Saturday- Parc Guell, Barcelona, Spain
There is so much to see and do in Barcelona yet I some how get trapped into doing the same thing week after week- lunch and internet. I finally decided that I need to start seeing some of the places I’ve been looking forward too- starting with Parc Guell. Parc Guell is a public park designed by Antonio Gaudi- the architect of Sagrada Famillia of my earlier post.
Parc Guell is not very difficult to get to, but it is not in the immediate vicinity of the shuttle bus drop off point so most people never venture that far. Plus you have to take the metro for about 10 minutes and most people find public transportation scary (especially on your own in a foreign county) so they never bother. Not me, I Google mapped it in the morning and I was off.
The metro stop is very near where the shuttle bus dropped me and I was soon on my train (I find public busses a lot scarier than I do trains. I guess busses could go where ever the driver felt like taking them, but not trains. They can only go where there is already track- I find that comforting). I was able to use trips three and four on my ten ride metro pass I bought months ago. Looks like I need to take six more rides in the next couple months (stay tuned)!
When I got off the train, I followed my Google Maps directions and was surprised when I made my first turn. Ahead of me was a steep hill and a series of escalators to navigate it. I think there were about six, or maybe eight, escalators. You would hop on, ride it part of the way up the mountain, then walk a little bit, then hop on the next one, and so on and so forth all the way up the hill. I’m actually really glad they were there or it would have taken me all day just to get to the park. I did find these escalators unusual. Have you ever seen an outdoor escalator to help you get up a hill?
The park itself is beautiful- amazing views of Barcelona, beautiful architecture, and a stunning variety of botanical life. I only spent a couple hours in the park, but I need to go back. I think there were parts I still haven’t seen and my camera battery died so there are certainly parts you won’t see in my photos.
Sunday- Sanary and Castellet, Provence, France
The Provence region of France is beautiful. A lot of guests don’t get off the ship in this port since we’re not close to any big towns and most stores are closed on Sunday, but they are really missing out. Provence has beautiful beaches and scenery all around. I visited the coastal town of Sanary and the mountain top fortified city of Castellet.
Sanary feels like a small town. I was told that it actually is quite sprawling and has a large population, but it didn’t feel like that. I visited the local church and was disappointed that the artwork in it is so new- it was completed in the 1900s. For over here in Europe something built in the 1900s could be considered still in its “Grand Opening” stage.
I took a brief walk through town visiting the local Bocce ball court (court? field? pitch?), the waterfront area that used to have lots of ship building activity, and the local grocery store to buy a few bottles of my beloved “Oasis” French juice drink. However, I spent most of my time here vying for the best spot to view the joster matches.
Joster would best be described as boat jousting. Yes, you read that right. Jousting. Using boats. Two boats to be more specific. Each boat contains members of a team and one by one they get their turn to stand on the platform on the back of their boat and joust with their opponent of the back of his team’s boat. First one to fall in the water looses. It was so much fun to watch and I really want to try it now.
Then I was off to Sanary- a medieval, fortified, hilltop city. Although small, the city was beautiful. I spent my free time there just wandering through the winding streets and the quiet shops. The best part was the view. Since Sanary is a city on a hilltop, you have amazing views of Provence with vineyard after vineyard.
Monday- Villefranche, France
The week prior I had noticed steps on the side of a mountain outside of town, but I didn’t have time to see where they went. This week, I got off the ship late and just wanted to grab a quick bite and go on my adventure, but I ran into a couple friends who were also going to lunch so we sat and had a nice leisurely meal.
After lunch I announced I was going to climb the mountain and invited the four people that were now with me. Two people made it the five blocks to the bakery where I was buying a drink before the hike. The other two made it two blocks further before they bailed. The story is always the same: “Oh, I think I’ll go get ice cream instead.” “I’m going to head back to the ship and take a nap.” It always makes me really sad. This job is such a gift to me. I’m visiting places I never thought I would see and I get sad when I see people wasting that time.
Ten minutes after the last of my followers left me I reached the mountain stairs. The stairs lead to a series of trails with outdoor exercise equipment on the way to a castle. Sadly I didn’t have time to reach the castle on this trip. But the views from the mountain were beautiful.
Tuesday- LaSpezia, Italy
On Tuesday I am usually in Livorno, Italy. But this particular week, there were too many cargo ships in Livorno and they didn’t have room for our ship on the pier. So we went to La Spezia. I had never been here and didn’t really know much about it, but I ventured out for an afternoon of exploring. I had a caprese salad for lunch at a street side cafe before trekking off to find the castle I heard was in this town. I ran into a large group of people I know from the ship and I invited them along on my adventure. I heard a very familiar tune: “We’re going to go get ice cream.” “I want to get back to the ship to take a nap.” So I set off on my own again.
I saw a sign for the castle that pointed up a huge amount of stairs so I began my climb. I climbed flight after flight, up and up and up. I finally reached the top of the mountain, but I couldn’t find the castle. How hard is it to find a castle? It’s pretty big, right? I found several gated villas and a college campus, but no castle. On the way back down the stairs I finally saw a sign for the castle. I rounded the bend and there it was- San Giorgio Castle. Closed. So no trip inside for me.
Wednesday- Civitavecchia, Italy
I typically go to Rome or go to my normal spot for pizza and internet when in Civi, but this week a big group of people from my division decided to go to the nearby water park. It was a great day, but not a great water park. There were four different waterslides, a lazy river that was more of a lazy stream, a children’s wading pool, and a wave pool, but they didn’t turn the wave on until we were getting ready to leave. To top it off, the sidewalks were made with what we reckon were pieces of the Colosseum-age stone- very rough, jagged, and tough on your feet. They also instantly heated to 100 degrees as soon as the sun appeared. Despite the poor facilities, I had a great day sliding, swimming, and burning with all of my friends.
Thursday – Naples, Italy
To end the week with a bang I did a full day tour in Naples! I started the morning by hiking up to the crater of Mt. Vesuvius. I think that was my first time climbing an active volcano- another item off my bucket list! I had been to Pompeii before, but this was my first time onto the volcano. I’ve always pictured the mouth of volcanoes like the one you see in Joe Versus the Volcano or Madagascar 2- with spurts of lava shooting out. This one wasn’t like that. It’s just a big crater with some yellow sulfur stains around the edges. It didn’t even have a strong sulfur smell. However, you can still see where the river of lava flowed down the mountain and into town. It has solidified into a gray line of rock now.As I was making the 25 minute hike up the mountain I realized I was walking into a cloud. A dark cloud. Then I heard thunder- but I would rather hear thunder rumbling than the volcano rumbling! I kept climbing. I reached the top, met my ecological guide, walked to the edge of the crater, she began explaining it to us, then it started to rain. The guide decided to go back down to the shelter, but I wanted to see everything! I just climbed my third mountain for the week to get here- I was going to see it all! I walked around the crater and as the clouds cleared I enjoyed the view of Naples, Sorrento, and Capri. It was beautiful.
After the walk down the mountain it was time to go to Pompeii. I have been to Pompeii before, but there is so much to see I was sure I would see new things. I was right! This time I saw what would have been considered a mansion, a different bath house, a brothel, a theater, and whole new section of the city from my last visit. Pompeii is such an interesting place- frozen in time and slowly being uncovered. I still have so much more to see.
I was doing so well until about 2:00 pm when I was in Pompeii and then it hit me: I’m tired! Two Provencial towns, three mountain climbs, and one water park finally caught up with me. Combine the exhaustion with the water up my nose from the water park and I spent the next several days very sick and sleeping all I could. I’m slowly getting my energy back now, but not feeling well combined with a huge project at work has kept me from having many adventures. I’m getting back on me feet though and I have a trip planned for tomorrow!
Come back soon!
