On to Venice

I just left Split Croatia, where I spent my first Saturday night in Europe ashore. Quite an experience and one which allowed me to see the country in a truly different light (pun intended). In front of and inside what was once the Roman emperor Diocletian's palace are now bars and residences that have been built up since the middle ages. It's amazing how something that is "new" in this town is 500-1000 years old and built over the "old" 1700 year old ruins.

Also, over the last couple of days, I've been getting in regular workouts in the ships very small pool. The funny thing is, compared to any other swimmer on the ship, I mine as well be an Olympian. I actually got cheered on by one very nice woman who later jokingly asked me for my autograph.

Between workouts and sight seeing, the ship also has some very interesting lecturers. One, who is a classics professor at Oxford, brought up the interesting point of national mythologies and how they are formed. It is amazing how what is highlighted in a tourist brochure today might be a result of hundreds or even thousands of years of choosing only the most interesting parts of a country's history. However, at the same time, some parts of national mythologies, although they might go far back in history, were only added recently. For example, many of the Italian towns with medieval names reverted back to what they were called under Roman times due to Mussolini's obsession with making himself seem like a Roman emperor.

Tomorrow, it's off to Venice to see what this historic and beautiful city has to offer.