Days 14-15 Mediterranean Adventures: Barcelona

We travel overnight and most of the morning the next day, arriving in Barcelona soon after noon. Barcelona is unique for us as we are here overnight with no curfew. We could stay out all night if we had the energy or the inclination. We take our time to leave the ship in the afternoon for a trip into the City Center.  We plan to try the Hop-on-hop-off bus for the afternoon and quickly have many choices.     Jerry has researched this for us, but we grab the first available and not the one he had decided was the best.  No worry, we are fine and enjoy nearly 2 hours of riding around about 2/3 of the city.  With our ticket, we could have finished with the other 1/3 on another route--same ticket, but we are hot and tired and ready for a spritzer in the lounge.

The Christopher Columbus monument indicates the beginning of the Las Rambles, the main shopping promenade for Barcelona and famous all over Europe. We are warned about watching our personal belongings as this busy city has more than its share of pick pockets. 

We saw the Olympic Park, deigned and reclaimed for the 1992 Olympics. The area was formerly industrial including old textile factories.  From his atop the hill, we have spectacular views of the city.  Barcelona center city is about 2 million with the greater metro area another 2 more million. Compared to Rome, Athens and Florence, it is a very modern city.  The shopping areas look much like New York City, but the boulevards were much  more inviting with many trees lining both sides.   

We are able to view some of Antonio Gaudi's work from the bus  Although Gaudi lived a long time ago, he was ahead of his time with modern architecture--he  even recycled materials.We were able to view three of his most famous structures, the Parc Guell, The Casa Mila (la Pedrera) and the Catedral de la Sagrada Familia. The Parc Guell had initially been developed as an enclave for 60 families in a park like setting.  It never materialized to anything like the vision because it was physically too far from the center of the town and early 20th century.transportation was not invented to make this area accessible.  Gaudi was to design the park and the common structures and other architects would design all the houses.  Unfortunately, only one lot was purchased and one house (other than a model) was ever built.  Today, the parc is public property and visited by many,  

This was an area that Gaudi envisioned as a marketplace.  Today, the illegal vendors are all positioned  up on top of the market area.

Casa MIia was designed for a wealthy family who lived on the first floor and rented out the other floors.

Gaudi worked almost exclusively on the Sagrada Familia for the last 8 years of his life using a mixture of stone, iron and ceramics in somewhat of an irreverent fashion.  The landmark was begun in 1882 and is still not completed.  They want to complete it by 2026--the anniversary of Gaudi's death.  Nevertheless, it remains the pride of Barcelona and tourist crowds are unbelievable.  While the exterior at first glance appears rather gaudy (wonder if that word came from Gaudi's name), the interior is the most spectacular edifice we have ever seen.  The height is one thing (173 meters, but his use of light and the enormous columns and other architectural features are barely describable. Pictures don't even begin to do it justice.    

Barcelona is the largest port in the Mediterranean, and the 4th largest in the world. We found ourselves fascinated by the workings of the port.  From unloading and loading the containers to loading the large tractor trailer rigs on the ferry, we never tired of the action all hours of the day and night.   There were many cruise ships also in the harbor the same time we were, so all attractions were jammed. 

   

Day 13 Mediterranean Adventures: Monte Carlo and Nice

Another bright day dawns as our ship pulls into the port of Monaco. Our tour today includes a bus ride to Nice along the Cote d' Azure, stopping on the way back at the medieval city of Eze.

Monaco is quite small, actually one square mile--in company with Vatican City as two of the smallest countries in the world.  It has a dense population and most much be multi millionaires as the cost per square foot for a residence is $6,000.  You are not hallucinating.  That is what we were told. With all of the high rises, many don't even have a view of the sea.     Casino 

  The harbor had so many yachts moored right beside our cruise ship.  The casino is one of the attractions of the city as is the palace of the Grimaldi family.  Bob and Jerry decide to venture out into the city of Monte Carlo later in the day while Joyce and Lydia take the opportunity to relax onboard.

The trip to Nice is on the lower corniche ( road cut into the side of a cliff).Our guide points out the corniche above where Princes Grace died in 1982 after suffering a stroke while at the wheel of her car. The views are just spectacular as we travel past the names of places we have only heard about--such as Cap d' Ferrat. Antibes and St. Tropez are just beyond where we stop in Nice.     

Nice is a huge city ( 500,000) and congested beyond belief.  Our bus takes us along the shore, through the town and ultimately into the old part of town to the market.  The flowers, fruits, vegetables and fish are everywhere. We enjoy a Cafe Americano (free toilette) and continue our tour through the market. The market is just across the street from the water and Nice Harbor.      

From Nice, we take the middle corniche back toward Monaco, stopping in Eze.  There is a modern part of the town, but we are headed for the ancient medieval village perched high atop a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean sea.  This was originally built as a fortification to repel advances of the Saracens from the African coast. The climb up is steep and long with very narrow streets and shops all along the road up to the top.  Of course, there is the ubiquitous church at the top, which we pass on visiting this time. Lydia takes the opportunity to stay below in the comfort of a park bench and welcome shade. We arrive back at the port for a relaxing afternoon and evening aboard our ship.

Day 12 Mediterranean Adventures: Florence

The long-awaited visit to Florence is now here.  We do not have a tour, but instead have opted to explore Florence on our own. We all pay for a transfer from the ship port to Florence which amounts to a 90 minute bus ride.  Our guide on the bus alerts us to the countryside, the industry and the favorite spots in Florence.  They say that Florence is a walking city and THAT it is!!!  Jerry figures that we will have walked at least 3 miles. We have a list of "must sees" and off we go.  It is a Monday and the two largest museums are closed as are many others.  That is both good and bad news as we don't see the real DAVID, but we narrow down all the many choices and just go for those places that are open on Monday and there are still plenty. 

Our self-guided tour begins at Santa Croce piazza and church ( tomb of Michelangelo)  then moves on to Piazza Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio where we see the replica of the famous David sculpture and a host of others. Moving on from there we head to the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio, the only one to survive the bombings of WWII. The shops that line both sides are mostly high end jewelry and we walk fast!!! We stop for a cup of coffee and find it quite tasty. Jerry tried a local donut that wasn't a winner, though.  After thoroughly checking out the bridge, we head back across the river to the center of Florence, stopping at the  Church of Santa Trinita.  Actually what we are looking for is the Sossetti Chapel which has many Renaissance paintings.  We find the church, but the chapel is closed. We end up strolling past the offices and studio of Salvatore Ferragamo. Since we don't have an appointment, we decide not to try an entry.( HA)  On our way toward lunch, we stop at the Palazzo Davanzati Museum.  This is a restored example of the stylistic shift in city architecture from the medieval tower-house to the Renaissance palace.  The original was built in the middle of the 14th century.  The four floors and the open loggia on top provide excellent examples of life in the middle 1300s. They even had an indoor water supply and toilets!  We could not imagine the number of servants that it would have taken to make the family comfortable. No photos were allowed inside the house.

We are but a few steps away from the Piazza della Republica where our bus guide has suggested a rooftop lunch experience, accessible through this department store.  We are delighted to sit down at the roof top terrace restaurant, and are but feet away from the Duomo dome. Our server has to interpret the menu that is all in Italian..  We finish lunch and hurry on toward the Duomo. Jerry says "no more churches"  but  does agree to go in with us and admits that this one is spectacular.  The wait to enter is short and the place is so big that crowds are not a problem.  We love being on our own for our tour through Florence--not hampered  by being herded like cattle and taking the opportunity to stop where we want for the amount of time we want. Joyce got carried away with photos of the floor mosaics. The guys opt not to climb the 400+ stairs to the top of the dome or the clock tower either, even though it is a few steps shorter. ( This was never an option for the girls!!)

Jerry and Lydia decide to head back to the meeting place near Santa Croce and Joyce and Bob look for a gelato stop. We find the Grom recommended both by our  bus guide as well as Rick Steves.  We are grateful for the recommendation as there are many, many possibilities for gelato in Florence. We were not disappointed. Bob had chocolate and Joyce had tiramisu.      

Our day in Florence ends with a trip on our bus up to the Michelangelo Piazza and a spectacular view of the old Florence down below. Finally, another 90 minute bus ride back to the port where we barely have enough energy to make it to collapse in our cabins.  We are so pleased that we pursued Florence on our own with fewer crowds and less feeling of being bored with a chatty guide.

End of First 10 days of Mediterranean Adventures

We are at port in Rome today awaiting the boarding of a new group of passengers..  Only about 400 of us stayed on for the next 10 days.  There were 2125 guests and 799 crew on the first 10 days.  We traveled a total of 2394 miles and used 80,000 gallons of fuel a day..Makes you wonder what the cruise industry is doing for carbon off sets and to make this a more eco friendly industry.We do recycle onboard, but still wonder about all the trash that is generated.  We also produce 450,000 gallons of potable water a day and use 200,000 gallons. The ship operates like an amazing small village town.

We have learned that if we go off the ship this afternoon, we can find true FREE internet in one the little shops.  All we have to do is buy a little coffee for $1.50 euro and then log on.  Much better than the .40/minute here on the ship.

Day 10 Mediterranean Adventures: Messina

We have been cruising all night around the tip of the boot of Italy and early this morning, our pilot comes on board as is required when we are entering the Straights of Messina.  We have an early morning tour of the city sites and have to be back on board by 12:30 as the ship is leaving soon after. 

Our tour included wonderful views of the Messina harbor which has been a strategic location for century upon century.  Early civilization was founded by the Greeks in the 8th Century BC and occupied by the Romans in 264 BC.  Many subsequent occupations over the centuries have shaped the rich cultural aspects of the city. The University of Messina, established in 1548, was rebuilt extensively along with the rest of the city after the earthquake of 1908.  This leveled nearly the entire city and killed 84,000 people. During WW II, Messina was heavily bombed and had to rebuild once again. Today, very little  remains of the old, old buildings.

Our tour takes us north of the center city toward the two salt water lakes and the area that hosts many holiday vacationers during the summer season. We enjoy driving past all the market places with fresh fish and many vegetables and fruits.

Graceful Orion Fountain dating from 1547 does remain as does the Sacrario Christo Re dating from the Norman era.  Closer to the center of town, a 12th Century Duomo  (Cathedral) was a victim of the 1908 earthquake and also WW II bombing.  It has been faithfully restored and is a beautiful church with the largest pipe organ in all of Italy.   The Treasury (Museum) has many rich Christian liturgical antiquities. No photos were allowed in the Museum. Next to the Cathedral was an enormous clock tower with 236 steps to the top.( Bob climbed up)  At noon, there was quite a display as animated characters performed for us.The roaring lion was a hit with the audience. 

Upon leaving Messina, we are treated to the gorgeous Italian coastline, and

eventually we sailed right up to Stromboli Island where an active volcano gave us a show. 

We have decided that Messina is one of the loveliest of the port cities we have visited and might merit a longer stay at a future date.

The evening was a restful one as we say good bye to our table partners, Mike and his grand daughter, Elizabeth from Los Angeles.  They have completed the 20 day cruise and we have totally enjoyed hearing from them all about the places we have yet to visit. 

Day 9 Mediterranean Adventures: At Sea

We are at sea today and finally getting a day of rest. It is a totally different atmosphere when everyone is on board. We have nearly 1900 on board with a crew of 600, but not too often are we ever crowded.  There are many, many places on the ship to be entertained, to relax and do nothing, to race around the deck three  times ( one mile), or to read and watch the scenery go by. For awhile, we are still weaving in and out among the remaining Greek islands and there are small boats off the bow--seemingly far from any land.  Joyce and Lydia visit the Spa and Salon again and are pampered with a view that won't quit as well as great cosmetologists who perform miracles.

This is a formal night, so out come the nice duds, and all of us are on our best behavior. The entertainment in the Lounge is a Las Vegas type show with dancers and singers. After our lazy day at sea, we find as we turn in for the night that we gain the hour that we lost on our way to Turkey, so we should be refreshed many times over in the morning. 

Athens (censored)

 

Lydia and I tried to get off the bus to see what this was all about, but the guys would have none of it!!

Day 8 Mediterranean Adventures: Athens, Greece

Today was much cooler than previous days on our trip.  Athens was in turmoil this morning as the public transportation workers went on strike!!  The taxi drivers also were out in sympathy for the other workers.  Fortunately, we were on a Holland America tour with private tour bus.  However, because public transportation was not running, people were all in their cars and traffic was terrible.  Of course, if you are watching the International news, Greece is also in a mess with their financial system.  Disregarding all these challenges, we had a great half day trip to the Acropolis and other ancient ruins in Athens. From your Greek history, you will remember  that Athens played an important part in ancient times.  Between the mythological characters and the "real" people of history,  we find ourselves totally confused and vow to check it all out on the Internet ( when it is free).

  We think this must be the theater they show on PBS shows that originate from the Acropolis.

 

We made it to the top and Lydia gets a gold star (or several of them) for making the trip up with us.  It was not an easy one with slippery marble, uneven ground and many, many steps.  There were lots of other tourists and we felt fortunate to get this photo with only a few of them in it. Celebrating a successful trip down from the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

Day 7 Mediterranean Adventures: Ephesus

 

Everyone said this would be one of our favorites on the trip and today was a wonderful day.  We booked a private tour guide through Melitours and we were delighted with our guide, Zafer, our driver and the entire tour. It was a long day, full of many Turkish delights.  Zafer met us at our ship at 8:00 AM and took us to our air conditioned Mercedes van.  After yesterday's cramped quarters on the Santorini tour, this was sheer luxury.  We started with a climb to the top of a large hillside to see the reported home of the Virgin Mary in her last years, after Jesus' death. There is not irrefutable evidence that Mary did live here, but lots of things that  are fairly convincing. The drive up to the shrine, gave us ample opportunity to see the countryside as we rode through tangerine and pomegranate orchards. We washed our hands in the spring of holy water as well as walking through the house which has  been reconstructed in modern times. 

From this stop, we head down into the valley to see the ruins of Ephesus. The history is way too long and too involved to say the least, but what we saw was astounding--ancient ruins from as early as 300 BC-700 AD.  These ruins are the largest open air museum in the world.  It is difficult to describe what it felt like to walk on the very stones that made the main street through the town. These remains were completely covered withsilt and mud for many, many years and much is still being uncovered today. 

Some of the most interesting finds are the Terrace Houses that were owned by the wealthy inhabitants of the ancient city of 240,000 people at its height of popularity. We were able to tour the first group of houses that are still under reconstruction.  One stop showed us tables full of "puzzle" pieces--all 120,000 of them which were part of the marble walls. No different colors and no puzzle box to use as a guide.  

We spent nearly three hours on the site, along with over 10,000 more tourists from the many cruise ships in port. It was hot, but a breeze made it bearable and were told to prepare for the crowds as well as the extreme heat.

From Ephesus, we made a stop at the Turkman Weaving Center, a school where girls are taught how to hand tie the famous Turkish rugs.  We tried to tie the double knots as the girls did, but we were all thumbs and certainly were not going to be hired to replace the girls. The guys were fascinated at the process of spinning the silk from the cocoon.  Lydia and Joyce knew all about this as they had taught this in clothing classes. 

One of the biggest treats of the day was a lunch at a Turkish country home with many traditional foods.  It was cool and refreshing and just the experience we had wished for.  When I booked the tour, I never thought we would actually be eating in the owner of the tour company's home, but that is exactly where we were. Meli met with us and shared some of her life stories and about the culture of her country. We ate outside under the shade of  the trees which was so relaxing and enjoyable after being with so many people at the ruins. 

From the country home, we went to Selcuk to the Ephesus Museum.  Here we were able to see many of the items that had been recovered at the site and placed here for safe keeping rather than left at the site out in the open.  Again, more than one person can absorb in the time we had.  Hardly believable that we were seeing things that were thousands of years old. 

We arrived back at our ship, tired but happy after a full day of seeing so many sites. We skipped dinner in the dining room and grabbed a quick bite in the casual dining.  Tomorrow is another day and even more ruins in Athens.