As a mom of four, I'm a light sleeper so it's an adjustment sharing a room. This morning that meant waking up at 5:30. Unable to get back to sleep, I decided to explore the ship a bit more. I found a lovely observation lounge and outdoor seating that I had all to myself, a perfect spot to reflect on the trip so far.
Sunrise on Le Bougainville back deck (Mary Curry)
Today we stopped in Porto Empedolce to access the Valley of the Temples at the archaeological site of Agrigento. Ironically, this isn't located in a valley at all, but rather along a steep hillside. This UNESCO Heritage Site was built by the Greeks in the 5th century BC. Originally home to 14 temples, there are remains of seven temples still here, all in Doric style. The highlight is the Temple of Concordia, the largest and best preserved Doric temple in Sicily and second only to Athens in the world. It is truly stunning! Built with the Golden Ratio and perched on the hillside, it's an impressive site. In recent years, a bronze statue of Icarus was created by Igor Mitoraj and it's position in front of the Temple of Concodia only adds to the ambiance.
Statue of Icarus, Agrigento Valley of the Temples (Mary Curry)
Agrigento Valley of the Temples (Mary Curry)
Our guide, Luigi, taught us so much about the history of the area from Bronze Age settlers through Greek and Roman times, up to Byzantine occupations and even recent influences. He is passionate about history and culture and his enthusiasm was definitely contagious!
The extreme heat combined with the inclines of the site and relative scarcity of shade did make for a very long, exhausting day. By the time we reached the botanical gardens of the site, I could barely summon the energy to climb down and explore. The gardens are located in the area where the ancient Greeks built aqueducts and at least one is still functioning in the gardens today. A local Sicilian preservation group has taken over care of the gardens and they market the organic produce such as lemons, grapefruit, giant zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant to fund upkeep.
After a long afternoon in the heat of the temples, we visited the Agrigento Museum. The highlight is a three story high stone statue cared around 480 BC that was originally housed in the Temple of Zeus. It was one of several colossal statues that appeared to support the columns of this unfinished (and now completely in ruins) temple at the Valley of the Temples.
Statue from the Temple of Zeus (Mary Curry)
Though incredibly impressive, the heat had gotten the best of me and I nearly fell asleep in the museum. It was great to get back to the ship to freshen up for the Captain's Gala Dinner. This was definitely a bigger production than I've seen on other ships. First we met in the theater for photos with the captain and entertainment by one of the onboard singers. We had a cocktail and the standard introductions before heading to the dining room for a four course set menu. After dinner, the Paris C'Show ballet dancers performed a show in the theater.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.