Time certainly does fly when you’re having fun. Today is our last day, how did that happen? We enjoyed probably one too many Long Island Iced Teas with Barry and Paulo at our new favourite on-board restaurant/bar, Aft, last night. But, being the warriors that we are, we “battled” on to be up bright and early to embark on yet another astoundingly well organised shore excursion, this time, into France.
[More travel videos feature on YouTube’s TheSarahBlinco channel]
Marseille is a gorgeous port city; the ‘second city’ of France, and capital of the Provence-Costa Azzurra region. The city stretches along 37km of Mediterranean coastline, and the area is renowned for offering over 300 days of sunshine per year. Today was not one of those days. While I’m not one who dislikes the rain – quite the contrary, the only time it puts a ‘dampener’ on my spirits is when I want to photograph beautiful landscapes. Our images are a little light on from today’s adventure as the weather was terrible, but the city is far from awful. We toured around its rather large perimeter; past grand, typically French architecture, through narrow alleys and up steep hills to visit outstanding cathedrals, one namely being the spectacular Cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Garde.
The city comprises of buildings dating from a wide range of time periods, which means a feast for the eyes (and lens), whether you’re viewing from the top of one of Marseilles’ highest vantage point, or within the new marina at the city’s heart.
We hit Marseille’s shores on day 1 of a year-long annual festival celebrating its status as the ‘European Capital of Culture’ for 2013; a title which says something for all that is delightful and on offer here in this elegant French port stop.
Do you have a cruising story, or a Mediterranean travel tale to share? Let us know, tweet @sarahblinco or find us on Facebook. You can also read the rest of the stories in this series (more to come in coming days) HERE.
In day 5’s diary of a Europe cruise virgin, we teamed up with our new pals from London, Paulo and Barry, for today’s adventure, where we headed into the gorgeous Italian port city of Genoa. This place is chic, and boasts many medieval buildings and cathedrals in its ‘old town’; but just down the road is its ‘new town’ (circa 1800s). Interesting, in Australia ‘new’ is 2012. In these parts, ‘new’ is 200 years ago. Travel really does provide intriguing perspective and education.
Genoa attracts many tourists each year due to its busy port. It’s often overshadowed by other Italian locations such as Rome or Venice, even though it’s played a long and critical trade role in the development of the country, due to the city’s proximity on the Mediterranean and to other key ports in the region.
Fun fact: Genoa is the birthplace of famous explorer, Christopher Columbus.
The city definitely exudes that luscious ‘Italian’ feel. There really is something very romantic about Italy that seeps through every crevice, from the pastel-coloured terracotta-roofed houses to the mosaics and art of the in churches; how the locals navigate expertly across ancient cobblestoned paths through to the unique and delicious local coffee and ice-cream.
It’s easy to get lost wandering Genoa’s many sweet alleyways (narrow streets, or “carruggi”), most not even wide enough to cater for a horse and cart to carry goods through from one side of the city to the other. Genoa boasts grand buildings showcasing various architectural styles including Roman-esque, Gothic and Renaissance, many open to the public who are welcome to explore.
We also liked that it was very obviously a ‘dog city’, with proud owners enthusiastically nodding, “sì sì” (yes yes) when we asked (as we are known to do, on regular occasion) to pat their precious pooches.
Genoa’s front harbour precinct is undergoing constant renovations, so is eye-catching and easy to enjoy at leisure. Summer must be sensational here, with entertainment and concerts playing out in various sections of the huge public square. The city is also home to one of Europe’s largest aquariums, positioned conveniently on the waterfront.
This certainly is a lovely, quintessentially Italian location that I’m happy to have had the pleasure to explore, even if only for a short time.
Do you have a cruising story, or a Mediterranean travel tale to share? Let us know, tweet @sarahblinco or find us on Facebook. You can also read the rest of the stories in this series (more to come in coming days) HERE.
This morning’s diary of a Europe cruise virgin begins with a romantic sunrise across the tip of Sicily. I adore the blend of architectural styles, shapes and colours dotted along mountainsides in this part of the world. I was looking forward to the excursion into the region today too. We could view Palermo (capital city of Sicily) from the ship, and it was lovely to take a closer look as we wandered around on foot and via the coach tour we’d later embark on.
Much of the city is ‘new’ (last 50 years), as a rebuild was necessary following World War II bombings. Rather than spending money to restore the old, at the time of re-design, the majority voted for constructing ‘modern’, hence the contemporary edge the city showcases via restaurants, shops, apartment blocks and public spaces. The bustling centre of this Mediterranean port city boats the usual cool high streets and luxury shopping typical of this corner of the world. Palermo even features a little ‘French’ flavour as the plans for some of the central boulevards were inspired by popular Parisian neighbourhoods.
Our ‘official’ day trip meant a short coach ride up the mountain which we’d also spotted first thing in the morning. The drive was spectacular, marked by steep hairpin turns and dramatic views overlooking Palermo, as we headed towards the grotto of Santa Rosalia, patron Saint of Palermo. According to legend, Rosalia was born to a noble family who wanted to marry her off. She refused to marry someone she didn’t love though, and decided it would be better to live alone. A feminist before feminism existed, perhaps? The story is a little sad, for someone we would otherwise look up to for standing her ground. You see, she retired to the hills around this area, and lived as a hermit in a cave on Mount Pellegrino where she died in 1166. Nothing was heard or known of Rosalia for centuries, and her remains were never found during her lifetime.
In 1624 the plague reached Palermo’s peaceful shores, thanks to a ship that had arrived from where we’d just cruised from, Tunisia. Citizens were dying in droves, and as the story goes, it was during this hardship that Saint Rosalia appeared to a hunter in a dream, lead him to the location of her remains, and insisted that if her bones were carried in a procession through the city, the people would be saved. Being the religious bunch that they were, this went ahead, and it’s been recorded that indeed, people were healed and the plague disappeared. Ever since, the people of Palermo have been grateful, and pray to her to help with all manner of issues (including, apparently, wins in football – it is important here, after all).
Whether a believer or not, the story is charming because it’s brimming with faith and promise. Visiting the grotto (cave) where her bones were discovered, and a shrine has been built, was a lovely experience. It’s always nice to have something and someone to believe in, and I think this quaint little city is certainly lucky to have Rosalia looking over it. On a personal note, the adventure made me think of my sweet Auntie Rosalie – perhaps her parents had been inspired by Rosalia too?
The rest of the afternoon was spent in Mondello, a delightful beach-side fishing village. In the summer this place is pumping with tourists from all over the UK and Europe. Being winter, it was somewhat quieter, but still we could appreciate the attraction. Bright buildings, smiling tradespeople and fisherman, market-wares for sale along the beach-side promenade, and dogs wandering around everywhere; gelato stands, cheap, delicious espresso and red wine sold in nearly every second bar/cafe/restaurant we walked by.
Quaint, charming, and very pretty. I can imagine it would be nice to hang out here with cool holiday-makers in the European summer. You’ll have to make friends with the ‘right people’ though; in these parts, traditionally families own various sections of the beach, and they rent the land out over summer, complete with cute beach huts.
One sweet note – we heard many mentions of ‘siestas’ in this part of the world (my kinda plan … nanna naps during the day)! Anyway, seems the dogs were in on it too, as we spotted loads of pooches taking a (presumably happy) nap during the afternoon, despite many tourists milling around them. Sadly, many dogs along the Mediterranean wouldn’t talk to us though – seems they don’t understand English so didn’t realise we were trying to get their attention ;-) Spot the sleepy Sicilian dogs in our 2-minute video journey (linked above).
Do you have a cruising story, or a Mediterranean travel tale to share? Let us know, tweet @sarahblinco or find us on Facebook. You can also read the rest of the stories in this series (more to come in coming days) HERE.
We awoke early today and to our delight discovered lights of the northern tip of Africa in the distance. It’s an amazing day 3 in the diary of a Europe cruise virgin!
We were about to dock in Tunisia! Food scoffed, dressed swiftly, we joined the other excursion groups in the designated area on board the MSC Splendida, as outlined in last night’s information newsletter which had been hand-delivered to our room.
Founded in 814BC – Tunis, the exotic capital of Tunisia, is an interesting stop. Another first; we’ve not stepped foot in Africa so weren’t too sure what to expect. I was excited to gain just a small taste of the continent as my parents travelled extensively here a while ago, and I’ve heard stories aplenty! Tourism is important to this particular region, so the locals look forward to events such as cruise ships docking. We were greeted by traditional performances, camels and all sorts of colourful entertainment at the port. Very cool!
Tunis is a popular resort destination in summer, however it was a bit chilly during our visit (well, for Africa – a mild 20 degrees), so we settled upon wandering through the bright Medina (situated within structures hundreds of years old), shopping at traditional market stalls; witnessing the production of rugs and perfume – various trade techniques alive and well after centuries of practice. The old Medina, in fact, acted as the commercial heart of the medieval town of Tunis, until the French Protectorate (French ‘colonisation’) in 1881. History, culture and shopping delicately entwined: what more can a traveller ask for?
An intriguing, contemporary city; and with the exception of being vaguely hassled to buy goods at the market (which to be fair, I suppose is expected), it all felt safe, hospitable and pleasant enough. Additionally, our guide on this excursion was friendly, informative and funny. Away from the hectic Medina and bustling streets, the city becomes quieter, and beautifully adorned with stunning mosques, mausoleums, Koranic schools, homes and doorways intricately decorated and designed. Around every corner is something unusual and equally beautiful to photograph.
Evidently there are plenty of terrific shops, markets, restaurants and museums (like the Bardo Museum for example, which boasts the most beautiful collection of Roman mosaics in Africa) to explore in the region. Additionally there are countless other unique destinations (such as the picturesque village of Sidi Bou Said, and the beaches of Gammarth), and experiences on offer; but as we were short on time, we’d chosen an expedition that included a visit to a world heritage listed archaeological site: the ancient Roman ruins of Carthage, overlooking the ocean. Spectacular.
Carthage was the centre of the Carthaginian Empire, and existed for nearly 3,000 years, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC into the capital of an ancient empire. On this vast site palaces, amphitheatres, thermal baths, temples, water reservoirs, aqueducts and homes once existed; all belonging to one of the most powerful ancient maritime nations of the Mediterranean, the Phoenicians. The Romans all but destroyed Carthage during war in 146BC, but Carthage was eventually re-founded, and became the Roman empire’s fourth most important city of its time, remaining so until the Muslim conquest when it was destroyed again 698. Little is known of the people who lived here, but ruins remain so we may at least have the chance to explore and dream about what it might have been like to exist here in another lifetime.
Take a short tour of Tunis’ streets and Carthage with us:
Do you have a cruising story, or a tale out of Africa to share? Let us know, tweet @sarahblinco or find us on Facebook. You can also read the rest of the stories in this series (more to come in coming days) HERE.
Following a huge meal last night, the ‘welcome dinner’ of seven courses, we emerged at leisure from a peaceful night’s sleep. For me, sleeping on a ship feels a little similar to being on a water bed. I found it quite soothing, anyway.
The nicest part about the day (aside from the general opulence of this place!) had to have been stretching and Yoga on water this morning, with the class held in Club 33 at the top of the ship, featuring 240 degree views of the sprawling ocean. Following this healthy start, I began the day with a sensible breakfast of cereal and fruit, however the lure of the darn buffet (ever present, ever tempting) drew me back in mid-morning for a sweet treat. Ever since, Cooper and I have been eating like the world is running out of food and I fear the rest of the trip may be a little (or a lot) more of the same.
[more travel videos on YouTube’s TheSarahBlinco channel]
Today was an ‘at sea’ day as we cruise in the direction of the north African coast, therefore proving to be an ideal time to explore and rest. We even enjoyed a drink with some of the new American, Canadian and Puerto Rican friends we met at dinner (and subsequent Latin dancing) yesterday evening.
Obviously, this is the first time either of us has ever been in the middle of the ocean, at present, we’re somewhere in between Spain and Africa. I never imagined that at the beginning of 2012! It’s all very cool. My only stress is that the Internet is non-existent. Usually, not a major problem, however I’m on a deadline this week. Great! Fortunately I worked ahead (there are benefits to being a total deadline nerd) so not all will be lost. I am suffering technology withdrawals though (this post is being written in ‘real time’ but to be uploaded later on … shhh don’t tell)! How can we Tweet our every gorgeous cocktail with no Internet?
Meanwhile, must be off as we’ve just discovered free champers and Martinis are being served for an hour as part of the Captain’s Ball celebrations. Would be rude to not partake…
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The city comprises of buildings dating from a wide range of time periods, which means a feast for the eyes (and lens), whether you’re viewing from the top of one of Marseilles’ highest vantage point, or within the new marina at the city’s heart.
