Tag Archives: cruise ship

November 27, 2013 · 5:35 am

Casing Cassis

Cassis Panorama

After Aix-en-Provence our intrepid band of merry travelers loaded back into the Mercedes minivan and continued on to Cassis (not the blackcurrant berry but rather the fishing village and beach resort). Our first view of this picturesque village occurred when we crested the hills above and set out on foot on Cap Canaille — the highest sea cliffs in France.

Cassis as seen from Cap Canaille

The main show however wasn’t the view. It was the nearby group rappelling down those cliffs from heights that made me cringe just thinking about it.

Are You NUTS?!?!?!

Why, Yes . . . I Am Nuts as a matter of fact!

After making our way down from the cliffs, we were greeted by an exquisite little village right out of 1950s French cinema. Oh, and, the cheese was great.

Pretty Cheesy Merchandise, if you ask me

Ursula and I bought some and later put it on a couple of ham-laden baguettes during our lunch break in Marseille. Here’s today’s photo gallery of this seaside charmer:

Cassis

Cassis Fishing Boats

Cassis

Cassis Beach

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as Cassis, cruise ship, France, Holland America, MS Ryndam, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel

November 25, 2013 · 5:35 am

Putting All Your Aix En One Provence

Laying Aix en Provence

I know. Bad pun. Couldn’t resist. After Monaco it was off for a day in Marseille with a mini-tour of Aix-en-Provence and Cassis. I’ll get to Cassis on Wednesday and Marseille next Monday. The reason Marseille will wait until next week is because I will reveal on Fun Photo Friday how my entries fared in the MS Ryndam’s photo contest.

Aix-en-Provence Fountain

We arrived by minivan to Aix-en-Provence well before this city of 143,000 had come to life for the day. As such the streets and sidewalks were pleasantly empty, and the cafés lightly populated.

Empty Streets one early morning in Aix-en-Provence

But soon after arrival the markets came to life, with street vendors selling fresh fruits, cheeses, and even a dizzying array of mushrooms.

Fresh Fruits in Aix-en-Provence

Say, “Cheese”

Q. By the way, what do you call a mushroom that buys a round of drinks for everyone at the local bar?

Fun Guys in Aix-en-Provence

A: A fungi.

The most prominent historical figure from this area was of course Post-Impressionist painter (and a personal favorite) Paul Cézanne. So revered is Mssr. Cézanne that not only is he immortalized in bronze, but even his common haunts are memorialized with little brass medallions imbedded into the sidewalks.

Paul Cézanne Making His Rounds

Walking Along the Paul Cézanne Trail

Now onto the other sights of Aix-en-Provence. Click on any image below for today’s photo gallery:

Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence Square

Aix-en-Provence

Tree-lined Street in Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence Bakery

Aix-en-Provence Doorway

Aix-en-Provence

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as Aix, Aix-en-Provence, cruise ship, France, Holland America, MS Ryndam, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel

November 22, 2013 · 5:35 am

Monaco — Part 2

Monaco Panorama

Ursula and I easily put in at least eight miles by foot in Monte Carlo. That was not an easy stroll, either. It required considerable climbs and descents along some very hilly terrain and navigation for quite an impressive array of steps.

Monaco from On-High

But the views this city-state offer are worth the trek. We found the best way to determine what to see was to take the scenic “train” along its circuitous route, then hike on after disembarking. We could have made use of the HO-HO (Hop-On, Hop-Off) tourist bus, but €8 beats €26 any day ($11 U.S. vs $35 U.S.). Unfortunately we just missed the changing of the guard by about five minutes. That takes place at 11:55 A.M.

The Grimaldi Home

Besides, being out on the streets and hiking up to the casino allow the car enthusiast to see some really great sets of wheels.

Bentleys — Buy One, Get One Free?

Not to mention the fantastical yachts that bob around in the harbor.

Lots of Yachts

Some interesting trivia on this place (according to our “train” tour): The population is about 320,000. Crime is remarkably low, but then there is one police officer for about every sixty residents (if you do the math that comes out to a force of about 5,300 officers).

Monaco Panorama

Another striking sight along the shoreline are the crystal clear, blue-green Mediterranean waters. Definitely take the time to photograph this sight, as it makes great background for laptops, blogs, and other applications benefitting from tranquil and calming scenery.

Crystal Clear, Blue-Green Waters

As I write this it is day three of our eight-day transatlantic crossing (our fourth such crossing by cruise ship). Stops after Monaco included Marseille, Barcelona, Malaga, Seville (where I had a really close shave, but more on that later), and Lisbon. I’ll be presenting photographs of these locales in the coming weeks. During those stops we also visited the Sagrada Familia, Sintra, and Alcazar Palace, all of which will have their own special blogs. Even though this posts on, November 22, it is today only Saturday November 9, and we should have returned to El Paso not later than Monday, November 18.

I hope you’re looking forward to a continuation of this series. Meanwhile, here is today’s photo gallery of Monaco: