A Wonder of Alaska : The Last Frontier.

May 25, 2026 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

It gets light here around 4. I was up before 5 getting ready for our Wildlife Denali adventure . Let’s hope we see something. We left at 6.40.

It’s well organised. A snack box with a map on it was sitting on each seat.

Our guide Dallen started his guide welcome and safety talk then he explained that we we’d be travelling through the Boreal forest, 3,000 ft elevation. 63.5 latitude. North. Same as being in Antartica. Lowest point of park is 223 ft above sea level.

Alaska’s coast is closer to Russia than Denali lodge is to Mt McKinley. The Baring Sea between them can freeze up. ‘You could walk there’ or so our guide said.

We started travelling above the tree line and Dallen likened the park to a 3 tier cake. The boreal is the bottom level. Land above the trees is the tundra. Animal of the tundra is a bear. Only 300-350 bears here.

The 3rd tier are the mountains.

7,000 feet and always frozen. Always covered in snow.

The Caribou found here is a summer animal. Both male & female grow antlers. As we were hearing about a caribou – we saw a caribou!

At 7.20 saw a bear then a willow ptarmigan – the state bird. All on the left hand side of the bus. Guess where I’m sitting!

The driver has a zoom camera and puts it on a scene

There are more caribou in Alaska than people. Longest migration of any land animal. But Alaskan caribou don’t migrate. Their antler is like a calcium deposit in their head.

Glacier is a river of ice. Always moving.

As the national park became more popular they decided to pave all the road but the local park enthusiasts said no! It would destroy the park. It then took 16 years to build 90 miles of gravel road. They put it right over a rock glacier. So now they are designing a bridge.

There are 3 types of bears. Black bear is widespread, Brown or grizzly ( appearance is grizzled hair) and polar. They eat trees. 🌲 in the short green season. That’s why only 350 bears. Yellowstone has bigger green season. Salmon / but not found here as much. So more bears on coastlines. Bears long lifespan – 39 years and a very good memory.

Dallen played a Word game with National Park. Our guide named a National Park and first word that comes into your mind.

Yellowstone: Yosemite: Glacier. Answer should be the men who did so much to develop them as National Park. The names unfortunately meant nothing to me. My responses were

Yellowstone: the old Faithful Geyser

Yosemite: the sheer mountains

Glacier: I haven’t been yo that one but I’d say the ice!

Dallen posed another question……

What is wilderness. Is it different to nature? What value does it have ? To him wilderness is that everything is untouched. That is true here in Denali.

At 11.30 saw three bears. Mother and two cubs. I’m not sure who was more excited. Dallen or all the fellow travellers on the bus.

He says we were lucky. It’s rare to see what we witnessed. A mother and her two cubs. Playing, wrestling, running then walking away.

Dallen talked about beavers m. They are are keystone animals. They hold everything together. Abd mosquitoes arrive with summer birds are attracted to eat the mosquitoes. Birds migrate from. Denali to Africa. Or Australia. Arctic warblers.

Right toward yo end of our 5 hr wilderness tour we saw 5 caribou grazing. Again, a lucky spotting.

We headed back to the Park Ranger Station.

And as we got off the bus…… there was a moose. Just walking along!

Now the rule is If you encounter a noise – get out there run, hide but don’t stick around! A bear: you stand still. Make yourself tall with hands in the air. Huddle if you’re in a group. Let hope we don’t meet one up close!

We visited the Ranger Station information centre. It’s great. Of course we got a junior park ranger booklet for Leo.

The dogs here are wonderful so a visit to the dog sledding presentation is a must.

You’re able to visit these beautiful dogs as they rest. They are trained here to work in the National Park. They are gorgeous. Each one has a personality. The litters are named after something significant. The latest one was weather: so Storm Hurricane etc

The dogs have a little hut and rest on top in the sun.

A great day ending with drinks and dinner with our new Aussie friends.

Rail Journey. A Highlight

May 22, 2026 / brisbanefrannie / 8 Comments

Excitement was mounting in our room this morning. Our big 8!hour rail journey to Denali was on today. Steve particularly likes train travel.

It seems there are a lot of rail enthusiasts with us! Particularly the men.

We left the hotel around 8.15 after our bags were picked up from inside our room at 6! We had ours ready so stayed in bed when the porter knocked and came in to get them.

The train is beautiful. All seats are upstairs and very comfortable with big dome windows and ceiling.

The dining cars are downstairs.

The biggest excitement was seeing a bear just before we left the station! It was the only one we saw all day.

There is seat service for drinks snacks & cocktail’s! They love their cocktails here in Alaska. With names like Blue Caboose, Clumsy Conductor, Rail Runner, moose Kiss….. oh what to choose.

The staff are young and lots of fun pointing out things of interest as we travel along.

There are many gravel pits along the way. Gravel is used extensively on paths and roads as it is crushed and manages the snow run off from glaciers. They don’t use salt on their paths and roads because moose love salt and would be on the roads and paths licking it away. And moose cause lots of road accidents. They don’t get out of the way.

Another story involves duct tape. In Wassilla they use a lot of it In fact 325 miles a year and have duct tape events such as a duct tape prom! Imagine that! These are small places and need to invent their own fun.

Funny things our guide told us:

Turkey bowling. They use a turkey as a ball on the frozen lake.

……Alaskan saying. There are many more men in Alaska. So for the women……The odds are good but the goods are odd.

……Black spruce is like a Charlie Brown type of Xmas tree. White spruce is bigger more traditional. Aspen tree has black eyes in trunk. The white birch white bark. If it’s peeling it’s paper bark.

…….Moose eat willow. Asprin from willow bark.

……Braided rivers. Messy. Snow is melting spread on an open plain.

……Talkeetna a small town ( inspiration for the tv series ‘Northern Exposure’ ) a place where 3 rivers meet.

…….The mayor here has issues. Mayor is a cat called Aurora but now Winston the Alaskan dog is in the running.

……All mountaineers who want to climb Mt McKinley arrive at Talkeetna. May – Aug is the climbing season. This is base camp. Denali or Mt McKinley as it was called is one of the tallest mountains in the world. It is the tallest on the American continent and is one of the ‘seven summits’ of the world.

…….we saw a beaver diving in the river. Can be big. Beaver pelts are very soft. Warm and sticky. Top layer coarse. So waterproof. Next layer is soft and cosy.

The journey was 8 hours and just wonderful the whole way. We had lunch in the dining car with a lovely couple from the Blue Mts in Sydney.

We arrived into the Holland American lodge at around 5pm. It’s a big resort spread out over a large area. Half high up and the rest down below with a shuttle running the whole time to transport you to the different areas.

Our room is a good size – a bit dated! but the bed is comfy.

Our wilderness tour starts at 6.30! So we intended to be in bed early. But as it’s still light here at 10pm we ended up staying around the fire with the new Aussie friends we have made here.

Alyeska: rest day or hiking?

May 20, 2026 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

We had a great night sleep. This hotel resort is very quiet – ski season is over. The tram up the slopes isn’t running so everyone sleeps in!

We made it to the fitness centre and gym. The pool is quite big. Enough for laps. The hot tub is big. I’ll bet it gets crowded in season! it wasn’t today.

Breakfast didn’t happen this morning so after the swim we got ready to go to town.

Girdwood is the tiny town nearby the resort. There’s a shuttle but we decided to walk to it. Around 3.5km

The path meanders away from the road and for a moment or two I worried that a bear would come out of the woods!

Another couple had asked at the desk about seeing bears on the 3km walk to Girdwood. They asked should they take anti bear spray. “Yes” he said. Could we get some here. “No” he replied. “We don’t have any here. You can get it in the town!”

Needless to say we made it to town. During the walk we came across a few seats to rest and see the views. It was too cold to sit so we admired and moved on.

We spotted a memorial to a former Miss Alaska , a local who loved dance and gardens. Later saw a plaque dedicated to a young girl who died at 12. We hoped she didn’t meet a bear.

Girdwood is tiny. Big wide street with an eclectic collection of buildings. All timber: we saw a general store ( super expensive) , a PO, medical centre , a few restaurants- all in log houses and Grind a coffee shop.

We went in a found a little treasure run by Nicole. It smelled great. Had lots of interesting things on the walls and all types of milk.

Nicole asked where we were from. When we replied Australia she said she hoped her coffee was up to standard. She’d heard Australia had the best coffee around. She’s not wrong. We haven’t had too many good coffees. She did well. It was great. and we had a great chat about living in Girdwood. There isn’t much here. You have to love skiing and the quiet. Nicole loves it. She moved from Idaho and eventually most of her family have followed her.

The houses are not really in the township. They are scattered in the surrounding streets and in the woods nearby.

There are. Lot of big red two cab trucks here. You need a big car to battle the conditions. It must cost a fortune. Gas here is around $5.60 US a gallon for diesel !. Because of its remote location everything here is expensive. And our exchange rate is still terrible. We are only getting 63 c for every American dollar.

Lunch was at the Chair 5 bar restaurant. A lot of wooden tables & chairs, tvs blaring ice hockey , groups of locals and tourists, and a waitress who was as colourful as she was friendly. Let me describe the outfit. Gum Boots, odd colourful long socks , black shorts , black t shirt with words advertising on the front , arms ran with coloured ink pictures, curly black hair, several piercings and a beanie. And oh so friendly. We ordered a salad $28 and a pizza $25. They were both giant sized.

We walked another 10 mins up to the nearby brewery and sat outside around a warm brazier and had a beer while chatting to another Australian couple from Sydney.

A bus delivered us back to our Resort for a short rest and read.

Though not very hungry we decided to walk to another ski lift at the ‘Olympic Village’ for a drink and bite.

Another 25 min walk. The two pub bistros were closed. It’s Monday night ! Back to the hotel through the bear forest (at least it’s not dark at 7pm) and into the hotel bar restaurant for a bite, a chat to more Australians and then to bed. We certainly got our steps up today.

The hotel room is very comfortable there are heated towel rails which is great for drying our clothes overnight!

I hear there is a lot of rain in Brisbane it’s drizzling here and snow predicted tomorrow. A late cold burst. Stay dry everyone.

Last Day at Sea

May 17, 2026 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

We weren’t sure what to expect from a cruise. But this has been lovely. Good stops along the way . Good shore experiences. Great hospitality on board and of course the scenery.

Today is another quiet on board day. I didn’t think I’d like whole days at sea but there is as much or as little to do you want.

We met our friends Patty and Tom for the Alaskan brunch. Really lovely relaxing by the big windows looking as you cruise along. The mimosas were good as well.

Then a 5 km walk around the deck. It’s getting cooler as we move north. So a hat and gloves were helpful. Because I had time I went to the gym to keep my exercise program going. It’s great looking out at the front of the boat while doing leg curls!

We went to the information session with Ian the British man with lots of information for us on a variety of topics. Today it was the Iditarod race. In its 54th year it is a race for huskies, and their musher on a sled for around 1,000 miles. Each day is around 100 miles. 160km !

It is gruelling ! The dogs look adorable. They are well trained and strong. They do wear little booties to protect their paws.

It starts in Anchorage on the first Saturday in March then progresses west. There are two routes – alternating each year.

The gorgeous huskies and Ian being enthusiastic

We met some of the dogs a few days ago on their holiday.

Now decision time. Calligraphy lesson? Cards, Coffee in Crows Nest? Reading in the lounge. Always something to do.

They had a carnival on the pool deck. Complete with carnival games line hoops la, knock em downs etc. with fairy floss , popcorn, fancy cocktails and lots of uniformed ship staff it looked fun.

Later we started the evening with a chat session with Sergio the guitarist and Kelly the pianist. She’s from Perth and went to WAPA the musical university there. It was a good chat session about their life as a musician on board. we have a bit of an insight to that. We have two nieces who have worked on board as musicians. Bertie married the ships engineer so is still cruising the world when not in Italy when her girls are at school.

Our last session at the piano bar. The trivia today was songs from Movies. We sat with Patty and Tom and had a good score. Tom was a surprise! He knew lots and my love of movies came in handy. Though I often can’t ’name the song’ I can usually sing it though.

Last dinner in the dining room was fun. They brought out the chef and all the behind the scenes restaurant staff and with waiters paraded around the restaurant while everyone cheered and waved serviettes in the air.

The final show was called Timeless and all the cast sang and danced with infectious energy.

They finished with Time to Say Goodbye the Andre Boccelli song. It was appropriate to finish with as we made our way to our Cabin to pack. We have to have our bag outside the door at 11pm. Tomorrow all the groups have a disembarking time. We’re not until 12.10 so later than some…. Some left at 7.30!

Unfortunately it’s rainy and windy out. We’re heading to Alyeska resort which is primarily a ski resort with cable cars, thermal pool, walking trails etc. it should be good if the rain goes.

Others are heading to a variation of our 7 night program. Patty and Tom left at 8.30 and go to Anchorage before Denali. They leave Denali National Park on the day we arrive.

Farewell to this part of the trip.

Keep following for the land part.

Friday at Sea.

May 16, 2026May 17, 2026 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

The weather is beautiful. We went to the Margerie Glacier and the boat did a 360 so we could view it well. The sun was out.

Today is another sea day. And it’s amazing how quickly the day will pass.

We did our exercises then went for breakfast to the Lido. Thats the food hall with different offerings- all behind glass and served by the staff.

It’s great for people watching that’s for sure. Some people pile their plates high others take little offerings. It’s on the same level as the outdoor area around the pool. So you can carry your plate outdoors. Or go to the burger – hot dog stall outdoors.

There’s lots of options. We certainly haven’t overdone it. For breakfast I’ve tried the poached eggs with mushrooms and spinach. Or with salmon. Steve’s enjoying the eggs Benny. Or sometimes just Greek yoghurt and fruit.

The coffee is just ok. You can have filtered coffee. Or barista coffee. I’m looking forward to good coffee back home.

Lunch is usually a -made up on the spot, salad. You just name everything you want and it’s put together in a lovely bowl. Suits me. Steve has a baguette or a burger. Usually with a beer for him and tea for me!

There’s an app where you can search all the available entertainment for the day. Ranging from information talks to gym sessions, to prayer sessions! Art auctions, pickle ball, jigsaws, cards, to games ( I played mahjong) to watercolour painting.

This is what I chose this morning. I got there early but all the seats were taken. But saw two ladies I now know. Roxie from mahjong and Patty who we’ve spent time with as couples.

Patty made a space for me and we tried our hand at painting jellyfish. 🪼

I’m a bit rusty. But it was fun

From there we made our way to the Park Ranger session. There was one for kids. And one for everyone else.

There aren’t many kids on this cruise so I was able to call into that and get a few park ranger badges. Leo our grandson wants to be a park ranger. He has the hat, T-shirt and vest from Yellowstone National Park and is very keen to become one when he grows up. It’s so lovely to see how dedicated he is. He wants to volunteer at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary near where he lives. He’s 6! So has a few years to wait until they take juniors to help in the holidays.

We went to the adult session and it was so interesting to hear about the glaciers in the Glacier National Park. I must say the US has magnificent parks that they look after so very well. Our ranger explained the criteria for becoming a National Park and it’s quite rigorous.

I did a few laps of deck 3. It’s a mile around. So about 1.65 km. I got my steps up doing 5km, visited the library to change my book and found a quiet area to read. Steve and I like the Crows Nest. Right at the front of the boat with big picture windows. It is hard to get a front row seat !

Notice the person at the bar with the striped top. She is always there in that spot. Doesn’t matter when you get to this area. She’s there drinking beer – out of a can. Never takes a glass. oh my. She might explode soon. Good for her. I’m sure she’s relaxing well.

There is also lots of games – you name it. It’s here. So there are a lot of people playing cards, Scrabble and some I don’t know. It seems Bridge is not as popular anymore. No Bridge being played anywhere. But mahjong is very popular.

If our friends the Wilsons were here we’d be playing cards! Five Crowns.

While I’m sitting here writing this there is a calligraphy class going on next door in the art area.

Another round of the deck for me before a retreat to our cabin.

We are meeting Tom and Patty for a drink and to play Music Trivia. We’re been to a few sessions and tonight it is ……. The Beatles. I’m a bit of a tragic when it comes to the Beatles. So along we went.

We did very well. Got them all and the pianist Kelly from Perth Australia was impressed with how many got a perfect score. Well, we are the right demographic!

The tie breaking question was not a ‘name that song’ it was ……. Who was the youngest Beatle and how old was he when they disbanded. Di you know ? I’ll leave the answer to the end.

From the music we went to dinner. This time at Canaletto. The Italian restaurant. It was lovely. We scored a table by the window. And it doesn’t get dark here until around 9 so the views were great. Including seeing a whale.

We were going to the magician. A show at the World Stage. But we were late and decided on another two laps of deck 3!

Answer yo the question……

George Harrison was 25. Who got it right?

White Pass Rail. Into the Yukon

May 16, 2026 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

An early start today. We have an 8 hr tour. It’s all so well organised with a message directing us to gather in the dining room.

We met up with Patty and Tom and a new couple from near Jarvis Bay in Australia.

We then had a tender take us from the boat to the shore with a short walk to our bus. The reason for the tender was there had been a rock slide last week quite near where the ship is anchored and they don’t want rocks falling on us. So it’s a bit of a performance to put us in tenders and drop us further along the dock.

Our chatty driver River is our guide today. He settled us in and explained the day. We are to bus up to Whitecross with a stop at Carcross for coffee and a look around the little shops and businesses. No jewellery shops.

The scenery as we left Skagway was beautiful though low cloud made it hard to see the mountains.

The driver continued his banter and we all relaxed into the trip and chatted to those around us. Patty and Tom were in front and we chatted away to them.

We left Cancross and continued on to our lunch stop which is in Canada – and included a village. They had two museums and a great display of wild animals which had been recreated through taxidermy. Quite frightening!

The museum dedicated to the Mounties was very good and the history of the gold mining in Dawsons Creek was fascinating. Towns grew up from nothing and thousands came seeking their fortunes. Most of course didn’t make much at all.

One of the huskie dogs here for a summer holiday.

The huskies are moved here for the summer for training.

The scenery is as spectacular as it is harsh.

Looks like a tropical paradise. The silt produces the beautiful blue.

The highlight of the day was returning to Skagway by train. The Whitecross railway. It descends 3,000 ft in 7 miles. Quite a ride! It took about 90 minutes.

But before that we spied a bear near the road as the bus was taking us to Fraser to get the train. he was strolling along…….

The scenery was gorgeous. I was trying imagine building that railway back in 1897 taking nearly 3 years to complete.

Rounding a bend I saw the front of our train!

We arrived back in Skagway, population 400, and strolled the streets. We walked carefully as if you fall and break something there is no doctor in town! Just a vet.

The building and all the sidewalks are timber.

Back on board after a very cool walk back to get the tender.

Then it was orange party night on the ship.

There was a party on the World Stage which we went to after our dinner at Morimoto. It’s one of the speciality restaurants onboard. It was so tasty. Asian fusion.

A late night as tomorrow is a sea day. So a sleep in.

Sea Day.

October 19, 2017October 22, 2017 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

A day at sea is a change from exploring a port each day. Everyone on board seems more relaxed.
What does at sea look like?
The buffet is well attended at all times of the day but breakfast is popular. People are making new friends and greetings are getting friendlier.

There are two buffets which run next to each other. The first looks more casual and the food is slightly more casual – some lighter options. The second one has darker furniture and has more heartier options.

Both theme a part of their choices to the port we are in. Along with all sorts of food (which change daily) we’ve had Italian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Greek food. We can look forward to Italian and Spanish.

The food is good in the buffets and very good in the 7 or so restaurants on board. There’s hardly ever any waiting in line and it’s fresh and tasty.

Today as I walked around the ship observing my fellow travellers. The ‘walk a mile’ circuit is well used. There’s a fast or slow lane and a woman in a pink Lycra shirt powers her way around every day. The Japanese stroll, the Americans sweat, the Germans charge, the English potter and the Australians – well I walk with purpose and avoid holding any runners up!
There is also a basketball court, a driving range and about 2,000+ deck chairs. There’s always a deck chair when you need one.

Today there’s a huge number of activities. From prayer group to AA meetings, quiz games, bridge, Mahjong, knitting and bingo, silent auctions, concerts, singalong, dancing, outdoor films, ice carving, cooking demos and today a Mr Sexy legs competition (and I’ve left lots out!).

We have an app on our phones where we can message each other, make bookings, build a daily planner, keep track of our spending (we buy alcoholic drinks unless we bought the beverage package!)

This ship has thought of everything and I’m surprised to say I’m enjoying it all. You have to throw yourself in and have fun.

Today I went to the cooking show then a tour of one of the kitchens. It’s amazing. Huge, clean as a whistle and super organised. Then we went to the ice carving demo by the pool. A swan appeared out of a block of ice. Next up the Mr sexy legs. We wanted Kenrick, hands down the best looking bloke on board, to enter but he has his standards and refused!

I spent an hour in the cabin on the sunny verandah just reading and suddenly it was appertivo time!

Also formal night.

We had our cocktails in the Main Piazza and all the kids had a dance and a few adults.

Then it was the time for the Hawley Show. A magic illusion show. It was fantastic. CLEO and Demi had seen it before and kept giving us hints as to what came next! I truly don’t know how they do these tricks!

Then lobster dinner in the dining room for adults. Kids went off to the kids club. Oh what a cruise. Something for everyone.

Tomorrow Corsica and Marg’s birthday.

Good Morning Corfu

October 19, 2017November 18, 2017 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

We woke up in Corfu today.

It was a super smooth trip. You can barely feel the movement of the ship at all.

Last night we had aperitifs in Berti and Fabios little apartment. Fabio had organised some wonderful nibbles.

Then it was off to the Crooners Bar and the Princess Show

Today we are doing the first and only organised tour. To the Achilleion Palace. Built during the 1880’s by Empress Sissie (or Elizabeth) of Austria as a summer Palace.

It has beautiful gardens with an array of statues and light airy rooms.

Once again I realised why we don’t like group tours! They move so slowly.

But the drive in the bus out of Corfu town was a good way to check out the countryside.

Rome I ❤️you. A day in Rome

October 12, 2017November 18, 2017 / brisbanefrannie / 7 Comments

We arrived at 10.30 and made the trip via train to Termini. It’s fast and efficient and costs about 12e each. Then a taxi to our hotel the Hotel Navona Via Dei Sediari. It’s a pleasant surprise.

The room wasn’t ready so we left our bags and headed off. Piazza Navona was out first stop. How beautiful it is there with its playful fountains and people posing for photos. The weather is spectacular.

Then it was to Via Coronari a favourite street of art , jewellery and glass shops before a siren sounded and people started gathering in a little Piazza. Smoke was streaming out of an upstairs window and people were pointing and exclaiming and a fire engine made its way along the narrow cobblestone Via. We stayed and watched the action. Police – the Carabinari arrived , two fire trucks and an ambulance.

Then the crowd stood as one and smoked and chatted whilst waiting for some action. It took on a community feeling. But taking far too long. So we headed to cafe de Theatro.

This little cafe sits in a lovely little Piazza and was buzzing. The waiter considered his job a performance so entertained the customers- to the amusement of some but definitely not all.

The fire 🔥 spectacle had finished so it was safe to continue walking.

What I love about wandering in Rome is that around every corner sits a surprise so wonderful it takes your breath away.

We rounded a corner and looked towards the river and there was Castello St Angelo. Such a beauty sitting with its history so imposing.

I also love Paris but Rome has a different effect on me. It’s more casual about its place in history. It’s there for all to enjoy. Paris is more formal – very beautiful but more controlled. Rome and its people want you involved in having fun.

We had to return to possibly my favourite place – the Pantheon. I love the feeling it gives me.

So we walked and observed the history and the people having fun. The business men looking impossibly glamorous with one hand in a pocket the other nursing a cigarette. With their navy suits and their tan shoes and such well fitting trousers!

The women wear either ballet flats ( I bought a red pair) or heels as they manoeuvre the cobblestones with confidence. Also the scarf tied casually at the neck sets off any outfit.

It’s a pity the hordes of tourists get in the way of this street fashion catwalk.

Naturally we had a gelato. Apart from the tourists the locals also enjoy a gelato in the afternoon. We bought ours at that cathedral of gelato, Giotto – where the act of buying is a theatre.

Shopping is another delight in Rome. There are the usual chain stores and high end shops but the smaller boutiques are fabulous. I bought some beautiful ballet flats, red, pointed toe tiny heel (they came in all colours and either v. flat or tiny heel)

By now the crowds were out, the armed guards standing on most street corners and the Aperol Spritz drinkers taking up key positions in the sidewalk bars. We joined them at Piazza Popolo. Such a great way to people watch. .

Back to our room which turned into an apartment – lovely but turning on lights is like organising a Vivid Festival!

Dinner was gorgeous. Baked fish served by Mr Rome. A young handsome man who in the olden days would have been a gladiator!

I enjoyed a baked fish with potatoes sliced so fine you could see through them. A Sicilian dish. Steve had Veal lemoni a Roman tradition.

A quiet walk back to our apartment where a tribe of young girls were yahooing in our hotel courtyard and clomping up and down the staircase. Rome in all its glory!

We have the morning to wander before heading for the cruise ship in Civitavecchio.