Barcelona - Day 5

Wednesday, August 31

After 2 cloudy days the sun reappeared for our last day in Barcelona.The Astoria Hotel where we are staying is very nice and in a great location, and is part of a chain owned by the Clos family. This family own huge collections by various artists and display it in the different hotels they own - the Astoria has a permanent exhibition of works by Ricard Opisso as well as other art works dotted around the dining room and lift lobbies. We really like the style on display here.

Mr. Clos also owns the Egyptian Museum's collection that's on display there, so we went to see it today. This is a hidden gem in Barcelona and is one of the best set out museums we have been to - in terms of quality it wasn't far behind the British Museum's Egyptian collection! After all this culture we strolled back to the Astoria in the sunshine along the lovely streets that abound in this area.

The Astoria puts on a delicious 3 course meal every day so we decided to dine there, then we had a lie in the sun by the rooftop pool while the meal settled down. Our next task was to pack in preparation for our flight to Malaga tomorrow. We are sorry to be leaving Barcelona as we have had a great time, seen some amazing things and still not covered all there is to do here. It is definitely our favorite city so we will be back for another stay in the future.

Barcelona - Day 4

Tuesday, August 30

This is our third visit to Barcelona and we finally got inside Sagrada Familia to see more of the amazing architecture of Antoni Gaudi. We had a leisurely walk to arrive by our entry time of 11am, and then started taking heaps of photos and admiring this still unfinished building. It is due to be completed in 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. The size of the structure, it's combination of Gothic and Art Nouveau design, the use of light and colour, and the quirkiness of Gaudi's imagination make this a must see destination! The following pics show it off better than I ever could.

We left Sagrada Familia and strolled along Ave de Gaudi to visit the Sant Pau Art Nouveau site, another UNESCO World Heritage site. This complex was built between 1902-1930 and is a masterpiece of Catalan Modernisme. It's original function was to be the main hospital for Barcelona and was designed as a city within a city, and only closed in 2010 when a new hospital was built! Only part of it has been renovated, and the site opened as a tourist attraction in 2014. Again I'll let the pics show how amazing this site is, and it's well worth a visit when in Barcelona.

Barcelona - Day 3

Monday, August 29

As breakfast isn't included at our hotel we ate at one of the many nearby cafes and enjoyed a croissant and coffee on Avenue Diagonal.

We then set off on the Metro to enter the Monumental Zone of Parc Guell, the famous park that Gaudi designed for his friend Eusebi Guell, as we were allocated an entry time and we only had 30 minutes grace. We arrived on time and followed the suggested path around this zone. It is an amazing complex and he certainly had a good imagination!

We spent about 90 minutes enjoying the quirkiness of Gaudi's architecture and landscaping before deciding it was time to move on. Just as we were about to leave we bumped into Alex & Laura from the ship which was an amazing coincidence!

After a bus and Metro ride back to our hotel we had a massive lunch for 14 euros, which we thought was incredible value. We had to rest for a while before going for a drink and some tapas for dinner.

Barcelona - Day 2

Sunday, August 28

Today we ended our very enjoyable Mediterranean cruise as we left the Oosterdam around 8:30 this morning. We caught a cab straight to our hotel, and fortunately our room was ready so we were able to settle in to our new home! We then set off to explore more of Barcelona, taking in Gaudi's Casa Mila and all the amazing buildings he designed or influenced around 100 years ago. We love just walking the streets here as there is always something to admire. We ended up on La Rambla again and wandered around the old town, passing Plaza Reial and the Gothic Cathedral, before heading back to our hotel for a break from the heat and exertion!

Our hotel has a rooftop pool and we spent some time looking out over the rooves towards the sea and the surrounding area. We could even see a couple of the cruise ships leaving port on their way to another destination! However we're happy to be on land and ready to explore some more of Spain and France in the weeks ahead.

Barcelona, Spain

Saturday, August 27

Today we arrived in Barcelona, which completed a most enjoyable cruise. We stay overnight on the ship, so we didn't need to rush ashore. Also this is our third visit to this wonderful city, and with a few more days to come we just wanted to reacquaint ourselves. The other limiting factor today was that we had to pack - never the greatest part of a holiday!

A shuttle bus took us to the square near Columbus' Column - the architecture around this area is fabulous. It's also where La Rambla starts, so we happily strolled along this lovely boulevard to where it runs into Plaza de Catalunya. 

After some refreshments we set off again back towards the waterfront, looking in the various shops and cafes along the way. Barcelona is such a great place to stroll, enjoy a drink with tapas or a coffee and cake, and just people watch as they go about their business here.

Back on board Noelle packed our bags, but at least this time it didn't have to be a "flight ready" pack. We had dinner with our new friends Alan & Sharon and Alex & Laura before catching the B.B. King All Stars for the last time before turning in.

Sete > Carcassonne

Friday, August 26

Today we docked in Sete on the south west coast of France. We were up early again as we had booked a tour to Carcassonne, the UNESCO World Heritage site about 90 minutes away. It is the biggest medieval fortress in Europe, and people still live in the city which is encased by 52 towers and two concentric walls. I was here in 1974 with my 3 friends when we travelled around Europe on the train for 3 months and stayed in Youth Hostels!

We arrived about 10am and had nearly 5 hours to explore this fascinating city on our own. We set off walking around the "list", which is the area between the two city walls. When we reached the Porte d'Aude we walked up the cobblestone street and made our way to the Basilica St.Nazaire. This church dates back to the 12th Century, and was quite plain inside except for some beautiful stained glass windows.

Nearby was an Artisan Confectioner with the best nougat we had tasted - we tried the orange and raspberry flavours and you could smell the fruit in it! This gave us an appetite so we started looking at menus, and settled on one in a large square shaded by big oak trees, which had wifi of course! Noelle had a cold soup while I had gizzard salad for starters, followed by cassoulet, the local dish, and we finished the meal with apple tart. 

We walked to Chataeu Comtal which backs onto the ramparts of the walls, but after such a big lunch didn't feel like going through another fort and walk on more walls in the heat of the day! So we explored more of the little cobblestone streets and checked out the shops, which gave us a bit of shade and coolness in little bursts. On a non touristy street we even came across the Youth Hostel I stayed in 42 years ago!

The trip back to ship went quickly as we snoozed on and off. Back on board we had a quick sun bake and then got ready for dinner. This is our last night at sea, and tomorrow morning we arrive in Barcelona. However we don't disembark until Sunday which is a bit sad as this has been a very enjoyable cruise.

Marseille, France

Thursday, August 25

As we were to be docked in Marseille from 8am to 11pm we decided to do a tour to St.Remy de Provence which was scheduled to take 5 hours. It was an early start (for us!) to be ready to leave by 8:30, but we made it and our coach set off to take us to this charming village in Provence. 

St.Remy de Provence is the birthplace of Nostradamus and a village that Van Gogh spent a year in during his recovery and in which he painted some of his more famous paintings. Our guide Christelle took us for a 45 minute walking tour around the village, showing us St. Martin Church and leading us along winding cobblestone laneways and the road that encircles the village. This road was shaded by centuries old plane trees and everywhere you looked was like a picture postcard.

During our free time we checked out other parts of the village and loved being back in Provence. A coffee stop at one of the cute cafes, sipping coffee and people watching was great. The buildings here had great character, and the ones converted to shops were very classy. We definitely want to return to this area as we just didn't have enough time here.

The coach returned us to the ship where we had a late lunch and then caught the shuttle provided to the old port in Marseille. It was very hot today so we didn't walk too far, but were impressed by this part of Marseille which has been cleaned up since we were last here in 2007! Marseille was the European Culture Capital in 2013 and obviously a lot of money was spent in cleaning up the town and building new infrastructure. There were a lot of modern museums in the port area, and the Fort Saint-Jean has been integrated with them via walkways. This fort dates back to the 17th Century and had great views in every direction from its location at the entrance to the harbour.

It was then back to the ship to freshen up for an early dinner with Alan & Sharon, and afterwards we saw our Irish comedian friend George Casey from the Prisendam do his show - he is very funny.

Day at Sea

Wednesday, August 24

Today was a lazy day at sea, which we really enjoy. After catching up on our sleep we had a sun bake around the pool and caught up on some "book work" before attending a Mariners lunch.

After this bigger lunch than usual we had a good walk around the Promenade Deck before starting to get ready for dinner, which was another Gala night. We dined with Alex & Laura, a couple we met through Alan & Sharon, and had a lovely evening with them. As we had dined early it was dusk when we finished, so we went out on the Promenade deck to admire it. We got the most amazing pics of the colours in the sky reflected on the calm waters we were sailing through! (On Laura's phone so pics will be posted when received from Laura).

Tonight's show was another first, the BBC World's Frozen Planet film accompanied by live music, which was performed by the 5 piece string group on board and the band who play on the normal shows. The 10 of them sounded great together and it completed another fabulous day at sea as we sail towards Marseille.

Ceuta, Spain

Tuesday, August 23

Today we arrived in Ceuta, on the tip of North Africa for a short visit. The Spanish own this piece of land, with Morocco just 3km away, just like the British own Gibraltar in Spain! The Harbour has a great fort and old walls, dating back to the 5th Century. 

We visited the 2 churches in town, went for a walk along the beach front, checked out the market and then walked along the pedestrian street with all the usual shops and restaurants lining it. After some refreshments we walked back to the ship along the other waterfront, where some more beaches were located beside the very nice botanical gardens.

Tomorrow is another day at sea as we sail to Marseille.

Almeira, Spain

Monday, August 22

As we left the ship this morning we were treated to a performance of Spanish Flamenco dancing on the dock - a nice welcome to Spain! It turned out that it was the start of the annual festival here, so there was lots happening in town today with plenty of eating, music and dancing.

We were in Almeira in 2014 on another cruise and had visited the Alcazaba, so we didn't have to do that again. We set off for the old town, and passed the main Cathedral on the way to Plaza De la Constitution. We then walked to the market, and after that went to a taberna for a drink and some tapas. While there a band turned up and entertained the crowd with a few tunes. 

As we had the day at sea yesterday we wanted to catch up on wifi, so we found a cafe and spent some time there. While we were there girls in flamenco costumes walked past, as well as another band, and a bunch of people on motor cycles made a lot of noise as they code down the main street. On top of this there were heaps of families out and about enjoying themselves, and it looked to us like it was a public holiday. It certainly added to the atmosphere of Almeira and made for another enjoyable visit.

Day at Sea

Sunday, August 21

After a big sleep in we had brunch by the pool, then went to a couple of talks that were on in the afternoon. It was then time for a sun bake, and we would have had a swim in the pool but with so many people in it before us the water wasn't very clear so we gave it a miss!

Tonight is one of the Gala nights on this cruise, so it meant getting the good gear out and having to wear shoes and socks again! These clothes haven't been worn since the last Gala night on the Prisendam, and it felt a bit odd wearing them again. We had pre dinner drinks at the dual piano bar, and ate late with Alan & Sharon and Alex & Laura. We got the best table in the restaurant at the back looking at the water, and while dining we saw some dolphins leaping out of the water in the wake of the ship, which added to another memorable night.

Ajaccio, Corsica

Saturday, August 20

We docked right in the middle of Ajaccio, which meant just a short walk to get to the main attractions here. The morning markets were the first things we came across, so we checked out the fish market and then the general market. The fruit, vegetables, wines, oils and conserves, breads and pastries, cold meats and cheeses all looked delicious and very fresh. In one way it was a pity we weren't staying in an apartment so we could stock up and feast on all these goodies!

We then walked around the town where Napoleon Bonaparte was born, which included the house where he spent his first 9 years, the church where he was baptised and the palace his uncle lived in which is now a museum. This museum was also the access to the Imperial Chapel, but unfortunately it was closed, as was the church! However we did get to see the 2 main statues of Napoleon, which had him decked out like a Roman Emperor!

Guarding the Harbour was the Citadel, however this is a French Military installation so we couldn't explore inside the impressive looking walls and ramparts. At the base of the Citadel was where the beaches began, so we checked them out and strolled along the waterfront. The water looked very inviting and there were lots of Holland America towels on the beach, but we didn't have time for a swim today. The ship was departing at 5pm and we were disappointed not to have more time here, but we plan to include Corsica on another trip to Europe.

We had arranged to have pre-dinner drinks with Alan & Sharon, an English couple we've met on this cruise, and then have dinner together. After a lovely meal we all went to the show, and then onto the B.B. King's Blues Club - the All-Star Band here are excellent and it was a great end to another terrific day.

Saint-Raphael, France

Friday, August 19

Today was the first time the Oosterdam has visited Saint-Raphael on the French Riviera, but it meant dropping anchor offshore and we had to use the tenders again. However from the ship we had a great view of the town and its beaches, and the beautiful bay we were in which had lots of speedboats, sailboats, kayaks and jet skis buzzing about on a sunny Friday.

We walked along the waterfront promenade, checking out the nice gardens and amusements along the way. The promenade was built in the late 1800s when Saint-Raphael was developed as a tourist destination, and although the beaches were either pebbly or coarse red sand they were very nice and the water quality was excellent.

Further development occurred in the early 1900s during the Art Nouveau period, so we passed some lovely Belle Époque buildings. As well as apartments and hotels, the Notre-Dame Basilica was also built during this period. As we headed for the old town, the lure of the patisseries got to us so we enjoyed a delicious cake and coffee - the French do desserts so well!

The old town was quite small, but it contained a hidden gem. The 12th Century Romanesque church had the Archaeological Museum attached to it, but this one contained lots of items recovered from the sea dating back to Roman times and it was very well presented. Inside the old church you could visit the crypts and the old foundations, as well as climb the 22m tower to get great views from the top. It was worth the effort!

We returned to the beach for a swim, and it was very refreshing as well as relaxing. Saint-Raphael had a really nice feel about it, and is obviously a very popular destination for the French and others to have a beach holiday. We certainly enjoyed our time here.