Med ports - info for independent travelers - part 1

[roothy123]

I returned recently (mid-May 2004) from a cruise on Oceania visiting Livorno (Florence), Portofino, Barcelona, Civitavecchia (Rome), Palma, Cadiz and Seville, Nice, Marseille (Avignon) and Malaga. Here's info on how to see places on your own. It's kind of long - hope it doesn't get cut off. The last paragraph has to do with lasagna in Florence. If it gets cut off, just email me at [email]harrynav@erols.com[/email]. I'll post second part in a minute (Malaga, Seville, etc.)

WASHINGTON, DC TO BARCELONA – The adventure begins! (6 Mayo)

May 6 finally came, and we departed on our great adventure. We had gotten an air deviation from Oceania ($100 per person) to go to Barcelona a day early, using Air France. The overnight flight from Washington Dulles to Paris was ok, but the next time I have an overnight flight to Europe, I’ll eat in the airport, take a sleeping pill after boarding the plane, and zonk out immediately instead of trying to get to sleep after dinner. Air France provided a small eye mask and ear plugs, and I had my Bucky pillow to supplement the little pillows they give you. Still, I could not get comfortable and only slept about 2 hours. Making a connecting flight in Charles de Gaulle airport is a nightmare. An hour and 20 minutes was barely enough time, due to the hundreds of people at the non-European passport control and the fact that there were only two people checking non-EU passports. (There were 3 checking EU passports, with only about 50 people to be processed!) We only had to go from terminal 2E (the one which later had a roof problem!) to terminal 2F, but the bottleneck at passport control ate up about an hour of this time! CDG is one very confusing airport, not clearly marked, and has a bad reputation for people missing their connections. A supervisor told us that, in the future, we should go out of the terminal and come back in at the hall we wanted. She told us that, if asked, we should say that we’re staying over a day in Paris to avoid the passport check!! The flight from CDG to Barcelona was uneventful, and they served us breakfast again.

BARCELONA – Bold, brash and beautiful!! (7 Mayo)

Barcelona airport was pretty easy to navigate. We had read that we should be careful with our carry-ons there, so we were vigilant, but had no problems. We took the Aerobus from the airport to Placa Catalunya, where we were staying for the night. It was a bit of a struggle to get our bags on the bus, but the bus is a good choice if you’re staying in the Placa Catalunya area. On the way there, we passed elegant Plaza de Espana. I never got back to it to take a picture, but wished I had. Because the Spanish Formula 1 race was happening that weekend, hotel availability was limited and expensive, so we had reserved at a “hostal” instead. I had printed out a good map of the area so it was easy to navigate and walk the few blocks to the Hostal Goya. It was fine – clean, quiet, with our own bathroom, and in a good location. It was early, and our room wasn’t ready, but the staff took our bags and we went on our way to explore wonderful Barcelona. Took the turistic (double decker) bus that stopped nearby (around 16E per person). We tried to buy a two-day pass but they told us they might be on strike the next day and were therefore only selling day passes! Sure enough, the next day – no buses!

Barcelona was FABULOUS – a photographer’s dream. I loved Antoni Gaudi’s architecture. He was into futuristic building designs, fantasy-like chimneys, and the use of mosaic tiles for decoration. He did his thing in the late 1800’s and died in the early 1900’s after being run over by a streetcar! Barcelona is very artsy and alive. We saw the Placa Espanya, Monjuic, and lots of Gaudi. Went to Parc Guell by subway and bus (24, I think, but tmb.net web site would tell you for sure). The turistic bus goes near the park but involves some uphill walking, so you might want to take the subway/bus (1.10E per leg) or a cab if you’re going from your hotel. Ate dinner at Laie Llibreria Café nearby – a simple, small place with good food, prices and ambiance. Another cruiser recommended El Cielel or something like that at Placa Catalunya. Wanted to go see the magic fountains at Montjuic, or at least walk by Casa Batllo at night, but was just TOO TIRED and jetlagged to go back out. Slept well at Goya – comfy beds!

WAKING UP IN BARCELONA; GOING TO SLEEP ON THE HIGH SEAS
(8 Mayo)

Nice day today. Had some breakfast at a café nearby, and walked to La Predrera and Casa Batllo to take early morning pictures. Walked across Placa Catalunya. They were preparing it for a sardena dance festival starting at 11. Would have been fun if we had had time to go to that. Went to El Corte Ingles (huge department store) and walked down Las Ramblas a few blocks. Took a cab to the port. A tip: Tell the driver “cruesers” or show him/her a map, otherwise you might find yourself heading toward the aeroport (airport). Got to the port around 11:30 and checked in with Oceania, which was very quick and easy. Our bags were put through x-ray and then we went to the ship and reserved Toscana and Polo (had our choice of nights/times; generally chose “at sea” days at 7:30, which ended up being perfect). We heard later that, after lunch on our first “at sea” day, it was hard to get Toscana or Polo reservations unless you were willing to go early or late. After making our reservations, we went back out into Barcelona, taking the convenient “Cruisers” bus, which came right to the terminal. It cost 2.50E roundtrip – keep your ticket for the return trip. The bus drops you off at the Columbus statue and picks you up in the same spot to go back to the ship. We walked to the World Trade Center and took the aerial cable car (teleferic) to Barceloneta (beach). Walked down the beach. Somewhere along here I lost my new red European-looking jacket that I got from Filene’s basement. Not sure how I did that, but….guess it was better than losing something truly valuable. Went back to the ship (met Oceania’s communications manager Fabio at the bus stop going back) and had the snacks they were serving until 4 or 5. Nothing special – none of that wonderful Oceania food yet!


OCEANIA – WHAT A SHIP!!

Went to our cabin and met Katarzyna from Poland (stewardess) for the first time. She was very friendly and made it clear that whatever we wanted, all we had to do was ask! We saw a lot of her after that – she was always around, and always looking out for us! Our cabin was one of the “cheap seats” (small, inside cabin), but it was very nice, and Katarzyna and her helper kept it spotless. They must have popped in at least two or three times a day to give us fresh towels and clean the mirror above the sink! Inside the cabin was a letter telling me the Oceania cocktail party for yahoo message board folks would be the next evening. We unpacked, putting our suitcases under the bed. The cabin was nice, but the bathroom was small, so I had to wash my face by turning my head sideways (or taking a shower instead!) We found there was plenty of closet and drawer space (although we packed fairly conservatively!), and while it would have been nice to have at least a porthole, we found we could turn on channel 20 if we wanted to see what the weather or view was like! At 5:30 there was a safety drill, and at 6 we set sail for the Spanish island of Mallorca. Not much to see going out of the harbor, but someone pointed out glass graves on a hillside. Pretty interesting – had not heard of that while I was in Barcelona.

We ate dinner in the Grand Dining Room at a large table with a good group of people. The passengers for this, and all other dinners, were a great group – upscale but not snooty, and reasonably diverse in their ages. We really liked the idea of not having to dress up, since “dress up” to Howard and I means taking off jeans and putting on khakis and polo shirts (him) or sundress or decent pants and top (me). Some people were dressed up a bit more, but nobody was wearing jeans or shorts at dinner, except perhaps at Tapas on the Terrace, where things were a bit more casual. Dinner in the Grand Dining Room takes at least an hour and a half, since there are 3 or more courses and they don’t rush you. The food and service in the Grand Dining Room were fabulous, and the company was always great. We ate around 7:30 and then I went to check out the “introduce the crew” presentation in the lounge and then to bed (tired!) I believe Howard went to check out the casino! We slept great – those tranquility beds are wonderful, although you have to crank up the air conditioning a bit to be able to sleep under the wonderful down cover - or else sleep under the sheet only!

PALMA DE MALLORCA (9 Mayo)

Woke up to a nice day, docking in Palma harbor. Ate breakfast in the Terrace Café with an early morning view of the Palma lighthouse just outside the window – Ruth is loving Palma already! Walked out of the terminal (couple blocks’ walk), intending to take a cab to the Europcar location where we had booked a car from home over the internet. Noticed that there was an AVIS rental car location, plus another no-namer, at the entrance to the port. Had not found them in my research – or if I did, didn’t go with them, because of their hours or prices. (In Europe, you have to work around the long siestas and lunch breaks – not at all like the U.S., where nothing much shuts down!) Asked for a cab, but the cab driver told us that the address we wanted was “not far” and that we could just walk. (He was obviously looking for an all-day fare! If you want a cab, you’ll need to be more insistent, and less believing, than we were!!) “Not far” turned out to be pretty far – about ¾ of a mile I would guess! (Palma is a fairly large city.) There were buses that run along the Passeig Maritim to our address, but according to the schedule I had found on the internet, they did not run early enough on Sundays to help us. We had rented a small car from Europcar for about 75E a day, including the compulsory insurance that is added by many companies in Spain. (Note: Europcar does not tell you this directly, but they WILL charge you, even if you don’t want the insurance! So if you’re shopping around for prices, keep this in mind!) Europcar gave us a little “Seat” and we drove out to the west coast, visiting the Torre de Ses Animes (tower of the souls) watchtower, Escorales, Valldemossa, and Soller. The countryside was BEAUTIFUL – brown stone houses, terraced fields, great coastal views, and tiny streets in small towns. Got into a little bind in Soller. Wanted to go to the port in Soller to see a lighthouse, but Soller was having a HUGE festival and many of the streets were blocked off. Ended up on a VERY narrow street, with 90-degree turns. Howard had to take over the driving, since he is a much more experienced stick driver than I am. I truly thought we’d get stuck in the street, or at best, mess up the rental car. We managed to get out, but it was certainly a memorable experience! Coming back to Palma, we took the (fairly) new tunnel through the mountain. I would not recommend renting a car while on a cruise, but if you’re as fearless as we are, Palma would be a good place to do it, if you want to see the beautiful countryside. Unlike many places in Europe, there’s no train service on Mallorca, so a car is a definite plus – IF you can navigate the streets, figure out the traffic signs, and converse enough in Spanish to rent a car!

When we got back to Palma, we drove along the Passeig, looked at the windmills and Palma’s HUGE cathedral, Castle Bellver from a distance, and passed the Porto Pi lighthouse. We returned to the ship very, very tired, but had to stay awake for the yahoo cocktail party sponsored by Oceania and “hosted” by me! (All I had to do was provide nametags, which I worked up on the computer with names and a picture of the Regatta!) The party was very nice – all of my group showed up, and some of the Oceania principals showed up as well (Carmen Miranda (yes, really!), Bruno, and Jessica). Cocktails and canapés were on the house. The ship was rocking a bit, and you could feel every roll up there in Horizons lounge, which is high and forward. After the party, Howard and I ate in the Grand Dining Room and then called it a night.

1ST AT SEA DAY – WHAT TO DO??

Well, I wasn’t sure I’d like the sea days, since I’m the kind of person who can’t sit still for very long at a time. However, it was nice to just relax - and rest up for the intense round of sightseeing I had planned for the next 4 or 5 days! It was a gorgeous, cloudless day, so the pool beckoned. We ate breakfast on the terrace, outside, which turned out to be one of our favorite breakfast spots in the days to come. I ordered box lunches at the desk for pickup the next morning. Later on I discovered “my place” – the sun deck. It was much less crowded up there (sometimes deserted), there were always lounge chairs available, and it afforded a pretty good all-around view for taking pictures. You couldn’t hear the music (generally light rock) up there, few cocktail waitresses came up there, and you were farther from the pool, but I liked being away from the masses. It was perfect for me. I wrote notes about the cruise, reviewed the pictures in my digital camera and wrote down where they were taken, and generally enjoyed that fabulous Mediterranean sun. For lunch, the WAVES grill served up some great hamburgers and freshly brewed iced tea that was dark in color like soda.

In the afternoon I attended part of an art auction. They had some gorgeous paintings for auction, but I didn’t feel like spending $100 or more for them! For dinner, we had reservations at Polo, which we enjoyed immensely. Had surf and turf – yum! We dined with an Australian couple – there were at least 4 Aussies on the ship!

CIVITAVECCHIA (Will I EVER be able to pronounce that word??!) and fabulous, historical ROMA (11 May)

Another nice day, and another “independent travel” day planned for us. Got off the ship around 8:15 and looked for the bus stop for the shuttle bus that takes you out of the port. The stops were pretty clearly marked, and the bus came within 5 or 10 minutes. The bus doesn’t go very far (you COULD walk it). It drops you off by a pretty interesting looking fort. We walked into town, keeping the ocean on our right. After a couple blocks, we saw signs to the “stazione” (train station). In general, you’ll need to keep to the right. We bought “BIRG” tickets to Rome, which cost 9E roundtrip for each person. The ticket enables you to use Rome city transportation such as the subway (metro) and buses. What a deal! We selected a local train that went to San Pietro (St. Peter’s), thinking we’d explore the Vatican first and then go to the Colosseo area of Rome. Validate your BIRG ticket in the machine next to the ticket counter. To use it on the subway in Rome, simply by-pass the turnstiles (it’s a daily ticket – no turnstiles necessary, we were told!) Keep the ticket for your return trip. On the train, we had to watch for our stop, but it was easy to pick out San Pietro, since we saw the dome before the train reached the station. We saw another couple from the ship on our train, and they were surprised to find out that the train went near the Vatican. I was not surprised that they were surprised, since the San Pietro stop is not one that shows up on Trenitalia’s web site. Anyway, we got off the train at San Pietro, wiggled our way toward the dome, and found ourselves in St. Peter’s Square without too much trouble. We joined the queue for entering St. Peter’s (not long), went through the x-ray, and entered the cavernous dome. Decided not to go to any of the museums or see the Sistine Chapel (not enough time/energy).

Walked to the Ottaviano metro stop and took metro to Barberini to see the Trevi Fountain (marvelous!). Ate excellent pizza and calzones at a little place near the Ottaviano metro and met a Roman dog and his owner there. (Guess we were missing Allie by then!) We then took a bus to the Colosseo and explored the area around there. By that time we were getting tired, and although we could have stayed a few hours more (ship was to leave at 8), we decided not to push ourselves too much. Rome is huge – and not built or able to be seen in a day!! We went back to Termini and caught a train back to Civitavecchia. We were glad that there were no train strikes that day, and no problems with pickpockets, gypsies, or any of the other annoyances we’d heard so much about! Tapas on the Terrace sounded right that night, and although it was not the best food in the world (buffet), it was nice sitting outside. The made-for-you pasta hit the spot for me, and the roast pig got Howard’s attention! After that I did some wash. Was happy to find that, unlike other Oceania cruisers have reported, there was only ONE dryer not working, and NO WAIT to use either a washer or dryer!

LIVORNO & FIRENZE (12 May)

Livorno was an interesting port – lots to look at, including a ton of “aids to navigation” and two lighthouses. We ate breakfast in the Terrace Café outside. The day was gray. We had never been to Florence (Firenze), so were planning to take Trenitalia again to Firenze. We had heard that it might be hard to get a cab from the pier, but a number were waiting when we got off the ship around 8:15. We asked one how much it would be to the train station and he wanted about 20E. Based on what destination services had told us, that was pretty high, so we said no thanks. The cab driver was nice and spoke great English. He told us that if we walked about 4 blocks we could get a bus to the station. He told us to turn before “the bridge” and this was a bit confusing, but we managed to figure out where to turn and saw a bus stop soon after that. I remember a large statue around that area, but not much more. We took bus #1 (right hand side of street) and it dropped us off at the station. (There is also a navetta shuttle advertised for 2.20E, but we didn’t know where to catch it.) Bought tickets and validated them before boarding the train. In Firenze, we bumbled around until we found a bus that supposedly would take us close to one of Firenze’s many flea markets; however, I couldn’t figure out where we needed to get off, so we never found the flea market. My normal pre-planning fell a little short in Firenze, I’m afraid! Instead, we had a ride on bumpy cobblestone streets, in a small bus crammed with Firenzians. Eventually we made it to some of Firenze’s landmarks, including the Chiesa de Santa Croce and the Duomo. While we were approaching the Ponte Vecchio, it started raining lightly (our first and only not-so-great weather on this cruise)! For lunch we crossed the ponte and had lunch at a restaurant with the unlikely name of “Golden View.” The lasagna was superb (made with béchamel sauce and LOTS of very fresh cheese). Howard’s tuscan bean soup was superb as well (had bits of bread in it!) Shopping in Firenze is incredible – lots of wonderful stuff there! I rushed Howard through the shops! We walked to the Pitti Palace in Oltrano and then turned back. Sought out the view of the Ponte Vecchio from the other side of the bridge at a hotel and stopped at a store that sold only chess boards and pieces – of just about any imaginable theme! Wanted to go to Piazzale Michelangelo for that wonderful view of the city you see on postcards, but were running out of time and energy (again!) Made it back to the ship after another train ride, in time for fabulous Oceania dinner.