We arrived back in Barcelona and met my sister and brother-in-law at the hotel. The four of us went sightseeing and we had lots of fun. We took the sightseeing bus all over town and got off at places we were interested in. One place was Poble Espanol which is a composite of all the different areas of Spain and the architecture native to each of these areas. I was pretty good at figuring part of it out. We took loads of photos. We ate dinner in a local joint and the food was not really that good but we knew we were getting on a cruise ship the next morning so we didn’t eat that much. Our hotel was quite nice; very modern and clean and just two blocks from the famous Sagrada Familia church of Antoni Gaudi. We were also able to see some of the modernist buildings built by Gaudi. They are spectacular. No straight lines and lots of decorative features.
We boarded the ship, Brilliance of the Seas, dropped off our carryons and went to Barri Gotic, the old Gothic quarter of the city, walked around there for a while and then strolled down by the waterfront. Aftter reboarding we got into the shipboard schedule which is like fantasy land and definitely not the real world. Everything on the ship revolves around eating, entertainment and generally having fun. We are very proficient at all those things.
Today was our first port stop, Cannes, France. It is a beautiful seaside city where the famous Cannes film festival is held every spring. I, of course, had to pose on the red carpet and make a complete ass of myself. We had to tender in and it was very windy and the seas were quite rough. They still are as I am writing this. The harbor is filled with the biggest yachts I have ever seen in my life. They are all ocean going vessels with crews. Some of them are almost as big as the ship we are on. Of course, all the “beautiful people” are wandering around town. They are oozing money from every pore. They are all skinny as hell, tan as berries and are mostly French. Besides the yachts they all have Benzes. We wanted to take a cab and the driver wanted $40 to go 2 miles. We laughed in his face and took the trolley for a buck each. Of course, it took us a half an hour to figure out how to use the ticket machine. It was hilarious. We took the train to Nice, hung out there a while, walked on the Promenade des Anglais, the beautiful seaside walk next the the rocky beach. The wind nearly blew us away. We took the train back to Cannes, where the beaches had sand and the guys were very busy checking out the topless women sunbathers. We took a tram ride which took us all around Cannes, through the various neighborhoods. We saw the park where the French game of boules was invented and we watched the old men playing. It is the French version of bocce. We returned to the ship via tender rocking and rolling all the way.
Dinner was great and we saw a cute show with four guys doing a Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons show. They were very good and we enjoyed it. After losing $10 in the casino I gave up and left Jerry to win it back for me.
Tomorrow we stop in Livorno, which is the port stop for Florence and Tuscany. We decided to go to Lucca by train instead of fighting the crowds in Florence and Pisa, both of which we have been to several times. Lucca is a quieter place, still in Tuscany where we can wander around and hang out with the locals. We will now switch from Fractured French to something that sounds like Italian but is mostly Spanish with a few Italian words thrown in. The main thing is that we make ourselves understood. I love the trains here in Europe and cannot wait to get on the next one tomorrow morning.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Ibiza
We are sitting in a sidewalk cafe in Ibiza. It is midnight and the whole town is here, even the children. They are eating, drinking and walking around. The shops are all open and the town is jumping. Typical of all Spaniards, they stay up all night and eat dinner at around 10 pm.
We docked at about 4 this afternoon and the ship doesn't leave till 3 tomorrow afternoon. We toured the old city which was very interesting and quite a hike up a huge hill. We definitely got our exercise today.
Ibiza is an island off the coast of Spain in the middle of the Mediterranean. They speak the same kind of regional Spanish as they do in Catalunya which is very difficult to understand but we are getting by. This is a very popular vacation spot for young people and it used to be the
Hippie capital of Europe. They still have a Hippie Market but it's very commercial now. There is also a Gypsy part of town where we got lost this afternoon. Right now we are watching a Gay parade of cross-dressers walking down the street. Earlier this evening we came upon an orchestra playing in the street. Believe it or not, they played Hava Na Gila to a standing ovation by the locals. Now I think I have seen it all! Nothing seems to be slowing down here but I think we have to head back to the ship and my very comfy bed. I will send photos from Barcelona on Monday since we forgot to take the media reader with us. The adventure continues on the Adventure of the Seas. Adios from the beautiful island of Ibiza.
We docked at about 4 this afternoon and the ship doesn't leave till 3 tomorrow afternoon. We toured the old city which was very interesting and quite a hike up a huge hill. We definitely got our exercise today.
Ibiza is an island off the coast of Spain in the middle of the Mediterranean. They speak the same kind of regional Spanish as they do in Catalunya which is very difficult to understand but we are getting by. This is a very popular vacation spot for young people and it used to be the
Hippie capital of Europe. They still have a Hippie Market but it's very commercial now. There is also a Gypsy part of town where we got lost this afternoon. Right now we are watching a Gay parade of cross-dressers walking down the street. Earlier this evening we came upon an orchestra playing in the street. Believe it or not, they played Hava Na Gila to a standing ovation by the locals. Now I think I have seen it all! Nothing seems to be slowing down here but I think we have to head back to the ship and my very comfy bed. I will send photos from Barcelona on Monday since we forgot to take the media reader with us. The adventure continues on the Adventure of the Seas. Adios from the beautiful island of Ibiza.
Sailing to Ibiza
Toulon To Ibiza
This is really a party ship. Last night people were up till all hours. This morning it was pretty quiet. We had a leisurely breakfast and got off the ship in Seyne sur Mer, a lovely little port town. We then took a local bus to Bandol, a picture-perfect French seaside town. We were lucky enough to arrive on market day and there is nothing better than the south of France on a market day. Everything is fresh off the farm, beautiful looking and the meats and cheeses don’t get any better. We bought cheese and bread and had ourselves a seaside picnic on a bench under a tree overlooking the Mediterranian Sea. I really understand why the French Impressionist painters came here to paint. The sunlight is special, the colors are vivid and the scenery is like nowhere else. It is magical. We walked around this lovely seaside town for a while and took the bus back to Seyne sur Mer. After boarding the ship we relaxed a while in order to gather up enough energy to take a tango class. My poor feet got stepped on numerous times but we finished the class.
The food is good and the ship is good. We like the crew very much. So far, everything is up to our high standards. Jerry won a tee shirt and a million Royal Caribbean key chains in the casino tonight. We had dinner with two nice couples from the UK and Ireland. English speakers are definitely in the minority on this ship. Almost everyone is from Spain and they really know how to party. I am sure it will be a late night again tonight. We have a partial sea day tomorrow with arrival in Ibiza at around four in the afternoon and will overnight in this party capital of Europe. It is supposed to be beautiful and we can’t wait to see it.
This is really a party ship. Last night people were up till all hours. This morning it was pretty quiet. We had a leisurely breakfast and got off the ship in Seyne sur Mer, a lovely little port town. We then took a local bus to Bandol, a picture-perfect French seaside town. We were lucky enough to arrive on market day and there is nothing better than the south of France on a market day. Everything is fresh off the farm, beautiful looking and the meats and cheeses don’t get any better. We bought cheese and bread and had ourselves a seaside picnic on a bench under a tree overlooking the Mediterranian Sea. I really understand why the French Impressionist painters came here to paint. The sunlight is special, the colors are vivid and the scenery is like nowhere else. It is magical. We walked around this lovely seaside town for a while and took the bus back to Seyne sur Mer. After boarding the ship we relaxed a while in order to gather up enough energy to take a tango class. My poor feet got stepped on numerous times but we finished the class.
The food is good and the ship is good. We like the crew very much. So far, everything is up to our high standards. Jerry won a tee shirt and a million Royal Caribbean key chains in the casino tonight. We had dinner with two nice couples from the UK and Ireland. English speakers are definitely in the minority on this ship. Almost everyone is from Spain and they really know how to party. I am sure it will be a late night again tonight. We have a partial sea day tomorrow with arrival in Ibiza at around four in the afternoon and will overnight in this party capital of Europe. It is supposed to be beautiful and we can’t wait to see it.
Barcelona to Toulon
From Barcelona to Toulon, France
This morning we walked from one end of Barcelona to another and found ourselves back on La Rambla to watch the local crazies and con artists. We saw a guy who lost 100 Euros in a shell game, the oldest con in the world. People kept warning us to watch our cameras and backpacks but we did fine. My backpack is like Fort Knox. Someone would actually have to hit me over the head and kill me to get at it. We went to Barri Gotic, the old part of Barcelona. We walked through tiny, narrow streets dating from the 1300’s. We came upon a demonstration protesting salary caps and lower pensions. It was exciting but peaceful. Just a lot of singing and shouting. We took the Metro again without getting lost. The ship is quite large but very orderly and the crew is very nice. Most of the passengers are Spanish and they are in a party mood. The food is good. I had a sugar free dessert in my attempt to stick to some sort of good eating habits. We have been walking miles and miles. Jerry is resting so you can imagine how much we walked!
The Med is calm as a lake with barely two-foot seas. I love my veranda and am writing from it right now. Had my Cappucino after dinner and am a very happy camper. The weather is gorgeous. About 75 degrees now and going to 80 tomorrow. We will be in the south of France all day tomorrow. I hope to find a local market in Provence. I love those things. Not sure where we will go yet. Probably one of the small towns along the coast. It really doesn’t matter. They are all beautiful. Adios for now from the middle of the Mediterranean.
This morning we walked from one end of Barcelona to another and found ourselves back on La Rambla to watch the local crazies and con artists. We saw a guy who lost 100 Euros in a shell game, the oldest con in the world. People kept warning us to watch our cameras and backpacks but we did fine. My backpack is like Fort Knox. Someone would actually have to hit me over the head and kill me to get at it. We went to Barri Gotic, the old part of Barcelona. We walked through tiny, narrow streets dating from the 1300’s. We came upon a demonstration protesting salary caps and lower pensions. It was exciting but peaceful. Just a lot of singing and shouting. We took the Metro again without getting lost. The ship is quite large but very orderly and the crew is very nice. Most of the passengers are Spanish and they are in a party mood. The food is good. I had a sugar free dessert in my attempt to stick to some sort of good eating habits. We have been walking miles and miles. Jerry is resting so you can imagine how much we walked!
The Med is calm as a lake with barely two-foot seas. I love my veranda and am writing from it right now. Had my Cappucino after dinner and am a very happy camper. The weather is gorgeous. About 75 degrees now and going to 80 tomorrow. We will be in the south of France all day tomorrow. I hope to find a local market in Provence. I love those things. Not sure where we will go yet. Probably one of the small towns along the coast. It really doesn’t matter. They are all beautiful. Adios for now from the middle of the Mediterranean.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
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