Almost Live - Viking Sky - Mediterranean Odyssey - April 2023

[lackcreativity]

When we were in Monte Carlo with Viking, we took the NIce, Eze, and Monte Carlo optional excursion, which was one of my all time favorite excursions (even if a whirlwind of a day). I would select it over again. Now we will just have to go back again to repeat your plan for the day! Really lovely pictures and a great use of your day.

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 12 - The Corsican Connection

 

 

Today we dock at Marseille. We didn't feel like taking a multi hour bus ride to the far flung regions of Southern France so we opted for the included tour. Founded by Greek settlers, Marseille is the oldest city in France, as well as one of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited settlements. It is the 2nd largest city in France and has a huge industrial port, the 5th largest in Europe. 

 

We began our tour with a traffic detour. Luckily it was not protesters. The protests over the recent changes to the retirement age are scheduled for tomorrow. There was heavy traffic due to the departure of a number of ferries. Our driver took an alternative route through the worst part of the city. The tour guide began telling us about the history of the heroin trade and how from the 1920s until the 1970s nothing was done about it because so much money was being made. She segued into talking about the movie "The French Connection," which we learned was re-titled "The Corsican Connection" for domestic consumption. The other connection was that this part of Marseille looked just like NYC in the '70s or maybe worse. The scale of the graffiti was unbelievable. The sides of skyscrapers had multi story graffiti painted on them as if someone repelled down the sides to do their tagging. When we finally entered the more tourist friendly areas I was able to take a few shots from the bus.

 

After passing the picturesque port we drove down the coast for a few photo stops. There are some rocky islands off the coast, one of which has a fortress, the Chateau d'If, that was used as a prison. Similar to Alcatraz, with strong currents surrounding it, there is a legend of an escape from the island. This inspired Alexander Dumas, who then used it for the setting of "The Count of Monte Cristo."

 

During a stop I was asked to review a play. The call stands. Touchdown!

 

The bus then took us to a viewpoint below the city's hilltop cathedral. Unfortunately the sun was directly in our eyes and you could not see anything. Not a good tour to take early in the day. We eventually ended up at the old port and City Hall, where I did snap a picture of the cathedral.

 

The rest of our free time was a complete waste. The guide walked us blocks to some small shop selling locally made products. When we inquired about restrooms we were told to buy something in a café or try and find the local shopping mall. After some discussion our guide reluctantly led up to the shopping mall. By the time we returned to City Hall it was almost time to leave. 

 

 

 

This excursion was a complete waste of time. We should have opted for one of the multi-hour bus rides to somewhere else.... anywhere else. Needless to say we won't be returning to Marseille. The only thing of value was the bit of trivia I picked up about Alexander Dumas. Speaking of trivia, due to dinner reservations our regular team couldn't make it tonight. Instead DW and I competed as a two person team AND WON! Our fourth win on this trip. The victory came down to a tie breaking question about the distance from the earth to the sun, a number I've retained since childhood (93 million miles). The host commented that he rarely sees two person teams win. So maybe that Dumas trivia will come in handy one day?

 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[FetaCheese]

Thanks again for your posts.  Really enjoying your descriptions and wonderful photos.  

 

My parents visited Marseille in 2001, and really loved it.  So it has really changed since then.  

 

Congratulations on trivia wins!

Edited April 23, 2023 by FetaCheese

[sneakerladywnc]

So glad I found these posts. Taking Iconic Mediterranean cruise in November and starting to drill down on what to do in ports, several the same as you've done. Very helpful--thanks much!

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 13 - The Full Gaudí Experience

 

 

We sailed into Barcelona at sunrise.

 

 

 

As I stated in the roll call for this cruise, Barcelona is the main reason we booked this trip. On a 2019 cruise, our ship was forced to leave port early and instead docked in Taragona. Our Gaudí excursions were cancelled and a modified Barcelona highlights tour was substituted. I told DW that we would return someday to visit the sites of Antoni Gaudí's magnificent architecture. Today is that day! Knowing that it would sell out, the first tour I booked for this cruise was the privileged access excursion to Gaudí's Houses of Modernism. It did not disappoint. After a quick drive by some of Gaudi's other buildings, we arrived at Casa Vicens before opening time. After taking some photos of the facade, we were led into the courtyard where we had coffee and a snack. Viking was the first group to enter the property and this allowed for some amazing photos to be taken, uninterrupted by a throng of people. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first house Gaudí designed. It marks the beginning of Gaudí's artistic career and is considered to be one of the first masterpieces of Modernism. Art Nouveau drew inspiration from organic forms, evolving elegant designs resembling the stems and blossoms of plants. You can clearly see this in the gate, where palm leaves were used as the inspiration.

 

 

The inside of the building is stunning. The smoking room is a work of art. Its ceiling reminded me of The Alhambra.

 

Everywhere you looked, you saw something amazing. This is a must see for anyone visiting Barcelona.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our next stop was Gaudí's most famous house, the iconic Casa Batlló.

 

It was a timed entrance and due to crowds we could not enter early. Our tour guide showed us some other amazing houses on the street.

 

 

Next door to Casa Batlló, the courtyard of that house now has an entrance to a candy store. In what was originally the kitchen, the appliances are still intact. (You can also use their restrooms.)

 

 

Casa Batlló is amazing. Its exterior motif is that of a dragon. St.George is the patron saint of Barcelona and dragons are found throughout the city. Gaudí used them in several of his designs.

The interior is full Art Nouveau design. No straight lines, everything flows like an object from nature. It's a masterpiece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the central light shaft of the building, Gaudí used lighter blue tiles at the bottom and darkened them as they rose to the top. This has the effect of balancing the light intensity.

 

 

The back porch and roof area are also amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After an almost 5 hour tour we were back on ship for lunch. We had docked at the closest pier to the port entrance. Barcelona can accomodate 6 cruise ships. The rest were docked in a far off area that requires a shuttle bus to get to the entrance. We took advantage of our prime location and headed to the statue of Columbus and the start of Las Ramblas. the iconic boulevard of the city. Here we walked the entire length and took a detour to wander through the market and the old town area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking a snack break with some spiral potato chips.

 

Picasso facade

 

After a long day we went back to the ship for dinner and to pack for disembarkation. Stay tuned because we are on a post cruise extension and there is still more Gaudí to come.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[springtravel]

These aren eally great pictures. We didn't get this excursion, and missed out. A good reason to head back to Barcelona on a future cruise. Truly an amazing city. 

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 14 - Farewell Viking Sky

Today we leave the Sky and begin our post-cruise extension in Barcelona. It's always sad to leave a Viking cruise ship but we were excited to continue our exploration of Barcelona. Hotel check in at Nobu is in the afternoon but our departure from the Sky was at 9:00 AM so we departed on what is essentially the included Barcelona excursion. If you book the Barcelona extension there is no need to take the included tour while on the ship. It will be redundant. The tour takes you on a highlights tour of the city with a couple of stops for a photo ops and a bathroom break.  FYI tour buses are no longer allowed in the vicinity of La Sagrada Família so you can only see a glimpse of the basilica from blocks away. 

 

 

Olympic torch 

 

 

The Arc de Triomf was built as the entrance to the 1888 World's Fair.

 

 

 The restroom break was at the Catalan National Art Museum which offers a spectacular view of the city. Our tour guide told us the rest room visit would be spectacular and she was right. They are located adjacent to an incredible assembly hall with one of the largest pipe organs in Europe,

 

 

 

Bullring below the Museum

 

Restroom break

 

 

 

On our pre-cruise extension in Venice there were 180 people. This post-cruise extension has a similar number. The hotel was not not prepared for three busloads of people checking in at the same time. We were routed to an upstairs meeting room to check. We waited in line for over an hour.  When we finally checked in we were informed that our room wouldn't be available for another 2 hours. This essentially took away a half day of two day extension. We decided to walk to the city's bullring which is located close by. 

 

Bull fighting is no longer permitted in Catalonia and the ring has been converted to a shopping mall with a ring of restaurants around the top of the building. There is an elevator on the exterior that charges a fee to go to the observation level. Our tour guide told us if you go inside the mall you can take the escalators to the top at no charge. The inside is quite a renovation. It's a sleek modern design with a food court on the bottom floor, shops on the main floor and an interactive central platform for kids, a multiplex movie theater on the next level, and a ring of restaurants on the top observation level.

 

Central platform

 

View from the bullring roof

 

 

 

After a very late lunch we returned to the hotel and finally made it to our hotel room. The room was very nice and the hotel is located next to the central train station. It's a vary convenient location if you are traveling to or from Barcelona by train. Paris is only 6 hours away by high speed rail and Madrid is 2.5 hours. If we were doing an independent land excursion, this is a place we would consider staying.

 

 

After a long day we decided to rest up for our final day in Barcelona. Tomorrow we have an independent tour scheduled to visit Park Güell and La Sagrada Família. 
 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[Azulann]

I love Barcelona and especially Gaudi buildings. Your pictures are great. 

 

Another bit of trivia  about the little fort in harbor of Marseille. When we were there on a tour the guide also said the fort was also used  for quarantining  ships,  during the times of the Black Plague, a number of days before before allowed to dock harbor side. 

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 15 - Saving the Best for Last

 

Our last full day in Barcelona began with a sunrise breakfast at the top floor of the Nobu hotel. The food was nothing special but the view was spectacular. 

 

 

 

Several weeks ago we arraigned a tour with Barcelona Day Tours for our last day of our Viking post cruise extension. Their highlights of Barcelona tour had options for “beat the line” tickets for entrance to Park Güell and La Sagradra Familia, two sites that were on our list of must see venues. I have nothing but great things to say about Barcelona Day Tours. We exchanged emails several times over the past weeks to work out details of our tour. They are a family run business and were very helpful throughout the process. Our tour guide Javier was excellent. He was knowledgeable and entertaining, probably the best guide we’ve had on this trip. Please note that tickets sell out quickly for entrance to the the basilica so if you want to go inside you need to plan ahead.

The tour overlapped somewhat with Viking tour from the previous day but Javier was a superior guide and added much more colorful commentary to what we were seeing. We stopped for a photo op at the art museum, drove through the Olympic Park area and the Olympic village. Javier pointed out the Columbus statue was suppose to be pointing at the New World but that would have him pointing at the mountains so an artistic decision was made to have him pointing towards the sea…. and Asia.

 

 

 

 

We also learned about the history of the construction of Barcelona. As a defensive measure no building was allowed within cannon range of the old city walls. After this became untenable a master plan was developed in the 19th century giving us today’s grid plan, wide boulevards, and chamfered intersections to accommodate the never built street car lines. 

 

After a drive by some of Gaudi’s houses it was off to Park Güell. On the way we learned the history of the park. Named after a person, the closest pronunciation in English would be Park Way. The concept of the park was to build what today would be a modern housing development with a very restrictive HOA. At the time it was high on a hill, well outside the city limits of Barcelona. As a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, the idea was to live in a holistic environment with clean air and in harmony with nature. The problem? It was in the middle of nowhere in a time when ornate homes were a display of wealth and prestige, which were pointless to build if no one saw them. In the end only three houses were built, one for the owner, one for the architect Gaudi, and one for the lawyer. Park Güell is another Gaudi masterpiece of modernism and Art Nouveau’s synergy with nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaudi’s home.

 

 

 

 

I must comment on the park benches. They are the most comfortable public benches I have ever sat in. Most park benches are impossible to sit in for more than a few minutes. These were the opposite. Gaudi designed a lumbar support into them that is not only artistic but is actually functional. The man was a genius.

 

 

 

 

 

Once again the dragon motif can be found at in Gaudi’s design, the back of a dragon and the iconic salamander. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After about an hour in this fabulous park it was off to La Sagradra Familia. After a tour of the outside of the basilica and the street entertainment, we bid farewell to Javier for our timed entry into Gaudi’s stone forest. 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside the basilica is amazing. The capitals of the columns branch like tree limbs with light fixtures placed below them like knotholes in a tree. The color of the columns is caused by different types of stone with different density. They are used to support exteriors towers of different heights. The yet unbuilt main tower will be the tallest and require the densest stone. The massive reddish columns will be used for this.

 

 

 

 

The east sunrise side is the nativity facade representing life while the west sunset side is the passion facade representing death.  The colors of stained glass on each side play with the light from the sun as it makes its way from sunrise to sunset basking the basilica in an ever changing rainbow. From the cooler colored east to the warmer colored west, it’s quite the visual experience as the day passes by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a museum and workshop under the cathedral that you should visit. Knowing that it would take generations to complete, Gaudi made detailed drawings and models of his design. His work continues to this day with the goal of completing this extraordinary building exactly as he envisioned it. 

 

In today’s workshop they are using 3D printers to create models of the elements that still need to be constructed.

 

 

Gaudi also built a schoolhouse to educate the children of the workers. It was moved next to west facade where it is open to visitors. 

 

 

Today was a marvelous experience that concludes this fantastic odyssey. Tomorrow it’s a 4:00AM wake-up call for our very long journey back to California.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[Lazonia]

Now I must go to Barcelona thanks to your beautiful pictures and narrative.    Thank you! 

[FetaCheese]

Thank you for such beautiful photos.  We also used Barcelona Day Tours for a full day tour, including Montserrat.  I agree they are a fine company, offering a high quality experience.  We also had a great guide, Marta.

 

I enjoyed reliving our days in Barcelona, with your fine photos and narrative.

[Lovin retired life]

As I am travelling solo, would this tour company add me to a group for this tour, I would love to see inside this church as years ago we could only view it from the outside. Your pictures are superb.

[OneSixtyToOne]

4 hours ago, Lovin retired life said:

As I am travelling solo, would this tour company add me to a group for this tour, I would love to see inside this church as years ago we could only view it from the outside. Your pictures are superb.

I’m sure they can accommodate you. Tickets to enter the church is controlled by the church. They are just purchasing them for you. Tickets sell out so the sooner you book the better.

[May B]

We loved the Palau de Musica. Tours are available in English but sell out in advance. I’m guessing it would be nice to attend a performance there, too.

[LATTELOVE]

On 4/28/2023 at 10:07 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

Day 15 - Saving the Best for Last

 

Our last full day in Barcelona began with a sunrise breakfast at the top floor of the Nobu hotel. The food was nothing special but the view was spectacular. 

 

 

 

Several weeks ago we arraigned a tour with Barcelona Day Tours for our last day of our Viking post cruise extension. Their highlights of Barcelona tour had options for “beat the line” tickets for entrance to Park Güell and La Sagradra Familia, two sites that were on our list of must see venues. I have nothing but great things to say about Barcelona Day Tours. We exchanged emails several times over the past weeks to work out details of our tour. They are a family run business and were very helpful throughout the process. Our tour guide Javier was excellent. He was knowledgeable and entertaining, probably the best guide we’ve had on this trip. Please note that tickets sell out quickly for entrance to the the basilica so if you want to go inside you need to plan ahead.

The tour overlapped somewhat with Viking tour from the previous day but Javier was a superior guide and added much more colorful commentary to what we were seeing. We stopped for a photo op at the art museum, drove through the Olympic Park area and the Olympic village. Javier pointed out the Columbus statue was suppose to be pointing at the New World but that would have him pointing at the mountains so an artistic decision was made to have him pointing towards the sea…. and Asia.

 

 

 

 

We also learned about the history of the construction of Barcelona. As a defensive measure no building was allowed within cannon range of the old city walls. After this became untenable a master plan was developed in the 19th century giving us today’s grid plan, wide boulevards, and chamfered intersections to accommodate the never built street car lines. 

 

After a drive by some of Gaudi’s houses it was off to Park Güell. On the way we learned the history of the park. Named after a person, the closest pronunciation in English would be Park Way. The concept of the park was to build what today would be a modern housing development with a very restrictive HOA. At the time it was high on a hill, well outside the city limits of Barcelona. As a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, the idea was to live in a holistic environment with clean air and in harmony with nature. The problem? It was in the middle of nowhere in a time when ornate homes were a display of wealth and prestige, which were pointless to build if no one saw them. In the end only three houses were built, one for the owner, one for the architect Gaudi, and one for the lawyer. Park Güell is another Gaudi masterpiece of modernism and Art Nouveau’s synergy with nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaudi’s home.

 

 

 

 

I must comment on the park benches. They are the most comfortable public benches I have ever sat in. Most park benches are impossible to sit in for more than a few minutes. These were the opposite. Gaudi designed a lumbar support into them that is not only artistic but is actually functional. The man was a genius.

 

 

 

 

 

Once again the dragon motif can be found at in Gaudi’s design, the back of a dragon and the iconic salamander. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After about an hour in this fabulous park it was off to La Sagradra Familia. After a tour of the outside of the basilica and the street entertainment, we bid farewell to Javier for our timed entry into Gaudi’s stone forest. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2415.mov 31.97 MB · 0 downloads

Inside the basilica is amazing. The capitals of the columns branch like tree limbs with light fixtures placed below them like knotholes in a tree. The color of the columns is caused by different types of stone with different density. They are used to support exteriors towers of different heights. The yet unbuilt main tower will be the tallest and require the densest stone. The massive reddish columns will be used for this.

 

 

 

 

The east sunrise side is the nativity facade representing life while the west sunset side is the passion facade representing death.  The colors of stained glass on each side play with the light from the sun as it makes its way from sunrise to sunset basking the basilica in an ever changing rainbow. From the cooler colored east to the warmer colored west, it’s quite the visual experience as the day passes by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a museum and workshop under the cathedral that you should visit. Knowing that it would take generations to complete, Gaudi made detailed drawings and models of his design. His work continues to this day with the goal of completing this extraordinary building exactly as he envisioned it. 

 

In today’s workshop they are using 3D printers to create models of the elements that still need to be constructed.

 

 

Gaudi also built a schoolhouse to educate the children of the workers. It was moved next to west facade where it is open to visitors. 

 

 

Today was a marvelous experience that concludes this fantastic odyssey. Tomorrow it’s a 4:00AM wake-up call for our very long journey back to California.

 

 

Thank you for those beautiful pictures of the La

Sagrada Familia.  Brought back some good memories

from when we visited 8 years ago.

The inside of this basilica is spectacular.  

 Wow! Looks like they are still working on the finishing touches.

That's how it was when we visited.

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

17 minutes ago, LATTELOVE said:

Thank you for those beautiful pictures of the La

Sagrada Familia.  Brought back some good memories

from when we visited 8 years ago.

The inside of this basilica is spectacular.  

 Wow! Looks like they are still working on the finishing touches.

That's how it was when we visited.

 

The Mark and Luke towers were completed last December. The largest, the Jesus Christ tower, won’t be completed for a number of years. https://aleteia.org/2022/12/15/sagrada-familia-finishes-towers-of-evangelists-luke-and-mark/

[Azulann]

2 hours ago, May B said:

We loved the Palau de Musica. Tours are available in English but sell out in advance. I’m guessing it would be nice to attend a performance there, too.

Love  Palau de Music  building. its stain glass ceiling is fabulous.

We did a post extension with Viking in Barcelona. My 4th time in the great city. We had the Viking rep at hotel call and reserved  tickets  for us  for guitar concert that evening.

The lobby area serves wine and tapas before the performance and they have a lovey gift shop.  

The concert was wonderful , even had some flamenco dancers . It was an unforgettable evening, I will always cherish. 

[ddeprez]

Thanks for all the information and gorgeous pics! We have booked this cruise for next year- actually these current dates!  Can someone comment on how Viking schedules the last two days in Barcelona- I'm wondering scheduled excursion time vs. free time?  Looking at these beautiful photos, I'm hoping we have enough time to see Barcelona- We also booked the post extension in Madrid, thinking it would be nice to see another city in Spain...  

[OneSixtyToOne]

57 minutes ago, ddeprez said:

Thanks for all the information and gorgeous pics! We have booked this cruise for next year- actually these current dates!  Can someone comment on how Viking schedules the last two days in Barcelona- I'm wondering scheduled excursion time vs. free time?  Looking at these beautiful photos, I'm hoping we have enough time to see Barcelona- We also booked the post extension in Madrid, thinking it would be nice to see another city in Spain...  

You only really have one day to explore Barcelona. You'll arrive in Barcelona in the morning and overnight there. Since it is an overnight there is no time requirement to be back onboard. Deadline for luggage to be placed outside your door is aprox. 10:00 PM. The next morning you must leave your stateroom at 8:00 AM and your bus will depart shortly after that. Not sure if your Madrid extension will do a tour of Barcelona before your train connection or if you will be taken directly to the train station.

Edited May 3, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[MeRose]

Thanks for the wonderful cruise blog, Ive' just discovered it in the nick of time. We leave Friday for Viking's Venice - Rome - Barcelona ocean B2B cruise on the Viking Star, staying 2 extra days in Venice (sounds like a great plan especially after your experience!) and in Barcelona.  With the info in the blog I've gotten new thoughts about what we should do.  We do love the on your own - days before and after Viking.  As much as we appreciate Viking, it is nice to be master of your own schedule without motorcoaches and Viking lines. Take care - and cheers to future travels! 

[springtravel]

Hope you enjoy as much as we did. Are you doing your pre and post cruise through Viking?

[MeRose]

Hi,  We are not going through Viking to do the pre and post cruise extensions.  We've found that two days before on our own is a nice way to handle jet lag (more flexible schedule) and with both the pre and post extensions  we mingle more with locals. 

 

I'm a bit skeptical of the airline reliability too, so arriving in the departure city early gives me more peace of mind.  On our last cruise (to Australia and New Zealand with Viking), a couple had travel issues and arrived a day late.  That wasn't so bad as they boarded the ship just fine (it was in Sydney for two days), but their checked luggage never caught up with them.  They were without luggage for two weeks, and pretty bitter about it. You never know...

[OneSixtyToOne]

Just wanted to add a quick postscript. Last weekend we visited the Getty Villa which is modeled after Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum which was owned by Julius Caesar’s father-in-law. They also have some of the frescoes. If you can’t make it to Naples, come to California. Enjoy the photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SantaFe1]

Living in L.A. most of our lives, we often went to the Getty Villa.  I loved it.  Which is why I chose the Herculaneum over Pompeii.  I have to say we didn’t have a good guide and I liked the Getty better.  That is sad to me.  I wish we had done Pompeii.  But if in L.A. the Getty Villa and museum are treasures! 

[kctwinmommy]

Thanks for directing me to this one as well @OneSixtyToOne! Again, great help for our cruise next year as these are also many of the ports we'll be at as well. I bookmarked the Barcelona tour page too, since that's something we'll want to look into for sure. We have the overnight there, but still deciding if we stay one more night and then fly out.

 

And yeah, I have a  feeling we'll end up doing Pompeii. It's always been a bucket list item for me honestly. I still remember as a kid, when the National Geographic came out with the artifacts on the cover!