R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 46

Fun Photo Friday — Mediterranean 2022; Ibiza Favorites 1

Seeing Red Amidst the Blue Waters of Playa De Santa Eulalia

Time for the first of three Fun Photo Fridays featuring Ibiza favorites. Next week we continue with our tour of this Mediterranean island featuring sun, sand, scenery, and such.

The Troll at the Playa De Santa Eulalia Town Hall Fountain Water Reflections Guarding the Portal de ses Taules Vara de Rey Monument ( Joaquín Vara de Rey y Rubio ) Ducks United — Citroën 2CV “Deux Chevaux” (“Two Horsepower”)

Слава Україні! (Slava U...

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Ibiza; Punta Arabí Hippie Market

Ibiza has several famous outdoor “Hippie Markets,” and the most famous of these is the Punta Arabí Hippie Market. It’s also the original, dating back to 1973, and the largest, with over 500 venders. As luck would have it, Punta Arabí Hippie Market is only open on Wednesdays. So, what are the chances Ursula and I would be on Ibiza on a Wednesday, specifically the 18th of May 2022?

Punta Arabí Hippie Market in Es Canar, Ibiza east coast

If you’re into arts, crafts, handmade clothing, hand...

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Ibiza; Santa Eulalia del Río

Our next destination aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Vision of the Seas was the Spanish port of Eivissa (town of Ibiza) on the island of Ibiza. In case you’ve lost track, Ibiza would be our nineteenth day aboard Vision, including the preceding transatlantic cruise. This also represents the nineteenth day of a 68-day journey, excluding travel to our port of origination and the day of return travel. So, as you can see, we have quite a ways to go on this travel series.

Decorative wate...

Fun Photo Friday — Mediterranean 2022; Corsica Favorites Part 3

Phare des Îles Sanguinaires (Lighthouse of the Sanguinaires Isles)

Today finishes up Corsica, and next week I’ll show you our stop on 18 May 2022 — Ibiza Spain. Until then, here are today’s Fun Photo Friday favorites of Ajaccio, Corsica:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Napoleon Bonaparte House; Ajaccio, Corsica

Maison Bonaparte — Bonaparte ancestral home

We’ve left behind Ajaccio Cathedral, headed north east along Rue Saint-Charles, and have arrived at Maison Bonaparte, the ancestral home of the Bonaparte family and the place of birth of Napoleon. It may not look like much, but it’s a busy destination. I had to wait out the throngs to get the shot you see above. And that marble plaque above the door? It reads in Corsican “NAPOLEON | EST NE DANS CETTE MAISON | LE XV AOVT M·DCC·LXIX,” which translates...

Bonus Holidays Recipe Article: Roasting Chestnuts

Hot, freshly roasted chestnuts with a little butter

Yep, it’s late fall. Chestnuts are showing up at the local grocers’ or, in our case, the local Whole Foods. And pricy though they may be, roasting these little gems at home is a heck of a lot cheaper than flying to Europe to get a paper sack full of chestnuts from a street vendor. Besides, if you can find good, fresh chestnuts, it’s simply too easy to do these at home, and in very little time. So, let’s get started with this step-by-step rec...

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Ajaccio Cathedral, Corsica

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Ajaccio

Today I present to you yet another of the three ABCs of European travel (Another Bloody Castle, Another Bloody Church, Another Bloody Cathedral). Old joke and, yes, I’m just kidding. Both Ursula and I just love these things. Today it’s another cathedral — Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Ajaccio, otherwise known simply as Ajaccio Cathedral. This structure was erected between 1577 and 1593 and is credited to famed Italian architect G...

Fun Photo Friday — Mediterranean 2022; Corsica Favorites Part 2

Napoleon misplaced his hat?

Today is Part 2 of 3 Fun Photo Friday favorites of Corsica. Next week we return to Corsica for a tour of Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta (Monday) and a pass by Napoleon’s childhood home. Until then:

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Walking the Streets of Ajaccio, Corsica

It was approaching 12:30 p.m. when our bus arrived back into Ajaccio. We would soon return to our pickup point just outside the cruise terminal. In the background above and in the photo below you can see our competition that day for resources, NCL’s Epic (for more on this ship, see: Fun Photo Friday — Epic photos of an Epic ship). The Epic is a nice ship, but we were not happy to see her in port this day. Her passengers outnumbered us by several thousand, and she stole our berth, which requi...

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — More Bus Touring Back Into Ajaccio, Corsica

Our bus took us as far as Torra de a Parata, where we could see in the distance the Phare des Îles Sanguinaires (Sanguinaires Islands Lighthouse). After that we turned around and headed back into Ajaccio, hugging the coast along highway D111 the whole way. Today I’m going to let the beaches and other sights do the talking for me, as there’s not a whole lot to say but there is much to see. It was almost nonstop beaches the entire way. On Wednesday I’ll get a bit more descriptive as we leave t...