2019 - Mallorca

Early Morning Dawn - Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

MALLORCA IS, as the crow flies, some 500 miles across the sea from Naples. The crow can fly right over the center of Sardenia. A cruise ship cannot. 😊 We had to jog south and then back north to miss Sardenia. So a couple of "at sea" days were in order. By the time we arrived in the early morning 2 days later, we were rested and ready for another port adventure. We had signed up for an excursion that would take us first to a short tour around Palma, stopping at the uniquely circular, Castell de Bellver, high above the cruise port. I made the opening image here from up at Castel Bellver. The Gothic Style castle was built for King James II (son of King James I of Aragon), of Mallorca in the 14th Century. It was later used for a Military Prison. Today it serves as the history museum for Palma.

Castell de Bellver - Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

AFTER SPENDING some time walking around the Castle, we headed up into the mountains, to the very old village of Valdemossa, and The Royal Carthusian Monastery. Valdemossa is about 10 miles north from the cruise port, nearly to the northern edge of Mallorca. Originally settled by the Moors, the Monastery and the village came about after the Romans re-captured the island from the Moors in the early 13th Century. Mallorca was thereafter ruled by the Kingdom of Aragon and later Aragon and Castile. The Monastery was originally a Royal Palace, but was donated to the Carthusian Order in 1399.

Valdemossa - Mallorca, Spain
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THE BUILDINGS in Valldamossa range from Medieval Gothic to Gothic Revival during and after the Rennaissance.

Monastery at Valldemossa - Mallorca, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

MALLORCA, AND especially Valldemossa is also known for its unique pastry: a Potato-flour sweet bun known as Coca de Patata. There are a couple cafes in Valldemossa that are famous for the pastry, and our tour guide took us to the one below, where we tried them, along with a cup of coffee. Pretty good.

Sa Foganya Cafe, where we tried the Coca de Patata
Valldemossa - Mallorca, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

PERHAPS THE most famous thing about Valldemossa is the residency of George Sand, one of the world's earliest celebrated feminists. The French citizen Sand was a prolific writer and critic of the institution of marriage, among other things. She was an early adopter of "non-binary" pronouns. But it wasn't even really her that is what is famous about Valldemossa. It is her perhaps more famous partner and presumed lover: composer Frederic Chopin. The Polish born Chopin was a celebrated composer and pianist. He suffered from a chronic respiratory condition (at one time misdiagnosed as Tuberculosis - it is historically probable that he never had TB). Physicians of the time strongly suggested that he reside in the temperate climate offered by Mallorca - particularly during the harsh winter months. He spent several years living and composing at the Monastery. While we were there, we were treated to a 15 minute concert using Chopin's piano and a pianist in period costume.

Inside the Monastery - Valldemossa - Mallorca, Spain
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BACK IN Palma, our tour dropped us off near the huge, statuesque Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, and we walked around the grounds and inside. The cathedral faces the ocean, adjacent to the Port of Palma. Fronting the massive church is a rather large reflecting pool, making for a majestic view from and around the church grounds. Originally built around the early 13th century, the Cathedral was renovated in the early 1900's, resulting in the impressive, modern-day, neo-Gothic facade.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria de Palma - Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

THE INTERIOR of the Cathedral is very ornate. At some point during the reconstruction of the church the original architect hired for it found himself at odds with the church and ultimately, they hired famed Catalon architect from Barcelona: Antoni Gaudi to finish. We learned a lot about Gaudi on our "Gaudi" tour in 2015 and you can really see his nature mixed with Art Deco and Neo-Gothic touches in the churches interior spaces.

The interior of The Cathedral of Santa Maria de Palma
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

NOT KNOWING much about Mallorca, I didn't expect much from this stop. But it turned out to be one of the more interesting ones. That evening, we would make the short cruise over to Barcelona, where we would have one of the relatively rare overnight stays.

2019 - The Isle of Capri

Capri, Italy

Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

THE PORT of Naples is one we have become quite familiar with. Ironically, we have never really explored the city of Naples. I am confident that we will land there again one day, and maybe we will make it a point to explore Naples then. But in the meantime, Naples is downcoast from Rome/Civitavecchia about 150 miles, and is one of the ports along the Italian coast that offers the most alternative excursion and exploration opportunities. The Amalfi Coast, the ancient ruins of Pompei and Herculaneum, the Isle of Capri, are all popular points of interest that are easily reached from Naples.

Funicular Piazza - Capri, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

OUR FIRST time in Naples was in 2013. It was a planned stop on our Royal Princess Cruise that was aborted just before that stop because of serious mechanical issues. We had a private driver/tour of the Amalfi Coast scheduled. As a photographer, having done my research, I was really looking forward to that day! As things turned out we instead, limped into Naples at midnight a day late, and our tour operators could not accomodate us the next day on such short notice. However, we did get find a way to get down the coast, hiring a taxi for the day. Perhaps not as good as we had hoped, but nonetheless a memorable experience. Then, in 2017, we made it back (with our good friends, Paul and Linda on the Celebrity Reflection) and got that guided tour. So we had already seen the Amalfi Coast two times. For some (inexplicable) reason, I had never been warm to the whole Pompei thing. So, hearing that Capri was beautiful and a destination for the "rich and famous," we bought a ferry ticket and headed over there.

Capri Seaport - Capri, Italy
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IN SOME ways, Capri reminded me a bit of Santorini, in the sense that the port was at sea level and the main part of the island was high about the port. You take a funicular up to the main "funicular piazza," which serves as the main center of Capri, housing, among other things, its municipal headquarters.

Capri, Italy
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FROM THERE, there are many footpaths (there did not appear to be any private vehicles) to different spots. All are beautiful. All are "ritzy." There are hotels and cafes and shops and none of them were the cheap souvenir shops you often see at these kinds of places. It was also tranquil. We spent a nice day walking around, had a nice light lunch at a sidewalk cafe, took a whole bunch of photos, and eventually made our way back to the funicular plaza.

Capri, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

ONE OF the consistent facets of cruising is that when you land in a port, there is an "all aboard" time that is pretty firm. If you don't make it back to the ship (unless you are on a cruiseline sponsored excursion), they will not wait for you. We have had a couple what felt like to us at the time, "close calls." The first one was one I mentioned with our Celebrity Reflection cruise with Paul and Linda at Malta. This time it was a bit more nerve wracking. It is generally pretty easy to get ferry tickets in these Mediterranean spots. We just walked up and purchased tickets for the trip over to Capri. The tickets were timed, and knowing we had the whole day ashore, and not knowing how long we might want to stay, we did not purchase a return ticket. The boats left for the mainland (Naples) at regular intervals (every 30 minutes or so). We got off the Funicular with 20 - 25 minutes to spare before the next ferry and I got in line to get our tickets. As I reached the front of the line, they put up the sold out sign. We would have to wait 45 minutes or so for the next one. Add the approximately 1 hour ride back to the mainland and we were cutting it awfully close to the all aboard time. Like within minutes. All we could do was wait and hope the next one was on time and there were no delays. As it turned out, things ran on time and we landed and were walking toward our ship with about 10 minutes left. Fortunately, the ship was only about 5 minutes away from the ferry landing. As we walked toward our ship we could see we weren't the only ones in that predicament. Those times have taught us to be a bit more aware of the timing of things that may or may not be within our control. It simply hadn't occured to us that the later ferries would begin to sell out.

Capri, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

ALL WORKED out in the end and we were back aboard in time to join our newest friends, Rob and Carol for dinner. The next couple days would be relaxing days at sea, with the warm, Mediterranean sunshine keeping us comfortable. Next stop: Mallorca.

2019 - "Italian Riviera"

Celebrity Edge
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MY WIFE rarely makes an impulsive decision.  She is, however, always on the lookout for a good cruise and - if possible - combined with a good deal. And if there is an area where she might be impulsive from time to time, it is travel and particularly, cruising.  There have been 2 times when she has kind of "surprised" me with a major cruise. I haven't regretted either. The first time was our first Celebrity cruise, to the Caribbean, with the O'Brien Estate wine group. It was not only our first Celebrity Cruise (The Celebrity Reflection - which we have now been on 5 times - has taken its place as my personal favorite cruise ship), but our first cruise on our own. We had planned our previous two cruises with family members. We would continue to cruise with family or friends whenever we could. But we learned from that one that we were perfectly fine to venture out on our own, making a couple permanent new friends, and firming up relationship Bart and Barb O'Brien, who we would travel with again a couple more times (including two more upcoming trips in 2027 and 2028).

The Magic Carpet - Celebrity Edge Class Ships
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

THE SECOND "surprise" was this cruise. We had developed a pattern at first of a cruise every other year or so. Sometimes 2 in one year (a warm-weather Caribbean and someplace in Europe). Even then it was not an every year kind of thing. We had never done two (in either venue) in the same year. This time, I came home from work one day and she put it in front of me and said "I signed us up for this one." I looked at her with some surprise. We had just finished one in June, and this would be October. Of the same year! That kind of thing no longer surprises me, but it was a first for us in 2019. It was also the third time we would head out for a cruise on our own.

Capri, Italy
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

THIS WAS our first time sailing on Celebrity's "Edge" class ship, their newest class. The first in the class was The Celebrity Edge, which had been in service for just under a year, having made its first voyage in December of 2018. We have, since then, sailed on Edge Class ships many times, including the Edge, Apex, Beyond and Ascent (and will do so again for sure). We have gotten pretty familiar with this class of ships and feel very comfortable sailing on them. There were a couple major changes from the prior Solstice Class (itself considered a unique and modern class of ships - which included my favorite: The Celebrity Reflection). It was considered an innovative design. The most prominent feature is the orange "elevator" on the outside starboard side of the ship, just about amidships. Sharing duties as an outside bar and occasional tender point (when the point of exit or entry was not on the primary tender/entrance deck), it is a feature that makes any Edge Class ship immediately identifiable, even from a distance. Called "The Magic Carpet," this feature hangs around on the pool deck most of the time when not being used as a point of ingress/egress.

Manarola (Cinque Terre) - Italy
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ONCE AGAIN, that cruise proved to be a great friend-making opportunity, and a whole lot of fun. We met an handful of other couples, several of whom we have kept in touch with. Perhaps best of all, one of those couples was none other than Rob and Carole Cook, from Manchester England. Since then we have met up with them in Liverpool in 2023, and then again in London just this past year, when we spent several days with them, sightseeing, eating, drinking and just overall enjoying each other's company. We spent some time with them on this cruise, too, so we knew we would enjoy hanging out together in the future.

Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma - Palma de Mallorca
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

WE ALSO thoroughly enjoyed the itinerary on this one. This one was dubbed: "The Italian Riviera." Once again, I had never really given those names a lot of thought. Most people know of the "French Riviera." The Italian Riviera was new to me. I learned, though, on one of our excursions the the word "riviera" means roughly: "where the land meets the sea." So it is reasonable that where the French coastline transitions into the Italian coastline along the northern coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, it should also transition from "French" to "Italian" Riviera. Starting from Civitavechhia, we stopped first in Naples, and then spent a couple "at sea" days as we sailed across the northern part of the Mediterranean (Tyrrhenian Sea), to the small, Spanish Island of Mallorca. From there, we made an overnight stop in Barcelona, and then proceeded up the "riviera" coastline to Monaco, Santa Margherita/Portofino and finally stopping in La Spezia before finishing the cruise back in Civitavecchia.

Port of Barcelona, Spain
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WE FLEW into Fiumicino, the airport for Rome/Civitavechhia. We did not plan any time on land this time, going directly to Civitavechhia and boarding our cruise ship. That is not - by the way - something I recommend, for various reasons. But it was what we did this time. Once on board, I immediately began comparing ships. I really missed my traditional "Sunset Bar" with its adjacent cigar smoking area. But the Edge ships had actually expanded the smoking area a bit with ample seating and an open deck. That has its pros and cons, but on this voyage, it was mostly pro, as the weather cooperated. And the new Sunset Bar smoking area was where we would meet most of our new friends on this cruise. And, after our first stop the next day, we had a couple "at sea" days for me to get acclimated to this new setup. As a side note for cigar smokers (readers here probably know I have a "thing" for cigars and cruises 😀), I have posited over numerous blogs that Celebrity is the most "cigar-friendly" cruise line. In addition to their great Sunset Bar areas (on the Edge and Solstice classes), I was to much later (another cruise) learn that on the Edge class ships, there is another area in the mezzanine level just above the pool on the starboard side of the ship that is covered and partly sheltered from the wind. Also on the Edge, there is a small, but cozy area outside the Eden complex on the rear of the ship, this time on the port side. But for now, I grew comfortable on the Sunset Bar Cigar/smoking deck (in fairness none of these areas are exclusively "cigar." They are smoking areas).

Smoking area adjacent to the Sunset Bar on the Celebrity Edge and Apex
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

THIS WAS one of the most fun and memorable cruises we have taken. I hope you will travel on with us.

IN JUST 2 days, we leave for Europe once again; this time on a new cruising venue for us: a Viking River Cruise (longboat), splitting our time on the Rhone in the south of France and the Seine in the north. There are some substantial differences between river and ocean cruising, and we look forward to our new adventure - and I will most certainly report back here evenually. For now, I will be absent for the next couple weeks. See you when we return, a resume the Cruise Journey through the years.