Have you been to Europe?

JoeyandDavid · August 19, 2006

One of the great things about CruiseCrazies is the diversity in membership and experiences and the willingness to share observations.

As you know there is an upcoming cruise that we are on to the Mediterranean. Our Ports of Call Itinerary is as follows:

Barcelona, Nice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Santorini, Athens, Dubrovnik, Venice.

I wondered if any of the Crazies that have visited any of the ports, would be willing to pick their favorite<] and suggest ONE <]thing as a must see<]... I as a virgin to Europe I very much respect the opinions of the posters here and would love to see it from the experienced eyes going into the adventure and compare observations.. So let experience ring out!

Thanks

jbond · August 20, 2006

I can only suggest one thing. :cry:

Barcelona

The Gothic Cathedral. Go in the cloisters and see the magnificent works of art. Go inside and stand where Columbus celebrated mass after returning from the New World.

Nice

Visit the flower market and be amazed at the displays and the fantastic array of fresh foods.

Florence

Go to Piazzelle Michelangelo and see Florence in all it's splendour. Fantastic views of the city, the beautiful red domed Duomo, the Tuscany countryside and the Ponte Vecchio.

Rome

It has to be the Colosseum. To me, it's Rome in all it's Imperial Majesty.

Naples

You have to see Pompeii. It's absolutely mind boggling. We've been twice and I'd go again in a heart beat.

Santorini

Take the funicular up the mountain to Fira and then take a trip to Oia. It's picture postcard Greece. You'll see the blue roofed churches, Oia perched on the rim of the mountain and get incredible views of your ship in the caldera. Don't forget to eat in Oia at one of the restaurants perched on the edge of the mountain.

Athens

It has to be the Acropolis. Fabulous views of the city and three massive temples. The Parthenon was everything I had hoped and even more so.

Dubrovnik

Go into town and walk around the delightful city before going onto "restaurant row" and having a great seafood meal.

Venice.

Are you sure only one thing? OK Take a gondolo ride on the Grand Canal. It will take you down back waterways and under the Rialto Bridge and you'll get to see the Grand Canal in all it's glory.

You can't really go wrong in each city, they all have so much to offer are so steeped in history.

Gregswife · August 20, 2006

Joey, when we were in Nice, we went to the coliseum. It isn't as big as the one in Rome, but was fascinating, none the less. To stand where ancient games (both good and bad) had taken place thousand of years before was a strange feeling. We rented a car and drove to Monaco, and Monte Carlo. It wasn't very far at all.

cherole · August 21, 2006

Hey Joey,

I had been to Europe many times before my Med cruise last year (same as yours). It was easy to skip things I had done before. There is no way to pick "one thing" without knowing more about what excites you (i.e. art, history, beaches, food etc.).

I will give you a warning, tho, related to getting around. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time. Couple of caveats or examples:

At Civitevecchia (or however you spell that), we took the train into Rome to meet up with some friends who happened to be there. Returning to the train station, we didn't realize we would have to walk what seemed like miles through the train station to get to the track for our particular train. We also got a train back that was not express, so it took forever!

Next warning: Mykonos. We wanted to go to Paradise Beach. Getting a cab was funky - they were doing ride shares based on destination. Fine, we made it there. BUT, we could not for the life of us get a cab back. They kept calling for us but they were all booked or reserved. We were stuck and had to take the bus. All in all, it was OK, and a lot cheaper, but we did have our moment of panic. There were a lof of other Celebrity people on our same bus, so we calmed down.

Next: Athens is fantastic, but I was a little reticent to go it on my own as I had done so many time in Europe. So, we booked our one and only official tour excursion. Let me tell you, talk about crowds! Celebrity ALONE had 20 busses going up to Acropolis. It was a mob scene of tour groups! And then they dump you off for a while at a gift shop that you are essentially stuck at for about 1/2 hour.

Naples: We decided to go to Capri, so we bought hydrofoil tickets on our own. Again, crowded! I won't be tacky or un-PC and name WHICH county/cultural group was en masse, but let's just say they are pushy. That was irritating. Then, when we got to Capri, we wanted to cap up to Anacapri. Same as Mykonos. No problem getting there, but had to fight with people to get a cab back. Queuing is a uniquely American and British thing. It was crazy. And, I have to say that even the Americans were getting kind of pushy with each other trying to get a cab back down.

I hope I am not scaring you, that is not my point at all. But just make sure that you pad in lots of time for the unforseeable, as you wouldn't want to 'miss the boat'!!

OK, one MUST DO. While at Villefranche-Sur-Mer, we went to Nice because we had been to Cannes & Monaco in the past. DO NOT miss hitting some bakeries!! The French do cookies & stuff well.

JoeyandDavid · August 21, 2006

hey Cheryl the idea behind the post was to get opinions of what YOU liked and what impressed YOU.. the i will compare what i thought to some of the impressions by others who went to the same places....

so your post was great

cherole · August 21, 2006

Oooops, OK, it's all about me :)

My fave was the Greek islands. Greece was the one place I hadn't been before, so seeing them was new. They were gorgeous.

Santorini is up high so the views are spectacular plus we had stellar weather. We had a light lunch of Greek Salad/sandwich thing and wine. Meandered the little streets, bought baklava.

On Mykonos, we went out to see the windmills. Then we we went to Paradise Beach which was really interesting because it was clothing optional. Not used to that. It also had some fun little bar areas on the beach.

s73645 · August 21, 2006

Joey-

Florence: The Uffizzi Gallery, the duomo, the baptistry doors.

Rome: The forum and Colliseum. The Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Stanza in the Vatican museum as well as awesome statues of Roman's. It's cool to see the Csaesars in person. The Borghese gallery has Bernini statues that will make you forget Michelangelo's David.

Naples: Pompeii !!! The view of Mt. Vesuvius from a hillside olive grove in Sorrento. The antiquities museum.

Athens: Plaka. the acropolis, the antiquities museum.

Venice: Santa Maria Gloriosa del Frari- Titian's The Assumption of the Virgin.

Accademia- cool icons and several huge Titians. After you see the essentials.. lose the map and wander around the pathways. You will have a wonderful time being lost in Venice.

Joanandjoe · August 21, 2006

While I've been to Rome and Florence, it was so long ago (1960) that my memory is too fuzzy to be helpful.

I was last in Venice about 20 years ago. Gondolas are lovely, if a bit expensive and touristy. I would opt for a trip to Piazza San Marco, with a side trip a few feet to the Bridge of Sighs and the Doge's Palace. Then I'd walk along the Grand Canal looking at the palazzos and the Rialto bridge, with a few trips to the smaller canals. Last, I'd take a Vaporetto around the city a bit.

Our best time in Nice was on Cimiez hill, seing the Matisse Museum and the amazing Roman ruins. The flower garden was also great, and we had a wonderful meal at La Bouscase, which is right on the street with the flower market. Great salade Nicoise, wonderful house wine, all outdoors in November. Away from Nice, the St. Paul de Vence excursion was the<] highlight of the trip, and we placed a stone on Chagall's grave.

Barcelona? Wander through the old town, ending (as pointed out by JBond) at the gothic cathedral, which we liked much better than the Gaudi church. We were lucky enough to catch some people dancing ths Sardana in fronth of the cathedral.