On the Sunday we embarked on the Norwegian Gem cruise ship for the Western Mediteranean stopping at Malta, Naples, Rome, Pisa and Nice, France - of which you will see a few pictures posted. The ship was wonderful and the food even more fabulous. Our first stop was Malta where we took a jeep ride around the island, stopping for photos here and there. Our guide, Joseph, was funny, which made it even better.
Somewhere between Malta and Naples I caught a nasty cold as I woke up with a sore throat. That sort of put a damper on the day in Naples, pardon the pun, as it was raining. Our trip up in a bus to the top of Mount Vesuvius was fruitless as it was closed due to the inclimate weather. We headed for the Ruins of Pompei where our tour guide, Alessandro, was absolutely wonderful. He truly loved his job and it was obvious in his enthusiasm.
"If it's Tuesday...." it must be Rome! And by now I had lost my voice completely. To top it off it bucketed down in Rome and Roger and I had to take cover under the Colleseum. We visited the Pope and Trevi Fountain where I tossed a coin in so I could return to Rome someday (preferably on a sunny one). We walked and walked taking photos of important looking places and figured we would find out what they were later! That's what happens when you only have 6 hours to visit.
Next up it was Pisa. Weather cooperated for the morning and we were able to view the tower under sunshine. It always looks so different from what you have pictured in your mind for all these years. There is a huge grassy center area and the tower is at the other end. Our tour guide was named Tony, because people could not remember Antonio - or so he says. Very funny....said if the tower ever fell he'd be out of a job! Guess you don't think about things like that. Back to the ship and we sat outside in the sun for the first and only day. I had the drink of the day: Painkiller. That pretty much summed up the way I was feeling with the sore throat.
Last leg of the trip was my favorite - Nice, France. We visited the midevil city of Eze (prounced "ehze"). This was fabulous with little winding streets and shops. About 20 residents live year round in this village. It is perched on a rock plateau. It gave me a chance to try out my little French I can still recall from high school. We moved on to the French flower markets in Nice and a drive throught the town. Beautiful, just beautiful - my favorite stop by far. We had a chance to visit some shops before boarding the tender boat to return to the ship.
We returned to Barcelona the next day and flew home to a rather usual weather pattern of rain and sunshine. Overall a wonderful time and now time to plan the next major trip. I like the thought of a train ride through Europe. Keep ya posted.
Jill
posted by Jill @ 9:43 AM
0 comments
