19
Oct

Holiday floating around the Med!

19/10/2010

Just back from a great holiday cruise around various ports of the Med. Got to visit and see lots of new places, some large and commercial and some small and very quaint costal villages. Met lots of new people and had too much great food.

The countries on the list were Palma Mallorca, Villa Franche on the French Riviera, Florence in Tuscany, Rome, Propriano in Corsica, and Palomos mainland Spain. Of them all the French fishing village of Propriano in Corsica was probably my favourite, and most memorable for its stunning mountainous and lush green landscape meeting the beautiful sandy beaches of the Mediterranean sea. It was a postcard looking in every direction and definitely very high on the list for a visit again 🙂 Oh and the French really do know how to make a top class crepe and cappuccino, served outdoors overlooking the harbour 🙂

A short trip from Villa Franche was Monaco and Monte Carlo so this was a definite on the list to do from a Formula1 point of view. Managed to hunt out the famous hairpin bend and walked through the tunnel on the street circuit. This place simply has to be seen to be believed. The yachts in the harbour are on a scale and style all of their own, and you can smell the money in the air! Even the ducks in the ever so immaculate park opposite the Casino are posh!

Palma, Mallorca. I thought this yacht was big but it was a dinghy compared to what was ahead in Monaco

The hairpin bend on the famous F1 Monaco street circuit
Inside the tunnel and the best I could manage to give the impression of speed was dragging the shutter on the tail lights of a posh Monaco car. No Merc's or BMW's here, this was land of Ferrari and Porsche and Lamborghini.
This was my second favourite but I didn't make an offer on it 🙂
I quite liked this one but it was the wrong colour for me!
This was my favourite one and a must have before next year's Monaco Grand Prix as it's moored right in on the circuit. Even if it rains I can watch the race from behind the full width sliding frameless blacked out glass doors and turn on the blue LED lighting 🙂
The famous Monaco F1 street circuit as it goes past the swimming pool.
This is where the 'poor' yachts live in Monaco
Monaco architecture.
The beautiful town of Villa Franche.
Just ten minutes round the coast from Monaco and the yachts get a lot more modest in size!
Villa Franche was full of little colourful streets.
Our chariot!
On deck
Pulleys, winches and chains the size of men. This looked a dangerous place as the ship set sail each evening but it all ran like a military operation.
In Florence
Ponte Vecchio
Architecture in Florence
Architecture in Florence
On to Rome and an iconic sky line
The crowds and security was on a grand scale.
The Romans knew how to build with fine detail.
Same bridge, different angle but the double decker tour bus shows the grand scale.
A building which needs no introduction
Another of Rome's must see places is the Trevi Fountain.
Propriano in Corsica. I could easily live here 🙂
The harbour was a colourful place.
The awning and buildings seemed to make a natural frame for this shot, taken from an outside table during one of many coffee stops
Speaking of coffee stops, there were lots of typical harbour side French patisserie's and cafes, and what started off as 2 cappuccinos became coffee and buns too! It would have been rude not to try them 🙂
One of the beautiful beaches and the mountains of Corsica, my new favourite place.
The harbour of Propriano in Corsica taken from the ship.
Many of the harbour side cafe's in Propriano
Yours truely prior to leaving Propriano in Corsica. You can see why my place is the other side of the camera!!
A final view of the mountainous landscape of Corsica.
Dave/David and Pat who became good friends on the ship, and Catherine in the middle. Called Dave/David because he wouldn't tell me which name he used!
Barbara and Geoff who we had dinner with each evening, who coincidentially have family in Newtownabbey.
The final port of Palomos on mainland Spain, before going back to Palma

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4 Responses
  1. Damien Mc A

    Looks like an amazing holiday NIgel, photos are terrific – Monaco looks class and Rome too. The coffee and buns photo is making me hungry!!

  2. Nigel

    Thanks for the comment Damien. You know how we all like to bore everyone with all our holiday photos when we get home 🙂

    All the ports of call were great in their own way, but I agree, Monaco and Rome have the wow factor. I’m also very pleased to confirm that the buns did indeed eat very well, and washed down very nicely with the cappuccio!

  3. davidos proudisio

    hello i mucho regarde all the fine images especial the hands young man in red with the much elder ladies

  4. Nigel

    Hi Dave

    Sounds like you’re mad as ever 🙂 Is that Italian/Whitehaven or Spanish/Whitehaven lingo?

    You wouldn’t believe how much I had to bribe those two young ladies to have their photo taken with the old geezer in the red t-shirt, and how difficult it was to avoid him the rest of the week but unfortunately he found us on the last day!

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