October 5
On the Cote D'zur
at Ville France
with Monaco to the east and Nice and Canne on the west
Today we had our last private concert of the Music at Sea group. Our group is 43 people plus our travel agent (from San Diego) and includes people from Singapore, Hong Kong, our threesome (us, Terry and Jean Sparks, and Ron and Sharon Wedeking from Iowa) and a couple from Colorado Springs and one from Boulder, and a ninety year old lady travelling on her own (she lives outside Washington, D. C.) and we have people from Texas, Mississippi, Canada, and several other places. Most of them have been on previous Music at Sea tours. Our entertainer is Brooks Aehron, a British concert pianist. He has played three private concerts for us and he is terrific. This last concert was held at a Chateau which sits on about 2,500 acres in the hills west and north of our port of call. It is hilly, wooded land, and the chateau is a winery (one million bottles a year), grows olives in commercial quantities and produces its own olive oil, and operates a small business meeting oriented hotel and conference center. The heart of the property is the ancient chateau (jane may have included a photo or two). Brooks played for us in its grand room on a $200,000 Steinway. The adventure of the day, though, was getting there. Our driver took a wrong turn about half way there and a one and a half hour drive became almost three hours, much of it on twisting, turning, one to one and one half lane country roads, often with severe drop offs and hairpin turns. Jane had plopped us down directly behind the driver and there we were, watching every near death experience.
Tonight is the last big formal night on ship, with all the lobster you can eat and a boat load of festivities.
Go Rockies!! Our cabin boy, Seldon, from Trinidad, is a huge American sports fan; knows what is happening in college and pro football, and follows base ball, too. The Rockies game against Philly was on last night, in the middle of the night. We fell asleep when we were ahead 10-4 in the seventh inning. What a run they have had. I may have to quit calling Clint Hurdle the worst manager in the big leagues.
Yesterday we were in Florence, a wonderful city. At its peak it may have been the most vibrant city on the planet, and the greatest gathering of genius in one place at one time in history. Under the rule of the Medici, this city was home to Michaelangelo, Galileo, Botticelli, the magnificent Leonardo Da Vinci, and many other intellectual and artistic lights. It had to have been a stunning place to be, and, in many ways, it still is. Though it teems with tourists it is far cleaner than Rome or Naples and its antiquities are far better preserved in most cases. Best, we toured the city on Segways, with only four in our group plus a guide and an assistant.
But, let me allow Felipo to tell you:
Ah, mi bella Firenza, she isa de must beeuutiful city ina alla da whirl. Ana we gotta de greatest genius of alla time froma our city. Sheza so wunnerful Ah ama weep whena Ah talks about her. Butta, alla is not what she appearsa to be. Thisa Segway. Sheza says it runna itself, but, NO---you musta provide de locomotion youzelf, ana alluv it. Yuh hasa to lean fronta, lean abacka, lean afronta, lean abacka or sheza no go anywhere!! Sheza juice standa there. So, offa we go, leana front, leana back, turna left, and we see the wunnerful city. Sheza all natural, and sheza da real ting, butta wait!!! Dere iza de doors to paradise (which Michaelangelo named) ona de backa ova de baptistry, and dey tell de holy stories ova Adam ana Eve ana Cain ana Abel ana Noah ana alla dose pipples ana dey are cover in gold. But wait!!! Dese ara notta de real doors!!! De are ina museum. Desa are de genuine faka doors!!! Ahma ashamed to atella yuh, but she iza de truth. De real doors are ina museum. Ah hanga mah head. So, we segway over to see de great Dahveed statue by Michaleangelo. She iza in fronta de great municipal hall. Ana dere he is. He iza magnificent. Butta wait!!! She iza notta de real ting. She izza de genuine faka Dahveed!!! As the French say, "Mon Dui." Canna she be true? Izza Dahveed notta real? No, Ah ama ashame to say, he iza faka. De real Dahveed is inna museum. Butta even so, mi Firenza, she is magnifico. Ah hopa you comma again soon.
Buona Notte me bella donna. Te amo.
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