SPAIN!!: Palma De Majorca: The underground and pearls...

Spain is beautiful and the port and coast of Palma De Majorca (aka Palma De Mallorca) is no different. Here we are going to see the Drach caves, the largest underground lake and also visit a pearl manufacturer.

Now some people wouldn't like the long drives that have been a part of our tours but we are pooped from this amazing trip and welcome the beautiful scenery and the guides' euphonic voices, perfect for a little R&R. The drive through Majorca was just what we needed.

Majorca is gorgeous (I know I sound like a broken record). Its capital city houses most of its population and leaves the outskirts of hills and flatlands quiet. Once out of the city the beautiful landscape is vast with random windmills, plush Spanish houses and farms.

I have been looking forward to seeing the Drach caves and was excited when we pulled up. I have to admit that amongst my many paranoias and hypochondria annoyances, confined spaces and large groups are part of those. So going into a cave with many of my-not-so-close but too-close friends was beyond my comfort zone for sure!

We walked to the opening and down the narrow stairs we went. I started getting panicky "Ahhhh too many people and way too close!!" but my fears were subsided when the gloriousness of the caves features came into view. 

"Wow"!!. The stalacites and stalagmites were everywhere and in all shapes and sizes. The cave twisted and turned and small puddles of greenish/blue water pooled in various parts. Suddenly the cave turned and opened up into a huge amphitheatre that over looked the "lake".

The lake was glowing green and blue and I could see the formations underneath the water. It was a weird experience, surreal. I almost felt like I was in a Pirates of the Caribbean Disney ride. The ushers began ushering us into the amphitheatre -- "great, now I get to sit amongst all these people in one area of the confined space". Then the lights went out!!!! "Oh SH#T!! 

Pitch-black! Mason instantly grabbed me and I put my arms around him and Hannah. My flight or fight senses kicked in and my senses heightened full-on but then music began to play. Pachelbel's Canon in D was being played from a beautiful symphony and from the darkness the outline if a boat appeared from the right side of the cave. Then two more appeared. White lights were beautifully strung around the edges of the boats and lit up the water, it was breathtaking.

The symphony was on the first boat and they played three gorgeous songs all while maneuvering through the lake. As each song ended the applauds from the group bounced and echoed off the walls and ceiling. Once the songs ended the lights slowly came back on and we happily walked out of the Drach caves. Truly fantastic.

From the caves we drove to a pearl factory where German pearls are polished and adorned on necklaces, rings and earrings. It was busy with shoppers and onlookers. Hannah got her first pair of pearl earrings and from Spain, nonetheless.

The day was marvelous. Back to our ship we went. On the way back it was decided that another down day was needed and we decided not to get off the ship tomorrow in Marseille, France as we will be in Paris in a few days.

As always, to be continued... 

 

SPAIN!!: Barcelona: Gaudi wonders, grumpy and dancing...

After a fun day at sea we docked in the harbor of the beautiful town of Barcelona, Spain. So far every port we have docked in has been gorgeous -- a little industrial and modern but also graced with rolling hills and ancient buildings. And again like cattle we disembarked the ship and headed to another bus.

Our guide was a bubbly, round man with a great warm smile. Our bus took us through Montjuic, a gorgeous hillside that staged the 1929 International Exhibition and the 1992 Olympic games. The grounds are very large and hold the facilities of the games along with museums and parks. One facility is the Olympic diving center and it was built into the steep hillside so much that the divers dove off the high platforms over the city skyline; very cool. We also got to see the city and the statue of Christopher Columbus from afar.

From there our scenic drive took us the through the heart of Barcelona. Barcelona is busy and stunning with quant historical buildings lining the streets. The most fascinating part was learning of and seeing the unique works of Antoni Gaudi.

Antoni Gaudi became a genius architect in the late 1800s. He is best known for his creative, unique and eclectic work. We were able to drive by two homes he built. The lines of the homes are round, uneven and random. Our guide says that he was inspired by nature. One of the homes has been dubbed the "dragon" home. The most fantastic piece of his we got to see was the Sagrada Familia Basilica.

This basilica is HUGE!! It is gorgeous, extraordinary and monumental. Gaudi's work is so random to me -- there is catholic intention in his design and what I see as a Christmas tree actually is a representation of the tree of life and the doves represent the eternal spirit. There are also random fruit baskets on top of pillars which represent the rain of fruits of the Holy Spirit that falls upon man but to most are just random fruit alongside a Christmas tree. But, that is what makes this basilica awesome, it's intentional story!

The basilica construction began in 1882 and won't be completed until 2026. Yes, that is correct. The basilica's size, detail and Guadi's fanatical drive for perfection has delayed its completion. Gaudi died in 1926 and since then controversy whirls around the architectural choices that are being made, are they what Gaudi would've wanted?

The basilica was moving and beautiful but of all the cathedrals and basilicas we have seen, its unusual spirit and flare makes it my favorite. We tried to get more photos but our battery died -- oh well.

We got some free time before moving on and we were enjoying sitting on a patio when an old woman approached me (we have been warned about beggars and thieves). I wasn't sure if she wanted money or what but when we couldn't communicate with her she got ANGRY. She yelled all sorts of, what I assume, where expletives and hit my chair with her cane and hobbled away. We didn't know what to make of it but looking back on it, it was kind of cute and funny (I am sure not for her). She was grumpy!

Our day continued and we got to visit the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and St. Eulalia. It was, now what I would call, a typical yet, nonetheless, stunning cathedral but what made this visit unique was the celebration in front of it. Every Sunday a band gets together in front of the cathedral and hundreds of people come together. They form circles, clasp hands and dance the Sardana, the traditional folk dance of Catalunya (Catalonia) some even wear special white, lace-up shoes. My mom would have loved this and it made me smile!!

We saw more of Barcelona and headed back to our ship. It was a fantastic day in Barcelona, Spain and definitely warrants more time but we are now headed to an island of Spain, Palma De Majorca to see the world's largest unground lake.

As always, to be continued...

 

          

ITALY!!: The Royal Seas, Positano, Sorrento and Pompeii...

On Thursday we boarded a cruise ship that is going to take us around the Mediterranean -- Italy, Spain and France. This cruise ship is the largest cruise ship in the world and its massiveness is impressive. We gladly set our bags down and set off to get lost in the city on the seas. That night we all slept well after our busy days in Rome but had to get up early the next day as we were signed up for our busiest day yet; visiting the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii.

When I was little and thought of Italy, I thought of Rome, the Pope, wine and a boot. Never did I imagine what beautiful scenery we had in store for us that morning. We disembarked the cruise ship like wandering cattle and finally found our bus. The ride to coast was uneventful but gorgeous. Our tour guide was wonderful and spoke with such a calm, melodic voice.

We drove from Naples to the gorgeous Amalfi Coast to get to Positano and Sorrento. The wide road began to narrow and suddenly there were steep cliffs clashing with the ocean waters below. Random gates that seem to lead to nothing but a drop-off signaled dwellings of olive farmers. The road narrowed more and more and switch-backs carried us through. The original road was built for mules and therefore intense construction commenced and literally a bridge-like road was built to carry cars and small buses over the arduous mountainside.

Everything was going smoothly until we got into Positano. The town is built on a steep, steep mountainside and houses are built on top of one another and everything goes straight down. The turns in the road went from semi-generous turns to hairpin 180 degree turns. Our bus driver took the first hairpin and it was too tight so he had to back up but he stalled the bus and we rolled up to the guardrail saving us from a catastrophic nose dive down -- PHEW! My heart began beating crazily and Mike looked back at me, validating my fears. The driver successfully backed up and continued on until the next hairpin and AGAIN stalled the bus, rolled forward to the guardrail, brakes screeched -- UGH!! The bus driver stalled the bus three times in total and we were happy to get off the bus to see Positano.

Positano is breathtaking. Gorgeous Mediterranean homes with open wood shutters, curtains flowing in the sea air and flower boxes colorfully painting the town. We enjoyed some wine and juice on a rooftop restaurant -- it was gorgeous and friendly. But our time was short and we, reluctantly, boarded the bus.

From Positano we (successfully) back-tracked and stopped in Sorrento. In Sorrento we visited the famous woodcarving shop. The work of the carvers is painstaking yet yields amazing masterpieces. It was a neat experience. We got to walk around and shop and, of course, have more wine and gelato. Hannah and Mason both got beautiful music boxes. On the way back to the bus I discovered a hidden castle. It was below the bridge that we were standing on. It was covered in vines, had a small river next to it and a small bridge, oh how I wish I could know it's story. It was super cool and mysterious.

From Sorrento we took a very short bus ride to a hotel for wine and lunch. The hotel seemed pretty posh and spectacular from the outside with gorgeous trails, bridges and greenery. We walked through the hotel out onto the veranda where there were preset tables and chairs. To our hearts delight the veranda was set on top of a steep, tall cliff with a million dollar view of Sorrento and the ocean. Below the cliffs were a manmade islands where the people were lounging, swimming and snorkeling in the crystal water. I have seen some pretty spectacular places but this was, by far, the most beautiful place I have ever seen.    

We enjoyed our lunch with, seriously, a million dollar view, judging by the yachts tendered below and with full bellies we loaded the bus to head to Pompeii. The ride was long but the peak of Mount Vesuvius held our attention.

Finally, we were at Pompeii. Pompeii was a flourishing town that was completely covered by ash and pumice due to the colossal eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The ash and pumice preserved the town and the, almost-instant, death of the Ancient Roman inhabitants.

It was an odd feeling -- walking through the houses, brothels, bars, saunas and streets. They felt full of sadness and emptiness. The archeologists learned to penetrate the ash/pumice with plaster to fill the spaces of what was once a body and when it was dried they could dig around it. We saw a man with his hands around his face, a three year old child and a dog that was apparently chained up, unable to escape death. Another humbling experience.   

Our day was long and full of beauty and wonder. We got back and slowly loaded the ship. Looking forward to another night's sleep. Our ship is headed to Barcelona, Spain and it will take more than 24 hours to get there and we are looking forward to a "down day".

As always, to be continued....

 The bridge-like road...

 The hidden castle under the bridge...

 Look at the staircase to get to the swim area...

 

Pompeii...

 Mt. Vesuvius...

 The dog...

 The man...

 The child...

ITALY!!: "The Rape...", Trevi and Pantheon...

I must admit how proud I am of what we have seen in such a short amount of time here in Italy and how well-behaved Hannah and Mason have been. It made me laugh the other day when Mason asked how many naked people we were going to see that day, real and statues -- so funny!!

That morning we visited the Spanish Steps. Built in 1723-1725 they linked the church to the square and became a place for painters and artists. The glorious marble steps are smooth and round. A gorgeous square full of shopping and people. From the steps we walked to the Villa Borghese Gardens to another museum.

We have visited two Museums (other than the Vatican museum), the Roman National museum and the Borghese Galleria. These museums tell amazingly overwhelming stories. We have seen countless statues but the one I was very interested to see was "The Rape of Proserpina". Now, to be corrected, in Roman times the word "rape" actually meant kidnapping. So the statue is of a kidnapping, not an actual rape.

"The Rape of Proserpina" is arguably one of the most well-done statues of all time; done by Gian Lorenzo Bernini at the age of 23. The story goes like this: Proserpina (aka Persephone) was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture -- corn, grain and the harvest. Proserpina was kidnapped by Pluto (aka Hades, ruler of the Underworld) with the help of his three-headed dog, Cerberus (guard of the gates of hell). The statue depicts the violent kidnapping -- her hand pressing against his head, a tear on her cheek and his hands pawing into her flesh (an amazing feat in marble sculpting). Demeter looks everywhere for her daughter and falls into depression, when she does winter occurs for the first time and there is no harvest. Zeus finds out that Proserpina is in Hades and tells her that if she doesn't eat any of the food there, he will save her. When (she thinks) no one is looking she eats six pomegranate seeds. Zeus frees her but commits her to Hades for six months out of the year, one for every seed. Every time thereafter when Proserpina goes to Hades, Fall and Winter fall upon the land.

"The Rape of Proserpina" is held in the Borghese Galleria which used to be part of a private estate. This estate is huge and comparable to Central Park in New York. There are many buildings, roads, statues, fountains, lakes and crypts. A more memorable moment we had was renting a four-seater bike that Mike and I peddled throughout the estate (almost dumped it at one point). The kids even got to play on a playground and in the grass (I know that sounds typical but Rome doesn't have many green spaces similar to our little town in Indo, so this was special).

Next, we visited the famous Trevi Fountain. Another highly anticipated Rome asset and to my and Hannah's dismay it was CLOSED!! Our hearts sank. We tried to take it in but truly were devastated. There was a small fountain piece with water in it were you can throw a coin a say a wish, so that is what Hannah and Mason did. From there we walked to the Pantheon. The area around the Trevi to the Pantheon was our favorite place of Rome -- perfect example of Roman culture, shops, and people.

The Pantheon, a temple built around 126 AD, was dedicated to the Roman pagan gods. Not sure exactly how it was used but the most notable architecture is the giant hole in the top. Mike and I speculate that it acts as a sundial. Buried within this beautiful building are the first two Kings of Rome, their wives and the famous painter Raphael and his fiancée. Mason really got into taking photos, may have a photog on our hands!

Our days in Rome have come to an end. A trip of a lifetime that will be ingrained in our souls forever. We are sad to leave but accepting of our next adventure, Naples Italy.

As always, to be continued...