Time to Feature Rome

The lighting of the Colisseum almost makes it look like someone could be living there.

I'd like to focus on Rome this month. I'll post the best pictures that I can find of any landmark, edifice, or fountain that you desire. Let me know what I should feature in a cruisecritic post or by emailing me. Thanks.

Google Palma de Mallorca pictures and you'll find some beauties. Look for enticing stories about Palma and you won't find much. Here are some paragraphs from Wikipedia.

Main sights

"Palma City Sightseeing" Plaça d'Espanya

The Plaça d'Espanya is the transport hub of Palma. The Estació Intermodal caters for buses and trains (the latter controlled by TIB). The two old buildings home to the tourist information and several cafés sit either side of the two large escalators which lead into the Estació, which interestingly enough sits underneath a large and popular park. On the lawns are several glass boxes, which let in light and ventialtion to the station below ground. There are also train-themed playing structures, each one shaped like a train carriage and named after towns along the line of the Ferrocarril de Sóller, a railway dating back to 1911 which has its Palma Station right next to the park. Just down the street from here a new bus station is under construction.

The Cathedral Area

Palma is famous for La Seu, its vast cathedral originally built on a previous mosque. Although construction began in 1229 it didn't finish until 1601 and local architect Antoni Gaudí was drafted in during a restoration project in 1901. The Parc de la Mar (Park of the Sea) lies just south overlooked by the great building which sits higher than it on the city's stone foundations. Between these two are the town walls. There is a vast canopé of blue and yellow diamonds strung over a low area here, and shaded by this rows of outdoor wooden pews.

The Old City

The Old City (in the south-east area of Palma behind the Cathedral) is a fascinating maze of streets clearly hinting towards an Arab past. With the exception of a few streets and squares which allow traffic and are more populated with tourists most of the time, the walkways of this city quarter are fairly narrow, quiet streets, surrounded by a diverse range of interesting buildings, the architecture of which can easily be compared with those in streets of cities such as Florence (Italy), for example. The majority are private houses, some of which are open to the public as discreet museums or galleries. The tall structures, characteristic window boxes, detailed metal carvings and overhanging eaves of these buildings make a stark contrast with the view of the bay that is obtained by stepping out of the shady alleyways next to the cathedral and onto the old city walls. The Old City is also home to the Ajuntament (or Town Hall), the Convent of the Cathedral and the Banys Àrabs.

Colom street.
View of the ancient mills of El Jonquet.The Banys Àrabs, or Arab Baths, one of the few remnants of Palma's Moorish past, are accessed via the quiet Ca'n Serra street near the Convent of the Cathedral, and include the lush gardens of Ca'n Fontirroig, home to Sardinian warblers, house sparrows, cacti, palm trees, and a wide range of flowers and ferns. The small two-roomed brick building that once housed the bath is in fact of Byzantine, dating back to the 11th century and possibly once part of the home of a Muslim nobleman. The bath room has a cupola with five oculi which let in dazzling light. The twelve columns holding up the small room were pillaged from an earlier Roman construction. The floor over the hypocaust has been worn away by people standing in the centre, mainly to photograph the entrance and the garden beyond it. The whole room is in a rather disreputable condition. The other room is a brick cube with a small model of the baths as they once were in the corner. Unfortunately one of the columns in this model has fallen over.

Garbage Collectors

Harbour of Palma with the Castle of Bellver at deep.Rather more modern additions to the old parts of the city are the attractive and subtle bronze garbage collecting bins. They operate under the simple method of putting one's refuse into the cylinder at the top of the machine and turning a handle which then revolves the cylinder, tipping it into the lower area of the bin.

[edit] Sports
Football is the most important sport on the island, led by the Primera División football league team Real Mallorca with its stadium placed at Palma.

Because of its island condition all the sea sports have also a big presence in Palma. Maybe the most important event is the Trofeo Ciutat de Palma.

Palma was the host of the tennis event Battle of Surfaces.


Playa de Palma in El Arenal.[edit] Geography
Palma is the major city and seaport geographically located in the south-west of Majorca. The city lies on the larger coastal Bay of Palma in the western Mediterranean Sea. The land area of the city is about 21.355 km² with an altitude of 13 metres.

Palma is bordered by rocky inlets and marinas on the south side, whilst many of the tourist resorts are positioned towards the east side of the city. The central zone that extends from Palma is generally a flat fertile plain known as Es Pla. There are two uninhabited islands, which is located southeast of Palma and Dragonera which is west of Palma.

As you can see in the photo above, La Rambla is a long tree-lined street. At one end is Placa Catalunya, the area where our hotel is, and Placa Colon and the stop for the Blue Bus that takes you to the port.

HERE ARE A FEW PICTURES TAKEN IN MONACO FOR YOUR VIEWING ENJOYMENT.


Do you think we could get an invitation to tea from Prince Albert?


Anyone care to go gambling with me?


I guess these guys are selected based on the musical ability and their looks.

Do you know the song, "Come Back To Sorrento"? I've been humming it to myself all day today while I read about tours being offered to Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi coast.

I took this picture on a sunny Sunday last October. We were riding in Francesco Marrapese's Mercedes van, through the olive groves from Positano to Sorrento. What a beautiful place. The town is closed to motor vehicle traffic on Sunday so we had the wide boulevard of the new section of town as well as the narrow back streets of the old town.

When I return to Sorrento on October 11, 2011, I will definitely buy a music box that plays "Come Back To Sorrento" and listen to it over and over when I get home.

No time for creative work yet but I've moved both the Cruisecritic Group and the tour information to links on the right. Take a look and let me know if I need to change anything. Thanks.

Map of the Terminal Area

Rather than post the Cruisecritic group and the Hotel Continental group again, I last two posts to add Smoothsailor's name to the CC Group and Joyce's name to the Hotel Continental group.

The above picture shows the Port of Barcelona. You'll notice the little blue bus symbols. You can walk to the ship or from the ship to the city but it's advised that you take one of the buses because a good part of the walk is along a busy highway bridge. You can buy bus tickets in the terminal building for 5 or 6 euros or you can exit the building and purchase the tickets on the bus for less money.

Look for Passeig de Colon. That's where the bus picks you up or drops you off. Notice that La Rambla starts right there and continues up to Placa de Cataluna, right past the Hotel Continental.

Party Time!

Where: the Hotel Continental Barcelona!

When: Before the Cruise!

Who: Annette (afcj1)

Bonnie (bdmidd)

Claudia and Rod (venicecruiser)

Dawn (dear23)

Frank and Elaine (vettebuf)

George and DW (Sabreboss)(?)

Joyce (LadySail2)

Libby and Jack (libby10205)

Lori and Rick (newcruisers04)

Pat and Lew (Pjnc)

Tracy and John (aussie2324)

Palma de Mallorca gorgeous sunset!





Cruisecritic group as of Tuesday, June 20th, 2010:

afcj1, Annette, Parker, CO, Main deck

Air force One, Doug and DW, Dayton, OH, #7203

aussie2324, Tracey and John, Raymond Terrace, Australia, #7204

bdmidd, Bonnie, Southwestern Ohio, B2B - 10/16

cpacheco212121 Christina & Bestie

CruizinCupcake, Mark and Theresa, Slidell, LA

dear23, Dawn, Washougal, WA, #8351

G.C., Gary and Sarah, Lake Lanier, GA, #7300, Late Dining

kathryn747, Kathryn and George, Bradenton, FL, #7330, "your time dining"

Ladysail2, Joyce, Ottawa, Ontario, #1211, Late Dining

libby10205, Libby and Jack, Greenville, SC

MikeNKim, Mike and Kim, Ontario, Canada, waiting for the upgrade fairy!

newcruisers04, Lori and Rick, Ontario, Canada

Pjnc Pat & Lew, Murrells Inlet, SC, 4J

Remharri, Regina and Mom, Avon, IN

sabreboss, George and DW, Dayton, OH, #7202

Snowball Debbie & RJ

urbanhawk, Tucson, Arizona, Riviera deck

Venicecruisers, Claudia and Rod, Venice, FL, gty

Vettebuf, Elaine and Frank, Philadelphia area, #7201, Early Dining

Cruisecritic group as of Wednesday, July 7th, 2010:

afcj1, Annette, Parker, CO, Main deck

Air force One, Doug and DW, Dayton, OH, #7203

aussie2324, Tracey and John, Raymond Terrace, Australia, #7204

cpacheco212121 Christina & Bestie

CruizinCupcake, Mark and Theresa, Slidell, LA

dear23, Dawn, Washougal, WA, #8351

G.C., Gary and Sarah, Lake Lanier, GA

kathryn747, Kathryn and George, Bradenton, FL, #7330, "your time dining"

Ladysail2, Joyce, Ottawa, Ontario, #1211, Late Dining

libby10205, Libby and Jack, Greenville, SC

MikeNKim, Mike and Kim, Ontario, Canada, #6364, Anytime dining

newcruisers04, Lori and Rick, Ontario, Canada

Pjnc Pat & Lew, Murrells Inlet, SC, 4J

Remharri, Regina and Mom, Avon, IN

sabreboss, George and DW, Dayton, OH, #7202

Snowball Debbie & RJ

urbanhawk, Tucson, Arizona, Riviera deck

Vettebuf, Elaine and Frank, Philadelphia area, #7201, Early Dining

This will be US in 2011!


This will be US in 2011!

This is really the Carnival Dream but, from that distance, who can tell! Scroll down or go to the Blog Archive to see our Roll Call.

All Aboard for Barcelona! (Updated Roll Call)



Cruisecritic group:

afcj1, Annette, Parker, CO, Main deck

Air force One, Doug and DW, Dayton, OH, #7203

aussie2324, Tracey and John, Raymond Terrace, Australia, #7204

cpacheco212121 Christina & Bestie

CruizinCupcake, Mark and Theresa, Slidell, LA

dear23, Dawn, Washougal, WA, #8351

G.C., Gary and Sarah, Lake Lanier, GA

kathryn747, Kathryn and George, Bradenton, FL, #7330, "your time dining"

Ladysail2, Joyce, Ottawa, Ontario, #1211, Late Dining

libby10205, Libby and Jack, Greenville, SC

newcruisers04, Lori and Rick, Ontario, Canada

Remharri, Regina and Mom, Avon, IN

sabreboss, George and DW, Dayton, OH, #7202

Snowball Debbie & RJ

urbanhawk, Tucson, Arizona, Riviera deck

Vettebuf, Elaine and Frank, Philadelphia area, #7201, Early Dining

Have you been to any of the ports before? Please comment on the ones that you've been to or want to go to.

Welcome to the "Making Carnival Magic" website!

Although it is just one page now and although it only contains the elementary bits of information about this wonderful cruise, with your help, it will evolve into a fabulous showcase of our little group, our modes of transportation, the tours we book, the ship, the ports, and anything else we choose to capture.