Mediterranean Cruise - Introduction & Map

Mediterranean Cruise

We boarded the ship in Barcelona. To us, on our first cruise, it looked huge until we saw some that were substantially larger!

This is the Sunset Bar. We would often sit out here after dinner, or first thing in the morning after breakfast. The cruise included alcohol; as much as we wanted. We had only to pay the tip to the waiter.

Looking at the sunrise from the Sunset Bar at the rear of the ship!

The ship.

The ship.

We took a coach from Marseilles, where we had docked, to Cassis that drove along the coast road.

Further on the coach trip to Cassis.

The harbor in Cassis.

The harbor in Cassis.

The harbor in Cassis.

Cassis town square. There was very little to do in Cassis apart from visiting the overpriced, and very touristy shops.

A street market in Marseilles that we visited when we got back from Cassis. This is an olive stand. Sorry it is a little blurred; made a mistake on the camera.

A spice stand in the same market, with the same camera error!

The harbor in Monaco with part of the main residential and tourist area, Monte Carlo.

The Bay of Nice with La Promenade des Anglais running just inland from the beach.

The beach in Nice.

Could not resist "borrowing" this picture of the marvellous lighthouse in Nice.

The Prince's Palace of Monaco. We took a very interesting guided tour.

Built originally in 1191 as a fortress, it has been home to the Grimaldi family since 1297.

It was also home to Grace Kelly from 1956 until her death in 1982.

The bay with the Welcome Hotel, in Villefranche-sur-mer between Nice & Monaco, in the background. Many famous people stayed there including Jean Cocteau.

A small square in the old town area of Nice.

This is a civic building, but I cannot seem to remember which one!

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. This is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral outside Russia.

The Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Monaco.

The Casino in Monaco.

Monaco as it looked in 1890. Not much there apart from the Palace.

The last time that I was in Florence was nearly 30 years before this trip, in 1981. It has not changed much! I love the look of the houses along the Arno River.

More houses along the Arno River.

The left picture shows the Ponte Vecchio today. Very nice, but very expensive, shopping. On the right, I did not notice our sartorially elegant foreground feature while taking this!

Personally, I think The Ponte Vecchio looks much better from the outside. Once on it, much of the personality is drowned in commercialism.

This is how the Ponte Vecchio looked in 1909.

Another older picture of the Ponte Vecchio.

Another older picture of the Ponte Vecchio.

Looking down onto the Piazza della Signoria. The 14th-century Palazzo Vecchio is on the extreme right, with the Fountain of Neptune at the corner. Also, on horseback, a statue of Cosimo I de' Medici who was the Duke of Florence then Grand Duke of Tuscany.

The Ponte Santa Trinita. This is another bridge over the Arno River in Florence.

A statue of Leonardo da Vinci that stands outside the Uffizi Gallery.

The Medici Chapels in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, with the dome of the Cappella dei Principi.

A map of Florence from 1490 (published 1493).

Completed in 1583 at the behest of Pope Gregory XIII, the Quirinal Palace (Palazzo del Quirinale is the official residence of the President of Italy. It sits on the Quirinal Hill, which is the highest of Rome's seven hills.

The interior of the Colosseum.

The Arch of Janus is a triumphal arch built in the early part of the 4th century. It has four arches, and four sides.

We boarded the ship in Barcelona. To us, on our first cruise, it looked huge until we saw some that were substantially larger!

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