MARC'S MEMOS
6-23-17
THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME
(The Mediterranean, London, The Baltic)
It started in Phoenix, AZ on a direct flight to JFK airport in New York, NY. From there we were headed for Heathrow airport in London, England. Our destination was a cruise ship at the port of Southampton. We were picked up by what I presumed to be an Uber driver as there were no markings on the car. The transportation had been arranged by our travel agent so we were at the mercy of their decision to trust him. There was a two hour and a half hour ride ahead of us.
Arriving at the airport, we were ushered in through the screening process and onto the ship. Without getting into all of the minutia that happened after boarding, I will begin with the first port on the itinerary. It was Barcelona, Spain. There is a very famous church there that everyone goes to see. It may have been a big mistake, but we opted for an excursion into the mountains just north of the city at approximately 2,300 ft. in elevation.
Monserrat was the name of the area we were visiting. It was a great setting for a church and monastery. The view was wonderful and there was a funicular there, but we didn't have time to go on it. A funicular is a railway going up and down a mountain that carries people in cars pulled by a moving cable. We used the bus to get to the top.
The statues and religious artifacts there were just an introduction to what we would be seeing a few days later in Rome, Italy.
Our choice of Monserrat instead of the church in Barcelona, is always one of the dilemmas you are faced with when cruising. There is never enough time in any port to see every highlight. I hope to make another trip some day back to Barcelona and I will make sure I see that famous church.
Our next port was Corsica. It is an island in the Mediterranean. It was the home of Napoleon Bonaparte. We took a bus trip to a park there with a huge granite monument and a statue of him on a horse perched high up on a hill. The road there followed right next to the sea and was really beautiful. It would have been even more impressive, but the sky was cloudy and gray. There was not much offered in this port so our time there was limited. Even so, it was nice and I am glad I got to see Corsica.
To be continued...
UNTIL NEXT TIME, TAKE CARE!!! MARC
THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME
(The Mediterranean, London, The Baltic)
It started in Phoenix, AZ on a direct flight to JFK airport in New York, NY. From there we were headed for Heathrow airport in London, England. Our destination was a cruise ship at the port of Southampton. We were picked up by what I presumed to be an Uber driver as there were no markings on the car. The transportation had been arranged by our travel agent so we were at the mercy of their decision to trust him. There was a two hour and a half hour ride ahead of us.
Arriving at the airport, we were ushered in through the screening process and onto the ship. Without getting into all of the minutia that happened after boarding, I will begin with the first port on the itinerary. It was Barcelona, Spain. There is a very famous church there that everyone goes to see. It may have been a big mistake, but we opted for an excursion into the mountains just north of the city at approximately 2,300 ft. in elevation.
Monserrat was the name of the area we were visiting. It was a great setting for a church and monastery. The view was wonderful and there was a funicular there, but we didn't have time to go on it. A funicular is a railway going up and down a mountain that carries people in cars pulled by a moving cable. We used the bus to get to the top.
The statues and religious artifacts there were just an introduction to what we would be seeing a few days later in Rome, Italy.
Our choice of Monserrat instead of the church in Barcelona, is always one of the dilemmas you are faced with when cruising. There is never enough time in any port to see every highlight. I hope to make another trip some day back to Barcelona and I will make sure I see that famous church.
Our next port was Corsica. It is an island in the Mediterranean. It was the home of Napoleon Bonaparte. We took a bus trip to a park there with a huge granite monument and a statue of him on a horse perched high up on a hill. The road there followed right next to the sea and was really beautiful. It would have been even more impressive, but the sky was cloudy and gray. There was not much offered in this port so our time there was limited. Even so, it was nice and I am glad I got to see Corsica.
To be continued...
UNTIL NEXT TIME, TAKE CARE!!! MARC
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