Day 5: Porto Santo Stefano

Good morning from somewhere over water! Today is a sea day, so I’m hoping to catch up on the last two days of blogging and adventures. 

Day 5 of the cruise was Porto Santo Stefano. There weren’t any excursions that caught my eye for this time, so I stayed on the ship in the morning, then took the tender boat to wander around the city in the afternoon. It was nice to have a day to sleep in and relax, instead of meeting a tour bus by 8:15am. It also allowed me to do one of my favorite ship activities - people watching! I had breakfast in the cafe area and watched all the people go by. It’s fascinating to see the variety of people….the ones who are very kind and talk with everyone, and then there are the ones who throw an absolute fit because the reception desk won’t give her complimentary hairspray (which she forgot). 

Mid-afternoon I took the tender boat to the Port to explore. Because I didn’t know before I started cruising…..sometimes a cruise ship can’t dock right at the port because the water is too shallow. In that case they drop anchor a short distance away, and use small boats to ferry passengers to and from the dock. They run the whole day, and are a really easy way to get from ship to port. 

When I got to the port, I started following the Promenade along the shoreline. Typical tourist shops and bars, with nothing that really stood out. So…..I turned left and started going uphill. Instantly it was a different island. I was wandering a residential area, with Nonnas hanging laundry from the windows (one looked down at me with a very confused expression) and family sounds coming from inside the apartments. And hills. Lots of hills. It was a great experience to wander around though….so different from the tourist street I had just left. Got some great pictures as well - they’re below. 

The main attraction of the island is a large Spanish fort that sits at the very top. I decided as long as I was walking, I was going to see if I could get there. Eleven flights of stairs later (according to my Apple Watch) and a lot of panting later, I made it! Only to discover they closed for the afternoon and wouldn’t open until 4pm. Well…..never mind. I took my selfie with the outside of the building and headed back down. 

After returning to the Promenade, it was a great opportunity to find a spot for a glass of wine, gelato and more people watching. I ordered what I thought was a small little gelato sundae…..and quickly discovered how wrong I was. You’ll see from the picture below - it was larger than the wine! My only regret was I couldn’t finish it. 

The next blog will be Rome, looking forward to telling you all about it. But for now…..the pictures! 

Pictures of the town, once you get beyond the tourist area. Definitely a different world. 

Got high enough I could see the ship from the view. 

The imposing (and closed!) Spanish fortress….. 

I was fascinated by this sculpture outside the church community center. It looks like the jaws of a shark, and if you look closely you can see the fish turning into birds along the side. 

The curse of outdoor cafes - the birds! Shortly after I took this picture the lady at the table next to me scooped up the piece of bread. I thought she was going to throw it away, but instead she tore it into smaller pieces so the birds could eat it more easily. Made me smile….

The sundae, and the restaurant it came from. Gelato is protein, right?  :) 

The Promenade. Totally different experience than where I was earlier. 

Fishing and charter boats by the water. 

Dinner at The Grill (poolside, casual dining). I got adventurous and tried swordfish! Would definitely eat again, good taste.