Western Mediterranean Cruise
November 2021
I took a chance. The pandemic was still ongoing and a valid concern. But a company I wished to begin cruising with offered a voyage that appealed to me, with port visits in several cities I’d never visited, most of them in Spain. So, off I went, flying to Marseille on November 5 to board the Oceania Riviera on November 7. In ten days we visited ports in France, Spain and Italy, ending the cruise at Civitavecchia, the Italian port servicing Rome.
This gallery showcases the best photography taken during the cruise’s ten days.
First, however, a map showing our route:
Sanary Sur Mer - a fishing village near Toulon, France
Sanary Sur Mer
Sanary Sur Mer
Sanary Sur Mer - a friendly produce vendor
Sanary Sur Mer
Le Castellet - a hilltop town near Toulon, France. Walk ten yards in southern France and you will encounter an olive tree. This one sits at the entrance to the town.
Le Castellet (An HDR photo)
Palma de Mallorca - the cathedral against a looming sky. It rained heavily during our visit.
Soller, a tourist destination north of Palma. No tourists on a cold and rainy day.
How to tell Soller is a tourist spot -- the NY Times for sale in the local bookstore.
Still life at a truffle farm outside Cartagena, Spain.
The farm owner's very friendly dog.
Flowering bush at the farm.
Still life at a truffle farm outside Cartagena, Spain.
Still life at a truffle farm outside Cartagena, Spain.
Still life at a truffle farm outside Cartagena, Spain.
Room at a truffle farm outside Cartagena, Spain. (An HDR photo.)
Room at a truffle farm outside Cartagena, Spain. (An HDR photo.)
A corner of the fortress at Melilla, Spain. Melilla is part of Spain but is located on the Moroccan Mediterranean coast. Thus it provided the occasion for my first visit to the "dark continent."
Melilla has a large Muslim population. It also has a huge potential migrant problem, since it is part of the European Union situated in Africa -- would-be migrants need only make it across some imposing barb wire barriers, instead of taking a flimsy boat into the Med.
Melilla.
Melilla cats.
A Melilla busker -- and a darned good oboist, to boot.
Don Pedro Estopinan, who conquered Melilla in the 16th Century. Note that he faces into Africa, as if to say, "Look what I've done; I dare you to take it from me," and not toward Spain, to boast of his exploits to his fellow countrymen.
Wall art in Melilla.
Replica of a cannon on the fortress facing out to sea.
Winding street in Altea, Spain. We were told many Roma lived in this section. (An HDR photo.)
Altea, Spain.
Altea, Spain. IMHO, this is my best photo from the trip.
Women's morning chat. Altea.
Another Altea street scene. (An HDR photo.)
Beach solitude, Altea. (An HDR photo.)
Beach solitude closeup, Altea. (An HDR photo.)
The fortress above Alicante, at sunset. (An HDR photo.)
Seascape, Ibiza, Spain. (An HDR photo.)
Street scene, Ibiza Old Town. (An HDR photo.)
Overly saturated flora, Ibiza Old Town. (An HDR photo.)
Raining Bougainvillea, Ibiza Old Town
On their way to sea, with Riviera in the background, seen from the Ibiza fortress.
A vendor of Iberian hams in Ibiza.
The Ibiza fortress seen from the waterfront. (An HDR photo.)
The Ibiza fortress in dramatic colors, seen from Riviera across the bay. (An HDR photo.)
Ibiza fortress. (An HDR photo.)
Ibiza fortress with passing ferries.
Mt. Etna puffing from two peak vents, seen as we approached Catania, Sicily, Italy. (An HDR photo.)
Mt. Etna closeup.
Taormina, Sicily, Italy -- sort of their version of Rome's "Spanish Steps."
A view from Taormina. (An HDR photo.)
A cantina adjacent to one of Taormina's main squares. (An HDR photo.)
Section of the rear wall of the Greco-Roman theater that is Taormina's main tourist attraction. (An HDR photo.)
View of Taormina from the Greco-Roman Theater. (An HDR photo.)
Section of the rear and side walls of the Greco-Roman theater that is Taormina's main tourist attraction. (An HDR photo.)
Section of the rear wall of the Greco-Roman theater that is Taormina's main tourist attraction. (An HDR photo.)
Wall and balcony detail, Taormina.
Closeup of the cantina (An HDR photo.)
Principal catholic church, Taormina.
A pasta museum? (Taormina)
Large pots on steps, Taormina.
Large pots on steps, Taormina. (An HDR photo.)