We didn't have a tour planned, and had thought about going to Olympia where you can put your feet in the marble starting blocks at the original Olympic stadium. Somehow it didn't seem as much fun in the rain, so we opted to stay on board and enjoy a rest day.
It was Halloween! They always do a wonderful job decorating and displaying beautifully carved pumpkins.
There are some very creative crew members on board...
The coffee bar was busy...
The next day was a sea day...time to putter about and relax.
We sailed along the coast of Italy towards the Messina Strait.
Sheesh! Wouldn't it be easier to go around? Apparently it's wider than it looks.
Ferries take passengers and cars from Messina to the mainland. A bridge has been discussed for many years, but it is seen as a potential ecological disaster with the structure at risk due to high winds and earthquakes.
At the narrowest point, the strait is 3 km wide, hence the need for us to take on a pilot. In 1957, an overhead power line was built across the strait. These pylons are among the highest in the world. The power line has since been replaced with an underwater cable, but the pylons remain and are protected as historical monuments.
Continuing on to our next port of Ajaccio, a French commune and the birthplace of Napoleon.
It's nice to see the ships being updated with the deck plans mostly being computerized...
Part of the morning entertainment was a cooking demonstration. It was quite comical as the chef was a dry Australian, and the maître d' was his sidekick and funny man. These two crew members did a wonderful rendition of "Time to Say Goodbye." One of them had been our funny waiter from two nights ago.
A small portion of the crew that it takes to feed 3000 passengers 3+ meals a day.
Now this gives you a true idea of how volcanoes are formed. It looked like it just pushed itself up out of the water.
The sun set on a peaceful sea day...
Where is everyone? Surprisingly, even with 3000 passengers on board, there are places where it's absolutely quiet.
Docking in Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica, which is a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. It was the birthplace of French Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte in 1769.
Lots of ferries...clearly a normal way of transportation here.
It was rainy and drizzly, and we had no urge to get off the ship. We had a full day planned for tomorrow in Carcassonne, so we decided to take advantage of another day on board.
I'm sure the crew was glad when they could pack up and get back on board...
Nice yachts! Goodbye Ajaccio...
We got up early the next day for our planned day in Carcassonne. We were going to do a walking tour of the fortified city. This is what the city looks like (pilfered from the internet!).
But much to our surprise, the Captain made an announcement that we would not be docking there. With deteriorating conditions in the weather, he was concerned that later in the day, we would not be able to get away from the port safely. He made the decision to abort the port and head for Barcelona.
Oh well...another sea day! A rainbow appeared and I went outside to take a photo of it.
It was pretty nasty out there...
I was taking some video when a crew member came along and asked me to go inside. You can see how some people were struggling to walk a straight line!
And this is what greeted me when I opened our cabin door. Our room service breakfast remnants were everywhere. The poor room stewards...we did clean it up as best we could.
It was a choppy sea day and the entertainment team scrambled to put together a program of activities for an unplanned day at sea.
Almost to Barcelona...
Arriving in Barcelona at an industrial port...
We were flying home that day having spent time in Barcelona before. The disembarking procedure is very smooth. They take your luggage the previous night and, depending where you are heading the next day, you are given a colour code. Find your colour and pick out your suitcases from the neatly stacked rows. They have it down to a science...
Goodbye, Emerald Princess! It was a great cruise...
The early morning hours...
A very busy port in Barcelona...
This is called the Onades or Waves, and they extend a welcome and bid farewell to those arriving or leaving the city by sea.
Look at the motorcycles at the airport!
And this long wiggly line of luggage carts...
The airport in Barcelona is very close to the water...
We were heading to Toronto via Frankfurt, hence the German ingredients in this sandwich. Holy Hannah...that's a lot of words!
Their leaves were still changing colour...
This was a better welcome than we received inside. We only had an hour between flights and we were 30 minutes late leaving Barcelona. The flight attendant had assured Jim there was a wheelchair waiting, but there wasn't one to be found, and an agent dismissed us with a wave of his hand saying it would be "faster to walk." OMG...they don't get it.
We made it to the gate as the last passengers were boarding. That was too close and too much stress for Jim. On our way to Toronto...
Sunset...
Wheee! Almost there...
We stayed overnight in Toronto and were quite perky considering our lack of sleep as we waited to fly back to Fredericton...
Goodbye, Toronto...
Hello, Fredericton!
It was a great trip with beautiful weather and time spent again with Barb and Ed. Here endeth this blog!
