Thursday 16 January 2020—Messina, Italy

Neil pushed me vigorously in Lisbon a few days ago (in a caring way, of course). We did our own walking tour of this remarkable and quirky city. It is built, as the locals told us, on seven hills—as is Rome if my memory serves me well. All in all, my trusty Fitbit revealed that we walked 9.87 miles. I have no idea how many kilometers that is, but it seems like a lot—and it all seemed uphill! Remarkably, I had no ill effects physically or psychologically from the experience. And now I have a baseline for what I can do in terms of walking about.

Our assigned dining table each night has nine people—from New York, Canada, Florida, and us—from Texas. Other times we just randomly meet people at meals and most of them are not only pleasant but helpful. A man who has been on 11 world cruises—this one is number 12—has been a font of information and entertaining. We ask him questions about each of the destinations we are approaching, and he is more than happy to help us anticipate the things that will enhance our awareness and understanding. Regrettably, I did meet a well-educated American woman from Oregon at breakfast two days ago who said she loathed Texas. She told me that the politics in Texas offended her so much so that she refused to come to the state. I said “Surely, you joke.” She replied as proof that her daughter lived in Houston for three years and she refused to visit for this reason. All I could think of was “what a way to live.” Fortunately, almost all the people we have encountered have been lovely. The Brits are exceedingly interesting and of good cheer. The Germans speak German.

In the beginning, we were to dock in Naples, Italy, but because of repairs to its port, we are landing in Messina, Italy, instead. Messina has an extensive and intense history. Greeks and Romans dominated its rich past. As in Lisbon, Messina is dotted with a remarkable set of churches and Renaissance cathedrals. Many city roofs are of red tile and there are fountains galore. If you are one who values museums, you would relish time in this place.

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I will write all about Messina and Haifa in our next upcoming post. We hope all is well!

From your friends,

Neil and David