AIDA Mediterranean 2013 · Page 2

On Tuesday morning we arrived in Palermo. We had booked the excursion "Surprising Palermo" through AIDA. The nice thing about AIDA excursions is that you don't have to worry about anything: buses are ready to leave and a German-speaking guide is always with you.

First we went on a city tour of Palermo and got our first impressions of this metropolis.

To a German, the traffic is simply chaotic.

Our first stop was the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, an extensive burial complex beneath the Capuchin monastery, and with its natural mummies one of the best-known mummy tombs in the world. Several thousand mummies can be seen in the catacombs. The best-known body is that of two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo, who died of the Spanish flu on 6 December 1920.

Then the tour continued with a city tour and a visit to the botanical garden, where you can admire huge weeping figs. The garden serves as a teaching and research facility for the University of Palermo and also attracts many visitors.

Arrival in Naples. The lovely sunshine and warm temperatures hadn't come with us: only 13 degrees and overcast.

The port of Naples is right in the city centre, so most of the sights are only a few minutes' walk from the ship. The four of us set off to explore the city and get to know Naples.

First impression: Naples is loud, crowded and chaotic. That impression didn't change.

The many little lanes are simply lovely and invite you to stroll – but be careful, cars drive here too, and not exactly slowly.