Santa Margherita, Italy

May 19^th we started cruise number two. We were checked out of the hotel in Civitavecchia by just after 11:00 and were booked on the noon shuttle to the port. The shuttle was running about 30 minutes behind which was fine, still plenty of time to get to the ship. 12:30 arrived and there were 8 of us for the shuttle with a ton of luggage. It was like playing Tetris trying to get all of the bags loaded! Finally they were all crammed in and we set off. For some reason the tiny side street next to the hotel was busy, busy, busy. It took us several lights to make the turn onto the main road, and almost immediately the shuttle got a flat tire! So there we were, sitting on the side of the street outside one of the local schools while all the kids are pouring out of the building heading home for the day. The driver kept telling us that the other shuttle was on its way and would be there soon. It must have been 45 minutes before the second shuttle showed up, and then all of the luggage had to be reloaded onto the new van. Thankfully the rest of the trip to the ship was uneventful! We got our new cruise cards quickly enough and then boarded the ship. Everything is so shiny and new compared to our other ship, and it is so much bigger! The Eurodam is less than two years old so it hasn't had time to get that used feeling yet. Our room has almost exactly the same layout as our other room, except it is a bit bigger – there's even room for a bathtub in the washroom! Time will tell if bigger is actually better, although I can already say that the food is better and there's a movie theatre on board so that makes me happy!

The next day we had our first port of call – Santa Margherita, Italy. We had to tender to shore to catch our bus to Cogorno where we walked up to the beautiful Basilica di San Salvatore dei Fieschi which dates back to the 13^th Century. We sat outside in the courtyard while our guide related the history of the Basilica and it was so quiet and peaceful. The sun was shining brightly, the birds were singing and the air was nice and cool. We were then given the chance to go inside where cross-shaped openings help illuminate the church. For once we were the only people around, and that made the stop all the more enjoyable! We strolled back to the bus and made the short drive to the fishing village of Sestri Levante which lies between the Bay of Silence and the Bay of Fables (so named after Hans Christian Andersen). After a brief tour through the cobblestone streets to the Bay of Fables we were set loose to wander and shop. Mum and I had a look around before buying pistachio and chocolate gelato (for what is a trip to Italy without gelato?) and taking a walk along the seaside. All in all it was a nice low-key way to begin this leg of our trip. We finished off the day by taking in a movie in the Eurodam's super-comfy theatre!