VENICE TO BARCELONA
Fall 2013
by Steward LaCasce
with Photos by Bob LaCasce
(Note: Click on photos for larger views)
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!
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
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.
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 19th Century to look like a Greek temple. Later, I insisted on a photo of Bob sitting, appropriately, between Greek columns.
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.
oversized
plate by one the many artisans in the area. It barely fit in my
suitcase, but made the trip home safely.
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.
This
beautiful city, surrounded by mountains, has a couple of small
islands in its bay.
Corfu,
Greece
Bob and I had been here before, so the view from ourbalcony was familiar. This time, we visited the old fort and the beautiful church that the British built in the 19th 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
On the way back
to the ship, Bob and I bought our memento for the trip, an
As we sailed away
that evening, Bob could not resist one more photo of this most
photogenic city.
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.
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.
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.
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.
tree-like columns best
seen down the central aisle toward the high alter, under which he is
buried.
Naples,
Italy
While Karin took a tour of Pompeii, which Bob and I had
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
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
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!
