Messina, Sicily

Mediterranean Cruise

Carnival Magic Cruise

This  cruise was the reason we were in Spain, it departed from Barcelona. The Carnival Magic is a new ship,  her maiden voyage was in May, and after this Mediterranean cruise her home port will be in the USA. Everything was so shiny and inviting. 

Miniature golf on two levels

Giant chess game

Sports complex had a basketball court and this obstacle course in the sky. The kids wore harnesses that clipped to a guide wire above their heads. This looked like tons of fun. No, I stayed down with two feet planted on the deck.

Water park with slides and other crazy water stuff, and a pool.

The giant outdoor screen was effective even in daylight.

Two windows, seriously? We were completely amazed by all the space in our stateroom. The steward asked us what we did to get this special room because he had no other like it in his area.  We didn't do anything, it was just luck, I guess.

Dining rooms were lovely, delicious, and had fast service. For dinner there was assigned seating in the dining rooms so each night we had conversation with the same people, and swapped stories about the things we saw and did that day.

From our windows the ocean was still  far below. We were on Deck 2 and loved it!

A ton of lounge chairs circled the decks, and I counted about 8 hot tubs as we walked around the ship.

This was "Cruise Elegant" Night, so we dressed up for dinner. Another treat for me was the chance to wear the Mallorca pearl necklace we had bought while staying at the island for the week before the cruise.

The ship was huge and pretty much dominated any port. This photo was taken in Monte Carlo.

Center of the ship was visible from many decks.

Banks of elevators at ship's center ascended from Deck 3 to 10. Deck 3 is considered the main deck and it is where we first entered the ship. Our stateroom was one deck lower, but still far above water level. Huge ship.

Ports of Call: 

Messina, Sicily Highlight: Astronomical Clock Tower in Cathedral Square

Naples: Amalfi Coast and Pompeii

Civitavecchia: Rome

Livorno: Florence and Pisa

Monaco:

The Island of Mallorca

July 12 - 17,  2011

     We flew from Barcelona an hour eastward to Palma, Mallorca for six days at a Marriott Vacation Club Resort nearby at Son Antem, which was an absolute delight.

     We also loved exploring the island in the tiny Smart car we rented: visiting beaches sandy or rocky and swimming in a warm Mediterranean Sea, ascending to mountain-top monasteries, exploring a cathedral in Palma, walking out to a lighthouse at the southern tip of the island at Cap de ses Salines.

     We had a blast walking the street market at Llucmajor, making purchases at the Mallorca pearl factory and a Gordiola glass factory, exploring Cuevas del Drach (Dragon's cave),  and finding specialty restaurants in interesting locations.

     And most memorable of all, a 2 km winding switchback "road" down the side of a cliff to a tiny sea port of Valdemossa below. Don't let that white line down the middle deceive you, each "lane" was about 4 feet wide.

Montserrat, Spain

Above Barcelona, a monastery is carved into the mountain top of Montserrat. 

We got there on a long bus ride, culminating in a short, steep rail ride to the peek.

The scene was so serenely beautiful that for a moment I could understand the appeal of choosing to live in a monastery. A few students are permitted to live at the monastery to study music--piano is required and one another instrument of choice.

The inner courtyard of the monastery was filled with ornately carved figures. We were surprised by the sudden peeling vibrations of the bell tower, deafeningly loud and about 10 minutes long, announcing mass.

The monastery there has become the tourist attraction of the famed Black Madonna. One guide commented, however, that the figure has black skin because those surfaces have not been cleaned. The setting for this popular sculpture was unusual because she is encased in glass except for a place where her hand extends through a hole so that visitors can climb up steps at the front of the cathedral and then, in full view of the congregation far below, enter her viewing chamber, cross across to touch the Madonna, then descend the steps to other chambers behind and below to pray and seek her blessing. Wow, so different than anything I've ever experienced.