25th Anniversary Trip - Day 10

Day 10 - Livorno

We arrived in port at 8 am, and got up to have breakfast. We tour to Pisa today.   After eating, we don some sunscreen, the temperature is already 30.   We have to walk to the bus tour pickup, and we get our first glimpse of crossing the streets here in Italy…crazy.  Thankfully a local saw us and pulled us across the street with him.  Good thing, it may have taken us a while!   After a crazy meeting spot and getting in the right bus, we are off to Pisa.    

Pisa is busy!   People everywhere, vendors trying to sell you things, and masses of tourists taking the obligatory Leaning Tower of Pisa photos!   We wander around, picking up on various tour guide talks, and gleaning bits of historic info.   The line ups are huge, and the heat is descending on us like a blanket!  But we endure and take a few photos of our own!

 Pisa was crazy, everyone trying to get the touristy photo...we tried a few, but it was a struggle to get it lined up and out of the way of tourists.  There was no shade and you couldn't walk on the grass....

Sadly you cannot walk right up to the building either.  It would have been nice to touch the wall itself and "feel" the history.  














Overall, glad to have made the trip out here.  Amazing architecture and history.  

  

    

Back to the ship for lunch and a rest.  What’s next?  

25th Anniversary Trip - Day 9

Day 9.  Portoferraio.

The boat arrives at 8 am, but we take it easy as we are moored until 10 pm.  After a light breakfast, we head out to explore.  

We find Napoleon’s house, then venture to the castle.  There is not much to see along the way, just lots of narrow roadways, cobblestone walk ways and many many homes.  Lots of stairs and twists and turns!

It is very hot, so we hike down a narrow roadway to a small beach.   The water is warm and wonderful.

We dip into the water and enjoy the time. The beach is not well attended, which is crazy, as it is beautiful, the surf is light and the day is super hot.  We decide to spend a fair amount of time here, just floating in the Sea!     

Afterwards, we head back to the ship to shower and eat.  Hoping the temperature cools down so we can explore more in the afternoon.  The air was hot, but there wasn’t much humidity, so we ventured out again.  Not much to see, as it appears everyone is shut down for siesta time.

    We head back to the ship for dinner and then venture to the pool deck for the White Night event.  

  

25th Anniversary Trip - Day 8

Day 8. 

We have been sailing all night.  The seas have been rough through the night, swells up to 4 meters, about 20 meters apart.  By morning it was calm again.  Since we don't reach Bonifacio until 1 pm, we have some breakfast delivered to the room and have a lazy morning. The ship will be anchored today, so we will be tendering to shore.  

Catching the tender is interesting.  The waves are pretty big, and some people struggle to get on.  No problem for us, and we are off to the port. When we arrive in port, it is hot and still air.  The marina is beautiful with many amazing yachts and cruisers.  

We decide to hike up to the old fortified town.  It is hot, and steep, but we are up to the challenge.  When we get there, it is a mix of open squares, and narrow streets with many shops and pubs/cafes.   

We decide to do the Escalier du Roi d’Aragon (Staircase of King Aragon). Wow, what a climb straight down to the ocean.  The stairs are steep, and many people are struggling both ways. We make it down and take the narrow walk way along the cliff edge.  

At the end is a short fence and a stone staircase that is roped off. We see an Italian lady who tells us to head down as there is a cool cave and bay.   We jump the fence and scaled down. There is a small cave and what looks like an old smugglers tunnel.   Brenda slips her feet into the Sea.   

The water is nice and warm.  

The hike back up the stairs is brutal.   The steps are not evenly spaced and the incline is steep.  We need to stop every 15 to 40 steps to regain our equilibrium.  Making it to the top seems like heaven, despite the heat.  

We wander round the town, somewhat in a daze, taking in the sites and tourists.   The last tender to the ship is at 4:30, but we decide to catch an earlier one as we have a reservation for dinner at Acquilina at 6 pm.   Back on the ship we freshen up and get ready for dinner.   


Dinner is nice and affords us a good view of the Kings Staircase.  

25th Anniversary Trip - Day 7

Day 7. 

Today the ship docked early, at 8 am.  Mahon, Spain.  We get up and have a leisurely breakfast in the Windows Cafe.  Then we debark and look to explore Mahon.  It is a beautiful city of white buildings and green shutters. It is mostly built up on the cliff overlooking the bay.  

The hike starts with some steep steps leading up to the market area. This is the Mercat de Pescados.  An open market area with lots of shops and restaurants.  The air is stifling as there is no movement, despite the overcast sky's, it is 33 degrees and feels like 43!   We wander around the shops, but don’t find anything that we like. We wander around looking at the various shops, buildings and churches.  Its very nice.

The roads are steep and windy, we decide to take a train ride through the city, its a little motorized train that stops and picks up passengers, ferrying them around the island. Not very fancy, but for 7 euros, it beats walking in the heat!  There are some nice view points, but very few stops along the way.

Afterwards, we head back to the ship to cool down and have some lunch.  Relaxed and full, we decide to head out again, as we learn there is a Gin distillery where you can have unlimited samples!

The Xoriguer Gin Factory, a small unassuming building along the waterfront, away from the cruise ship drop off area.  The tasting area is the main retail space, with a couple if dozen or so open bottles and shot glasses.  You basically help yourself and drop the used glasses in a water filled basin.  There are no supervisors and you can have as many as you like.   We decide to sample them all, with our favourite being the coffee flavoured version.  A fun little stop at the end if the day.  There is no hard sell here, and the environment is welcoming.  If you are looking for a history of Gin or the distilling process, this is not the place.  But for free samples and a carefree attitude, it is comfortable and easy. Worth the stop for sure.

All in all, Mahon was nice for a short visit.  The ship sales at 6 pm!  We have a nice Spanish dinner, then wander the ship.  We see the last few minutes of a cabaret show.  Then settle into the piano bar.  We meet a nice couple from New York, and talk american politics.  All good.  We go to see the cabaret show, and catch the last few minutes again!  Oh, well, off to bed.

25th Anniversary Trip - Day 6

Day 6. 

Lazy start to the day.  The ship left port at 7 am and we arrive in Pallma de Mallorca at 1 pm.  We got up late, and headed to the Discovery Restaurant for brunch.  Russ, the cruise director, is making his rounds and we spend some time talking to him about the ship, were we are from and the concert tonight.  After brunch, its back to the stateroom to watch us dock from the balcony.  Then we head out into the 36 degree day to explore Mallorca.  We decide on a self guided walking tour and head out down narrow roadways and busy streets.  It is a mix of old and new, with many small shops and tavern/restaurants.  We stop for a Sangria and half liter of beer.  The waitress doesn't speak English, but thats ok. Afterward, Brenda wants to see the monuments, so we head out in search of the first one.  After winding our way through the narrow streets with no air movement, we find the first one; La Fuente de las Tortugas.  It is a bat on top of an obelisk tower. its tiny.  

 The next one, EsFinges.  It is a monument to represent the gate to Born Ave.  

The last one, “Device to Root out Evil”.  An upside down church…very strange. 

Brenda feeding the local wildlife...that is a big pigeon!

After our little adventure, we head back the bus area to route back to the Ship.  Another, larger cruise shop has docked, and the town has just gotten extremely busy!  Tonight we have the concert at the Cathedral.  Dinner first, then dress up and go. 

We board the bus to head to the cathedral.  We dress up nice, which is not pleasant in the 36 degree heat.  

The history on the cathedral is quite nice, and our guide is pleasant and knowledgeable. 




























Outside, we are entertained by some local folk dancers. They are amazing, and don't seem to mind the incredible heat that the day has brought!

The inside is swelteringly hot! The cathedral is stunning though, and we are treated to a musical interlude from the pipe organ. Then the choir comes out, men on one side of the congregation, women on the other. They begin to sing, and the acoustics are magical.  You almost forget the fact that you are melting into the pews.  

Afterwards, we are treated to a guided tour of the interior of the cathedral, and we get to see the tapestries and crypts up close.  A wonderful end to the day. 

    

25th Anniversary Trip - Day 5

Day 5.

We woke up at 7 am, just as the ship was coming into port at Ibiza.  The weather was humid and overcast, but the view as we approached was pretty cool.  Brenda had booked a hair treatment with her gift certificate and the appointment was 8 am.  I decided to go for a run while she was busy, and it wasn't too hot yet.  I got about 4 miles in, which isn't too much fun when you are running around in a circle on the upper deck! I was surprised to see several others out jogging as well.  I wasn't the only crazy person!

After a light breakfast in the cafe, we decided to go for a self guided walking tour of Ibiza.  Heading out into the 27 degree heat, with the knowledge it was going to get a lot hotter, very soon. There are coaches to take the passengers into the main town are, about 2 km away.  Nice and air conditioned!  

  

We wanted to see the Catedral de Santa Maria de Ibiza.  A church on top the mountain in a part of the old fortified city.  We start our trek, and head through the lower part of the old city known as Dalt Vila.  This area has buildings erected in no apparent order, with narrow cobblestone roadways and many twists and turns.  It is very picturesque.  We hike up the steep cobblestone road and pathway to get to the top of the castle.  It is incredibly hot and stifling, but the view is pretty amazing.  You can see all of Ibiza and most of the Mediterranean Sea here.  It is easy to understand why they placed these fortified walls and cannons here.  

The lower portion of the city, near the ocean and marina filled with dozens if high end yachts      and cruisers, has been turned into many small tourist shops and dozens if bars, taverns and dance clubs.  This whole area is known for its nightlife.  I can imagine the evenings here, are something to see.

After spending some time wandering the area, we head back down to the town for a rest and a beer.  Everyone is drenched with sweat, and we are no different. We decide that 4 hours in the 30 degree (apparently they say it feels like 43, and it does!) heat was enough.  We catch the air conditioned coach back to the ship.  A quick change if cloths and we head to the pool cafe for a light lunch. A short siesta is in order (I could get use to those!), then more adventures. 

We decide to go for the sit down dinner in the formal dining room.  That means Pants! Good thing it’s air conditioned. The meal was nice, Brenda had the Ravioli and I had the salmon.  Both very good, Pino Gris as an accompaniment.  Some dessert and tea to end.   We walk to the front of the ship and catch the last act of the comedian, who is performing tonight.  A walk on the upper deck to see the castle lit up, and then to bed. Tomorrow the ship sets sale early for Mallorca!