Our flight on American was from DFW to Philadelphia and Philadelphia to Venice. We left at 12:30 pm on time and arrived in Philadelphia departing on time to Venice. We even arrived an hour early. The plane over the ocean was very comfortable and food was good to excellent on both flights. After we found our luggage we located our transfe waiting outside the baggage claim with a sign with our name on it. This would be the first of many signs in the weeks to come and a silent thank you was said each time we saw our name. We were escorted to the window to reserve a private water taxi. Walking outside, we waited for a van to take us to the water taxi port. Our guide stayed with us the whole way, from luggage to van to water taxi, to pier where we were met by a porter from the hotel Ca'Pasani. Our guide stayed with us until we entered the hotel, where we paid for the transfer. All this and it was only 9:30 am. Our room would be ready in 15 min and we were given coffee and juice and we sat outside the hotel while waiting.
No one came out to tell us the room was ready so after 45 minutes we went back in and room was ready, but that was okay. We enjoyed the quiet rest. We were escorted to our room and our luggage followed closely behind. Our room was very spacious, with a separate closet, large bathroom, and large bedroom. We laid down for a short nap, getting up a little before 1. We went down to the desk and asked about an excursion to the Murano glass factory. It is free with included water taxi rides. Well maybe not free in the end! The hotel walked us to the pier and our water taxi arrived within 5 min. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the ride over.
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| Murano as we approach |
The tour was interesting with the glass maker making 2 different pieces.
We then went through the showroom and bought a vase to be shipped home. See, I said it wasn't free!
The taxi home stopped at a different stop and said he couldn't take us to the Academia. He was a bit surly but then took us to a closer stop which we recognized and we walked back to the hotel. After dropping off some items, we walked to the port to make sure we knew where we were going tomorrow morning, bought a Venice magnet, and went back to the hotel. Our guide at the Murano factory suggested dinner at a restaurant around the corner from our hotel, San Trovaso Ristorante.
It was very good. We enjoyed a nice dinner in the garden outside. We went back to the hotel and and our long day caught up with us and we crashed.
Tuesday Oct 3
We had the best intentions of getting up for breakfast but it didn't happen. We checked out of the hotel around 11:30 and walked to the port.
We had to go over two bridges, luckily one had a ramp, but the second was stairs but it was right at the pier. Check in took longer than usual for Azamara. We had to fill out information which we had already filled out already online Weird. After getting our keys we went to security and straight to lunch on deck 9. The reservation table for the specialty restaurants was just inside the Windows Cafe. From lessons learned on a previous Azamara cruise, we reserved our specialty reservations for the first leg of our cruise. We sat in Windows Cafe for quite a while after finishing lunch, talking to the couple next to us who were from Australia. We did not run into this couple again, whcih is very unusual for an Azamara cruise. After lunch, we went to shore excursions and rebooked our one excursion book through the cruise line, changing the charge from our credit card to OBC, which is a new feature. We then headed to our room and our bags had arrived. After unpacking, Greg realized that he had left his hat at the hotel. Greg called the hotel, and his hat was at the front desk, so he walked back to the hotel and returned not long before the mandatory drill which was at 5. After the drill, we attended the cruise critic meet and greet. I was able to get a face for Patti, Dave, and Ted. Still need to meet Kathy and Donald. We had reservations for Prime C at 6:30 pm. The restaurant was very empty. Greg and I shared Chateaubriand and it was as excellent as it was on past cruises. After dinner, we had a drink at Spirits, where Dale is the bartender. Dale is a celebrity among Azamara veterans. We listened to Max on the piano for awhile, then went to the show. The singer, Amanda Poulsen, is a member of the Production Group, and has an amazing voice. She gave a show that was as strong as any that we have seen on a cruise.
We started with breakfast in our room. Still one of the best benefits of a suite. Rafeal is our butler and he was right on time at 7:30. Our tour left at 8:30 from the lounge and it was a small group, less than 20. We went by water taxi to the landing closest to St Mark's Square and started at Doge's Palace. We used quiet boxes which made it easy to hear the guide. The Palace was very interesting and the guide did a really good job of explaining the history.
The Palazzo Ducale, or Doge's Palace was the seat of the Venice's government from 697 to 1789 as well as being the home of the Doge (who was elected). It also served as the venue for its law courts, civil administration and bureaucracy.
After the Palace we crossed on the Bridge of Sighs to the jail.
While the Bridge of Sighs sounds romantic, the name comes from the prisoners giving a last sigh as they look out the window on the bridge as they go to their sentencing.
Next stop was St Mark's Square and the cathedral. St Mark's Square certainly was a more pleasant visit 45 years later. There were a few pigeons but nothing as nasty as I remembered before.
But first, lunch at The Grill, where we both ordered cheeseburgers. The sun had decided to come out, so I went to sit by the pool and read and Greg was taking pictures from the top decks of Venice with the sun shining.
We had dinner reservations in Aqualina for 6:30. It was pretty much full except for two large tables. I had lobster and Greg had veal scallapini. The lobster was really good but only about 3 bites, thus the reason they also brought me several shrimp on the side. Coconut gelato for dessert, what a perfect ending to a wonderful meal. This would not be the last time I enjoyed the coconut gelato. We went to listen to Max but he didn't play for long and we were sailing from Venice at 9 pm. It was dark and really very few lights on. Disappointing. Greg went to Guest Services to try to iron our our OBC, but didn't get anywhere. After he came back to the room, they called again and Greg went back down. This time Germain, head of guest services was there and he too was perplexed. Greg came back and wrote our travel agent an email, hoping he could help.
Thursday, Oct 5th Kopar
Rafeal brought breakfast right on time. Today's excursion was with Donald and Carol. We met at 7:30 in from of guest services and waited for the all clear call. At 7:50, it had not been made, so we headed down to deck 3, and gee we just walked off. Our guide Aaron,
was waiting for us and we headed out for Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
Views along the way
The old town was very clean and interesting, with a huge market and an old fortress on the hill in the bsckdrop. There wasn't a lot of historical buildings, but Aaron gave us a ton of historical background and information.
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| A milk vending machine. Milk straight from the cows, no pasteuring. |
We stopped for a Slovenia dumpling and a drink. I had a coconut and white chocolate filled one and Greg had a local beer, Lasko.
After our snack, we head to Lake Bled and the castle overlooking the lake. The setting was beautiful, and again Aaron gave us a lot of historical information.
Donald and Carol tried the local cream cake which they said was very good. On the ride back, Aaron talked about Slovenia's wine production and that they consume all that is harvested. He dropped us off at the cafe 5 min from the ship and we ordered the white Slovenia wine and Greg ordered a local beer.
After finishing our drinks, we walked back to the ship. Sailway was at 7 pm.
Tonight we ate in the main dining room. There was a long line when we walked in but we were seated quickly. I ordered veal schnitzel and Greg had seafood medley in tomato sauce over potatoes. We both enjoyed our meal. Tonight was the captain's toast in the Cabaret lounge followed by the show, Beverly Davison, a violinist and comedian.
Friday October 6th Hvar
Breakfast in our room. We arrived in port at 11 am
and met our excursion companions (Patty and Gary) on deck 4. We were tendered so we had to wait a bit to get on the tender but we were on the first boat. A young girl met us and walked us to where Sinisa had the van in queue. Sinisa (with tours by locals) was our guide for the day.
We had a van similar to yesterday that held 8 so for the 5 of us, it was perfect. As we did yesterday, we alternated sitting in the front. We toured all the towns and villages of Hvar, stopping at the beginning after a drive on a very narrow road for a vista view and a bit of history.
Next stop was an old village in a beautiful setting that was mostly abandoned. 7 current residents in the off season and 30 during the summer when the lavender is being harvested.
We stopped at the old city center Stari Grad where we saw some ruins and walked through the old city. The area is a UNESCO site.
We drove to a couple of villages by the sea
and stopped at one for a drink and bathroom break.
The server was not as cheerful as our servers yesterday. She didn't seem happy to see us and they had the smallest bathrooms I do believe I have ever seen.
Our guide praised the wine made in Hvar but said we would not be able to buy any wine outside of the country. They produce only enough for their consumption and not for exporting. We stopped at a local family winery for a short tasting. I enjoyed the white and bought a bottle to bring home.
The weather was not cooperating, but the rain was not heavy so not a huge deal except everything looks duller in the overcast light. All the doors and windows in Hvar were painted green with the typical white buildings. At the end of the tour we found a kiosk that would take euros and we bought our magnet then walked back to the tender station.
Rafael is bringing cheese and crackers everyday for when we return, which is much better than the usual "savory bites" of dry bread with cream cheese piped on top! Dinner tonight was in Discoveries with Jesse and Ricky as our waiters. They were very friendly, the best service that we had in the main dining room. I had quail and Greg had beef strips and we ended with coconut gelato. The production show "Who Wrote the Songs" was nicely done.
Saturday, Oct 7th Dubrovnik
This port is one of the main reasons for booking this itinerary and it wouldn't disappoint. We started the day with breakfast. Our scheduled arrival time was 8:00 but we actually arrived a bit before 9. We assume we lost time due to the rough seas last night but the ship wasn't rocking that much. I know it is crazy, but I think The Quest handles seas better then Journey. Our tour was with Darko and we were joined again by Donald and Carol. Greg booked Darko through Tours by Locals.
We walked off the ship and he was right there with a sign with our name and we were off. The weather was not cooperating again. It was very cool and very windy. First stop was to see the headwaters of the river and the damage from the war with Serbia in 1991-1992. We would hear a lot about this war during today's tour.
Next we were off to the top of the mountain where the tram ends, stopping for 2 or 3 photo ops.
It was cold and very windy at the top of the mountain. The ruins were from Napoleon era and were a stable for his horses.
We stopped at a smaller walled city, Cavata, where we walked along the water and then up on the main road of the ancient city. We stopped for a drink but first had to exchange money for Kronens. Croatia is part of the EU but did not adopt the euro and restaurants or bars will not accept dollars or euros. After our refreshment, we bought our magnet and a set of coasters.
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| Water polo |
Our last stop was the old walled city of Dubrovnik. It takes 1.5 hours to walk the wall so we did not do this. Wish we could have walked a bit of it but Carol didn't want to. We walked from one old gate to the other end and then out the construction road which was called that since it was wider due to the carrying of large building materials through the streets.
Darko had us back by 3:30. Another successful tour.
We started the evening in Spirits with a drink and dinner in Prime C, where we both had prime rib. The first show was the the orchestra playing sounds of Glenn Miller. We left port at 9 pm and they were going to give a commentary as we sail away but it was too windy. CD Russ performed his solo show "For Once in My Life" at 9:30. It was not familiar to us, so we must have missed the show when we sailed with Russ before.
Sunday Kotor Montenegro. October 8th
What an absolutely beautiful spot in the world. The fjords come right into the town.
We docked last night around 10 and again it was very windy. We joined Kathy and Jeff for a tour with Demitri.
His company is Monttravelers and he has 4 other guides working with him. Our first stop was the port town of Palaca, where we took a boat to the church, Our Lady of the Rocks. The island is man made. Two brothers, one of which was ill, found a picture of the Virgin Mother on a rock in the sea. Two days later the brother was healed. They decided to build an island in this spot and then built a church on the island. It took 200 years for the island and church to be finished. Sailers would leave pieces of silver as gifts. Every year, the villagers get together and form a ring around the island and add rocks to the island. Our captain, a few years ago received permission to send a boat from the ship to drop a rock as they sailed out. We saw the rock commemorating this event.
After touring the church we went back to Palaca and we walked through the town and Demitri met us at the other end. Our next stop was the old town of Budva where we saw a traditional end of a wedding. Band was playing outside the church and then the bride and groom walked through the streets of the old town.
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| Budva Riviera |
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| The island of St Stefan, now a private resort |
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| Math teacher had to have her picture with Pi! |
We stopped and bought a piece of Pizza and a drink before heading to the highest point on the island. The drive was a very narrow road with 25 switchbacks, but was definitely worth the drive as the vista views were amazing.
We watched sail away at the back of the ship as we left Kotor. Again, the views were amazing.
We went to The Living Room at 6 to hear two of the production singers, Amanda Paulson and Kevin Rose perform, then dinner in Aquilina. Greg had beef tenderloin and I had garlic shrimp. Tonight's show was Kim Purling, a pianist. He was enjoyable and then we finished the night back in the Living Room listening to the guitarist, Teodor.
Monday, October 9
Corfu, Greece
We woke up to a beautiful sunrise.
We were scheduled for an 8 arrival but was here a bit early. Our guide today was Dimitris, with Corfu Taxi
and joining us was Donald and Carol. We had beautiful weather today with everyone shedding their jackets at the first stop. Dimitris had a very dry sense of humor and was very knowledgeable. We first went to the highest point for some panoramic views and to see a typical village.
Dimitris explained the nets and the harvesting of the olives. We stopped at George's Cellars to sample local olive oil, olives and wine. Of course, some purchases were made and we bought our magnet here.
We had several photo stops, including a beach and then to a monastery where we took about 15 min to walk around. Our last stop before heading back to the pier area was to see Mouse Island. We walked out to a small church and then headed to the area around the fortress and the downtown area. We stopped for a few minutes to take pictures.
Today was a short day as we sailed at 2 pm. Lunch was a BBQ around the pool area, hosted by the officers, an Azamara tradition. Max was playing in the Living Room at 6 so we headed up there for a drink and to listen. I had a lemon drop and it was very tasty. Dinner tonight was in Prime C. We both chose rack of lamb and it was excellent. The show tonight was the production show "Voices". Show was okay, in our opinion not their best. After the show, we called it a night.
Tuesday, October 10 Valletta, Malta
We do not arrive until 1:00. Another Azamara tradition, the Jazz Brunch was held this morning from 10 until 12:30. We went around 11 and the dining room was full but the lines were not bad and we actually timed it to hear the music, which was not the case on prior voyages.
Sailing into the harbor was very interesting. Forts on both sides and stone buildings as far as you can see.
Our group of 6 consisted of Patti, Gary, Dave, and Marlene. We met at guest services and walked across the street to meet our guide, Amy Pace, who was highly rated on Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic,
in front of the Valletta Bank. We were a bit early so we wandered two doors down and bought our magnet. After meeting up with Amy we got into a van with our driver Jason, driving just a short distance. Amy, then guided us on a walking tour of The old city of Valletta.
The most impressive site was The Order St John's cathedral where we entered and Amy gave us a narrated tour.
After leaving the walled city, we drove to walled city of Medina, where we again did a walking tour.
On the way back, smaller villages were pointed out, but honestly, you couldn't tell where one village ended and another started. The tour was a very short tour, due to the Azamazing Evening. Once back on board we quickly changed and went to eat in the main dining room, which a buffet due to the Azamazing Evening. Our floor was the first called to the buses. The bus ride was less than 10 min. The venue was held in the old hospital of the St John's Order which was heavily damaged in WW II. It was rebuilt and is now used as a convention center. As we entered we were greeted by Tony, the CD. Russ left mid cruise and Tony took over. Wine and champagne was offered as we entered along with some appetizers. The entertainment was billed as chamber music, but in reality it was a choir.
The show lasted 30 min and then we were called back to our bus in an orderly manner. The evening ended listening to Max and having a couple of drinks.
Wednesday Oct 11 Taormina
We were greeted with a rainbow on arrival.
We ordered breakfast for 7:45 and met Dave and Marlene on deck 4. We were tendered today, so it was close to 9 before we were off and quickly found our guide Mario with Taromino Taxi. When we booked, we requested the owner, Roberta, who was so much fun in 2012, but unfortunately, we did not get Roberta. Mario was very good and we had a good day.
Today's tour was The Alcantar Vally and Hidden Villages. First stop was the Alcantara Gorge formed by the river which flows from Monti Nebrodi to the Ionian Sea. The name refers to the bridge which is from the Roman times.
Our next stop was a small village, Motta Camastra which was at an altitude of 453 meter.
Next stop of Castigloine di Sicilia, which get its name from the Castel Leone where we could see a great view of Mt. Etna, the churches of S Antonio and S. Pietro, and a square from the XVII century.
Our last stop was the Gambino Winery. One of the owners talked for a few moments about the grapes and then we had a great tasting with tons of food. We tasted 5 wines, but the bottles were left on the table so we could drink as much as we wanted. Both couples made a large order.
We were back on the boat by 3:30 and sailing away by 4:15, 15 minutes early.
View from sailaway.
Aquilina was where we ate tonight. I had the Dover Sole and Greg had the pasta special, linguine with shrimp. I had the baked Brie in phyllo for a starter, which used to be on the menu and missed by many on cruise critic. The sole was really good. After dinner we went to the theater to watch Max do his one man show. It was really good. The theater production was "Street of Dreams" with the singers and dancers and Tony. We have seen it several times, but still fun to watch. Immediately following the show, we went starboard side to see the Stromboli volcano. We saw 3 eruptions.
Thursday, October 12 Sorrento
After breakfast in the room, we headed down to catch a tender. I believe we were on the first one. Our guide, Enrico with Joe Banana Tours met us at the pier. Today we were doing the tour alone as we wanted to go to Naples and most people don't, going to Capri instead. When we told Enrico that we wanted a guided tour in Pompeii, he arranged for Rosemary
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| Rosemany with Greg |
Rosemary stayed with us and we headed to Naples and the Archelogical Museum where she was our guide there as well.
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| Loaded dice are not a new idea. |
Great winery visit.
After lunch, we took the scenic tour back to Sorrento and we were back at the tender station around 4.
The tender was very slow in coming and we didn't get back on the boat until after 5.
Tonight was the White Night Party. Everyone makes a big deal about this evening. While we enjoy the music, the BBQ is not our thing, so we eat first and then join the party.
Friday, Oct 13 Amalfi
What a view to wake up to:
Our tour today was with JoeBanana and our driver was Maximo (Max).
We had a group of 6, Patti and Gary and Donald and Carole. We headed to the Buffalo Mozzarella Farm first. Traffic was horrible but we arrived before our scheduled 11:00 tour. Unfortunately, they had finished the making of the daily cheese so we didn't get to see production. The buffalo are water buffalo and very tame. The mozzarella has a shelf life of 12 days and is sent to local restaurants and restaurants in Naples and Sorrento. We were given samples of the cheese made that morning.
After the tour, we had lunch which consisted of 4 types of cheeses, bread, eggplant antipasti, pumpkin and chickpeas followed by the main course of pasta. Red wine was included. No sales pitch here, nothing was for sale. We then drove To Paestum, Ancient Greek and Roman ruins. Max arranged a guide for us and she was very knowledgeable.
After the tour we headed back to Amalfi. Traffic was much lighter and we arrived back at port around 4. Last tender was at 5:30. We walked into the main square to take pictures of the cathedral and stopped to buy some cream lemoncello, based on Patty's recommendation. We would love to have had more time to wander here.
We headed back to the ship and arrived in time to go to the room before our meeting for b2b passengers. They gave us key cards and general info but all in all, easy peasy. We had dinner in the MDR and went to the show which was a magician, Brett Sherwood.
Saturday, Oct 14 Citivecchevia
We walked off the ship at 7:45. They scanned our old cards and scanned our new cards. Alex with AlnaxLimousine was waiting for us and Ted and Harley were already in the van. We headed to Ostia Antica which is a Roman archeological site located at the mouth of the river Tiber. It is located close to the airport and an easy tour from the port. Ostia Antica is so well preserved with mosaics, frescoes, shops, bars. public buildings and restrooms, brothels and large amphitheaters and temples.Alex was also our guide through the ruins, giving us an excellent tour. The ruins were amazing and hardly anyone there. It was a bit more crowded as we were leaving, but for most of the tour, we had no one else around us.
We dropped Ted and Harley off at their hotel and we headed back to the port. We walked right on the ship and straight to our room. We then headed to the patio for lunch. We took care of the things we needed to at guest services and enjoyed some down time. Muster was at 5 and Cruise Critic at 6, putting a face with Bonnie, with whom we are sharing a couple of excursions. We then went to Spirits for a drink and then to Prime C for dinner, where I had the filet and Greg had the ribeye. Both were excellent. After dinnner, we went to the Living Room to hear Toedor on guitar, and then called it a night.
Sunday, Oct 15 Livorno
Breakfast in our room then down to meet our guide. No guide, oops. Meeting time was 8:30 and we were there at 8. Gian, with Joe Banana Tours was right on time. We went straight to Pisa and got there before the large crowds hit. The only negative was a foggy morning. The leaning tower appeared much larger in real life and the degree of leaning was much more dramatic in person. We walked around the square, looking at the Baptism, Cathedral, and bell tower. We were able to walk through the back of the church but no pictures were allowed.
We met Gian back at the van and headed to Florence. It was very foggy going to Pisa, but it finally lifted and we stopped at a scenic overview of the city
and stopped at the Cathedral which was rebuilt after WWII.. Since, it was Sundy we could not tour the inside.
Gian made lunch reservations for us at Boccadama
where we shared a bowl of Minestrone soup and each ordered the wild mushroom lasagne. It was rich, rich, rich.
After lunch we headed to the Academia museum. Gian had reserved our entrance tickets, so we were able to walk right in. The statue of David was as powerful as I remembered and it was the first time for Greg. We spent over an hour at the museum, enjoying the art from 1200-1600's.
After the museum, we drove to the Pallazzo Vecchio which was lined with statues of famous Renaissance Italians.
Before heading back to the car, Greg stopped for gelato. The drive back to the port was around an hour and we were back on board by 5:15. We left for dinner at 6:30 in Discoveries where it was a buffet before the Azamazing Evening, which was held in the Livorno Opera House. The show was The Three Tenors. It was a very well done performance.
We called it a night when we returned to the ship.
Monday, Oct 16 Livorno
We overnighted in Livorno. After breakfast in the room we headed out. Francesco
was waiting on us and we headed to San Gimignano for our Chianti Tour. Again, we had heavy fog and couldn't see much on the way up. Once we got above the fog we stopped for overview pictures
and then stopped in the village of San Gimignano, where we had about an hour to wander the walled village. Hardly anyone moving at 9:30. I found t-shirts for Parker and Isabelle and we saw some nice paintings that were what we have been looking for. We left with a brochure and card to order online. Definitely will look at this artist when we get home.
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| Official seal for Chianti Classico Wine |
We drove to another viewpoint
and then headed to a smaller village, Castellina where we spent about thirty minutes strolling the village.
Our next stop was the winery. On the way we saw Tenuta Torciano, the winery that has come to Lake Kiowa for the past two years.
The winery that we stopped at was Sant' Agnese Winery. After a short introduction by Guiseppe, we tasted the balsamic vinegar and then went to the dining room. First course was antipasti with Chianti Reserve, followed by Super Tuscan. With the second course we had lasagne with truffles on top and Merlot wine. 3rd course was meat in a dark sauce with potatoes with Magnificat Wine. Dessert was gelato with balsamic vinegar on top. Oh my! Surprise, surprise, we placed an order before leaving.
We headed back to the boat which took about 2 hours. The fog had lifted so we could enjoy the scenery.
Tonight we attended the reception for LCV Discover and above. It was poorly attended and there was a ton of food. No introductions but most of the officers were there. Following this reception we attended a reception hosted by our travel agent's agency. Only a handful of people attended but in both cases we set with people we hadn't met before. Dinner tonight was in the MDR and then we headed to the theater to see the production show, Ballroom Dancers. After the show Max was playing in Spirits and the onboard artist was painting while Max played. We didn't make it until the painting was complete!
Tuesday Oct 17 Portifino
Today was tendered. Today we were doing an excursion with the ship. After breakfast we met in the theater and then went with our tour group to the tender. I think we were the first group off the ship. Our tour was Portifino, San Margharite, and Rapello. We started by taking the ferry to San Margharite.
Our tour guide was Mara
and we used the whisper boxes but they were not very good. If you dropped back at all, you couldn't hear her and there was lots of static. Mara was a bit disorganized as well. Group 2 was always ahead of us without as much confusion. We only had 15 min on our own in San Margharite and it looked like there was quite a bit we could have explored. We then got on a bus and drove to Roppello. Ropello was a much larger town.
After her tour, Mara took us to a restaurant where we had drinks and pastries provided. We had 45 minutes on our own, including the time at the restaurant. We bought our magnet and a small picture and then went back to the restaurant to wait for the tour guide.
We then boarded the bus back to San Margharite to catch the ferry back to Portofino. Here Mara, gave us a bit of a tour in Portofino, including walking up the hilł to the church. The church was pretty simple but the view was nice. The church was the site of Rod Stewart's third marriage. Pretty plain church for a celebrity wedding.
After the church, we were on our own to return to the ship. After wandering a bit, we stopped for a pizza and drinks and ended up sitting there for a hour or so, enjoying the surroundings. The little town was very picturesque.
The tour was very rushed with more time spent in logistics than in exploring the towns. Definitely prefer our private tours.
We went to the Living Room at 6 to hear Tony sing and then dinner in Aqualina. After dinner the show was a violinist, Isabella Zebrowska.
We listened to Max for a bit after the show and then went down to the Loyalty desk and was able to talk to Carlos about a future cruise certificate.
Wednesday, Oct 18th Monte Carlo
What a gorgeous view to wake up to.
We met Ted at guest services and headed off the ship at 8:45. Ted's wife, Bonnie, was not feeling well so it was just the three of us. Our driver, Jerome, with Rivera Premium Tours met us at the end pier.
His van was parked in a floating dock with a parking garage below it. Think about that! Our first stop was St-Paul-de-Vence, a medieval town. We beat the crowds but most of the shops were not opened yet. It was a picturesque community.
Jerome gave us an hour here but we walked the town in about 30 minutes, so we stopped at a cafe, Cafe La Place, for coffee (Pepsi) and croissants.
Jerome picked us up and we were off for Nice. We parked the car and Jerome walked us to the market area in the old city, pointing out,a couple of lunch possibilities. We walked up and back along the flower and fruit market
then stopped for lunch at the seaside restaurant, di piu ristorante. I had the appetizer mussels and clam and omg, there was so many. Ted ordered pizza and Greg had ham foccichia.
After lunch we walked along the sea side and met Jerome.
We took the scenic road
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| Bono's house |
from Nice to Eze, which is a medieval town sitting high on the mountain. The town has 30 residents and 2 five star hotels. Lots of windy streets with lots of steps.
After Eze, we headed to Monoco, stopping first at the casino,
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| Disappointed, the interior was all decorated in this hideous cloth which is the Monoco flag for some event. What a shame we didnt get to see the Casino in its normal decor. |
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| Lamporghini #1 of 1, owned by the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia |
Tonight was the white night party, but we preferred to eat in the dining room and then went outside to listen to the music. It was a beautiful evening with the lights of Monte Carlo. Sail away was at 9:00. Enjoyed the music and dancing with the production crew.
Thursday, Oct 19 Marseille
Another beautiful view on arrival.
After breakfast we met Ted on deck 4 for a 9:15 departure. His wife Bonnie had put the tour together but she had caught a cold and was running a fever so it was just the three of us again. We started the tour by driving to the medieval town of Aix de Provence. We parked the van and our guide Alais,
walked with us through the old town and told us the history, especially how the plague affected the town.
She gave us about 30 min on our own then we walked to the cathedral.
On the way back to the van, we stopped at a bakery to get sandwiches. We took them with us on our drive to Cassis, a fishing village. Before entering the village we drove to an overlook which was pretty impressive.
Alais dropped us off in the village. We ate our sandwiches along the waterfront and then walked along the storefronts. There were mainly restaurants. We stopped at one and had a glass of white wine, which is what the area is known for.
After this stop, we drove through Marseille and went to the cathedral on the hill. The views were cool and the church was very decorative. There were carved ships hanging from the ceiling. Sailors made the ships and left them for good luck.
After the cathedral, she dropped us off at the ship around 4.
We ate in Discoveries, then went to the show which was Amanda Paulson, the lead female singer. It was the same show as on the first cruise, but we enjoyed it a second time.
Friday, Oct 20 Sete
We took the ship's excursion to Carcassonne due to the length of the excursion. We left the port at 8:30 and headed for the medieval town of Carcassonne which was a 2 hour drive. We did make a short bathroom break before reaching the medieval town. Our guide, Helen, gave us information on the bus down as well as a short walking tour through the town, showing us the castle used in the filming of Robin Hood with Kevin Costner and the church. We were then given about an hour and a half on our own. After wandering a bit, we stopped for lunch at a local pub, ordering the local dish Cousslet which was navy beans, turkey leg and sausage stew. We were warned that it takes 20 minutes to prepare, but worth the wait.
Our next stop was a Benedictine Abbey that has been purchased by a local family, restored, and now houses a restaurant and hotel. The chapel had beautiful stain glass windows but unfortunately it was under renovation and hard to see the stained glass panels.
We drove straight back to the port, boarding around 5. We now had to face the task of repacking after being in our stateroom for 18 days. We still had $100 OBC left so we bought a small Azamara tote for our purchases. We had our farewell dinner in Prime C where we had the Chateaubriand steak one last time and it was just as wonderful. We ended the meal with gelato. We then went back to the room to finish packing and put the bags out for pickup. We attended the production show with the singers and dancers and CD Tony. We had already seen this once on this cruise and a couple of times on other trips but we always enjoy it. We said goodbye to our favorite waiters, Dale, Mariano, Sunesh and Roy and called it a night.
Saturday, Oct 21 Barcelona
We were off the ship by 9 and at our hotel Jazz.
Room was not ready so we hung out in the lobby. We were in our room by noon. After settling in, we walked around a little and stopped for a pizza. We came back to the hotel and met our tour guide Sandra (Tours by Locals)
for a walking tour of downtown Barcelona. We learned about the Romans and saw Roman columns. We learned about medieval times and saw fortified walls. She talked about the different sections of old Barcelona including the huge market place, and showed us government buildings, king's palaces, and churches. Our last stop was a large city park with a huge fountain built by Gaudi.
We then grabbed a cab and saw the harbor area which was created for the Olympics in 1992, we got back to the hotel after 6 and we cleaned up and headed to a tapas bar recommended by Sandra. Cerveceria Cuidad Condal.
It was very good and we had our first tapa experience. We saw a couple that we met on the cruise and ended up sitting next to them and visiting with them through the dinner. We stopped on the way back for water and cokes and headed to bed.
Sunday, Oct 22 Barcelona
Breakfast was included in our room so we went down to eat. A lot of choices but not a hot breakfast. Sandra met us again at 9 and we were off to see the works of Gaudi,
We stopped at Subway for lunch, and I'm not going to lie, it tasted pretty durn good. We went back to the room to repack our suitcases, distributing the weigh. Flight the next day was uneventful. What a trip!!
