was a festive energy in the air, which heightened our enjoyment of the city.

            During the first day, I signed up for an all day excursion with the students out to some of the surrounding areas of Croatia, away from Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is beautiful but pales in comparison to its countryside. We first visited the town of Ston. Ston is a very teeny, tiny town but it was one of the first towns to be built according to a definite urban plan, Ston is enclosed by a wall, measuring 5km. that makes it the 3^rd most extensive wall in the world- not bad for a little town in Croatia rightJ it was impressive to see the wall but it was much too extensive to hike in the short period we were in the area. Ston is also home to salt fields. After Ston we set off for the island of Korcula. Korcula according to legend is the birthplace of Marco Polo but I don’t think they need him as their claim to fame. The island can compete with any place on earth on sheer beauty alone.  I don’t want to overwhelm you with words. Take my word for it, its gorgeous. In Korcula, we walked around the town and took in the sights, sounds and flavor of the place. It was pleasing! All of these sites were with a guided tour so a great deal was learned in the process. I think the most fascinating thing I learned on this trip was the genius behind the shape and structure of the city design in Korcula. When walking down the main street in town to the left you could always see the sea but to the right you could only see buildings. No sight of the sea. It is an island, you should be able to see the ocean at most every point, right? Nope, wrong! The buildings were intentionally built to capture the breeze off the ocean but to keep out the storm winds. The bad stormy winds are called Bora and are not a positive element---they are not something you wanted to stick around.  What an ingenious design! I am certain that other civilizations may have similar architectural designs to protect their homes from the elements. It seems the more “advanced” we become, the more we learn that the old folks had it right the first time around.

            After Korcula, we headed back towards Dubrovnik. Before making it back though we stopped in at a local vineyard. We had a great wine tasting, while getting a lesson on grape growing methods in Croatia. We tried a variety of wines. The tasting was organized so that in each tasting you would get a higher alcohol content. So the first glass had 12% alcohol followed by a 14% glass. The next two glasses were in the 20% range. The final glass they offered is known by many names such as firewater, moonshine, etc. The actual name is grappa and it contains 42% alcohol. I think the brandy I mentioned earlier and this liquor live in the same family. It was so funny the higher the alcohol content the more talkative the group became. It was a fun experience. You obviously do not leave a wine tasting drunk by any means but it is a pleasant way to end a long day. I have always wanted to go to a wine tasting back home and haven’t had the chance. Its funny that I would have such a desire fulfilled in Croatia. The experience reaffirmed my desire to go to visit vineyards in the States.

            Day 3 in Croatia, I left the country. Dubrovnik was the only port in which we were allowed to leave the country. I figured I should take the opportunity (no passport stampL)! So off I went to Montenegro. We visited two towns in Montenegro, Kotor and Budva. The tours and descriptions of both of those places were very rushed and I cannot say with any legitimacy that I learned anything new about Montenegro during this trip. The ride between Dubrovnik and Montenegro is only supposed to be one hour but the wait at the border crossing was excessively long. As a result we lost a lot of time, just hanging out on the bus. It made my excursion into another country less than ideal but hey what can you do. The drive was beautiful and Montenegro is as the guide books say, “a breathtaking image of mountains plunging directly into the sea” in some places.  Other than observing the physical beauty of the parts of the country we did get to see, I don’t really have much to reflect on here.  One of the cool things that happened on this trip is on the way back we took a ferryboat. By we I mean, me, 150 of my closest SAS friends and our coach buses all on a ferry. I know these exist car ferries exist in the States and in other parts of the world but I had not ever been on one before so that was a new and enjoyable experience.

            Later that evening the opening ceremonies of the Summer Festival was being held in Dubrovnik. The festivities would include speeches by the officials, a concert and fireworks. Plus EVERYONE entered the old city gates to be in the town. Thousands and thousands of people were milling about. When something like that is going on when you are traveling, you must be there! So Chela and I were off to take it all in. We did not know this but the public transportation was completely free that night. We made the mistake of buying tickets for the bus but oh well! I consider it a contribution to the economic well being of Dubrovnik. The buses were crowded. The Old City was crowded. You could barely move without bumping into the people next to you. For claustrophobe such as me, it’s a shock to the system, but hey you get over it! We wandered about and soon realized that part of the fun is just being there and people watching. We found a “quiet” out of the way spot to have a snack, watch the fireworks and most importantly people watch. We got pizza—there are lots of Italian influences in CroatiaJ. There were so many women out and about in spiky, mile high heels. While this may not be an issue in most circumstances, I forgot to mention that Dubrovnik is all marble and cobblestone. In addition many of the places (restaurants, shops, etc.) are at the top of these very steep, very high stairs. So watching women trying to navigate the unsteady terrain in their tiny outfits (and there were many tiny outfits) and spiky heels was quite an activity. There is not a pair of shoes or outfit worth twisting my ankle---sometimes these things are simply not practical. Hashanah. As I type this I must laugh because Ivet and I have had so many conversations about practical shoes. I never thought I would be an advocate. Oh how we change in our old age. The fireworks were nice. The meal was great and it was fun. It was clear that most people intended to be out and about until sunrise. I had a trip early in the morning so headed back to the ship shortly after the fireworks.

            The final day in Dubrovnik found me leaving the country once again. We had the opportunity to visit Medugorje, which is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meugorje is the site of a sighting of the Virgin Mary by a group of young people. It is a big deal for Catholics. I’m not Catholic, why would I go? Well I thought it might be interesting and I would get another stamp on my passport. Boy was I disappointed. There was absolutely nothing of interest there for me. I had no interest in attending mass, seeing the site of the Virgin Mary sighting, and the town was tiny. Super tiny. I walked through it in 10 minutes. I was taking my time, looked through every shop 3 times. However most of the shops sold exclusively Catholic religion related things. I spent most of my time trying to find a magnet that did not have an image of the Virgin Mother on it. It was a nearly impossible task. I did manage to find one though. Plus they did not stamp our passports, coming in or leaving the country. I wont go so far as to say the day was a waste but I think there were more fruitful ways I could have spent my last day in Dubrovnik. Oh well, you leave and you learn. Major lesson learned—read the description for the trip and believe what they say.

That’s it for Dubrovnik!

A lovely little townJ I will for sure return. So I don’t say goodbye to Croatia, I say see you later!! 

Napoli: The 3rd City!

On Saturday, July 3 we arrived in Naples, Italy. Napoli was a striking departure from all of our previous ports. It was immediately clear that Naples was a working port city ripe with the mix of decay and bustle of an urban center. The population is EXTREMELY dense and compacted in a multitude of high-rise buildings. Napoli is the epitome of a concrete jungle. Immediate reactions to Naples--- dirty, dingy, noisy, big, and bustling. I don’t think we have any place in America that compares really. Maybe parts of NYC---but NY has gotten really clean of late—well in some parts!

            Upon arrival in Naples, I immediately left the city. Hahhaha. I am just playing; I did leave but only momentarily. I had a trip scheduled out to Pompeii. Pompeii is a unique archaeological site in that much of the ruins are in wonderfully well preserved condition. The city and all its inhabitants had the misfortune to be buried by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.  Volcanic material is an excellent preservative! It was both fascinating and macabre to visit a place, which is so fully intact and knowing the circumstances behind it, makes it even more interesting. An excellent tour guide who knew all manner of facts about the location accompanied us through the site. The tours are intentionally scheduled for the early morning because the site is lacking of ANY shade. It is therefore extremely hot and almost unbearably sunny. But if you reflect on the experiences of the last group of Pompeians, a little sun is a small price to pay. An interesting fact is that the community collected urine, particularly from men and used it for bleaching purposes. Urine was also used to do laundry. (The tour guide explained this but I forgot the reasoning- I think something to do with the ammonia properties of urine being good cleaning agents). Penises or depictions of male genitalia were considered symbols of fertility, good health and prosperity. There are images and sculptures of penis (penises? penIs?) were everywhere. These particular images were usually accompanied by something similar to a set of wings. It was funny that the vendors outside were trying to sell them. When we first saw them, we had not gone through the door so we did not know the significance. After the tour, several in the group immediately went outside purchased a couple penis statues! I did not buy one so please don’t ask me for itJ

            We were able to visit the gamut of buildings and establishments you might expect in a town. We entered homes of wealthy family, homes of families of less means, a Laundromat and many others. In many of these buildings, the beautiful mosaics and frescoes are still plainly visible thousands of years later. One building which we did enter that perhaps would not be part of a regular tour was a brothel or a luperteria. You could tell it was a brothel because as soon as you entered, you could see mosaics of different sexual positions. The guide described it as a menu of sorts. Inside the building, there were a number of very small rooms divided by barely a sheet. Modesty was not a priority. The students could not wait to take pictures inside the rooms. I think we spent the most time in that particular building. There were some small children in the group and they were quickly rerouted to other buildings in the tour.

            We visited the major square and marketplace,  Mt. Vesuvius still lurking in the background. In one of the squares, there were two small glass cases. Contained in these cases were bodies. The bodies are eternally fixed in the position they were in at the time of the eruption. One of the students asked if the Pompeian’s had any chance of surviving, if they could have outrun the catastrophe. The sad and short answer: no they could not. There was nothing they could do but crouch in horror as they were engulfed by volcanic material. It was a sobering thought. There was also a storage space where they kept other materials found in the excavation: dishes, tools, etc., the trappings of everyday life. I have one last disturbing thing to share. In one of the storage room, there is a glass case containing a dog. It was obvious the dog had been tied up. In his final moments, we can imagine that he was trying to break free of his ties. He is therefore contoured up in a weird shape, struggling to be free. Ok, that is it for disturbing stuff.

            The Pompeii trip was over by 1pm and we were on our way back to the ship. After such a hot and draining morning, a nap was definitely in order. So I took one! Its sort of funny that you get to these countries and you think the last thing you will want to do is sleep. Perceiving sleep to be a waste of your precious, limited time in these countries. But our pace is so frantic this summer that rest is often in short supply. We are in a new country, every 1-2 days, that takes it tolls. I have taken the motto that I have to listen to my body, so if I am tired, I sleep. Napoli will be there when I wake up. Plus I will be able to enjoy the city 100 times more if I am well rested.

            Upon waking up, a group of colleagues and I set out to explore. Upon closer inspection my first impressions of Napoli were confirmed. It is big, it is dirty, it is crowded but…….. it has a charm all its own. We saw some of the historical monuments and wandered through the shopping districts. The city has a frantic energy about it that reminds me a lot of New York. We ended up having pizza at the place, which reportedly invented the pie. The name escapes me but it was DELICIOUS. As we tried to get there, all the locals seemed to be in agreement that it was the best place to go. We even stopped at a restaurant to ask for directions and the waiter enthusiastically pointed us in the direction of this establishment. We thought, this place must be really good! We arrived at 7pm and the place was doing a steady business. By 8pm, there were lines of folks waiting to get in. this restaurant was also notable in my mind because it had the BEST bathroom I had found so far in my travels. As I indicated in my last post, I did not know how important bathrooms would be to me. I am now take note and even pictures of bathrooms. Its weird I know! But oh well. After enjoying a splendid meal, we tried to get back to our ship as rapidly as possible. I am all for exploring urban landscapes but Naples is like any other major metropolis—scary after dark, if you don’t know where you’re going. I tried to express to my colleagues that now is not the time to take pictures or make friends with the locals. I think they got it.

            The next day, we took the train out to Sorrento. Naples serves as a jumping off point for a number of destinations. Sorrento was a 1-2 hour train ride away. It cost 4 euro round trip (maybe 8 euro- my mind is playing tricks on meJ). If Naples is New York City, Sorrento was like Long Island. Quiet, less crowded, and clean. As we traveled on the train it was interesting to see the buildings get lower in stature, be spread further apart from each other and see more green spread throughout. Sorrento was lovely little town. It was little. We managed to see everything in less than 4 hours. We took a walk along the old city walls and saw magnificent views of the coastline. There were lovely shops and some of the best gelato I had in my time in Italy. I had great mango gelato in Greece that is in competition for the best gelato EVER. That was all for Sorrento. We came back to Napoli and found our way back to the ship.

Day 3 in Naples found me on a quest for pasta. I had eaten pizza everyday during my time in Italy. I wanted to have a taste of pasta before leaving Italy. It is only right! One of my colleagues went with me and we found a cute restaurant with outdoor seating. We sat and people watched and enjoyed our meal. I had gnocchi. It was great!

            Such was my time in Naples. Not very adventure filled but a wonderful experience all the same. One of the major things I noticed about Naples is that there was graffiti everywhere. Even on a monument and on the major squares. Similar to the other ports, the trains were a common canvas for graffiti art. Barcelona seemed to be pretty white washed and too clean, I believe contrived was the word I used.  Napoli swung way in the opposite direction and on first glance seemed to lack some of those infrastructural supports. It was clear that this was a city in economic decline but it also seemed to have quite a bit of economic activity. Napoli is one of the busiest ports on the Mediterranean but I imagine those jobs are not enough to sustain a city of that size. When I have time, I would love to investigate further some of the economic challenges facing the Neapolitans. Stay turned………. But for now, Ciao, Ciao, Italia….to Croatia I will go.