Sunrise, Sunset

Today began with a beautiful sunrise as we pulled into Livorno, Italy -  the port that is closest to Florence, Pisa and Tuscany.

We had decided to visit Cinque Terre which literally means Five Lands (or towns) clinging to the hills and cliffs along the west coast of the Italian Riviera .

Once only accessible by sea, even today there is no road linking these charming villages. There is, however, a walking path as well as rail service connecting one to another.

 

In all, we visited 4 of the 5 villages today. Tour busses took us to the first village; we walked to the second then took the train to the third and fourth. Bill and I would love to come back and do the entire walk some time. There isn’t enough time to do it in just one day.

Of course I have to include a photo of our lunch! We found a little wine shop that served the local white wine along with bread, salami, cheese and another local specialty, pesto. (Note the wet spot on Bill’s shoulder – we got caught in a downpour on our walk between the villages!)

For dessert, gelato!

After lunch we strolled along the beach and noticed these unusual paddle boats. We’d love to take the grandkids on one of these!

On the way back to the ship, I took this photo through the bus window. The white part of the mountain isn’t snow, it’s marble! We saw many lots filled with stacks of slabs and blocks along the highway.

We’re sorry to see this day come to an end, especially since it’s our last night onboard. As the sun sets on this day and this cruise, we are grateful to have lots of wonderful memories of the past two weeks.

Oh Yes, the South of France!

We docked in Marseille, France early this morning and we were headed out to Arles & Les Baux de Provence by 7:30 AM.  The early start didn’t prevent us from getting a good cup of espresso in Arles.  That is one cup of jolt we both needed!

Arles is famous for being the small town where Vincent Van Gogh spent several years painting many sights throughout the area.

The above cafe was one of Van Gogh’s subjects. He painted it and he also spent many hours inside imbibing the local wine and passing out at the table.

He also painted this garden in the courtyard of the local hospital,  the same hospital that treated him when he cut his ear off. I think it may have been one of the first HMO’s. You treat me for my cut off ear and I paint your garden as payment!   Arles was inhabited by the Romans and the town is filled with Roman ruins.

After a few hours in Arles we moved on to Les Baux de Provence. This is a small French village that was built on the top of a mountain.  It was built there so it could easily be defended and safe for its residents.  Which it was until the 16th century when King Louis XI found out that protestants and Catholics were living together in harmony.  A good Catholic king couldn’t have that, so he sent his soldiers to the village and they destroyed the whole thing and the village was abandoned.

In the 1970’s the village became a tourist attraction and many of the houses were rebuilt and are now gift shops or restaurants. The old ruins are still on the top of the mountain and you can tour them.

 

We had lunch in this village. The food was good and the wine was great!

Monastery in the Clouds

 

Here we are at the monastery in Montserrat, Spain.  This monastery is built right into the side of the Montserrat mountain.  When we first arrived at the monastery the top of the mountain was shrouded in clouds and a light rain was falling.

Soon after we arrived the rain stopped and we were able to see the sights and get some great photos.

On our way back to the ship from Montserrat we stopped in Barcelona for a few hours.  We walked down “La Rambla” the main shopping street in Barcelona.

We went into one of the open air markets along La Rambla and above is one of the candy stalls.

Also they had plenty of fresh meat and fish to pick from!

After all that shopping we ended at a sidewalk cafe with a bottle of wine and some great tapas before we made the trek back to the ship.

Palms and More Palms

Today we arrived in the port of Alicante, Spain and had the most gorgeous weather! What a change from yesterday in Gibraltar. We were here last August, and I remember Bill calling this city “The Antioch of Spain” for its weather --- hot and dry. Today it was pleasantly warm with bright blue skies and a light breeze.

We signed up for a tour going to the city of Elche, which is just outside Alicante and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its palm grove, the largest concentration of palm trees anywhere in Europe. Throughout the city there are over 200,000 palms. Everywhere you look in Elche, you see palm trees of one kind or another.

Besides its multitude of palms, Elche is known for “The Lady of Elche” which is a stone bust that was accidentally discovered by a farmer in 1897. Further excavations continue to take place in this area where evidence of human presence has been documented from as long ago as 4000 BC. Here’s a replica of the Lady; the real one is in a museum in Madrid.

In the historical quarter of the city, ancient ruins sit side-by-side modern structures.

What an impressive city Elche is! We certainly enjoyed our visit.

Land ahoy

Wow eight fantastic days at sea and we finally hit land for the first time at Gibraltar, the Rock as they call it over here.  We docked around 7AM and we wanted to get an early start to see the few sights we hadn't see the last time we were here.  So we got off the ship around 10:40. I guess life at sea takes the gitty out of your gittyup.

As you can see from the above photo it was a little cloudy today.  The weather forecast for today was partly cloudy.  They were right on except the partly cloudy parts always had rain with it. That didn’t slow us down. We visited some of our favorite haunts as seen below.

When it’s raining in Gibraltar we always head for the Cock & Pullet!  The English always come up with some great names for their pubs.

We also found a coffee shop that is head and shoulders over Starbucks.  Below is a list of their specialty coffee drinks.

 

The only bad thing about this cafe was we couldn’t find any Starbucks-type cards to buy to take back for Christmas presents.  

Gibraltar is only two and a half square miles of land and most of that is taken up by the rock mountain.  It is noted for the Apes that live in and on the mountain.  The English have a saying that Gibraltar will always belong to Great Brittan as long as the apes are here.  So they treat them quite nicely.  They even have a drive in or should I say swing in store for them.  We got a great photo of it.

Being such a small country the kids don’t have much to do until they reach the age of 16.

After the age of 16 they keep busy somehow?

The Strait of Gibraltar is a very busy shipping area. Up until this morning we saw one small cargo ship during the entire Atlantic crossing.  Right before we went to dinner I stepped out onto our balcony and counted 16 ships coming and going in the strait.

This last photo is quite unique.  On the left side the dark area of land is the continent of Africa. The land on the right is the continent of Europe.  In the foreground is the Mediterranean Sea and way in the background is the Atlantic Ocean. The Strait is only eight miles wide at this point.

Our Final ‘Sea Day’

Tomorrow morning we will dock in Gibraltar. There’s an air of anticipation on the ship; we’ve had 8 wonderful days at sea, and now everyone’s excited about the busy week ahead in the ports.

We’d like to share some bits of the past 24 hours. Last evening after dinner, Bill & I headed up to the pool deck for Movies Under the Stars. This is one activity we both really enjoy . . . relaxing on the lounge chairs, watching a movie under the night sky.

As you may be able to tell, it was still light out when the movie started at 8:15PM. Can you tell what movie was playing? (Answer at the end of this post. Hint: that’s High Grant & Sarah Jessica Parker.)

Unfortunately we had a rain shower during the movie, but luckily Bill & I were under an overhang and didn’t have to move. This guy had a unique way of staying dry . . . he flipped a chair upside down and stood under it!

This morning we treated ourselves to coffee and pastry at the cafe.

 

Later, we walked 3 miles on the deck to work off the pastry!

Then, we added those calories right back on with some drinks. Beverly Hills Iced Tea for Bill, and a new one for me, a Brezza Marina.

Those are just a few of the ways we spent our last Sea Day.

The answer to the movie question: “Did You Hear About the Morgans”

Halfway Between Continents

After more than 4 days, we have reached the halfway point on our way to Gibraltar. The seas have become a little rougher with swells of about 12 feet, but are still calm enough that I haven’t become even the slightest bit queasy. I’m SO glad! If the wave action does increase, I have a few remedies with me: Sea-Bands, patches, Dramamine and, for the worst case, my shock band.

To celebrate our halfway point, we ordered Afternoon Tea to be delivered to our cabin. Look at all the food they brought!

Besides tea, we had tea sandwiches, scones with clotted cream & jam, cookies, pastries, petit fours . . . way too much for just the 2 of us!

On another note, I’m thrilled to report that Bill’s knee had improved so much that he no longer needs to use the cane! YAY! He has had 3 acupuncture treatments so far and is scheduled for 2 more. He’s even taking the stairs about half the time now.

Our weather continues to be quite pleasant, mostly sunny with temps around 70. We’re enjoying our sea days by reading, attending lectures, shows and concerts, walking on deck, hot tubbing, planning shore excursions for when we get to the ports, researching future cruises, meeting new people (including a couple from Lafayette Hills PA with Phillies shirts on) and of course EATING!

More Drama on the Crown Princess!

Well, this cruise has had more drama in the first three days than Bill & I have experienced in any other cruise in its entirety! First, the full muster when there was a possible man overboard, and today --- an unscheduled stop in BERMUDA to drop off a passenger with a medical emergency. (And it’s not Bill! More on that below.)

At today’s Noon Report, the captain announced that he’s sailing at full speed to Bermuda because one of the passengers needs immediate surgery. We’re too far off the coast to have a helicopter come out so Bermuda, which is not too far off our course, was the next best choice. (It makes me wonder, what if we weren’t close to an island? I don’t want to think about that!)

Here’s the rescue boat coming along side, with Bermuda in the background

After loading the ill passenger, the rescue boat sped off

So now, we’re just hoping that the ill passenger will soon be on the mend with an interesting story to tell.

Okay, about Bill’s knee pain. He decided to try acupuncture onboard. He had his first treatment last evening and has already felt improvement. He’s still using a cane and hobbling around but is optimistic enough to have scheduled another acupuncture session tomorrow morning. We’re still doubtful that we’ll be able to take the bicycle tour we have scheduled for Barcelona, but we’re not ready to cancel that just yet.

Today’s weather is absolutely perfect. Blue skies with a few puffy clouds, 72 degrees with a light breeze on CALM seas! It doesn’t get much better than this.

Man Overboard!??

Wow the first night of the cruise and we had plenty of excitement!  Around 11PM the Captain announces that we have a possible person overboard.  He orders all passengers back to their staterooms immediately.  At 11PM the party is just getting started!  Of course Cindy and I are back in our stateroom and ready for bed.  It’s tough being a party animal all the time.:-)  The Captain also advises the passengers that he is turning the ship around and heading back to the area where the alleged overboard sighting took place.  A short while later members of the crew come to each stateroom to check to see if we are in our staterooms.  The Captain announces again that the ship is approaching the drop zone (I guess you can call it) and that all passengers with outside and balcony staterooms should look out to see if they see anyone floating in the water.  The next announcement that is made is for all crewmembers to return to their cabins so they can be accounted for.  One last time the cabin stewards come by our staterooms and verify that everyone is in their rooms. The ship stops at the drop zone and drifts in the current for about 30 minutes looking for our missing person.  Well an hour and 12 minutes from the start of the search the Captain announces that all passengers and crew are accounted for and nothing was seen in the water.  So we headed back in an easterly direction for Gibraltar.   

We woke up this morning with a clear conscience knowing we didn’t leave anyone at sea and had breakfast on our balcony.  Those search and rescues really make you hungry.

Ready to Board

Here we are at the Miami airport, waiting for the Princess shuttle to take us to the ship. If you look closely, you’ll see that Bill has a cane! He developed bursitis in his left knee last weekend and is now nursing his leg until he’s back to normal. (Well, as normal as Bill usually is!) I told him I thought he was just using this as an excuse to use the ship’s elevators instead of the stairs. The timing of this injury is suspicious, don’t you think?

We flew from San Francisco to Miami by way of Los Angeles yesterday and spent last night at a hotel, rather than worry about missing the ship if the flight was delayed. After a restful night, we’re ready to get onboard. Crown Princess, here we come!