On Tuesday evening we went out with friends to a quaint Spanish restaurant called “La Taberna Iberica”. The restaurant is in the old quarter of Alicante in a small alley up some stairs.
The walkway towards La Taberna Iberica Restaurant
Inside the restaurant, we were greeted by the owner who welcomed us more like family than customers. We sat down in the quaint restaurant and chatted with the owner for a while.
Inside La Taberna Iberica RestaurantMike, Ray Liz and Shelley at “La Taberna Iberica” Restaurant
We did not have a menu and only ordered some red wine. What was truly enjoyable was the fact that she decides what to cook and serves us a variety of different dishes.
One of the many courses served to us over the evening
We were served numerous courses of food, including tapas, fish, shrimp, ham, cheese and an assortment of sweet treats for dessert.
When we were leaving the restaurant she took the time to chat with us and walk with us to the door. It was a very nice spot and the service was friendly.
One of the owners of “La Taberna Iberica” Restaurant
After our meal, we took a walk and stopped at a terrace bar in a small hotel called “Les Monges Palace”. The terrace bar was quiet and we had a perfect spot to enjoy a nice after dinner drink. The view from the terrace was beautiful and we could see the Castillo de Santa Barbara.
View of the Castillo de Santa Barbara from the terrace bar
We toured the “Papal Basilica of St. Peter” which is commonly referred to as simply St. Peter’s Basilica.
The St. Peter Basilica with Michelangelo’s done n the Vatican Rome
The history of the church and why it is called St Peter is interesting. Peter was one of the 12 apostles of Christ and was crucified upside down at the top of the hill called “Vaticanus” and the site of the Clementine Chapel. His remains are said to be those contained in the underground Confessio in St. Peter’s Basilica.
We entered the Basilica through the massive main doors and we were immediately exposed to the vast size of the church.
Entrance of the St. Peter Basilica in Rome
The high ceiling and ornate designs were very impressive. The high ceilings accented the vast size of the church. The ceilings were decorated with ornate gold designs and other art motifs with marble pillars throughout.
Ceiling in St Peter BasilicaCeiling section in St Peter Basilica
There were numerous statues throughout the church some of which were from the 1st century. These statues were created by many famous artists including Michelangelo. The first chapel on the right when we entered the Basilica contained the famous sculpture by Michelangelo “Pieta” which he completed before he was 25 years old.
Michelangelo’s “Pieta” sculpture
There were mosaic decorations that were very impressive including the mosaic decoration of the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian. It adorns the chapel of St. Sebastian and at the base of the chapel is the tomb of Saint John Paul II.
Chapel of Saint Sebastian in St. Peter BasilicaThe tomb of Saint John Paul II
The basilica floors were marble and had different designs. One area of the floor had engraved markings identifying different churches throughout the world and their size in comparison to St. Peter Basilica.
St. Peter Basilica floor with engravings of different Churches throughout the world
We went to the center of the Basilica and looked up to see the interior of the Michelangelo’s dome decorated by Calvalier d’Arpino. It is breathtaking with the rays of the sun shining through.
Interior of Michelangelo’s Dome in the St Peter Basilica
We saw so many different monuments, altars and works of art that were very impressive. One monument that was amazing was situated under the Michelangelo dome .
Monument under the Michelangelo dome in St Peter’s Basilica
There is an alabaster window which is quite impressive and large. It is located above the “Chair of St Peter” the window displays a dove signifying the holy spirit.
The window is very large and the dove wing span is 6 feet wide. The beauty of this window is unbelievable. The light shines through the alabaster window highlighting the dove in a stunning and brilliant manner. It is one of the most stunning pieces of art we have ever seen.
We exited the Basilica and stepped out to see and admired the St Peter Square. The size and scope of the square were amazing.
View from the front steps of the St Peter Basilica looking towards St Peter Square
We walked through the square and stopped to see two of the swiss guards who are the official guards of the Vatican since the 15th century. They are wearing their tradition dress uniform whose design is traditionally attributed to Michelangelo.
Two swiss guards protecting an entrance to the Vatican
St Peter Square is a very large area with several iconic features. The square is bordered by two colonnades. They are composed of pillars and on, top there are 140 statues of Saints.
End of the Colonnade in St Peter SquareOne of the colonnades at St Peter Square
From the far end of the square, you overlook the square with St. Peter’s Basilica and the Michelangelo dome in the distance.
View of Saint Peter Square
The square has an Egyptian obelisk from the 1st century which was erect in the centre of the square in the fifteenth century.
Egyptian obelisk of red granite, 25.5 metres tall, in the centre of the St Peter Square
We had a very long day walking through the Vatican museums, The Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Saint Peter Square. It was an amazing experience for us. Below are some pictures from St Peter’s Basilica and the St Peter Square.
Ray and Shelley in the St Peter Square with the St Peter’s Basilica in the background
We have been thinking about taking a cruise for quite some time now. We finally decided to take a cruise and selected the Norwegian cruise line with a 7-day Mediterranean cruise. The cruise took us from Barcelona to Naples, Rome, Florence, Cannes, Marseille and back to Barcelona.
This was our first cruise and we were not sure what to expect when we arrived to board the ship. We arrived early and found a lineup of people with suitcases in tow getting ready to board the ship. We Got in line and managed to board the ship easily with a few stops to fill out paperwork.
Checking into the Norwegian Epic cruise ship in Barcelona
We walked a long gangway to the cruise ship called the Epic.
View of the side of the Norwegian Epic ship from the gangway
The ship is the very impressive and it has the longest water slide on any cruise ship.
The Epic claims they have the largest slide on any cruise shipThe waterside goes right around the top section of the deck
We walked through the ship checking it out. On one of the decks, there is a section with several different restaurants and shops. In the centre of the floor area was an opening with a large crystal chandelier hanging down to the floor area below. It was quite impressive and a nice feature for the restaurant below us.
The Epic crystal chandelier claimed to be the largest of any cruise ship
Our first evening on the cruise we went up to the top deck area and enjoyed a relaxing beverage and watched the sun set over the Mediterranean sea.
Sunset viewed from the upper deck of the Epic
On one of the lower decks, there was an outdoor track where we could walk and look out over the side of the ship.
Walking and running track on the Epic cruise ship.view from the walking/running track on the Epic ship
We took several excursions when the ship was docked. We tried to explore as many places along the trip as possible. On one excursion we could not dock on shore and had to take a boat to ferry us to shore.
Leaving the cruise ship by boat to head to shore.View of the Epic ship from our boatView of one of the boats used to bring people to shore
The cruise was different from what we are accustomed to for travelling, the pace is relaxed, the downtime is full of things to do and the food was extremely good. We enjoyed the change of pace by travelling via a cruise ship.
Here is a short video of some of the highlights of the cruise ship “The Norwegian Epic”.
We took a tour to the Town of Figueres which has a population of approximately 45,000. The town is beautiful and located approximately 2 hours away from Barcelona. The town of Figueres is also the hometown of Salvador Dali. The Dali museum is located there and was created when Dali was alive. It holds the largest collection of Dali art in the world.
We arrived at the Dali museum and saw this very unique building. The structure itself is a piece of art and reflects Dali’s style.
Dali Museum
We entered the museum and was amazed by the dynamic and strange displays of Dali art. The main entrance introduces you to the creative, complexity and strange world of Dali. It took us time to observe all the areas of the entrance seeing new things at every turn.
first room once inside the Dali MuseumThe first room in the Dali MuseumView in first room of Dali Museum
The museum was like a maze with different and amazing items at every turn. Some of the displays required a second or third look to see the layers of complexity in them. You would walk through a doorway and not realize that the doorway was a piece of art.
Doorway in Dali Museum
In Dali’s later life he lived In his home town of Figueres until he passed away at 85. He was entombed in the Dali museum and is part of the exhibits on display.
Tomb of Salvador Dali
In one area of the museum, we came across a mural painted by Dali on the ceiling that was beautiful and very intriguing. The painting which is called “ The palace of the winds” was done by Dali when the building was a theater in 1970. The mural alludes to the Catalonian poem about the rain that falls when the west wind turns to become the east wind. In the poem, the east wind has a married lady love in the west and whenever he beholds her he turns about again and returns weeping.
Mural on ceiling in Dali MuseumView of the center of the ceiling mural
Other areas of the museum were quirky and strange. We went into a room that had Dali’s signature” lip couch” on display.
Dali’s Lip couch on display with fireplace nose and painting eyes.
We noticed a set of stairs that had a lens overlooking the display. We went up the stairs and checked it out. The image changed to a full face.
Dali full face exhibit
The whole museum was more of a surreal walk into the mind of Dali. Here are some of the unique things we saw.
Hanging part of light system in stairwell of Dali MuseumFull wall painting by Dali which is across from the main entrance areaDali “rock” sculptureDali sculpture
There were many different and unique pieces of art. What was even more amazing was that Dali also designed jewelry and dresses for his wife “Gala”. The creativity of the jewelry and dresses was truly amazing. Below are a few samples of the jewelry and dresses he designed.
Eye brooch with a clock in the eyeGem covered heartDresses designed by Dali for his wife Gala
Display of different dresses designed by Dali for his wife Gala
It was a great museum and was an experience we enjoyed immensely.
We went to Barcelona for a few days to check out the city before heading out on our Mediterranean cruise. We took the high-speed train from Alicante and arrived in just over five hours to downtown Barcelona. The train ride was very relaxing and there were some beautiful views of the Mediterranean along the way.
View on the train ride to Barcelona.
The city is beautiful with numerous architectural features and historic buildings. The city is quite large with a population of approximately 1.8 million.
View of Barcelona from the hilltop of the National Art Gallery
We walked through the downtown core area and in the old quarter of the city. Some of the buildings were unique and old.
Building in BarcelonaStatue in square of BarcelonaTypical walkway in old quarter of Barcelona
One building, we particular liked was the art centre.
Unique art centre building in Barcelona
There was a statue that was very neat and you could look at it from different angles and it would change its shape.
unique statue that changed depending on where you looked at it
We took a break and stopped at a restaurant in a large plaza that had numerous restaurants. The food was very good and the salads were very tasty.
unique Salad from a spanish restaurant
After lunch, we did more exploring and came across a store that had miniature characters of famous people. Below are a few pictures of some famous people. Can you figure out who they are? We found over 10 people we recognised.
caractures in store in BarcelonaCharacters in store in Barcelona
We walked about 12 kilometres throughout the day and finished the evening sitting on the rooftop terrace of our hotel admiring the skyline. It was a long day but very enjoyable.
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