Little Lolly's Small Adventures: museum

Qoricancha

Manning organised for our luggage to be collected from outside our rooms and taken to the hotel lobby. He had already checked in our luggage somehow (without our luggage) and put the airline tags on. He had also checked us in for our flights so all we had to do was take our luggage to the drop-off desk which was 'portered' across with us on a trolley to the airport terminal.

Our flight from Lima to Cusco was uneventful and we were met at the airport by another guide, Juan, who will be our main tour guide until we leave but Manning will still be with us. Our luggage was picked up and transported to our hotel ahead of our arrival there later on.

In Cusco we stopped to see Qoricancha which is a lovely museum/church/convent with Inca temple ruins. From there we headed to La Cathedral which is a stunning basilica comprised of 2 chapels on either side of a cathedral. All 3 were beautiful, indescribable…. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs inside.

As we walked to lunch from the cathedral there were some sort of festivities in the town square. Music, singing & dancing - people were in traditional costumes. We stopped to watch for a bit and whilst doing so, someone winked and jokingly said that Holland America Line should give us complimentary rain coats for tours during the rainy season (it rained on and off during the day)!

At the restaurant (Inka Grill) we had a delicious 2 course lunch of pepper steak with corn and a dessert of some sort of mousse & ice cream.

Coca tea (also called mate de coca) served and we were encouraged to drink it to help with altitude sickness. (In fact someone did feel dizzy during lunch so she was given some oxygen there and then, and her oxygen saturation levels were monitored throughout the day.) The alkaloids in the coca leaves, when extracted, are the source for cocaine. One can legally drink the tea and chew the leaves in Peru as well as in Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador and Chile.

After lunch we headed out to Saqsaywaman Fortress which was a very interesting area. We had an overview of it rather than going around the whole site. Rain was threatening on the horizon - you could see the fully loaded clouds heading towards us.

It was time to hit the road again for a drive to our hotel, Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel. Check-in was smooth, quick and painless after which Manning gave us a briefing about tomorrow's activities.

Most people went to relax a bit before dinner but I took a walk around the hotel complex, complete with a pool, wellness centre, chapel and more. It was very beautiful. Unfortunately I became very emotional, both during the walk and also after dinner. My thoughts were of my twin and wishing she was still here. Also one of the guests with us reminded me very much of a dear friend in Cape Town who a similar sense of humour, mannerisms and outlook in life. In this beautiful part of the world everything seemed to come to a head in my thoughts and emotions. Thanks to Robert, a big hug eventually got me back on track - which I am truly grateful for.

It has been lovely day once again. So much to see but so little time. And in the company of a group of lovely people. I couldn't have wished for a better day.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Qoricancha

Cusco

La Cathedral

At the Inka Grill

Saqsaywaman Fortress

Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel, Urumbamba

The Prinsendam set anchor at sunrise, not far from the harbour in Náfplion. The was horizon filled with a glorious mosaic of orange, pinks, purple and red. Although the Prinsendam is small, she isn't small enough.

So we had to go in tenders to shore - a nice bit of 'excitement' for the day. For passengers who have never sailed on a ship - this was their chance to see first hand what the tendering process is all about.

As guests went ashore and tour groups set off too, I helped the shore excursions team to sticker guests with their relevant tour bus sticker. I got so carried away that I forgot to head on my own tour! When I realised what had happened, I raced down stairs and managed to get on the next tender going to the pier and found that my bus hadn't gone off without me, fortunately. The guide was setting up audio sets for the guests.

The day was overcast and warm as we headed off towards Ancient Corinth. On the way the bus made a brief toilet stop but it was also a good excuse for the tour group to briefly see the Corinth Canal which was very close by. I think the guests were happy to see the canal even though it wasn't a scheduled sightseeing stop.

We finally arrived at Ancient Corinth and visited the on-site museum first before having a tour of the site. Our guide, Denise, gave us a walking overview, including the Temple of Apollo, the market place, the colonnaded squire, Lechain Road and much more. As usual I found it difficult to listen properly to what Denise was saying because I was too busy keeping an eye on guests who could potentially get lost or get left behind. So, unfortunately I cannot tell you more about the place! During the walkabout of Corinth there was some sort of ceremony going on under the trees with a priest and some congregation members. We respectfully kept out of their way so as not to disturb them.

Unfortunately it started to drizzle a bit but it didn't deter anyone from disappearing for shelter.

Back on the bus we headed to lunch at Kolizeras Restaurant where we had a nice meal of fresh salad, bread & tzatziki, 2 pies, lamb and/or chicken, potatoes, baklava, red or white wine, water and coffee. The meal was delicious.

On our way to Mycenae and the 'Treasury of Atreus', a guest discovered that he left his bag behind at the restaurant. He spoke to Denise who contacted the restaurant. It was eventually found and we fetched it on the way back to the pier.

We weren't very long at the Treasury of Atreus (also known as the Tomb of Agamemnon). We just had a quick peek inside the huge tomb, long enough for Denise to tell us a bit more about its history and for guests to take photographs.

Our next stop was just up the road - Mycenae. Our walking tour went into the ancient city in via Lions Gate with views of the Royal Palace, fortress, graves, city walls & more. Unfortunately it started to rain so Denise quickly finished what she had to say and then some guests headed back to the bus, others continued to go around the site until it was time to go back to the bus. I would have liked to have had a wander around the site but didn't have a rain coat. Also there was a very short-sighted guest with us so Denise and I very slowly helped and guided her down towards the bus via the only way in and out of the site - an ancient cobbled stone road which was very slippery. I gather it was either made of alabaster stones.

The day had been very interesting, full of historical information and our guide, Denise, was brilliant, She also had a great sense of humour which lightened the tone of this history she gave.

There were quite a few wild cats around and are reliant on the kindness of humans to feed them as and when. Denise had brought a big bag of left-over chicken from the restaurant and emptied it under some recycling bins. The cats soon found the food and made inroads. There are quite a few stray dogs too and they managed to get a morsel as well.

It was good to get back to the pier and head via tender to the ship. Home from home. I was tired.

No rest for the wicked though! There was a meet and greet session, along with nibbles and drinks, with Dutch guests. Afterwards we passed by the Photography Department where Paul had a look at some binoculars. In the end he got permission to take the binoculars onto the bridge so that he could test them in the dark (Paul's are in his trunk on the Maasdam still so he borrows what he can on the bridge). After trying them out we went back downstairs and returned the binoculars. Paul is going to try them out during daylight so that he has an idea of clarity during the day as well as that at night.

Tomorrow is another day!

PHOTOGRAPHS

Sunrise and tendering