Lisbon

 

October 28, 2011

Today, I have arranged a tour to Sintra and Cascais thru Inside Lisbon.  This is the same company we did a walking tour of Lisbon with last year.  Hugo was our guide last year and will be again this year.

The day was beautiful..sunny and warm.  Sail in to Lisbon is always spectacular!!!  Going past the Belem Tower, the Monument to the Discoveries, going under the 25th of April Bridge and past the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

 

It took a long time for the Portuguese officials to clear the ship and the lines were very long waiting to disembark.  We are only in port for 6 hours so our tour very short.  Hugo was waiting for us as we got off the ship and we were off to our visit to Sintra.  Set in the mountains, Sintra is one of Portugal’s oldest cities.  The hillsides are dotted with the manors and castles of feudal lords and monarchs.  An 8th-century Moorish fortress overlooks the town.       

    

We drove thru Cascais on our way back to Lisbon.  Cascais is a small fishing village on the Bay of Cascais that became a fashionable seaside resort with an interesting mixture of early 20th-century homes and modern buildings.

Our final stop of the day, was in Belem to get some of the famous “Belem Tarts”.  These are custard tarts that are wonderful!!!!!

We had a good day..just too short. Then it was back to the ship, thru Lisbon’s Friday rush hour, to enjoy sail away from our balcony….

Barcelona

 

October 26, 2011

Today we do not have anything planned.  Barcelona is one of our favorite cities and we have spent quite a bit of time here.  We took the ship’s shuttle to Plaza de Las Olas which is at the foot of Las Ramblas.  The weather was beautiful and we just spent a few hours walking the pedestrian walk.

 

We spent a while walking thru the market.  I don’t think the guys were too impressed but Delia and I liked it.

We stopped at a cafe along Las Ramblas to sample the local beer and then Charlie and I stopped for a good lunch of tapas and paella.

We had a good day but I am looking forward to tomorrow’s sea day. 

Cannes

 

October 25, 2011

This morning the weather was awful!!!!!  Rain, windy and cold.  We all decided to cancel the tour that Anne had arranged.  We all felt bad for the tour company but none of us wanted to leave the ship.  This is a tender port so that made it even worse.  It was so bad you could hardly see the shore.

Charlie and I played a game of Monopoly…I won!!

 

I did find a Mah Jongg game so the day was not a complete waste!!!  My game is played for money…double the card amount and played with a “hot wall” also put in .25/player for every wall game. No limit to amount you can loose.  I’m doing OK.  Just about even.  Maybe some new things to try…

Livorno (Cinque Terra)

October 24, 2011
Today, we make our second stop in the port of Livorno.  Again, I have arranged a tour thru Connrct2Italy, but this time to Cinque Terra.
Cinque Terra (The Five Lands) is a short piece. of coastline just outside Tuscany.  The five villages and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terra National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our tour begins in Riomaggiore (1st town).  Once parked at the top of the village we started winding down walking through its houses, which cluster both sides of the steep valley.  The walk down ends at the ancient marina that is still intact as it was 1000 years ago and is one of the most attractive corners of Cinque Terra. As Charlie planned….we started with a glass of wine and plan to have a glass in each village. 

 Next, we head on to the famous “Via dell’Amore” (Walkway of Love) a romantic, easy and flat trail carved along the cliffs that offers spectacular views over the coastline, and connects Riomaggiore to Manarola (2nd town).
   
 We walked quickly thru  Manorola on our way to the harbor to catch the ferry to the 4th town Vernazza.  Again…a quick glass of wine!!

We were very fortunate that the ferry was running today.  It is a really neat view of the coastline from the water.  Much better than taking the train. 
   
Vernazza, with it’s brightly colored houses, is perhaps the most colorful of the 5 towns.  Charlie and Delia walked up to the 11th century castle.  Called “Belforte” for centuries because of the warning cries of the sentries, this fortification was used to repel pirate attacks.  We also spent some time walking the cobbled main street with it’s little shops.  We also had a great lunch.  Caroline ordered what she thought was Fish Soup…look at what she got!!Here we meet up with our quide and drive to Corniglia.

 
 Corniglia (3rd town) is the only one of the Cinque Terra that is not directly on the water.  This town is considered the most ancient and very quaint.