Today we explored Palermo on our own. It's been very hot and today was no exception. However, Palermo is a decent size city (approx 700,000) so it was a good chance to get out and stretch our legs in the shade of the city buildings. The architecture here is lovely with beautiful theaters, churches and government buildings around every corner.
Markets also dominate Old Town and we had a chance to pick up some local handicrafts and spices.
Mom is a huge fan of carriage rides so we also decided to catch a carriage back to the ship. Our enthusiastic driver insisted that he show us the sites en-route and we'd already negotiated the cost for the ride so we took him up on his offer.
Palermo's port is probably the largest in Sicily and the only one we've visited that the large cruise ships can access. Next to us was a massive ship holding 3,500 people that looked completely overwhelming. I can't imagine traveling with so many! Walking past, I was grateful to be returning to our cozy vessel for lunch out on the deck.
After lunch, we visited the Marionette Museum, home to over 4,000 marionettes! They put on a puppet show for our group and had set out 'refreshments' which ended up being a 20 foot buffet spread with all kinds of traditional Sicilian dishes, wine and a strong drink.
Adventure Life has been an extraordinary travel resource for us over the years and today was no exception. Our River Cruise booking was handled by Jess (who has been our personal trip planner for several years) the same day as our inquiry. Suggestions were given for cabin choice and pre-trip options (that were not shown on the cruise line's website) like airport transfers and prepaid gratuities. Trip insurance recommendations followed and we were assigned a travel co-ordinator till the end of the tour. All we have to do is show up! Great service from friendly folks.
APtravelwell
1 day ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
1 day ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
2 days ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
3 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner