NOVEMBER OCEANIA CRUISE - 2013

VENICE TO BARCELONA

Fall 2013

by Steward LaCasce

with Photos by Bob LaCasce

(Note:  Click on photos for larger views)

What follows, is a summary of our trip on 

Oceania's Marina, from October 29 – November 10. 

Our accommodations were somewhat more 

comfortable than we'd had on previous cruises, and the food was better. 

We traveled with our good friend 

and winter neighbor, Karin Lanham, and visited no 

fewer than six countries in twelve days!

Venice, Italy

We'd all been to Venice just a year ago, so this was like coming home. There were the usual photogenic canal scenes and more from the Rialto, the most famous bridge going over the Grand Canal. Karin just gazed and gazed at the busy traffic below including the usual gondolas and the working ships that bring everything the City needs into port . We also stocked up ourselves on wine and prosecco for our pre-dinner get-togethers.

Kotor, Montenegro

This beautiful city, surrounded by mountains, has a couple of small islands in its bay. 

The old city is surrounded by an ancient wall, while the new one spreads outward from this core. Karin and I could not resist Bob's plea for a photo of us entering the gate of the old city.

Corfu, Greece

Bob and I had been here before, so the view from our
balcony was familiar. This time, we visited the old fort and the beautiful church that the British built in the 19^th Century to look like a Greek temple. Later, I insisted on a photo of Bob sitting, appropriately, between Greek columns.

Naxos & Taormina, Sicily, Italy

None of us had been here before, so after arriving in the port of Naxos, we immediately took a cab up the steep slopes to the resort town of Taormina. It is most famous for its Roman

Amphitheater that was built of brick over a Greek original and situated so that the view beyond the stage includes Mount Etna. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, Etna had disappeared behind mist and clouds, some of

which it created. The view from there looking down at the Naxos harbor was stunning, and I had a hard time tearing Bob and Karin away from it. 

On the way back to the ship, Bob and I bought our memento for the trip, an

oversized plate by one the many artisans in the area. It barely fit in my suitcase, but made the trip home safely.  

As we sailed away that evening, Bob could not resist one more photo of this most photogenic city.

Naples, Italy

While Karin took a tour of Pompeii, which Bob and I had

seen a dozen years earlier, we went back to the Naples Archeological Museum with its famous Farnese collection of antiquities, including that of Antinous, who, for a couple of centuries AD, competed with Jesus as the favored deity of the ancient world. We also viewed may artifacts recovered from Pompeii after Mount Vesuvius covered it in ash in 79 AD. One was a portrait of a lady done in mosaic. What we had not realized was that wealthy citizens also had columns covered in mosaic as well.

Lucca, Italy

Somehow, this Medieval walled city managed to survive Italy's many wars over the centuries. Its central “square” is actually built over a Roman Amphitheater, and hence is round. 

Among Lucca's many surprises was this most unusual church.

Monte Carlo, & Nice, France

From our balcony, we took a photo of the Monte Carlo's

famous casino, but we did not stop in the Principality long enough to visit it. Instead, we took a half-hour trip to Nice to visit the Matisse Museum. Housed in his former home is the world's largest collection of his work. We agreed, though, that his best pieces reside elsewhere, including The Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

Marsaille, France

To help mark its designation as Europe's City of Culture this year, it built a new museum of Mediterranean Culture.

It's most interesting architectural feature is a lace-like covering that conceals a parking lot. We did not visit the famous cathedral that overlooks the City, but we did note a most interesting one near the new museum.

Barcelona, Spain

This was Karin's first visit here, so we selected two of our favorite sites for her to visit. The first, Gaudi's basilica, Sagrada Familia, which is still being built after the Master's death in 1926. He personally oversaw every detail of its construction during his lifetime including stunning stained glass windows and staircases that wind upward like vines. 

But the most awe-inspiring feature has to be the towering

tree-like columns best seen down the central aisle toward the high alter, under which he is buried.

Then, after a great lunch of tapas at a restaurant that our friends, the Kesslers, discovered a couple of years ago, we visited Gaudi's apartment building, Casa Mila. Finally, we strolled back to our ship down Passeig de Grassia to the City's famous walking street, La Rambla.

I won't describe our 4:30 am departure from the ship the next day or any of the 24-hour ordeal it took us to fly to Phoenix, where we collapsed for the night before we drove home the next morning. It would take the glow off the whole trip!