Most people got off the boat today and went home. We didn’t
have anything planned so we took the free shuttle into Civitavecchia where the
ship was docked.
I counted nine big cruise ships lining the harbor today. Ours and
the Ryndam were both from Holland America. I got a chance to see the other ships up close. Only HA ships have the
beautiful covered promenade decks where you can walk around the outside of the
entire ship.
There is plenty of history here but we couldn’t explore it
because the shuttle didn’t accommodate scooters. There are Roman walls all
around the pier and some ruins date back many centuries. We did find an
internet café right next to the pier and it had good computers and access for 3
Euros per hour. So, I cleaned out my email.
We wanted to buy some Tylenol at the local Pharmacia but
couldn’t make the clerk understand what we needed. He kept trying to sell us
aspirin or ibuprofen. There is free acetaminophen in the boat clinic but I thought I
would buy a bottle for convenience.
I wanted to swim while everyone was off the ship but they
close off the pool when we are in port—so the crew can get a few hours in port,
too.
We have two new couples at our table. There are many more
people on board who don’t speak much English. Some of them are from Australia. (That’s
a joke.) One of the new couples is from the Brisbane area. He said he made his
living selling Christian books.
We were very good at dinner and skipped dessert. But, when we
got back to our room, there was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries
waiting in our room. Bill doesn’t like them so I was forced to eat them all
myself.
Just as we were getting ready for bed, Bill was brushing his
teeth and one of his caps came off. I considered this possibility before we
left and I brought a little kit to replace caps. He got the cap back on but says
it is awkward to chew. The temporary cap isn’t supposed to last long. Maybe it
will last until we get home. Let’s hope. He’s on soft food only for the next month.
It’s ice cream and oatmeal from now on.
We have a long expensive trip planned for today so, of
course, I had trouble sleeping last night. I have a terrible habit of worrying
about every little thing and can’t sleep. We are meeting some people we don’t
know at the foot of the gangplank for a trip to Pisa and Florence.
