Iconic Western Mediterranean

What an epic vacation! Until recently, I never expected to be able to travel to the destinations that I have been fortunate enough to visit. We set sail on a new Viking ship, Jupiter, in late February 2019. We were on their second week of sailing. We expected some “bumps in the road” as it was a new ship and new crew. but I can happily report that there weren’t any! Actually, our cabin steward was the same one we had on our first Viking Ocean trip! I think there were only a couple disappointments. One was the cabin level the agent booked us in. One other was a single bed in the cabin when we always request two. And one was change in a must anticipated port. Without realizing it, until we were on board, we were booked into a Veranda instead of a Deluxe Veranda, as we had on previous sailings. Our cabin was located on Deck 3, over the Star Theater. We heard the practices and shows quite clearly at all times of the day and night. I don’t recommend Deck 3 Forward! We were not very happy with the agent for booking us in this cabin!

You may be wondering what the difference is between a Veranda and Deluxe Veranda on Viking Ocean. It’s relatively simple – it’s the amenities! The Veranda is stocked once for the duration of the trip. After that you have to purchase items. The Deluxe Veranda receives daily refreshing of the mini-bar contents, including beer, soda, mixers and snacks. There’s a coffee maker in the room. And complimentary binoculars for distance viewing. There’s also priority specialty dining reservations and shore excursions. And a nice comfy Norwegian blanket. Here’s a tip: If you don’t eat the snacks or favorite beverage every day, take them out of the mini fridge and put in a drawer so they can be replaced. Some days, like Sea Days, you might feel more snacky than others!

Rome – Our driver from the airport to the hotel provided us with a tour as we drove past various places of interest. What a nice touch! Our hotel looked fantastic! Our room was ready. Our first disappointment. We booked two beds, as we always do. The beautiful room had a king bed, and it was unable to be separated. So, change of rooms. The next room also had a king bed! Another change of rooms to finally get the bed configuration that we originally asked for. The hotel was surprised at our complaint as they upgraded us! Very frustrating visit! And they never provided us with our points! We had to jump through hoops later to receive them. Not a nice way to treat elite members.

But on to the real reason we were there! To see Rome! We took the HOHO trolley around the city to get the layout. Then we started visiting the Colosseum, Vatican City, and more. We also did the night HOHO tour to see the sights lit up. Everywhere we went, there was accommodations for disabled or challenged travelers, offering elevators instead of stairs and special entry points. This helped to make me more comfortable and enjoy the sights. If you don’t know where the elevator or special entrance is, just ask any docent or employee. Be advised that many historical attractions have a timed entry. No point in arriving too early as there are few if any places to sit. Standing in line can be very tiresome…even more so if the weather is warm. Note: There aren’t many places to sit in or near the Colosseum.

Actually, the whole idea for this blog came after a long day of sightseeing ending in Vatican City. I was exhausted. And knew we still had a ways to walk to get back to the trolley and then to our hotel. My hips were burning like they were on fire. My favorite cheerleader, Karen, kept encouraging me onward. I made a comment that I’d get there eventually, even if it was 20 steps at a time! Voila! Karen said I should start a blog about how I cope with the challenges I face when we travel. A blog is born! And hopefully you are finding it worthwhile reading, even if you aren’t mobility challenged!

Florence/Pisa – I always wanted to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Yes, it definitely is leaning! What a great excursion visiting the Square of Miracles, a UNESCO Heritage Site. The walk from the bus parking lot to Pisa was a bit longer and faster paced than I care for. That was brutal but thanks to our phenomenal tour guide, she took excellent care to get us back with our group, as well as a taxi back to the buses at the end. We often ask the guides to call a taxi for us. And we’ve had other guests saying that they wish they had done that as well. It’s been well worth the approximate 10 euro to do so. We find that the walking groups tend to have a quicker pace than I am able to keep up with. We walked all over Florence and saw the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. Both amazing!

Monte Carlo – What a beautiful place! We once again took a HOHO and were not disappointed. The background commentary always provides snippets of information to make what you are seeing more enjoyable. We saw markings on the roads for the Grand Prix. We saw the changing of the guards at the palace. We had a Nutella crepe at an outdoor cafe across from the palace. We shopped on a neat little side street/alley. And as always, Karen took many photographs! And we found the bright red post office so Karen could mail her post cards! We totally enjoyed our shore excursion in Monte Carlo.

Marseille – We weren’t quite as enthusiastic about France’s oldest city as we were about other Viking included excursions. Originally when we booked the trip we were supposed to pull into St. Tropez port. This, however, was changed in advance of our sailing. We were docked near the Old Port fort. Our included excursion took us past a monument to Columbus, a large ferris wheel and a lighthouse. It is walkable from the ship into town, which Karen and another couple we met ventured forth to explore, while I stayed on the ship, resting.

Montpelier (Sete) – Another nice excursion and great to see another historic area in France, known as “Venice of the Languedoc.” Lots of fishing boats.

Barcelona – Here we are! The last stop for this itinerary with a visit to Segrada Familia. Lots of pictures of this unfinished Gaudi masterpiece, as well as an informational tour of the city. We enjoyed a cold beverage near the church along with some souvenir shopping. Overnight in Barcelona, with an early morning departure for the airport and home.

I recently created a Shutterfly book of photos that Karen took while on this epic adventure. We will be able to look back on them with memories of another great trip.
Also, check out the photo gallery in the sidebar for some favorite pictures
used for our digital post cards.

Take vacations
to as many places as you can.
You can always make money.
You can’t always make memories.