Small Thoughts: Mediterranean Cruise

My previous post took us up through our stop in Sete, France. This post will cover our stops in Marseille (Avignon), France Livorno (Florence), Italy and Ajaccio, Corsica. I am saving my writeup on Rome for a single post because it was epic!

Day 7 - Marseille, France

Link to more Avignon pictures here.

Our excursion in Marseille actually took us inland to Avignon, France for visits to the Pont d'Avignon over the Rhone River and the Pope Palace. It was another long bus ride to get there with a guide talking to us about local history and landmarks.

The Pont d'Avignon is a famous medieval bridge in the town of Avignon, in southern France that dates to the 12th century. What we see today is only a part of the bridge - the rest has been destroyed by neglect or floods. Only 4 of the arches remain today. The Chapel of Saint Nicholas sits on the second pier of the bridge. The bridge spanned the Rhone River and is located in a very picturesque section of the river.

We spent some time walking on the bridge and admiring the architecture before heading back for our tour of the "Pope Palace". The Palais des Papes is a historical palace located in Avignon, southern France. Once a fortress and palace, the papal residence was the seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century. Six papal conclaves were held in the Palais. If you are like me (not Catholic) you might have had no idea that the Pope resided anywhere other than the Vatican.

It was a fascinating tour with art, history and architecture galore!

After we finished up in the Pope Palace we had a little extra time near the bridge and river. I went hiking a bit closer to the bridge to try to get a good reflection shot of the bridge and was pretty happy with the results. If I can be patient enough to photoshop the people out of the shot I will probably frame it and hang it in the house.

Looking out on the Rhone River on a beautiful day. One week
later and I might have seen a more spectacular color show.

The Rhone River and a more modern bridge crossing.

Looking back at the walls of the Pope Palace from the bridge.

Another example of the use of cypress trees to line the
roadway for shade.

Walls of the Pope Palace.

Another delicious little window shop :)

The Pope Palace in Avignon.

Pope Palace.

Pope Palace. Do you suppose it is real gold?

Pope Palace window.

Cathedral bell tower.

Inside the Pope Palace.

At first I thought these shingles were clay or ceramic, but a
light tap revealed that they were made of bamboo or
other similar material.

Looking out on Avignon from the Pope Palace with the
Rhone River.

Just another medieval castle. Ho hum.

Pont d'Avignon over the Rhone River.

Jeannette and me on the Pont d'Avignon.

I don't care what you are driving - this is going to rattle
your teeth.

Looking down on the Pont d'Avignon and Rhone River
from the Pope Palace.

Day 8 - Livorno (Florence), Italy

Link to more Florence and Pisa pictures.

All I can say is Wow! Our day started with a spectacular Mediterranean sunrise and only got better! Our excursion for the day included another bus ride to Florence, Italy for a visit at the Galleria dell'Accademia for a look at Michelangelo's statue of David and many other exhibits, lunch at a restaurant nearby and a trip to Pisa to see the leaning tower of Pisa. It was an intimidating day of viewing works of art I never dreamed I would actually see.

First stop was the Galleria dell'Accademia for our visit with David. Long lines were circumvented by being on a tour, and we also used headsets so our guide could talk to us without shouting above the crowds. This made the trip much more enjoyable. Seeing David in person was amazing. The detail in the statue speaks to remarkable patience and vision on Michelangelo's part. Our guide spoke of the quirks in perspective associated with the statue. Originally destined to be displayed in a different location with a different perspective, the hands appear unusually large. Not a mistake we are told. Seen from the originally planned perspective all would have appeared proportionate.

After leaving the museum we took a walking tour through a portion of old Florence. Lunch was included in this excursion and we treated to a very satisfying lunch. A quick stop at very scenic overlook above Florence was followed by a short bus ride down to Pisa for a look at the famous leaning tower.

You see pictures of the leaning tower of Pisa all the time, but I think unless you have done some extra homework you probably don't have a grasp of the magnitude of the buildings surrounding the tower. The tower is certainly the main attraction, but all of the other buildings are also fascinating. Our time here was self-guided without our guide so we headed out on a brisk walk to get ahead of the slower members of our group. The first thing you see when entering the area through an arched gate is the tower leaning precariously in the background.

After getting our obligatory picture of Jeannette saving the tower we strolled around to see it close up. One thing that caught my attention is that there were people up on top of the tower! Ordinarily I would say i would enjoy a climb and view, but the tower leans so far over I am not sure I would have enjoyed the sensation. When you stand at the bottom and look up all you see is this massive column of rock leaning over your head.

Waiting in line to enter the Galleria dell'Accademia
to see David.

Michelangelo's David

Captured on the front of the
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

Not sure why, but I was fascinated with window shutters :)

Streets of Florence.

A copy of David located in the statue's original location
in the Piazza della Signoria.

Piazza della Signoria

Looking out over Florence from a scenic overlook.

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore from a scenic overlook.

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and leaning tower of Pisa.

Leaning tower of Pisa.

Top of the tower - there are people up there!

Fantastic sunrise over the Mediterranean.

Lunch in Florence.

See, we were there :)

Ken & Karlene

Day 9 - Ajaccio, Corsica (France)

Here's a link to more Corsica pictures.

Our excursion in Corsica included a several hour long kayak trip outside the harbor and along the coastline to a couple of nice beaches. The trip was nice, but the comic value added by our guide (Reme?) made the trip truly enjoyable. It was obvious at the outset that the trip would be entertaining. We met our guide and the rest of our small group on the pier for a short walk to the marina where the kayaks awaited us. The rest of our group was 4 Japanese ladies who were clearly not dressed for a kayak trip.

Guide - "Do you speak English or French?"

One of the ladies seemed to have modest English skills.

Guide - "Do you know how to swim?"

Ladies - "No."

What? Did they read the excursion description? Our guide said, no problem, you come with us anyway. And the fun continued.

It was clear within moments of putting the boats in the water that they had never even held an oar, much less paddled a kayak. Much of the rest of the trip was spent ensuring we were not near the front end of their boat because while they could make it move forward, they had no clue how to stop or turn!

Our guide was hilarious as he talked to them. I think the intent of his talk became more clear to the ladies as he suggested he could provide them "...2 babies...". That was when the shoe was literally thrown at him. Maybe they understood more English than we thought?

After an enjoyable and somewhat exhausting paddle we enjoyed a beer with our guide at a nearby restaurant and heard stories of his pretty exciting past. Great way to spend a day, and we also burned some calories...Mmmm, more dessert.