April 30 - La Seyne Sur Mer - Barcelona

 April 30 - La Seyne Sur Mer

An unexpected new port. We had planned San Tropez but it's a tender port and the winds were picking up. The captain wisely decided to skip that port and substitute La Seyne. It's actually just across the bay from Toulon where we were a week ago. We walked into La Seyne for the exploration and exercise.

On the 1 kilometer walk into town, there were several small playgrounds for children. For the slightly older, there was this skateboard venue.

Up until 40 years ago this was a big ship building location. This huge building is now a crumbling remnant of that industry.

An ordinary apartment building, but what's that pink room in the middle? It's almost a common patio, but is it?

You can't fight a good idea.

Their fleet of delivery vehicles.

I loved the name of this street vacuum.

 

May 1 Barcelona

The military headquarters 

Royal Square

Passatge de Madoz

Carrer de Ferran

Bishop's Bridge on Carrer del Bisbe

Monument als Herois de 1809

The most exciting part of our visit to Barcelona was lunch at McDonalds on La Ramblas. The french fries are better aboard the boat, but they can't beat a Big Mac.
 

April 26-Oblia-Naples-Civitavechia-La Spezia

 April 26-Oblia

We were docked at the end of a long pier, so a shuttle bus was available to take us the two miles to the city center (the Ferris wheel). The bus took us past the Ferris wheel, then headed for the airport 5 miles away. At the roundabout just outside the airport the bus reversed directions, went back three miles and dropped us at the Ferris wheel. It seemed like a taxi ride given to the unsuspecting tourist to pad the meter. (On the return later in the day we went straight back to the ship.)

 

 Also in this park was a carousel for the kids.

We walked the pedestrian shopping street, but but was early on Sunday and nothing was open. The church was doing business, and had a fine tiled roof.

Street art

This being a weekend there was a huge gathering of bikers near the carousel. Except these bikers were all on Vespas. It sounded like an angry beehive as the air filled with the blue tinged exhaust of their 2-stroke engines. There were probably 300 of these chainsaw powered vehicles out for a Sunday drive.

 

April 27 Naples

After Olbia, Naples seemed like a big city, and it is. It is New York City, except it was laid out by the Greeks and Romans, and there is a church on every block. We stayed mostly on the pedestrian streets which were perhaps 5 meters wide -- and weren't really pedestrian streets since motorcycles and delivery trucks went roaring by. And on one side street we were passed by two police motorcycles probably doing 50mph past us pedestrians. It made walking through the city more sporting than just a stroll.

 

Here's a street scene. I forgot to mention that the outdoor seating areas of restaurants extended well out into the street at regular intervals.

We first hiked up to the cathedral. It was befitting a major Italian city.

 

 Another of the many churches throughout the city. 

The same street the Romans walked. Buildings are just a little different. 

  Guglia di San Domenico, a monument

April 28 Civitavechia

 This is the port city for Rome and a changeover day (people leaving and joining the ship). We chose to take the shuttle bus into Civitavechia rather than spend all day on a bus going back and forth to Rome. We were shuttled to a bus depot and walked about a kilometer to the center of town, Of course, being the port for Rome it is protected by a Roman fort.

 

And, of course, being a modern tourist city, it has a big Ferris wheel.  

 April 28 was the feast day for the city's patron saint so there were parades and artisan's booths and general festivities. Here was one of the parades reenacting the Crusades(?). Mostly it was an excuse to dress up and drink wine.

 Street art 

April 29  La Spezia

 Since it's a new segment, and the Bradleys have gone as far east as intended, we turn back west and make another stop at La Spezia. It's another beautiful day and we wander though town pretty much as before.

Here's Guiseppe astride his horse, this time from the side to get the full profile. 

Part of the street scene. The staircase on the side of the building on the right -- what was it for? Would you use it regularly, or only intermittently. And why is it on the outside of the building rather than inside? So many questions for just one architectural feature.

An impressive set of stairs leading to the castle. We didn't take them.

 

Besides an equestrian statue, Guiseppe Garibaldi has a piazza named for him with this fountain. I guess he was a lover as well as a slayer of enemies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 22 Toulon - Portofino - La Spezia - Ajaccio

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 Spezia

La 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.