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Exploring The City Of Nice, France

Posted on May 2, 2012

Yesterday was not a great day to be travelling in Italy or France. The first of May is a public holiday and the access to services especially transport is rather minimal. The airport lounge in Venice was closed due to the holiday, and the only transport in Nice to get to the hotel was a taxi. Even with the unexpected costs and changes, I made it to the hotel in Nice in the evening.

Basilica of Notre Dame

As the taxi arrived in front of the hotel, I spotted a rather impressive church across the road. The church is the Basilica of Notre Dame which is not to be confused with Notre Dame in Paris. The church pictured below is smaller than it’s namesake in Paris. However, it is the largest place of worship in the city of Nice.

Nice City Sights Tour

To get started seeing the city of Nice, I had booked a half day city sights tour of Nice. There were two reasons behind my decision to book a tour here. The first reason is that I wanted to maximise my time in Nice and see the most important sights. Which leads to the second reason today is my only full day in Nice with a full day tour booked tomorrow.

The tour is a great way to see the city, plus get to some spots you may not visit when you are on foot. Such as the stunning view from a lookout near to the city.

Artworks

The city of Nice does have some interesting artworks and sculptures throughout the city. There are some sculptures pointed out on the tour, with some others I found while walking. However, one particular sculpture that caught my attention. The sculpture’s official name is “Square Head”, but the tour guide called it “Head In Book.” However, unlike most sculptures this one is in fact a habitable building and houses the offices for the Library. I do wonder what it is like to work inside a Giant Head.

St Nicolas Church

Nice has had many influences over the years, especially considering that it did not become part of France until 1860. Before this time it was officially a part of Italy. One of the more interesting influences comes from the Russian community. With the best example being St. Nicolas Church which is built very much in the Russian Style. As a building, it does look rather beautiful, but unfortunately, the gateway was the closest we could get.

Nice Old Town

The final stop on the tour was in the area known as Old Town. Primarily this area is a market and has some rather interesting offerings. There are the somewhat expected offerings including flowers, fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood. While you can find an array of spices beyond what you ever night imagine was available. Along with some other tasty treats in the way of cakes and sweets. The pickup point for the tour at this stop was near to the State Opera House, which is a nice building with a unique style.

Afternoon City Walk

Once the tour was complete, I decided to take a walk around the waterfront and see what else Nice had to offer. Even though the walk did recover some of the ground the tour covered, it is much easier taking photos on foot.

Nice Beach

The first stop I made on my walk was along the waterfront. The beach in Nice does look very different to many that you see at home and instead of sand is covered in many pebbles. Of course, this does not detract in any way from the beautiful setting that is created by the beautiful blue of the Mediterranean.

Le Negresco

While walking along the waterfront, there are some other sights that capture the eye as well. One such building is a hotel by the name of Le Negresco. A five-star hotel, Le Negresco was originally built 100 years ago in 1912, for its namesake Henri Negresco.

Great Day

Today has been a beautiful day exploring the city of Nice. Getting started with a tour was a very good idea as it helped to be sure I saw some of the most interesting areas. I also managed to find a cafe to sit down for a decent meal at lunch and don’t feel like I have been rushing around too much.

I finished the day with a stop along the waterfront a little east of the main beach to capture the sunset below. With a stop in one of the main squares on the way back to the hotel to get the second picture below.

Cruising

Exploring Venice And Travel Day Nice to Brussels

Posted on May 2, 2012

The majority of today end up being taken up with travel and getting between airports. Unfortunately, some of the planning for this end of the trip did not consider practicalities or being conscious of time.

Nice To Brussels

The journey today is from Nice, France to Brussels, Belgium. The flight is just around 1 hour and 40 minutes, which is not too bad. However, instead of booking and early or late flight, I had to book right in the middle of the day. The result was a lack of time in the morning to do much in Nice.

A friend was at the airport to meet me in the afternoon. While we did head out and take a little look around some area’s we also did a lot of catching up. Enjoyed a meal together and a lot of talking. As such I don’t have any photos from today and will share a little more from my time in Venice. I do hope to see and share some of Brussels over the next couple of days.

Exploring Venice

Venice is a very picturesque city, in just two days I captured over 300 photos in the city. So even though I have shared a couple of posts already, there is still more to share.

The thing that makes Venice, so Picturesque is the way that it developed over the years. Everything has been built with a purpose and at different stages of evolution of the city. But when you put it all together it just forms some amazing scenes.

Architecture

A part of this comes from Venice extending over 117 small islands. Each separated by canals and connected by over 400 bridges (source). When you combine this with the number and variety of boats that travel the canals. The scenes present themselves almost at every turn you take.

Venice is a city that has been growing and changing for hundreds of years. The variety and styles of architecture from many different periods that is all mixed. Some of it is deteriorating, with some still resembling what it may have been when first built. The deterioration though is what creates much of the character of the buildings.

Things don’t always have to be original to be unique. At times it is the way they have extended that makes the scene. You can see that over time this building has been adapted to take advantage of extra space. Adapting to the circumstances sometimes to fit in and sometimes just whatever works.

Space

There is also a big difference in parts of Venice. Most of the city seems to lack space, in the narrow alleyways and the canals leave little space to walk at times. But then you have areas such as Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square) that is a huge open area. There are some other squares throughout Venice but not quite as large.

Arriving By Cruise Ship

The arrival into Venice is a unique one for a cruise ship. Cruising through the Lagoon between the different area’s that make up Venice is something special. You get a bird’s eye view of a large number of tourists everywhere.

The spectacle is almost as good when you are in Venice watching the cruise ships either. Seeing the massive vessels navigating the narrow channel between islands.

Disembarking

One the evening before I was due to disembark from the cruise I took a walk around the ship. It was not long before sunset, and I found myself on the upper decks to see the sunset. Looking out over the Venetian Lagoon, toward the mainland, the combination of clouds and sun made for a magical sunset.

My time in Venice was very much an enjoyable experience and one that I would love to repeat. Navigating the city can be something of a challenge at times, and there are far too many tourists. But it is a city that you can fall in love with and enjoy beyond these shortcomings.

Destinations

Port Call – Exploring Venice, Italy

Posted on May 1, 2012

Today is the last day on the 29 Day Transatlantic and Mediterranean cruise, I have been on. So for the time being this will be the last “Port Call” post until my next cruise adventure. Today we are in port in Venice, Italy, where the ship arrived around midday local time.

Even though this is the last port for the cruise, the ship is docked overnight. As such, I do not have to disembark until tomorrow. It makes it much easier to get out and see a little of the city, without the need to rush off and find a hotel.

Venice, Italy

Much of what is said about Venice, does appear to be true. Some areas are dirty and most crowded. It is also a city very much of canals, boats, bridges and twisting lanes. But in reality, it is all of these things that comes together to make Venice the city it is.

Much of the character of the city is highlighted through the amazing architecture; that is colourful and unique. The laneways might be small and twisting, but they are also waiting with another surprise around the corner.

Venice Walking Tour

Today was also my last tour as part of the cruise. I had opted for a walking tour of Venice to help ensure that I got to see the main highlights. I think the tour itself helped to make the city a little less overbearing.

The tour took a fairly slow pace, but also targetted all of the must see spots. It also helped avoid the potential of getting lost in the crowds of tourists everywhere. While it might have been slower to what I am used to, it allows you to see a whole lot more.

Even though there are crowds of tourists everywhere, you can still find a corner without the crowds.

Venice Canals

The water in and around Venice is something that is difficult to ignore. Being that Venice is a city that resides within a Lagoon, and the fashion in which it developed. Water and transport via water is an important part of life here.

You will find on the canals of Venice each variation of transport, in a water based form. There are boats which act as mass transport like buses. Small boats which act more as private transport like cars and taxis. Of course, who can forget the gondola, for which Venice is famous.

With a lot of water, also comes a need to be able to cross the water. Venice as such has no shortage of bridges, to allow the foot traffic to cross between different sections of the city. One of the more famous and popular bridges is the Rialto Bridge, which crosses the Grand Canal. It is one of just four bridges which cross the Grand Canal. However, throughout the city there are hundreds of small bridges in many different shapes and sizes.

Of course, bridges are not the only way to cross a canal. If you are looking for a gondola ride without a high price tag you can find gondolas in places to ferry you across the canal. There were a number of spots along the Grand Canal where this is possible and it was quite cheap. Of course, the gondola’s are nothing special but it was easier than finding the next bridge.

Just when you think that Venice is just another city it does start to draw you in a little. It has a certain attraction that just gives you a feeling you want to go back and explore more. Unfortunately with just one more day there is only so much that I can fit in. But I think Venice will be a destionation that I will look to revisit again in the future.

Destinations

Port Call – Exploring Dubrovnik, Croatia

Posted on April 28, 2012

Today my cruise is visiting Dubrovnik, Croatia. The visit to Dubrovnik is the only port in Croatia, and I must say a breathtaking spot it is. Dubrovnik wraps itself around the coastline of the Adriatic Sea and many mountains on the coast. Of course, this position does allow for some very dramatic scenery.

I decided to take a tour with the cruise line here, to maximise my time and what I could see. It does make it easier to see the Old Walled City of Dubrovnik, which is around 15 minutes away from the port. In the end, I am glad that I made this choice with five cruise ships in port today.

Old Walled City Of Dubrovnik View

The tour bus made one stop before heading to the Old Walled City of Dubrovnik. The stop was a great lookout with a great view of the Old City. Below is the Old Walled City of Dubrovnik, but the views in all directions are spectacular.

Inside The Old Walled City

The first stop was just a quick one, and soon it was back on the bus to head down to the Old Walled City of Dubrovnik. The tour entered the Walled City via the Western Gate, and it is here you can see just how thick the walls are. I had mixed feelings as I entered the city. There was a disappointment at seeing just how many people were here. However, at the same time the spots the walking tour visted were very interesting.

The Old Walled City of Dubrovnik is described as the best preserved walled city in Europe. As you look around, everything obviously looks old, but still in reasonable condition. When you look around all, you see a whole lot of history and character. Something that you often do not find in most cities these days.

Exploring On My Own

The walking tour does make a couple of stops before we had some free time to explore. While some people opted to walk the city walls, I was surprised at how many people just sat around. I was not letting an opportunity to explore a city go and headed off to see what I could find.

One of the standout features that I discovered was the church below. The Church of St Ignatius is quite a striking building from the outside. It is also a rather beautiful church on the inside as well. I could not photograph inside unfortunately as they were preparing for a ceremony.

The Old Walled City of Dubrovnik has been a beautiful place to visit. However, it is not just the city that offers some incredible scenes. The whole surrounding area is beautiful, and Croatia is an area I would like to explore more in the future.

End Of The Cruise

Tomorrow around lunch time the MS Nieuw Amsterdam will arrive into Venice. The final port on what has been a fantastic voyage that started 28 days ago in Fort Lauderdale. The 15 ports in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Croatia have offered some amazing experiences.

With a late arrival and a tour booked, I am not certain how my time will work out. If I have a chance, I will post about my first impressions of Venice. However, if not there will be a post the day after, as I may like to take advantage of the last day aboard the ship as well.

Destinations

Port Call – Exploring Kerkira (Corfu), Greece

Posted on April 27, 2012

Kerkeri, on the Ionian Island of Corfu, is the last port of call in Greece for the cruise. The arrival into the port this morning was something else, the scenery was just so beautiful it is hard to describe in words. With the sun rising over the mountains of the Greece mainland.

Achilleion Palace

I organised to be on a tour with the ship today to visit some different places on the island. The first stop was the Achilleium Palace; it was built around 1889 – 1891. The building has had many different uses over the years and originally was the royal palace of the empress. However, in later years it was used as a hospital during World War I and the headquarters of the German Army in World War II. Later on, it was used as a casino before being fully restored, and today it is a museum to showcase the building.

There is another great benefit to this stop, and that is the fantastic view of the Ionian Sea. It ‘s hard to take it all in, let alone capture it in a single image. It was a little difficult to get a panorama shot of the area due to the location of the sun. But below is just one aspect of the view.

Kanoni Peninsula

After departing the Achilleion Palace, the tour headed down the mountain to the eastern coast. It is hard to believe that the scenery could be more beautiful, but it did appear to be the case. The drive had taken around 15 minutes before we arrived at the Kanoni Peninsula.

The drive through the streets of the towns and villages on the Kanoni Peninsula is incredible. There is just so much to see and take in from the beautiful scenery through to the ruins of what used to be. The ruin below dated back to the 4th century and used to be a citadel.

Corfu

The last stop of the tour was a stop in the old town of Corfu. From here the tour guide took us on a short walking tour of the area and pointed out some of the highlights. Following the walking tour, there was some free time to explore on our own.

You could immediately tell that Corfu is a much bigger town than those in the last two ports the ship had visited. Partially due to the amount of traffic, but also the way it more seemed like a city. We were quite fortunate in this port call to arrive early in the morning. As around lunch time, two other cruise ships arrived in the port, and it would have been much busier with so many other people.

Even though the area looks very beautiful and the tour did visit some interesting places, I am not sure if I would return here or now. The town does not seem to have a lot of interest; it is more where the locals do their business. So I am unsure if I will return here one day in the future or not.

Cruising

Port Call – Exploring Katakolo, Greece

Posted on April 26, 2012

Katakolo, a small seaside town is the second port of call in Greece for my cruise. It was not until we arrived today that I realised jut how small the town is. There is one main street and maybe one or two other streets in total.

The size of the town probably plays a big part in the area having a fairly peaceful unrushed atmosphere. Although there are signs of other local industries, the primary industry in town is Tourism. With some 500+ cruise ships visiting the town each year. But most of the attractions are not in the town itself and take a little extra travel to reach. With places like Olympia being one of the bigger drawcards.

Walking Katakolo

Today I chose to stick to a simple day of walking and exploring the local area. I started off down the main street and soon realised just how small the town is. It was no more than a couple of minutes before I had exhausted the area. I was very happy to find a small tourist train at the end of the main street, to help fill in a little more time.

The tourist train takes you around 20 minutes out of Katakolo to another small village nearby. Some rather interesting looking houses look to date back many decades. The views from the area are spectacular, but due to the position of the sun tough to photograph.

Exploring Near Town

After the tourist train, I took a walk up and along the hill behind the town. There is some effort required to get up here besides just finding the path to start with. It is a combination of stairs and a steep walk. However, you are rewarded with some rather good views over the town and out to the water.

The walk up above the town also offered a rather good opportunity to get a photo oof the ship. The Ms Niuew Amsterdam docked in Katakolo below.

Cafe Waterfront

I finished the day sitting at a cafe along the waterfront here. There are so many to choose from it was a little challenge deciding. But it is a rather relaxing area just to sit and enjoy a drink.

After 10 minutes in port, I was a little concerned about being able to fill my day exploring the area. However, honestly, if you are interested in exploring you can almost always find something to look at. The area here seems like a great place to spend a few relaxing days. But I think I would want to explore further if I was back in the area again.

Destinations

Port Call – Exploring The City Of Nafplio, Greece

Posted on April 26, 2012

Today the arrival in Nafplio, Greece sees me into the 6th country since departing Fort Lauderdale. It also marks the 12th country since leaving home on the 8th of March. But of course who is counting these sorts of things. At this stage from the ship, Nafplio looks like a beautiful little town.

I opted to book a tour to see Nafplio and the surrounding area today, primarily because it is a tender port. In my experience tendering can be quite a delay in getting off the ship, with priority given to those on a tour. The second reason was more to save time in doing research on the port itself. With so many ports and cities that I am visiting it can be a little easier to take tours where available.

Mycenaean Acropolis

The first stop on the tour today is visiting the location of ruins from the 16th to 12th century BC. The ruins are high up in the hills and provide a stunning view over the Argive Plain to the water. The Mycenaean Acropolis is far from complete, as you might expect from their age. But they give you a reasonably good idea of what the area might have been like many centuries ago.

The second part of the Mycenaean Acropolis we visited is a little further down the hill. It is a rather elaborate burial site named the Treasury of Atreus. The tomb is built into the side of the hill and is referred to as a Beehive Tomb.

Palamidi Castle

The final stop of the tour was Palamidi Castle, which sits on a hill high above the city of Nafplio. The location gives a rather commanding view of the city and surrounding valley and waters. It would take some time to see the whole castle, especially considering the number of other people that were here also taking a look.

I had a brief look around before making the decision to take the alternate ending to the tour. I could have waited to take the bus back to the pier, but that would have meant waiting around an hour. The other option was to take the stairs back down into the city. In all there were 857 steps, according to the guidebook anyway, I was too interested in the scenery to count them myself.

Nafplio

The steps only took about 10 minutes to get me back into the city. Once in town, I took a walk through the streets and laneways to see what was around. There are cafes everywhere and plenty of people out and about enjoying the marvellous weather today.

Even though Nafplio is not a big town, it was an excellent place to spend some time. It would be a great place just to get away and spend some time relaxing and exploring at a slow pace. On the plus side, there is plenty of cafes to keep you busy.

Destinations

Port Call – Exploring Catania And Taormina, Italy

Posted on April 24, 2012

After departing from Naples yesterday the next stop for the cruise is the largest island in the Mediterranean. The island is Sicily, and the particular city is Catania, located on the Eastern Coast of the island. Catania is the last port in Italy before the cruise sets course for Greece. However, it is not the last port in Italy with the cruise ending in Venice.

Taormina

The port call today was rather short, arriving around 8 am and an all aboard time of 2.30 pm. To help ensure I made the most of the time in port today I decided to take a tour instead of trying to explore on my own. The tour I choose took us to another town to the north of Catania by the name of Taormina.

Catania To Taormina

As you are leaving Catania, there is one very prominent item in the landscape, the volcanic peak of Mount Etna. It is an impressive sight at over 10,000 feet high and still very much an active volcano. In fact, it was active just ten days ago, and there are signs of the ash from this eruption visible in the photo.

The drive from Catania to Taormina is along the slopes of Mt Etna, but still a reasonable distance from the peak itself. The views out over the ocean and the coastline are simply stunning and I think would be even better on a clear day.

Taormina id located at an elevation of around 200 metres (669 feet) above sea level. Of course giving it some rather stunning views over the coast both to the north and south. In some ways the location is remote, but at least now there are roads to make reaching the area easier. I imagine back in the 8th century BC when the area was first settled it would have been a lot harder to access.

Greek-Roman Theatre

One of the main highlights of the tour to Taormina is the reasonably well-preserved ruins of a Greek-Roman Theatre. The ruins date back to the 3rd century BC, and they are still complete enough that they have been used even today for concerts and performances.

The location of the ruins affords a rather stunning view of the surrounding area. From the very top of the ruins looking to the south, you can see the coastline and slopes of Mt Etna.

Taormina

The town of Taormina itself is quite photogenic, and there is plenty to see. Almost everywhere that you look there is something to catch the eye and your imagination. It could be a staircase that holds the tables and chairs of a cafe, an appealing storefront of just some of the buildings.

In some ways, it kind of looks like a movie set, like it is not how a town could naturally look. But it is just how the town has developed and been given character by the people that live here.

The day has been a great day exploring the town of Taormina. However, I can see there being a whole lot more to explore in around Catania. Especially since the length of the tour did not allow much if any time to look at the town of Catania itself. I am sure that one day in the future I may get a chance to return to the area and fully appreciate what is here.

Destinations

Port Call – Exploring The City Of Naples, Italy

Posted on April 22, 2012

Today the cruise arrives in Naples, Italy, which is the third of five ports in Italy. Although I had not planned much for the day, I knew that I wanted to find somewhere to try a pizza. By the end of the day I had found quite a few interesting sights and of course got to try my pizza.

I decided early on against a tour in Naples as I knew the previous two days were both full on long day tours. Although I did fine getting around today, it would have been nice to have a better map from the start. The map provided by both the ship and in the terminal were not great. A little later in the day, I did find a tourist information office and a better map.

Naples Churches

One of the things I decided to keep an eye out for were churches. I have discovered that many churches throughout Europe are rather interesting places to visit. In total today I end up visiting seven different churches, they each had their differences. The biggest disappointment though was the general request/rule of no photography inside the churches.

While many churches had signs saying no photography inside, it is still possible to get photos from the outside. It is very much a different experience to some cities I have visited. In other areas, I have visited many churches which are a stand alone building. However, like the church above in Naples, there are many which meld into the landscape of other buildings. In some cases, it is even difficult to tell where the church ends and other buildings start.

It seems just about every corner you turn in Naples there is another church. Out of the seven which I visited today, there was only one that disappointed. I am possibly being a little harsh, as it was still a beautiful church, just not to a similar level as others in the area.

The biggest surprise often came at the difference between the outside to the inside. It was impossible to guess just how beautiful the inside would be from the often drab exterior.

Exploring Naples

Even though the churches seemed to dominate the day, there was plenty of other things to see as well. There are many lovely little squares dotted around the city, and then there are some rather unique buildings. If you can look below the layers of dirt and grime that seem to have built up over the years, you can see the beauty. However, I might have been able to see beyond this a little, as I have been forewarned about the pollution and busyness of the city.

Pizza In Naples

Naples is known as the home of the modern day pizza, so it would be only right to try a pizza while visiting Naples. So far having walked all morning, I had not found anywhere promoting pizza. It did seem a little strange, but I did not give up hope of finding somewhere.

As if in answer to my unasked question at the time, the next street I turned down presented a pizza restaurant. I had been walking with a friend who was also interested in trying the pizza, so we shared a four cheese pizza. It turned out that it tasted quite good, but not a great as I expected, but maybe I had also raised my hopes too high.

Galleria Umberto

The stop for lunch was a nice break and a good chance to fill the tummy. After lunch, it was time for a little more walking and to take a look at a shopping centre. While you may question the visit to a shopping centre, this visit was to admire the building rather than buy anything.

Galleria Umberto is a rather large building, and the layout resembles a cross. The floor of the entire building is marble with a set of sixteen mosaics in the centre of the cross. With the walls made of thick square marble columns. The ceiling itself is all glass and steel, some three stories up, with a large glass dome over the centre of the cross. It’s hard to convey the size in an image, but it was a sight to see for sure.

Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola

One of the last stops on the way back to the ship was a church by the name of Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola. The building itself very much dominates the square that it overlooks, with some similarities to St. Peters Basilica in Rome. However, it is on a much smaller scale, and the amount of Graffiti very much diminishes the resemblance. I did take a look inside, but it is a very stark and cold look and feel. Unfortunately, I cannot show this as photography was not permitted.

I rather enjoyed the day exploring Naples. While it might have been possible to see more specific places with a tour, I do not think I would have enjoyed it as much. It was good to explore the city with a friend from the ship, enjoy some local pizza and there was a local coffee in there as well. At some point in the future, I do hope to get a chance to return to Naples and explore a little more.

Destinations

Port Call – Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

Posted on April 21, 2012

The greatest part of cruising the Mediterranean is the number of ports that you get to visit. Over the 12 days after departing from Barcelona, there is a total of nine ports. Today though I am visiting the port of Civitavecchia, and will have no time to see this city at all. The destination today for me is a tour to visit the city of Rome.

There are a couple of reasons I opted for the tour with the ship today. The first and most important is the time, and the tour very much maximised the time available. The second was the range of destinations visited; I could have done the same by public transport. But at the great risk of not being back onboard the ship in time. The third is distance, besides having a lot to see, Rome is around 90 minutes by road from Civitavecchia.

Heading To Rome

The day was nice for the drive from Civitavecchia with the sun out and just a few clouds in the sky. It made it very nice to see the countryside.

Arriving In Rome

One of the more recognisable locations we pass is the Colosseum. When you see the size of the Colosseum and consider the period in which it was built, it is quite amazing. Not only the size and scale but also the fact that so much of it still survives to this day.

Vatican City

The primary focus of the tour might have been Rome, but the first stop was what is technically another country. I think it may be a first for me, as today the tour crosses the border between Italy and Vatican City by foot. I had not thought much about this aspect of crossing a border in this fashion until the tour guide mentioned it.

There is, of course, no border control between Italy and what is the smallest state in the world by both size and population. With the visit to Vatican City, this brings me to a total of 10 countries for the year.

The visit to Vatican City is not just to visit another country though. There is also the largest and potentially most famous church in all of Christianity, St. Peters Basilica. As you approach the church through St. Peters Square it is a very dominate building.

Visiting the inside of St Peter’s Basilica is no easy task. The tour group spent around 40 minutes waiting in line to enter the church. For anyone either of the Christian Faith or that enjoys looking through churches, the wait is worthwhile. There was only limited time inside, but with a location like this you need to have a limit, or you could easily spend all day.

Exploring Rome

With the drive to Rome and the time in Vatican City, it was getting close to lunchtime. The tour included a traditional Italian 3-course meal. The meal included a tossed salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing, the main course of lasagna and tiramisu for dessert. These all day tours are much easier when they include a meal like this you do eat better.

Trevi Fountain

The tour included some time in a central area of Rome. It was a reasonable location with some famous landmarks within walking distance. The first is the Trevi Fountain, where I toss my coin over my shoulder to ensure my return to the Eternal City, Rome.

Spanish Steps

I almost missed getting to the Spanish Steps, as I started out walking with some other people from the ships. However, I did manage to make it in the end, but it seems like everyone else as well. The Spanish Steps are a very popular location in Rome and being they are steps end up with a lot of people sitting. It just seems to be the case with the popular tourist sites in Rome they attract a lot of people.

Back To The Ship

The day had to come to an end though with a 90-minute drive back to ship. However, one thing I know is that I have plenty more to share from Rome, I just do not have the time to include it today. There are some factors such as access to Wifi, limited time and so many pictures to work through. But you can be sure I will be sharing another post on Rome and most of the other cities at a later point.

Tomorrow the cruise will be visiting another Italian Port, Naples. Currently, I have not planned anything for this visit and expect just to do plenty of walking around exploring the city. So keep an eye out for the next post around the same time tomorrow.

Older Posts

Newer Posts

Basilica of Notre Dame

Nice City Sights Tour

Artworks

St Nicolas Church

Nice Old Town

Afternoon City Walk

Nice Beach

Le Negresco

Great Day

Nice To Brussels

Exploring Venice

Architecture

Space

Arriving By Cruise Ship

Disembarking

Venice, Italy

Venice Walking Tour

Venice Canals

Old Walled City Of Dubrovnik View

Inside The Old Walled City

Exploring On My Own

End Of The Cruise

Achilleion Palace

Kanoni Peninsula

Corfu

Walking Katakolo

Exploring Near Town

Cafe Waterfront

Mycenaean Acropolis

Palamidi Castle

Nafplio

Taormina

Catania To Taormina

Greek-Roman Theatre

Taormina

Naples Churches

Exploring Naples

Pizza In Naples

Galleria Umberto

Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola

Heading To Rome

Arriving In Rome

Vatican City

Exploring Rome

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

Back To The Ship

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