Visiting Genoa, Italy...

It's Friday and my last excursion is Genoa, Italy.  Genoa is the largest seaport in Italy, and it has the characteristic small streets of a very old city.  Here are my photos from today's tour...

Arriving in Genoa, Italy.

The "Old City" has a distinctive modern look.

The fish markets abound on the old city.

The "public" cathedral of Genoa.  It has the distinctive stripes that reflect Arab influence.

Here's the actual bomb that hit the church during World War II.  It didn't explode and locals feel Mary protected the church.

One of the city squares in Genoa.

A typical street in Genoa.

The old port is primarily for fishing and boating.  You can see the aquarium and aviary behind the boats.

Just got in from Marseille...

Marseille is the second largest city in France, and it is one of the largest commercial seaports in Europe.

Here are a few of my photos from my excursion today ...

A monument to World War II greets the sea in Marseille.  An invasion also occurred to liberate Southern France.

The entry to the Basilica of Notre Dame de Gard.   I climbed all of those steps to get to the church.

The view from the church atop the hill in Marseille.

One more view from the church.

The streets of Marseille ... You can see the church in the background.

The streets of Marseille look so much like Paris. 

A few shots of Palma de Mallorca, Spain...

A view upon arriving at the port in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.  Note the castle in the upper right hand which is where the next shots come from during my tour of the city.

The King of Mallorca's castle.  It was designed to protect the inhabitants.

Traditional Spanish costume ... Ready for a Flamenco dance?

Palma's major cathedral (right) and the King's palace (left)  when summering in Mallorca.

The town square in Palma.  The center olive tree is over 400 years old.

What is a trip to Spain without seeing the arena for bullfighting.  

I'm glad there were no real bulls present in the arena today.

Celebrating July 4 in Palma de Mallorca

From Wikipedia... 

"Palma de Mallorca is the capital of the Spanish autonomous community of Balearic Islands , and the largest city and port on Majorca .The city is located on the island's southern coast."

The city is famous for pearl production and jewelry.

Pictures will be posted from Majorca (or Mallorca) on my next blog entry.

Ibiza, Spain

Here are some of my photos from Ibiza, Spain ...

The view from Ibiza's Old City.

A view of the city and port from the old city walls of Ibiza.

... and another view.

One of the beaches in Ibiza (it's like Myrtle Beach on steroids).

The promenade across the street from an Ibiza beach.

Ibiza is famous for partying young Europeans ... there are bars and restaurants everywhere.

Next stop is Ibiza, Spain ...

The ship will spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Ibiza, Spain.  It is one of the islands that are part of the Balearic chain of islands.  It is situated off the coast of the mainland of Spain near Valencia (think oranges).
  
Ibiza is known as the party island for Europe.  It seems people love to take vacations and party on this island.
  
Stay tuned for some pictures tomorrow.

The sites in Tunis (North Africa) ...

Here are a few of my photos from Tunis...

The tourists are coming ... let's get the camels ready!

Ruins from the ancient Romans ... The Baths in Carthage

The view from the hilltop ... Carthage, Tunisia

The Christians can no longer support a cathedral (closed but owned by the state) that was built long ago in this Muslim country.

A picture of the ancient port of Carthage (note the enclosed harbor).

The city of Sidi Bou Said 

A family home that is now a private museum to illustrate Arab life in Tunis.

The distinctive colors of dwellings in Sidi Bou Said.

An interior courtyard in a private home.

Merchants, merchants everywhere ... Trying to sell their goods to the arriving cruisers.

Arrival means camels. I got the shot (looking down from the ship’s Deck 12) as they were entering the port to greet the arriving tourists. Some folks took a ride.

We were off to the Roman ruins in Carthage. Here’s a little about the history from Wikipedia:

“The first civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic (a form of the word "Phoenician") or Carthaginian. The city of Carthage is located on the eastern side of Lake Tunis across from the centre of Tunis. According to Greek historians it was founded by Canaanite-speaking Phoenician colonists from Tyre (in modern Lebanon) under the leadership of Elissa who was renamed (Queen Dido) in Virgil's Aeneid. It became a large and rich city and thus a major power in the Mediterranean. The resulting rivalry with Syracuse, Numidia, and Rome was accompanied by several wars with respective invasions of each other's homeland.”

The final stop was Sidi Bou Said with its distinctive city colors of blue and white. The market place was on a very steep street with many side streets.

My question was at the end of the tour, “How can I get out of here and back to the air conditioned bus?” It was hot! The guide says there is only a variation in temperature during the course of the year.

Some background on Tunis...

A little about the history of the region (from Wikipedia)...

Tunis is located in north-eastern Tunisia on the Lake of Tunis, and is connected to the Mediterranean sea's Gulf of Tunis by a canal which terminates at the port of La Goulette / Halq al Wadi. The ancient city of Carthage is located just north of Tunis along the coastal part.

The city of Tunis is built on a hill slope down to the lake of Tunis. These hills contain the places, Notre-Dame de Tunis, Ras Tabia, La Rabta, La Kasbah, Montfleury and La Manoubia which altitudes beyond just 50 meters.^[29] The city is located at the crossroads of a narrow strip of land between Lake Tunis and Séjoumi. The isthmus between them is what geologists call the "Tunis dome", which includes hills of limestone and sediments. It forms a natural bridge and since ancient times several major roads linking to Egypt and elsewhere in Tunisia have branched out from. The roads are also dependent with Carthage, emphasising its political and economic importance not only in Tunisia but in Africa in Roman Times.

Sunday on the Amalfi Coast…

I left the ship with others on various tours, and we traveled by boat from Salerno (the port) to the city of Amalfi.  In a previous trip I visited Naples and Pompeii, so I opted to visit the town of Amalfi. 

The city was beautiful.  The houses were nestled within the cliffs.  Lemons are famous for this part of Italy, and I had to try some of the lemon gelato.  The treat was so delicious on such a hot day.

Later this afternoon the ship will depart for Tunisia in Northern Africa.  

The ship docked in Salermo and folks were shuttled by boat to Amalfi.

The port of Salermo, Italy.

Amalfi, Italy

The view of Amalfi from the peer.

The cathedra in Amalfi (I climbed all those stairs to visit!).

Leaving Almafi on Sunday, July 1, 2012.

Aboard the ship...

Most folks headed to the pool upon board the MSC Sinfonia

The MSC Sinfonia is a little smaller than the MSC Magnifica. Here's the view from the 12th floor pool deck prior to departing the port of Civitavecchia which serves Rome.

I don't have internet access in my room with this ship, so I'm sitting in one of the bars enjoying the piano music prior to the evacuation drill in a few minutes.  My Mac Air is working well with the wifi network in these public areas (it should, it costs enough).

I'll try to get a few shots when the ship departs the port, but I may be at dinner since my seating is at 7 PM.

Life is good!