Emerald Princess Rome to Barcelona September 26 -October 3 2015 in photos and video

[catwoman6226]

ARGH! I swear, Norris, nothing is as sweet as seeing a new post from you, and nothing is as frustrating as getting to the end, and enduring the cliffhanger until the next one!

 

Several of us are going on the Emerald in February, and are hoping you'll have some more pictures of the ship. Personally, I'm entranced by what you've shown so far, and am enjoying the vicarious ride! Thank you!

[2pbears]

Now I'm really getting excited! Monterosso was my favorite of all the Cinque Terre towns. Can't wait to see your pictures. As for the bathroom whiners, I can only imagine how loud they would squawk if they walked into the bathroom at any of the railroad stations in Cinque Terre and found only a hole in the floor! A real challenge for us ladies :eek:

[Bimmer09]

I've been taking my time, reading your posts and immersing myself in your photos for almost a week now. I am finally caught up and ready to make myself known. Sure, I could have caught up faster but I kept having to stop, find my husband, and show him a photo about every 5 minutes :D

 

I'm so happy I swung by the Princess CC forum. Thanks for taking the time to post this amazing review and I look forward to continuing along with you through the rest of your photo journey :)

 

Hello, good evening and welcome!

 

Always nice to see a new screen name joining the party (I drank all the beer, sorry)

 

If you are caught up then you are about 30 pages ahead of me...

 

More coming tomorrow, with a 5 hour intermission to watch one of my favorite Wagner operas being broadcast live in a movie theater.

 

Thanks for the compliments.

 

Don't go away!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

ARGH! I swear, Norris, nothing is as sweet as seeing a new post from you, and nothing is as frustrating as getting to the end, and enduring the cliffhanger until the next one!

 

Several of us are going on the Emerald in February, and are hoping you'll have some more pictures of the ship. Personally, I'm entranced by what you've shown so far, and am enjoying the vicarious ride! Thank you!

 

I have about 100 (?) photos of the Emerald I haven't used yet which we'll get into after 5 Terre.

 

After that is the Motherlode in Barcelona!!

 

Emerald in February= heap good medicine, Kimosabe.

 

Thanks for following along and for all the encouragement.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Now I'm really getting excited! Monterosso was my favorite of all the Cinque Terre towns. Can't wait to see your pictures. As for the bathroom whiners, I can only imagine how loud they would squawk if they walked into the bathroom at any of the railroad stations in Cinque Terre and found only a hole in the floor! A real challenge for us ladies :eek:

 

Diane, Monterosso was where I had a great lunch which automatically catapults it into the "one of the most amazing towns on Earth" category as I like my grub.

I liked Monterosso a lot.

I have little time for whiners in general with the first world problem of waiting 5 minutes to use a bathroom. Most of the people on Earth are still waiting for their first time in a bathroom with a flush. A bar of soap. A towel. A roof. A doctor.

 

Let them eat cake!

 

Which reminds me I have a leftover slice of Black Forest Gateau in the fridge.

 

Gentlemen-start your forks!!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Our group is gathered on the quay with another group as it's the only open space to congregate in. We've got our headsets on so we can hear Andreani. When she gives the word we'll go down the stairs where you see the man in red on the right.

 

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We'll go down some steep stone steps to a landing halfway, then another set facing away from the camera (unseen)

 

 

I'm on that first landing taking this

 

 

We'll end up near sea level

 

 

Where there is a path disappearing around a corner and up over a narrow (1 person at a time) rocky set of steps. We'll find the boat there-when it gets here. That boat you see-well, that's not ours. It's coming in first (from la Spezia) so we have to wait down here. The passengers coming off will have to pass us where we are standing on this path. Once their boat leaves our boat which is bobbing about 400 yards off shore can come in and get us.

 

 

The end process will look like this....

 

 

It was an adventure! So far, steep steps and a long walk from the bus and

steep steps down to sea level, then a narrow rocky passageway where you can touch both sides as you climb through. Then up the ramp onto a moving boat-it's only moored by one rope and the water is choppy so the Captain is using the engine in reverse to keep off the rocks while we board.

 

More to follow...

[Bimmer09]

We had a wait of 15 minutes or so, down at sea level while the La Spezia boat unloaded it's passengers and then cleared the dock so our boat could come in.

 

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It was colder down there with the breeze coming off the sea. The narrow gangway on the boat meant it was slow to load all the groups that had signed up for this excursion. I saw at least two other guides talking to ours as we waited in single file to board.

 

Once on board Carol and I found seats by the window but the benches ran the length of the cabin and so the window was behind us. Just as we were casting off Carol suggested I go up onto the top deck where I could take photos and videos.

At speed and driving into the wind there was a howling gale up top and occasional spray flying over the side. The boat was rolling too so standing up wasn't easy but I got my photos and video and not too wet. I'd say the boat had a capacity of 250 plus.

 

 

 

 

 

[winncruiser]

Seriously you should have a gorgeous "coffee table book" published of your Italy photographs. I feel that I am there with you in each fabulous shot.

[Bimmer09]

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Monterosso Ahoy!

 

 



 

 

Sheltered by a headland

 

 

[Bimmer09]

You can see a WWII gun pill-box built into the cliff here

 

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I'm not in a hurry to get off the boat and rather than stand in line on the stairs with the others I am hanging back to take photos.

 



 



 



 

 

Going ashore?

[Bimmer09]

Seriously you should have a gorgeous "coffee table book" published of your Italy photographs. I feel that I am there with you in each fabulous shot.

 

Welcome, glad you are enjoying the photos of this very photogenic corner of the world.

 

No coffee table book (I'd only spill coffee on it) but last year I had Walgreens make us a calendar of 8 X 10 shots from our Venice-Rome cruise. Only issue is that there are only 12 months in a year and it was hard to pick the 12.

 

It will be harder this year.

 

Thanks for joining us! Much appreciated.

 

Norris

[winncruiser]

Norris--I want to BUY your big beautiful Rizzoli published book for MY coffee table!

[love2cruisegal]

Norris,

I have just been sitting back and so enjoying your review and beautiful pictures and just have to respond! We will be on a Med cruise next May with 10 days before in Venice, Florence and Rome. In Florence we plan to take a day tour to the Cinque Terre and just love your pictures from there. Keep them coming so I can enjoy and dream of our trip next year. Also staying in Barcelona 2 nights after the cruise. Can't wait for your pictures of Barcelona.

 

Also enjoyed your review and pictures when you were on the Ocean Princess.

 

Can't wait for more! Thanks so much.

 

Ruth

[2pbears]

Absolutely beautiful! I am so happy to see your pictures from the boat. The ferries were not running the entire time we were in CT due to "rough seas" which, by the way, appeared to be much calmer than the seas in your pictures. But anyway, we missed seeing Monterosso (or any of the other towns) by sea. Happy to see it from that vantage point now via your wonderful photos.

Edited October 31, 2015 by 2pbears

[MisterMet]

Norris,

 

Wanted to visit the Cinque Terra, but didn't get there. Rick Steves says it's one of his favorite places in Italy. Would you concur? Looks really special. How does it compare to the Italian Riviera or Amalfi Coast? Just wondering.

 

:D

[DMCruiser]

Florence is one of my favorite cities. We have been there many times, in fact we have friends that live in Florence. Your pictures, just like your photos of Rome, have done the city a great service! Love your writing and I am enjoying your travels. Thanks!

 

Diana

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

I have just been sitting back and so enjoying your review and beautiful pictures and just have to respond! We will be on a Med cruise next May with 10 days before in Venice, Florence and Rome. In Florence we plan to take a day tour to the Cinque Terre and just love your pictures from there. Keep them coming so I can enjoy and dream of our trip next year. Also staying in Barcelona 2 nights after the cruise. Can't wait for your pictures of Barcelona.

 

Also enjoyed your review and pictures when you were on the Ocean Princess.

 

Can't wait for more! Thanks so much.

 

Ruth

 

Ruth-as you've been reading you'll know that it means a lot when someone identifies themselves, thanks and welcome!

 

You'll get plenty of Barcelona photos. It was a discovery for us-thought we'd like it but love it instead.

 

Glad you read my Ocean Princess review-that was a voyage of discovery too.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Absolutely beautiful! I am so happy to see your pictures from the boat. The ferries were not running the entire time we were in CT due to "rough seas" which, by the way, appeared to be much calmer than the seas in your pictures. But anyway, we missed seeing Monterosso (or any of the other towns) by sea. Happy to see it from that vantage point now via your wonderful photos.

 

I've been at the opera for 5 hours so just seeing this now, Diane.

 

There's a video of the boat trip in the wings and I'll put it up once I get off the boat in the timeline.

 

Watch this space!

 

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

Wanted to visit the Cinque Terra, but didn't get there. Rick Steves says it's one of his favorite places in Italy. Would you concur? Looks really special. How does it compare to the Italian Riviera or Amalfi Coast? Just wondering.

 

:D

 

Hmmm, Italian Riviera? Not sure where that is....will google it.

When I was 13 I went to Europe for the first time-on a Bluecars coach trip which stopped in Brussels, somewhere in Germany to eat, Innsbruck in Austria, Trento in Italy (eats) and dropped us off in Rimini for a week-is that part of the Riviera?

I swam every day in the Adriatic, fell in love with the food and the live bands outdoors at night. Made an impression.

 

Amalfi coast- we cancelled a visit to the town of Amalfi this time but last year visited Positano and Cinque Terre memories can't compete with Pos. Main reason the lively colorful beach in Positano and the fact that we had an amazing lunch there overlooking the water (see my Ocean Princess review).

 

Here's a pic taken from my lunch table in Positano

 

 

None of these places have much to offer beyond cuteness and extreme eye candy appeal, so lord knows how one could pass a week there. A day or an overnight would suffice for us. Rome- a different story. I'm surprised at Rick's comment as he's such an art buff. They would be great places for him two write up his scripts as there's not many distractions.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Florence is one of my favorite cities. We have been there many times, in fact we have friends that live in Florence. Your pictures, just like your photos of Rome, have done the city a great service! Love your writing and I am enjoying your travels. Thanks!

 

Diana

 

Diana, glad you are sticking with it. There will be some kind of badge for people who read this all the way through...or a new pair of glasses.

 

We'll get back to Florence some day on a day trip when we rent that Tuscan farmhouse that I dream about. Ditto the red Ferrari for a day.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Disembarking, so I'll have to leave the boat soon or get left behind

 

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The Captain (after he put down the bottle of rum)

 

 

 

Before I get to the pics I took once on terra firma here's a short video from the boat trip...

 

On the video you'll hear me mention a wine tasting that was "part of our tour" when we got off the boat. We did not participate!

 

[YOUTUBE]LsT-uI8V-UU[/YOUTUBE]

 

Norris

[2pbears]

I've been at the opera for 5 hours so just seeing this now, Diane.

 

There's a video of the boat trip in the wings and I'll put it up once I get off the boat in the timeline.

 

Watch this space!

 

Norris

 

 

Can't wait!

[Bimmer09]

I mentioned the cameo store/leather store and wine tasting nonsense in my Princess survey- I want to see the things I signed up for, not some tourist trap.

Ok, here is our immediate surroundings on leaving the boat...

 

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[Bimmer09]

After the wine tasting which we enjoyed on a park bench 400 yards away we had about 90 minutes free time to have lunch. The guide had booked tables at two restaurants and we could choose which one.

 

After lunch the plan was to walk to the train station-about half a mile-and take a train one stop to Levanto, the nearest town the bus could park in. Sounded great to us as it would be our first time on an Italian train.

 

Having been to Italy twice in the last two years I can firmly predict we will return before too long.

 

Before we did our first cruise on the Ocean Princess to the Med we had been in Switzerland, in Lucerne one of the prettiest towns on Earth (note to self-go back!) Here's the view from our hotel room in Lucerne

 

 

and as there was a fast rental car we played with the idea of driving down into the lake district of Northern Italy as it's so close. It just stayed as an idea but back at home we saw Rick Steves on Lake Como and visiting the town of Bellagio...so I foresee some time there in the future coupled with a few days in Tuscany.

 

Anyway you have to start with the dream. Cruise lines have brochures and e mails to get the dreaming started. We have the new Cruise atlas for 2016/17, as yet unopened. We are taking our first Celebrity cruise within the next 80 days so if that goes well we'll have other itineraries to consider. Azamara calls too.

 

As we have come to cruising late (August 2011) and can only take 2 a year at most, we are unlikely to visit everywhere we would like more than once, if at all.

We enjoy our land holidays so much (driving in Europe and the USA) that we will never be invited to any Most Traveled luncheon. Not our goal, now or ever.

 

Flickr just called to tell me the photos are ready so when I come back we'll get down to the highlight of my day at least. Lunch!!

 

FOOD PORN on it's way.

 

Norris

 

[rdsqrl]

Oh, thank god. I'm starving.