Marseille

After a night of living as high rollers, Ashleigh and I took advantage of a tour later in the afternoon. This gave us an opportunity to catch our breath. We had a relaxing breakfast and decided to enjoy the serenity of the panoramic lounge on the ninth deck. I took my free time to web log and Ash kicked her feet back and read.

It was a drizzly morning and we were both thankful to take a leisure attitude for the day. The Port of Marseille in the largest in the south of France and has held that title for centuries. Marseille is the second largest city in France, behind Paris by a large margin.

Our tour departed at 1:30 and as lovely as our easy go morning was executed neither of us wanted to spend an entire day on the ship so the risk of getting a little wet while walking around the quaint town of Aux didn't deter us.

We did get off to a less than ideal start. The rain was heavy which caused our driver to be hesitant and quick to depress the brake, which made Ash car sick. The tour guide was unsure about what to do with us. At that point, the rain was coming down in blankets and she wanted to audible the walking tour of the city but didn't really have a backup plan.

We exited the bus during the shower's respite and crowded into a local bistro for cappuccino. While we sipped our tiny cups the sky unloaded it's heaviest assault of the day which put doubt into our heads about how grand of an idea it was to leave the comfort of the ship.

The doubt was dried away as French rays of light began to dry the town. Our tour continued and we never looked back. An hour of education was followed by 90 minutes of free time. As it is with most of our checklists, having local cuisine was high on the list and we both wanted to indulge in a French crepe; I had nutella and banana and Ash had nutella and strawberries.

The crepes fueled us while we shopped for authentic French gifts and explored the beautiful city of Aux. We boarded the ship right at curfew and headed to our room. The sky's pigment changed to gray and the wind picked up. Ash decided to lay down before dinner and I explored the upper decks before the sunset. When I came back to check on Ash it became apparent that the rough Mediterranean had taken its toll on her tummy. I went to the rear of the ship, sat in the comfy deck furniture, sipped my vodka martini and read. 

After enjoying the company of new friends and donating to the ship's casino, I called it a night and joined Ash and her tummy in a restless and rocky night at sea.  

 

Shaken Not Stirred

We benefited from having a room located on the ship's port side, as I stepped onto our balcony I had a panoramic view of what 40K euro a square foot looked like. I took my first drink of coffee while scanning the mountain side, I made note of the 100 foot black yacht "Ice Angel" exiting the harbor. I don't think I know a number high enough as to what a floor plan of the inventory in the Monte Carlo Yacht Club would be?

The Monaco Walking Tour was first on the agenda. After a leisure day in Tuscany, Ash and I were ready take the city as our own, something that no country has successfully accomplished. We started outside the Oceanographic Museum, founded by Prince Albert I and contributed to by the legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.

The diverse gardens that lined the walkways were home to a variety of Cacti and Olive Trees. All exceptionally manicured, lending a perfect compliment to the picturesque Italian Alps on the Eastern Horizon and the Southern edge of Monaco's French ally.

After absorbing less than fifty percent of what the tour guide explained to us about the history of the 450 acres of land, we walked through the Cathedral that still serves the town today.

I'm unsure if it is I that travels back in time or if the 11 year old George travels to the future to take control of my person when I'm on any kind of tour. I'm sure most all of my educators would remember all too well the blank look that comes over my face when the depth of the subject broaches the seven minute barrier. This is what I was thinking about as Stephanie explained the history of the Grimaldi for more than ten minutes.

Monaco's Palace was the next stop and the "changing of the guard" the next event before departing to Monte Carlo's most famous attraction, The Casino. After thanking our guide (Merci Stephanie), we had lunch at the Cafe de Paris and decided to come back to the Casino in the evening. We walked our lunch off around the famous square, had a drink on the terrace of the Hermitage hotel, overlooking the harbor and immediately across from us the Oceanographic and Palace.

  

The French Pastry shop that we purchased our Eclair's at was more commercial than we otherwise prefer but their taste was authentic enough. As we descended down the hill side, we walked around the harbor to get back to the Silver Spirit (there's got to be a billion dollars worth of yachts).

The couple's massage courtesy of TFS preceded changing into our formal attire for the evening. Ash in a stunning white dress with silver shimmering accents and I in my first ever "slim fit", navy Calvin Klein.

We were both the best dressed couple in the Casino that night. I had visions of a grand lobby and gaming area so when we walked by the Bentleys and Lambos, up the stairs and in the main room that consisted of at most six open tables, I was a little underwhelmed. I realized it was a Thursday night and the end of the tourist season but despite that, I assumed it'd be larger with a bit more grandeur than a 1920s Boston Speakeasy. When James Bond walks in and says "shaken not stirred", there is at least a game of craps going on but nay, not on this night. If for nothing else then to say that I did it, I placed my bet and watched the dealer spin the tiny ball around the roulette table. Ashleigh placed a bet as well and we talked to a couple from Staten Island. After burning through the 50 Euros, it was time for a drink.

We joined our new friends from Houston for the remainder of our time in Monte Carlo, their company enhanced our experience (thanks Steven and Ashley). Ordering Martini's on the terrace of the Fairmont Hotel (Fairmont Hotel sits on top of the tunnel that has been made famous by the most popular Formula 1 race), taking in the Mediterranean after sunset and sitting next to the most beautiful woman in the world made my pupils go into Supernova mode, it was too much.

The Silver Spirit gave us a 9:30 curfew and we were on the deck of La Terezza Restaurant enjoying our scallops at 9:15. Our view this time, the lights of the city. As the engines churned the sea, seven decks below us and we pulled out of the harbor, the city receded in to the horizon, I thought to myself "we did it all".

Tuscany

Florence was the fifth stop on the Ashleigh and George Italian tour of 2007. That vacation was two weeks long and as much as I hate to admit it, we were unable to capture the same exuberance for Florence that we had for Rome. The train riding did take a toll on our 24 year old bodies and as a result we didn't attack the city with the same zeal.

So, we left a little on the table last time in Florence. Our goal this time was to: experience more of the Tuscan countryside, leave nothing on the table and not a drop at the bottom of our wine glass.

An hour journey from the Port town of Liverno in to the Chianti region is all it took for our group of 20 to reach one of the most distinguished vineyard's under the Tuscan Sun. The scenery was like a younger vintage table wine: simplistic, beautiful and satisfying. 

Ornellaia is by Italian standards a young vineyard started in the late eighties with the help of California wine mogul Robert Mondavi, it quickly became the standard bearer for the region. Its complexity and depth are direct results from the care and quality of execution from harvest to aging to bottle. The vineyard is a great parallel on a trip provided by TFS to Toyota Manufacturing.

After the tour and the tasting, we enjoyed a Tuscan lunch with some new friends from Texas that made me want to sleep on the way home but instead I found myself conversing with the head of TFS on a range of topics that lasted the entire bus drive back.

Winemaking is a great metaphor for life; while there are variables that you cannot control for the most part, what you put in, is what you get out.
 

Portovecchio Corsica

To hear the Italians describe the weather in France, the skies opened up like a pig slit from ear to groin and as the rain came crashing down so too were our hopes for a tour of the French Island's wineries'. Like any vacation abroad (or anywhere in fact) adapting to the circumstances and overcoming the obstacles is essential to a successful day.

It has been my great pleasure to have traveled to so many of the most beautiful cities in the world with my soul mate, to have experienced a soggy morning on a day that (for no other reason but that it was her 30th Birthday), should otherwise have been filled horizon to horizon with only the most vibrant and softest golden sunshine.

You can look out your port or starboard, see a gray sky and be depressed that a tour was canceled or you can view it as an opportunity. Anyone can experience a canned tourist speech about how beautiful the countryside is or how marvelous and historic the Port town of Corsica has been for centuries.

I punch these keys and scream about perspective so much that the idea of it all, I fear is more tired than a cruise ship butler (at least coming from me AGAIN, like I know so much more than everyone else). If I would have gone on a French Winery tour, than I could have easily been typing about how incredible my experience was but that wasn’t in the cards today.

On this unexpected rainy morning, I took my birthday bride for a tour into the city of Corsica France. We walked by the Police station and the tourism bureau. We talked with shop owners and enjoyed the memories that resurface as a direct cause of being back in Europe for our third time.

As we journeyed deeper in to the city, we came upon a beautifully manicured French Cemetery. The head stones and mausoleums were well maintained, there was one that dated back to 1906 that had fresh flowers on it. I was moved by the depth of both the detail and vulnerability that were clearly evident.

After taking advantage of authentic Primo sandwiches at a local market of which we enjoyed as we walked up, down, around and thorough the tiny yet maneuverable streets of the tiny port town, we stopped long enough to take part in the commerce aspect of visiting a foreign city.

 

As the tender navigated the short choppy waves back to the Silver Sprit, we reconnected with some friends that we met as we boarded our vessel. Experiences were exchanged and goodbyes executed back and forth.

Ashleigh experienced firsthand, the hospitality that exists amongst the upper levels of TFS. Her birthday did not go unmentioned as all 37 dealers applauded the occasion prior to our formal dinner. Diane and her daughter from DC and Armando and Louise from West Palm were exceptional dinner company.

As the evening drew to a close and that familiar feeling of being efficiently exhausted began to set in, we bid our farewells for the evening and retired to our quarters, only to find that the crew and Captain had not forgotten Ash's milestone. Balloons taped to the ceiling, cake at the ready, bath drawn with rose petals strewn about and candles lit, it all screamed "SURPRISE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"