Marseille - City of Old World Charm

The day began again with breakfast on the Veranda. We have decided that this could be be habit forming. After eating we toured Marseille by bus.

The city began as a fishing village and later became the capital of Provence. As we entered the city, their fishing heritage was evident. There were fishing boats, yachts, ships of all sizes.

It is amazing how many buildings built in the 1600's or before are still standing and in use. The buildings seem to cling to the hillsides with narrow roads leading to the homes and small shops. Notre Dame de la Garde can be seen from a great distance because it sits on the highest point in the city.

After the tour we had free time to walk though the city. The city building was beautiful with flags flying out front. The ornately craved stonework is still amazing and has withstood the test of time. Even the occupation by the Germans during the war did not destroy this building.

We found an intricately carved and painted carousal. We sat and watched as children enjoy their ride.

We continued our walk and found a very small shop which sold items from the area....and yes we left with a shopping bag with spices and lavender.

As we left town we saw a copy of the sculpture of "David", the prison where the Count of Montecristo was held, and the forts which guarded the port. Wow!

Exploring Barcelona

What a great way to begin a day full of anticipation of the secrets of Barcelona. We had ordered room service which arrived promptly at 7:30.

It just can't get much better than eating breakfast overlooking the Mediterranean.

After breakfast we boarded the bus and headed to downtown Barcelona which has two distinct areas; old Barcelona built in the first century and new Barcelona. We saw the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia whose architect was Antoni Gaudi. Construction began in 1882. The basilica is famous for its depiction of many religious events.

Here you can see the crucifixion of Christ. After Gaudi's death other archtects have continued to design the basilica with goal of completion in 2026.


We continued the tour and examined the remains of walls, towers, and aquaducts that were built by the Romans.

The remainder of our time we spent exploring the narrow streets and small shops.

La Rumba

Thursday night we were entertained by La Rumba a musical group that played music that a blend of Cuban and Flamingo. It was highly energy charged with guitars, drums, dancing and clapping. We smiled as the crowd began shouting "Ole, ole" and was clapping wildly to the music. Great fun.

The Adventure Begins

We left for Indianapolis Airport on Wednesday. Our daughter-in-law was our chauffer and we felt like royalty, no hassel with parking or shuttle buses. While waiting to board we had a Starbucks and then proceeded to TSA. Because we had been preapproved there was no delay.

It took us over 12 hours to get to our final destination, Barcelona.

Even though it was a long flight, Air Canada is an excellent air carrier. We were served drinks throughout our trip, served a 3 course meal with cloth napkins and silverware, given Ipads to watch in flight movies.

When we arrived in Barcelona we we greeted by Viking staff and bussed to the ship.  So far things have gone very smoothly.

Our cabin is well appointed and has a beautiful view from the verranda

Tomorrow, the fun begins with an excursion into Barcelona.

Celebrating Our 50th Anniversary

What do you do to celebrate 50 years of marriage bliss? We are taking our first Mediterranean cruise and will be visiting 6 different countries. Hopefully we will have good Wi-Fi for you follow us on our adventure. Be patient we haven't left yet.