Excerpts from Malta to Nice
(7/1/05) Today we anchored in
Half Moon Bay on the beautiful
small
island of Ponza (85 miles from Salerno). Our first excursion was a fascinating
boat ride to the Roman-made grottos along the rocky coastline. Then we took a
one-hour taxi ride around the island with many stops for “panoramic photos”
th
anks to
the skill and patience of our driver “Antonio”, who unfortunately spoke very
little English. Ponza is a popular resort for Neopolitans (“like a small St.
Tropez”, per cruise director Florian) and it was absolutely charming – with
pastel colored buildings and spectacular scenery. Paul thought it was the most
beautiful seen to date! Many wealthy Italians
have
been buying up a lot of the land, we were told, to protect it from becoming
over-commercialized as has happened in Capr
i. We had time to walk through part
of the small port town La Forna, then traveled by tender to
the
“beach surprise” where we were treated to rum punch and watermelon (served
from a kayak to the swimmers!). The stone beach was HOT, and because we had not
detoured to the ship to get bathing suits first, we headed back early and
relaxed before the 1:00 lunch barbeque buffet (salads were good, but the meats
disappointing; however, the choice of chocolate mousse or crème brulee for
dessert made everyone happy).
As we began the long sail to Corsica (181
miles), the winds became very strong (45 knots) and the ride was a rocky one,
with many people getting seasick (including some of the crew
, staff and the
ship’s doctor!) However, almost everyone showed up for the ceremony when Mark
and Laura renewed their wedding vows. The guests were asked to wear white, and
one resourceful passenger showed up in his white Le Ponant bathrobe, which gave
us all a good laugh! After the
ceremony
we had a champagne toast while trying to maintain balance on the Marina Deck –
then had to be escorted to the dining room through the cabin level, up a steep
ladder, and through a corner of the galley because it was too rough and
dangerous to walk outside. The bride and groom had planned a special meal – but
before the first course was served, the situation got much worse. Because the
formal restaurant is in the bow, the up-down-and sideways “surfing” of the ship
resulted in three people falling over while in their chairs (Herm was one of the
unlucky ones!) and many others coming close to joining them! Dishes and wine
bottles fell over – and it was quite a scary time. Luckily there were no
serious injuries (one twisted ankle, a bad bump on the back of a head, and a
bruised arm) –
but
the captain wisely determined that we had to return to the Emerald Lounge,
located at mid-ship, for safely. So, table by table, we were escorted back
down the ladder, past the cabins, and up to the lounge, where we were served
“sandwiches” (one thin piece of lunchmeat and lettuce on bread with mayonnaise)
and the “wedding cake” (a mountain of cream puffs with caramel). We really felt
sorry for the galley crew who had been working so hard in the hot rocky galley
preparing a gourmet dinner – only to be told to immediately fix trays of
sandwiches for 60 people! Most went to bed early, and sleep came surprisingly
easy after watching a movie - “Under the Tuscan Sun” – in our cabin.
