Cruising Day 1: On Board

Monday, October 15, 2012

 We got up early to go again to St. Peter’s Basilica with Roger and Joyce.  I was excited to see everything we had already seen for another time before leaving Rome.  Unfortunately we found out as we walked into the Basilica that much of the area was closed to the public today due to a special mass at 9:00AM.  Chairs were being set up close by the front altar and there were cardinals walking around everywhere.  I was still able to take several pictures that I hadn’t taken before, particularly close-ups of the huge mosaics behind each altar that look like paintings with one particular shot that shows the tiny tiles perfectly.

Sorry it downloaded this way but it was special to be at the gates at 7:00AM when the bell sounded in the tower and the gates swung open to let the people into St. Peter's Basilica.

This detail shows the tiny tiles of this huge piece decorating the Basilica.  It is wonderfully amazing.

Ed took a picture of me with the Pieta in the background and I got several pictures of Joyce and Roger in the Basilica and on the porch with the Square in the background.  I also got several pictures of the Swiss Vatican guards in their plumed finery.

We checked out of the hotel, walked around the Villa Borghese park until it was time to meet our car to drive to the port at Civitavacchia and board our ship, the Holland America Noordam.  We have a wonderful room with a good nice deck.  It will be fun to meet the other passengers (the ship carries almost 2000 passengers and 800 crew), some of whom will be departing after 7 days and others who will stay for the full 21 days back to Ft. Lauderdale.

Holland America Noordam aft end where our cabin is on the 6th level. 

First funny story:  We went exploring to find the Tech Center to sign up for internet services onboard.  We waited for the elevator and when the doors opened there was a couple already on so we joined them and  started chatting as we pushed the floor we wanted.  The doors closed and we continued chatting and then the doors opened again but no one was there so we thought it was where they wanted to get off and we said did you want to get off and they did so they laughed and exited.  As the doors closed we realized that it was not the floor they wanted!  We felt badly because Roger had invited them to leave the elevator without looking at the floor we were on so this poor couple will have to travel a couple of floors to get where they wanted to be.  We laughed and said that with 2,000 other people on the ship we would probably never see them again.  We got to our floor and explored for about 5 minutes and then turned the corner and there was this cute couple!  Roger went up and began apologizing to them and we all told them how sorry we were but they laughed and were so cute, saying that it was fine….just an adventure for them to explore the ship.  I asked where they were from and she said “Houston”.  I couldn’t believe it!  I told her we were from Houston too and they wanted to know where so I said The Woodlands and they were so excited and said, “Oh we love Brio!  We go there to eat often….we live out by the airport!” 

It is a small world after all!