We left Roma on our massive ship. Ron had recommended Celebrity as a great line and he wasn’t wrong. I really didn’t think I would ever be the cruise type, but it was so nice to unpack the bags in one spot and just sit back and be floated around. The ship was huge, and I am sure there were thousands of people on board, but it was so damn big it was easy to find a quiet spot.
Must admit, walked up to the pool deck not long after sailing and thought I had entered some parallel universe – brown bodies, blaring music, and wall to wall cocktails. We were only ten minutes out of Roma and the party had started. It really was a bit of a blast of the senses, but the first day was definitely the worst. Either people calmed down a bit or I just got used to it. Once I figured out my way around, I realised if I climbed higher it was definitely more sedate – up on the top deck was gorgeous. The sun was blaring but found a shady spot and sat down with my book. It was just sublime sitting there reading and watching the sun go down.
The next morning, I was awake early, and I watched the sun come up over the Sicilian Coast. We docked in Messina and it was so good to seek reprieve from the blazing sun inside the Duomo in Piazza del Duomo. The cathedral was beautiful, with one of the largest astronomical clocks on the side. The religious iconography was everywhere, but the sun was so damn hot, we quickly gave up on our religious sojourn and went to do our worshipping at a bar in the Piazza. The limone granita was stuffed down in record time.
Sleeping under the stars 