Blog - Travel Explored

Posted on September 28, 2012

Brisbane city Skyline from Mount Coot-tha

Recently I have been getting out and about around Brisbane more often. Primarily to capture some photos, but also to explore some areas of the city that I live in. I have found there can be a bit of a mix of good and not so great spots.

I sometimes wonder if I should have explored my home city before travelling the world. In some ways, I feel that I am comparing Brisbane to some of the cities I have visited around the world. But it could also be a familiarity of being the city I grew up in tainting my view as well.

Toowong Cemetery

It is not often that I take a little time to go and walk around a cemetery, however as part of my photo expedition last Sunday that is just what I did. Toowong Cemetery is the Brisbane General Cemetery and is the largest cemetery in Queensland with some 120,000 graves.

There is a lot here to capture in photo’s however due a little to the time of day and also due to other places I needed to be; there was not a lot of spooky sort of photos, but later in the day this could be a great place for this.

Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens

If you are looking for a lovely peaceful place to visit, then it is hard to go past Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens. Set on 52-hectare gardens is located just seven kilometres, from the Brisbane CBD and is easy to access via public buses.

The gardens are laid out in many different areas such as this tranquil escape. They also combine water in a big way through lakes and ponds and running and falling water.

The contrast from one area to another can be so stark as well. In one area the trees are dense, and it is cool and shady while another area is wide open to the sun and displaying a great range of desert plants.

Of course, while there is plants, grass and water a plenty in the gardens, having such a diverse green space, also attracts quite a lot of wildlife, including lizards, and the occasional bird.

Brisbane Views From Mt Cootha Lookout

One of the best views in or around Brisbane is from the Mt Cootha Lookout. On a clear day you see out to the ocean to the west. South to the Gold Coast Hinterland, and north to the Glass House Mountains. With the CBD right in the centre of the view as you look out towards the ocean.

SANTOS City Of Lights Display

The SANTOS City of Lights display is quite a fun display to see. It has been happening every night on the Brisbane River, throughout September, with tomorrow night being the last night. I shared about this event in the last post about Brisbane as well. However, I stopped to get some more photos and enjoy the show for the second time.

I kind of wish that this show was on all the time. It is a great way to practice getting good shots at night. I only have one more chance to try and get some photos tomorrow night, and then it is all over.

The SANTOS City Of Lights display is a part of the Brisbane Festival. As such, there are some other things going on around the Southbank Precinct. One that made for an interesting photo was the Chinese Lanterns in the forecourt near the Performing Arts Centre.

Where Next?

I am sure there is plenty still to discover around Brisbane. So it will just be a matter of where do I head to next. There are a few ideas in my mind, but you will have to wait and see what I discover. I am also considering a trip to the Sunshine Coast in the near future. So will be looking forward to sharing more photos soon.

If there is somewhere you would like me to photograph, why not leave a comment below.

Around Brisbane

Brisbane Night Photography

Posted on September 11, 2012

Over the past weekend, I took some time to get out and take some photos. I do try and get out every weekend; this does not always work out. As such I am taking the opportunity to share some of the more interesting images that I have captured this weekend.

Cleveland Fireworks

On the south side of Brisbane, in Redlands was the annual festival, Red Fest. As part of the event, there was a fireworks display. So by 6.30pm I was set up in a field with a great vantage point of the fireworks, waiting for the 7 pm start. Tonight This was the first time that I had ever even put my camera in front of fireworks, so I was not sure how it would go.

Capturing fireworks is never an easy task at any time. It is impossible to time the shots and know what the camera will capture. There is also the problem of when you are not very well prepared. I still have not bought a cable release for the camera and had to rely on the self-timer. Primarily using the self-timer to avoid camera shake. I still managed a couple of good shots even with this small setback.

Southbank & City Of Lights

In Brisbane this weekend another festival also started the Brisbane Festival. The Brisbane Festival is a three-week event with a lot of activities around the Southbank area. Some of these are permanent fixtures at Southbank, such as the Wheel of Brisbane. This shot is a longer exposure around 30 seconds, which is why there appears so much motion.

The real reason for being at Southbank tonight though was to see the display “City Of Lights”. The display is a Laser and light show on the Brisbane River each night of the Brisbane Festival. The City Of Lights show is quite an amazing show and if you are in Brisbane during the festival. Take the time to visit Southbank one night before September 28 to see this light show.

Again this was a first for me attempting to capture photographs of the light show. In the past, I have captured photos of different well-lit buildings at night. I have never really had the opportunity to photograph a show like this. However, I did get a couple of really nice photos from the show last night.

I am also glad that it is on for a little bit longer as I am going to make an effort to get back and see it one or two more times and try some different settings on the camera and different locations along the river.

Gateway Bridge

The final stop for the photography outing on Sunday night was at Queensport Rocks Park. The park sits beneath Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges (better known as the Gateway Bridge). There are a few better locations to capture the bridges side on. However, I think that this location right underneath the bridges gives a fairly unique perspective. In this case there was a plane passing above during the long exposure capture.

The stop here was not planned, however, still resulted in some good practice. I do hope to be doing some more night time photography like this, but with better planning.

Next Time

This weekend’s photography adventures has inspired me to look at doing more different photography. I often chase the sunset on weekends but of course there are so many other interesting subjects. Whether it is more night photography or something else I hope to get out again real soon.

What has been your experience with night photography? Why not leave a comment below.

Destinations

Taking A Photowalk Around Brisbane City

Posted on August 16, 2012

Through my travels around the world, visiting well over 100+ cities and towns I have always been able to find something interesting to photograph. Well, maybe there were a couple of exceptions. However, I believe those to be more the result of circumstances, such as weather or limited time than anything else.

Now even though I have lived in Brisbane all of my life, I have struggled to find something of interest to photograph in Brisbane. I believe that this is mostly due to seeing Brisbane though a different perspective since it is the place that I live, rather than seeing it from the viewpoint of a tourist.

I finally decided earlier this month to get out into the city of Brisbane with my camera and just see what I could capture in this city that I call home.

Queen Street Mall

The afternoon walk started in the Queen St Mall, which is a two city block long pedestrian mall. The mall opened in 1982 and today is home to over 700 retailers, between six major shopping centers and attracts over 26 million visitors per year.

Brisbane City Hall

Head northerly direction along Albert St which intersects the middle of the Queen St Mall you arrive in King George Square. The Brisbane City Hall faces onto King George Square and is a rather striking building with 14-meter high Corinthian styled columns, a 92meter tall clock tower and an overall classical architectural style with influence from Ancient Rome and Greece. The building construction started in 1917, and the doors opened for business in 1928.

Albert Street Uniting Church

Continuing across King George Square and onto Ann St is another one of Brisbane’s heritage buildings. The Albert Street Uniting Church, which still appears as it was when first opened in November 1889. Extensive restorative works undertaken in 1974.

The construction of the church is from Brick and Omaru Sandstone dressing. From the outside, this is quite a beautiful building and I just never seem to be here at the right time to be able to take a look inside. The Church is open Monday – Friday from 10 am – 2 pm and holds services on Friday and Sunday, see their website for more details.

ANZAC Square

From here I continued East along Ann Street, to ANZAC Square. The most prominent feature of ANZAC Square is the Shrine Of Remembrance, where the Eternal Flame burns continuously in a bronze urn. There are numerous statues and sculpture throughout ANZAC Square, dedicated to the memory of those who served in World War I and the various wars since. There is also a hint of symbolism in the design of the area, with the column’s surrounding the flame numbering 18, and the stairs approaching the flame number 19 & 18 in two flights, signifying the year that World War I ended. You can find more information about ANZAC Square here.

All Saint’s Anglican Church

I continued East along Ann Street to find two more of Brisbane’s many churches. The first was on the left-hand side of the street, where you could take a flight of stairs to find All Saint’s Anglican Church. The church is built in the nineteenth-century Gothic Revival style and was completed in 1869, replacing an earlier building on the site from 1862. While the church is rather small it is is the oldest Anglican Church in Brisbane.

St John’s Cathedral

Returning down the stairs to Ann St, and continuing the walk in an Eastern direction, St John’s Cathedral stands on the right-hand side of the street on the next block. Construction on the cathedral started in 1901 with the laying of the foundation stone, and officially the first stage of construction commenced in 1906. In 2009 The Archbishop of Brisbane, Phillip Aspinall, officially reconsecrated the completed cathedral.

Customs House

Continuing east and turning right onto Queen Street, around two blocks along Queen Street is another one of the Brisbane’s Iconic buildings, Custom’s House, which backs onto the Brisbane River. The building as the name implies, used to be for collecting customs duty when it opened in 1889. Today though the build is heritage listed and is used primarily for functions and concerts. More information about the Customers House can be found on their websites here.

Eagle Street Pier & Story Bridge View

Continuing south along Queen Street and onto Eagle Street, you soon reach Eagle Street Pier. There are numerous restaurants in this area and on a Sunday you will find an array of market stalls spread around this area. There is also a terminal where you can catch the cross river ferry to Kangaroo Point, which is a walk I will keep to share for another day.

Eagle Street Pier is also a perfect place on this walk to get a view of the Story Bridge. The Story Bridge is a six-lane road bridge with pedestrian/bikeway on each side. The bridge opened in 1940 with a toll of sixpence. However, the toll only lasted until 1947. If you have the time and the inclination you can climb the bridge with Story Bridge Adventure Climb – more information.

Brisbane City Botanic Gardens

From Eagle Street Pier you can follow a walkway south along the banks of the Brisbane River, which will bring you to the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens. The City Botanic Gardens is a 20 Hectare site that sits between the Brisbane River, the QUT Gardens Point University Campus and the Brisbane CBD. The site where the gardens lay was initially identified in 1828 and since this time that the gardens have been developed to be what they are today.

The City Botanic Gardens are a perfect place for a family picnic or a bit of time out in a green space. The Riverstage also located in the Botanic Gardens hosts various concerts throughout the year, while a range of other events run throughout the gardens year round.

Where Next

With limited time today I chose to leave the City Botanic Gardens via the Albert Street entrance and continued north along Albert Street back to the Queen Street Mall. If you are a little confused with the directions above you can visit a map with each of the locations marked with this link – Brisbane City Walk Map

If you have more time or wanted to extend the walk, there are endless options for how you can do this, with many other sights to see. Unfortunately, there are far too many for me to list the options here. However, you can pick up a map from the Brisbane Tourist Information Centre located in the Queen Street Mall which is open from 9 am daily (10 am on Sunday)

Feedback

I would greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts on the above post, so why not take a moment and let me know in the comments below.

Destinations

Exploring More Of Venice The City

Posted on August 10, 2012

Today marks around three weeks since I arrived home to Australia. After spending 80-days travelling, through Europe and North America, there is some adjustment needed to settle back into being home. While working through some of my photos, I decided that I needed to share a few more. So I wanted to give you a little deeper look at Venice, Italy.

Venice, Italy

Venice was the disembarkation port for my Transatlantic cruise. It was also an overnight port which gave a little more time to explore without the added cost of another hotel room.

Prior to arriving in Venice, there were three things that people had said about the city. It is dirty, dangerous and very easy to get lost. In some ways, I would agree that it is dirty, but in some respects, it is just uncared for as well. I personally did not find it to be dangerous, but in saying that watching your personal belongings when travelling is always advised.

On the note of getting lost, well that is a whole other point. Although I do not believe I got lost, I would say that I did not always know where I was. An occasional dead end did appear, and disagreements on where we were on the map came up. But at the end of the day, I still made it back to the ship each time I ventured out.

Interesting Sights

When you are wandering the streets of Venice, it is worth taking it slow and looking pretty much everywhere. There is so much to see, and if you go too fast, you miss a lot. Walking Venice does require eyes that rove up and down, along with the laneways and into the store windows. Just to ensure that you do not miss some of the interesting quirks of Venice. Sometimes you will find what appear to be tasty treats.

Sometimes you might find an interesting and unique light fitting if you take the time to look up.

Or maybe these interesting water fountains (which I am told you can safely drink from) if you take the time to look down.

When walking a city like Venice though as a photographer can be intriguing. I found looking for what to photograph, led me to see even more than I expected. Trying to capture something different when I take a photo. Not always following the rules of photography and more interested in capturing what I see.

I did find that one beautiful thing about Venice was the buildings. There is such a variety of buildings, from so many different eras in the past. Some of the buildings you find have an old, worn and run down look. There are others with a very distinctive architectural style. Then some with a vibrant colour that gives a certain look and feel to the area.

In amongst the variety of different buildings, you still find some wonderful architecture. Such as Chiesa Di San Rocco, The Church of Saint Roch, with a facade which dates back to around 1770.

Before my visit to Venice, I did think of it as just another European City. However, as a place that I have visited, I would like some more time to fully explore the city. To be honest I think that I only scratched the surface of what this city has to offer.

Destinations

Exploring Dubrovnik’s Old Walled City

Posted on August 7, 2012

Dubrovnik is the last port of call before disembarking in Venice, Italy. The day was very busy in the port with four other ships visiting Dubrovnik on the same day. It meant for a lot of people, but that does not always cause a problem.

Today I booked a tour with the cruise line named “Old Walled City of Dubrovnik.” Dubrovnik is one of the best preserved walled cities in Europe. There are many factors that highlight the preservation of the city. Dubrovnik’s Old Walled City is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1979.

The tour started with a short drive around some of the countryside. Even though this was primarily on the bus I was still able to capture a couple of photos.

Dubrovnik Walled City

Inside the Old Walled City there are not cars, walking is the way you get around. You soon discover why walking is the easiest way. The city is flat along the main street and expands up a slope in both directions.

Climbing the stairs and exploring the city affords you some great views across the city.

When you think about the number of cruise ships here today there are many areas with no one around. It seems most people seem to hold to the main street and take advantage of climbing the wall. There was so much that people missed seeing as a result of not exploring. Not that I was complaining as this gave me a great opportunity to capture some interesting photos.

The city may have been full of tourists, but it is also still a fully functioning city. There are people that live here and work here every day. So I was not surprised to discover a small market with plenty of fresh produce and other essentials.

To a large degree, the cities in Europe are very photogenic. They are cities that have not been recreated or rebuilt unlike historic cities in other parts of the world. Many of the cities in Europe have been established for hundreds of years, and evolve no faster than they need to. You can find pieces that have been in place for substantial amounts of time alongside new items. The cities, the buildings and the atmosphere is genuine and authentic. Not just recreated to draw in the tourists.

Back To The Ship

Another ship arrived in Dubrovnik today alongside the cruise ships. It was a mega yacht by the name of “Al Said” which is currently the 3rd largest mega yacht in the world, owned by the Sultan of Oman. ** Update 2016: Al Said is now the 6th largest Mega Yacht **

Finally, it was that time of day when it was time to say farewell to Dubrovnik. Sailaway is always a sad time of day but also offers it’s own special view o the port you are leaving.

Dubrovnik is definitely a city that I would love to visit again. Plus I am told there are numerous other cities in Croatia to visit. So something to keep in mind for my next trip to Europe. You can read more from my post Port Call – Exploreing Dubrovnik, Crotia.

Cruising

Exploring The Town Of Katakolo, Greece

Posted on August 3, 2012

The second port of call in Greece is the small township of Katakolo. Katakolo has a population of around 600 (from the most recent figures I could find) and is the smallest port we visit. The area does not have a lot to offer unless you are willing to travel a little further. The location is one of the better points for cruise ship passengers to visit Olympia.

Katakolo

Due to the last two weeks being rather port intensive, I opted to explore on my own today. I knew the next few days would be quite busy with tours and ports to explore. The weather was perfect for just taking a walk around the town. The blue sky stretching as far as you could see.

The exploring did not take long to seemingly expand the area. Within 10 minutes of disembarking the ship I had walked the length of the main street.

Small Train Tour

As I was wondering just what I would do for the rest of the day, I discovered a small train tour for fives Euros. It was like train ride you might expect at a carnival. The train travelled for around 20 minutes out of Katakolo to another small village nearby. There were views over the countryside and getting to see a little more of the local area.

Katakolo Church

After the train ride, I had hoped to visit the small church in the village. However, to my disappointment, it seemed to be closed and not open to visitors. It is surprising as most other churches I have comes upon are open to visitors. But I suppose different areas do approach things differently. From the outside, it did appear that it would have been nice inside.

Exploring Further

It was still morning and I had a map which outlined a walking track behind the town. The area behind the town mostly went up a steep mountainside. But it turned out the walk up was easy, once I found my way to the right spot. The path is rather well hidden, but it is a beautiful location once you get up here. There were plenty of stairs at both ends but nothing too challenging.

Back To The Waterfront

After finishing the loop and wandering a little further out of town to the East I arrived back into the town. For such a small town there is a disproportionate number of shops and cafes. However, I believe that this is due to the large volume of cruise ships that bring significant tourist numbers to the area. I spent some of the afternoon enjoying the area at a cafe on the waterfront, a great way to finish the day.

The area around Katakolo is an area that I believe I would like to return to one day. Not so much to revisit this exact area but to explore further into places like Olympia. I potentially could have visited Olympia today, but the public transport here at the moment is unreliable. I know some passengers visited and made it back, but it would not be fun to miss the ship.

Destinations

Exploring The City Of Nafplio, Greece

Posted on July 31, 2012

Today we arrive in the port of Nafplio, Greece. Even though Italy is a beautiful country, it is nice to be visiting a new country after four different Italian ports.

Nafplio is a small seaport town located near to the Northern end of the Argolic Gulf. The tour I opted for today was named “Mycenae & Palamidi Castle”. There were some interesting destinations on this tour, and I am happy with my choice. The tour also enabled me to make the most use of the time in port today. As there was not a lot to see in town, and I still had ample time to see the city and enjoy lunch before returning to the ship.

Mycenae Ruins

The area surrounding Nafplio consists primarily of a large valley with mountains in the distance. It does make for a rather dramatic landscape. The mountains made for a perfect place to build castles to watch over the valley and the first of the Mycenaean ruins we visited was one such castle. There are some spectacular views over the valley from here.

As the tour continued, the next stop is closely associated with the first, the Treasury of Atreus. A beehive type burial site with a particularly grand entrance way. Once you get inside you can understand where the name comes from with the shape of a beehive forming the rather cavernous space.

Palamidi Castle

For the last stop on the tour at Palamidi Castle, we come back almost to Nafplio. In fact, Palamidi Castle sits atop a mountain, overlooking the city from a height of 216m. I had some interest in seeing the castle but did not spend long here for two reasons.

The first reason was the sheer number of people. It seemed to be the last destination for most of the tours, and they all appear to arrive at the same time. The second reason is that I wanted to get down and take a look around the city.

Even though there was the option to return to the dock by bus, there was an hour wait until the scheduled return time. However, there was the option to take the stairs down to Nafplio. I decided this sounded like fun and some 857 steps later I found myself in one of the streets.

The stairs take considerably less time than you would think. The time was less than 10 minutes even with stopping to take a few photos along the way. From the bottom, there is a much better view of the castle.

Exploring Nafplio

I spent over an hour wandering the streets of Nafplio. It turns out that the city is not quite as big as I thought it might be. That is at least not this more central area of the city.

Walking around the city, it does have a considerably different feeling to other European cities I have visited. There are some area’s that are very nice and exhibit some real individual traits of Greece. While there are other area’s that show signs of dereliction and dilapidation. Of course, quite likely all stemming from the same origins as the overall financial difficulties of Greece.

After spending so much time exploring both on the tour and on foot around the city, I was getting hungry. I found my way back to the waterfront where there are plenty of cafe’s or restaurants with lunch on my mind. Although some restaurants seemed to only cater to locals with menu’s only in Greek, there were a couple with English menu’s available. In the end, I found a great little spot and choose a burger and chips, at least I could be somewhat certain what I was getting.

Even though Greece is not a country that has been on my must-visit list, it is nice to have some time to see it. I have enjoyed the time in Nafplio today, but cannot see that I will be rushing back, as there are other places I want to visit.

You can read more about my visit to Nafplio by visiting the posts from the day “Port Call – Exploring The City of Nafplio, Greece“

Destinations

Exploring The City of Taormina, Italy

Posted on July 27, 2012

Catania - Mt Etna from Roman Crego Theatre

The Fourth Italian port of call for the cruise is the city of Catania on the island of Sicily. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, covering some 25,000 square kilometres with a population of over 5 million. Catania is located on the eastern coast of Sicily at the foot of Mount Etna and is the second largest city on the island.

Today I choose to take a tour and as such did not see much of Catania itself. The tour was to visit the city of Taormina, which is located around 37km north of Catania. I did get to see some of the city as the tour bus passed through. However, it is the beautiful countryside dominated by Mt Etna that caught my attention the most.

Taormina

Taormina is located on the coast of Sicily and sits at 200metres elevation above sea level. Many years ago when this city was founded the position had a commanding location in the countryside. It was the perfect location to protect from potential attack via both land and sea. Access to Taormina is much better now, but still not that easy for a tour bus with some tight switchbacks.

It quickly became apparent Taormina would be busy today. The tour bus pulled into the parking lot alongside a dozen other tour buses, and it was still early. Due to the popularity of the town, there is a large parking structure with the buses needing to park at the bottom level. Access to the Taormina is from the top level of the carpark. Thankfully even though there was a wait to get up, the views from the top are well worth the wait.

Roman Greco Theatre

The tour started with a visit to the ruins of a Roman Greco Theatre. There was some walking involved to get here as it is located on the opposite side of Taormina. But as you can see the views like above make the walk very pleasing.

While these are ruins in some ways, they are still in good condition. You could get a sense of what is what and how the theatre may have looked like in the Roman days.

Taormina

On the return journey to the tour bus, there was some free time to explore a little more around Taormina. During the walk through town before there were a couple of spots that had caught my eye and I took this opportunity to check them out.

It was surprising how few people took this opportunity to explore. Taormina offers some amazing sights and places to explore, with most not that far from the main street.

Although there were many empty laneways, there were also some rather creative uses of space as well. Being in the location Taormina is, it is not always possible to just expand the area you have. There is a need just like this cafe below, to make use of whatever space is available.

Before rejoining the tour to head back to the bus, I made a stop at one of a few churches in Taormina. Located just off the square near the entrance to the town it is a lovely older building. Inside was very dark and a little plain. It is one thing that I have come to appreciate about churches; they are all different. Although they are all in a way dedicated to the same purpose, they all do so in a variety of ways.

I enjoyed the day seeing a different side of Italy, in the form of an older small town. However, due to an earlier departure time for the ship today, and a little longer tour, there was no time to explore Catania at all. It could just mean that I might need to revisit the area one day in the future.

If you would like to read more about my day in Taormina, you can visit the post “Port Call – Explore Catania and Taormina, Italy“.

Destinations

Exploring The City Of Naples, Italy

Posted on July 24, 2012

Naples is the third port of call in Italy on the cruise and one that I was looking forward to. I cannot exactly say why, but it is just the name that kind of catches your attention. Plus maybe a little bit to see if the Pizza is better in Naples, the so-called home of pizza.

Exploring Naples

The ship arrived in Naples on a Sunday which made a considerable difference to the experience I think. Being the only ship in port also made a great difference to the number of tourists around the city. Starting out this morning was made most difficult by the lack of a decent map combined with the twisting and turning of the streets.

However, through the best efforts of asking directions from a police officer and some luck, I accidently found the tourist information office. I think it is much to do with the many little laneways that make a good map essential or at least a little research in advance. The first and most prominent thing I noticed was just how dirty the city seemed to be.

The laneways around Naples are not just limited to flat streets. As you can see below, they take on stairs to combat the slope of the countryside. It does seem to be fairly common in Europe I am finding as I visit more cities.

New Church Of Christ

There are two main features to the square in front of Chiesa del Gesu Nuovo (New Church of Christ). First is the building itself, it has quite a unique and dominating facade. The exterior does not in anyway even indicate just what you find when you go inside.

When you go inside the church, almost every surface is crafted from marble. There were so many different colours and not what you would expect from the outside.

The other feature of the square, one that dominated the area is the Spire of the Immaculate. It did not look overly impressive today with the clouds. I wish I had been able to visit the area at night, as pictures from postcards are just amazing.

In The Details

It is something that I have said before, but Europe is somewhere you need to keep your eyes open. There are little details and interesting sights just about everywhere. While some of it is right in front of you, there is also some random things you will find in little back laneways. Such as this small stall selling fruit and vegetables, it looks makeshift, but I suspect it is anything but.

Another little detail you come across is some of the amazingly vibrant colours that just appear in the middle of the sea of grey. While the stone used in many buildings is impressive, it can be bland, unless a splash of colour is added. Thankfully some people do add the colour, sometimes a whole building, other times just a highlight.

The Scale Of Things

On other occasions, it is not so much the details, but the grandeur or scale of a building that captures the eye. In particular the shopping arcade in Naples by the name of Galleria Umberto. You might be thinking ok a shopping arcade it is nothing special. The difference is the arcade is surrounded by three-story tall stone buildings, with a vaulted glass ceiling.

The facades of the buildings are not just the regular layer upon layer of shops. They are stone facades that incorporate columns and stonework, with statues. They have been created for style and impact, rather than any functional purpose I can see. The highlight for me though was the mosaic which covers the entire floor of the arcade. The central highlight is an eight pointed compass, surrounded by the 12 signs of the zodiac.

I have mixed feelings about my time in Naples. There are some nice aspects to the visit, seeing some of the sights and trying the local pizza. However, there were some things that were a little off-putting as well such as the rubbish and dirtiness of some areas. It could be somewhere that I will return, maybe on another cruise one day.

If you would like to read more about my visit to Naples you can visit this post “Port Call – Exploring The City Of Naples, Italy.”

Destinations

Exploring The City Of Rome, Italy

Posted on July 20, 2012

Cruising in the Mediterranean does come with a couple of downfalls. The first is that the itineraries are very port intensive. In fact, after leaving Barcelona, there are just two sea days out of 13 days before the end of the cruise. The second some the ports are long days especially if you choose full day tours.

Civitavecchia (Rome)

Civitavecchia is the closest port of call that allows access to the city of Rome. Of course, I could not pass up the opportunity to visit Rome when I would be this close, even if the tour was 11 hours. A good portion of this time though is taken up with around two hours each way between the port and Rome.

As a city, I believe Rome probably has some of the most recognisable buildings in the world. Getting to see just a couple and go inside of them was quite amazing. Some of the buildings we only got to see in passing, such as the Colosseum. Other’s like St Peter’s Basilica I got to visit.

Driving Rome

The first part of the tour after reaching Rome is purely driving. Even if we do not get to visit some of the sites, they did try to show us all the important ones. However, for taking photos, this is the worst way to travel. But I do very much understand the point of view that there is only limited time to fit things into.

Above is part of an Ancient Roman Aqua-duct. At one point in time, this would have been used to transport the water supply around the city.

Above is one of the suburbs of Rome that we passed through. I honestly could not say just where this was.

A section of the ruins of Foro Romano (Roman Forum) taken from Via del Circo Massimo.

I am happy to say that at sometimes you do get lucky capturing images out of a moving bus. Above is the Victor Emmanuel Monument in Rome. The bus passed this monument twice, and there was only a slight moment to capture the photo.

The final photo from the bus was this beautiful church across the Tiber River. From here it was onto the first stop of the day, and one a few had been waiting for, Lunch.

St Peter’s Basilica

One of the main highlights of the tour today was a visit to St Peter’s Basilica. In fact, while the tour mainly took place in Italy, it was this visit that took us to what is technically another country. The country is Vatican City, which is in fact, the smallest country in the world. Vatican City is an independent city-state that covers just over 100 acres and is encircled by a 2-mile border in the middle of Rome.

There was a rather long wait in the line to enter St Peter’s Basilica. Plus a lot of people inside as well, but even so it did not seem crowded. It is a breathtaking and detailed church to visit as you can see from the photos below.

Even before entering the church itself you know you are in for a treat from the grand entrance way. There is plenty of marble and columns, and something to look at whether it is the floor or the ceiling.

The interior of St Peter’s Basilica is immense and being inside here you do feel very small. But this comes as no surprise considering that it is the largest interior of any Christian church in the world.

It is rather difficult to convey the sheer scale of some aspects of the Basilica in images. Looking up into the main dome you may be able to get some idea, the letters around the bottom are around 2 metres in height.

As you are leaving St Peter’s Basilica, you have a great view across St Peter’s Square. I could not even imagine being here in one of the larger gatherings where the square might have tens of thousands of people.

Back To The Ship

Even the best days must come to an end at some point. Since it took two hours to drive to Rome, it would take around the same time to get back to the ship. I was quite happy watching the countryside passing.

The day in Rome was outstanding, and while I had not considered staying in Rome before, I would happily return. There is still so much to see in Rome; I doubt even a week would be enough.

The departure of the ship from Civitavecchia was rather well timed today. It was right on sunset as the ship set sail and it was a rather beautiful sunset. I captured this image of one of the other cruise ships leaving a little ahead of our ship.

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Toowong Cemetery

Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens

Brisbane Views From Mt Cootha Lookout

SANTOS City Of Lights Display

Where Next?

Cleveland Fireworks

Southbank & City Of Lights

Gateway Bridge

Next Time

Queen Street Mall

Brisbane City Hall

Albert Street Uniting Church

ANZAC Square

All Saint’s Anglican Church

St John’s Cathedral

Customs House

Eagle Street Pier & Story Bridge View

Brisbane City Botanic Gardens

Where Next

Feedback

Venice, Italy

Interesting Sights

Dubrovnik Walled City

Back To The Ship

Katakolo

Small Train Tour

Katakolo Church

Exploring Further

Back To The Waterfront

Mycenae Ruins

Palamidi Castle

Exploring Nafplio

Taormina

Roman Greco Theatre

Taormina

Exploring Naples

New Church Of Christ

In The Details

The Scale Of Things

Civitavecchia (Rome)

Driving Rome

St Peter’s Basilica

Back To The Ship

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