Carry on cruising ( to the Mediterranean and back)

Before I start on Gibraltar it’s worth mentioning that we had dinner in Sabatini’s, the specialty Italian restaurant last night. Very good it was too and consisted of six courses (bread and oils for dipping, a starter- buffalo tomatoes and mozzarella, a salad, antipasto- fettuccine, main- veal masala and dessert- tiramisu). However once on a two week voyage is enough.  Gibraltar. Well, plan A was to go up to the top of the rock but as there was a layer of cloud obscuring the top, it wasn’t really worth going. There was no plan B so we just walked to the Main Street and started climbing the steps, following the signs towards the Nature Reserve. The first stop was the Moorish fort, then upwards to the first War tunnels for a look around and then lastly on to the second war/siege tunnels. That was as high as it was worth going given the cloud but we still got a great view of the entire Crown Dependency, the airport and Spain beyond. We even managed to get (fairly) up close and persona...

We have been to Cartegena once before, many years ago. Unless you are going out on an excursion a bit farther afield there is not a huge amount to do here unless you are a fan of archaeology or maritime history. It’s a nice enough town though and the main drag was full of tourists and locals alike meandering or putting the world to rights over coffee. We joined them for a short while. But once you venture off the city centre precinct the streets were almost empty with businesses boarded up until the start of the next summer season. Beforehand we had walked up to the top of the fort which overlooks the entire town. There is also an old amphitheater near the base of the hill fort which has been excavated and renovated (work was being done on this when we were here last) and it’s now used for up to date theatrical performances.  It was warm and humid here today too…lovely to be out and about in shorts and a tee shirt on 1 November!

  I will be the first to admit that my preconceived ideas of Palma were wrong. I had thought that the esplanade and city streets would be lined with Irish bars selling Guinness, British pubs selling fish and chips or a Sunday roast and nightclubs cheek by jowl. Maybe parts of the Island are like that, maybe in mid July when the tourist hoards arrive it’s like that, but Palma certainly is not like that…well, not on a Sunday on the last day of October it’s not. It’s actually quite charming and delightful.   We took the shuttle bus in from the ship and were dropped close to the huge Cathedral which dominates the city and it’s skyline. The larger streets in the centre of the shopping district were busy, but by no means heaving. Cafe society was alive and well with families having a morning coffee, children playing in their Halloween outfits, young couples promenading, a lady in her Sunday best chatting with the parish priest and elderly ladies gossiping as they descended the steps...

After the hustle and bustle of the big cities it was nice to reach the much quieter port of Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica and birthplace of Napoleon. Again, with no firm plans and our decision to try and avoid long coach journeys and keep away from big indoor crowds, we just went ashore for a wander around. Having been here twice before there wasn’t really too much new to explore within easy reach of the capital. But we enjoyed looking at the various stores in the shopping district (many higher end ones reflecting Ajaccio’s importance on the cruise line itineraries). We also paid homage to Napoleon himself by visiting his house (now a bar) and walking up to his memorial statue….which also affords some good views over the town. Also included in our own personal itinerary were walks around the two yacht marinas and the beachfront. It was a warm afternoon and the sea did look inviting but I daresay the water was colder than it looked. There was a lovely nature moment just before we sail...

Our stop in Marseilles got off to a good start when our excursion was cancelled. To be fair, we had been warned it was likely as we had picked to go on a countryside walk taking in the best of Aix en Provence, and which was described as strenuous. When we booked the man on the desk looked at us and said “I know you are younger but between you and me most of the people on the ship are over 70 and would never make this hike, so I doubt we’ll get the numbers to make it viable.”     But we booked anyway and lived in hope, but he was was right. Never mind, even getting the shuttle bus into the city was chaotic. We had prebooked tickets but many had not, trusting to get their tickets at the terminal. On the quayside there were no separate lines, nobody knowing where to go and nobody from the ship in sight to help out. Eventually we got where we needed to queue and got on the bus for what was a 35 minute drive into the city centre. (I would add that 30 minutes of which was a scenic d...

A lovely sunny day in Barcelona and upon arrival we had an outline of a plan for our time ashore. First off was a stroll along the harbourfront and viewing the innumerable superyachts tied up alongside. Unfortunately I was looking for one with a helipad but couldn’t find exactly what I wanted so will have to wait for another day to buy one. A number of them were being refitted or were still wrapped in their factory protective sheeting….but there is obviously a colossal amount of money on display. A little further around we reached our first destination, the first station for the cable car which runs across the city. Thankfully the queue was short, but with only a few people being allowed to ascend the lift and enter the car itself, it took a little while. It goes without saying that the ten minute ride across to the other side was spectacular. Once across it was just a question of taking in and photographing all the city views, wandering through the botanical gardens and stopping for a...