The Brilliant MSC Splendida or Cruise from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and back. Part 9
To be continued. Start here:
9. Marseille
Morning, March 2nd. The brilliant Splendida enters the port of Marseille, which is immersed in thick fog. So we got off the ship about an hour later than expected. The port of Marseille is a vast territory of piers, cranes, and everything related to the port. It’s a bit far from the city center even by taxi (it seemed to me), but the line of taxis is organized by a normal, without crowding, landing. We sit in a taxi (we bargained for 16 euros, remembered the prices of Casablanca! ) and we arrive at the Old Port.
Many yachts, sightseeing train with a locomotive (very original!
) takes us through the streets of Marseille,
Excursion train
Let's go to the Embankment
climbing up the hill to the Cathedral of Notre Dame de la Garde. It is best to start your acquaintance with Marseille from the Old Port (Vieux Port) with the forts of St. Jean and St. Nicholas (1660) and the old quarters of Panier (Le Panier) and Saint Victor (St Victor) adjacent to the port. You can wander through their small narrow streets, climb steep stairs. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde is the main attraction of the city, which is the symbol of Marseille.
Notre Dame de la Garde
She dominates the city. The basilica was built in the 19th century on the highest point in Marseille, south of the old port.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1853 on the site of the chapel, which was built in 1214 and for centuries blessed sailors on long voyages. The modern cathedral, consecrated in 1864, is a Romano-Byzantine basilica with a gilded statue of the Blessed Virgin 10 meters high and a bronze bell weighing more than 8 tons. In the interior of the cathedral - an abundance of mosaics on the Byzantine model.
The Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica is located on a hill, at the highest point of the city (154 m), from where a panorama of the city and the Gulf of Marseille opens up. But there was fog, and therefore the photos with panoramas turned out to be fuzzy, but romantic.
Panoramas of Marseille
An interesting photo of the cathedral turned out with a shadow on the fog from the statue of the Blessed Virgin.
You can also get to the cathedral by city bus number 60, the ticket price is 2 euros. The cost of our tour is 7 euros per person. Down the steep streets, some are breathtaking and we are back in the Old Port. On the way, not far from Notre Dame de la Garde, we looked at the ancient abbey of St. Victor (Abbaye Saint-Victor) XII century. It is the oldest religious building in Marseille. The building was built in the 5th century as a monastery on the burial place of Christian martyrs. In the course of history, the church was systematically completed and expanded, and today it is a majestic building, more like a fortress.
The fog clears and we decide to just walk around the city, look at its modern avenues, apparently we are already fed up with the sights. There are places in Marseille that somehow reminded me of Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg.
A very modern, comfortable and beautiful tram on the streets of Marseille.
Marseille Tram
Marseille is the second largest city in France. Traffic jams on the streets according to the size of the city.
We walked to the Gothic cathedral on one of the streets, it is beautiful both inside and out. They took a photo from the outside, they didn’t give inside.
There is a lot of time, the cruise company did not regret it on Marseille.
There are sales announcements in stores, all of Europe is doing this, all the cities where we have been.
And here is the sale
Cafe with ice cream and soft drinks,
but it's time to get ready for the transfer on the way back.
But there are no our partners, we are confused who is where. We stand at the taxi rank, people come up to us who also need fellow travelers. The guys from Hungary agreed, five people, rented a minibus for 20 euros for 7 people, it's very cheap and rolled to the liner's parking lot. For those who will go along this route - a tip. The Hungarians dragged huge bags of French cognac and champagne straight onto the ship without hesitation. Since this is the last day on the cruise and it would be necessary, taking their luggage from them, to immediately take the alcohol to their cabins after a while, no one took anything from them. Bring your own bags, please.
Well, I didn't think of that, which is a pity.
This is the last evening on this brilliant beauty "Splendida". But for some reason I did not show our cabin. Here she is.
We collect a suitcase, a bag. We received a schedule for sending tourists from the ship. Our group turned out to be the last one to leave the ship, this does not suit us, since we have a train to Milan. Let's go to the reception to figure it out, especially since you still need to pick up your passports, the issuance of which is indicated at 10-00. On the issue of issuing passports to citizens of non-EU countries, this is not a whim of the ship, but the conditions of the immigration service, for the rest - we decide not to put luggage, but to take it with you on
exit, and one of the first to get passports.
After dinner, we gathered in the cafeteria at the stern, also nearby
The company is celebrating the last day of the cruise, the latest photos have walked along the decks of the ship, regretting that this is the last day.
Atrium on Splendid
Atrium elevators
10. Way back
In the morning, Genoa greets us with a cold wind, low clouds, it was felt that it was still the north of Italy and it was only March 3rd. At 7-00 I went, paid off with the ship, though everything happens clearly and quickly, the luggage was not exhibited, it is in our cabin, we went to the cafeteria for breakfast.
That's where I saw how many people there are on Splendid. Approximately everyone came to eat at the same time, many vacated their cabins and are sitting with things, well, a huge station, and nothing more! Someone is picking up food for their journey, someone is drinking coffee - tea, waiting to leave the ship. We went to the cabin to pick up things, the steward met, whom we “thanked” separately.
He worked very diligently and professionally, he was not visible, but everything was always cleaned, put in order, and always ready to help.
By ten o'clock - for passports, although there was a queue, but quickly, then the team worked perfectly. The movement to the exit began. Leaving the ship, we head towards the seaport. Next to the Splendida at the pier is her sister, the twin MSC Fantasia, who is about to sail to the Canary Islands, where we wanted to go.
MSC Fantasia followed by Splendida
Seeing us with suitcases, they invite us to the Fantasia, but, unfortunately, we are in the other direction, to the escalator and to the Embankment.
Genoa met us with such weather
We cross it. We go up to the station and we still have a lot of time before the train.
For your information, the station was under renovation, the waiting rooms were closed, it was cool and the wind was strong on the platform, but the train to Milan was coming, which was no more than an hour away. This train is different, regional, inside a compartment for six seats, the compartments are fenced off from the corridor by a transparent door. Not very convenient if with large suitcases. There are shelves for bags, you can’t stick a suitcase there. In Milan, transfer to the train to Venice, the already familiar express, and three hours later to Mestre. A familiar path to the Ambasciatori 4 * hotel, which is located very close to the Delfino hotel, where we stayed upon arrival. So these hotels can be recommended for a stay in Venice, modern hotels with all the necessary amenities.
The Hotel Ambasciatori in the background
In the morning we reached the Mestre bus station (next to the train station). Bus tickets were taken to Treviso, to the airport.
At the airport, there is a standard check-in and baggage check-in procedure, then a general queue from all aircraft for customs control. There we were surprised that in addition to taking off jackets and coats, you need to take off your shoes and check your shoes. For the first time, this is especially “comfortable” for women in high boots. Then we looked at the Dutics, didn’t see anything supernatural and cheap, the Italian Dutics didn’t seduce us in either Marco Polo or Treviso. Passport control passed and in the sump they heard that the flight from Kyiv was delayed by 1.5 hours due to weather conditions in Kyiv (there is a strong snowstorm in Kyiv, they do not have time to clear the runway). And then outside the window is a bright sunny, warm day. Spring is in full swing!
But the plane arrived with a delay of 1.5 hours, loaded up and now we are in Kyiv. In Kyiv at the airport "Zhulyany" there is also news - after receiving the luggage, it is on the conveyor and on the TV to the customs officers.
Previously, I did not encounter this at the airports of Ukraine. Outside - frost, a small blizzard.
I am no longer looking for minibuses, I call a taxi to the Central Station - 40 UAH. At the station, there is still time to go to a cafe and eat a plate of our good Ukrainian borscht, somehow for two weeks I already wanted to. A train ride in Ukraine is no longer in Europe, it evokes completely different feelings, there is no desire to describe. It's been two amazing weeks.
Now my opinion is that having been on two cruise ships: the American "Voyager of Seas" and the Italian MSC "Splendida" , they are somewhere approximately equal in displacement, in the size of the superstructures, I would still give preference to the American.
It is more conveniently designed, its promenade is, as it were, the axis of the entire infrastructure of the ship (its whole life revolves around the promenade). And that's not even the point!
Now I will definitely look at the time of ships stopping in interesting places for me, it's very short for 5 hours for cities like Barcelona and Valencia.
The American was given a loan for 500 dollars, for Splendid they took a deposit of 250 euros. A trifle, but nicer on an American.
The main restaurant on three floors with a very interesting American interior is impressive. The service there was better than at Splendida. I won’t write about the cuisine - everyone has different tastes, one is salivating from seafood, and for me a piece of meat, you can not fried, with blood, in English.
The cultural program on the American was more interesting, but the huckstering was less.
And what about chic, glitter, gilding - this is Italian, there is more of this. It reminded me of Porthos of the Musketeers, with his chic glittering baldric with ropes on his back.
In terms of the organization of the case - Splendida is higher, I didn’t see queues at the reception, Voyager was different in this.
And the last thing - on Splendid, all passengers from countries that are not members of the European Union collected passports, and in Genoa we received them with immigration stamps. On Voyager, I tried to slip my passport in when landing, they didn’t want to take it, and it was with me all the time.
The American treated me like a guest, but not second-class like on Splendid.
