R & R in Bari

The owners left the boat yesterday. I've never been disappointed to see guests leave but they are such great people that it is really enjoyable to be able to work for them. Andrew washed down the boat yesterday (with a little of my help) in record time. This meant that we could have today and tomorrow off! We're now in Bari, Italy for a couple days then continuing toward Venice.

We took a day trip to Matera, 40 minutes inland, which is where they filmed Passion of the Christ. We saw the hill top where the cross was hung and the caves that people have lived in for thousands of years, up until the 1950's. They moved out because of poor living conditions, the caves humidity rose to 90% at times. Now 70% of the cave homes are owned by the government. There are bed and breakfasts all over this area. You can pay to sleep in a cave that overlooks canyons and a city built into the mountains called Sassi. (Pictures to come tomorrow.) It's a bit crazy to be looking through these cave homes and see for sale signs outside. Not sure that would be my 1st choice at real estate but whatever floats your boat. We had lunch in a restaurant that was half carved into stone and half was added on.

We're off to get some more of the great Italian pizza! Bon Appetit

A & B

Sea Sick

The question everybody asks so I thought I would just answer it now. Yup, we both got sea sick. Thankfully we were both able to perform our duties even though we weren't 100%. We traveled about 70 nautical miles up the east coast of Italy (Riposto to Crotone, Italy), which took us about 5 hours. The seas were a little more rough than we have been used to. Thankfully nothing broke, although glasses were chattering and the refrigerator door flew open spilling some of its containment's. We are off again tomorrow and heading about the same distance. We are praying for some calm seas and light wind. We had some time to walk around the town today nothing much to talk about, just another pit-stop on our journey. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery.
A

We'll get to Venice... Someday

We left Riposto this morning to stop in a town on the east coast of Italy. Not even sure what the name of it is.. A pit stop on the way to Venice. The captain likes to break the trip up, so instead of saililng for 2 or 3 days straight we stop in ports each day along the way. Since we're not sailing at night this makes the trip longer, allows us to see more cities but Andrew would rather be out at sea for longer periods of time. He's getting quite a bit of experience behind the wheel! I watch him in the captain's chair hitting the buttons and knobs that I'm deathly afraid of hitting each day when I dust in the pilot house. It looks easy enough but I still have no interest in taking on watches on my own. Pretty sure I could find something to run into even in the middle of the ocean.

Oh, back in Riposto the owners took the crew along with them to see Mount Etna, an active volcano. Jacque drove a huge van with the 6 of us up the mountain. The roads here are windy and make NO sense to a tourist like me so we rely on GPS most of the time, but with 6 people in the car there are so many opinions flying around as to which road to take. Left! Right! No another right! It was nuts. But we made it and it was one of the most awesome things. The temperature was at least 30 degrees colder at the top, lots of snow, and actually a pretty large ski resort. We climbed the volcano and took a sled with us to sled to the bottom.

Well, that's all for tonight, off to bed.
B

The Holy Grail of Owners

Today we took a tour with our owners! We took a tour in Syracuse and got to see some ancient ruins dating back 500 B.C. Some of the ruins were completed by Greeks and 600 hundred years later some by the Romans. The pictures we took show the Theater where dramatic or comedic plays were performed. The other theater was an Amphitheater where gladiators and other fights took place. Our owners are so down to earth, and great people. It was the first time we have had an experience with owners outside the work place let alone go on a tour with them! We all got into a taxi van and had a private tour for the afternoon. The guide was great and knew so much of the history. We have really come to like our jobs and enjoy the many new sights we see. Many prayers have been answered and just goes to show God wants the best for us. :) Another thing we saw was a huge Church shaped like a teardrop for mythical or factual meaning. Almost everyone here is Catholic which requires many churches, which are all very extravagant. Hope all is well!
A

Syracuse, Italy

We made our first trip from Birgu, Malta to Syracuse, Italy. The trip took about 5.5 hours and we had a relatively smooth ride with calm seas. The size of the boat is about half the size that we are used to sailing with. Neither Bethany or I got sick, which we were a little nervous about. The ride was pretty enjoyable. I got my first experience on the wheel as I took watch for 2 hours while the Captain rested. It was stressful at time dealing with some boat traffic but also very fun! We had some troubles docking, getting lines, the anchor and everything else just right (that's an understatement). Tonight we are heading out for some real Italian pizza, something I haven't had since last summer, and something I haven't particularly missed all the much. We are looking forward to exploring Italy as we will probably be here for a while. The people are friendly and it gives us a chance to brush up on some Italian! The culture and historic feel is something we don't have back in the States. Also the coffee is great! It's not just a drink here, it's a lifestyle. We will post some pictures soon but as of now we haven't had a chance to take any. Hope all in well on the home front!
Andrew

Malta Festival and Market

Last night Andrew and I went to a local festival with Jacques (Captain) and Sherrie (Chef) in the town of Valletta. Even though we only drove for 20 min I knew I knew I couldn't lose my ride home because the roads here are extremely hard to learn and I wouldn't have made it home on my own. Besides the fact that we're driving on the left side of the road from the right side of the car, about every 10 blocks you come to a round-a-bout or fork in the road. But with our excellent navigation skills ;) and mainly "Google Maps" we made it to the festival and home safely. Andrew has posted pictures of the incredible floats we saw at the parade. I believe the festival is similar to Marti Gras because it is right before Lent begins. Today we went with Sherrie to a local market to get fruits and veg, Andrew, my little photographer, took the opportunity to get lots of shots of small sailboats in a marina nearby. He'll post them soon. Tomorrow is our 1st day of work! Andrew's 1st day as permanent crew on a yacht, so it's very exciting. We hope that this boat will allow us to get some longevity on a boat. We're leaving Malta sometime next week, weather permitting, and picking up the owners soon! Take care everyone, B

We Made it to Europe

Our flights, although we were separated, turned out to be shorter than we thought. We arrived at 10:30 a.m. to Dublin, Ireland. We took a bus to the city center where our hotel was (Harding hotel). After lunch and a quick nap we decided to go walking and see the sights. Some of our pictures show the old buildings and a church that was right across the street from our hotel. Andrew would have liked to tour the Guinness distilleries, but we were unable to find it. The next morning we woke at 4:15 a.m. and flew out at 7:15. Sherrie, the chef of Magic Days, picked us up from the Malta airport at noon. We lost another hour making the time difference 7 hours ahead of Central time. The boat is a little bit smaller than we are used to and the swell from the ocean has created quite a rock to the boat (good for sleeping, not on the head and stomach). Bethany got a little sea sick but a few hours later she feels a lot better. Although we haven't left the dock yet, Malta seems like a very historic country and still has many dis-trot buildings from World War Two. We took some pictures from the Grand Harbor Marina, at which we are staying at. We hope to get some sight seeing in tomorrow. Even though the country has its own language for the most part everyone speaks English. That's it for now!