After our lovely lunch we decided to take a wander. Neither of us felt like doing the second half of the walls or the cable car so we headed in to the main strada to see what we could see. It was fascinating! There is this improbable blend of beautiful old architecture and modern shops - with a healthy lashing of tourists thrown in. The main strada was open and wide, though again it was cobbled and by this point the soles of my feet were permanently sore. And off the main strada were tiny little passages - some of which seemed to head straight up. I loved it! It was all so beautiful and so different from anything we have at home.
We wandered and wandered, going down narrow side streets and popping out again somewhere else. It was really interesting! There was a wealth of eateries and restaurants and plenty of fascinating shops aimed to attract the tourists. We didn't feel like shopping and it was very hot so after a while of wandering we decided to wander right out of there.
We went back towards the main entrance and then were directed away to another exit through a narrow tunnel. This lead us out to a children's playground in a wide open area that seemed to have been part of the 'moat'.
From here we went under the main bridge and through a very pretty garden to the shoreline. Fans of Game of Thrones will recognise this as the harbour from which Myrcella left Kings Landing.
The view of the city walls from the exterior was both imposing and very beautiful.
I just loved the juxtaposition of the saint and the cannon. It really felt like the residents of the Old City were hedging their bets and making sure they covered all bases!
Once outside the city wall, we considered checking out the many shops as it was still some time before we had to hop back on the bus. But the prices weren't compelling and we were hot and a bit tired. So after poking through one shop and taking a photo of a fountain we found ourselves very efficiently shepherded into the queue for the transfer bus. This moved so fast that within two minutes of noticing the queue and the MSC crew member with her clicker, we were onboard and on our way back to the ship. It was a little bit like being caught up in a benign whirlwind.
The trip back to the port went very quickly and we were soon at the pier to find that the locals had set up an extensive market selling scarves, souvenirs and random kitsch. We took a poke through then headed back to the ship. Many people comment about how clean and smart looking the MSC ships are and I was impressed to see the maintenance continuing outside the ship.
Number one priority at this point was to ride the waterside whilst it wasn't busy! There was no way our kids would forgive us if we didn't! So we headed straight up to our cabin and got changed then walked across the decks to the waterside. My goodness they were hot!!! My poor abused feet - after being pounded on uneven cobblestones were now baked! I really regretted not bringing a pair of jandals or slip-ons.
When we got to the ride there was no one there except a slightly bored looking crew member checking their phone. So we hopped right on and off we went! Wooooooooo! It was quite a rush and at the point where the tube becomes transparent and goes out over the side I made the mistake of looking down and screamed! We were so high above the water!!! If my boys had been there we wouldn't have been able to get them off. But once was enough for me! Time to head back to the One Pool for a relax in the jacuzzi with a mojito!
The sail away was fabulous. The scenery was beautiful but it was also a bit sad knowing that this was the end. It really didn't help that the sail away music this afternoon was Bocelli and Brightman singing 'Time to say goodbye' - sniff sniff!
I can't really remember what we did this evening. I know that some final packing was part of it. We didn't bother going to the show but we enjoyed dinner in La Palmeraie again.
The risotto was nice but not spectacular. I felt that the taste of the peppers overwhelmed the dish. Nothing could top the wonderful truffled risotto we had the first night!
I opted for the lamb again and it was very pleasant. Not as spectacular as the one in Dubrovnik but certainly very tasty and beautifully cooked. The addition of cherries was interesting and delicious.
No comments:
Post a Comment