View from our balcony in Agadir port. Image of Moroccan flag now firmly imprinted on our minds.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
There's so much to learn
13 November 2012
I was in total ignorance about the government of Morocco until I read some notes last night about today's tour to the Moroccan capital, Rabat. I wasn't sorry to leave Casablanca as it seemed to be a hectic, dusty city.
Our guide spoke of the Moroccan monarch, Mohammed VI, in glowing terms today as we travelled the 90 km from Casablanca to visit Rabat. Apparently The King is getting rid of shanty towns, introducing freeways and modern tram systems in cities as well as recognising the rights of women. According to our guide the monarch is a hard worker and an enlightened man. In Rabat we visited the Royal Palace as well as the tomb of the former king, Hassan 11.
I was in total ignorance about the government of Morocco until I read some notes last night about today's tour to the Moroccan capital, Rabat. I wasn't sorry to leave Casablanca as it seemed to be a hectic, dusty city.
Our guide spoke of the Moroccan monarch, Mohammed VI, in glowing terms today as we travelled the 90 km from Casablanca to visit Rabat. Apparently The King is getting rid of shanty towns, introducing freeways and modern tram systems in cities as well as recognising the rights of women. According to our guide the monarch is a hard worker and an enlightened man. In Rabat we visited the Royal Palace as well as the tomb of the former king, Hassan 11.
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Protection for the Palace, Rabat.
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| Royal Palace, Rabat |
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| Tomb of Hassan II |
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| Remains of old mosque destroyed by earthquake in 1735 |
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| Tourists at the remains of the old mosque, Rabat |
Monday, November 12, 2012
Gawdy Gaudi
10 October 2012
We returned to Barcelona on our cruise ship today. Although we took a similar tour "Gothic and Medieval Barcelona" to one of those we took last week we gained a different perspective by having a different guide and we visited some different sites. Although it is neither Gothic or Medieval one of the sites that was again on our agenda was Gaudi's Sagrada Familia.
Although some of Gaudi's work is a trifle gawdy it certainly is unique. The Sagrada Familia is a mish-mash of styles yet I was so impressed by the building; I could easily spend a whole day and more studying its features. Here a few snaps we captured.
We returned to Barcelona on our cruise ship today. Although we took a similar tour "Gothic and Medieval Barcelona" to one of those we took last week we gained a different perspective by having a different guide and we visited some different sites. Although it is neither Gothic or Medieval one of the sites that was again on our agenda was Gaudi's Sagrada Familia.
Although some of Gaudi's work is a trifle gawdy it certainly is unique. The Sagrada Familia is a mish-mash of styles yet I was so impressed by the building; I could easily spend a whole day and more studying its features. Here a few snaps we captured.
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| To be finished |
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Five Weeks
It seems an eon ago that we stepped onto our plane at Sydney but yet the five weeks we have been away have flown.
Today has been a housework day as we have unpacked and settled in our suite on our floating home for the next 27 days. After living out of suitcases for five weeks it was nice to empty our bags and hang up our clothes. We have done our compulsory lifeboat drill and are now ready to face an Atlantic crossing although a fellow traveller (he has done 55 cruises) assures that leaving the Mediterranean at Gibralatar is more challenging as far as rocking the boat then an Atlantic crossing. We are presently heading past Toulon on the French coast.
During our quiet day in Monte Carlo (a welcome sleepin) and after boarding I took a few Monégasque snaps.
Today has been a housework day as we have unpacked and settled in our suite on our floating home for the next 27 days. After living out of suitcases for five weeks it was nice to empty our bags and hang up our clothes. We have done our compulsory lifeboat drill and are now ready to face an Atlantic crossing although a fellow traveller (he has done 55 cruises) assures that leaving the Mediterranean at Gibralatar is more challenging as far as rocking the boat then an Atlantic crossing. We are presently heading past Toulon on the French coast.
During our quiet day in Monte Carlo (a welcome sleepin) and after boarding I took a few Monégasque snaps.
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| Finding dinner in Monte Carlo |
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| There are some serious boats in the harbour |
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| The Casino - We didn't even have a flutter |
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| Learning to sail - Monaco style |
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| The flag was flying - perhaps Prince Albert was home |
Friday, November 9, 2012
Hairpin Bend
Our room at The Fairmont Hotel in Monte Carlo is labelled as a Hairpin Bend Room - in other words it does not have a panoramic view of the Mediterranean but a view of one of the tightest hairpin bends on the Monaco Grand Prix circuit so at that time of the year it would be a premium room. Presently it is just an ordinary room that they try to make sound special with a bit of marketing spin.
It was just a 90 minute flight from London's Gatwick Airport to Nice Airport where a quiet young man was waiting with a nice car to whisk us to our hotel. Gatwick which we reached in 35 minutes on the Gatwick Express train was a much quieter and less crowded airport than Heathrow. In Nice we were greeted by brilliant blue skies and a comfortable temperature of 19 degrees.
Already we have met some of our fellow cruisers and all are enthusiastically looking forward to being collected at 12:15 pm tomorrow for delivery to our ship that is moored just near our hotel. Our first job when we get on board is to find the laundry and wash our clothes; some of them are suffering from being washed in washbasins and baths for the last five weeks. A woman's work is never done!
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| There is a wedge of waterview from The Hairpin Bend Room |
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| The Monte Carlo Casino is right next door |
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| The artworks in the hotel remind me of someone |
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| Spied our ship as we had dinner in the hotel lounge |
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| It was easy to choose a bevvy to accompany dinner |
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| As we get ready to go to bed Monte Carlo is waking up |
Thursday, November 8, 2012
What a day this has been.....
I blogged over on my genealogy blog about my activities until dinner time. It was a fabulous day.
On Sunday I mentioned to Mr Geniaus that I had never visited Royal Albert Hall; he agreed that it would be worth a visit so I had a look on their website to see if they ran any tours. Something else caught my eye, it was a notice of a concert tonight with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As Mr Geniaus isn't too fond of classical music I thought the program of "Best of Broadway" would appeal to him. When he agreed to attend I didn't waste any time buying tickets.
Not only were we bowled over by the concert tonight but the atmosphere in this stunning building was electric. I took a couple of short videos to illustrate this but, as I am experiencing a few technical difficulties, I'll just post some happy snaps instead.
On Sunday I mentioned to Mr Geniaus that I had never visited Royal Albert Hall; he agreed that it would be worth a visit so I had a look on their website to see if they ran any tours. Something else caught my eye, it was a notice of a concert tonight with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As Mr Geniaus isn't too fond of classical music I thought the program of "Best of Broadway" would appeal to him. When he agreed to attend I didn't waste any time buying tickets.
Not only were we bowled over by the concert tonight but the atmosphere in this stunning building was electric. I took a couple of short videos to illustrate this but, as I am experiencing a few technical difficulties, I'll just post some happy snaps instead.
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| View from our box |
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| All seated and ready |
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| Ready, Mr Music |
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| Singalong with the orchestra |
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| A handsome organ |
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| Like a fireworks display without the bang |
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