Day #5: Aix En Provence, France

Art's tummy was not feeling great and we were worried he wouldn't be able to go on the excursion with us to Aix En Provence.  He broke down and took Imodium for the first time.  He doesn't usually like to because he feels what needs to leave his body should be allowed to.  Still, he didn't want to miss the first excursion.

We went to the Stardust Theater where all the NCL (Norwegian Cruise Lines) excursions congregate to be assigned to different tours.

They sold water at the front which was actually unnecessary since all the Norwegian Cruise Line tours we went on provided free water bottles.  It was interesting that the one Non-Stop tour we went on did not.











We then walked toward the gangplank to leave the ship.

I had this image of Provence from paintings by Cezanne, Van Gogh, Monet, Matisse.

Obviously, I didn't read the tour description well.  We were led through the city at a fast pace.... too fast.

It was hard to absorb the surroundings and choose the photo I wanted to take.

Our city tour guide, Jean said Aix En Provence meant City of Fountains.  They have 40 fountains in the city.

Painter Paul Cezanne's father was a rich banker there, and we were able to see the outside of his building.

Art was feeling a little better, and I was feeling relieved as we concentrated on following our tour guide.

I realized then that we'd lost track of my cousin, Arnold and his Nancy.

In a rush to take photos, look at buildings and keep up with the group in a huge crowd, Nancy had banged against one of these short pillars and fallen face first onto another pillar.

Luckily our city tour guide was able to get Nancy over to a doctor right away to get her injuries attended to, but we were all shaken up.

(Nancy very kindly sent this photo to me to show where the accident took place.)

After a little snack, we boarded the bus again for our trip to Marseilles.

This southern version of the Arch of Triumph in Marseille is called Porte d’Aix. It was the way to connect Marseille to Aix-en-Provence (and Paris).

Inspired by the Arch of Titus in Rome and built by Architect Penchaud in 1823 and adorned by inscriptions and low-reliefs (David d’Angers and Jules Ramey), the Porte d’Aix commemorates the victories of the French Revolution, the glory of the Republic, the Consulate and the First Empire.
                --Why Travel to France




Riding the bus on President Kennedy Drive, we were able to catch this photo of the fellow who seemed to be floating in air near the beach.

We could see the Château d'If which was supposed to be an almost escape proof prison like Alcatraz.  It was the setting for The Count of Monte Cristo.

When Jean said, "Of course you have heard of Count of Monte Cristo" several voices chimed, "No."

That surprised us and shocked Jean.

Once in Marseilles we were taken to Notre Dame de la Garde.  There were a LOT of steps to get to the top.

Jean told us that whenever relatives come to Marseilles, Notre Dame de la Garde is one of the must-see places to take them.

This photo (taken from a distance) is courtesy of Wikipedia.

The inside of the Neo-Byzantine basilica was very impressive.

Our granddaughter, KC sent this letter to us before we left on our journey.

We were excited to see how many countries we could take photos of with Flat Stanley.

And here is Flat Stanley overlooking Marseilles, France.

Before boarding the ship, our hands were always sprayed with a hand sanitizer.

That evening, we saw the first of several towel creatures.

Art's tummy was feeling better although now that he'd taken the Imodium, he was worried he might have the opposite problem.  Nancy was feeling better though a little unsteady.

It was a surprise when I returned to Hawaii several weeks later to hear that one of my dear Zumba friends who happened to be on a river cruise in Budapest also took a similar fall with even more terrible injuries. Her tour and ours also had several others who fell which resulted in cuts, scrapes and bruises.

Travel insurance sounds more and more like a necessary expenditure.  Sigh...

Day #4: Montserrat to Norwegian Spirit

After a lovely breakfast, we left the hotel at 8:00.  We boarded the bus which took us to Montserrat.  Our city tour guide, Mariona told us that Columbus took one of the monks from Montserrat with him when he traveled to the "new world".  This is why there is an island in the Caribbean named Montserrat.

Montserrat is a multi-peaked mountain located near the city of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. The main peaks are Sant Jeroni (1,236 m), Montgrós (1,120 m) and Miranda de les Agulles (903 m).

It is well known as the site of the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary and which is identified by some with the location of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth.  

"Montserrat" literally means "saw (serrated, like the common handsaw) mountain" in Catalan. It describes its peculiar aspect with multitude of rock formations which are visible from a great distance. The mountain is composed of strikingly pink conglomerate, a form of sedimentary rock. Montserrat is Spain's first National Park.                                                        --Wikipedia

Our Lady of Montserrat or the Virgin of Montserrat is the Patron Saint of Catalonia, along with Saint George.

Mariona said the statue of the Black Madonna was found in a cave.  Villagers were carrying it down from the mountain when suddenly something made them unable to go on.  They had to put the statue down.  The statue was set down in this dark circle and a church was built here.  There is supposed to be a lot of power in that circle and everyone took turns standing on it.

We arrived at the harbor and boarded the Norwegian Spirit around 1:00.

Our room cabin was comfortable.

Everyone said the nice thing about being on a cruise is that you don't have to keep unpacking and repacking your things.




We then went to our muster stations to learn what to do in case of an emergency.  I checked to see where the lifeboats were.

Chocolate covered maraschino cherries was a lovely welcome.







Arnold and Nancy's cabin was just a couple of doors down so we could see each other from our balcony.

We were ready for our adventure!

Day #3: Barcelona

It was Wednesday, October 8th.  We ate breakfast at the hotel at 7:30 and was out the door by 8:30.

Ines taught us that Bon dia means good morning in the Catalan language.

OK, I got it out of the way.  I always manage to get a little souvenir mug during our trips.  Well, maybe it wasn't that little, but it was definitely cute.  There was a teeny little spoon in the handle of the mug.

I get mugs.  Art gets t-shirts.

Our schedule today included Tarragona which contains the ruins of the Roman city of Tarraco and is designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Here, we got to see a model of what Tarraco once looked like.

There used to be 40,000 Romans once living here.

We were told that Tarragona is famous for this acrobatic display where people are standing on each others' shoulders to form a pillar with a child at the top.

The Cathedral of Tarragona is a Roman Catholic church in Tarragona, Spain. Located on a site previously occupied by a Roman temple dating to the time of Tiberius, a Visigothic cathedral  and a Moorish mosque, it was declared a national monument in 1905.

Tarragona Roman Circus (Circo Romano de Tarragona) is an ancient racing arena, probably built under the Emperor Domitian in the first century AD, which still contains some astonishing subterranean Roman tunnels.
When Tarragona Roman Circus was constructed it would have been able to accommodate up to 30,000 spectators and was just one of a series of impressive public buildings serving the Roman settlement.  It was in use until the fifth century AD, when it was abandoned and slowly fell to ruin.
      --Historvius Mapping History

We walked through the tunnels under the Roman Circus.

Lunch was wonderful!

We had all kinds of tapas and all the sangria we wanted.

I do love sangria.  I knew mom would too.  However, I learned that it's so good that before you know it, you won't be able to pass a sobriety test.

After lunch we saw the rest of the Roman Circus.  It was good to walk off our lunch.

We were blessed by good weather during our entire stay in Barcelona.



Next stop:  Codorniu Winery!

The Codorníu family’s wine business goes back to the middle of the 16th century. A document of that period states that the family had several machines and implements relating to the wine industry. In 1659 Anna Codorníu married Miquel Raventós and the families, each with a long wine tradition, were united. Years later, in 1872, Josep Raventos produced cava for the first time in Spain using the “Traditional Method” and established a completely new industry in the Alt Penedes region. 
                        --Wikipedia

Codorniu is the oldest family business in Spain.  I didn't realize that you cannot call sparkling wine champagne unless it comes from the Champagne region of France.  That's why the Spanish had to call their sparkling wine cava.

Here we are entering the winery.

There was a long, long tunnel system where wine was once stored.

I have never seen so many wine bottles in my life.


We were then given samples of their wine.  They were good.  I think.  I couldn't finish my glass.  It was just too much alcohol for one day.

In the evening, the rest of the tour group went to see a dinner show with flamenco dancing.  Art, Arnold, Nancy and I opted to walk on La Rambla instead.  I was being very careful to watch for pickpockets.  Ines, our Spanish tour director gave us a ride on the bus even though we weren't going to the show.

It was not very crowded on La Rambla, and we didn't see as many stalls or caged birds as we did in 2000. 

Art found this vegetarian restaurant, Teresa Carles on Yelp.  It's a good thing we were there early because it got crowded very quickly.  Arnold treated us to a fabulous dinner.

I loved my lasanyuki (homemade lasagna) and Art said his mini burgers were terrific.

We had such a lovely time being on our own and taking things at our own pace.

We caught the metro back to our hotel and went right to sleep.  I heard the rest of the tour group returning about an hour after we returned.  They said the flamenco show was fabulous, but I'm glad we had this time to be on our own. 

We would be boarding our cruise ship on the following day.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!!!

Day #2: Barcelona

Due to jet lag, we got up at 1:30 AM, but went back to sleep and very gratefully woke up refreshed at 4:45.

We were ready at 6:30 for our free continental breakfast at the hotel.

I was fascinated by this very beautiful bathroom sink.

Free wifi allowed me to write to my cousin, Arnold the night before to let him know we were in Barcelona.

The light breakfast was just right and we caught the 8:15 free shuttle for the short ride to the Barcelona Airport.

We waited patiently for the tour group's arrival.  It was a relief to see Arnold and Nancy!  Needless to say the entire tour group was exhausted from the long flight.

 Ines was our fabulous city tour guide.  She took us to the Catalonia Barcelona 505 hotel where we were able to check in and rest for a short while before beginning our tour.

Ines told us we needed to be sure to use the seat belts or we could be fined $290.  The police are equipped to collect credit card payments.

Our first stop was at Port Olimpic where we saw this Peix (fish in Catalan) sculpture by Frank O. Gehry.

Our lunch at the Marina Manchos included a shrimp salad, antipasto, green salad, paella and a scrumptious dessert.


Ines told us that in Barcelona most things are measured in Before or After 1992's Olympic games.  The games are what made Barcelona into the thriving city it is now.

Our next stop was the Catedral de Barcelona at the Placa de la Seu, also known as the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.


The cathedral is dedicated to Eulalia of Barcelona, co-patron saint of Barcelona, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in the city. One story says that she was exposed naked in the public square and a miraculous snowfall in mid-spring covered her nudity. The enraged Romans put her into a barrel with knives stuck into it and rolled it down a street (according to tradition, the one now called Baixada de Santa Eulàlia). The body of Saint Eulalia is entombed in the cathedral's crypt. 
                                --Wikipedia

There are thirteen geese in the cloister.  I believe it symbolizes the fact that Eulalia was martyred when she was 13 years old.

We were told that many children's counting games involve the thirteen geese.  The geese were also put there to warn against intruders.

It took 250 years to build this very impressive cathedral from the 13th to the 15th centuries.

Art was also interested to see Picasso's frieze on top of the modern Collegi d'Arquitectes building.

Next stop:  Sagrada Familia 

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família;  English: Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family), is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica as distinct from a cathedral which must be the seat of a bishop.

Construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882 and Gaudí became involved in 1883,  taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear art nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926 less than a quarter of the project was complete.  Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death.                                          --Wikipeida

We were in Barcelona in April, 2000 and saw the Sagrada Familia.  Since we were not on a tour, we were able to climb up the towers to get a wonderful view of Barcelona.

It was fun to see how much work had been done in 14 years.

I'm sure the Sagrada Familia must be the most original basilica in the world.

There is so much symbolism everywhere you look.

The inside of the basilica is supposed to represent trees, branches and leaves.  It was truly an awesome sight!

This display with miniature sandbags showed the concept behind the architecture.  There was a mirror at the top to show the stability of the building.

photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The Sagrada Familia is supposed to be finished in 2026.  When completed, it will be the tallest basilica in Europe.  This is Gaudi's model of what it will look like.  Wouldn't it be something if we could come back to see it?

We returned to the hotel where dinner was served at 7:45 PM.  I was really impressed with how the group was still (more or less) standing after such a brutally long day!

Day #1: Long, Long Day of Travel from Hawaii to Barcelona

On October 5th, Art's classmate and walking partner, Morris insisted on driving us to the airport despite the fact that Art told him we'd have to leave at 4:30 in the morning.

What a fun surprise to see Morris' wife Jane with him to send us off so wonderfully.  She said he promised her an early morning breakfast.

We got through the TSA pre-approval line without having to take off our shoes or outer garments.  We'd signed up earlier for the GOES (Global Online Enrollment System) card.

No movies on the 6:05 AM United Airlines flight from Honolulu to San Francisco.  Arrrghhh!  It's a good thing we had our Kindles and iPad.

I was able to charge our iPhone, iPad and Kindle Fire at the same time using the multiple charger I wrote about before in San Francisco.

Something did go terribly wrong here.  I charged Art's Kindle Fire and when he turned it on, everything on it had been wiped clean.  He'd saved a lot of maps and travel information on it and now they were all gone.  When we hooked up to Amazon to recover information, nothing came back.  It was very depressing.

After grabbing a bite to eat at the airport, we boarded our airplane at 7:00 PM for the long 10 hrs. 33 minutes flight to Frankfurt, Germany.

I sat next to a woman who worked in San Francisco but was visiting her family in Frankfurt.  I did not know during the entire flight that she had her tiny dog in a little carrier next to her.

 We arrived in Frankfurt at 2:45 PM.

After a short layover in Frankfurt, we caught the the Lufthansa flight to Barcelona at 4:05 PM and arrived at 6:05 PM.

With all the time changes, I was pretty darn exhausted.

I didn't even know what day it was.

Now came the challenging part.

We would have to call the Best Western Alfa Hotel to come and pick us up with their free airport shuttle.

Art tried using our phone card but it wouldn't work.  We couldn't figure out how many Euros it was either.  He finally asked a fellow at the Information booth who kindly called the hotel for us with his phone.

I thought it was humorous that a young woman started asking me questions about how to use the pay phone and I kept telling her, "No comprende." She kept trying to talk to me anyway.

I wish I knew more Spanish.  She said she was from Honduras.... at least that's what I think she said.

I emailed my daughter, Tiffany who said I should say, "Lo ciento, no me habla espanol."

Unfortunately the only phrase I have stuck in my brain for emergencies is, "¿Dónde está el baño?" (Where's the bathroom?)

The airport shuttle arrived at 7:00 PM.

On the shuttle, we met a young woman from China who spoke perfect English.

She said two of her friends got their passports stolen and she herself got the flight times mixed up and missed her flight back to Beijing.  She was therefore returning to the hotel for another night's stay.  That's Art below talking to her while waiting to check in at the front desk.

She was relating all the travel horror stories that they experienced.

This was rather ominous.

We were so tired that we didn't feel like looking for dinner.  We just grabbed some dry sandwiches from the hotel concession and went right to sleep!

I felt awful for my cousin and his partner, Nancy who would be arriving the following morning and immediately boarding the bus for a day of sightseeing.

Getting Ready for the Trip

We've had our luggage lost several times for several days now by various airlines so I must say I'm rather paranoid.  They haven't been stolen (yet), just misdirected.

However, I was watching something on the news about luggage thieves and it's gotten me more paranoid.

I wrote something about this a long time ago and someone mentioned how they mark their luggage with acrylic paint so it would be very visible.  I've never done this.  I do put a large address tag with our photo on one side and our contact information concealed on the inside.

Now I'm paranoid enough to get out my acrylic paint and mark my new suitcase.  There it is!  Front and back.

They also mentioned on the news to avoid buying nondescript colored luggage like black because they all look alike.

I did offer to paint Art's luggage too, but he won't let me.

All I can say is if his luggage is lost, I'm not lending him my underwear.

I'm Baaack...

I'm back, but barely.

My head is still readjusting to being back in Hawaii.  We left on October 5th for a Mediterranean Cruise after which we stopped for three weeks in Chicago before returning home.  We were gone about five and a half weeks.

Art and I have been sorting through our photos and trying to get back into our routines.

It all started when Art decided in October 2013 to do a Mediterranean Cruise.  He and my cousin, Arnold thought it would be fun to travel together.  I was really looking forward to it since we'd talked about traveling together for quite a while.

We contacted Hawaii based Non-Stop Travel.  Art told the agent that we would travel with the group but would like to stop in Chicago on the way home.  The agent said it would NOT be a problem.

However, after we'd already paid the deposit in spring of this year, and Art called to ask about the travel plans, the agent said that it would cost $1,000 a person EXTRA to stop in Chicago.  We were flabbergasted!  $2,000 EXTRA for the both of us?  Seriously?

Art told the agent we would get ourselves to Barcelona and meet the group there.  It turned out for the best since Art could then book flights on his own and get us there a day early (at a slightly cheaper price) so that we could get a good night's sleep before joining the group.

When we told the agent that we would like to catch a bus ride with the group to the airport after disembarking from the cruise ship in Venice, he said it would cost us an additional $35 a person.  Sheesh!  We sent in our check.

This was a trip that certainly had its ups and downs from start to finish.

Starting next week, I'll be writing about both.