Still catching of from the Treasures of the Mediterranean Isles Cruise! 4-8 May - halfway caught up!

 We've been back 18 days now and in a couple days we'll be in California at granddaughter Rooke's high school graduation so trying to catch up!

4 May 2025 - Still on Malta and tour day the walled town of Mdina.another UNESCO World Heritage site, and a living gallery of meticulously preserved palaces, chapels, monuments, and cathedrals, intimate winding streets and alleys, and panoramic views from its ramparts. Stop at a restaurant in Mdina enjoy a lunch of Maltese cuisine. Drive to the ancient temple complex of Hagar Qim in Mnajdra, set on windswept hill overlooking the sea.  Tour the sprawling complex of chambers, altars, cisterns, carvings and statuary, and learn the best theories of who made them and why.  Like Stonehenge, the temples are “megalithic” made of enormous stone blocks stacked on one another, so high that legends say they were built by giants; and considering when it was built (as early as 3600 BC), the builders had skills beyond their years. This is our crazy Back Seat Gang of 9 and often the tour director of the day will ask if they can join us as we always laugh and don't complain and don't ask a billion questions like some do!

5 May 2025 - on board the small ship with 141 passengers and headed to dock in Siracusa capital of Sicily. Siracusa was once a city-state, and the center of everything in the Ancient World: learning, trade, art, geopolitics, architecture, and culture. At one time or another it was the premier city of Greece, the Moorish capital of Sicily, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, and a hub of Christianity and Judaism. The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so there is much to see packed into this corner of the island. Visit the Neapolis Archaeological Park with a local guide and peruse the largest Greek amphitheatre ever built, carved into the side of a hill in the 3rd century; proceed to the Latimo del Paradiso (Paradise Quarry) to see the catacombs and the Ear of Dionysius, a cave with an opening shaped like an elfin ear, 70 feet high; because of its amazing acoustics, the grotto may have been a

theatre or a prison, depending on whether you believe legend or the rogue artist-rascal, Caravaggio; then take a guided walking tour through Ortigia, a romantic island in the heart of the city dense with palazzi, charming piazzas, ancient temples, Byzantine churches, sidewalk cafes, and seaside promenades, where your stops include the ruined Temple of Apollo, and the Duomo, a Baroque masterpiece built over the Temple of Athena. You'll also drive to the city of Noto, an enclave of antiquity as old as Siracusa; leveled by an earthquake in 1693, the town was entirely rebuilt in the 18th century, and is known today as the Capital of Baroque, a stately showcase of Sicilian Baroque architecture, operatic in its grandeur, adorned with carvings, columns, and statuary, and aglow in warm,honey-hued limestone; a guided walking tour will take you from the public gardens to the main attractions along the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, including the Church of St. Dominic, the Church of St. Charles, the Ducezio Palace, and the centerpiece Cathedral of San Nicolo at the top of a grand staircase in the main square.

Neapolis means "new city" - hmmm Minneapolis is "city of lakes".

6 May 2025 - Visited Mount Etna and city of Taormina.  

Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe, is so vast that it dwarfs every other mountain on Sicily. Locals affectionately call it "Mama Etna", a majestic, living presence in everyday life. Meanwhile, you have a choice of excursions. Take a scenic drive to Taormina, a medieval town beside the Ionian Sea; Goethe praised Taormina for its beauty in his travel book, Italian Journeys, and ever since it has drawn generations of artists, composers, and writers to its romance and ruins. Tour the Palazzao Corvaia, a fortified villa of Moorish, Gothic, and Norman design, and a centerpiece of the Old Town; in the 14th century the great hall was a meeting place for the Sicilian Parliament. Visit the town's most

famous landmark, Teatro Antico, a Greco-Roman amphitheatre set on a clifftop with breathtaking views of Mt. Etna and the Bay of Naxos; built in the 3rd century BC, the theatre is still used for concerts and theatre productions. Enjoy free time in town, then head out to a winery found on the slopes of Mount Etna for a tour and tasting, and a family style lunch featuring local cuisine. Alternatively, you can drive through verdant countryside and scenic villages to the Sapienza Refuge, and ride by cable car and all-terrain vehicle up to the crater of the volcano; here, a mile above sea level, you'll find yourself in an incomparable panorama, suspended over the sea, where you can appreciate not just the crater but

the historic lava flows that have molded the landscape below; your experienced mountaineer guides will show you the best volcanic attractions inside the visitors' zones. Or traverse the sapphire, blue waters of the Blue Grotto, a sea cave off Isola Bella, by traditional wooden boat before heading off for a stop to Schiavi Castle, also known as Castello degli Schiavi, famously known as the setting for Michael Corleone's exile to Sicily in the Godfather. Aboard ship this evening, an expert offers insights into earthquakes, eruptions, and the volcanic geology of the Mediterranean isles.

Shuttle bus to Mount Etna -

10,000 feet up and schedule was to do a 25 minute hike higher up to Etna but heavy winds at 63mph put a stop to that and we couldn't even take the cable car down so had to take the shuttle down very windy roads!!!  It was windy enough that we got spattered with lava pellets  - at least not red hot.😲

The cable car to Mt. Etna - at least I'm not afraid of things like this!

These are vehicles up the mountain that look like Minnesota snowplows but what they really do is move volcanic ashes after eruption.

Cannoli - absolutely tube shaped delicious dessert famous in Sicily - huge and filled with sweet whipped cream and cheese and sugar and a lot of other stuff.

From our little ship and it was the most beautiful magical sunset I have ever seen.

7 May 2025 - Palermo cultural capital of Sicily.  

Steeped in  renaissance art and sumptuous Baroque architecture, Palermo is a glorious cultural melting pot with a North African flavor, full of hidden treasures. A walking tour of must-see landmarks takes you through Porta Nuova, a gate of the Old City, and along the Corso Vittorio Emanuele past the Cathedral; linger in the Piazza Pretoria, known as the Square of Shame for its fountain adorned with frolicsome naked figures; experience the eye-opening Santa Caterina Church, dripping with art and ornament, and the jaw-dropping Rococo ballroom of the Palazzo Gangi, made famous in a 1963 Visconti film, The Leopard, starring Alain Delon and Burt Lancaster; enjoy a drink with canapes underthe painted ceiling and dazzling chandeliers. Tour Palazzo Mazzarino, a private residence of an aristrocratic family, opened exclusively for Tauck; view its arcaded inner courtyard, frescoed rooms, and hanging gardens, and enjoy a drink on the rooftop terrace. You'll also immerse yourself in the city's Botanical Gardens, built in 1789, with its baroque greenhouse, sculptures, lagoon, and exotic flora, one of the oldest places in Europe for botanical studies; visit the historic private villa designed by Beaumont Gardner, an architect whose prominent family goes way back in the city's history; his  grandfather was the American consul in Palermo in 1825. Meet the owners of the villa and enjoy an aperitif in the luscious garden.

Local market and in the hat is my best friend and tour director Ali who loved our group - She lives in California but is Ukrainian, Italian and part Russian.

Big piece of tuna!

Biggest fresh garlic I have ever seen.

Another awesomely beautiful Cathedral and we have seen so many and the ones in Sicily have a Catholic mass every day.

8 May 2025 - Thursday - Sardinia - from the Bronze Age to the present day!

Arrive in Olbia on Sardinia's Costa Smeralda. Although the island enjoys a certain degree of autonomy from Italy, and its native language and customs are uniquely its own, much of the island is thoroughly Italian in its laidback vibe and urban culture. Sightseeing choices include a locally-guided walking tour of Olbia's historic center where you'll visit archaeological sites including the Romanesque Church of San Simplicio. Explore the National Archaeological Museum of Olbia, showcasing artifacts from ancient times, and learn more about the history of the area through the archaeological exhibits; boat tour to the nearby La Maddalena Archipelago, home to pristine beaches, turquoise waters, and scenic landscapes highlighted by a visit to the main town of La Maddalena to explore its charming streets. This afternoon, sail for the island of Corsica, France.