Happy Father's Day

Sunday Church Feature

Costa Chapel

The Costa Pacifica Cruise Ship includes this beautiful petite chapel for daily worship. The chapel seats 18 and is 45 square meters in size.  Christ, Mary, and Joseph and perhaps the feeding of the multitudes are depicted behind the altar. Brightly painted single Saints are painted in the side wall niches of the chapel. Framed spiritual paintings are mounted between these wall niches. The blond wood pews, gold trim, crystal chandelier, and warm overhead lights reset in circular alcoves and chandelier give the chapel a golden glow. Dark carpeting contrasts with the shiny marble center aisle with its stylized cross border. The marble pedestaled altar is covered with a scalloped linen. An urn of flowers sit in front of the altar. Daily church service times at the Chapel on the deck 4 are varied to fit in with excursion schedules.

Other church services are held on board as well. On Easter Sunday the 8:45 am Holy Mass was held on deck 5 in the Around the Clock Lounge. This facilitated a larger congregation. On Saturday night at 8:45 pm a renewal of marriage vows was held on deck 5 in the Amadeus lounge. Honeymooners and those celebrating special wedding anniversaries were invited. Again a venue larger than the chapel was needed to accommodate the many couples that attended.

For personal worship a Gideon Bible can be found in the bedside table in each state room. Since this is an Italian ship, the Bible is in Italian, of course.

For more information regarding the Costa Pacifica see Blog Post June 19, 2010.

Photos: Taken on Costa Pacifica Cruise Ship in April 2010 by SW.
Thank you: To Carol Pennington Senior Advisor, Office of the Sr. Vice President- Guest Relations on the Costa Pacifica for details regarding the chapel.

Saturday Travel Feature
Home On The Mediterranean

The Cruise Ship Costa Pacifica is a "home away from home" during its eight day cruise of the Western Mediterranean. The 3,789 passenger luxury ship built in 2009 features music as its theme. Classical music is played in the halls and music of the day's destination in played in the elevators. Entire lounges are dedicated to a single style of music: classical, jazz, swing, disco, calypso. Afternoon and nightly shows feature a single style or a the whole range including classical, rap, and pop. Decor also features music with: treble clef railings in the lounge, cello motifs on the elevator doors, paintings of musicians in the state rooms, wallpaper sketches of musicians on the hall walls.

The 112,000 tons of this cruise ship are decked out in ultra Vegas with spectacular amenities. There are: two retractable-roof swimming pools as well as an outdoor swimming pool, five hot tubs, a kiddie pool, a Formula 2 race car driving simulator, one of the largest spas at sea, a library, a music studio, and 13 bars/lounges.

The route of this floating beauty is: Civitavecchia (and hour and a half on the train from Rome), Savona (with an excursion to Monaco available), Barcellona Spain, Mallorca, Tunis Tunisia, Malta, and Catania Sicily. Passengers board at several of these ports. (See map below.)

Since the Costa Pacifica is an Italian ship, Italian is the main language used on board.   On the first week of April 2010 cruise only 500 of the 3,789 passengers were English speakers. Italian and French were predominant. Announcements were made taking this proportion into consideration.  Important information such as the life boat drill were repeated in every language represented.  As the 3,789 passengers stood on deck sporting their life jackets all the information was repeated in: Italian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, and English. Only then was the all clear horn  sounded.

Another pleasant surprise on the Costa Pacifica Cruise line is the age range.  Families with with babies, preschoolers, and teens, honeymooners, and  extended family groups dominate the roster.

Link: http://cruises.about.com/od/costapacifica/ig/Costa-Pacifica.-odC/
Photo: Costa Pacifica Cruise Ship taken in Malta in April 2010 by SW.

Sunday Church Feature

Cathedral of Catania

Catania, Sicily, Italy

"The Cathedral of Catania, entitled to St. Agatha, is a church in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy.The church has been destroyed and rebuilt several times due earthquakes and eruptions of the nearby volcano Etna. It was originally constructed in 1078-1093, on the ruins of the ancient Roman Achillean Baths,... At the time it had the appearance of a fortified church ...  In 1169 it was nearly entirely destroyed by an earthquake, leaving only the apse area intact. Further damage was introduced by a fire in 1169, but the most catastrophic event was the 1693 earthquake, which again left it mostly in ruins. It was subsequently rebuilt in Baroque style.

"Today, traces of the original Norman edifice include part of the transept, the two towers and the three semicircular apses, composed of large lava stones, most of them recovered from imperial Roman buildings.

"The current appearance of the church date to the 1711 century design of Gian Battista Vaccarini, who designed a new Baroque façade after the 1693 earthquake. It has three floors with Corinthian columns, in granite, perhaps taken from the Roman Theatre of the city. All the orders are decorated with marble statues of St. Agatha over the gate, St. Euplius on the right and St. Birillus on the left. The entrance door, in wood, has 32 sculpted plaques with episodes of the life and martyrdom of St. Agatha, coat of arms of popes and symbols of Christianity.

"The dome dates to 1802. The bell tower was originally erected in 1387, with a height of some 70 meters. In 1662 a watch was added, the structure reaching 90 meters; after the 1693 destruction it was rebuilt, with the addition of a 7.5 t bell, the third largest in Italy after that in the St. Peter's Basilica and in the Duomo of Milan." (See Link.)

Photo: Taken in Catonia, Sicily, Italy  in April 2010 by SW.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catania_Cathedral

Saturday Travel Feature

Teatro Massimo Bellini Opera House 

Catania, Sicily

"The Teatro Massimo Bellini is an opera house in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. Named after the local-born composer Vincenzo Bellini, it was inaugurated on 31 May 1890 with a performance of the composer's masterwork, Norma. It seats 1,200." (See Link 1.)  Discussions about building a new opera house started after the 1695 earthquake that destroyed Catania, but the foundationstone wasn't laid until 1812.

"The exterior of the house matches the distinctive Sicilian Baroque style of the neighboring buildings of the late 17th Century. Its marble foyer, the “Ridotto”, is ornate and stuccoed, and a statue of Bellini is located between the central arches. The beautiful red-plush interior includes the main floor seating and four tiers of boxes. Surrounding them, on the upper level, are unusual arched arcades. The painted ceiling of the theatre is quite spectacular in its depiction of scenes from four of Bellini’s most well-known operas." See Link 1.)

The 2010 ballet to be performed at the Teatro Massimo Bellini Opera House  is Romeo E Giulietta by the Stagione Liricai Balletti. (See Link 2.)

Photo: Taken in Catania, Sicily, Italy in April 2010 by SW.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teatro_Massimo_Bellini

Link 2: http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.informasicilia.it/2010/04/06/catania-teatro-massimo-bellini-lirica-con-il-balletto-%25E2%2580%259Cromeo-e-giulietta%25E2%2580%259D-di-prokofiev/&ei=b6YOTIy5E5T6NYaQ2fcM&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3DCatania%2BSicily%2BRomeo%2BE%2BGiulietta%2Bby%2Bthe%2BStagione%2BLiricai%2BBalletti%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Sunday Church Feature

Our Lady of Victory Church, Valletta, Malta

"This small church was the first to be built in Valleta by the Order of St John. Initially it was a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Victory. The name was appropriately chosen to commemorate Malta's triumph over a Turkish invading force during the Great Siege of 1565. Works began in 1567, and traditionally it is considered to be the site where the first stone of the new city of Valletta was laid with unprecedented pomp and the unbounded joy of the population on 28 March 1566.

"Our Lady of Victory church served as the first church of the Order in Valletta until 1577, when the Conventual Church of St John was completed. Grand Master La Vallette was initially buried in the former church. Upon completion of St. John's, his remains were moved to their final resting place within the Co-Cathedral.


"The church underwent modifications towards the end of the seventeenth century and was remodelled once again in the mid eighteenth century." (See Link 1.)

                                 Main Altar 


"In the late 1690s Grand Master Ramon Perellos ...commissioned the placement of a bust of Pope Innocent XI above the central window, while in 1752 Fra Gerolamo Ribas Montelieu, Bali of Majorca, enlarged the church, which has a plain rectangular nave with a ribbed barrel vault and a semicircular apse." (From information posted at the church.)

Photo: Exterior taken in April 2010 in Valletta, Malta by SW.
              Main altar-Google photo.
Link 1: http://www.visitmalta.com/church-of-our-lady-of-victory

Sunday Church Feature
La Seu Cathedral, Palma, Mallorca

  "La Seu is a gothic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, built on the site of an existing Arab mosque. It is 121 metres long, 55 metres wide and 44 meters of nave height. Designed in Spanish "levantino" Gothic style with influences of the North European gothic, it was founded by King James I of Aragon in 1229 but finished only in 1601. It sits overlooking the Parc de la Mar and the Mediterranean Sea, protected by the old town walls...Fifty years after a restoration of the Cathedral had started, Antoni Gaudí was invited in 1901 to take over the project." (See  Link 1.) (See May 16, 2010 Blog Post for another Gaudi church.) This massive Gothic Cathedral dominates the city skyline of Palma, Mallorca.  "If you catch the sun falling through the rose window on a bright morning, every nook and cranny in the Mallorca cathedral lights up like a rainbow and you will understand why it is commonly referred to as ‘The Cathedral of Light’." (See Link 2.) This rose window measuring 100m2 is the largest Gothic rose window in the world. It is divided into 24 triangles, half of which form the Star of David. (See Link 3.)

"On this side(the side facing the ocean) also lies the jewel in the crown of the Mallorca cathedral - the Mirador portal. (See photo below.) This is the huge arched entrance half way along the façade, which surely contributes the most important Gothic group of sculptures in Mallorca (Majorca). Between 1380 and 1422, Northern European and Mallorcan artists worked on this Gothic masterpiece, with the Mallorcan architect and sculptor Guillem Sagrera being the leading local contributor.

"Within the arches are two clearly differentiated horizontal sculptures: the first depicting the Eternal father with adoring angels and the other, directly below, the last supper. On the pillar between the two doors is a delightful Virgin Mary with child and in the niche of each arch are the sculptures of five saints; James, John and Peter on the left, and Andrew and Paul on the right. Together, they make this portal one of the most important examples of Mallorcan medieval art on the island." (See Link 2.)

Photos: Top-Front of Cathedral with rose window and palm trees of Mallorca. Middle-Front of Cathedral with rose window, top of arch above front doors, twin towers, and central angel statue on roof peak.  Bottom-Detail of side entrance described.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Seu
Link 2: http://www.northsouthguides.com/mallorca_cathedral.html
Link 3: http://www.mca-hotels.com/holidays-guide-mallorca/8/12/23/palma-de-mallorca/monuments/seu-cathedral/

Saturday Travel Feature

Ayuntamiento of Palma de Mallorca

"Palma is the major city and port on the island of Mallorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of the island on the Bay of Palma. The population of the city of Palma proper was 401,270 in 2009. It is the twelfth largest urban area of Spain. Almost half of the total population of Mallorca live in Palma."Link 1.

"Ayuntamiento of Palma" is the Town Hall where the city council meets. The street name is mounted on the corner of the building "Place de Cort". "The city hall also known as "Cort", is a Baroque structure built on top of an old sixteenth-century hospital." Link: 2 Its large center clock, iron balcony, and ornate cornices above the doors and windows are distinctive features. It was built in the 17th century.

Mallorca is well known among fashionable women for its production of beautiful man made pearls.  "Majorca pearls are imitation pearls manufactured on the island of Majorca. Local Mallorca women have specialized in the artistic fabrication of faux pearls since the 19th Century and are worldwide recognized for its quality and perfection: Majorca pearls have such a resemblance to the natural pearls that only experts can tell them apart." Link 3.

Photo: Taken in April 2010 in Mallorca by SW.

Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palma,_Majorca
Link2:http://www.boatbookings.com/yachting_content/palma_mallorca_tour.php
Link 3: http://www.bestofmallorca.net/activities/trips/majorca-pearls

Sunday Church Feature

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

"The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (official Catalan name; Spanish: Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia; "Expiatory Church of the Holy Family"), often simply called the Sagrada Família, is a massive, privately-funded Roman Catholic church that has been under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 1882 and is not expected to be complete until at least 2026. A portion of the building's interior is scheduled to open for public worship and tours by September 2010[1].

"Considered the master-work of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), the project's vast scale and idiosyncratic design have made it one of Barcelona's (and Spain's) top tourist attractions for many years. The church is to be consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI on November 7, 2010, during his visit to Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona.[2]

"A total of eighteen tall towers are called for, representing in ascending order of height the Twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ." Wikipedia

Tourists can see evidence of the on going construction in the moving cranes and buckets of cement being carried to the top of the towers.

Photos: Taken of the Sangrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain, in April 2010 by SW.  The top photo is of the back entrance of the church and was taken from the park across the street  that features a large lagoon and children's play area.  The bottom photo is of the front entrance of the church and was taken from another park across the street which features a fenced in children's play area, a fenced in doggy area, and a rose garden.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia

Photo: Taken in April 2010 in Barcelona, Spain by SW.

Saturday Travel Feature
Customs and Columbus,  Barcelona, Spain


"This wonderful Customs house was built in 1902 by Enric Sagnier. He was a follower of Gaudí's style and he mixed Modernist and the Neo-Gothic aesthetics in this building, which is very rich in engravings and sculptures. There are lots of Barcelona's coat of arms along its façades with the characteristic bat over them. The Spanish coat of arms is over the main gate between two big eagles. Where mercantile loot was levied. The building is labeled Port de Barcelona. It appears that the Spanish-language version was scratched out and replaced with Catalan."Virtual Tourist-Port Vell, Barcelona, Spain.  Nearby is the Columbus Monument, starting off point for tourists from the cruise ships to explore Barcelona.

"The Columbus Monument ... is a 60 m (197 ft) tall monument for Christopher Columbus at the lower end of La Rambla, Barcelona, Spain. It was constructed for the Exposición Universal de Barcelona and is located at the site where Columbus returned to Spain after his first voyage to the Americas.[1] The monument serves as a reminder that Barcelona is where Christopher Columbus reported to Queen Isabella and Ferdinand after Columbus' most famous trip.[2]

"At the very top of the monument stands a 7.2 m (24 ft) tall bronze statue atop a 40 m (131 ft) tall Corinthian column. The statue was sculpted by Rafael Atché and is said to depict Columbus pointing towards the New World with his right hand, while holding a scroll in the left. As it was sited, instead of pointing to the west towards the New World, the statue points east towards Columbus's supposed home city of Genoa.[3] The statue is atop a socle, on which the word "Tierra" (land) is inscribed.

"The column, hung with a device bearing an anchor stands on an octagonal pedestal from which four bronze winged Victories or Phemes take flight towards the four corners of the world, above paired griffins. Four buttresses against the octagonal pedestal bear portrait medallions that depict people related to Columbus:...An elevator inside the column takes visitors up to a viewing platform at the top.  The canted octagonal plinth is inset with eight bronze bas-relief panels that depict important scenes in Columbus's first voyage to the Americas:...The base of the monument is a 20 m (66 ft) wide circle, with four staircases. Each staircase is flanked by two lions....All of the funding came from Spanish sources and the entire construction (labor and materials) was done by Catalans. Construction began in 1882 and was completed in 1888 in time for the Exposición Universal de Barcelona.[4]" Wikipedia

 Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Monument,_Barcelona

Photo: Taken in April 2010 in Barcelona, Spain by SW.

Saturday Travel Feature
Catalina Casino

"26 miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is waiting for me, the island of romance" (the song recorded by The Four Preps in 1958) and the gorgeous Art Deco Catalina Casino. The casino was built on Sugarloaf Point in 1928 by Wrigley, of Wrigley chewing gum fame. It replaced a 12 story dance hall on the same site, appropriately named Sugarloaf Casino. "The lower level of the Casino houses the Avalon Theater. The upper level houses the world's largest circular ballroom with a 180-foot (55 m) diameter dance floor. French doors encircle the room, and balcony views are spectacular." Wikipedia. Today, the Catalina Casino is open for tours.


Catalina Island itself is 22 miles long and 8 miles wide. "The total population as of the 2000 census was 3,696 persons, with almost 85 percent living in its only city of Avalon ." Wikipedia. "The use of motor vehicles on the island is restricted; there is limit on the number of registered cars, which translates into a 10-year-long wait list to bring a car to the island. Most residents move around via golf cart." Wikipedia. Crossing the actual 22 miles of Pacific Ocean to get to the Island itself is by Cruise Ship, the "MARINA FLYER", a high-speed 149 passenger catamaran making the crossing to Avalon in about 1 hour 30 , or to fly to the Island "Airport in the Sky".


The first person to swim to Catalina Island was George Young. He won the Wrigley Ocean Marathon swim across the Catalina Channel in 15 hours, 44 minutes, and 30 seconds on January 15, 1927.


Besides the Casino, the Island also boasts California's first permanent desalination plant which opened in 1991.


Photo: Taken May 2007 by SW.