Our ship arrived in Venice in the early afternoon and I had purchased a ship run shore excursion to the Murano Glass Factory and a touristy gondola ride. It was my birthday…so I treated myself! Our Gondolier was a handsome man … Continue reading
I decided to pay Royal Caribbean the $150 to go on their organized shore excursion, since I had arranged all of my previous excursions. Once the cruise ship docked in Naples, Italy, I boarded a small boat and was stepping onto the small island of Capri within 45 minutes.
We boarded a bus for a unique ride to Anacapri, that took us up skinny, winding roads, past lovely guesthouses/villas and finally dropped us at a chair lift that takes you to the top of the island. During the chair lift ride, I was twisting and turning to take photos of the dramatic vistas!
I love the excitement of being somewhere new and so very beautiful! The views were spectacular! You’ll notice these photos aren’t as clear and crisp as my others…there was a haze in the sky and I had borrowed someone’s camera, since mine mal-functioned.
Island of Capri
Island of Capri
Our tour guide was Italian. I asked to take his photo and he insisted on one with both of us in the photo.
Perhaps I am generalizing here…but it seems Italian men have an air of confidence and know when to take charge! Or maybe, they try to take charge all of the time.
He led our group for a stroll through the exquisite and colorful “Gardens of Augustus“.
It was very soothing and almost like a retreat!
Gardens of Augustus
Gardens of Augustus
After our tour of the gardens, it was fun window shopping and I eventually found a seat at a quaint sidewalk cafe, and ordered a deliciously chilled Limoncello!
Don’t tell anyone, but I also bought a bottle of wine to sneak on the ship and I wasn’t the only one. When on-board drinks are $8-9 each, it’s the smart thing to do.
One of my doctors has been there and said the hiking is great. Although Capri is gorgeous, it was very crowded and touristy. If I were to return, I would prefer to explore other areas of the Island and hopefully escape some of the crowds!
Tomorrow, we sail to Venice!
Although all of the destinations on my 12-night Mediterranean cruise (taken in 2010) were amazing, I was looking forward to Cinque Terre most of all, and it didn’t let me down! In 2006, I had spent hours upon hours researching and booked a solo, three week backpacking trip to Europe, to include Cinque Terre, and because of life, had to cancel it, so I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to visit. Especially due to the recent disaster there!
After docking in Livorno, we boarded our pre-paid/reserved train…a little over one hour trip…to La Spezia and then hopped on a short regional train ride that delivered us to the last of the five villages, Monterosso al Mare. I thoroughly researched this excursion, because when you’re on a cruise ship, timing is very important! If you miss your ship, you’re “ship” out of luck!
I took this photograph of Monterosso al Mare while hiking. Everyone that I spoke to on the ship was going to Florence and/or the leaning Tower of Pisa. They didn’t know what they were missing!
This is the beginning of the 1 1/2 hour trail that we hiked from the fifth village to the fourth village, Vernazza. Although I purchased some great Merrill sandals, especially for this trip, I was beginning to get a callous on the edge of my heel. But nothing could dampen the dazzling vistas!
The entire region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The natural beauty was almost overwhelming!
The trail varied in it’s difficulty and scenery…
You can see the village of Vernazza in the distance.
It’s like a jewel jutting from the cliff…
After having some lunch in town…due to time constraints, we took the train to the first village, Riomaggiore, where we briefly looked around and headed back to the train station in La Spezia.
We had over an hour to kill at the train station, so we went for a walk and my traveling companion overheard a woman talking to a taxi driver about taking her to her ship, which happened to be Royal Caribbean. We spoke to her and within seconds we’re sharing the taxi with her to go back to the ship. Obviously, we weren’t thinking…we were over an hour away from the ship…and the woman said the taxi was only 10 euros…which is about $12 to split.
Within a couple of minutes we realized that she was heading to a different Royal Caribbean ship and I’m asking “Guido” the taxi driver if he is going to charge us anything for taking us back to where we came from. He said he wouldn’t and started making a wierd gesture with his arms and saying in his half Italian and broken English that we were tight!
Then…the lady wanted a receipt for her taxi ride and he wouldn’t give her one…gesturing and almost shouting…so she exited the taxi and on the 5-10 min. ride back to the train station, he is saying “Cacare”, over and over. Upon inquiring as to its meaning, he informed us it meant “F____ you”. He was upset with the lady wanting a receipt…so to break the tension…I requested him to teach us how to say it…so we’re all three in unison saying…”Cacare, Cacare”!
If you’re ever in La Spezia and want an unforgettable taxi ride, try to find “Guido”!
p.s. Later…I discovered from a fellow blogger that “Guido” is actually a slang term to denote someone that is lower or working class of American/Italian descent.
The first port of call on my 12 night Royal Caribbean Mediterranean cruise was Cannes, France. I found it to be very pleasant and nice…almost too perfect! I’m not complaining…it’s just that I like the “unusual” in my travels. Perhaps not exciting enough…no sense of adventure or mystery. Anyway, after walking for hours…there were only so many shops we could look in…
A little cappuccino break…
We stopped at a restaurant and the waitresses couldn’t speak much English. One of the “specials of the day” was something with boeuf in it. The waitress kept enunciating it…boof…and finally I said, “What animal sound does it make? Moo…Moo?” She agreed that it made the sound, “Moo…Moo!” When I lived in Germany for a few years in my early 20’s, learning to communicate was essential.
Even the flower peddler is smartly dressed…
Some uncut flowers…
French grafitti…they would have to “one up” everyone else!
You haven’t experienced France unless you’ve sampled some cheese…
Look at the size of that Octopus…
The shoes match the sunglasses…dress…baby carriage and baby!!
Our next destination is one of my favorites…Cinque Terre, Italy! (I hope the clean-up efforts are going well!)
Royal Caribbean‘s “Brilliance of the Seas“, set sail from Barcelona in June of 2010 for a 12 night Mediterranean cruise, to include these stunning ports of call — Cannes, France / Livorno, Italy (where most people went to Florence and/or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but we chose to hike through Cinque Terre); Rome, Italy; the Island of Capri off the coast of Italy; Venice (where we docked overnight); Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Corfu, Greece, before returning to Barcelona.
There are pros and cons to cruise travel. Just like every thing in life. But for this type of trip it made sense. I’ve been on three other cruises…all of them to the Caribbean and they seemed to have more of a party atmosphere than this cruise. That suited me because of the long days at each destination and the amount of walking we were doing!
We were upgraded at no additional cost to a room with a window to our pleasant surprise!
There were three formal nights. One of them was a masquerade ball…so I’ll save that for another post!
Fun in the sun!
I awoke at 5:30am to capture the sun rising. I believe we were headed to Corfu, Greece. It almost reminds me of a lunar landscape.
It was white night on the ship…so I bought a dress in Corfu, Greece.
I met a lot of people on the cruise. On the second day of the cruise my camera mal-functioned and I was lamenting my misfortune to a fellow passenger named Dan. I had just met him and was very surprised when he said he had a spare camera and let me borrow it for a few days. That gave me time to purchase one on the ship. The kindness of strangers is wonderful!
This couple, Johan & Heidi, are from South Africa. They were planning to marry in 2011 and I really enjoyed talking with them about their lives/country. They even extended an invitation to visit them…but we’ve lost contact.
Tomorrow we dock in Cannes, France. I’ll see you there!
The mile long — pedestrian only boulevard in Barcelona — known as Las Ramblas is filled with cafes, shops, and oddities! My traveling companion and I were spending two nights in Barcelona, having explored some of Portugal and Spain already, before embarking upon a 12-night–Royal Caribbean cruise of the Mediterranean.
I’m busy snapping photos and my traveling companion says, “Sherry, there’s a naked guy”! I look up just as he walks by me, with a look on his face that could be described as smug satisfaction.
Luckily, I had my wits and thought to take a photo. Aren’t you lucky! I thought it interesting that everyone is ignoring him.
He could help advertise along with the billboard next to him–2 tapas and paella!!
This is the street minus him!
This guy was levitating…not quite sure how!
We all know how this is done!
There were a number of sidewalk artists and they were talented!
Another trickster…
I guess he wants to be nibbled on!
His grin looks sinister to me!
Give me more, more, more!!
Barcelona, Spain has a certain energy. A fresh, fun, and exciting spirit! Arriving by train from Madrid (a 3-hr. trip), my traveling companion and I dropped our luggage at the hotel and began walking. First along the waterfront…
Then we found a park with–of course–a fountain and magnificent statutes.
Heading towards the “Gothic” area…we saw “Street Art”…
Fun shops…
That’s me in the window…acting silly!!
Colorful veggies, fruits, bread and candy…a true Farmer’s Market!
No visit to Barcelona would be complete without viewing some of Antoni Gaudi‘s architecture. I love his whimsical style!
The famous Sagrada Familia’s completion is planned for 2026…the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death. He designed it to have 18 towers, 12 for the 12 apostles, 4 for the 4 evangelists, one for Mary and one for Jesus.
In 1926 Gaudí was hit by a tram. Because of his ragged attire and empty pockets, many cab drivers refused to pick him up for fear that he would be unable to pay the fare. He was eventually taken to a paupers’ hospital in Barcelona. Nobody recognized the injured artist until his friends found him the next day. When they tried to move him into a nicer hospital, Gaudí refused, reportedly saying “I belong here among the poor.” He died three days later and was buried in the midst of Sagrada Família.
I know this isn’t a very good photo…but it’s so tall…hard to fit it all in, so I’m only showing a small portion…
Tomorrow we’ll enjoy “bare buns” in Barcelona. Oh, and thanks so much for reading!
Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal is a wonderful day trip from Lisbon. In less than an hour by train, you can step back in time and feast your eyes upon a splendid castle that dates back to the 8th century! The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the view of the surrounding town from within the fortress walls is…so European!
The Pena Palace was built in the 1840’s and even has a drawbridge. I took this zoom photo of the Palace from the Castle and then we walked to it.
Here is the view as you’re approaching…
Whenever I’m exploring something or somewhere new, I get a rush from the anticipation and literally have to hold myself back from running to it! It’s a photographer’s dream!
The Pena Park surrounds the area (Palace and Castle). We hiked through a small section of it and would have seen more, but it wasn’t clearly marked and we got lost a few times.
Upon arriving back in Lisbon, we boarded our overnight train to Madrid and upon arrival in the morning…immediately boarded a three hour train to Barcelona, Spain!
I absolutely love Lisbon, Portugal! It’s smaller, less crowded and more quaint and the pastel colored homes are darling!
During my visit back in 2010, I spotted a man taking this (half) mannequin into a building…what perfect timing!
I wonder what stories this gentleman could tell us?
One of the reasons I want to travel a lot before I retire is that I can easily walk for miles and find treasures like this tucked away on side streets!
While having lunch at a sidewalk cafe, this young man with an accordion began playing for the guests…so of course I had to dance!
My traveling companion and I met a group of people next to us and as you can see…we hit it off! I forget what we were laughing about…but it makes me laugh again!
I can’t resist taking photographs of animals…
or flowers…
or trees with pretty purple leaves…
and especially young couples in love!
Tomorrow join me in the stunning Sintra, Portugal!
One of the many delights of Europe is the architecture and Madrid was no exception! Every where you turn there is a new fountain, statute, or plaza!
I have a split personality…probably because I’m a Gemini. Anyway, I currently live on five acres surrounded by woods, with a 70 foot deck to enjoy it. I love it! But, I would love to have a place in the City. To be in the center of the action and be able to walk to the grocery, etc. For now, I can imagine what it would be like to live in a building like this.
Lovely gardens…
The next destination of my three-week whirlwind European vacation was Lisbon, Portugal. We took the 10:30pm night train and I slept on the top bunk. Although this night train looked much newer than the one I took in Cairo, Egypt, it was much noisier. I didn’t sleep very well! But, who cares about sleep when you’re in Europe.
See you in Lisbon!
The famous Alcazar Castle is located in the enchanted village of Segovia, Spain, which is surrounded by a medieval wall, and the village itself has twisting alleyways and pedestrian streets where cars are banned. Located 22 minutes from Madrid via fast train (which is how we traveled) or just over an hour by regular train, makes it a perfect day trip to include in your itinerary while in Spain!
Originally, I thought the Alcazar Castle was the source of inspiration for Walt Disney when creating Sleeping Beauty’s castle in Disney world. Actually it was the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. But, this castle was where Columbus secured the financial backing necessary, from Queen Isabel, to discover America.
I took this photo from within the castle…
The gardens were amazing! This shot was taken from above looking down (obviously).
The world-renowned Roman Aqueduct, the largest and best preserved of its kind anywhere is a massive architectural marvel.
This 16th-century Cathedral, a prominent landmark as one approaches from any direction, was impressive.
I’m not sure what the history of this is…but I like it.
This little girl agreed to be photographed while her Mother stood by.
I hope I’ve convinced you to visit Segovia. You’ll fall in love!
Madrid was the first of many stops of my whirlwind three-week European vacation, in 2010. I traveled with a woman who I had met through my meetup.com affiliation.
Europe’s small sidewalk cafes are so charming! I love to people watch, drink sangria, and dine on tapas in Madrid! For me, that is what makes Europe such an alluring place to visit or live!
Following the advice of Rick Steves, our hotel made reservations for us to see a traditional Spanish Flamenco dance, at “Corral de la Moreria”. The following evening, we walked the mile or two to see the show and were informed they had a private show that evening. The hotel had mistakenly made our reservation for the previous evening.
Of course we were disappointed, but luckily, one of the dancers was outside and I requested a picture with her. She graciously agreed!
Obviously, I hadn’t learned how to stand for a picture. If you’ll notice, she is standing sidewise…which gives the illusion of a smaller frame. She’s quite beautiful!
This gentleman lady was anxious to pose for my lens!
I’m not sure we’re experiencing the authentic Madrid?
These puppeteers were quite entertaining
More walking…
The Jamones or ham in Spain are very tasty!
We stayed in Madrid for three days, one of which we spent taking a side trip to lovely Segovia…which I’m saving for a later post. We typically walked four to eight miles a day, which is a nice way to acquaint yourself with an area. But, Madrid is one of the larger cities we visited, so I didn’t get to see as much as I would have liked.
After traveling seven hours from Luang Prabang…we reached the town of Vang Vieng in Laos. As you can see, the landscape was absolutely breathtaking! One of the women that was traveling with the G Adventures tour that I was on through Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, remarked that there wouldn’t be any night life here. There was one road leading into town and it was quite rural.
With this to gaze at…I didn’t care!
One of these sweet little girls stuck her tongue out at me after I took the photo…because I didn’t give her any money.
Claire and Isabel–two of the ladies on the tour and I rented some rickety bicycles and explored some caves in the countryside. Traversing the bumpy dirt roads made us giggle…the simple things can be so much fun!
Then, when Claire got up on the haystack for a photo…it started collapsing…so we collapsed with laughter! Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of that.
This photo intrigues me. I wonder what the boy was doing. His dog almost looks like a fox to me and he has a bag by his side. I would have stuck around to find out, but we were on our bicycles, so off we went.
We spent two nights in Vang Vieng and then drove three hours to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. After checking into the hotel, I walked to the market and shopped. Everything was so inexpensive – $3.00 for a purse, $5 for a silk scarf, etc. I couldn’t resist this hand embroidered blouse and splurged on a shampoo and style for $5.00!
Our tour finishes with Hanoi, Vietnam and the stunning Halong Bay tomorrow!
If you’re just beginning to read…this was a trip I took through GAP Adventures in 2009 with six people from Canada, US, Germany, and the UK, to Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.
We spent the night in Pakbeng, on our way to Luang Prabang in Laos, en route from Chiang Mai via Chiang Rai and Chiang Khong. I just had to say that! I was capturing images of the sunrise at the river’s edge and was pleased to see this fisherman beginning his day.
We went as a group that morning to buy 70 notebooks and pens, 8 dozen eggs, and a variety of other things from the local market to give to another group of villagers (I believe more Hmong) that live on the Mekong River. Notice the supplies lying on the ground next to the guy in the red coat, who was our Tour Guide while we were traveling through Laos.
We delivered the school supplies to the children! I could just put that little girl in my suitcase and bring her home…she’s soooo cute!
On our way to the quaint town of Luang Prabang, we stopped at a spiritual cave called “Pak Ou Caves“.
Luang Prabang was everyone’s favorite town…with lots of shopping, good food, nice markets and friendly people.
This seemed very odd…a line of clothes and hunks of meat.
Chocolate Banana Pancakes were on every menu…
One of the women on the trip and I rented a bicycle and explored the town. It’s a great way to see more! I also had another massage by a young girl that had very strong hands.
Life is good!!
The Wat Rong Khun temple or “White Temple” is located in Chiang Rai, Thailand and we stopped there while en route from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong. As you can see it is beautiful and very artistic. It was in fact designed by an artist named Chalermchai Kositpipat.
The hands sculptures were on either side of the walkway at the front entrance!
He had quite an imagination…
At the border of Laos we boarded this slow boat for an eight hour trip on the Mekong River. We had the boat all to ourselves!
We stopped at a village where the Hmong hilltribe people lived in Laos…and a discussion began concerning happiness. One of the women on the trip felt very sorry for these people. They seemed quite happy to me! So long as people have a roof over their head, food to eat, clean water, and medical attention when necessary…especially if that is the life they have always led…then perhaps the simpler life style is less stressful.
The history of Hmong people is very interesting…you should take a look.
Beautiful girls…
Pet monkey on a chain…:)
Next…more of Laos…followed by Vietnam!
Sherry Lachelle Travels 