April 22 Toulon, France -- a new port for us. GM Laurence is excited because it's a return to France for her. We have nothing planned but a stroll around the town. There's our ship in the harbor as we begin our walk.
The morning market fills much of the square next to the port. Fresh fruits and vegetables are in the next block.
Fountaine de la Halle aux Grains. More horticulture than flying water.
The magnificent scaffolding and wrapping of the Opera House restoration. Sigh.
Place de la Liberte
Fontaine de la Federation
Toulon is small fishing town and could have been Monaco if the Grimaldis had come here instead of further up the coast.
April 23 Portofino Italy
We haven't been here in more than a decade. Fortunately it's a calm day and the tender ride into the port is pleasant. Here's the view from our ship, Marina.
We arrive in the village. Based on my observations, the chief occupations are selling postcards or food. "If it's local it's good" is true for both.
Street art
April 24 La SpeziaLa Spezia is the gateway for exploring Cinque Terre by either boat or train. That's what we did the first time we were here. Now we're going into the town itself. The Thaon di Revel suspension bridge at the end of the harbor.
Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian general pivotal in the unification of Italy. Despite the symbolism of the rearing horse, he did not die in battle.
La Spezia is known for its staircases leading up to the Castle. We stayed on the flat shopping street down below.
The farmer's market underneath a modern structure, still selling the same fruits and vegetables.
April 25 Ajaccio, Corsica, France
Another first for us, visiting Corsica. Ajaccio is the birthplace of Napoleon and he appears everywhere. Ajaccio is the prettiest of the towns we've visited so far.
Here we have another morning market. This one was unusual in that there was a lot of prepared food available for purchase and consumption, and not just raw products.
Napoleon's birthplace is an unremarkable building in the town, the door topped with a distinctive marker of its past.
Napoleon and Joselphine in a public service announcement
Over the door of the Oratory of St. John the Baptist
A simple church inside
Further down the street we have Catedrale Notre Dame de L'Assumption, a far more ostentatious church befitting the birthplace of Napoleon.
Outside the cathedral on the building next door is this large sign: "The more we humble ourselves, the more God lifts us up" (Google Translate) Not the current pope.
There's actually a small beach here in town. The weather has been cool (good for us) and it's early in the day, so not much of a crowd.
The Citadelle d'Ajaccio with our ship in the distance. The town's not very big.
The shopping street separated us from a few Euros. The most pleasant part of the street was that there were benches about every 50m. Very convenient for the non-shopping participant.
Along the shopping street, Rue Cardinal Fesch, there's a statue of Cardinal Fesch outside the Fesch Museum. Cardinal Fesch was Napoleon's uncle. I think this is reverse nepotism.
