Jen and Dave: Adventuring

Not built in a day, can’t be seen in a day, but we got the highlights.

We started by bussing from the port of Civitavecchia to where Rome and the Vatican meet, St Peter’s Square, a two hour journey that Jen slept through.

Once we arrived at ten o’clock, we were turned loose with instructions to return by quarter to four to meet the bus to go home. Five hours, forty-five minutes of chaotic walking, gawking, and getting overwhelmed began.

Entrance into Vatican City was a non-starter given the time restrictions, but we took some time to gawk before Dave led us in a crazy route to hit all of the highlights.

Everywhere we turned was ancient art, history, and rich culture. We walked first to the river, and saw Castel St. Angelo.

The first “big” site was the Panthenon, with its concrete dome – still the largest unreinenforced concrete dome in the world and standing since 125 CE.

Next came Fontana di Trevi. It was incredible and incredibly busy.

The Foro Romano was next, outstanding ruins and history. Amazing to think of how established and advanced they were.

The Colosseum was next (hello, 7 Wonders), and it was massive. A lot less complete than Nîmes, however, so we were not as disappointed as we would have been to not get more time there.

Palatino brought us back to the less-loved yet truly outstanding features of the ancient world.

Rocketing us back to opulence and unbelievable impressions came Piazza Venezia.

Then it was time to wind our way back to the meeting place, tired, overwhelmed and inspired.

Waking up to room service, topped with coffee from Ten Forward, we exited our floating hotel to the busy industrial port of Livorno, Italy on a not-so-busy sunny Sunday.

A shuttle took us through the port, past an old naval fort, to downtown. We wandered the mostly empty city, seeing the canals and where the market is on every other day of the week. Then we found a cute cafe with delicious honey-almond braided pastry, and soaked up the atmosphere.

Next stop was back in the main square, where we checked in for our tour bus to Pisa. While we waited, we enjoyed performances of opera arias by a local group, including a magnificent soprano.

The tour bus ride was narrated and interesting, and we quickly found ourselves at a parking lot full of buses in Pisa. From here, we were guided through a gauntlet of street vendors, to the Porta Nuovo to Piazza del Duomo.

From the porta we were instantly in wonder. First, Battistero di San Giovanni, the Baptist church.

Then, Cattedrale di Pisa, the Catholic cathedral.

Finally – the Leaning Tower – the Torre du Pisa. Wow.

We rounded the visit out with gelato before returning to the ship for dinner and bed. Another big day tomorrow!

We anchored at the delightful harbour of Villefranche-Sur-Mer this morning, and soon found ourselves on a tender headed into the port.

We skirted the citadel and headed through the edge of town, before starting to climb. Stairs. Many, many, many stairs. Then stairs in the forest. Then delightful forested switchback trail.

We eventually ended up high above town at the Fort du Mont Alban, and the view was gorgeous!

The fort itself was also lovely, and the view from the other direction was nice – the noisy (seriously, we could hear it from kilometres away) beaches of Nice.

We eventually tore ourselves away and wound our way down the mountain through steep neighbourhood streets. Vieux ville was particularly gorgeous with narrow streets and gorgeous colours.

Back on board was “dressy” dinner and a chill evening preparing for tomorrow!

It was an early start from Carcassonne, back to Barcelona to embark on the next phase of our adventure, aboard the Holland America Oosterdam.

Today was our last full day in Carcassonne, and we had a simple wander along the river Aude, winding our way back to the Cité through walkways and parks.

Today we walked the bailey, the area between the two ramparts, looking at the layers of construction and renovation, modification and restoration.

Then we walked through the heart of the tourist zone before descending through grasses and poppies to cross back to the Bastide for a late lunch.

After lunch Jen and Dave went to the apartment to start organizing for packing (and perhaps sneaking naps), while Mom and Dad walked and window-shopped.

Carcassonne: a great place to visit, truly deserving of its immortalization in board game form.

Today was the day to explore la Cité proper – a UNESCO heritage site, an active city, and a castle restored many times over the centuries. It was amazing.

We started with the walk across the city, then the old bridge, and the businesses outside the rampart.

The castle itself consists of two walls, 3 km long, surrounding both the Chateau and a community of businesses and homes.

We started at the Chateau, learning how the castle was developed and changed over centuries, depending on the ownership.

Next came a walk on the outer ramparts, with fabulous views albeit strong winds.

After a quick bite to eat we wandered the streets, toured the basilica and shopped a bit. The board game Carcassonne was a must-buy (somehow we don’t have it).

After a thorough exploration it was back to the apartment for a bite to eat and bed!

The weather was cool and drizzly in Carcassonne, so it was a good day to day trip to somewhere sunnier and warmer – namely, Nîmes. After a lovely drive on the well-maintained toll highway, we meandered through villages and arrived downtown.

And there it was. The Amphitheater of Nîmes – home to ancient Roman gladiators, emergency housing, Napoleonic bull fights, and modern day rock concerts. Built to last, and regularly restored and reconstructed. Fascinating.

After a lunch of kebab and sandwiches from a street side vendor, we were off to our next stop.

The Pont du Gard is a landmark Roman three-tiered aqueduct in remarkable condition. It was amazing to explore it – and we hit it right at the golden hour.

Historic landmark quota overflowing, we then headed back to Carcassonne for a good night’s rest.

Today was a simple day, as we kept close to the apartment awaiting the delivery of our luggage. The morning was walking around the Bastille portion of the city, checking out the Canal du Midi, and getting a glimpse of the Cité from the bridges. A stop at the grocery store, and we returned to the apartment. After some Thai takeout from down the street and a complaint call about the lack of updates, we had a bit of down time.

The afternoon was a trip to the local lake, which is clearly a well-used favourite hang-out. A paved trail guided us around the lake, which was at a concerningly low water level, particularly given the time of year. The highlights were a chorus of frogs, some ducks, and the most outlandish, enormous and challenging rope course we have ever observed.

After the lake we went to a pocket park in a neighbourhood that had a trail to a bluff. Dave’s research was correct, and it lead to a beautiful view of la Cité. Parfait.

Dinner at the apartment followed, and more waiting. Naps. A short walk for some. Just waiting…

Edit: 9 pm: luggage reunification achievement unlocked!

After some glorious sleep we awoke to a light warm breeze, birds singing, and sun streaming in the window. After a brief wander around the immaculate La Mer, we sat down to breakfast and the best coffee Mom’s ever had (café lèche).

Alas, it was time to leave the hillside for the seaside, and we drove the coast of Spain on a rather twisted route. We all appreciated the beauty of the water juxtaposed with the cliffs, sands, and trees, but Mom and Jen did not appreciate the bendy, turn-filled road and matched the trees slightly.

We stopped for lunch at the platja in Palamós; many places were full or finished service. We found a delightful pizzeria instead, where only Dave ordered pizza (a margarita he shared a slice of with Jen), while the rest enjoyed fresh, delicious salads.

Following lunch we walked the beach, then way out on the breakwater. Dave was enamoured with the “wave-dissipating concrete blocks,” but Dad spotted the fish and jelly fish.

After our walk it was time to join the Autoroutes and make time for the destination of the next few days – Carcassonne! We are renting an apartment, so after figuring out how to park and get in we wandered down the street to a small grocery that was thankfully still open. Fresh bread and farmhouse peach jam rounded out a great day.

After Jen went to bed, the others went for a short walk – mom and Dad to a viewpoint, and Dave all the way up to a mountaintop castle ruin, Castell de Burriac. Just gorgeous. Documentation says 1000 or 1300 AD.