DAY 2

SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2004

PORTOFERRAIO, ITALY

The "m.s.y. Wind Spirit" gave us a good night’s rest. Could it have been the slapping of waves against the ship’s hull as we sailed through the midnight waters of the Mediterranean? Or perhaps the relaxation of knowing we all made it on board and are together?

During our seven-day voyage we will call at seven ports. Today is Portoferraio, located on the island of Elba. The other ports we will visit include: Portofino, Italy; Monte Carlo, its own principality; Nice, Marseilles, and Port Vendres, France; and our final destination - Barcelona, Spain.

We arrive at each port of call daily between 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM, and usually depart around 5:00 PM. So, we have the entire day to spend as we choose - shore, ship, or in the water.

The "Wind Spirit" has a hefty schedule of tours to choose from and some of us will take one a day, while others will pick and choose, or simply go into town and wander around with the maps provided by the ship’s tour office. It’s simply your choice.

One advantage of sailing on a smaller vessel is that we can visit ports that do not accommodate large mega-cruise ships. Hence, some of the places we visit are more remote, or not overrun by tourists, or do not have a half a dozen gigantic ships tied up at dock or moored in the harbor. The "Wind Spirit" offers us a unique sailing experience.

The early morning weather today in Portoferraio is warm, and a bit rainy and overcast. Soon the clouds will part and give way to sun and a hot summer day. After a scrumptious breakfast on the upper deck overlooking the charming seaside town of Portoferraio, many in our group are off to town. The tour to Mt. Capanne, a granite mountain on the island’s west side, is cancelled due to the weather. Many from the cancelled tour join the group going to the Napoleonic Museum.

Portoferraio is one of the most historical ports we will visit. It is located on the island of Elba, where Emperor Napoleon was exiled following the Treaty of Fontenbleau.

During exile, Napoleon lived here in a home that was owned by the military, and which he confiscated under his authority as emperor. However, one house was not enough for the emperor. Having arrived in Elba without any money, he borrowed funds from his sister Paulina and purchased a second home, a small country residence in the hills above Portoferraio. (His sister sold her pearl necklace to provide him with money to purchase the house.)

As we toured Napoleon’s country home, our guide explained that although it was quite a small house for an emperor, it had a large garden and park. Napoleon liked the park and asked his sister to send her gardener to him, which she did.

All the walls of the country home are painted with frescoes depicting topics chosen by Napoleon. In one room the ceiling is painted with pearls, honoring Napoleon’s sister who sold her necklace to buy the home. The ceiling of another room is painted with love knots held up by doves in honor of Napoleon’s wife Marie, who never visited him while he was in exile. The largest room, the Egyptian Room, is painted with Egyptian columns, hieroglyphics, and symbols. Evidentially, Napoleon was fascinated by Egypt.

There is a fairly large museum built below the country house. It exhibits the private collection of the Spandolino family - Napoleonic memorabilia of books, lithographs, porcelain pieces and other items depicting his battles, coronation, and larger-than-life existence. In the museum are 19th century words summing up the powerful but powerless man Napoleon and his life on the island of Elba:

"On that lost island, where you can see neither the sun nor the moon, the greatness of the past fell into the misfortunes of the present, and the glory of the memories alternated to the humiliation of internment."

Napoleon done - our tour bus hit the road and drove us through typical fishing villages, high mountain passes and summer resorts along the coast. We stopped (and some shopped) at Porto Azzuro with its rugged coastline, high cliffs stony beaches and old fort towering over the port.

Returning to the ship we were on time for another splendid buffet lunch - Bobbie said the lasagna was just as good as her Mom use to make (now that’s a compliment!).

This afternoon everyone just hung out. Torie hit the swimming pool and found the salt water was a little cold. Shaylynn enjoyed the movie "Bringing Down the House", while Lauren sunbathed with Catherine and shared a strawberry smoothie. Photographer Becca walked around the town taking photos. We were all impressed with Lindsey who submitted her homework via the internet today, a paper on the topic of "Worship of Angels and Discipleship".

Later, we attended the Captain’s Reception welcoming all passengers aboard the "Wind Spirit", with introductions of officers and crew by Captain Scott. Bobbie and Jim, surrounded by their family, delighted in and enjoyed every moment of the event.

Returning to our cabin, we found an envelope at the door. Inside was an invitation cordially inviting us to the "Renewal of Vows of Jim & Bobbie Knuppe" to be held in the Veranda, Deck 4 on Monday July 26, 2004 at 6:30 PM.

Day two was memorable.