Cruise: Croatia, Corfu, Cyprus, St. Tropez, Portovenere, Venice
June 2009
Well, we have finished our second leg of our trip, docking moments ago in Civitavecchia, about an hours train ride from Rome. After a wonderful visit to Sweden and Denmark, we left all those ugly, tall, flaxen-haired, creamy-skinned, pouty-lipped Swedes behind and we flew to Venice to meet our ship, the Good Ship Crystal Serenity. We had 24 hours in Venice (one night), so we went into town and walked around beautiful, timeless Venice, along with thousands of other tourists, of course. But it is always fun. We bought some colorful glasses for our home, made in the magical island of nearby Murano…
June 15: Dubrovnik
Setting sail around noon on Monday, June 15, we cruised southeast to find ourselves the next morning in Croatia. We took a shuttle to just outside the old city of Dubrovnik, which is spectacular set against the Adriatic Sea, with its creamy-colored bricks and rust-colored tile roofs. We walked the entire wall of the old city, taking in the sites, then entered into the city to walk through the streets and alleyways. Stopped to enjoy a very cold beer (Fischer’s Hell!), along with a most delightful bruschetta…We then took our shuttle back to the ship for some R&R from our stressful day…ha.
June 16: Corfu
That evening we sail again, southward toward Greece, where we meet up with the lovely island of Corfu (who knew?) on Wednesday morning. We find an older gentlemen taxi driver who agrees to drive us around the island, which he does. Stops a few times to show us the 500-year old olive trees, and tells us some basics of this gorgeous island. It is the greenest part of Greece, and full of olive trees, fig trees, and blooming oleandar bushes.…At one point as we come back to the city, he tells us he likes the “old music.” I say, “Greek?” He says “yes, but more like Frank Sinatra and Barry White.” Linda and I look at each other – as BW was what we danced to in our showcase. Before we know it, he’s playing “our song” on his CD player. Amazing! He then dropped us off, and we walked around Old Corfu Town a while, then headed back to the ship…
Food aboard the ship is unbelievable. You basically can get just about anything you want whenever you want it. Dangerous. But delightful. I am trying to pace myself so I don’t gain back my recent weight loss… We also chose this ship for the opportunity to dance – and we are doing that every night. It is great for us to practice our various steps, and we are becoming more comfortable with what we know – which is limited – but enough to be fun. There are lots of other activities (casino,movies, shows, etc.), but we really haven’t done much of that…
June 17: At Sea
Thursday is cruising day, on our way to Sicily. There are LOTS of activities to participate in on cruising days, so we have a group dance lesson (foxtrot), I go to a golf lesson, and Linda has a haircut…and of course, relaxation by the pool. Tough day!
June 18: Sicily
Friday morning we arrive in Sicily, Italy. We are anchored outside the lovely city of Taormina. We board our tender and ferry into the dock, then it’s a short bus ride up the mountain to the city. What a quaint, lovely, old city, with wonderful view of Mt. Aetna, which of course is named for an insurance company. We have fun walking around, looking at the shops. Then we get a taxi further up to the little town of Castelmola, high above the Mediterranean….very nice….then it’s back down and back through the main street of Taormina, where we locate a quaint little restaurant with a delightful view – and wonderful food! Then shuttle back to the dock and then the ship. More dancing, great food…
June 19: Capri
We set sail that evening and head around the “boot” of Italy, which is breathtaking. We head down the “hall” to the sushi restaurant, where we have the most wonderful Japanese food we have ever eaten… Then it’s beddy-bye to wake up anchored at Sorrento, Italy, on the west coast. We decide to forego Sorrento and take a 20-minute hydrofoil ride to the Isle of Capri. It is teeming with people, but that’s part of the fun. We decide to walk up to the city from the Marina Grande – it’s further than we remembered, but a good workout…Linda finds a great little shop for barrettes and hair thingies, more walking, then a wonderful little restaurant for some good old Italian pizza, which they customize for us. Yummy! We taxi down this time and take the boat back to Sorrento, then our tender back to the ship. They have a special on massages today, so I see the talented Miss Margaride from Portugal for my relaxing work, followed by a steam bath…while Linda heads upstairs to dance with the dance “ambassadors” we have met. We then head down the hall to the specialty Italian restaurant, and have a delightful meal til we are stuffed… We check out a DVD called The Deal, which we enjoyed, and then it’s nighty-night….
June 20-21: Rome
Today we will take the train into Rome. We enjoy just walking the city…and all its special byways, getting lost again and again…Then it’s reboarding for the next cruise, from here up the coast, then to Monaco and St. Tropez, and finally, Barcelona…
June 22: Portovenere, Cinque Terra
On Monday morning (June 22), we arrive in the lovely little port of Porto Venere. After breakfast we take the tender into town – it is this small, quaint little undiscovered resort, with small beaches and boats. Lovely. We are scheduled for our first excursion, a boat ride up the coast in the area known as Cinque Terra, which means five cities. There is a very steep shoreline, covered with terraced farming, and every so often, a beautiful little town carved into the countryside. We stop at two of them, and wander about, stopping at the first for cappuccinos, and for some beer and bruschetta at the second. Then we cruise back to the dock and then back to the ship, just in time for the rain to come. But it clears up and I head back into town after our lunch, take some more photos and sit out another brief rain encounter… That evening we enjoy some dancing, another fine dinner, this time at the Italian restaurant, and off to sleep…
June 23: Livorno, Florence
Tuesday morning we find ourselves docked at Livorno, in Tuscany. After breakfast, we load up in buses and head off to Florence, about 1.5 hours east. We ride through the wondrous Tuscan countryside, replete with vineyards, olive orchards, old farmhouses, and fields of grain and sunflowers. Wow! Would I love spend more time driving around this place on our own…maybe next… But we arrive safely in Florence, and after seeing our designated meeting point, Linda and I trot off to enjoy this beautiful city, with credit card in hand, as Florence is known for its artists and craftsmen. We immediately pass the “leather district” full of shops with leathers of all colors and transformations. Breathtaking. And shoes everywhere. We stop in and Linda gets some cute little red tennis shoes, then a jewelry store where we find a gorgeous bracelet of turtles. Yes, turtles…
We run into Il Duomo, which is this gargantuan cathedral of green and white tiles-magnificent. We continue to walk around, and there is every conceivable shop imaginable, all set in this overwhelmingly beautiful city, with sculptures abounding… With bags in hand we make our way back to our group, then a wonderful return trip through the Tuscan landscape. We finish our wonderful day with martinis in the lounge with piano tunes wafting in the air, then a simply breathtaking meal of Dover sole, followed by a brief stint in one of the piano lounges with a delightful player/singer. A fantastic day!
June 24: Monaco
On Wednesday, we wake up in Monaco…and a bit of a hiccup. Turns out a staff member has gotten the flu – and they are testing for Swine Flu. Monaco won’t let them dock, so we head on to Villafraunch, Fr., where they bus us into Monte Carlo. Figure that out. We take a taxi up to the old Medieval town of Eze overlooking the Mediterranean, perched on top of a mountain. Very scenic indeed. We then take the bus down the mountain, and find a wonderful little restaurant for some delicious salad and pizza. We walk around the Grand Casino, which is incredible, then back to our shuttle. Linda is quite concerned about the possibility of the ship being quarantined, so after much deliberation, we pack up and disembark, not sure what we are going to do. But we find a helpful taxi driver, who takes us to a local restaurant, where we have a simply wonderful bouillabaisse with a wonderful bottle of Bordeaux, overlooking the little harbor. Then he drives us to St. Tropez, to a hotel that isn’t booked, landing somewhere around midnight….
June 25: St. Tropez
We awake Thursday morning to a wonderful sight. We have a small patio which turns out overlooks a beautiful vineyard, just as the morning sun spreads its light. How peaceful! We are just outside of the main port, and all is quiet here. We have a wonderful little breakfast overlooking the vineyard, surrounded by fig trees, grapes, and bees flitting on the lavender blooms…then take a brief walk to see delightful little villas, some private and some turned into hotels. We hang out until noon, then taxi our way into St. Tropez. They have determined the flu is NOT Swine, but are waiting for further testing. Great. So we trek around St. Tropez, having a wonderful pot of mussels and more bouillabaisse, Linda’s favorite dish. Simply delicious, as we take it all, in – the food and the sights (huge yachts everywhere), and all the great people watching…then we wander around the streets, looking at all the cute shops…picking up some inexpensive cotton clothes, flip flops, and misc. Very nice little town…But we have to make a decision about what to do, decide not to drive to Barcelona, and go back on the boat…To console ourselves, we head back to the sushi restaurant for more delightful sushi…then take in a DVD (Red Dragon – fantastic) and crash…
June 26: At Sea
Friday is a sailing day as we steam on to Barcelona…another staff has gotten the flu, Type A, which is not that bad, but not reassuring either…but life seems to go on, though we are quite careful about hand washing, small quarters, etc. We work out and set up out by the pool – and the weather is perfect…I take in a golf clinic and then a lesson later in the afternoon. We then head back to the room for a nap, read up some more on Spain, then have a wonderful time dancing for a while, then dinner in the main dining room….
June 27: Barcelona
We have decided to disembark early and not return to the boat, which is available for everyone their first night in Barcelona. Just don’t want to take the chance of getting sick. So this morning we will finish packing up and head off to our hotel and then see the sights of Barcelona. Then tomorrow we will get our rental car, for three days touring the Catalonia region of northeast Spain before circling back to Barcelona for two days before returning home to Atlanta…we’re looking forward to exploring Spain on our own…
We left the ship and taxied to the Hotel OMM in Barcelona. We then take off to tour Barcelona on foot, heading down the Passeig de Gracia, which is the main shopping street in town, then along Las Ramblas, which isa huge esplanade through the center of the old part of town. The architecture here is stunning, reminds us of Paris and Buenos Aires, with beautiful old buildings, most under 6 stories high. Interspersed are buildings designed by the artist/architect, Gaudi, whose whimsy leads one to think he must have been smoking something…
We stop at the Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria. Unbelievable. Stalls everywhere – every imaginable food- fruits and veggies stacked high, all kinds of fish, meats, etc. People sitting at small booths eating tapas…I’m taking pictures like crazy – and not paying attention to my bag…and someone unzips my bag and makes off with my wallet. Ugh! We quickly call to cancel the cards…and they have already tried to get a cash advance…Quite a hassle, but fortunately Linda still has her cards and no passports missing…But I never thought they’d actually unzip something… It takes me a while but I calm down and we move on…
Walking down the main esplanade, Las Ramblas, is a hoot. Everyone’s a mime – decked out in various outlandish garb hoping for a tip…then you pass by booths of animal sellers – birds, turtles, rabbits, lizards, you name it. Linda points at a cage and says “Look at the funny looking rabbits!” I break out laughing and have to inform her those are guinea pigs…don’t think Linda had much to do with pets growing up…We then break off and head down some pedestrian streets, full of shops and people. Beautiful buildings…we find our way to the Picasso Museum, which is wonderful….then gradually make our way back to the hotel. We have been walking for six hours…it has been exhilarating – and exhausting…Time for a siesta…The rhythm of the city is very similar to Buenos Aires…lots of folks shut down at 1:30 for a siesta…come back, stay open late. Dinner is 10 or later. Anyway, we meet up with our friend George who is opening up the W Hotel here, and have a drink out on the street at Torres enjoying some delicious Spanish wine, then convince him to join us for dinner at Butofumerio, well-known for its seafood. We sit at the bar and are treated to wonderful Iberian ham, grilled peppers, gazpacho, and a huge platter of all kinds of shellfish. Delicioso! We then head back to our hotel bar (MOO) which is George’s hangout, and he introduces us to two gorgeous bartenders, Patricia and Lenke, where we dreamily drink martinis till we can hold our eyes open no longer….
June 28: Northern Spain by car: Sitges, Montblance, Le Seu d’Urgell
On Sunday, we rent a car and initially head south toward Sitges on the sea. The traffic is terrible, and Sitges is so very crowded, so we opt to head on to Tarragona and then turn northwest…we pass this beautiful little medieval town called Montblanc, and decide to stop and take it in. Unfortunately I make an illegal turn and get pulled over and given my very first international ticket! But the polite officer shows us the way into town… In contrast to the beach towns, it is practically empty. And very quaint. At this point Linda thinks we can make it all the way to the Pyrenees, which somehow now becomes something she must do before she dies…but the drive is quite beautiful…it is harvest season for the straw, so fields are full of bright golden yellow stalks, either growing or cut. And every so often is another little village, complete with small church or castle…and then there’s the growing background of mountains…it gets more mountainous and we are now in the Pyrenees! Linda finds a hotel in Le Seu d’Urgell, nestled in the mountains, with an incredible view of the mountains. We actually arrive in time to take in the sunset sipping more of that wonderful Spanish wine…then downstairs to the restaurant for some delicious veal and suckling pig… this place is so beautiful we decide to stay two nights here…
June 29:
On Monday, we arise, have a wonderful little breakfast of ham, sausages, cheese and bread, along with our cappuccinos. Then we head up further into the mountains, winding our way though gorgeous panoramic views dotted with the occasional little towns that look about 300 years old…At one point we see snow on the tops of the mountains…We go thorugh the small village of Pallerols, then into – of all places – Sort. Well, we have to have fun with this, so we take some photos of us – Out of sorts… Ha ha! We then see signs for the small country of Andorra. Well, we simply have to make that – so we head north over the “border” and into this country – which is basically a shopping district – as every thing is TAX-FREE! We – of course – have to stop in and buy SOMETHING – which we do – some great china, and a great pen. Must haves! Then at some point we turn back andto our hotel for another great dinner.
June 30: Montserrat, Costa Brava
We now are making our way east to the coast – Costa Brava – which is beautiful – as we wind our way along the coast south towards Barcelona. Eventually we make it back.
July 1- 2: Barcelona
More days of playing in Barcelona, including much time spent at a local seamstress shop – Rocio. Great fun!! And more great food!