Day 4: Rhodes, Greece

We arrived at Rhodes, Greece on day 4 of our European cruise with Carnival Freedom. Rhodes is situated between mainland Greece and the island country of Cyprus. And as some of you may know, it was once home to the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The Colossus was a giant statue overseeing Rhodes’ main harbor. It was roughly 75% of the size of the Statue of Liberty, which in itself was an engineering feat back in ancient times. It took about 12 years to build, spanning from 292-280 B.C. The statue was dedicated to the Greek (false) god Helios. At 224 B.C., it was destroyed by an earthquake.

An artist depiction of what the statue looked like can be seen below. I’ve also included a picture of what the harbor looks like now.


A dutch artist named Heemskerck made this drawing based on ancient descriptions.

You can see from my harbor picture why tourists flock to Rhodes, Greece. This was taken on the highest deck.

Acropolis
One of the biggest attractions in Rhodes is the acropolis. The acropolis sits at an intimidating height overlooking the small town of Lindos. The first structure built on the acropolis was the Doric Temple of Athena Lindia, dated around 300 B.C. In the 14th century, it was fortified by the Knights of St John.



So Much History…
Rhodes is a spectacular place for historical reasons. Because of its geographical advantages, the island was an important commercial and military center of the Greek and Byzantine empires. It was repeatedly attacked by the Romans, the Persians, the Egyptians, the Ottomans, and even the Italians over the eons…and each time, Rhodes was able to rebuild itself as an important player in the Mediterranean.


No surprise attacks here! The acropolis, on one of the highest points of the island, has an excellent view of the beautiful harbor. Defenders had the first hand against oncoming attackers.

Christianity
In the Roman period, the Apostle Paul went to Rhodes. According to the New Testament book of Acts, chapter 21, it was one of the places he stopped by while he was in Greece. While there were no other details added in the Bible on what happened with that trip, we can see the fruits of his work by the fact that the majority of the inhabitants are Christians, tracing their religious heritage all the way back to the Roman period. This is despite the fact that the Ottoman Turks ruled Rhodes for almost four centuries.

Before Paul’s trip, Rhodes used to worship pagan false gods. This temple was the Temple of Athena Lindia, one of the oldest structures on the acropolis.

Day 2: Naples, Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii

Port of Naples
As we docked into the port of Naples, we were ready for our all-day excursion that would bring us into Capri, Sorrento, and then Pompeii.

I found the port of Naples to be very beautiful in the morning. I'm beginning to think that Carnival Freedom's captain specifically programed the ship to arrive at the early hours in the morning just so we could see this beautiful scene below as the sun's rays slowly crept up on the landscape.


Port of Naples, Italy

Capri
Immediately after we docked, our group went directly to a jet boat that would take us to Capri. According to insiders in the area, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones were staying on the island for six days. While a lot of the cameras were looking for them and other celebs on the island, my camera was poised for another celebrity...the island's celebrated coast. Click on the thumbnail below for a bigger image.


Island of Capri

Sorrento
After Capri, we went to Sorrento for a much needed rest and lunch. This quiet community is home to many shops, delightful restaurants, friendly people, and a bunch of crazy drivers on mopeds. ;-) We went to some of the shops in Sorrento and found some amazing wood work.


Sorrento Italy


Pompeii
Last but not least, we went to the historical site of Pompeii, where sadly, a city has been frozen in time by a volcanic eruption. When you see Pompeii in your history books, don't under estimate its size or its people. This city was a modern marvel in its prime. I was impressed for instance with the city streets. They were "paved" with large stones and in the middle of the road were small pieces of marble. The small marble stones were used as reflectors for the residents' oil lamps at night to help guide them and to show them where the road was. Additionally, the sides of each shop had "parking lots" for horses. There were rings on the street corners to tie your horse to.



Ruins of Pompeii

I will be posting more pictures for this particular trip as time allows...but the pictures above should give you a taste of this particular shore excursion. You can click on each image to see a larger size.

Day 1: Rome, the Eternal City

Landing and Baggage Transfer to Cruise Ship
I landed around 9:00am, Thursday, July 12, 2007 at Italy’s chief main airport, Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport. The airport is located southwest of Rome at a nearby commune of Fiumicino. After going through an immigration check where they stamp your passport, you go directly to the baggage claim area. Once you find your luggage, you’ll need to look for Carnival representatives that will take your luggage to the cruise ship. This is why it is very important that your suit cases are tagged properly, with your name, cabin number and other pertinent information.

Airport Meeting with Carnival
Carnival then moved all of the passengers to a meeting area in the airport, where they assign us specific buses. Most buses go directly to the ship, while you can opt to pay for a longer route, which gives you a quick glance at Rome, the Eternal City.

My tour was run by local guides that not only knew about the area but lived there.

Rome At A Glance
My first visit to Rome put all the tourist books to shame. The historical richness of Rome simply will astound you. Rome at its height was the richest, the largest, and most powerful city in the known world. And while it no longer has the honor of being the center of the known universe, Rome hasn’t lost its historical and archaeological splendor.

Photos
I’ll be uploading pictures as I get to process them. You can click on the image for a larger version. So far here are some of the pictures from Day 1:

Some streets of Rome are quite narrow.



Cestius had his tomb built like the Egyptian pyramids. Egypt was already a subdued country. The Pyramid of Cestius strangely stands in the middle of Rome since 12 B.C.



The Arch of Constantine was built as a triumphal arch around 315 AD after Constantine defeated Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on 312 AD.

More pictures to come for Day 1!

What To Do Before Your First European Cruise

Tags you'll need for your luggage. See below.

As I’ve posted previously, I’m currently on Carnival's newest cruise ship, Freedom, sailing in the Mediterranean Sea.

Disclosure: Reasons I’m Here

I enjoy having a fun time in general and would love to tell you that I’m on this cruise ship without having any intention on doing any research. But that would be wrong. I’m on this cruise ship for a couple of reasons:

1. First and foremost: to have fun with the family. With me are my parents, my sisters, my aunt, my wife, and my infant daughter. My little baby is experiencing a lot and she’s only eight months old. While she might not remember all of the things she’s visited when she gets older, she can see through the albums and DVDs that she went everywhere with her family.
   
2. Second: to write about my first cruise experience. Since this is my first cruise, it would be foolish of me to simply ignore the opportunity to write about it…in a book. The book, which for now I’ll title, “The Complete Guide to Your First Cruise” will be a how-to handbook of sorts: what to bring, what to expect, and how to have fun. It will be my first color book as well and should be hitting bookstores early next year.
   
3. Third: to “experience” biblical archaeology. My itinerary will stop over at Rome, Ephesus, and other ancient biblical sites. Aside from using a time machine, the only way to appreciate the culture and the architecture of what it was like 2,000 years ago is to go to these ancient sites physically. My whole family is of the Christian faith, so this trip will not only be a physical experience, but also a spiritual one. If you have a similar interest of biblical archaeology or share the same faith, I invite you to read my book, The Jesus Tomb: Is It Fact or Fiction? Scholars Chime In.
   

Passports and Visas

If you are an American citizen, you’ll have no problem going to most of Europe with just your U.S. passport. If you don’t have a U.S. passport, you’ll need to get one as soon as possible. The U.S. State Department is currently backlogged with passport applications, so make sure you apply half a year in advance. Also, if your passport is expiring within the next six months, you’ll need to get it renewed as soon as possible as some countries restrict you from entering. A friend of mine asked me if I needed to get a passport for my baby for the cruise and the answer is yes. Infants traveling internationally need a passport too!

If you are not a “first world” citizen (U.S., Canda, EU, Japan, etc.), Europe does discriminate against other countries. You’ll need a current passport (not expiring within six months) plus you’ll need to apply for the Schengen visa, which is a universal visa that you can use to enter into Italy, Spain, France, and other EU countries. My wife has a green card in the United States so we had to drive to the Italian embassy in Miami to apply for a Schengen visa which basically requires:

1. Visa fee.
   
2. A valid passport.
   
3. U.S. residence card and/or driver’s license (optional).
   
4. Birth certificate (optional).
   
5. Proof of reservations (plane and hotel/cruise line).
   
6. Proof of emergency medical insurance (search on Google, these guys are everywhere).
   
7. Proof of employment and monetary support (show that you have enough money to support yourself while in Europe, show credit card balance and bank statement that can support $150/day).
   
8. They will ask to take your passport and mail it back to you with the visa in a few weeks if you are approved.
   

Prior to Departure – Important!

The U.S. government requires specific passenger information on all cruise lines ahead of the embarkation date. You’ll need to go online or call your cruise line for more information on how to submit your passenger manifesto. If you do not submit your info on time, you may not be allowed on board or you may delay the entire ship.

Before the Cruise: For Adults

By now you should have already packed your bags. I tend to be unconcerned on how things are organized and arranged in my suitcase, so thankfully my wife packs all of my clothes. Here are some of my tips on what to bring and what to do with your luggage:

1. You’ll want to bring formal attire if you wish to attend some of the more formal festivities of the ship such as the captain’s dinner.
   <,li> Bring a swimsuit if you want to swim at a European beach or the ship’s pool decks.
   
2. Proper dress code is required in some European sites, such as the Vatican (no bare legs or bare shoulders).
   
3. A cheap rain coat or an umbrella just in case there’s rain.
   
4. Remember that most cruise ships have a laundry service. Carnival’s cruise ship charges $15.00/bag for their laundry service, so you don’t necessarily have to bring clothing for every day of the trip.
   
5. Bring walking shoes for port excursions that require you to go on foot a lot. Bring slippers and other footwear that doesn’t easily slip, especially if you want to swim on the upper deck’s swimming pool and spa.
   
6. You’ll want to mark all of your suitcases with the cruise’s tag. These tags require you to put your name, address, phone, sailing date, airline, flight number, returning flight number, and cabin number. When you land and check out your baggage, the cruise line will pick up your suitcases and automatically place them in your cabins.
   
7. On international travels, bring at least a couple days of clothing on your carry on. There have been a couple of people where the airline lost their luggage. This is unfortunate and a practical reality in airline travel.
   
8. Your carry on should have your medicines and other essentials. Please note as of 2007, the airlines are currently restricting the amount of liquids you place in your carry on luggage due to security threats.
   
9. Passports, tickets, cameras, medications, and other high value items should be in your carry on. It should not be in your checked in luggage.
   
10. Make a copy of your passport information and visas at home just in case you lose your passports. Also make a copy of your credit cards that you bring with you plus the toll-free numbers of each credit card just in case you need to cancel these credit cards if they are stolen or lost.
    
11. Bring sunblock lotion. I bought Neutrogena’s SPF 45 UVA and UVB protection from my local store. Neutrogena is non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores). There are other similar products available out there, just make sure you have UVA and UVB protection.
    
12. Watch out for your airline’s weight limits. Some airlines are now restricting international suitcases to 50 lbs. It used to be 70 lbs for international flights. Continental Airlines charged me $25.00 for every suit case that was over 50 lbs. Yikes!
    
13. Do you have a large party on board? Bring cheap walkie talkies! In order to communicate back and forth when we weren’t in our cabins, we utilized cheap short-wave radios to communicate throughout the ship.
    
14. Cameras and batteries! Part of the fun is recording video and taking photographs of your experiences. You don’t want to forget about what you’ve experienced on the trip. For professional looking pictures, I highly suggest the Canon Rebel XT, it’s a relatively inexpensive digital SLR (semi-professional) and can take better quality photos than point and shoot cameras. It wouldn't hurt to bring a tripod if you want to take pictures of yourself as well.
    
15. Do not bring heating elements like candles, irons and heating pads. Since they are a fire hazard, the cruise line will probably confiscate them. There are irons and ironing boards on each deck at the launderettes.
    
16. There are towels in your cabins and at the pool deck – so I didn’t bring any towels with me.
    
17. Bring at least one credit card with cash advance access so you can charge items such as water onto your cruise line’s boarding pass and withdraw money from foreign ATMs. Thanks to U.S. federal laws, your credit card also offers protection from fraud – the worst that can happen to you is a loss credit card and $50.00 worth of charges. This federal law protection does NOT apply to debit cards.
    

Before the Cruise: For The Baby

Having my baby girl with me on the trip is a blessing. But it would have been a nightmare if we weren’t adequately prepared. Here are some of my tips on what to bring and what to do before the cruise:

1. Make sure you’ve paid for the baby’s travels. Domestic airlines are happy to let you fly with the baby for free, but on international flights, you are required to pay. A round trip international fare from Florida to Italy for a seat less infant cost me around $429.00. The cruise line also charges you for the infant at a discount.
   
2. Inform the airline and cruise line regarding your baby, they'll usually give you higher priority in boarding. Our family managed to skip all lines at the airport thanks to the little one. This works on theme parks too.
   
3. My wife had to make sure all of the baby’s diapers and formula was in the carry on luggage. We also bought medicines for the baby just in case she has a fever or diarrhea. Talk to your pediatrician for more information on what you should bring.
   
4. Bring a toy or two to help her get comfortable in her environment.
   
5. We bought a lightweight stroller. Normally, the little one is on a heavy stroller. But for travel, you want to use one of those umbrella strollers, designed to be easily folded and opened at moments notice. They weigh roughly 2-3 lbs.
   
6. On the same note, make sure your baby gets enough shade from the stroller as well. On really sunny days, we used an umbrella.
   
7. Bring a couple of pieces of the baby’s clothing in your carry on just in case there’s accidents during the flight or they’ve lost your baby’s luggage.
   

If I remember more tips, I'll just add it to this post.

Good morning from the Mediterranean Sea

Good morning to you from the Mediterranean Sea! After eleven hours of air travel, bouncing from Florida to New Jersey to Rome, I'm finally here. I'm waking up to a slow, beautiful sun rise, just watching fishermen and other sea farers move about their business. As you can see from this picture, my wife and daughter are still sleeping. I'm not sure how they are doing it; I can't seem to adjust to the six hour jet lag that quickly. Or it might be because I'm extremely excited to see the ruins of Pompeii in the next few hours.

I know some of you have been here before and I would love to know what your favorite sites were. It’s my first time in Italy, and I wouldn’t mind any “beginner’s tips”.

I’ve already learned a handful of lessons that I’ll be sharing within the next day or so that are absolute must do’s before you come here. I have a rather unique perspective, seeing as I’m traveling with eight family members, one of which is my baby daughter (8 months old).

So join me if you’re bored or just plain curious, go on the blog www.donsausa.com.

Cruise company: Carnival

Cities toured so far: Rome