Today John and I rented a car and drove to Achilleion Palace which was built during the years 1889-1891 by the Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary Elisabeth. after visiting the Palace we drove back to the port to pick up our friend Evan. We then drove to Paleokastritsa and had lunch and a few drinks and then drove back to the ship.
Today we took the tender boat to the port and then boarded a ferry boat to Capri. We walked around a bit and had some lunch at this place called Isidoro Restaurant where we ordered the Caprese salad and it was the best Mozzarella we ever had. After lunch, we did some shopping and took the ferry boat back to the ship. Capri is a place that we would like to go back and spend some more time there.
Today we took the shuttle bus to Rome from the port which is about 90 minutes away. We met up with our relatives for lunch with an amazing view of the Pantheon. After lunch we walked around a bit we visited the Trevi Fountain and a few other fountains. Afterward, we took the shuttle bus back to the ship.
August 23, 2018 – Second time
Today we disembarked from the ship and checked into The Waldorf Astoria Hotel. After we settled in we decided to take a walk around Rome and took a taxi to John’s Aunt Giovanina’s house to have lunch with her and her daughter Gloria and granddaughters Laura and Alessandra. We then we to the hotel to relax before we were going back to her house for dinner. We left their house shortly after dinner we had a big day the next day we were flying home which will take about 14 hours.
Today we got a taxi to drive us to Florence also known as Firenze. While there we walked around for about an hour and got it was so hot we decided to grab some gelato at our favorite place called Grom. It’s right around the corner from Piazza Del Duomo and then we drove to Pisa and walked around there for about an hour we went into the La Domenica Cathedral and took some pictures and then headed back to the ship.
Today we took a taxi to Eze Village in France which we absolutely loved. We visited the Chapelle St. John. We lit a candle for my mother in law because she wasn’t feeling well which was special to me since I’ve never lit a candle in a Catholic Church. I was happy to light a candle for her. We also visited The Exotic Garden of Eze. It was really cool they have 100’s of different cactus plants and a little waterfall which was cute.
We will definitely be visiting Eze again in the future and will probably spend about 3 days there. Afterward, we took a taxi back to Monaco to go and check out the famous casino. Inside the casino, there was a maze made out of a deck of cards.
The next stop while there, we grabbed a cab and went up the big rock to the Grand Palace and we were lucky we got there just in time for the changing of the guards. We visited the Saint Nicholas Cathedral of Monaco where Princess Grace Kelly is buried. Afterward, we walked back to the ship.
Today we got a taxi to drive us around the first stop was the old town of Antibes and while we were there we walked around a bit to check it out. The next stop was Nice where we walked through the town and took some pictures. Afterward, our driver took us back to Cannes and sure enough we got ripped off again even after having a final price at the pier he changed the price when he dropped us off by 100 Euros.
Today we took a taxi and drove to Marseille and visited the Notre Dame De la Garde Cathedral which was beautiful and then we went back to the ship and be careful with the taxi drivers in Toulon because he ripped us off even though they are supposed to have a fixed price.
Today we walked to the Montjuic Castle and then decided to get a pedicab to take us around and show us the Gaudi Sagrada Familia Church which was amazing after our pedicab ride we went to the Mercat St. Josep La Boqueria Market and grabbed a bite to eat. The market is a definite must visit it’s pretty amazing.
Today we drove to Ramatuelle (Le Village Ancien) took a short stroll and then to Gassin both towns were pretty. Afterward, our driver took us to see the Port of Grimaud which is nice it reminded me of Venice. After that, we headed back to the ship.
Today Nano, John and I hired a taxi to drive us to Calanche of Piana which was breathtakingly beautiful. Mother nature at her finest. After seeing the beautiful sights, we had lunch with a fantastic view at La Table de Neptune. Afterward, we drove to the Cargese Village which was founded by the Greeks in 1676. After that, we headed back to the ship. Along the drive, our taxi driver ended up having a fist fight with this guy and his wife while they were riding their bicycle. Unfortunately, I was fumbling with my cell phone, and I didn’t get the video of the fight.