See the World, you are ABLE! Part 7

So this is Provence.  Paradise, especially for anyone who cooks and loves all things that grow.  It smells like lavender -- fields and fields of it -- and has a laid back energy that makes you not want to leave.  From the flower market to the city square, it is glorious.  Big hint here -- ask your tour guide where the meeting place will be and what time to be there so that if you can't keep up with the crowd, at least you can ask for directions.  A person in our party was "lost", but thanks to the guide's friends, the search turned out okay.  She was in a souvenir shop.  Personally, I enjoyed the flea market more than the

     



Our final stop on this particular cruise was in Barcelona Spain.  Unfortunately, our camera broke so we don't have any pictures.  Barcelona is in itself an art installation -- everywhere you look, you can see the influence of those great Spanish artists -- Gaudi and Picasso.  A visit to their museums is a must as is tasting the food and experiencing the nightlife and flamenco dancers.  We were warned, however, that we had to watch out for pickpockets.  We had an extra day there so we travelled up the mountain to the Monastery at Monserrat in hopes that we could get in to see the Black Madonna or hear their famous boys' choir.  Unfortunately, the choir had left the day before and the line up for the Madonna was two hours long.  Again, God smiled upon us and we were there on a Sunday and enjoyed celebrating Mass with  people from all over the world.  So this ends our Mediterranean excursion and I hope that you will enjoy our further ventures on the cruise ships and will try to make your own memories in the future. 



 

See the World, You are ABLE, part 6

I will begin this part of our journey by strongly suggesting that anyone who has a "critical" medical challenge should visit their doctor prior to taking your vacation.  It is helpful to alert the Cruise line of any allergies or special needs with regard to your health.  If you have drug allergies, it is helpful to either have a prescription for, or the actual pills. just in case you need them.  Drugs can be expensive in the ports you visit and it takes time away from important sightseeing and shopping time.  I didn't do this and, when I came down with a "bug" and couldn't access my usual medication, my simple infection turned into pneumonia.  I spent most of the one of our cruises in bed or on severely limited excursions.

Luckily, I had been to both Florence and Pisa a few times so Darryl's mission was to take pictures to refresh my memories.  A good tip before booking shore excursions is to read the comments that people have written.  I discovered that all tour buses must park outside on the cities and, tourists must either walk or take a taxi to the centre of town.  I decided that I was too ill to attempt any activity and thus stayed in my wonderfully comfortable bed and watched movies.  He did get some pretty good pictures though.

 

 





Ever since I was a little girl, I had admired Grace Kelly, first for her fashion style, and then for her abdication of life as a movie star in favour of becoming the wife of the Prince of Monaco. I had always wanted to visit Monte Carlo, not because of the famous casino, but just to see "how the other half (those with unlimited wealth) lived.  I did take the bus excursion which thrillingly drove us along the Grand Prix race course and explained that most of the new money in that country came from Russia.  I could have gone inside the casino; however, a walk past the famous designer shops was more up my alley.  I must say that I deferred my visit to the famous café there as a cup of coffee was $15.00!  When I got back aboard the ship, I pulled out my binoculars and spied on the comings and goings at the yacht club, hoping to recognize some celebrities, royalty or moguls. As I have said before, there is always something to do on board a cruise ship.