Our boarding of the Regent Seven Seas Voyager was delayed by two days, for the ship had some technical problems, but never really explained. Barcelona itself is a fine spot for culture and cuisine, known to be Beautiful, Artistic, Historical, Convenient and Fun.
The Sagrada Familia, the life-work of Antoni Gaudi, in particular, is a sight to remember. Construction began in 1882, and might well actually be completed a century after his death in 2026.
That this church ever got this far is a miracle in itself, for no religious organization is paying for it, nor any governmental agency. Ticket sales and private donations have kept it going.
We showed up at the ship port site and were shunted off to a remote hotel for two days, which was actually not all that bad, for we were sent to a part of Spain we'll never see again, the lunches were great and the hotel, Eurostars, excellent. One lunch was beef, and the other was fish.
Finally, arrangements were made, we went back to Barcelona, and boarded the Voyager. However, the captain warned that we would be sailing through a storm later at night. Never before have I experienced such fear from waves. At one point I woke up and wanted to go to the bathroom. However, the ship was tossing and turning so much that I didn't have any confidence that I could make it there. Finally, I had to go, and, with difficulty, hugging the walls, all went okay. I was thinking of safely crawling, but did not have to do that. This was the worst I've ever experienced on a cruise ship, and, thankfully, the rest of the trip on the Voyager and Queen Mary 2 went well. In two days we got to Civitavecchia, a port city 44 miles from Rome, and had an outstanding bus tour of this classic city.
If you want ancient, all around, here and there, Rome has it. A city of 2.9 million, the fourth most-populated city in the European Union, it became the capital of the Italian Republic only in 1946. Previous capitals were Turin and Florence. The Pope has lived in Vatican City, the only country within another country, since the first century AD.
Photos from the tour of Rome. Getting off the bus, of course, greeted by my Blue-Bar Pigeon.
Short walk to the Spanish Steps.
Colosseum.
A lot more shots you can see at my
blog site. Leaving port at sunset is always memorable.
Voyager staircase.
Walked 7983 steps today.
I should mention that we usually sleep-in till almost noon, so always miss breakfast. This is more than made up by a
fabulous lunch, with two or three alcoholic drinks.
Then an ice cream cone.
There are lectures on a wide range of subjects. This one on the 60's British Rock Invasion.
Click on this for the details on that talk.
Next, Turkey, although the country wants to be known as Türkiye.
Did you know that with a population of 14.7 million, Istanbul is the largest city in Europe?
- Habitation began 40,000 years ago.
- It was neutral in World War II, and is now a member of NATO.
- Has 21 UNESCO sites.
- The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back to a monk named St. Nicholas, born in Turkey in 280AD.
- Allegedly, Noah's Ark is on Mount Ararat in this country.
Dinner at Chartreuse, the French restaurant of the the Voyager.
I've been through Istanbul several times, and was always somewhat wary and uncomfortable. Perhaps as this was a guided tour, I gained a new respect for the attractions, like Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. A few shots.
And, by the way, Istanbul was once called Constantinople.
Back to the ship, larger ones like the Yoyager, have two stage shows/night. The river cruises don't.
Belly dancing.
Another humongous lunch. Salami sandwich, assorted appetizers, salad and garlic soup with rose wine and beer.
Oh, that was not all. Dessert, cheese and champagne followed.
Dinner then featured steak and lobster, but the following are just a couple of appetizers, truffles and foie gras with a Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon.
I was planning to end this series today, but looks like this will continue tomorrow.
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