With sea time behind us and recharged
for the marathon ahead I was restless early this morning with a
feeling something was about to happen. About 0600 I got up and peered
out behing the curtains and was confronted with a white wall and the
letters QUEEN ELIZABETH gliding past our railing. We had arrived in
port and were slowly backing past the Queen. Glad I had the curtains
closed. At 0630 we were secured to the pier port side to the pier and
facing the sea. This is the main port for serving Rome and we were
here back in '11 (see that blog for Rome adventure.) I guess that's
why we can pronounce the name.
The adventure of he day would be a
visit to Etruscan burial sites dating back to 500 BC or thereabouts.
Our group today was small as it would take about 8 ½ hours, required
a lot of walking and two long legs of bus riding. With most other
options being Rome, we had a comfortable and manageable group of 16.
At 0830 we began. First came a cross country trip on narrow roads,
through small towns and with beautiful country scenery.
Up into the hills we wound then stopped
at the site of the Etruscan tombs, dating from about 500 BC. These
are vaults carved in the rock and covered with a mound. The artifacts
and bones have been removed (or stolen) but the walls and ceilings
retain their artwork.
Our guide for the day was knowledgeable
and with the small group we were able to gather a lot of information
from him. Then we found our mini-bus and rode to the city/town of
Tarquina, dismounted again to walk the old/ancient narrow streets and
make a visit to the museum to see many artifacts from the tombs we
had visited earlier.
 | |
| city gates |
The bus again and a short drive to the
lakeside village of Marta. This was a luncha stop at a lakeside
restaurant. This is the third largest lake in Italy. Rode back into
town and we got out again for a walk of a few blocks of the old town
including the esplanade along the lake.
Back through the countryside to
Tarquina, dismount and walk again. Now it was though the ancient gate
of the city, down a narrow cobblestone street to an overlook of the
valley. Returning to the bus gave us an opportunity to stop in a
coffee shop to pick up some pastries for ourselves and to take back
to our cabin stewards and concierges.
We were back aboard by 1700, getting
dark. The Queen is still in port ahead of us and when we departed we
sailed close past her, that being 2939 and the onset of our dinner.
Noon report: Position 42º
05.68'N and 011º
46.78'E. Sunrise 0709. Sunset 1647. Total distance 5,792 nm. 468 nm
from last port.
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