Mediterranean Rivieras Cruise

July 12, 2009
Sorrento – I think it’s my favorite so far. A town built on high mountain cliffs. Old buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, yachts anchored offshore with us. A little hot but beautiful weather. A group from AU went on a bus to Pompeii to see the ruins from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Amazing! It was a large town covered in marble. Enough is still standing that you can see how the homes looked, the shops, the gardens, etc. There were even people who were buried by the ash and the outline of their bodies calcified. There is a dog that was also found. It got really hot during the tour. We came back to Sorrento and ate pizza. We walked around the narrow streets and shopped. There is a beach there – again sand and packed with people. The show tonight featured most of the performers and the orchestra. It was good. At the end the crew, including the captain, came out and thanked us all and said bye.

By: Mary Baird

Mediterranean Rivieras Cruise

July 11, 2009


Today we are in Sardinia. I took a trip with Jennie and Charles Eidson to Gallura. We went by bus to the town of Tempio Pausania. Another old village with cobblestone streets. This one has been added onto so there are modern areas. Being Saturday, the town was asleep when we arrived. But about 30 minutes later, people came out and the town was busy. Old men meeting for espresso and a smoke. Groups of women doing the same. We got to taste local wine, olives, buad, and cookies. Then we got on an old train and rode back to the area close to the port. Sardinia is very arid and rural. They grow cork trees, which is a major industry. They also have four million sheep. They don’t get much rain so they made a lake to catch and store the rain water. Interesting but my least favorite excursion.





By: Mary Baird

Mediterranean Rivieras Cruise

July 10, 2009

Fascinating Florence! We took a bus from the port at Liverno into Florence. The tour through the city was fast but we saw the highlights. We had free time to eat and shop. I palled around with Suzanne and Mary Elizabeth Bush and Jeanne Yancy, Suzanne’s mom. I had the best lasagna ever in a small restaurant at the Sant Choce Square. We shopped the open-air market where there was everything from leather bags, jewelry and t-shirts to toys. We got wonderful gelato across the street. A long but fun day! The ship’s crew had a welcome home party for us outside the ship! They had music going and were lined up clapping and handing out mint cloths and water.



By: Mary Baird

Mediterranean Rivieras Cruise

July 9, 2009

Beautiful Portofino! It looks just like the pictures. A very small place with narrow streets. The houses are painted different bright colors and decorated with tromp l’oeil to look like wooden or plaster cornices and moldings. But it is actually paint. Next we went to Santa Margherita – a larger town but still small. We took a boat over from Portofino – the best way to travel from town to town. Again we saw cobblestone streets and old buildings. Laundry drying on lines high above the street and outside of the windows. The French did not do this – but all of the Italians seem to. We took the boat back to Portofino to catch the ship’s tender to get back on board. Tonight’s show was not as good – a male singer who was losing his voice but did his best. Had dinner with Floyd and Allan Parks. We sat at a big table with two other couples – one from England and one from South Africa. I felt like we had been around the world! Great fun!



By: Mary Baird

Mediterranean Rivieras Cruise

July 8, 2009
We’re docked in Morocco today. My excursion was all day to Nice, Eze, and back to Monoco. Nice is a resort-type town with hotels, shops, and beaches. No sand here – people were lying on river rocks. Hard to walk on and looked uncomfortable. Eze reminded me of Gatlinburg, Tenn. Very tourist oriented. It was built into a mountain as a means of protection. Lots of uphill climbing. Very quaint – beautiful flowers. Shops were inside carved-out spaces in the rocks. There is a very nice hotel and a church at the top. Morocco is a very clean country. It almost was like a fantasy land. The prince’s palace looked like it could be at Disney World. Lots of shops and restaurants line the streets. We went to see the casinos in the Monte Carlo section. It is grand and crowded. Many high priced cars were parked in front. I only went into the lobby area and it was beautiful – very opulent. It was a very hot day! The entertainment tonight was Adriana Zabala – soprano. She sings opera as well as Broadway. Fabulous voice!

By: Mary Baird

Mediterranean Rivieras Cruise

July 7, 2009

Marseille, France – we woke up in Marseille today. Warm & sunny. (Hot actually.) My excursion was to visit four villages up in the hills. Gordes, Rousillon. These were all quite charming and very old. Most buildings were built of stone. We had French pastries and coffee at the first stop. In Rousillon the buildings were all painted with ocre, which comes from the colors of the soil – much like Alabama red clay. Lunch was in Rousillion overlooking the mountainside – salad and pizza. Yummy!!! We saw fields of sunflowers and lavender in bloom, lots of olive trees and more gorgeous bougainvillea. We saw several old churches – they were small but beautiful. Rustic, made of stone with beautiful wood on the altars and pews.

Marseille is the second-largest city in France. Much work is being down there to improve the look of the city. Roads that are overhead are going underground. It definitely has the feel of a big city. The mountains around the area look similar to terrain in southern California. Our guide said it was dry there. The shows on the ship have been good. Tonight they had a magician. Lucky me got picked to be his assistant. Note to self--don’t sit on the front row at a magic show!





By: Mary Baird

Mediterranean Rivieras Cruise

July 6, 2009

St. Tropez - A beautiful city-quaint, gorgeous flowers – oleander and bougainvillea. I took a bus tour to three hilltop villages. Hard to imagine living in these tiny places. Narrow streets and small homes. The cicada is a loved creature said to mean happiness and ward off evil spirits, etc. Replicas abound in all sizes and forms from soap to pottery and wood. They can be found all over Provence. The views were stunning. Many photo opps. Very hot -95 degrees and humid. We had to tender over from the ship. Many large yachts were anchored out from the docks. Amazing! Who has all this money??? Many other small boats and jet skis were docked as well. Brigette Bardot is credited with putting St. Tropez on the map and still lives there at age 85.



By: Mary Baird

Mediterranean Rivieras Cruise

July 5, 2009

Woke today in Majorca. The Eidsons and I took an excursion onto the island. We saw the Palace of the King built in the 16th century. It is a beautiful island and mountainous. Tourism is the main industry. We went to an old estate and toured inside and in the grounds. Then on to the pearl factory. Gorgeous jewelry!!! Next we went to a castle on top of a hill that was a fortress and a prison at one time. The views were incredible. Good photo opp!



By: Mary Baird

Mediterranean Rivieras Cruise Mediterranean Rivieras Cruise

July 3 & 4, 2009

After a two-hour delay due to mechanical problems with the plane, we left Atlanta headed to Barcelona. The Barcelona airport is quite calm and orderly. The restrooms are clean, as is the main building. The Oceania ground staff was great. They are extremely organized and the most polite and pleasant people.

After check-in, I toured part of Barcelona with Ron and Kathy Saunders and Charles and Jennie Eidson. It was great fun! The best part was our ride back to the ship. We hired three rickshaws, like the Tiger shaws, and the drivers were two young Spanish men and one French woman. It was 8 euros each--a deal!

I got settled into my stateroom and joined the Saunders for dinner. The rooms are small but very nice and comfortable, plenty of closet space with a good supply of wooden hangers. The bathroom is small, but it works once you get into a routine.

By: Mary Baird