Day One Hundred Ten - April 25

Calm seas were the word of the day for our sail into Crotone today. As we approached, you could see a number of oil rigs dot the Adriatic Sea as Italy tries to find more sources of oil. Presently, Italy must import all its oil needs.

The city of Crotone with its population of roughly 65,000 lies at the base of rolling hills where you can see wind farms to generate additional power.

Crotone was founded by the Achaean Greeks about 710 BC so it has a long history. When you travel over to Europe and witness these old towns you then realize how young North America really is.

Our arrival time was scheduled for 09:00 with all aboard 17:30 and departure 18:00. The port is located a ten minute walk into the the town centre. A bus shuttle was provided but Janice and I preferred to walk.

We did not know it at the time but April 25 is known as Italian Liberation Day and a national holiday in Italy. It refers to the day the allied forces liberated Italy in WWII.

Many shops were closed, sport activites and family time was present on this day.

The town itself is perfect for walking around through the narrow cobblestone streets. The visitor centre in town provided us with a map of the old town which we tried to follow.

One of our stops was to the Church of the Immaculate Conception. In the church basement we saw rows of pews with both walls adourned with names of deceased loved ones etched in marble. At the back a glass room was filled with small skelton heads from the past. I was unable to find any information on this yet.

The Fortress Castle which you could see from our stateroom was another point of interest where we made our way to.

Returning to the main square, Janice wanted to go shopping but there was little success as most shops were closed for the holiday.

Meeting friends d*** and Joan, we journeyed to the beach front to find a restaurant for lunch. We chose Gambero Rosso Ristorante - Pizzeria. The hostess was from a town east of Ottawa. She had gone to Mykonos, Greece to find a Greek man but instead found an Italian. They are happily married and living in Crotone.