* 15 ports of call (including Port of Marseille prior to Monte Carlo)
The Oceania Riviera was departing from the port of Barcelona...good chance to take in a couple of attractions we missed back in 2013 before boarding the Crystal Serenity.
Staying this time quite close, actually within a short walking distance from Casa Batllo, our choice of hotel for 2 nights was Catalonia Passeig de Gracia with contemporary modern interiors and a nice complimentary tea & tapas treat just prior to dinner hours.
There's always lots to see and do in Barci. We honed in first on the remaining great Gaudi creation missed during our last trip - Casa Batllo right on the Passeig de Gracia
The roof's arched profile resembles the spine of a dragon with ceramic tiles for scales, and a small triangular window towards the right of the structure simulates the eye.We much appreciated the intermingled coloration and texture of Casa Batllo in the daylight before, but this time doing the tour just around dusk afforded us a different & hauntingly beautiful night scene as we finished up.
Our next full day in Barci was spent on a tour to Montserrat, meaning "cut", "serrated edge" or "jagged mountains". Weather couldn't have been lovelier to marvel at the digits-like multiple peaks soaring skywards over the Llobregat River & region of Catalunya
According to our guide, the flat base of the boulder (right pix) was a result of a large chunk of rock breaking off several decades ago. The locals have giving these naturally weathered sculptural creations their own names, like God's finger, Camel & Elephant head, etc. 
Time was precious on the tour as the bus meant to take us down the hill mid-aft ...we hence budgeted ourselves a quick ride up the funicular for the top view of the entire valleys & a quick walk about the perimeter of the viewing platform. Got ourselves down to the abbey just in time to hear the angelic voices of the boys choir in the church as tourist pilgrims took their turn stopping to admire the black-faced Madonna just directly above the choir in the Basilica
If we had more time, there were several walking trails atop this Benedictine retreat definitely could take up an entire day if you drove up. But, constrained by this tour, we aimed to get down the mountain by 1pm to see the Basilica boy choir perform before a 2:30 departure.
The lure of Montserrat started back in 880 - history tells of a small group of shepherd children witnessing a bright light descending from the sky in the Montserrat mountains and heard angels songs filling their hearts with joy. Parents and local vicar later witnessed the same holy visions and experiences in a cave. When the cave was explored by religious elders, they were said to have found an image of the Virgin Mary. Since that event, Montserrat has been a spiritual symbol of Catalonia & its Benedictine abbey a center of pilgrimage for millions of Catholics from around the world. There is still at present the spot of the Holy Grotto on the mountain to mark where these events took place :-O
Can't forgo pigging out session in the famous La Ramblas @ St. Josep mercat la Boqueria. We snagged a couple of stools in the popular "Ramblero"
Final night in Barci - we need to see the colorful fountains of Montjuic! Coincidentally, there was a Red Bull Autos Locos raco racing rally taking place right in the heart of Montjuic street circuit park Tom was thrilled to see the spectacle, especially cars' hairpin turns & donuts atop the hill while I took multiple snaps of the colorful waterworks set to music
Final night in Barci - we need to see the colorful fountains of Montjuic! Coincidentally, there was a Red Bull Autos Locos raco racing rally taking place right in the heart of Montjuic street circuit park Tom was thrilled to see the spectacle, especially cars' hairpin turns & donuts atop the hill while I took multiple snaps of the colorful waterworks set to music
Oceania Riviera welcomes its passengers with subdued fanfare. The lack of crowds and noise is a feature of this ocean liner which caters to friendly country club type of relaxed atmosphere...very roomy & nicely appointed cabins and elegantly featured lobby, dining rooms & colorful artworks throughout ship
Pull up the anchor boys! Let's set sail into the amber horizon ;)
1st port of call - Palma De Mallorca and as soon as we alighted from the cruise shuttle, this imposing presence of of the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma or "La Seu" was impossible to miss. This Gothic Roman Catholic structure was actually built on the site of a pre-existing Arab mosque...thus an unique style. The Catalan influence was begun by King James I of Aragon in 1229 and finished in 1601
The Palma Cathedral overlooks the Parc de la Mar and the Mediterranean Sea - glorious views can be taken in just strolling the entire elongated length of the rampart
The Royal Palace of La Almudaina and the episcopal palace is conveniently beside the Cathedral - makes for a good few hours of exploration via audio guide.
The Cathedral sits within the old city of Palma atop the former citadel of the Roman City .. thus makes for easy touring of the ancient alley ways after visiting the Palace rooms & grounds. Wandering around piazza and architecturally diverse apartments, we have to remarks, the streets were unbelievably clean ..its as if the crevasses of the centuries old stone roads have been scrubbed daily 
One of the surviving evidence of Arabs' long presence in Mallorca is the ruins of the Banos Arabes built around 10th-13thC. After the conquest, most of the mosques were destroyed to make way for churches, residential & public buildings
Never could obtain an answer re name of this cafe? (rightpix)
Aahh.. docked in the colorfully-depicted port city: Marseille (for its reputation does precede it) ..all the more enticing to see it up close & personal like ..lol
Vieux Port, so expansive and with its early Saturday morning bustle, we couldn't help but feel a bit lost.
First order of business was thus to get a map! Where to find the ferry to take us to Chateau D'If ..a must to see for anyone recalling the awe inspiring fable by Alexandre Dumas - "The Count of Monte Cristo"
The biggest harbour of the Mediterranean, the entry door for colonial goods & essential raw materials over centuries starting with the wandering 6th Century Greeks... An ethnic melting pot that befits its proximity to Africa. I'd say given its well worn international history, how can this gateway to France avoid brandishing a lurid and sensational past: wars, poverty, corruption, mafias? Well, in some ways a city is a record of humanity's past. The Vieux Port has true character dotted with boats of all shapes and sizes..from humble fishing vessels to modern yachts. I noticed a shop with a giant signage "Pernod" and recalled this is where "Bouillabaisse" fish stew originated...(tried its recipe as I returned home ..pernod & saffron essential)
on our way to Chateaux D'If and passing the entry way with views of 1800s neo-Byzantine Cathedral La Major, Marseille MuCEM (2013) & Fort Saint-Jean ( built by Louis XIV 1660)
Looming over the ragged rocks - Chateau d'if, a place betwixt legend and reality...
There's designated cells for The Count of Monte Cristo (above) and Priest Abbe Faria. In actual fact, Abbe Faria existed and died in 1819 after a life with much resemblance to that of the Faria in Dumas' novel. As for Edmund Dante, like much of other fictional tales, there is a source which inspired the tale weaver. Apparently during his childhood Dumas had heard of his father describe the notoriously sordid prison. But his inspiration for the hero came from a personage back in 1807- Francois Picaud, a shoemaker from Nimes, engaged to marry the beautiful Marguerite. A jealous Loupian informed the district commissioner the Picaud is in league with the English and gets him thrown in prison where he languishes for seven years as the fellow prisoner of a Milanese priest who opposed the Bonapartists but is nevertheless a rich heir. Before dying, the abbot makes a will in favour of Picaud who recovers his fortune on his release in 1814 and sets out to exact revenge for deprivation of seven years of his life. As for the Is.of Monte Cristo, in 1842, during a boat trip in the Tuscan archipelago with Prince Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, Dumas sailed around the small island, near the island of Elba. Legend has it that in the Middle Ages, the monks had driven out an evil dragon. Having gained control of the Archipelago, they enjoyed substantial revenues from the islands and amassed a genuine treasure long sought by pirates.
For the remaining daylight hour - we hooked up with a city tram in the old city & road at dusk to sightsee along the glamorous peninsula of the Corniche coast before arriving at the Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, an enormous Romano-Byzantine basilica builty in the 19th Century by architect Esperandieu in the hills to south of Old Port. The various terraces offered up spectacular panoramic views of Marseille and surroundings
Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde
On the Avenue Pincess Grace,in the Larvotto ward & next to the Grimaldi Forum convention centre is a peaceful sanctuary in the midst of the busy Boulevard des Moulins
Garden is a miniature representation of Shintoist philosophy - designed by Yasuo Beppu, the winner of the Flower Exhibition of Osaka 1990
