The Aegean Sea Cruise: Beautiful Capri

Welcome back to the Aegean Sea Cruise blog series.
Yesterday we sailed due south along the Mediterranean Sea and arrived in beautiful and sunny Naples. Just offshore in view were the islands of Capri and Ischia. We were briefly in Naples last year, on our way to a very memorable day in Sorrento. I still talk about Sorrento to this day. The name of Naples dates back to when the Greeks founded this spot calling it “Neapolis” which translates to “new city” and later evolved to Napoli when the Italians conquered it sometime in the 4th Century BC. This region has incredible natural beauty from its highly fertile lands that produce copious amounts of food products. During the Roman Empire, Naples was known as the bread basket to the empire. Today Naples is a busy densely populated city with charming hustle bustle. Naples has a thriving art scene balanced with its history, traditions and local southern Italian culture. Since we've been to Naples before, we decided to spend more time in Capri. This photo below is what we saw when the hydrofoil arrived at the port.

Capri is a charming island whose name means “goat island”.  It is stunningly beautiful with a base of limestone so the rocks look white. Emperor Augustus built a villa here because of the natural beauty of the island, so there is a fair amount of history still evident. As we walked around Capri, we saw some incredible villas with such beauty it made me humble. I could easily live here!
While exploring Capri, we took the Funiculare (cable car) up the hill to the 
main area of Capri where we found shops, restaurants, bakeries, churches and all kinds of fun things. I passed by a pasticerria (bakery) that was baking. It drew me in and I had to buy a brioche, which was still warm. Later, we passed a restaurant that was making the dough for its pizza right in the open window. We went back to that restaurant for lunch; we had fresh Capricciolo pizzas, fresh  home-made ravioli, fresh crusty Italian bread and vino rosso, of course! It was a delicious lunch for sure!

We took a ride up to the town of Anacapri, situated way up high over Capri. This tiny yet elegant neighborhood was so beautiful. Mostly residential, its shops and restaurants gave you the sense this was all for the locals. This was where we spent a great deal of time. Without a doubt, this ranks up as one of the most beautiful places I have seen throughout Europe. For some reason it just clicked for me. A brief 12 minute ride up a chairlift brought us to the very top of the mountain, offering stunning views of the island, its rocky coast and of the azure-blue waters below.

Despite having facilities and shops for tourists, the island of Capri does not feel like a heavy tourist destination. It has the sense of an island that is primarily occupied by locals who allow tourists to stop by. One interesting observation was that among the winding, elegant streets of high end retail shops and restaurants, there wasn’t a single vacancy or closed store. (This contrasts sharply with what I’ve seen almost everywhere else I travel, where lots of shops went out of business). Even high end places like Beverly Hills in LA have lots of stores that have gone out of business. For some reason Capri seems to be doing well. Perhaps a testament to the popularity of this wonderful island. Here are some photos of Capri. Sorry they are random, I can't seem to arrange them properly:

My apologies for the crazy formatting of photos and descriptions. I'm really struggling with the new Blogger software. While still early on the journey, Capri is sure to remain a highlight of this cruise. Today we are at sea all day, en route to Athens! Thanks for stopping by today, I appreciate it.
-Ricardo Rockhillo

The Aegean Sea Cruise: Departure from Rome

Welcome to The Aegean Sea Cruise: Departure from Rome. After several marvelous days in Rome, we reached our sail away day to begin the fabulous Aegean Sea Cruise. We have an exciting itinerary: Naples, Capri, then onto various ports in Greece, Turkey, Egypt and then back to Rome again. I’ll leave the exact details until they happen.

We spent yesterday enjoying the day in Rome, savoring the time at our hotel, which really was fantastic on every level. (see patio breakfast photo at left). We had a car drive us through the countryside to enjoy the view along to the coast, to Citivecchia, the port of departure for our cruise. Since we are now frequent cruisers, we had “preferred boarding” so we were able to board quickly and with no delays. After unpacking our bags and settling in, we decided to enjoy the ship right away.
First up was a lovely reception with a cheese tasting table, which was a perfect compliment to the champagne.

The sail away party was fairly low key, in that Citivecchia isn’t much of a port.  So we went to the Wheelhouse Lounge to partake in a pre-dinner beverage (see photo below). 

All in all, a nice relaxing start to the big cruise. Today we’re in Capri, and the weather is supposed to be perfect. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you can follow along as the daily cruise blog begins.
-Ricardo Rockhillo

Rick’s Roadshow: Rome Makes Me Want to Roam

Welcome back to Rick’s Roadshow: Rome Makes Me Want to Roam

I started the day with an early morning swim in the hotel’s fabulous pool. I ordered coffee poolside and figured I could do my laps and then relax in my fluffy bathrobe. It was still quite early so I had the pool to myself. After a mere four laps I was completely out of breath and thoroughly exhausted. I swear the pool must be an Olympic size pool. I was huffing, puffing and heaving so I clawed my way out of the pool and sat on the side trying to catch my breath. The coffee sure tasted good at that point.

For our second full day in Rome, we planned an itinerary that had us doing some serious walking. It started at an eerie church Santa Maria della Concezione. I say eerie because the inside walls of the chapel was decorated with the bones of over 4,000 monks dating back to the 1500’s. Talk about creepy. These poor monks bodies were dug up after having long decomposed, and then assembled on walls as the décor. There were alcoves with piles and piles of carefully placed skulls all to make patterns. Let’s just say it was one of the strangest things I have ever seen.  

From there we went to visit the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, which remains today the private home of the Doria Pamphilj family. Part of their Palazzo is open to the public, with multiple rooms on exhibit with a stunning array of art on exhibit. This noble Italian royal family dates back over 500 years, with important historical connections throughout the Mediterranean. Andrea Doria led independence from Genoa, and Giovanni Doria Andrea  fought a famous battle against the Turks in the battle of Lepanto in 1571. 

But it was later in 1644 when the Doria family’s own Cardinal Giovanni Battista was elected as Pope and became known as Pope Innocent X. Without question, having a pope in the family during this era brought enormous power and prestige to the Doria Pamphilj family. Photo left: the colonnade entrance to the Palazzo. Photo below: the bathroom salon at the Palazzo. Photo below the bathroom salon: a lovely iron grate outside the windows of the Palazzo.

The princes and princesses who followed Innocent X maintained their family passion for art, assembling an enormous private collection that continues to be open to the public here in Rome. Being received at the Palazzo was quite an exciting opportunity, it is on the level of The Vatican, Windsor Castle of Buckingham Palace. Exquisite paintings, incredible tapestries, beautiful sculptures and marble everywhere. 

Having toured many of the great palaces and art museums across Europe, what struck me as we visited this Palazzo was the abundance of talent and culture that emanated from Western Europe over the past 600 years. Clearly a passionate people inspired by a wide array of historical events, and public figures. One could argue that at times, the inspiration may have been driven by flawed individuals, egomaniacs or even conquerors of holy wars. Regardless of why, what resulted was an unprecedented outpouring of talent that translated onto canvas, stone, jewelry, fabric and much more. Modern art collectors such as The Smithsonian continue to acquire art from the past and the present, seeking to preserve culture for future generations to appreciate and hopefully inspire. I never profess to be an art historian, but over the years I have come to appreciate art- in its various forms as an important part of our shared society. The Palazzo Doria Pamphilj is a delightful way to spend an afternoon in Rome, even if you aren’t visiting a member of the family. I highly recommend visiting its public galleries, they are open to the public for a small entrance fee. 

Our day of walking continued with a brief visit to the Castel of San Angelo, adjacent to The Vatican at the foot of Piazza San Pietro (St Peter’s Square).  We checked out the site of the tomb of Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome. It was under substantial renovation and excavation so we couldn’t really see much. I would have thought that this would have had a more grand memorial, considering the importance of Augustus to the Roman Empire. Perhaps that is what they are working on restoring-even if it is over 2,000 years later! The square around the tomb has some interesting buildings, including some Fascist-era buildings (see photo above) built by Mussolini complete with art deco style décor. And in stark contrast also adjacent are contemporary modern structures with glass and steel, as well as a Papal monument and Renaissance era church. So in just one city square you can see four great representations of Roman history. It is a simple, yet remarkable site, which goes unnoticed by most passers-by. It was further evidence to me, that Rome truly is The Eternal City.

Please join me again tomorrow for a fresh edition of Rick’s Roadshow, as we begin our fabulous Aegean Sea cruise. We set sail from Rome and head south to Capri and Naples and then journey to some exotic sites…it should be a memorable trip. Thanks for following along.
-Ricardo Rockhillo

Rick's Roadshow: Rome The Eternal City

It’s so good to be back in Rome again. It occurred to us that in the past 12 months, we’ve taken three trips to “The Eternal City”. It has quickly become familiar and comfortable to us. Of course my command of the Italian language helps demystify it all (okay that was an inside joke for anyone who has heard me speak Italian). These are my people, so I understand the culture, particularly when it comes to eating. But more on that later. One of the nice things of having been here several times is that when we return there is no pressure to “sight see”. Instead we play things by ear, and just enjoy the city as local Romans would. Sunday was a nice and relaxing day; we had a very relaxing breakfast poolside, enjoying the most delicious coffee I’ve had in a long time. Afterward we strolled the grounds of our hotel. The Cavalieri is part of the Waldorf=Astoria hotel collection and certainly lives up to their standards. The Cavalieri sits atop a very high hill overlooking Rome, offering stunning views of this magnificent city.

 








We decided to spend Sunday in the Park, at the famed Villa Borghese Park. It was quite pleasant- mid 70’s and sunny, a perfect day to be out for a stroll. We came across a great dog park where there must have been a hundred dogs roaming around quite happily; mixing and mingling with other dogs, all barking in Italian. 
Below left: Entrance to the Gardino Zoologico (zoo). Notice the details of the sculptures on the entrance gate- there is an elephant head at the top.

 

This statue of the eagle was at the entrance to the park from the main road.

This waterfall statue is of a woman with water flowing from her water jug down into the lake. 

above & below: Picasso Lake. There were people rowing boats amid swans and ducks.

 

We stumbled on this cute cafe in the middle of the park called Casina Del Lago

At night we went to a nearby restaurant called Luciano’s for a dinner the locals would enjoy. Let me just say that I’ve never had a bad meal in Italy. This dinner was no exception. The photos don't do it justice...I didn't want to look ridiculous taking photos of my food because it was a local family restaurant. For a starter we had home made ravioli with spinach and cheese, in a butter and brown sage sauce, and also a home made fettuccine with fresh mushrooms. For the main course, we had veal Marsala with mushrooms, and Stuffed veal stuffed with prosciutto ham and mozzarella cheese. We also had a side dish of grilled vegetables. It was Molto Delicioso! After dinner we went back to our room, sat out on the balcony and enjoyed a bottle of wine while enjoying the  view of well manicured grounds and heard the sound of the dolphin waterfall flowing gently all night.

                                        Thanks for stopping by Rick's Roadshow: Rome, The Eternal City. We're in Rome another day, so more from Rome before we set sail on our fabulous Aegean Sea cruise. Stay tuned...

-Ricardo Rockhillo

Rick's Roadshow: Rome or Bust

Well I'm finally off to do a bit of personal travel for a change. We head off to Rome today, then onto an Aegean Sea Cruise. Stay tuned for fresh updates to Rick's Roadshow. I'm back with all sorts of interesting sights to share. Since I'm flying today, nothing exciting to post yet....but oh to I have a story to share that happened to me last night that ALMOST made me think I might have to cancel the entire trip. Let's just say it involved a foreign object piercing my hand. Oh it was gross. I'll write about it on the flight and post soon!

I'll be on Marta Stewart Living Radio Today...

As I mentioned in Wednesday's post, I'm scheduled to give a few interviews here and there about the pet nutrition; in particular why feeding better quality foods are so much better over the lifetime of your pet. Today I'm scheduled to be a guest on the Marta Stewart Living Radio channel, on Sirius XM radio on the Marc Morrone show. The show begins at 8:00 PM EST. If you have a chance I hope you can tune in. I'm sure it will just be just a few minutes at most. Hope you can tune in, or even better call in with a question!

This photo at left is Marta Stewart with Marc Morrone, the host of the show to which I will be calling in. The next time Martha is back in Palm Springs I'll be sure to get a similar photo of her with me, Sheldon and Duncan!

Pet Parents Need More Information on Healthier Pet Food

Note: While this is a normally a personal blog, In my professional capacity, I am participating in the sharing of information to several print publications and providing media interviews on behalf of my company about the pet nutrition. I have chosen to also provide this information on my personal blog in support of any public statements I am providing. This is not a paid post, I am sharing this on my own accord.

For the past few months, I've been working closely with my company on a national education campaign around premium quality pet nutrition. In response to what we learned from our survey, we have added at least two nutrition certified associates in every PETCO store to help customers find a premium quality pet food that's best for their dog or cat. In my nearly thirteen years working in the pet industry I have gained a strong working knowledge of dog and cat foods. That's why I've been asked to help spread the news that feeding a better quality food to your pet will make a significant difference in their quality of life. In the coming weeks, you may be seeing or hearing me speak publicly about the benefits of a premium or natural pet food. Check out this news release that was issued yesterday:

Survey Shows 60 Percent of Pet Owners Need Better Information to Choose Healthy Food for Their Pets

PETCO launches national pet nutrition education campaign for consumers, provides in-depth training for pet nutrition experts in every store

SAN DIEGO (Oct. 6, 2009) — Nearly 80 percent of pet parents are confident their pet’s food is healthy and nutritious, but only four in 10 say they understand pet food labels, according to a recent survey commissioned by PETCO, a leading pet specialty retailer. Backing up its pledge that every pet deserves better nutrition and a long, healthy life, PETCO is launching a campaign to educate both consumers and the company’s own associates in an effort to narrow the gap between pet parents’ desire to feed their pets healthy food and their ability to understand and meet their pet’s nutritional needs.
Whether choosing food for themselves, their families or their pets, most Americans pay particular attention to nutritional value.  Eighty-three percent of American pet parents consider the nutritional value of their own food to be critical (31%) or important (52%).  As pets are increasingly treated as members of the family, pet parents show a similar level of interest in choosing the right food for their pets, with 79 percent putting the same critical or important emphasis on their pet’s nutrition.
But despite these good intentions, the survey highlighted a significant disconnect between pet parent confidence in the nutritional value of their pet’s food (78%) and their ability to evaluate pet food value by reading package labels. Only 43 percent of respondents understand how to evaluate the nutritional value of their pet’s food by looking at ingredients; only 41 percent report knowing which ingredients are the most nutritious or which ones to avoid; and only 39 percent know the nutritional difference between basic, premium, natural and organic pet food.
“The human food industry has done a great job educating consumers on how to read labels to select healthy ingredients and steer clear of unhealthy ones,” said Rick Rockhill, Vice President of Merchandise Innovation for PETCO. “We want to arm consumers with the same kind of knowledge to make the best choices for their pets. We’re confident that by providing pet parents with the tools and by staffing our stores with trained nutrition experts, we can increase the number of pets enjoying the health benefits of great nutrition, and living healthier, happier lives with their human companions.”
PETCO provides the largest selection of premium, natural and organic dog and cat foods of any national retailer.  The company is extending that leadership with a full nutrition education campaign that includes:
• In-depth training and certification for at least two staff nutrition experts at every PETCO store;
• Pet Nutrition Workshops for consumers, to be held in all PETCO stores at 2 p.m. on Nov. 14; and
• Providing educational materials and pet nutrition guidance, including a complete Food Finder, to consumers online at PETCO.com/nutritioncenter.
“Many people would be surprised to know that human nutritional needs can be very different from those of our pets,” Rockhill said. “For ourselves, we’ve been trained to look for low-fat, unprocessed foods that provide energy with the right balance of protein and carbohydrates.  But dogs and cats actually get most of their energy from fat and have an easier time digesting foods that have been correctly processed. So instead of looking for food that mirrors human nutrition, pet parents need to understand and reference a different set of guidelines for their pets.”
Pet parents also often mistakenly believe that premium or natural pet foods cost much more than less nutritious food. But while premium formulas sometimes cost more for the same size bag or can of basic food, they are made with higher-quality ingredients and are more nutrient-dense, which allows pets to absorb more of the nutrients they need with less food.
To help pet parents make informed decisions about pet nutrition, PETCO has created the following guidelines on how to choose the right food for your pet:
Recognize that humans, cats and dogs have very different nutritional needs

• Don’t select your pet’s food based on your nutrition needs. Dogs, cats and humans have very different body processes, which create different nutritional needs. For instance, while we’re trained to eat a low-fat diet, dogs and cats get most of their energy from fat, which should account for at least 20 percent of their overall diet.
• Don’t share food among species. Even with the best of intentions, many people make the mistake of feeding their pets food from their own dinner table, making their own pet food, or allowing multiple household pets to share the same food. Make sure your pet’s food is specially formulated to provide the right balance of nutrients for each species’ unique needs.

Understand Your Pet’s Unique Needs 

• Start with your pet’s age, breed, activity level and any special needs. There is always more than one food that may be right for your pet.  To narrow your options, understand the basic needs of your pet’s breed (size, species), life stage (puppy, adult or senior), activity level and any special health needs (overweight, food allergies, joint issues, etc.). 
• Different food categories are designed for specific lifestyles and nutritional needs. Premium foods typically exceed minimum standards to provide complete nutrition and are based on extensive research into the unique nutritional needs of dogs and cats.  You know a food is premium when it contains a balanced mix of easy-to-identify, high-quality proteins, fats and carbohydrates without any added sugars or artificial colors. 

Learn How to Evaluate a Pet Food Label

• Don’t judge a food’s quality by how the package looks. Just because a package is covered with wholesome-looking ingredients doesn’t mean the food inside is nutritious. Read the small print on the ingredient list and nutrition label, instead of depending on illustrations or advertising on the package.
• Look for high-quality proteins. Read the full ingredient list to evaluate all the proteins provided, and don’t assume a meal or by-product meal is less nutritious.  As long as the origin is specifically named (for instance, chicken meal or salmon by-product, rather than meat meal or poultry by-product) the ingredient is a high-quality protein source.
• Use the Guaranteed Analysis. Similar to human food nutrition facts, the guaranteed analysis, a panel included on every pet food package label, will tell you the food’s overall protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber and moisture content. 
• Determine the primary ingredients and protein sources. Ingredients on pet food labels are listed by weight.  Look at the first five to eight ingredients and ensure there is a healthy combination of correctly processed, high-quality, specific protein sources.
• The combination of ingredients is more important than any single ingredient. Food can contain more than one form of the same ingredient, so read the whole label for a healthy balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate sources with natural names you recognize. 

For more information about the PETCO nutrition pledge, to find the best premium food for your pet, or for other details on pet nutrition, visit PETCO.com, or ask a nutrition expert at a PETCO near you.


About PETCO
PETCO is a privately held specialty retailer that provides products, services and advice that make it easier for our customers to be great pet parents. We operate more than 950 stores in 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as a leading pet products and information destination at PETCO.com. Our nonprofit organization, The PETCO Foundation, has raised more than $50 million since its inception in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the foundation, we work with and support more than 6,200 local animal welfare groups across the country to help find homes for more than 200,000 adoptable animals every year.   
Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted on PETCO’s behalf, from Sept. 10-13, 2009, by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC). Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,010 adults in a random sample of U.S. households (one interview per household). ORC weighted the survey results by four demographic characteristics: age, sex, geographic region and race to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population 18 years of age or older. This report is based on a weighted total sample of 527 respondents who have at least one cat or dog in their household. The sampling error associated with a sample size of 527 is no more than plus/minus 4.3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. This means that if this survey were repeated 100 times with separate samples, the results for individual questions would be within plus/minus 4.3 percentage points in 95 surveys out of 100.

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The Power of Palm Trees

In my view, there are few things that send a clear message to me about relaxation. For example, visualize a hammock. It conjures up images of a nice long comfy snooze on a warm summer day, right? Maybe add a novel in hand, or swinging in the hammock with a Klondike ice cream bar perhaps? But never-the-less, a hammock represents RELAXATION to me. What else is there...well how about a fireplace? For some reason a fireplace mesmerizes me. Something about the gentle flames dancing around merrily that puts me at ease. But above all, the most potent sight for relaxation to me are palm trees. I think it goes back to the first time I saw them in person. It was an early family vacation to the Bahamas. It was magical. The trees were so majestic, swaying in the breeze, tall and proud. Ever since then, whenever I see palm trees I feel relaxed.

Fortunately for me I live in a place where palm trees are everywhere. (perhaps that is one reason why I do love it here). Palm trees greet you at the entrance to the city. They line our streets. Rows of them line my own property at home. I do find them soothing to the eyes.

Just the other day I was in Venice, CA (LA area) and snapped this photo of the palm trees right on the beach boardwalk. This photo was taken right around dusk, looking north. The trees look so cool against the sky, don't they?

Then last night I took this photo while at a party downtown. My camera is not very good, which is why the image is so blurry. (I'm sure the wine had nothing to do with it). Anyway I digress. These trees were quite tall, but I was staring up at them and found them so elegant. And so I present the Power of Palm Trees- to me anyway. The fact that a plant could affect me is such a manner seems unlikely. Although as I think about it, plants do affect people; I suppose that's why there is a demand for fresh flowers, they change moods and make people happy. So whether or not you can get to Palm Springs to enjoy our myriad of palm trees, (or some other warm climate), I hope you enjoy this quick pictorial view of our palm trees here in Southern California. Thanks for stopping by today.

-Rick Rockhill