Sea This!

Time for another port wrap-up, finally! In my last post we did a couple oddball “one week” cruises, and now we’re back to doing our regular Mediterranean season. All of these ports I have been to at least once, but for most of them I still found some neat stuff to do. Remember the number in brackets (or as the British call them – square brackets) represents how many times I have been to this port, including that day.  Going to skip Malaga, Spain. Nothing too exciting happened in either place. Basically I sought out internet and a random protest was going on.

Barcelona, Spain (June 10) [3] – I decided it was time to explore Barcelona with someone who actually knew the place, so I tagged along with the Port Lecturer on the ship. It started off raining (boo!) but it turned out to be sunny later in the day (yay!). We went to La Pedrera (the Gaudi house) and poked our head in the Cathedral. Around the corner was a really awesome Comic Book shop called “Continuara”, which means “To be Continued”. Isn’t that an awesome name? We also just walked around the city. It was nice to be with someone who actually studied Barcelona. The guy would point out things I would never notice, like the Gaudi inspired lampposts.

Monte Carlo/Monaco (June 11) – This is the only place I hadn’t been to yet. We were supposed to go a couple cruises ago, but we went to Cannes instead. I went out with a purser buddy of mine and we explored. We went all around the town. Went to a random mall (which turned out to be nothing special), found a random Japanese garden, and eventually made our way into the Casino. It was a bit pricey to get in, and he was happy looking at it from the outside, so we split off and I went inside. Everyone would be so disappointed if I went all the way to Monte Carlo but didn’t go to the casino.

The casino was nice, but small. I was worried they would kick me out because I was wearing a tank top and shorts, but they didn’t. The table games had way too high of a minimum for me to play, but the slots weren’t bad. I put five euros in a machine and wasted a half an hour playing it. There was another part of the casino I wanted to go into, but it didn’t open until 4 (the Casino itself didn’t open until 2). Even though it was cutting it close, I decided to wait until 4 to go in. It was a nice tall room with stained glass windows and even higher table limits. And then beyond that room was another room with even higher table limits that you had to pay another 10 euros to get into – so that I just admired from the outside. It was a nice place and I’m glad I can say that I went. Too bad I couldn’t take pictures (but I got plenty from outside).

Nothing too exciting happened in Civitavecchia/Rome, Italy. I was going to take the train but was worried about protests, so I just stayed nearby. It was my 3rd time going, and I would be back plenty more.

Naples, Italy (June 13) – This was actually my first time docking in Naples; we were scheduled to go a month ago, but because of rough waters never docked. I was debating whether I should just stay in Naples or do an excursion, but I decided to spring for a tour. I went to Sorrento and drove along the Amalfi Coast, which was absolutely gorgeous. I posted a picture in an earlier entry. We passed by the town of Positano but couldn’t stop because our bus was too big. Still debating whether it’s worth it or not to try and go. We did stop at the town of Amalfi though, which was also quite picturesque. I definitely want to go back to this area and spend a few more days, sometime.

Nothing exciting happened in Corsica, France, either. I think I just used the Internet and went around the market.

Gibraltar (June 16) [3] – Didn’t do a whole lot here, either, but I did walk a whole lot. I also saw monkeys somewhere else other than the top of the rock. Tried to get a picture with them, but I’m still too scared to get too close to them.

Skipping Southampton, as well, since nothing exciting ever happens there. I wish I had more time to do something, but it’s tough since I have to get back to my boat pretty quickly and I also have to fight against incoming cruise traffic. Boo.

Photos amalfi coast, barcelona, gibraltar, italy, monaco, monte carlo, naples, sorrento, spain

I’m way behind on my port wrap-ups, so I thought I would catch up on some more ports so I don’t fall too behind! This list covers both the second half of my second cruise, and all of my third cruise. The number in brackets [] denotes how many times I’ve been there (if more than once).

Cannes, France (May 2) – Went to both Nice and St. Paul de Vence. I think I liked Nice better, because in St. Paul de Vence there was a huge hill to get up to the city! But both were very cool ports. I did a tram ride through Nice, and I think next time when I’ll go I’ll just explore on my own. There was a big market there and I think the president of France (?) just happened to be there making a speech. In St. Paul de Vence, I went to the Museum of Death Penalty AND the Museum of Torture. They were as gruesome as they sounded, but I had to go just because it was so bizarre. I really like Cannes in general and it’s one of my favorite ports that we go to.

Barcelona, Spain (May 3) – This day wasn’t the best. I got locked in the bathroom (see earlier entry), it was raining really badly, and I lost my group. Just when I was about to leave, though, I ran into a couple passengers I knew. Together we walked around to the good part of the city (Las Ramblas). It’s just one long giant street that sells everything you can imagine – including pets! Also, they have 20 different variations of everything in Barcelona. For instance, want your portrait done? They have 20 different artists ready to do it.

Gibraltar (May 5) – At the last minute I got a tour – woohoo! I got to ride the cable car up and see monkeys. They’re like pigeons. They’ve everywhere and just come up right next to you! Afterwards, we went to the WWII tunnels which were neat but involved lots of climbing. After the tour, they dropped us off in the city where I proceeded to find a decent internet signal near the Cobacabana Restaurant.

** Nothing too exciting happened in Southampton or Malaga, Spain so I’m going to skip those **

Barcelona, Spain [2] (May 13) – Yes, we came back to Barcelona relatively quickly. We go there a lot, so I’ll get to know it well. This time it was nice and sunny. Ahh.. what a difference the weather makes. This time the market was even more crowded than before. Found more internet and just wandered the city. I found really fast internet in this giant market square, but it kept on cutting out – how frustrating. So eventually I just gave up and went to McDonald’s for internet. I don’t like to, but reliable internet is best.

Cannes, France [2] (May 14) – Originally this was supposed to be Monte Carlo, but I think because of the Grand Prix they changed it. Today it was the film festival and I knew I had to get out and see what I could see.  Unfortunately, I didn’t see any big BIG stars, but I did get to see a lot of red carpet and security. I also met up with a paparazzi photographer and friends and hung out with them for a couple hours hoping they might know the best spots to go. I did see as couple of French stars, but since I don’t know French movies, it wasn’t that impressive. I also saw a couple behind hounded by the paparazzi with cameras down the street. That’s something you don’t see everyday.

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy [2] (May 15) – This was the second time we went to Civitavecchia but the first time I went to Rome. The roommate and I took the train into the city even though it was raining. We went to St. Peter’s Basilica, which has officially spoiled me as far as churches go – everything else just can’t compare. We also waited an hour and a half to get into the Vatican Museum to see the Sistine Chapel. Even when you’re in, it’s still a long walk to get through! But, it’s a very cool sight and it’s amazing how much depth everything has.

We didn’t go to Naples because of rough seas, which stinks – but it happens. Also, when a port day turns into a sea day, I have to teach. So, it’s a double whammy. But the nice thing is, classes are busy, which makes things more fun.

Corsica (Ajaccio), France (May 17) – I really like France, and this was no exception. It was another quaint port town with lots of little shops to walk around in.  Also, it had amazingly fast (and free) internet. The only downside was that you could only go on for twenty minute increments, but it was still amazingly fast. I found a nice little café, had myself a weird flavor of Nestea I had never heard of before, and enjoyed myself. I also stopped in the casino, but since everything was in French, it was hard to play.

Gibraltar [2] (May 19) – I had my heart set on finding a pillow. Not just any pillow, but a pillow that allows you to lean against it for support and has “arms” on the side to rest your elbows. I found every other variation I possibly could, but none quite like the one I had in mind. I even went to a pillow specialty store. But, I guess it wasn’t meant to be. So, I gave up and went back to the Copacabana for some internet.

Southampton, England [3] (May 22) – This was the day everyone gets off and the day new people get on, so I thought I would try to find a pillow one more time. I had a huge mall just waiting and I figured it might just be here. I found something very close to what I had in mind, but it just wasn’t exactly what I wanted. Plus, it was kinda pricey, so I didn’t get it afterall. I figured that IKEA might have what I’m looking for, but that’s not close, and by this time I wasn’t sure if the large pillow I was searching for was really worth it.

So woohoo – glad I’ve caught up a little bit on my ports. I’d love to write more, but they just come up so fast. I still have two more cruises I still have to talk about, but I’ll do that sometime later.

Ports barcelona, cannes, corsica, france, gibraltar, italy, rome, southampton, spain