Athens - We opted to forgo a visit to Athens for a relaxing day in the port town of Piraeus where we met local fishermen, visited the local grocery store and very small Greek Orthodox church, and had an amazing lunch by the sea with our good friends, Lois and Michael.
Greek salad, 2 types of sardines, calamari, fresh feta, and a wonderful spread we can't remember the name of.Next Stop - Taormina, Sicily, the land of canoli and almond wine.
A glorious early morning view of Mt. Etna from the ship.
Although the hill town of Taormina is one of the more touristic towns in Sicily, it still has been able to maintain its old Italian character.
The Roman amphitheater,
which continues to be used for performances.
Next Stop - Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, the land of lemons which lies along the Tyranian Sea.
We were tendered into the port of Sorrento where we had a private guide who took us to the places we visited in 2001 - a pit stop in Amalfi, then to Ravello so we could stock up on Limoncello (1 case sent home and 2 bottles for the ship, where it came in 1st in the Limoncello tasting contest), and then to Praiano for lunch at the Hotel Tritone where we had stayed on our previous trips to this area.
Civitavechia - Port for the City of Rome
Again we opted to stay in the port city instead of travelling into Rome. We spent the morning exploring the town and my cousins came by car and train at mid-day to spend the afternoon with us. We had a very tasty and fun-filled lunch and a refreshing walk by the sea afterwards.
The local market was excellent, with vendors selling everything - fruits, vegetables, meat, freshly caught fish, cheese, bread, cold cuts, and staples.
The new Fiat 500 or Cinqecento, as it is called in Italy. They were originally produced between 1957 and 1975 and were one of the smallest cars (10' long, with a 2 cylinder engine) available during those years. The new production began in 2007 and this is the first one we've seen - very cute!
Great colors ------------>
Pre-lunch get-together while we wait for the others to arrive.
The Girls - Clockwise from the Top - Elisabeta, me, Maria Silvia (wife of Mario), Adele, Piera, and Marilisa.One finacee (Rino - he likes Elisabetta), one spouse (Primo),and two cousins (Mario and Sandro).
Some of us.
The 3 Princesses discussing royal matters. They are:
P1 = Elisabetta - Right - Royal blood on both sides of the family.
P2 = Marilisa - Center - Same as above.
P3 = Me - Left - Only one side with royal blood :-(
All of us, except Guido (below) who's taking the picture.
On to Monte Carlo, Nice, and Ville Franche
Note the vanishing edge swimming pool.
A rather sinister, 007 type, boat.
Preparation for the Grand Prix takes over 2 months and the event happens each and every year. We were there on May 8.
We took the train to Nice for lunch, hopped back on afterwards and stopped in Ville Franche and had a second lunch.
.
Nice on a Sunday afternoon at the beach.
Our 1st lunch of the day.
Enough of Nice, on to Ville Franche . . .
. . . for our next lunch of mussles in white wine, garlic and butter, along with some pommes frites, of course!
The beach in Ville Franche
Back to the private yachts of Monte Carlo to reboard the Silver Spirt on its way to Barcelona.
Barcelona - The city of unbelievable architecture (Gaudi) and art (Picasso and Miro), including some pretty amazing fashion.
Gaudi - Casa Mila - 1905
Gaudi - Sagrada Familia - Commenced in 1883 and still being finished, according to his original design, today.
Miro Sculpture
Other Deisgns
More Spain - Malaga
The Bull Ring
Downtown people were dancing in the street and pretty girls were serving samples of local Port, all in the middle of the day.Note the interesting ways of marketing below.
Very creative bench.
Back home to the Silver Spirit after another successful shopping, sightseeing, and eating day.
Lisbon - Here we headed by train to the charming town of Cascais. On the way back to Lisbon we stopped in Estoril with its vast beach and Casino, and then back to Lisbon with time left for a stroll through the city on our way back to the ship.
The small and charming town of Cacais, one hour north of Lisbon.
In Estoril we took a short walk along the sea.
Upon returning to Lisbon we ambled through the Plaza, entryway to the center of town, and found our way back to the ship on foot.
A view from our ship, leaving Lisbon, on the way to Bilbao.
Back to Spain - Bilbao - Basque country and home to Frank Ghery's Guggenheim Museum, wind power, and more great food.
A warm welcome back on board and off to our last port of call, Gurnsey Island, before disembarking in Southampton.
Gurnsey Island, off the coast of England, is one of the Channel Islands. It was occupied by the Germans for five long years during WWII, with residents cut off from those who had been evacuated to England. For more information about this period we suggest reading "The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," a wonderful depiction of the plight of Gurnsey during those years.
A German tunnel which leads to an underground hospital. Massive bunkers also still remain as a constant reminder of the occupation.
A miniature church constructed entirely of mosaic, the whim of a past Gurnsey resident.And, of course, the food! We stumbled upon this amazing French bistro with tons of ambiance and food to die for. Not only did we enjoy a very tasty lunch, but we went back for tea.
Last Night on Board - We had a party . . . with lots of wonderful wine and great friends.
Our bags are packed . . . and out in the hall.
Disembarking on 19MAY11 in Southampton and looking forward to another two or so weeks exploring the Cotswolds and London.
Hope you enjoyed our blog - we certainly enjoyed our voyage.
