ALICANTE, SPAIN....Larger City, and unique!

Alicante, Spain is a larger Port city & very simple to get into!  I found this City to be really neat.  It was large enough to feel more like locals lived there and not totally infiltrated with tourists.  I believe we were the only ship in Port.....so, once I got outside of the Port.....I didn't really see a lot of "cruise" people.  And, I did a lot of my walking on side streets.  I let curiosity lead me and it lead me to some fabulous sights! 

This Port City was intriguing....Once again it was filled with history and surprises around every corner!

As you walked out of the port you saw amazing architectural images....like this row of columns!

I loved this image on the way out of the port....palm trees, an ancient ship and the beautiful water.

Again, so common to these European port cities.....views of things that we will never see in the States.

And a beach.....I am partial to beaches.....so this was a great sight for me!

And this is so much like Rio de Janeiro.....the wavey Mosaic walkways....I must be honest with you, I can't get enough of them.  The attention to detail and the welcoming feeling!

Every Corner I walked around revealed a new spectacular view.  So much to see in a very short walk!

Turn a corner, see something totally new!

Okay, yes, another dog.....can't help myself....I keep thinking of my Monty at home, well not my Monty, my friend Sharon's Monty.....but I dog sit for him, and as far as I am concerned, he is like my Pooch.

View from the restaurant I had lunch in.......so far I have pretty much eaten all my lunches off ship....it's my time to experience the food culture and to use free WIFI....LOL!

Beer & Fresh Tomato & Mozzarella Salad!!!!!

Views around the area where I ate lunch!

Alicante was rich in beautiful architecture!

I must admit, this city was really pretty and easy to navigate, but not sure if it is somewhere I would want to spend an extended time in.

This was one of my favorite sights.....it was Saturday morning, and this Dad was sitting outside a Super Mercado having a coffee, and his daughter was having a juice, and they were watching the TV inside the Super Mercado.....CARTOONS!  It warmed my heart!  So, this is an example of a Father & Daughter on a Saturday morning in Alicante, Spain!!!!

A view of the beach along my wandering!

I can't believe I am down to less than two weeks until I return to the US.....and you know what?  This traveling alone thing is wonderful.  I have gained so much confidence.....curiosity....and empowerment....just as Sunday said to me on my flight to Rome....my seat mate.....She said....your adventure will be empowering....well it is!  I have NO qualms about eating alone anywhere, and I have no qualms about feeling "Odd".....I have learned to just go with the flow and not take anything personally.  Like tonight.....I was involved in a super conversation with a nice man from White Plains NY.....then Hans showed up.....apparently there was a little clique going on .....another couple knew Hans......bottom line.....I was totally excluded from the conversation.  My take was ....ADIOS! 

So......Next Blog Post will be Malaga, Spain........................and I must say, after 40 years....it is not the same, but my love for it is.  Stay tuned!  PS.....Cyprus may not show up until I get home...no clue what the technical issues are!

Adios Amigos!

NAPLES, ITALY......such a pleasant surprise!!

My anticipations for Naples were somewhat low.  WELL, WAS I SURPRISED!!  There was a surprisingly modern terminal that was actually a Mall that young people & college students hung out at.  There were cafes, shops and of course the usual tourist vendors.

This is a view of the Terminal Mall!

Again, my pictures are in random order....this one is a short walk out of the terminal and on my way into the City.

Once again, even though Naples is a large metropolis, you still had the same flavor of being in Europe with all it's incredible architecture and surprises around every corner!

This particular Mall was so so impressive.  I will have to come back and update the history behind this building.  It was so beautiful inside with the windowed dome, lovely shops, cafes and incredible tile work on it's floors.  It had two main openings with two side entrances/exits mid Mall.  

Of course I found a dog.....this little monster was so possessive of his "Mall"...it was almost comical!

More views from inside to outside this Mall!

Incredible street views.....very cosmopolitan....yet so OLD!  I really like that mix.

And, of course, an Outlet.  I haven't been doing much shopping....but it almost felt like home to see an Outlet!!!!

Yet another view in the glass domed Mall!

This was a fun find!  I just happened upon it on a side street.  The entire inside ceiling was totally decorated with hanging Hot Peppers....real dried peppers!

Of course, I couldn't resist buying a dried salami!!!  Since I have a fridge in my cabin, I figured I would have a nice snack when I wanted.  What was interesting, I am in Italy, yet this particular shop was run and owned by Indians.

The Castle/Fort just outside the Port Exit....quite impressive!

I stumbled upon this HUGE Piazza.......surprisingly not that crowded.  It was heavily guarded by the military, not sure why.  Perhaps a demonstration venue!

Just a colonnade that led into another Piazza!

Another building within the Piazza!  I said it was huge.....the buildings surrounding it were amazing!

Of course I was drawn to a local fruit and vegetable market!

As Cliche' as it may be, I did find that I had to have Pizza in Naples.  This one was Fresh Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Funghi!!!  Actually, it was pretty good.  It was on a little side street that lead to the water.

The waiter was kind enough to take my picture.  Also, they had really strong WIFI....so while I pigged out on pizza.....drank some house wine....I actually got a lot of blog work done.  I try to do the uploading of my photos to the blog while using free WIFI and eat lunch....the upload takes a long time on board the ship and costs a fortune.....so what better way than to eat, drink and UPLOAD!

So, my opinion of Naples is favorable.  I hadn't expected it to be so accessible from the ship.  And it was busy but not unmanageable.  I found it to be a fascinating City and I am so glad that I ventured out......it was a highlight of this trip!  So my advice is, don't let Naples scare you.  Many people on board the ship opted to take excursions to Sorrento, Capri etc.  .....but I had been those places, however, I never spent time in Naples....Now I am glad I did! 

Next stop after Naples is Rome.....Since I have been to Rome a number of times....and it is 45 minutes from the Civitavecchia Port.....I used this day to just recover from all the ports I had visited.  Next stop Alicante, Spain! 

In the meantime I am still working on getting my Cyprus Blog together! 

Ciao.....Holly

TAORMINA, SICILY....another visit after 40 years!!

Once again, I was in Taormina about 40 years ago....I needed to see it one more time. Below was the ships arrival in Messina, Sicily!  Messina appeared to be a beautiful Port City, however, I was committed to take a transfer to Taormina because I so wanted to see this small town again!

The sail into Port was wonderful and once again we were blessed with fabulous weather.  Blue Clear skies and temperatures in the high 60's low 70's.  I am finding October is a wonderful time to visit these parts of Europe!

Again, one long Pedestrian Street with sights all along the way.  The architecture still has me in awe even after seeing so much of it!

I love this picture.....this is one of an elderly lady probably heading home up these empty stairs.  I must say, the residents who live in these areas have to be in fairly good shape to be able to handle all the stairs.  I am getting pretty good at stairs.....they are not threatening anymore....as a matter of fact, I have not used the elevators on board ship yet!

After 40 years, I have forgotten the charm of this little coastal town.....what I did realize though was that there were more people and more shops.....when I was there it was predominantly residents with a handful of tourists.  There were just a couple of hotels.  

LOVE LOVE LOVE TAORMINA!!!!

Restaurant I had lunch in......it was a little off the beaten track and was patroned by locals.

My view!!!

MY Lunch.....Spaghetti ala Vongole!!  And of course a nice white wine!

All down the main pedestrian street were a series of I believe 4 Arches!

A view from a wonderful spot at the end of the walkway.

Another of the Arches.

Another view from the end of the town!

The main Square.....I do remember this.  When I was there for several days....this square on a Sunday was filled with families.....several generations, walking arm in arm!

Another wonderful view!

I must say, there are a lot of churches in Europe!!!!

Another Archway!

And of course....there was sculptural art all around.....a perfect mix of ancient and contemporary.

My opinion of Taormina, Sicily revisiting it after 40 years is:  It is still a BEAUTIFUL Town, but I am so so so very glad that I got to see it when there was much less activity and less tourists.  I couldn't find the Hotel I stayed at which was located at the end of the pedestrian main Ave.  The routine on evenings there during my visit consisted of dinner at one of the local restaurants, a walk back to the hotel and on the way.....buying roasted chestnuts on the street & taking them to a very small stand up bar and ordering a Grappa.  It was heaven!  It is so true....that many times LESS is MORE!

I do still recommend paying a visit to Taormina......so charming with to die for views.

Technical note......I have my Post for Cyprus in draft form but for some reason it is having technical issues.....but it will be coming along soon!  Ciao!  Holly