Riviera-Live- Barcelona to Istanbul- July 2014

[computerworks]

Onboard the Riviera for the 2 week cruise, Barcelona to Istanbul.

 

...13 ports in 14 days... not going to be a lot of time for posting, but I promised to check in from the ship as often as possible.

 

We spent 2 days pre-cruise in Barcelona...had a great time, going strong day and night.

 

Finally got to visit the monestery at Montserrat, as well as a few city sights.

Had a great dinner in a little out of the way restaurant, and even caught a Flamenco show...

 

National Palace

 

 

Montserrat

 

 

Cathedral, Montserrat

 

 

La Rambla

 

 

La Boqueria

 

 

[computerworks]

The sad feeling of leaving Barcelona was quickly extinguished once we boarded the Riviera. Quick and easy...flawless boarding. Barcelona is such a great port to sail from.

 

Lunch at the Terrace Cafe and we settled in for the next two weeks.

 

Greeted by crew and officers we knew from prior cruises... hugs and kisses galore.

 

Sailaway

 

 

Deck 12

 

[computerworks]

Our first port was right down the coast of Spain...Valencia.

 

We toured the city by bus and cab... visited the soccer stadium and took a tour...

 

...spent the rest of the day at the L'oceanografic at the Arts and Sciences center. Great day...

 

Valencia

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow... a full day and evening in Ibiza

[cruisingxpert]

Thanks for checking in with us and sending pictures. Have signed onto the thread so I won't miss anything.

 

Have a fabulous time!

 

Catherine

Edited July 6, 2014 by cruisingxpert

[kazu]

Great pics:). Looking forward to your reports:)

[Aloha 1]

Ron;

 

Can you comment on the 10% VAT Spain adds to the purchase of alcoholic drinks while in Spanish waters? True or untrue?

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[computerworks]

Ron;

 

Can you comment on the 10% VAT Spain adds to the purchase of alcoholic drinks while in Spanish waters? True or untrue?

 

Quote from the Currents:

 

"Please Note: while alongside our Spanish ports of call, there will be a 10% Tax added to all bar purchases as per Spanish Government law."

[Keith1010]

Enjoying your photos.

 

Keith

[CintiPam]

The sad feeling of leaving Barcelona was quickly extinguished once we boarded the Riviera. Quick and easy...flawless boarding. Barcelona is such a great port to sail from.

 

+1 Barcelona indeed is a great port from which to sail. Just having lunch at the Terrace Cafe on the first day provides such lovely views.

 

Wonderful photos. Looking forward to your postings.

[computerworks]

A full day at Ibiza... docked early in the a.m.... and we are still here at 10:45pm.

We sail at midnight.

 

Rented a car and circumnavigated the island; great way to see the contrasts of Ibiza.

 

We visited the old town at D'alt Vila.. then headed up the East coast to the beaches of Sant Euleria and Es Cana

 

D'alt Vila

 

 

Sant Euleria

 

 

 

Es Cana and Hippy Market

 

Edited July 7, 2014 by computerworks

[computerworks]

...then we headed up to the North coast and visited Sant Miguel...with the cliffs and caves.

 

Then..inland thru the mountains for an afternoon rest at Sa cova winery... for a tasting and some snacks.

 

Finally, down the West coast to Sant Antoni... where we tried to blend in with the few hundred thousand revelers on holiday...

 

 

Sant Miguel

 

 

Sa Cova

 

 

Sant Antoni

 

Edited July 7, 2014 by computerworks

[computerworks]

Shipboard experience has been outstanding, as expected.

 

Tomorrow, a short day at Mallorca. We are planning the train to Soller... with a sailaway at 4pm.

 

We have La Reserve tomorrow night

[Terryd444]

Enjoying your pics as usual Ron.

Love Angela's new hat style!

 

Cheers for a great cruise! Will you stay afterwards in Istanbul?

I will be there in August....counting down the days already....

 

Cheers

Terry

[computerworks]

Hi Terry... and thanks.

 

Yes, we plan a few days post-cruise in Istanbul... first time there for us.

 

<yawn> just docked in Mallorca as we speak. Having breakfast in Waves Grill.

[computerworks]

A very short stay in Mallorca today... but a very busy day.

 

First off the ship and trip into city center and a ticket on the first Old train to Soller.

Really neat little village.. some shopping and then jumped the tram down to Port de Soller.

 

A walk on the beach..then headed up to the highest point by the light house for lunch at a great little restaurant, with an amazing view of Port de Soller

 

Port de Soller

 

 

 

..then back to the ship, sliding into home plate just before she sailed.

 

Relax a bit, then a quick turnaround for dinner at La Reserve..

 

La Reserve

 

 

Made sure we were done by 10 pm to catch the Brazil - Germany game.

 

(Much ado about nothing earlier... we were able to see ALL the World Cup games onboard...thanks, boss.)

 

Tomorrow, we finally get to sleep in for a day with an arrival in Cannes at Noon.

 

Need to collect our passports before we leave the ship ( they were collected at embarkation)..

..we plan on crossing some borders tomorrow on whirlawind drive across the French and Italian Riviera.

[computerworks]

Just dropped anchor in Cannes... another beautiful day, great weather so far.

 

Finished brunch in the Grand Dining Room... waiting for the ship to be cleared.

 

Glad we had the Semi-Final game on TV last night... gave me the opportunity to shut it off at half time. :mad:

 

We are in port until late evening...

[ORV]

Ron,

 

After taking the electric train trip from Palma to Soller would you recommend it? We are considering doing this on our own cruise next month when we are there.

[CintiPam]

Ron, while continuing to enjoy your photos and comments, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the trip postings you made last spring regarding your Caribbean Hideaways cruise. When we signed up for that cruise, our first in the Caribbean, a few months later, I referred to your photos and comments a great deal when planning our port days. You inspired me to rent a car for our port day in St. Barts and we had a glorious day touring the island and enjoying the beaches.

 

Thanks!

Edited July 9, 2014 by CintiPam

[canuck.qc]

Thank you very much for taking the time to post such fabulous pictures. It brings back lovely memories. Good travels.

[computerworks]

Ron,

 

After taking the electric train trip from Palma to Soller would you recommend it? We are considering doing this on our own cruise next month when we are there.

 

I definitely would. It was a fun ride with some great views, and a photo op stop up in the mountains. The first train is at 10:10...the station is easy to get to by bus or taxi. It took about 1 hour and ten minutes total.

 

We opted to continue on the tram down to Port de Soller as well. It made for a nice day with some great changes. Since we did not want to cut it short, with a sailaway time at 4pm, we took a taxi back to the ship. We could have made it with a train ride back, but did not want to risk it. The cab ride back was very quick./..faster than the train for sure. ;)

 

I'll post more pics when we get home.

[computerworks]

Ron, while continuing to enjoy your photos and comments, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the trip postings...

 

You are welcome, Pam. I enjoy doing it.

This is a tough trip to try and squeeze in posting live... not much down time at all. (like now...it is 1:30am, and i am trying to catch up on mail, etc)

 

With no sea days and a full day in each port... it's a killer. :cool:

 

Certainly, I'll have more to show when we return...we are not even half done yet!

[computerworks]

Great day in Cannes today. A chance to sleep in, and a relaxing Breakfast Brunch in the Grand Dining Room.

Ashore by Noon, we grabbed our waiting rental car and explored the Riviera.

 

We really stretched the day... driving as far East as we could...and still making sure we could make it back.

 

...Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo... then across the border into Italy and dinner in Sanremo.

 

Top down, wind in the hair, Angela's scarf flapping in the wind (with my prior warnings about that Isadora Duncan thing...).

 

Amazing vistas and some really neat places.

 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2014 by computerworks

[computerworks]

A few pictures from today's travels...

 

Brunch

 

 

 

Cannes

 

 

Monte Carlo

 

 

The rare picture of me, taken to prove i was on this trip...

 

Edited July 10, 2014 by computerworks

[computerworks]

More Monte Carlo

 

 

Got to trace the Grand Prix circuit, including screaming through the tunnel...despite the traffic and construction.

 

 

Sanremo, Italy

 

Edited July 10, 2014 by computerworks