This week has been flying by since we have been in a port every day since Sorrento and Pompeii. On Friday we arrived in Civitavecchia. At 7 a.m. we embarked on an overland tour to Rome. We had been in Rome 31 years ago and visited many of the places we decided to tour this time, but were very surprised at how crowded all of the sites had become. We first visited the Vatican museum with all of its wonder paintings, mosaics, and tapestries. After this we saw the magnificent Sistene chapel that was painted by Michelangelo. We marveled at his paintings and sculptures in the chapel but also all of the other paintings, sculptures, and architectural designs that are attributed to him. We also visited St. Peter’s Basilica with its marvelous sculptures, mosaic pictures, alabaster windows and the statue of Mary and Jesus that was done by Michelangelo at the age of 25.
After all of this walking, we were treated to a scrumptious lunch at one of the best restaurants in Rome. The rest of our day was completed by seeing the Roman colosseum ruins. It is difficult to imagine how large this structure is until you stand inside and marvel at how it was constructed. It is the largest arena every constructed. Our day finished by seeing the fountain of Trevi and the Spanish steps. As our tour guide said, this was a week’s tour all compressed into one day.
We were exhausted when we returned to our cabin and were happy that tomorrow we have an easy tour along the coastline of France.
April 12, 2008
We arrived at Cannes, France this morning but are taking it easy today with a drive along the French Riviera coastline from Cannes to St. Raphael. In the morning before our tour, we strolled the sidewalks of Cannes enjoying the local market with all of its fresh produce, seafood, meat, and flowers. We also enjoyed seeing all of the restaurants. We saw the Palais des Fetivals, which is home to the Cannes Film Festival. We opted for a small lunch in Cannes before embarking on our tour. The drive along the coastline was truly magnificent with high cliffs, beautiful homes, and clear blue sea.
When we arrived in St. Raphael, we just enjoyed an hour of people watching and having a gelato before boarding the bus for our return. On the way back to the ship, we stopped at an area that is famous for the point where American troupes came ashore to overpower the Germans who had overtaken this area of France during WWII. It was an area of steep terrain, but at that time was filled with woods that gave the troupes good cover.
We set sail at 6 p.m. on our way to Barcelona. The weather was mild and comfortable. It truly was a very relaxing and enjoyable day.
We arrived at Cannes, France this morning but are taking it easy today with a drive along the French Riviera coastline from Cannes to St. Raphael. In the morning before our tour, we strolled the sidewalks of Cannes enjoying the local market with all of its fresh produce, seafood, meat, and flowers. We also enjoyed seeing all of the restaurants. We saw the Palais des Fetivals, which is home to the Cannes Film Festival. We opted for a small lunch in Cannes before embarking on our tour. The drive along the coastline was truly magnificent with high cliffs, beautiful homes, and clear blue sea.
When we arrived in St. Raphael, we just enjoyed an hour of people watching and having a gelato before boarding the bus for our return. On the way back to the ship, we stopped at an area that is famous for the point where American troupes came ashore to overpower the Germans who had overtaken this area of France during WWII. It was an area of steep terrain, but at that time was filled with woods that gave the troupes good cover.
We set sail at 6 p.m. on our way to Barcelona. The weather was mild and comfortable. It truly was a very relaxing and enjoyable day.
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