Roman Holiday: Two great tours in the Eternal City

The Colosseum is a massive symbol of eternal Rome
(wikipedia)

ROME — More often than not, the second time you visit a destination will be better than the first. On that primary trip, travelers typically race non-stop through unfamiliar locations to view all the must-see sites.

Compare that to the second or third time around when there's a frame of reference combined with the luxury of time to seek and discover the hidden gems you overlooked on that initial trip.

Palatine Hill, Home of the
Roman Emperors (wikipedia)

Visitors to Rome this summer can take advantage of two incredible excursions offered by Through Eternity, an innovative tour company which has built its reputation on unique one-of-a-kind in-depth sightseeing programs. This year, Through Eternity is one of a handful of companies that have been awarded the opportunity to visit Nero's Golden House (Domus Aurea) and the Colosseum by Night.

Travelers have the opportunity experience these historic landmarks just as the Romans lived them, through the darkened torch lit tunnels of the Colosseum and the massive gold covered rooms of Nero's palace. The Golden House tour is aided by 3D virtual reality so visitors can see Domus Aurea just as it was in the time of the infamous Roman emperor.

The Roman Forum captures the imagination of a glorious past
(wikipedia)

For nearly two thousand years, Nero's 200 room Golden Palace has been hidden beneath Palatine Hill overlooking the Colosseum in Rome. Built between 64-68 AD the magnificent residence was destroyed by the Roman people and the Senate to erase the memory of Nero's extravagance and abuse of power.

According to some accounts, Celer and Severus, the architect/engineers of the palace, designed an ingenious mechanism in one location where slaves turned a huge crank that made the ceiling beneath the dome revolve like the heavens while perfume was sprayed to permeate the surroundings and rose petals were dropped on diners below.

Nero's Domus Aurea or
Golden House  (wikipedia)

The Through Eternityprogram begins in a vast column-lined portico complete with a grotto and waterfall that reside within alabaster walls. Courtyards and gardens filled with priceless paintings, mosaics and sculpture reveal themselves to visitors as they stroll through the cavernous complex before arriving at the Octagonal Room.

Here, Nero's guests would lie on couches and feast while admiring the heavens above.

Nero's frescoes are still
vibrant  (wikipedia)

Tours are done just twice a week at appointed times each day, making visits limited. Through Eternity offers a three part tour through the underground palace including the unique experience of donning 3D glasses and virtual animation to recreate the ruins just as they were in Nero's time.

The program concludes with a sparking glass of prosecco and snacks on a rooftop overlooking a 360-degree panorama of the Colosseum and Rome at night

Painting of a gladiator in
ancient Rome  (wikipedia)

The second program of this dynamic duo of tours is a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of the Colosseum and historic past. Through Eternity begins with a moonlight stroll through the two-tiered Colosseum underground where gladiators and animals awaited their fates in side by side cages.

Through Eternity will take you into the labyrinth of caves once occupied by gladiators and animals  (wikipedia)

Even in daylight the labyrinth of corridors and caverns beneath the Colosseum floor were bathed in darkness illuminated only by torchlight. Archaeological digs have produced hundreds of lanterns that only provided  flickering visibility for the competitors before battle in the arena.

The Palatine Hill nestles beside the Colosseum overlooking the
ancient Roman Forum  (wikipedia)

In addition the tour guide teaches visitors about the ingenious mechanical equipment was used to  maneuver massive stage sets into the arena and even to occasionally flood the floor to create mock sea battles.

Following the Colosseum visit, take a walk through history in the Roman Forum to the Campidoglio, designed by Michelangelo.

Through Eternity has been offering unique private and small group tours of Rome since 1999 with a philosophy of taking traveling travelers to many of the lesser known venues and relevant locations that are often located within the shadow of better known monuments and museums.

Victor Emmanuelle Monument at one end of the Roman Forum
sits beside Michelangelo's Campidoglio  (Taylor)

Guides speak fluent English and are selected for their intimate knowledge of Rome, their scholastic background and their professional expertise. It's a combination that provides a powerful experience through the love and passion the guides have for their city. 

The Colosseum at twilight beckons us to journey into the past
of a once glorious empire  (wikipedia)

Many travel experts say that the best way to "discover" a destination is to walk its streets and to immerse yourself into the sights, sounds and even the aromas of the place. (For details contact, Mary Liz Wheelis at The Suite Group 800-783-6904 or e-mail ml@tvlmarketing.com)

Through Eternity provides the best of both worlds by providing unique guided walks that allow visitors to learn and discover as they meander their way through the past.

The old adage goes that "Rome is eternal" and the best way to find out is to explore Rome Through Eternity.

The Panama Canal: Eighth wonder of the world in a land that time forgot

Massive freighter enters a lock in the Panama Canal  (Taylor)

PANAMA CANAL ZONE, PANAMA —Travel tip: If you really want to see the Panama Canal and how it operates, do it by land and sea rather than on a trans-canal cruise.

With a land/sea tour, travelers see the canal from the inside- out as well as the outside-in, discover the history, tour the manmade Gatun Lake, visit Panamanian craftsmen, scoot across the top of a rain forest and see the country up close and personal for about half the price of a cruise.

Some ships only have an 18-inch clearance on each side of a lock  (Taylor)

Collette Vacations offers one of the best travel packages going to this "land between the seas" where the 100 year old waterway connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. You might just say that touring Panama through the countryside is a "lock."

The world's 50  mile shortcut
(Taylor)

The fifty mile Panama Canal project began in 1881 with French teams attempting to link the oceans, but a high mortality rate, largely due to malaria, and engineering problems halted construction until 1904 when the United States took up the challenge.

As one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects in history, the canal eventually opened a decade later in 1914 allowing ships to reduce transit time between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as avoiding the hazardous route around Cape Horn at the tip of South America.

Curiosity seeker on Lake Gatun
(Taylor)

There are only six locks for ships to negotiate, three at each end of the canal before exiting into the manmade Gatun Lake which was created to reduce the amount of excavation work. Though both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean are on relatively the same level, the lake sits about 85-feet above sea level, thus making the locks necessary.

While the canal has served its purpose magnificently for more than a century, the need for wider locks became necessary to accommodate modern-day shipping that is even larger. As a consequence, Post-Panamax ships have been making transits through an expanded canal and a third set of locks which began operation only about a year ago.

Where the old canal links with the new (Taylor)

Since its opening in 1914, when approximately 1,000 ships went through the canal, more than 850,000 vessels had cleared the locks by 2013 through one of man's finest architectural achievements.

Today, more than 15,000 ships transit the canal annually.

The canal can now handle modern day ships that are longer
and wider  (Taylor)

As early as 1534, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, ordered a survey across the Isthmus of Panama to determine if it would be possible to bypass the lower tip of South America. Not only would that be a major trade advantage but a huge military factor over the Portuguese as well.

Fast forward nearly four centuries later, and there was interest by some Americans to run the canal through Nicaragua rather than Panama.

Panama is new to tourism
(Taylor)

By 1903 Panama declared its independence from Columbia, and as part of the recognition of the new country, a treaty was signed granting the United States rights to build the canal and indefinitely administer the Panama Canal Zone. In the process, the language of the treaty was misinterpreted as granting the U.S. a "99 year lease" on the project.

Though contentious for many months, in 1903, the Republic of Panama became a U.S. protectorate until 1939.

Freighters can carry huge loads to waiting railways  (Taylor)

Once convinced that Panama was a better location than Nicaragua, President Theodore Roosevelt stated at the time "I took the Isthmus, started the canal and then left Congress not to debate the canal, but to debate me."

Using the abandoned French equipment and excavations, including the Panama Railroad, work resumed primarily in the area known as the Culebra Cut.

Culebra Cut is now filled in to make Lake Gatun  (Taylor)

Lake Gatun was artificially created by closing off the mouth of the Chagres River, lowering the walls of Culebra Cut and dredging approach culverts. Large military bases were also constructed to defend the project.

Among the key factors in the success of the canal was the administration of John Frank Stevens, a self-educated engineer, who had the vision to bypass bureaucratic red-tape and send requests directly to the Roosevelt administration in Washington.

Monument to Goethals (Taylor)

Stevens recognized the need for proper housing, cafeterias, hotels, water systems and repair shops to aide the thousands of workers on the project.

Unlike the French approach, Stevens had the imagination to cut through the mountains and dam the Chagres River.

When Stevens resigned as chief engineer in 1907, he was replaced by Major George Washington Goethals of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who completed the project.

To this day the names Stevens and Goethals are as revered in Panama as any beloved leader in the history of any other country.

Cemetery honors the Panamanian soldiers and workers who died working on the canal (Taylor)

In October, 1913, President Woodrow Wilson sent a signal from the White House via telegraph to Panama. That signal triggered the explosion which flooded the Culebra Cut and created Lake Gatun. In that historic moment, the Caribbean Sea united with the Pacific Ocean.

And on August 15, 1914, the freighter Ancon became the first ship to transit the new Panama Canal. During the ten year of construction, some 5,600 workers lost their lives.

The Miraflores Locks building is also a museum telling the history of the canal  (Taylor)

For travelers interested in not only seeing the locks of the Panama Canal, but searching for wildlife on Lake Gatun, browsing the historic museum in the Miraflores Locks building on the Pacific Ocean side of the canal and immersing yourself into the wonders of the Panama Canal, the only way to do it is by land and water.

Panamanians will greet you with a
smile (Taylor)

Tourism is new to Panama. The infrastructure is there for travelers to savor with all the comforts of home, but the people themselves are still going through the learning curve of how best to adapt to their new role in the world. It is that gentleness and kindness of spirit that makes Panama unique and gives it its charm.

For visitors, that translates to stepping into the past to tour a land that time forgot while traveling to a place you will long remember.

Les Ilets de la Plage on St, Barths offers three night stay at a great price

Les Ilets de la Plage is a little bit of heaven in paradise
(Les Ilets de la Plage)

ST. BARTHS -- One of the best things about travel is finding a special rate that allows you to live like royalty. St. Barths has long been an oasis of solitude for luxury travel, making it a popular destination for celebrities and jet setters from around the world.

So here's a little secret for sunworshippers who thought St. Barths was beyond their budget. Les Ilets de la Plage is offering a three-night summer package from now until July 10, 2017 for a two bedroom Garden Villa for $255 per person based on occupancy of four, or $300 per person for a one bedroom garden villa.

Lush St Barts  (Taylor)

Rates increase on July 11 until August 31, but they are still a bargain when compared to other  elegant properties.

Among the best features of Les Ilets de la Plage is the privacy of this family owned and operated property with its stunning views of the best known and most popular beach on St. Barths, St. Jean Bay. Not far away is St. Barths north shore with its array of trendy bistros and boutiques.

St. Jean Beach is the most popular spot on the island
  (Taylor)

Les Ilets de la Plage is a tiny, understated resort featuring 11 villas on  St. Jean Beach. The four one-bedroom beachfront duplex villas feature covered terraces which open to a grassy area that spills into the sand and surf.  There are also seven hillside villas built on the slope from the beach in traditional Caribbean ranch style surrounded by gardens filled with tropical flowers and palm trees. Each villa has a view of the gardens or St. Jean Beach.

St, Barths harbor  (Taylor)

Accommodations are simply, but elegantly appointed with fully equipped kitchens, air conditioned bedrooms, sitting area, Wi-Fi, satellite television and en-suite bathrooms. A concierge is on-duty throughout the day to assist guests with other services such as rental cars, restaurant reservations, babysitting, boat charters and the like.

Best of all the three night package for a one bedroom is based upon double occupancy with a third person staying for free. Amenities include croissants, pastries and a morning newspaper delivered to the door plus a bottle of Rose.

Livin' is easy on St Barts  (Taylor)

Food can be expensive on this hilly jewel that nestles about 22 miles southeast of St. Martin, so to further reduce costs you may want to budget by shopping at local stores and taking advantage of the kitchen in the villa.

For getting around, a rental car is probably the best way to see everything, however, if beach life is your cup of tea then

Les Ilets de la Plage will more than satisfy your needs as the perpetual Caribbean sunshine makes its way across the cerulean sky.

Tucked beneath the palms on St Jean Beach
(Les Ilets de la Plage)

Gustavia Harbor is a focal point of activity on St. Barths with plenty of shopping, quaint boutiques, eclectic cuisine and a bit of history to boot. Surrounded by shallow reefs, the area of St. Barths is just under 10 square miles. It is the only island in the Caribbean that is of Swedish origin, and the Three Crowns of the Swedish national arms still appear in the island's coat of arms.

Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit the island in 1493, naming it after his brother Bartolomeo. During the next century the island began to take shape under formal colonization.

St. Barths became French in 1946 with electricity coming to most of the island 15 years later in 1961. Electricity proved to be the turning point as hotels and tourism sprang up almost overnight.

In the early 1990s St. Barths boasted of two cooking schools: the St. Barts Cooking School emphasizing classical French cuisine and Cooking in Paradise which focused on creole dishes. Even today, food is one of the primary attractions to St. Barths with more than 70 restaurants of which a significant number offer gourmet specialties.

Landing on St Barths is a thrill ride (Taylor)

You will also find "snacks" which the French call "les snacks" or "les petits creux" that include sandwiches, pizza and salads. Even so, compared to other places in the world, "les snacks" can be pricey.

St Barts Beach is pristine  (Taylor)

No matter. Just think of the money you saved at Les Ilets de la Plage, lay out in the sun and then splurge for one night out on the town and you have the makings of an ideal mini-vacation.

Oh, and by the way, there's a three bedroom villa as well!

Sicily's hillside riviera; Taormina

Mt Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, does sound and light shows in Sicily  (Rauters)

TAORMINA, SICILY — Taormina is to Sicily what the Amalfi Coast is to mainland Italy. That statement alone is enough to entice travelers to the tiny mountain village famed for its majestic panoramas.

Taormina is "lifestyles of the rich and famous" Sicilian-style and one look around is all you will need to understand why.

Before 734 BC, when the Greeks arrived in Sicily to build a town called Naxos, the region was already inhabited. Before long, colonists from Naxos had built Tauromenion, and visitors have been beguiled ever since.

Isola Bella is Sicily's best beach
(wikipedia)

Mention the word "island" and travelers immediately conjure images of beaches. Taormina does not disappoint with "Isola Bella" being accessible by a cable car, it is, without doubt, the most famous beach in Sicily.

The noted French short story writer, Guy de Maupassant, once described Taormina as "all that seems made on earth to entice eyes, spirit and imagination."

By the late 19th century, three artists working in different genres of creativity had much to do with putting Taormina on the map as an elegant travel destination.

Taormina is a treasure trove of art, architecture, history and culture  (Taylor)

Wilhelm von Gloeden did much of his photographic work in the area filming male nudes. So extensive did his reputation become that there is some speculation that early on Taormina became infamous as a gentleman's destination.

The Greek Theater in Taormina is alluring  (Taylor)

German painter Otto Geleng helped change that image with his collections of paintings in Italy. Though he exhibited in mostly in Berlin, Geleng's landscapes of the southern regions of Italy captured the imagination of northern Europeans thanks to sensational views and the stunning light of Sicily.

While exhibiting in Berlin and Paris, critics of Geleng claimed his paintings of ruins, sea and mountains were unrealistic because such scenes were unfamiliar to other people living in other parts of Europe.

Geleng challenged them to visit Taormina with him with the promise that he would pay all expenses if he had misrepresented the truth in his art.

Everywhere you turn there is
something to see (Taylor)

The first important tourist to visit Taormina was Johann Wolfgang Goethe who wrote at length about the city in his book titled "Italian Journey."

Thus through words, paintings and a touch of scandal, Taormina became crossroads of tourism that has been on-going for more than a century.

One of the most dramatic locations in Taormina is the Greek amphitheatre, the Teatro Greco, which is framed by mountains, including the active volcano Mt. Etna, as it peers from above toward the Straits of Messina and mainland Europe in the distance.

Sicily looks out to the toe of Italy's boot  (Taylor)

As with so many Green theaters of the day, the acoustics are every bit as spectacular as the ruins themselves, with the ability to hear people speak in normal tones and be heard on the back row of the structure.

Ashes swept from an Etna
eruption (Taylor)

Today, Taormina nestles atop the ancient site of the city which is about 800 feet above sea level. The rock-face is steep and almost isolated, but it is crowned by a Saracen Castle which rises another 500 feet.

Perched on its cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea, Taormina's character thrives within the architecture of ancient churches, lively bars, excellent restaurants and lovely boutiques and antique shops.

Market day is always a colorful experience  (Taylor)

Just 45 minutes away by car, a popular excursion is to visit Europe's largest active volcano, Mount Etna. Etna is a restless mountain, choosing to erupt with regularity though inconsistently. Though it posts no danger to villagers, when Etna is in tune, it often puts on spectacular sky shows that later leave Taorminians sweeping up piles of ash from the streets.

If nothing else suits, Taormina's Isola Bella is the place to be
(wikipedia)

At the end of the day, stop in at a local cafe and order a granita to top off your experience. The refreshing concoction of Italian shaved ice is the ideal way to "play it cool" or to be enthralled by the power of Mother Nature erupting from the center of the earth.

The Greek Theater says it all  (Taylor)

Taormina may not be the easiest place in the world to reach, but 

once you are there, you know you have "discovered"  a place that is truly special.

Crete: A mixture of myth, legend, reality and the city of Knossos

Frescoes adorn a portico at the Palace of Knossos  (wikipedia)

CRETE – Traveling to Greece presents a tiny, but not insurmountable set of adjustments that most other destinations rarely encounter. Chronologically Greece is difficult because you have to think backwards in time in order to go forward. Everything is BC which means dates go in decreasing order.

Daedalus and Icarus are Greek
myths  (wikipedia)

Despite that, Knossos on the island of Crete, which dates to the Bronze Age, is a fascinating place to visit with its legends of King Minos and its famous Labyrinth. Knossos is considered by many to be the oldest city in Europe, and that fact alone makes it alluring.

The first settlement dates to around 7,000 BC while the first palace is estimated to be roughly four thousand years old with a date of 1,900 BC.

Thanks to its location, roughly equidistant from the European mainland, Africa and Asia, Crete has long been a crossroads. The city of Knossos is evidence of that with its ruins that appear more Egyptian than Greek.

Daedalus builds the Labyrinth at Knossos  (wikipedia)

Knossos was discovered in 1878, but it was another 22-years before English archaelogist Sir Arthur Evans began excavating the site. Not only did the size of the excavation exceed Evans expectations, but so, too, did the discovery of two ancient scripts which he labeled “Linear A” and “Linear B.”

Evidence from the layering allowed Evans to determine that Knossos had been part of the Aegean Minoan civilization which flourished from approximately 3,650 BC to 1,400 BC and predated both the Mycenaean civilization as well as Ancient Greece.

Fearsome Minotour
(wikipedia)

The palace was unquestionably the center of all things ceremonial and political during the Minoan period. It is a maze of human presence with workrooms, living areas and storerooms near the central square.

One of the striking aspects of Knossos is the distinctive red coloring that can be seen everywhere. The palace’s indoor and outdoor murals provided graphic insights into life on Crete as it was nearly 6,000 years ago.

For travelers, the Greek mythology is arguably the most enticing aspect of the ruins. King Minos lived in a palace at Knossos where he had the architect Daedalus build an elaborate labyrinth with which to contain his son the Minotaur.

The North Portico at Knossos on the island of Crete (wikipedia)

A labyrinth is a massive maze which becomes so confusing to navigate that it is virtually impossible to escape unless you know the key. Fearing that Daedalus would reveal the secret of the Labyrinth, Minos kept the architect and his son Icarus trapped within the maze.

However, being an inventor as well as an architect, Daedalus designed two sets of wax wings, one for himself and one for his son, so they could fly out of the Labyrinth in case of an emergency.

Fresco where the colors are still brilliant even after thousands of years  (wikipedia)

The myth says that Icarus’ youthful exuberance got the best of him during his flight, going ever higher until he got too close to the sun. The wings melted and the boy fell to his death in the Aegean Sea.

As for the Minotaur, he is a mythological creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man who was described by the Roman poet Ovid.

According to the legend, the king’s daughter Ariadne fell in love with an Athenian named Theseus who had volunteered to slay the Minotaur. Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread which he used to mark his path into the Labyrinth.

Map of ancient Crete, Knossos is in the north center of the map
(wikipedia) 

Following his victory over the beast, Theseus and Ariadne fled Crete, but he later abandoned her on the island of Naxos.

Part of the difficulty in separating truth from reality in Greece is not only the chronology of events, but also sorting out what is real and what is legend. While Minos was a fictional character, the Labyrinth of Knossos does exist and it is easy to see how the combination of time lines, civilizations, mythical creatures and real people can eventually become a muddle.

Added to the story is the fact that there has been some speculation that Crete is actually the result of a volcanic eruption on another Greek island called Santorini. According to some analysts, Crete may actually be a link to the lost city of Atlantis.

Fresco depiction of Greek women on Crete  (wikipedia)

Anyway you look at it, Knossos on the Aegean island of Crete is an enjoyable outing. It is, in its own way, the Pompeii of Greece.

For the most enjoyable experience, keep your curiosity to a minimum as you sort out the names and dates and you will be pleasantly rewarded just as long as you don’t get lost in the Labyrinth.