Not long back from a leisurely seven day cruise around the Cote D’Azur (and beyond) visiting a number of places we hadn’t been to before. That was the plan anyway, and although it still turned out that way, a few stops didn’t end up being the ones on the original itinerary. From the airport to the ship in Barcelona and straight off again to squeeze in a visit to Antoni Gaudi’s Palau Guell, the first commission he received from his main client Eusebi Guell and built between 1886 and 1890. Worth the effort.
First up on the cruise should have been Roses in Spain but ended up being Palamos (also in Spain). This was the first of three alterations to the schedule caused by sea swells that made tendering difficult, even though the weather generally was very pleasant. Didn’t bother us unduly, but apparently one or two passengers got a little testy. Palamos turned out to be a relatively unspoilt fishing town with a very pleasant historic town centre. Building highlights included the 15th Century Santa Maria Church, the 18th Century Carme Chapel and the ruins of the Augustinian Convent. Just wandering the old town and grabbing a beer / coffee in the street cafes was a relaxing start to the week.
Marseilles was the next port of call (back on schedule), proved to be a very busy day. Decided to explore on foot (hop on hop off bus was also an option). Old Port, Notre-Dame de la Garde, Abbey of Saint Victor and Vieille Charite were all duly ticked off the list, along with the newer cathedral and a fair bit of trekking around the old town backstreets and alleyways. Lovely town, definitely a potential location for a longer weekend visit to absorb more of the sights in a little more depth and at a less frantic pace. What happened to the laid back, relaxing week!
Next up was Sunary Sur Mer, originally a small fishing village (lovely harbour with artisan fishing boats) and now a peaceful resort town with its fair share of history. Of particular interest was its development as a quiet émigré colony for an impressive group of Germany’s most gifted writers after the rise of the Nazi party in Germany. You can follow the literary trail to check out where they all lived, as well as explore the mid 1500 Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Pitie and the Eglise Saint Nazaire (19thC). The town also boasts a 14thC Romanesque Tower (part of the original town fortifications) which now houses a Historical Diving Museum and whose roof provides great views of the surrounding area. So, plenty of natural history, lovely old town centre, an important literary story and a critical role in the development of Scuba diving through the work of Frederic Dumas, Philippe Taillez and Jacques Cousteau. And still there were people who didn’t get off the ship because it was Sunday and the shops were closed!
We were in Ajaccio in Corsica the next day. It should have been Calvi but we were diverted once again. Didn’t really matter as it absolutely tipped it down (and I mean bucketed) all day. We did venture out briefly, enjoyed a pleasant coffee stop in a backstreet café and, along with many others, got thrown out of a church by a jobsworth caretaker who decided we were all inside to shelter from the rain. There may have been some truth to this, although the irony of throwing people out of a religious building that is supposed to be the embodiment of Christian values clearly passed him by.
Portofino in Italy was a very picturesque and very expensive resort that apparently we’d both wanted to visit for a long time. So it was slightly disturbing when we realised that the steep hill with houses built into the cliff side that we had both been picturing is in fact Positano, not Portofino. Senior moment gaffe aside, Portofino was a lovely place to while away the day, with particularly impressive church architecture, a 17th century fortress and a very pleasant harbour side with an array of cafes and restaurants. (Most we’ve ever paid for a sarnie and two drinks apart from in St. Mark’s Square). Also pleased to note that the all important shops were open!
Final port of call was to be Monte Carlo, but again the vagaries of the weather meant tendering in Villefranche instead. Many still headed for Monte Carlo but as we’d been there before (and Villefranche for that matter) we took the local bus to Nice and wandered around the old town. Full of alleyways and lanes, it was easy to lose your bearings so in the end we decided to just wander around and see what we came across. Not ‘pretty pretty’ but loads of fine architecture, although the narrow lanes and high buildings meant photographing the town was quite challenging. How remiss of it!
All in all, a very pleasant break but we probably ended up walking for longer and further than anticipated and came back ‘quite tired’. And then got cold and flu. Must be time for a holiday to recover.