La Goulette Tunisia. We're in Africa!

12/9/12

This was one place that I thought we should take an organised tour. Travelling around Tunisia by ourselves just didn't sound like a good idea to me. So off we went on our organised tour. Little did we know we'd be the centre of an international incident.

First impression of Tunisia was - it's very dirty. Rubbish collection must be in October. There are huge piles of rubbish everywhere you look.

We got on our bus and almost immediately our guide read us the riot act about us listening to him as he wasn't going to repeat things and so on. It was an interesting approach to your "customers" I thought. Our first stop was at a old children's cemetery with an uncertain history. One theory was that the first born child of every family was sacrificed. The other is that because of the high infant mortality rate, there was a very large number of children who died and were buried there. I wandered around a very sombre place and it just made me feel sad.

I wasn't that comfortable taking photos here so here's a shot of an unusual flower I found in a tree.

We climbed back on our bus, and then the excrement hit the oscillating cooling device. There was an issue between one of the Korean guests and the guide. Suzanne saw the whole thing and was stunned by the guides attitude and actions. The whole thing was extremely badly handled and I actually thought it was going to come to blows at one stage. Suzanne and I had already discussed the guide's attitude and decided we would get off the bus and go back to the ship when we got a chance. It certainly wasn't an enjoyable experience. The bus then rounded a bend and we could see the ship within walking distance. A Korean gent asked the guide to stop the bus so his group, which numbered twenty two, could get off the bus and go back to the ship. Another heated exchange followed and the guide refused to stop the bus and continued to the next stop a long way from the ship. As we got off the bus the mobile phones came out and loud calls were made left, right, and centre. To the tour company owner's credit he was there in a flash. He spoke to a couple of passengers, including Suzanne, and we had a new guide a few minutes later. Our new guide was very good and came complete with a sense of humour. 

Everybody settled down and we entered the museum. There was a strong Roman presence in Tunisia in the past and there are many Roman ruins there. This museum houses the largest collection of Roman Mosaics in the world. It took quite some time to get through and was stunning. The time and effort that must have gone into making these mosaics must have been incredible. here are just a few samples:

The museum entry hall.

Look! It's Pumba from the Lion King. No, not me, the the animal in the mosaic.

After the museum we were herded to the souks (shops)...

The souks weren't that crowded - not half!

Talk about high pressure sales techniques.

...and taken to an "approved" rug factory. It was quite interesting to see how the rugs were made and there were some beautiful pieces there, but they were out of our budget and travelling in a motorcycle meant we (luckily) couldn't carry one. Suzanne asked for the price on one rug, just as a matter of interest, and it was on. The would make a very special price for us, they would freight it to Australia for free, they would sell their mother to get a sale. Talk about high pressure. Apparently the rug we asked about took twenty six months to weave by hand. The asking price was $2,500 and they asked for my offer. I explained that we didn't want to buy one and by the time I walked out the front door it was on offer for $1,200. I reckon $800 would have bought it.

Our (new and improved) guide giving us the rundown on genuine hand woven carpets of unquestionable quality and amazing prices.

Obligatory rug making shot.

On our way to our next stop, some Roman ruins, we drove past this...

What is it you ask? It's part of the answer to a question posed in "The Life of Brian" a very popular Monty Python movie. "What have they (the Romans) ever given us in return?" The answer of course is the aqueduct. Sorry, I know it's a bit obtuse, but some of my mates will love it.

So on to the ruins. This was pretty impressive and the sheer size of everything makes you wonder just how they built things  This covered a large area and it still gets to me when I place my hand on a column that someone carved out of a piece of rock 2,000 years ago. Mind boggling.

That concluded our day trip in Tunisia, or so we thought. When we arrived back at the dock we were about to walk out to the gangway and we came across a few guys carrying Falcons. Suzanne and I immediately went "Oh wow" and headed straight for them. They were obviously there to make some money by letting tourists like us have their photo taken with the birds. We were happy to oblige...

This little guy jumped straight on my arm and we checked each other out. Once we were mates he enjoyed a scratch on the neck and let me feel the hook on his beak.

Then he decided that he wanted a better view and climbed up on my shoulder.

 Suzanne's turn. She doesn't look very happy at all does she?

This was far and away the highlight of our day and removed all the bad taste of the mornings dramas. To be so close to these amazing birds was fantastic and luckily we were the last passengers walking through the terminal so we spent a good deal of time with them. Brilliant! The boys got a good tip, and it was worth every cent.

We boarded the ship on a high and the rest of the night was perfect. Good food, good wine, and good friends. Another fantastic and memorable day of our adventure.

Tomorrow it's back to Italy to visit Palermo.

Swanning around in Palma Mallorca, Spain.

10/9/12

This morning found our ship floating in Palma, Mallorca, Spain. For those of you that don't know, Mallorca is an island located almost centrally between Spain, Sardinia and the north coast of Africa. Now the geography lesson is out of the way, on with the story.

Suzanne groaned that she was staying in bed all day and that she would never drink cocktails again, so I strolled down the gangway by myself and headed into Palma. The very first thing that hits you in the face like a brick is the gigantic cathedral that is there.

After a quick sticky beak at the cathedral I wandered around the corner and found a small courtyard with a pond, and two beautiful white swans with three cygnets. They were stunning.

This is either mum or dad, I'm not sure which. 

The whole family.

From there I did the usual wander around the shops. I needed a couple more casual shirts but couldn't find anything that I liked (in my price range which is bugger all because I'm a cheap bastard). In one shop I bumped into my pub crawl companions, Kevin and Annie. They were a little worse for wear, in fact they had gone into town to get some pain killers for their headaches. Well Annie, that's what you get when you drink cocktails and champagne like water and dance til the wee small hours of the morning.

I must admit that I was feeling a little seedy myself and when I saw a McDonald's across the road I was at the counter in no time. What is it about a very ordinary hamburger that makes you feel so much better when you're hung over? By the way, the burgers in Palma are just as bad as at home. They really do make them the same all over the world.

This whole being in a town without our bike thing is really starting to annoy me. I want to go for a ride and find an out of the way place where I can sit and talk to the real locals. Like we did in Slovenia. Somewhere where people aren't trying to sell me sunglasses, or an umbrella. 

Having said that, Palma is a very pretty town. There are lots of trees and shade in the main streets, and the architecture is really interesting showing Spanish, Italian, and African influences. Not a bad little spot, but you have to head for the back alleys and walkways to  get some peace and quiet and to find the real jewels.

Back on board and we were invited to an Aussie and Kiwi get together for drinks. With a bunch of South Australians on board the conversation obviously turned to footy and the Dockers vs Crows game set for the weekend. I managed pretty well considering I was massively outnumbered. Of course it was all in good fun.

Then it was off to another formal dinner followed by a show in the showroom. The artist tonight was a brilliant classical pianist but he mixed in a few light hearted tunes and a bit of (bad) comedy as well. Then he came out with a suit on that was covered in bicycle bulb horns. When he bent his elbow, a horn would sound. When he bent his leg, another horn would sound, and so on. Each horn was a different note. He could actually play a tune on this ridiculous suit, and it sounded good. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. Talk about funny.

It had been a long day so I bypassed the nightclub this time and headed straight back to my cosy cabin. 

11/9/12

This was one of our few days at sea. We pretty much took it easy staying in bed and watching a few movies then strolling from restaurant to bar to restaurant to bar for the day and had an early night. So, sorry, not much to report.

Tomorrow we visit La Goulette, Tunisia.

Barcelona, then a pub crawl on the ship.

9/9/12


The six of us hit Barcelona again today but this time we hired a taxi to run us around. We did the run around the usual tourist stops but the highlights were Gaudi's Park Guell, a visually stunning park designed by Antoni Gaudi, and Sagrada La Familia. There are thousands of photos of both of these Spanish icons on the web so I'll just post two:

Our motley crew at Park Guell.

http://www.parkguell.org/

And another link from one of our readers. Thanks.

http://www.parkguell.es

Sagrada from a distance. This thing is growing very fast. We've seen it every couple of years for about six years and the changes are noticeable. If you need impressing, take a  look here:

http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/

It was a long day so when we got back to the ship we finished of with a few drinks on Lil's balcony and watched the sun set as we sailed away from Barcelona. Then it was down to dinner. It feels like all we are doing on this trip is going from meal to meal. I'm not complaining though.

A very moody sunset over the Med.

You thought that was it didn't you? No it's not. After dinner Suzanne and I met up with Kevin and Annie and joined in on the ships organised Pub Crawl. The theory is simple. Visit five bars and have a beer at each one. No problem there, except...

We got to the starting point, the Crow's Nest, and were presented with a cocktail. As soon as we'd finished our drink they gave us another. We were then led like a band of (very noisy) merry men to the next bar. We then repeated the whole scenario over again. We had now downed four cocktails in about an hour. 

Here we witnessed a Hula Hoop competition between three volunteers from the crowd. Kev jumped straight in as soon as they asked for people to step forward. He may have been helped by my "very gentle" nudge in the back. He was joined by two young ladies soon after. Kev only managed to keep the hoop going for about two seconds while providing laughs for our pub crawlers. The funny thing was that the girls were even worse and Kev ended up winning the competition, and a bottle of champagne  I'm just disappointed that we didn't have a camera with us. Kev ended up leaving the ship as undefeated Hula Hoop Champion of The Mediterranean. 

Off to bar number three. At this point I should tell you that there was a group of about two hundred South Australians on the ship so the majority of our pub crawlers were Aussies, and it was getting a little bit loud. This was encouraged our guide, who had a loud hailer, and insisted that when he shouted "pub" into the hailer we had to respond by yelling "crawl" back. Aussies being very obliging people were happy to help out when we could. Unfortunately i don't think the string quartet, or it's audience were very impressed as we went past.

After more cocktails we made a beeline for bar number four, repeated the whole thing again along with some drinking games before finishing up at bar number five, the Northern Lights Disco. You'd think that ten cocktails would be enough wouldn't you? Well for some reason we were still thirsty and stayed until about 1.30 am just for the dancing you understand. Oh, and a few champagnes.,

All in all it was a fun night, but what will tomorrow bring?

Barcelona, home of Tapas, Sangria, and Flamenco dancers. I love it.

8/9/12

We woke up this morning and we were in sunny Barcelona, one of my favourite places. Yahoo!

The gang of six grabbed a taxi into town and hit Las Ramblas and the tourist / shopping area and followed this up with a tourist bus ride around town. I've never done one of these before, but it was really good. You get a pre recorded audio commentary and can jump on and off whenever and wherever you like. It's very informative and bloody good value.

PHOTO REMOVED BY THE MYKOLAJENKO FAMILY CENSORSHIP BOARD

(MY WIFE AND SISTER)
: )

My sister Lil sprung doing a little skimpy lingerie shopping.

Not really the thing you want to see your sister doing.



PHOTO CHANGED BY THE MYKOLAJENKO FAMILY CENSORSHIP BOARD
(MY WIFE AND SISTER)
: )

Lil hamming it up at the Salvador Dali museum.

Ron hamming it up at the Salvador Dali museum.

She is sooooo going to be unhappy with me when she sees I've posted these two photos. I'm Sorry Sis. No, I'm not really. (I was right.)

The architecture in Barcelona is beautiful, even before you look at Gaudi's work. Here are a few examples:

Again, they just do fountains and statues so well in Europe. Some just take your breath away.

After our bus trip it was back down Las Ramblas and into the Flamenco Lounge where we enjoyed a Sangria while watching a little Flamenco.

This was after the show. I worked up a sweat just watching them. Boy are they fit.

After our Flamenco excursion someone suggested that it can't be far back to the ship and that we should possibly walk. So off we went. 

We found Julian Simon's (Spanish Moto 2 racer) merchandise truck on the way back. I really wanted one of those windcheaters, but the truck was locked.

About 45 minutes later, and after crossing a very high, very long bridge, we crawled onto the ship. It's amazing how heavy two bottles of wine can be when you've been carrying them for nearly an hour. 

We'll sleep well tonight before heading back into Barca again tomorrow.

Prepare the Lear Jet, we're going to Monte Carlo, Monaco.

7/9/12

We awoke this morning and found our little boat tied up in Monte Carlo. I scratched my head and wondered what to do. Suzanne had decided to stay in bed, and the rest of the crew had gone on an organised shore excursion. 

Now let me explain how this all works. I looked at the shore excursions before we left home and paid particular interest to the Barcelona one. This was my fourth visit to Barcelona so I know my way around and know how much things cost. The shore excursion was about $150 per person, including some tapas, a glass of wine, and a Flamenco show. I knew we could do this and more with a taxi for about $50 each. Nett saving - $600! I guessed that it would be much the same everywhere else. (As it turned out I was spot on.) So I didn't book any shore excursions except in Tunisia where I thought it would be safer to travel with a large group. That turned out to be a good call as well.

I looked ashore, then looked at the aft swimming pool, the sunshine, the food, and the bar and decided to spend the day on board the boat. I was also thinking that we will come back through here on the bike later on and have a good look around then. So my day was very relaxing.

Here are a few pics I snapped while on deck:

Check out the cool boat and the colour of that water!

Some nice toys in the harbour.

My vantage point for Monte Carlo and more toys.

The crew came back on board early afternoon and joined me around the pool for a few pre dinner drinks.

That night was out first formal evening for dinner, so the boys suited up and the girls dragged out their glad rags. It was a lot of fun and we dined in the Vista Dining Room where the food was exceptional.

I reckon we scrub up OK for a couple of oldies.

Tomorrow we will be in Barcelona, on of my favourite places. We actually spend a night here which gives us two days, so we'll be able to squeeze a lot in. 

Mmmmmmmmm, Tapas.

Our first port of call, Livorno Italy.

6/9/12

A bunch of people on board took organised tours to Florence and Pisa today but I was considering staying on the ship today and having a poke around, then doing a computer course in the afternoon. It would be nice to have a relaxing day. 

Curiosity got the better of me so leaving Suzanne in bed I jumped ship and caught the shuttle bus into Livorno. Livorno is a bit like Fremantle. It's a port city that is geared up for tourism. I did find an interesting market in the back streets. The fish and vegetables smelt amazing. You just don't get that in a supermarket where everything is wrapped in plastic. I can see some changes in lifestyle happening when we get home from this trip.

Great fruit and vege market.

Need a button. Yes, every one of those boxes is full of buttons.

One very noticeable thing we've found throughout Europe is the they do statues very well. They're everywhere. I guess when you have a long history it will be full of events worth commemorating. Here are a couple from Livorno.

An explanation of the statue above.

There are two of these statues, on each side if the road entering town. I hope they never come to life.

So that was the central part of Livorno. It was interesting, but after our rides around out of the way places in other countries, cities and tourist traps just don't do it for me.

I shuttled back to the ship for lunch and met up wit the rest of the crew. We decided to hire a cab and visit Pisa in the afternoon. 

Here we are visiting a building that looks like it's in need of renovation.

Cheap touristy shot.

Everyone takes photos making it look like they are holding up the tower. You see hundreds of people doing it while you are there. I decided to do something different...

Close up shot of the 3D carving in the cathederal doors.

Suzanne fell in lovewith this old guy riding his pushy and took a heap of photos of him. I thought I'd better post one.

On the way back to the ship we drove past a HUGE US Airforce base. it was enormous. I counted about fourty C130 Hercules aircraft, and they were the ones I cold see. God knows what was in all the giant hagars that were there. Then we spotted this one coming in to land.

Crappy shot, but it was out of the taxi window and at normal Italian driving speed.

Back on board Suzanne and I hit the Crow's Nest for happy hour and the trivia quiz. We were by ourselves and as we were sitting at the bar we met a couple from Adelaide.

Meet Annie (left) and Kevin (right). Manny their travel agent is in the middle.

We got on really well with these guys and spend quite a lot of time together on the cruise. This generated a few stories that will be revealed in later blogs. Doesn't Kev look cute in his pink shirt sipping a blue cocktail?

Tomorrow it's Monaco. I might need to raise the limit on my credit card.