Mediterranean Cruise - Barcelona, Spain and Canary Islands
Barcelona, Spain and Canary Islands
My family went on a Mediterranean cruise a few years ago. Overall it was great but quite hectic. It was at the peak of summer towards the end of July. We had been warned that it's going to be hot and humid. I grew up in a tropical country so figured I'm used to it and didn't think much of it. But boy, they were right! If I had to do it all over again, I definitely would do this trip in the spring or fall.
The cruise itinerary included Barcelona (Spain), Civitavecchia, Livorno, Naples (Italy), Cannes (France). The cruise started in Barcelona and my husband, two daughters, and myself flew in from Los Angeles a couple of days before so we could spend some time to explore the city. Barcelona is an exciting city. Our hotel was in the city so we enjoyed walking around Las Ramblas, Barceloneta, La Boqueria, etc. We took the hop on hop on bus so we could visit other sights that are not within walking distance such as the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.
It Civitavecchia, we took an hour train ride to Rome. We visited St. Peters Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, and Spanish Steps. We got lost a bit and regret that we didn't get to see the Pantheon. Everything was rushed - there's so much to see in so little time! We had to be back on the ship by 6pm the same day and we were afraid we might not make it back in time.
From Livorno, we took the train to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower, Cathedral, Baptistry, and Camposanto. We could take another train and go to Florence but we decided to just take our time and marvel at the structures. Again, we had to be back on the ship later that day.
Naples was a bit seedy, we didn't feel comfortable walking around the city. We took the bus to Pompeii which was more rural and had a relaxed atmosphere. We were amazed by the ruins. The old city was so huge we only got to see a small part of it. But you wonder how that ancient civilization was so developed for their time.
The next stop was the historical city of Valletta, Malta. We spent some time visiting the old churches and buildings,souvenir shopping and strolling in the cobblestoned streets.
Cannes was glamorous as I had imagined. But we had another target in mind - the fascinating Monaco. We had to take an hour train ride from Cannes to get to Monaco. We were warned that the train in this part of the country wasn't so reliable. Despite the anxiety we were determined to see this beautiful and romantic place and in the end it was all worth the effort.
Back in Barcelona, we took the train to the walled city of Gerona and spent the final two days of our vacation there.My husband is a cycling enthusiast and had heard that his fave cyclists train there before Tour 'd France. It was a quiet old city and a nice ending to our trip as we had the chance to relax and unwind before heading back home to Los Angeles.