8 September - Marseille

We cancelled our excursion to Axien Provence and decided to do our own thing, find somemfree wifi ( we quickly found out that was difficult to find). We got the shuttle bus onto the city and proceeded to walk Along the water front, where there were some market stalls.

We then took the little train for a city tour - this was an interesting ride through the narrow streets and up the hill to the cathedral. We stopped at the cathedral for about 15 minutes ( until the next little train arrived) and took in the sights and then returned to the waterfront .

On returning to the waterfront we thought we would walk to the shopping area , however we found the streets to be dirty and grubby and really nothing of interest so returned to the market on the waterfront.

After looking around we decided to return to the ship and have a relax . Sometimes. You do not make the right choice - we did not enjoy Marseille - next time we might try and see some of the country side.

7 September Barcelona

We decided to do our own thing on this day - so once the ship docked we departed to find the hop on hop off bus.

This provided us with a great overview of this city - we were not sure what to expect but found that we really liked what we saw,including the old bull fight ring that is no longer used.. Wonderful buildings - the architecture was brilliant. Modern and old at the same time. The Cathedral which is still under construction was something else - very difficult to describe.

We loved how they had incorporated the tram tracks into the lawn throughout the city.

We ended up in the middle of the city and had a lovely paella for lunch before heading off back to the ship - getting caught in a huge deluge of rain. Such fun, everyone one was wet.

6 September Cannes - Monaco, Monte Carlo

We were not too sure what to do on this day, but then thought we would get the bus ( from the wharf) and do Monaco and Monte Carlo on our own. There was a guide on the bus and unfortunately they wanted to make sure we got value for money, so took up a fair bit of time talking to us . Eventually we sainted off, and Peter got to look at the black marks on the road from the GP, 

I got to admire the Palace and we had a great walk through the beautiful gardens.

There was a Bocce (bowling) tournament being held out side the Palace  - we thought Tuross could set up in a similar style next time we hold something.

We found Monaco to be a fascinating place, although we would never be able to afford to live there.

Next we were off to Monte Carlo - the "land of the beautiful people". Outside the casino, it was interesting to watch the cars "cruising" past and at one stage there were two Ferrari , two Bentley , Porche and another couple of expensive cars  parked at the front entrance. Loved the street with only exclusive shops - Cartiers, Louis Vuitton

 etc

All in all a good day.

5 September Florence ( Livorno)

Feeling pretty tired from our day in Rome, again we were up bright and early for another excursion. The ship docked at Livorno and today we were off to Pisa and Florence. Again it was very pleasant being able to see the country side during our travels.

First stop was Pisa. the coach had to park in a parking area and we then walked for about 15 minutes. We were there relatively early about 8.15 am but the crowd had already started to build up. Again, we can now cross this off the "bucket list". 

The only drama was the public toilets were not open until after 9 am, so many of us made our way to Macdonalds - what we did not know was you had to purchase to get a ticket to use the loo - no worries, we all just held the door open for each other .

On walking back to the coach we were go smacked by the number of coaches - Irene counted over 100.

Next stop Florence - again seeing the queues we were pleased we were on an organised tour.  Seeing the original statue of David was so worthwhile - you were just stopped in your tracks and stared! So beautiful. I could not take a pic of the original statue, so a pic of the copy in the square will have to suffice.. 

We had walk through Florence, and we were very taken with everything this city had to offer.

. Irene ended off the day by checking out the leather bags - and yes there are a couple of additional coming home on the suitcase - how could you not buy leather bags when in Italy!

4 September Rome, Italy

The ship actually docked at Civitavecchia a one hour bus trip from Rome - plenty of time to view the country side and have a quiet doze. Again our guide was excellent ( how they remember all the detail is beyond me). After arriving in Rome we had a short walk to our first stop -the Trevi Fountain. This was somewhere Irene had always wanted to go and was not disappointed. She through the coin into the fountain and hopefully will return one day.( Peter reluctantly complied with tradition).

Next it was off to the Colosseum  - how did they make these buildings. This was awesome , it is so large and powerful. We did not come across Russell Crowe ( Gladiator) but your imagination could certainly run wild with how things might have been.

Neither of us are particularly religious but going to the Vatican - St Peters and the Sistine Chapel was really special . The work, detail and splendour was magnificent. We did not see the Pope but at least we can now cross this off our list.

It was very crowded at all these venues and it made us appreciate going on a ships tour and not having to wait in line for hours to gain entry.