Carnival Liberty 8/1/05 - 8/13/05 Review

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

What a wonderful review ! - Thank you so much ! - Question about Venice

(hope this doesn't sound too silly) :p -

 

Previous posters have said that THE side of the ship to view Venice is the PORT side) - in your review you mentioned the

STARBOARD side -

I originally had a room on the STARBOARD side of the ship - changed to the PORT side after reading posts (not going until October 06 - so still a few rooms to choose from)

SHOULD I CHANGE BACK TO THE STARBOARD SIDE ? :confused:

 

(Sounds like the view of Venice is a MUST SEE from the ship)

 

THANKS !!

[lbfluffy]

Great review. Wondering if we will have the samd CD when we go on our cruise to the eastern Caribbean in December. John sounds fabulous.

[BillnBobbi]

We arose very early on Saturday, had a quick breakfast and got off the ship again. Our intention for today was to go to Murano in the morning, get to Lido Island by around lunch time in order to find the house my mother-in-law grew up in; and then check out Peggy Guggenheim's home which was turned into a modern art museum.

However, we've learned from travel experience to simply go with the flow, and if something is missed, it is then a reason to go back.

It wasn't St.Marks Square, or the Rialto bridge, the back streets and alleys or even the quality of the light that made us fall in love with Venice; although any one of those would have been sufficient. It was Murano that stole our hearts. Murano is quiet, small, even by Venetian standards and out of the way. There are no overwhelming crowds of tourists and hardly any rat birds. I've been in love with glass art for three decades and Bobbi has also picked up the habit. Murano is the holy grail of glass art, and some of the means of producing certain shapes and color patterns are still closely held family and guild secrets.

If you are familiar with the American glass artist Chiluly, and love his organic creations then you will understand what it is about Murano. Chiluly went to Murano to study from the true masters.

Moreover, Murano glass is not just the trinkets, little animals and clowns sold in the tourist stores. There are very complex sculptures in the galleries and the upstairs rooms (you will be invited there if you are a serious collector or a potential buyer of something other than the usual items), some of which take months to design, execute and complete. Some sculptures require a month to simply cool down before they can even be touched.

We purchased a work which recalls a snail operculum; shimmering colors of brown, blue, yellow and clear in an oval mounted on a stand. It will arrive in about a month. That was it for our expenses set aside for purchases, but it was well worth it.

Yet it was not just the glass, it was also the unhurriedness of the place, the found streets, and the way commerce is done. It was the fruit and vegetable vendors picking selected items out of their boats and handing them to the customers in their own shopping carts, while chatting away with their friends. It was the lack of clocks; and the lack of advertisements. It was a place where time forgot to move ahead about a hundred and fifty years.

Everyone you pass says hello; everyone invites you in to see something of which they are particularly proud. You don't have to buy it, you just have to like it. "Before you leave, you must stop at the bar on the other side of the Ponte Vivarini", the sales manager of the glass works told us, "they have the best Espresso in Venice". It was also a nice place to watch the world literally float by.

We stopped at another glassworks in Faro, where one of the masters had fun making one of those rearing horses (think the Lone Ranger) in about 30 seconds. We timed him. He'd been working with glass for almost 50 years. One is only permitted to do certain pieces as the experience grows, and it is a long apprenticeship. We saw two other pieces which just blew me away, and thanks to the DW I was kept from temptation (and bankruptcy :-).

By that time it was already about two in the afternoon, so we skipped Lido, and headed back to the main area around St. Marks.

On the way back, the Vaporetto goes past the town cemetery which is on a separate island in the lagoon. I wondered if everyone there is above ground the way it is in New Orleans, so as to avoid "floaters". I never thought to ask about cemetery tours there, but then that can wait.

We did purchase a few other souvenirs. Two T-shirts saying "Venezia", and a chef's apron with the torso of David in all his glory on the front. She's daring me to wear it to the next barbeque. I will. I've got nothing to hide.

 

By around 3PM my legs simply wouldn't move anymore. This time we took the #4 express back to the ship. The #4 was fairly empty, it being midday on Saturday. Some woman with a southern accent yelled at me - "DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH!!!!????" Uh, yeah, and I'm also not deaf.

She wanted to know if this was the Vaporetto back to the ship. Yes.

We struck up a bit of a conversation and learned that her drunken cruise on a private yacht to the Caribbean a few weeks prior was so much more fun than this, and besides the kids weren't with them. She was upset because she lost her husband and son in the crowd, and so she and her daughter decided to head back to the ship. Whatever. She asked if we saw "anyone", as there were George Clooney citings since we left Civitavecchia. I told her we saw Penny Marshall but not Rob Reiner. "I don't like Rob Reiner" she said, "he's way too radical". I asked how so, and she said, "you know....".

I told her I thought he was actually a bit too conservative.

That was the end of that conversation.

 

My legs were looking very forward to the fun day at sea on Sunday.

 

Sun 8/7 FUN DAY AT SEA

 

Well, pretty much the same as the first fun day. I wasn't about to do anything uplifting such as read that Pulitzer Prize winning history book I brought along. I knew I shouldn't have brought it because I felt guilty having read only seventy five pages the whole trip. I did however feel good about having mastered the IPod shuffle my sons got me for Fathers day.

So we lay out on deck somewhere away from Big Brother, listened to the music, drank spiked lemonade, napped, went to the Spa, and before you turned around it was time for dinner. What an exhausting schedule.

I think the hairy ape contest or something was being held near the pool, as well as a water ballet contest and fun dancing with Chuck or someone. We skipped all of those and instead heard about the free champagne at the "Art" auction. If you need me to tell you why I put that in quotes I will.

The champagne was cold and went down easy. The next thing I remember is Monday.

 

BnB

[BillnBobbi]

What a wonderful review ! - Thank you so much ! - Question about Venice

(hope this doesn't sound too silly) :p -

 

Previous posters have said that THE side of the ship to view Venice is the PORT side) - in your review you mentioned the

STARBOARD side -

I originally had a room on the STARBOARD side of the ship - changed to the PORT side after reading posts (not going until October 06 - so still a few rooms to choose from)

SHOULD I CHANGE BACK TO THE STARBOARD SIDE ? :confused:

 

(Sounds like the view of Venice is a MUST SEE from the ship)

 

THANKS !!

 

Yeah, it's silly, but so what. Remember in school when you were told "there are no stupid questions"? They lied.

Now I think port is left and starboard is right. Ok, in landlubber terms, the best view is on the right side if you are facing forward (towards the bow). However, this should not be a deal breaker. You are always free to go up to the top decks with everyone else, you know. Actually the higher up you are the better the panorama. That's where the panorama deck got its name.

We actually went to the "crew only" area, and it took them awhile to clear about two hundred of us from there. They were nice about it. We just played stupid.

 

B

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

[QUOTE=BillnBobbi]Yeah, it's silly, but so what. Remember in school when you were told "there are no stupid questions"? They lied.

Now I think port is left and starboard is right. Ok, in landlubber terms, the best view is on the right side if you are facing forward (towards the bow). However, this should not be a deal breaker. You are always free to go up to the top decks with everyone else, you know. Actually the higher up you are the better the panorama. That's where the panorama deck got its name.

We actually went to the "crew only" area, and it took them awhile to clear about two hundred of us from there. They were nice about it. We just played stupid.

 

THANKS FOR THE RESPONSE TO MY 'STUPID' QUESTION !!:o

THEY ARE GOING TO THINK I AM NUTS AT CARNIVAL IF I SWITCH MY ROOM AGAIN TO THE OTHER (RIGHT, I THINK THIS TIME) SIDE OF THE BOAT (OOPS, SHIP) AGAIN !

 

GREAT REVIEW - KEEP IT COMING.......

[floofyfish]

Awesome review!

 

It sounds like the ship docked in venice at a different pier than in the inaugural cruise (july 20)...from what I read they were a few blocks from St. Mark's....or I could be going a little crazy. Was it a different place that you docked?

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

It sounds like the ship docked in venice at a different pier than in the inaugural cruise (july 20)...from what I read they were a few blocks from St. Mark's....or I could be going a little crazy. Was it a different place that you docked?

 

OOOOHHHH - SO THAT'S (MAYBE) WHY THE INAUGURAL CRUISE FOLKS SAID THAT THE PORT SIDE WAS THE BEST 'VIEW OF VENICE' SIDE -

AND LATER CRUISE FOLKS SAID THAT THE RIGHT SIDE WAS THE BEST :confused:

 

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THE INAUGURAL CRUISE DOCKED AT A SPECIAL DOCK - ONE THAT IT WON'T NORMALLY DOCK AT ? SEEMS TO ME I MIGHT HAVE READ THAT SOMEWHERE...:eek:

 

THANKS TO ALL LIBERTY CRUISES (BOTH INAUGURAL AND LATER) THAT TOOK THE TIME TO WRITE SUCH INFORMATIVE, WONDERFUL REVIEWS !!

[ladycaveat]

Bill, my former husband (also a Bill) is editor of an aviation magazine . . . reading your posts reminds me so much of how he writes . . . you really make one feel as if they are right there with you. Fantastic review and I don't doubt for a minute that you are posted (having written for publications).

 

They actually had grits for breakfast in Europe? Yeah! Sure hope that is so on my Caribbean cruise next April on Liberty. I'm with you on the giant TV screen on Lido . . . sounds like a great idea for evenings (playing first run movies . . . as they do on long distance plane flights) but during the day? I can't imagine watching CNN or any other news program (unless I want to do so in my cabin). This is a vacation . . . a cruise . . . I want to hear happy things while lounging on the deck of a big, beautiful cruise ship . . . like a band playing or watching silly games. And if you can't even hear it . . . what's the point?

Just my opinion . . . I'm sure many enjoy it.

 

Keep the reviews coming . . . the best I've read on Liberty's Med cruise. Question . . . which of all the many lounges on Liberty was the most intimate? I'm traveling solo but I loved the cigar bar on Celibrity's Galaxy because it was so small and private (like an old fashion "gentlemans" lounge) . . . really got to talk to and meet some very interesting people in a laid back, quiet and relaxed atmosphere.

[BillnBobbi]

Bill, my former husband (also a Bill) is editor of an aviation magazine . . . reading your posts reminds me so much of how he writes . . . you really make one feel as if they are right there with you. Fantastic review and I don't doubt for a minute that you are posted (having written for publications).

 

They actually had grits for breakfast in Europe? Yeah! Sure hope that is so on my Caribbean cruise next April on Liberty.

 

[Answer: They didn't have them every day, and I liked them better than the homefries which were the preformed frozen kind - like tater tots on steroids.

Well, grits and polenta are first cousins, so maybe that was why. If you are in the Western Caribbean leaving out of NOLA you'll definitely have grits, but ask for Gree-Yuts :-) ]

 

 

I'm with you on the giant TV screen on Lido . . . sounds like a great idea for evenings (playing first run movies . . . as they do on long distance plane flights) but during the day?

 

[Answer: It's on ALL DAY LONG. If it isn't something with the CDs then it's music videos. I especially detested the news in the AM blasting out over breakfast.

We used to like having breakfast outside on the lido deck but this was a real deal breaker in that regard. I sent in a complaint on their suggestion card at the end of the trip, but I'm sure they'll ignore it in as much as the GenXers around here think it's "AWESOME". I hate that word almost as much as I hated the stupid Big Brother. ]

 

 

I can't imagine watching CNN or any other news program (unless I want to do so in my cabin). This is a vacation . . . a cruise . . . I want to hear happy things while lounging on the deck of a big, beautiful cruise ship . . . like a band playing or watching silly games. And if you can't even hear it . . . what's the point?

Just my opinion . . . I'm sure many enjoy it.

 

Keep the reviews coming . . . the best I've read on Liberty's Med cruise. Question . . . which of all the many lounges on Liberty was the most intimate? I'm traveling solo but I loved the cigar bar on Celibrity's Galaxy because it was so small and private (like an old fashion "gentlemans" lounge) . . . really got to talk to and meet some very interesting people in a laid back, quiet and relaxed atmosphere.

 

[Answer: The most intimate lounge appeared to be The Empress Lounge, but I never saw anyone in there. It's done out in Crimson and has a fake fireplace.

The Karaoke lounge looked pretty intimate - It was set up for jazz combos.

The Cabinet - which is the cigar lounge is also very nice, but I wouldn't call it intimate. ]

 

Bill

[Juliadlf]

OOOOHHHH - SO THAT'S (MAYBE) WHY THE INAUGURAL CRUISE FOLKS SAID THAT THE PORT SIDE WAS THE BEST 'VIEW OF VENICE' SIDE -

AND LATER CRUISE FOLKS SAID THAT THE RIGHT SIDE WAS THE BEST :confused:

 

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THE INAUGURAL CRUISE DOCKED AT A SPECIAL DOCK - ONE THAT IT WON'T NORMALLY DOCK AT ? SEEMS TO ME I MIGHT HAVE READ THAT SOMEWHERE...:eek:

 

THANKS TO ALL LIBERTY CRUISES (BOTH INAUGURAL AND LATER) THAT TOOK THE TIME TO WRITE SUCH INFORMATIVE, WONDERFUL REVIEWS !!

 

Here is the link for the ships in port for Venice and where they will be docking. Of course, everything can change but the Inaugural and the sailing early September - arriving in Venice around the 10th- dock near St.Marks- R7M -the rest of the Liberty ships would be in the MARITTIMA.

http://www.vtp.it/pages/calendario/ricerca.jsp

[ladycaveat]

Bill, thank you so much for answering my post . . . especially so fast. About the big screen TV . . . I know those that have grown up with TV (especially within the past twenty years) . . . will probably love this new addition to Carnival. As a "child" of the 50's (I'm 58) . . . sitting in front of a tiny black and white screen with my family was very exciting. But now . . . it's so common place as not to be "exciting" any more. It's a very personal thing but I just don't think watching TV (or not watching it but having it towering over me) while sitting out in the sun in the middle of the ocean (or Caribbean) is something I would like. Having not yet been exposed to Liberty's big screen TV . . . I have no idea what it will be like. But watching TV is not something I care to do on a cruise. Can everyone hear it? What is the sound level? Is there anywhere (with a pool and sun) that one can do where they are not exposed to this big screen TV?

[fatmancruisin]

I am in agreement with the TV, in fact they can trade the one from my room for a good stereo so I can listen to some good ol' Buffet and Clapton!! Thanks Again Bill for your cruise review!!

[BillnBobbi]

"Heel and toe and Heel and toe,

Heel and toe and away we go."

 

As dawn broke, we approached the Strait of Messina, with the toe of Italy on starboard and the soccer ball of Sicily on the port side. The city of Messina is a working port, and there were several commercial vessels near us as we approached the dock. The gap between the mainland and the Island looks as if it could easily be connected by a bridge, but although there are plans on the books, it hasn't been done yet. It probably has to do with the fact that the entire area is sitting right on a fault line not very far from an active volcano. Messina was leveled back in 1908.

 

Because of those factors, Messina is very low profile architecturally, and frankly not very interesting. I suppose it was just a convenient place to put the ship so as to see Mt. Etna. I think in retrospect I would have preferred if we had gone to Palermo, where most of the cruise ships dock, but that will have to be for another trip.

 

At any rate, we opted to take the ship arranged tour of the mountain village of Taormina combined with the excursion to Mt. Etna. Our guide on the air-conditioned bus (just about all of the Greyhound-like buses appear to be Mercedes-Benz) was very informative. Although we were on one bus or another almost half the day, seeing both sites was well worth it.

 

The large excursion bus arrives at a bus stop in Taormina where everyone gets out and goes on special buses for a five minute ride to the top of the mountain upon which it rests. The road is very narrow, similar to the ones on Capri, and the chasses need to be made a special narrow grade to negotiate the turns. These buses all stop at a designated area at the top in the center of the town, and from there we walk. The only motor transportation in Taormina are Vespas and mini-cars (REALLY MINI, I'd like some of those things over here, but they probably don't meet emission standards or crash tests.)

 

Everything in Taormina is uphill, until of course we are ready to leave. We have about an hour and a half there. First stop is the public toilets at the base of the Greek theater ruins. No toilet seats. Gee, what a surprise. At least they were free. I asked the tour guide why there are no seats and she mumbles something unconvincing about hygeine. Well at least all the tour guides in Italy have their stories straight. There was this little guy smoking a black bent stogie by a gift stand. I was going to ask him but then thought better of it. ( " Daaah-dahdahdah- da- dadah, daah-dahdahdah - da -dadah...." - Sorry couldn't resist...)

 

The Greek theater is still used for concerts and a modern stage with large blue speakers on each side gave a strange contrast to the pre-Christian ampitheater. There are no modern seats; one sits on either wooden platforms or bare stone. There is graffiti, which I found upsetting until I remembered that graffiti is an Italian word. Once the Romans took over from the Greeks the ampitheater went from showing boring Greek plays to humans battling wild animals and other humans. Broadway has gone through a similar transition, but these things have a way of evening out over time.

Now there are rock concerts at this theater in the sky. Can't wait for Mt.Etna which is so prominent in the distance to get angry.

The view from this vantage point is nothing short of majestic. (Dare I use the word "awesome"?) From behind the cheap seats, the eastern triangle of Sicily simply appears to rise out of the sea like the back of Poseiden.

We leave the ruins and go down the single lane street lined on both sides with tourist trap shops. There is a cute little boy in one of the stores "helping" his sister and his grandmother to sell the trinkets. We picked up some bracelets and necklaces made out of lava stone for our young adult children. Got the grandson a Pinocchio marionette, and a T-shirt with the Sicilian sun god on it. Took care of everything. Of course, there was more GELATO. After the requisite shopping for stuff, we all got back on the mini-bus, went down to the regular bus and departed for lunch in a quaint Sicilian village some where. (Dah...dahdahdah...da dahdah...)

We had a quaint lunch with three hundred other fellow tourists at the Sicilian equivalent of Mama Leone's; except that the food was way better than the Manhattan toruista trap. The family who owns the place prepared all the food themselves. It was humble but delicious. We had two kinds of pasta - One was a carbonara with eggplant, the other was an alfredo type with julienned slivers of zucchini and carrots. Everything was prepared fresh including the bread. The house wine was a nice chianti (hold the fava beans) which was preservative free, and went down as easy as cold water.

No one was in any particular rush, except for our tour guide who told us we had to press on to Mt. Etna.

Now, venturing up onto the largest volcano in Europe is truly awesome. Here the word is appropriate. You do not go all the way to the top, because that cauldron is still active. There are numerous inactive cauldrons on the mountain and we all stop at the one conveniently next to a restaurant and gift shop. The volcanic soil is colored with iron, copper and sulfur, it is red,green and yellow and the area at which we stop is almost as barren as the moon. There are some few hardy low growing plants breaking through the young soil, but that's it. The ground has the texture of rough sandpaper and it has a way of sticking to everything.

The most puzzling thing was why young women insist on going EVERYWHERE in flipflops, especially on top of a volcano rim in which the floor of the cauldron is about three stories down. Some had the "good sense" to walk around barefoot. Here the overused Irish word "Brilliant" comes to mind.

The tourists are given enough time to walk around, do the photo ops, and of course, use the toilets in the gift shop and buy the requisite volcano themed souvenirs. Everything is made of lava. We bought a bottle of some strawberry liquer, because we were told it is like drinking fire. The bottle is way to funky in a tackytouristy way to bother opening. There's a toy donkey cart on the top, and the bottle is surrounded by that black pebble soil. When it all falls off on the den floor, we'll get around to drinking the stuff.

We get back on the bus and take the hour and a half ride back to the ship. Like Lucky Luciano once said, "you have breakfast, go play the horses, drink a little wine, and the day is shot."

 

BnB

[BillnBobbi]

Notice how with Carnival there is never a MISERABLE day at sea. Every day at sea is a fun day. And it is. Good for Carnival.

 

This is the last of the fun days at sea until our next cruise so we make the most of it. We sleep till about 10:30 and miss breakfast. I remember showering somewhere, go up to the funnel deck to further improve the tan, miss lunch and then decide that nutritious is the following: Corned beef and pastrami on rye, pepperoni pizza, hotdog with relish, large plate of fries, and five glasses of lemonade. Fortunately the sea was calm that day.

 

I read about five more pages of that history book I shouldn't have brought. I find out why the Cortez was a killer. Back to the Ipod.

 

The DW and I spend the remainder of the afternoon turning into prunes in one of the hottubs, and having a pleasant conversation with a twelve year old American who is unaware what the capitol of the US is.

 

True conversation:

 

"So, what country are you from?"

"I'm American."

"Where do you live?"

"New York City" (DW is an asst. principal)

"Do you know the capitol of New York?"

"Albany?"

"That's right!" "So how come you don't know the capitol of the US?"

"It's too far away."

 

 

Kid's been watching Big Brother too much.

 

The second "formal" is that evening. I absolutely refuse to put on a tie, and dress like my old idol, Don Johnson. No one cares.

 

Tommorrow - Barcelona.

 

BnB

[BillnBobbi]

Bill, thank you so much for answering my post . . . especially so fast. About the big screen TV . . . I know those that have grown up with TV (especially within the past twenty years) . . . will probably love this new addition to Carnival. As a "child" of the 50's (I'm 58) . . . sitting in front of a tiny black and white screen with my family was very exciting. But now . . . it's so common place as not to be "exciting" any more. It's a very personal thing but I just don't think watching TV (or not watching it but having it towering over me) while sitting out in the sun in the middle of the ocean (or Caribbean) is something I would like. Having not yet been exposed to Liberty's big screen TV . . . I have no idea what it will be like. But watching TV is not something I care to do on a cruise. Can everyone hear it? What is the sound level? Is there anywhere (with a pool and sun) that one can do where they are not exposed to this big screen TV?

 

 

Hey, a soul mate the same age as me!!! Peanut gallery!!!!I'm with you on this all the way. The sound level is close to shattering in directly in front (meaning you cannot have polite conversation without raising your voice).

Yet, as I stated earlier, there are many places on the ship that you can hide.

Just find deck space away from the center and you will not see or hear Big Brother. I noticed plenty of folks doing that. I suppose eventually for the kind of cruise experience we want we'll have to get on a Crystal ship or a Radisson. I don't mind the people antics at all - the contests, the goofing around - but I really find the giant screen very very weird.

 

Bill

[ladycaveat]

I am in agreement with the TV, in fact they can trade the one from my room for a good stereo so I can listen to some good ol' Buffet and Clapton!! Thanks Again Bill for your cruise review!!

 

Tee hee . . . funny you should mention Jimmy Buffet. I was never a huge fan but now . . . when I'm getting ready for a cruise . . . I play his music non stop. I'm not really into "party till you pu** . . . but I have discovered that I love his music about the ocean . . . the Caribbean . . . and a laid back way of life. His music brings to mind something that really stirs something in me. Makes me want to retire to the Caribbean . . . buy a little beach shack and just chill. Tee Hee . . . if they showed Jimmy Buffet's shows on Carnival's TV . . . I'd be in Heaven.

[BillnBobbi]

Before doing the review on Barcelona, I need to mention something that happened on the ship as we left Messina. John Heald mentioned over the PA that the ship would pass close to the island of Stromboli, which is a volcano sticking up out of the Mediterranean. We were in our cabin when this announcement was made and decided we'd go see this.

 

While we were getting dressed another announcement came over the PA:

"Code Starbright, all emergency personnel to the mid port side of the panorama deck, passenger is sick".

It turned out that a middle-aged gentleman had thrown up and collapsed on the panorama deck. He had suffered cardiac arrest. This was not generally known at that moment.

About five minutes later, we were heading upstairs to watch Stromboli go by. All of a sudden the ship did something which two days prior it had done as a drill. It went into Full Reverse which caused it to stop virtually immediately. Then we could feel the ship listing to port and as we looked out the window of the Promenade we could see Stromboli going by. The thing was that Stromboli should have been on the starboard side, not the port side.

The captain had done a complete u-turn and was heading back towards Messina at full speed ahead.

A lot of folks were wondering what the heck was going on; but I knew as soon as I had heard the code starbright that someone was in grave trouble.

John Heald came on the PA and announced in a serious tone, that the captain had turned the ship around and was heading for the nearest port with a hospital competent to administer to this passenger. That was all the information he gave at that time.

Some people wondered if someone had died. Well, if someone had died there was no rush. The ship does have a morgue for those situations. It turned out that the emergency team on board was keeping this man alive with resuscitative procedures and hoping he would live till they got him to a more adequate facility.

It was pitch black when the ship arrived at an island off of Messina which had the right facilities, and the Italian coast guard assisted in getting the man and his family off of the ship.

He was alive when they got him to the hospital, but we were never told the ultimate outcome for obvious privacy reasons.

That the team was able to keep him alive for the hour or so it took to get to a safe harbor is a credit to the captain, the emergency medical team and the rest of the crew who acted with the utmost professionalism.

There was once a time when cruise ships did not have this service available and the call went out "is there a doctor on board?!" There was a time when upon signing on, one's profession was asked.

Now I know that there were several medical professionals on board but sending out that old call was not necessary. I do know that if any one of the passengers with medical training were needed, they would not have hesitated to help.

Yes, we are on a vacation and on a cruise, but the captain and the rest of the crew are well aware that the first priority is the safety of all on board.

Kudos.

 

 

Now on to Barcelona:

 

The ship docked early, even allowing for the three hour delay as a result of the emergency described above. The time was made up on the day at sea.

Bobbi and I are early birds and I think we were either the first or second passengers to disembark. The game plan was to go to the furthest point that we wanted to explore and then work our way back.

The ship had arranged for shuttle buses to go from the dock to the Christopher Columbus monument at the base of Las Ramblas; however when we got off they hadn't arrived yet. There were a couple of taxis waiting and we hired one to take us to La Sagrada Familia - the cathedral conceived and designed by Gaudi. The charge for the two of us was 15 euro. The shuttle bus would have been 10 euro.

It took about 12 to 15 minutes to negotiate the early morning rush hour traffic and arrive at the cathedral. The driver spoke no English and my Spanish is poor but we managed to communicate with a little bit of French and Italian. He wondered why we wanted to get there so early as the inside did not open to the public until 10:30. Well I wasn't that interested in the interior as much as the exterior. A large portion of the Sagrada Familia is still unfinished and there is a continual fund raising drive going on to complete it.

There is scaffolding and construction cranes everywhere. Apparently these are erased on the tourist postcards.

This church is a must see as it is Gaudi's magnum opus. He devoted most of the last two decades of his life to seeing it reach fruition and died while the work was beginning. This happens a lot to builders of cathedrals and many take a century or more to complete.

Whereas the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright posited that form should harmonize with its surroundings, and follow function; Gaudi held that organic forms were their own raison d'etre and placed many strange and seemingly out of context things in his constructions. Sagrada Familia, as with many of his buildings appears to be melting in the hot sun of the Costa del Sol. It is very organic, and there are bas reliefs of all sorts of wondrous creatures on the facade. This might seem out of place till one recalls the gargoyles on the facades of the more conventional Gothic cathedrals elsewhere in Europe. There are bundles of fruits at the tops of some of the spires ornamented in their natural colors. Many people ask what was Gaudi smoking.

 

Walking in a westward direction from the church brought us into the heart of the L'eixample district where most of the other Gaudi buildings are located and are in short proximity of one another. Of special interest was the Casa Mila and the Casa Batllo both located on opposite sides of the wide boulevard, Passeig de Gracia.

This boulevard is also the one with many of the upscale stores, fine restaurants, and tapas bars. It was very early in the morning but the tapas were already being made and available for sale. They looked delicious, and later on we would eat our way back to the ship. At the moment however, we needed a toilet. I know I keep harping on this but after the experience in Italy, I needed to compare notes. Well, thank you Barcelona. The toilets were clean, had seats and were free!!! Razzies to you, Italy.

BTW, Barcelona would not be Barcelona without the presence of Gaudi. Without all of the builidings, the Park Geuill, the organic benches along the promenades etc., it would just be another large boring town about the size of Chicago. :-)

As we continued south on the Passeig de Gracia we finally came to the hub of the central district - The Placa de Cataluna. Here there are metro stations, buses, police, kids with knapsacks, winos and tourists. Kind of a Washington Sq. Park. From here the choice was to go to Las Ramblas or tkae the Portal de L'angel into the old gothic section. We opted for the latter.

This section is actually the original medieval walled town. The wall is gone, but sections of it still exist. One side of the Picasso Museum is actually this wall. It is easy to become disoriented here as the streets seem to go where they will for no apparent reason. There is nothing to worry about though - it isn't one of those English garden mazes - and sooner or later you emerge on one of four north south east west main avenues.

The streets are so narrow that a mini-Fiat barely makes it through - and they are constantly trying. One BMW 3 series was insistent on passing us and I had to suck in my stomach to let it pass. Why they allow traffic in this district at all is a mystery. The main attraction here is the Barri Gothic Cathedral which dominates the skyline. There are hundreds of tours going on simultaneously. The thing that caught my eye however was a derelict who hadn't apparently washed or shaved since Franco died, and was wearing some cloth bandana around his head. He was lying on his side on a stone bench on the side of the church beneath some inscription. He looked like Jesus, just down from the cross, and he was being completey ignored. Things don't change much.

 

Two other notable places in this district are the Dali museum and the Picasso Museum. The Dali museum has several of the surrealists decent works before he became a total whore. Many show quite a wry sense of humor and the masters obvious disdain for convention and propriety.

The Picasso Museum at the current time is presenting a show about the 4 Cats, which was the artist clique that the young Pablo joined during his time in Barcelona. We found that fascinating, and there was one painting there, by one of Picasso's comtemporaries that was stunning. It was a portrait of a woman done in a low light, with pastel colors that was the essence of serenity. She was sitting beside a table with objects on it, and she became one of the objects as well. I would have purchased it on the spot but it would have meant a second mortgage. I'll try and post a picture of it later.

We bought the exhibition catalogue. It was 30 euros but it is a nice souvenir for art lovers.

After leaving the museums, we worked our way over to Las Ramblas. There is no lack of GELATO STANDS. It was time for lunch, but dessert comes first. You never know what is going to happen next, as someone once told me.

The sky then decided to open up, and we ducked into a free indoor exhibit which was displaying the original drawings for a series of children's art books. These books are a series on each of the artists and musicians from Barcelona who have made an impression on the world: Gaudi, Picasso, Dali, Pablo Casals and others. It describes, using text and wonderful drawings, the lives of each of these people, and what caused them to become what they did. We purchased a few of them in the English versions (there were about six language versions), and I found them informative even on an adult level.

They're going away in storage for the grandson. I hope he'll appreciate it when it is time.

When the rain stopped we began to work our way down Las Ramblas. A man who was dressed up as Julius Ceasar's ghost in complete whiteface and silver hair had ducked for cover as well. ("Great Ceasar's Ghost!!" - Perry White) He had to or his gig would have been up, or actually down on the pavement. There are dozens of these street mimes in Barcelona (as well as Venice, and apparently anywhere in Europe in which there are tourists), all dressed up as someone famous, whether real or fictional. What they are after is a few eurocents for the privilege of allowing you to take their picture.

The only place in the US I've seen this done so much is in New Orleans.

I think the last of the street mimes in NY was killed off during the Koch administration.

We ate our way down Las Ramblas which has to be the world's longest tourist trap. You want it, they got it.

Since we are long time foodies, the highlight of Las Ramblas for us was the Mercat de la Boqueria - the large cental market on the west side of the avenue about midway down. You don't see this stuff in the USA. The place is sectioned into the various kinds of provisions. There is one section for fishmonger stalls, one for meats, one for chickens and eggs, one for fish, another for fruits and vegetables. There are kiosks on the perimeter for purchasing sandwiches and other snacks, grilled fish, etc.

We sat at the fish grill and ordered a mixed selection for $20 euros. One was more than plenty for the two of us. It had shrimp, razor clams, octopus, calamari, a couple of kinds of white fish filets, all drizzled in olive oil, basil and salt. The woman served this two us with ample amounts of garlic bread to sop up everything on our plate. I noticed the wonderful Spanish smoked ham near us. She asked us if we'd ever been to Barcelona before, and we told her this was our first time. I told her I'd never had Serrano ham. She asked us if we'd like a taste. I expected a sliver for each of us, but instead she made up a platter with a few marinated vegetables. She told us to please enjoy it, it was on the house, and welcome to Spain. That was really nice.

I washed my food down with lots of local beer on tap, and the woman's husband opened up a bottle of white for Bobbi. He kept pouring and she kept accepting. The entire lunch came to 28 euros. Heaven. I felt like Tony Bourdain on Chef's Tour.

We continued down Las Ramblas, and the midday heat was getting to us. We didn't see all of the Gaudis we wanted but that will be for another time. We'll definitely return to Barcelona. We took a nice slow walk back to the ship.

 

Tommorrow was Cannes.

 

Bill

[BillnBobbi]

All of these digital photos were taken with a Sony DSC-V1 "Cybershot" 5megapixels with a 4xOptical Zoom. The lens is Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar

2,8-4/7-28 high resolution lens.

 

I hope you all enjoy them.

 

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/425232704fbtUwE

 

I hope to finish the reviews of Cannes and Florence by tommorrow.

 

BnB

[DebNJoe]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your wonderful review. Looking forward to the next 2 installments.

What time did you dock and when was the first tender in Cannes? I heard that they docked an hour early on the 1st cruise, hope that may be a permanent change. We will be on the 9/30 sailing and have a private excursion set up for 10 am, wondering if I should move it up.

 

I'm also from Nassau County - grew up in East Meadow, but now live in So. Florida.

 

Thanks also for the wonderful pictures. :D

 

Debbie

[not Cozumel again cruiser]

Hi there I am enjoying your review of Liberty also as we are going transatlantic to Rome next year on her. Do you know anything about the wi fi or internet service on the ship. We like to be on "vacation" but we must keep in touch with a teen at home thanks for any info. That view of Venice from the cruise ship is really something- "Misty and mystical bridge between east and west, Venezia is like a once great faded queen that still manages to enchant and beguile" HENRY JAMES

[winewanderer]

Bill,

 

Thanks for continuing this great review.

 

Do remember the cost of your Taormina tour?

 

Thanks for the tip on the Barcelona market. One thing my hubby and I love to do wherever we go is visit the local outdoor market.

[mjbelen]

Loved your photos. There is one in particular I like which shows a canal in Venice with the different color reflections in the water. You definately have an "eye" when it come to photography.

 

I am really enjoying your photos and your reviews. Keep them coming.

 

Joan

[BillnBobbi]

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your wonderful review. Looking forward to the next 2 installments.

What time did you dock and when was the first tender in Cannes? I heard that they docked an hour early on the 1st cruise, hope that may be a permanent change. We will be on the 9/30 sailing and have a private excursion set up for 10 am, wondering if I should move it up.

 

I'm also from Nassau County - grew up in East Meadow, but now live in So. Florida.

 

Thanks also for the wonderful pictures. :D

 

Debbie

 

I forget what time we tendered because we were simply going ashore without any tour booked, either with the ship or privately. Those who did that option had to wait until all of the tours went off on the tenders. Each tender took around 150 people. You had to take a number based on the time of the tour, then wait in the Venetian lounge until the number was called.

If you are going on a private excursion you need to let them know ahead of time when it is, and they will assign you the appropriate number.

Even with being in the last group we wound up on shore by around 9 am.

[BillnBobbi]

Hi there I am enjoying your review of Liberty also as we are going transatlantic to Rome next year on her. Do you know anything about the wi fi or internet service on the ship. We like to be on "vacation" but we must keep in touch with a teen at home thanks for any info. That view of Venice from the cruise ship is really something- "Misty and mystical bridge between east and west, Venezia is like a once great faded queen that still manages to enchant and beguile" HENRY JAMES

 

We didn't use it. The last thing I want to do is look at any kind of screen, esp. Big Brother on the Lido deck. However, I can understand your need to keep in touch with a minor. The internet cafe is located behind a door in a corner of the Cabinet room. The service was out for the first three days of the cruise, I didn't care, so I didn't ask why. The cost is the usual highway robbery ( or piracy since we're at sea :-) for use on a ship.

 

B

[BillnBobbi]

Loved your photos. There is one in particular I like which shows a canal in Venice with the different color reflections in the water. You definately have an "eye" when it come to photography.

 

I am really enjoying your photos and your reviews. Keep them coming.

 

Joan

 

Thanks, it's all done with smoke and mirrors. :-).

 

No, actually I've always loved landscape photography. You'll notice there are hardly any personal pictures. Neither one of us likes the "here we are at ________ on our trip" pictures. Besides, Bobbi's cute, but my mug tends to shatter the lens. :-)

 

B