Saint Raphael

My apologies for posting the photos without captions. While cruising it was'nt possible to use my laptop therefore I couldn't download the photos. At this very moment I'm getting over a virus that left me with a head cold, and getting settled into our home . On arrival at Nice Harbor son Gerald and friends Gylls and Jerry were there to greets us. Gerald with a SUV to drive us home and visit. Sadly next day when he returned to Paris. Christiane, the housekeeper, had everything in order, meal prepared, refrigerator stocked, and fruit basket. There was the wonderful aroma of roses and lilies from a beautiful floral arrangement.

The photo is from our terrace. It is Ocean Village from London that arrives every 2 or 3 weeks.

Marseilles, France & Portofino, Italy

Malaga & Barcelona

Valencia, Spain

Cadiz, Spain

28 April 2008 Lisbon Portugal

3 May 2008

Marseilles, France 0730

Can you tell how happy we are to be in France. Though tonight we will leave for Portofino, Italy and on Monday we will arrive back in France and disembark in Nice.

Marseilles is a dynamic city as exotic & cosmopolitan now as when the Phoenicians 1st founded it 2,600 years ago. Approaching the harbor with a breathing sunrise, Provence in the air. Provence stretches from the Rhone Valley to the Italian border. The coastal Range, known as the Massif des Maures is the dramatic backdrop for the worlds most elegant resort areas, the Cote dÁzur.
Marseilles is 1 of the France largest and busiest natural ports. It is also famouse for it's seafood especially for bouillabaisse (seafood soup) and bourride. The city is a place to wander & enjoy the everyday French life.

We could have disembarked here as it is no more than 50 Km further to Saint Raphael as Nice.
We depart at 6PM for Portofino, Italy

2 May 2008

Barcelona, Spain, Capital of Catalonia.

2000 year old Barcelona commanded a vast Mediterranean Empire when Madrid was still a dusty Moorish outpost. Relegated to 2nd city status onlyin 1561. Barcelona has long rivaled & often surpassed Madrid's supremacy.

Although the city is being cleanned up, bag-snatching is common here. We are advised to keep our wits about us, to carry nothing in our hands. Remembering the city,1st visited with my sister Geri several years ago, for it's medieval intimacy of it's Gothis quarter to the grace of wide bouldvards, temples, cathedrals and wonderful museums. We felt totally secure in the night as in the day time. Oh, how the world has changed.

We departed for France at 7:30 PM.

1 May 2008

Valencia - City of Porcelain

We are told that the 1st Valencians appeared aroung 70,000BC even though the oldest permanent communities only date from post Iberian invasion beginning in 50 BC.We were also told that the Valencianos love to celebrate, you might have thought that the fire works were for our arrival, one could have imagined the 4th of July with all the banging and carring on but, of course it is 1 May (Labor Day).

I took the shuttle to the center of this lovely city, enjoyed the sites and seeing the many city parks and spring flowers. Unfortunately only restaurants were opened so I missed the local porcelains and museums. afternoon was warm & sunny 78 degrees.

It's 10:45PM and people are lined up to use the computer so until tomorrow.

30 April 2008

Malaga - Costa Del Sol (Sunshine Coast)

Arrived at 0800. @ 60 degrees.
Malaga is hemmed in between the Sierra Nevada & the Ocean. Already established when the Phoenicians arrived in Spain . According to historians, some 50 years after the destruction of Troy in 1184 BC. Various tribes occupied Malaga during centures until the Moors took Andalusia in 711. The Castililians attacked and forced the Moors to flee in 1492. The Spanish King was installed thus converting Islamic mosques to Christianity which still exist today.
We departed for Valencia at 5:30.