The Mountain above Montserrat
A view of Montserrat from the summit above
Friday, May 14, 2010
May 6 - Montserrat
The Courtyard of Montserrat (the only original part left)
A view of the Abbey complex
Our last stop before heading home was a tour to Montserrat, the mountain monastery located about 45 minutes from Barcelona. The place is a Benedictine Abbey and the home to the oldest boy’s choir in Europe. The ride there is along a winding mountain road with spectacular views. When we arrived Jose walked with us to the courtyard of the church and explained the history of the place. Most of the original parts of the buildings were destroyed during the Napoleonic wars.
We took a funicular to the summit of the mountain overlooking the Monastery and from the 4000-foot height we could see the Pyrenees in the distance.
A little before 1:00 PM we entered the church to hear the Boy’s Choir sing. The nave is very beautiful and high above the main altar in the wall opposite the main entrance is an alcove containing the Black Madonna, a legendary statue of the Madonna. The choir sounded marvelous as the boys sang a Salve Regina and a Catalan hymn.
After the performance we were off to the airport for our trip home.
Despite the volcanic ash cloud disrupting air traffic over Europe, we were able to make our flights and get home only a little late.
It was another lovely cruise, although very tiring.
May 5 - Barcelona
The Geese at the Cathedral
Today we arrived in Barcelona and it was time to disembark. It was about the smoothest disembarkation we’ve ever experienced. Our trip wasn’t over though because we spent the day and night in Barcelona.
Our tour guide Jose Soler and his driver Valeriano from Pepito Tours picked us up for our Barcelona City Highlights Tour and transfer to our hotel. We were with our 6 friends and it was truly amazing to see Jose and Valeriano manage to get all our luggage and carryons in the van. They must be expert at jigsaw puzzles.
Our tour took us first to the Gothic quarter of the city, one of the oldest parts. It was drizzling lightly but that didn’t deter us from visiting the Cathedral. We saw the courtyard of the building, which includes the Well of the Geese. The residents are 13 very plump geese. Tradition has it that there are 13 because that was the age of St. Eulalia when she was martyred. The Cathedral is officially the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.
As we wandered through the quarter we came to a building which contains a massive column, part of the remains of the old Roman city which was once on the site. It was unexpected to see such a huge thing inside a building.
Our next stop was in the Eixample district where we saw the houses designed by Gaudi. The fanciful colors and architecture were quite beautiful to see. One in particular, the Casa Battlo (known by the locals as the House of Bones) was especially stunning with its tiled roof and unusual balconies.
From Eixample we headed up the hill to Parc Guell, the park that lies above Barcelona and also includes designs by Gaudi. The park is a World Heritage site and includes interesting walkways and columns all designed to look like elements of nature. Many of the columns are built to look like tree trunks with spreading branches above. The area was to have been a residential complex, but only two houses were ever built. The structures that are there include lovely mosaics including a beautiful fountain at the main entrance to the park.
Our final stop was the Sagrada Familia Church, another of Gaudi’s works. The church was begun in 1882 and is not expected to be completed until 2026, though it will be dedicated by the Pope in November, 2010. The building is an amazing thing to see. When completed it will have 18 towers and three distinct facades representing the Nativity, the Passion and the Glory. We were able to go inside the building which is filled with scaffolding and where workers were busily working to complete the interior. It was awesome seeing the sparks from welders cascading down from the great heights of the nave. Below the building is a sort of museum where we could watch craftsman making models of architectural features yet to be completed. Perhaps the most intriguing thing we saw was a display of the system Gaudi used to calculate stresses to be borne by the columns. He constructed a model upside down constructed with strings with sacks of sand hanging from them to visualize the stresses. Next to the model he had a mirror placed to reflect his model right side up. I confess that I was confused by the thing and could only surmise that he was a genius who didn’t think the same way most of us do.
After checking into our hotel, the 1898 located on La Rambla, we set out on our own. Our first stop were some delicious tapas for lunch. We went back to the Gothic quarter to spend more time exploring the little streets and to visit the Cathedral again. Our final stop on the way back to the hotel was La Boqueria Market. It’s one of the largest markets in Barcelona and was wonderful to wander through. The variety of seafood, meats, produce and spices were wonderful to see.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
May 4 - Monte Carlo, Nice & St. Paul de Vence
Spices at the market in Nice
Another rainy day and our last day on the ship. We docked this morning at the new floating dock in Monte Carlo. The harbor around us was filled with an incredible assortment of yachts, including the one that looked like a small cruise ship with a helipad next to us.
Our private tour today (arranged by our friend) was with the excellent tour guide Sylvie di Cristo. Upon leaving the ship she first drove us through Monte Carlo so we could get a glimpse of the famous Casino, the Cathedral and other sights. The city was preparing for the Formula One Grand Prix coming up on May 16 so there were stands and fences everywhere. Tickets for the Grand Prix sell for between 250 and 450€ pp depending on how much of the racecourse you can see. Monte Carlo is home to a thousand businesses including a number of factories housed in high-rise buildings. Sylvie told us that real estate in the principality sells for as much as 30,000 € per square meter!
We drove along the Low Corniche (the low road) to Nice, our next stop. The amount of traffic heading to Monte Carlo was unbelievable. When we arrived in Nice Sylvie first took us to a hill overlooking the bay. We could see the promenade running along the beach. Around us were lovely homes, some of them belonging to celebrities. Unfortunately the rain hadn’t let up and the beach was empty.
We stopped at the market (one of my favorite things). Alas, the rain limited even the market. Many vendors hadn’t set up because they knew the weather would keep shoppers home. Despite that we saw a number of produce and flower vendors and even a spice stand. I love the smells from those!
Our last stop of our short visit (we sailed at 2 PM) was St. Paul de Vence. The medieval town was almost empty compared to my previous visits there. The little cobblestone streets lined with art galleries, little bistros and boutiques looked interesting in the rain with water cascading over the stones. After wandering around for a little while we stopped in a little café where we warmed up with the most wonderful cup of cocoa I think I’ve ever tasted (and a little fresh apple tart).
It was too bad that the rain didn’t stop but we enjoyed the trip anyway. As we prepared to sail, the skies cleared. Upon leaving Monaco’s protected harbor we did encounter the remnants of the weather system that had slammed Spain that day and caused our dreary weather. We did some pretty good rocking and rolling for most of the afternoon and early evening.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Best Picture from our Cruise
Katie took this picture in Monterosso and I think it's priceless. After we had lunch we were walking along the little streets. In a window at the back of the restaurant she spotted one of the cooks sitting looking out at the street and asked if she could take his photo.
May 3 - Cinque Terre
Despite a grim weather forecast the night before, we arrived in Genoa (Genova to Italians) to overcast skies which cleared off to a beautiful day. We were up and off the ship early for our tour to Cinque Terre, literally the five lands. The area is a collection of five little fishing villages on the coast southeast of Genoa. They are nestled at the foot of spectacular terraced hills. We drove on the Autostrada (the freeway) to La Spezia where we began the trip on a winding road to the village of Manarola, one of only two accessible by bus. As I said the road wound through steep terraces planted with grapes and olive trees. Below us were breathtaking views of the sea.
We left the bus and walked down to Manarola where we spent a little time looking at the brightly colored houses perched on the hills. After some free time we walked a portion of the via dell’amore, the path of love. The path is a beautiful walk along the cliffs between the villages of Manarola and Rio Maggiore. As we walked along we could hear the surf crashing on the rocks below. The view is incredible! From Rio Maggiore we were unable to take a boat to the next village we would visit, so instead we boarded a train (us and a ton of other people). We passed through the villages of Vernazza and Corniglia without stopping and got off in the last of the villages, Monterosso. This was our favorite. Katie and I went first to a little restaurant that I had eaten at during my last visit there, the Restaurant Chiak. We sat outside since the skies were now a brilliant blue with a fresh breeze blowing and we had a simply wonderful pasta with clams and mussels! After lunch we wandered the little streets of the village. Katie picked up a few gifts for friends and we had a gelato.
It was lovely sitting along the waterfront just enjoying the scenery and the day. Unfortunately, all too soon it was time to leave that beautiful place and we boarded our bus for the drive back to Genoa. This was our last stop in Italy.
May 2 - Florence & Pisa
Today we awoke to a rainy and dreary day as we docked in Livorno, the port for Florence and Pisa. We were booked on a private tour with our friends and we were off the ship by 8 AM and on our way despite the rain. Our first stop was Pisa where our driver Francesco took us right up to the Leaning Tower. The rain stopped and since it was early there were no crowds. None of us were game to try climbing the Tower but we took our pictures and enjoyed looking at it and the Cathedral and Baptistry next to it.
Then we were on our way to Florence. Francesco took us off the main road and we passed through some of the Chianti region before entering Tuscany. The area is renowned for its grapes and wine and the countryside was beautiful even though it was cloudy. Along the way we passed the little town of Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci.
Our first glimpse of Florence was from a hillside park overlooking the city. The park has a large replica of Michelangelo’s David, one of many around the city. The views of the city skyline looking across the Arno River were very spectacular since we could see the Ponte Vecchio, the colonnade of the Uffizi Gallery and the Dome of the Duomo and its bell tower. In the large parking area they were having a gathering of antique Seat cars. There must have been a hundred of them. It was hard to imagine four people in these tiny little cars.
We headed across the river to the historic area of Florence. Our first stop was the Piazza Santa Croce. There was a little market going on in the square so we had to check that out. Next Francesco took us to the Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David. Despite the fact that there were long lines, he dropped us at the reservation entrance and we walked right in. It’s impossible to describe the beauty of the statue so I won’t even try. Our next stop was the street close to the Duomo, the Cathedral. It was raining harder and after looking at the church, the bell tower and the beautiful Baptistry doors, we decided to find a place for lunch. Our hope was that the rain would abate. We found a nice little place on a side street where we had a very nice lunch for a reasonable price.
Unfortunately it was raining even harder when we left the restaurant. We were unfazed though and we walked to the Piazza de la Signoria next to the Uffizi Galllery to look at the statuary around the square. It’s impressive to see the collection there. My favorites are the fountain of Neptune, another replica of David , Perseus with the head of Medusa and the Rape of the Sabine women. Our last stop was the Ponte Vecchio. We walked across the bridge taking in the views from the midpoint both up and down river. When we finished our walk the rain was really coming down so we decided it was time to go.
It was unfortunate that the weather didn’t cooperate, but Florence is so beautiful nevertheless.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Trevi Fountain
Legend has it that if you toss a coin into the fountain, you will return to Rome. It's a popular thing to do. An average of 3000 € are thrown in every day.
The Interior of the Pantheon
The Pantheon is lit by a hole in the ceiling. In the center of the floor were two holes into which rain would drain. The hole precluded the need for any torches or candles in the building during the day.
May 1 - Rome, the Eternal City
This morning we arrived in Civitavecchia, the port for Rome. By 7:30 AM we were off the ship and on our way for a private tour with several friends. Our driver and guide was Marco of Rome Connection. What a great job he did! Today was a big holiday in Rome and despite that he managed to get us to everything on our itinerary.
Our first stop was the Colosseum or as it is properly called the Flavian Amphitheater. It is amazing to see this edifice that was completed in 80 A.D. Our guide told us that when it was built it seated around 30,000 people and would operate all day long. People would drop in for a little while to see events and then go on about their business..
We next did a whirlwind tour of ancient Roman sites. We visited the area that was once the Circus Maximus, the place where chariot races were held. Now all that’s left is a grassy oval with an area that approximates the track on which the races were run. At the time it was in use there were stands around which would hold 300,000 people. The city of Rome had an estimated population of 2 million even in its early days. We saw the Palatine Hill with the ruins of the palace of the Caesars and the Forum, the center of Roman life. Our final stop at ancient sites was the Pantheon. This was built as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome. The present structure was completed in 120 A.D. and it is intact, not in ruins. It has been in continuous use since then, first as a temple and from sometime in the 8th century as a Roman Catholic church.
After lunch we visited some of the other must- see sights. We stopped at the Trevi Fountain and tossed in our coins to ensure our return to Rome some time in the future. After a quick stop at the Spanish Steps, we drove to St. Peter’s and the Vatican. Because it was a holiday the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel were closed. We were able to go into the Basilica though and look at Michelangelo’s beautiful statue of the Pieta and look at the magnificent nave. The scale of St. Peter’s is difficult to comprehend from photos. The dome over the center of the nave has a Latin inscription around the base of the dome. The letters of the inscription are about 6 feet high. The structure around the main altar includes columns that are four stories high. The building is magnificent!
After a lot of walking on a lovely warm, sunny day we decided we needed a treat. Close to the Vatican we stopped at what Marco told us is the best gelateria in Rome. All of us had a nice big gelato and it was delicious!
During our nine hour trip we saw lots of beautiful and interesting things but really only had a brief taste of this wonderful city.
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