R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 47

Fun Photo Friday — Mediterranean 2022; Corsica Favorites Part 1

U Papacionu

Time of the first of three Fun Photo Friday adventures featuring Ajaccio, island of Corsica, France. I hope you enjoy the show.

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Ajaccio Touring by Bus; Corsica

Ajaccio by Bus

Before we walked the streets of Ajaccio on Corsica, Ursula snagged us a quick bus tour just outside the cruise terminal. She was anxious to get us aboard, as another much larger cruise ship was preparing to offload passengers and the bus would fill up quickly if we did not act. The bus would take us to some highlights in southwest Ajaccio, then head west for some sights we would not otherwise have seen.

Ajaccio, island of Corsica, France Heading out of town

Our bus took...

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Vision of the Seas Approaches Ajaccio, Corsica, France

Over the next three weeks I’ll be showing you Ajaccio in the Corse-du-Sud (Southern Corsica) department of Corsica. Ajaccio is also the capital of the island. This was an exciting stop for us, as during our many Mediterranean voyages we had never before visited Corsica. Indeed, many of the destinations on this eight-day cruise were new to us.

Vision of the Seas approaches Golfe d’Ajaccio (Gulf of Ajaccio)

We sailed into Ajaccio at about 9:00 a.m. on 16 May 2022. As such, the lighting wa...

Fun Food Friday — Manofica — Best Pizza in Toulon, or Best Anywhere?

Munching at Manofica

Ursula and I had earlier passed an establishment back on Quai Cronstadt that had what looked to be some very delectable pizza. Today I’m going to introduce you to what could be the best pizza we’ve ever had at a place called Manofica. The charming restaurant also gives you options to dine either inside or out, and offers up some exquisite views of Toulon Harbor and the marina just outside.

Looks good!

Some fellow Vision of the Seas passengers were dining there, and t...

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — The Ferry to Toulon and a Walk Around

Our ferry approaches: Rade de Toulon (Toulon Harbor)

Ursula and I had a comfortable amount of time remaining before we were due back to Vision of the Seas for our next destination. So, we got in line at the ferry pier in La Seyne-sur-Mer and waited to take the ferry across the harbor into Toulon. By about 1:00 p.m. we were there.

Harborside in Toulon on Quai Cronstadt (Cronstadt Quay)

The walk along Cronstadt Quay is rather enjoyable, with many bars, cafés, and restaurants to entice you ...

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Vision of the Seas arrives into La Seyne-sur-Mer, France

La Seyne-sur-Mer, France

On 15 May 2022 Vision of the Seas arrived in port at La Seyne-sur-Mer, putting Ursula and me in close proximity to Toulon. Before taking the ferry to Toulon, however, we decided to first hit the streets of La Seyne. It’s about a 20-minute walk west from the cruise terminal to the marina you see pictured above. A few minutes more and you’re on pedestrian streets with many street vendors:

Pedestrian vendors in La Seyne

This area is easy to find. It’s just north of ...

Fun Photo Friday — Mediterranean Cruise 2022; Aigues-Mortes Favorites

Next week we move on to Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, Toulon, and perhaps the best pizza on the planet. Until then, here is today’s Fun Photo Friday favorites of Aigues-Mortes, France:

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Aigues-Mortes, Notre-Dame-des-Sablons Church and Saint Louis Plaza

Notre-Dame-des-Sablons Church, Aigues-Mortes, France

Don’t let the quaint exterior of Notre-Dame-des-Sablons Church deter you from stepping inside. We’ll take a look at that in a moment, but first I must apologize. The lighting inside Notre-Dame-des-Sablons is low and the color hideous. As such, I had to shoot in JPEG with the camera set in handheld night mode, which gave me adequate shutter speeds but made color correction almost impossible. Here’s an example of what I mean.

Notre-Dame-de...

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Arriving Sète and heading to Aigues-Mortes

We completed our transatlanitic cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas, docking in Barcelona on 13 May 2022. After a hike to our favorite Barcelona restaurant, we hoofed it back to Vision of the Seas to begin an eight-day Mediterranean cruise that would take us to some French and Spanish destinations not usually associated with a Mediterranean cruise. And so it was that the next day, 14 May, we arrived at the French port of Sète. We would not be there for long, however, as Ursula...

Fun Photo Friday — Transatlantic 2022; Palma de Mallorca and Valldemossa Favorites 3

Today finishes up our 2022 transatlantic cruise series, and next week I begin a series on an eight-day follow-on journey aboard the same ship — Vision of the Seas. We’ll begin with a town I’m thinking most of you will not know, Aigues-Mortes in France. Until then: