{"id":9202,"date":"2022-06-20T03:15:14","date_gmt":"2022-06-20T10:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/?p=9202"},"modified":"2022-07-19T02:08:56","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T09:08:56","slug":"enchanting-ports-of-france-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/enchanting-ports-of-france-spain","title":{"rendered":"The Great Mediterranean Caper: Enchanting Shores of France & Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a hiatus of almost 2 years, the availability of COVID vaccines and booster shots finally motivated me to take the plunge and start travelling again. As a fan of Oceania\u2019 Executive Culinary Director, Jacques P\u00e9pin<\/a>, my plan was to defrost in the Mediterranean and indulge in culinary delights while cruising on the Riviera.<\/p>\n

However, as with any travel during the pandemic, everything is subject to change. The bad news mostly centered on itinerary disruptions, including a shift from Monte Carlo to Marseille as the port of embarkation. But there was also good news \u2013 the cruise line proffered a last minute upgrade to their sumptuous 24-hour butler serviced Penthouse Suites for a mere $750\/pp. It was an offer I couldn\u2019t resist\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Color<\/a>
Place Mass\u00e9na, Nice.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having been to Nice plenty of times, it was more convenient to stay there as originally planned and then catch Oceania\u2019s complimentary transfer to Marseille the next day. Nice in winter was soggy as usual but it also gave me the chance to take pix of Catalan artist Jaume Plensa<\/a>\u2019s Conversation \u00e0 Nice in solitude. Representing the 7 continents, these 7 statues liven up Place Mass\u00e9na<\/a> at night with their color changing LEDs.<\/p>\n

\"Marseille<\/a>
Basilica La Bonne M\u00e8re, Marseille.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Given Marseille is France\u2018s largest port, it\u2019s not surprising that the Neo-Byzantine Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde<\/a>, known locally as La Bonne M\u00e8re, is the sailors\u2019 Basilica. Paintings of sailing vessels deck the walls, while models of ships, airplanes and the odd submarine hang festively from the ceiling \u2013 all ex-votos from grateful sailors and aviators to the Holy Mother for her protection in their time of need.<\/p>\n

\"Penthouse<\/a>
Penthouse Suite, Oceania Riviera.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After meeting all the COVID protocols, including a dockside PCR test, we were finally allowed to board the ship. Having 440 sq. ft. of space to luxuriate in was heavenly, but when our butler delivered the canapes and chilled champagne, having those sassy corner chairs and glass table for ensuite dining kicked everything up a notch into the sublime category!<\/p>\n

\"Ship<\/a>
Place Vatel, Toulon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our first stop was Toulon<\/a>, a major port on the Mediterranean coast and home to France\u2019s main naval base. Wandering around, I came across this strange sight in Place Vatel. Seeming to plough out of the apartment block, the polychromed structure was apparently the replica prow of an 18th century frigate, La Fore. The \u2018improvements\u2019 had to be fairly recent since all prior pix in my research showed the sculpture in a natural finish and the wall\u2019s painted sails sported a totally different design (as shown in the image on the right). While paint does protect wood against the elements, I personally prefer the original understated look to this technicolor bow and Neptune figurehead.<\/p>\n

\"Narrow<\/a>
Old Town, Toulon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Passage Baboul\u00e8ne in Toulon\u2019s Basse Ville (Old Town) reminded me of Lyon\u2019s traboules<\/a> as some of the buildings in the alley offer semi-public short cuts to walk through to adjacent parallel streets.<\/p>\n

\"Street<\/a>
Street art, Palma de Mallorca.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our next port would have been Barcelona, but was changed to Palma de Mallorca<\/a> due to COVID restrictions. Although I\u2019ve visited the city before, I\u2019ve never focused on Palma\u2019s vibrant street art. While public spaces are the usual avenues for such endeavors, it\u2019s also ubiquitous on shop doors (wood or metal rollups) and walls to function as signage or decoration for the owners.<\/p>\n

Seeing that \u2018corbata\u2019 means \u2018tie\u2019 in Spanish, I appreciate the wicked humor in the bar door\u2019s graphics. I was also smitten by the whimsical bike that was de-constructed to fit above the restaurant door. While the 3 small white cages could have been decorative, the 4th unpainted one was certainly for food storage!<\/p>\n

\"Catedral<\/a>
Catedral de Santa Mar\u00eda, Palma de Mallorca<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

.This is probably one of the most famous landmarks in Palma due to Gaud\u00ed\u2019s involvement in its restoration, even though he quit the job partway. The Gothic Cathedral was built on site of a Mosque dating from several centuries of Moorish rule in the Middle Ages. More popularly known as La Seu<\/a>, its walls lit up dramatically in the dusk.<\/p>\n

\"Cartagena<\/a>
Palacio Consistorial, Cartagena<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

.The following day was Cartagena<\/a>. A short walk from the cruise dock and we came upon the imposing Town Hall with its ornate zinc roof glinting in the sun. This is one of Cartagena\u2019s most striking examples of Modernisme, or Modernist architecture, which originated in Barcelona and is the Catalan take on Art Nouveau.<\/p>\n

\"Architectural<\/a>
Architectural details of an office, Calle Mayor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Calle Mayor is a bustling pedestrian street choc-a-block with Modernist architecture and chic stores.\u00a0I love the intricate details on these walls and doors and was happy to see all the restoration work taking place along this street.<\/p>\n

\"Bronze<\/a>
Plaza del Icue, Cartagena.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This sculpture by Manuel Ardil Pag\u00e1n is in front of the Palacio Pedre\u00f1o<\/a>, a prominent Modernist building. The statue is dedicated to Cartagena\u2019s street urchins, known locally as icues, who scavenge around the harbor for small fish discarded by the fishermen. As part of the fountain\u2019s design, water is cleverly recycled through the fish\u2019s mouth!<\/p>\n

\"Old<\/a>
La Vieja, Melilla.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We sailed south to the Spanish exclave of Melilla which is surrounded on 3 sides by Morocco. La Vieja<\/a>, the 600-year old fortress that\u2019s perched on a rocky promontory, is a reflection of the town\u2019s North African roots.<\/p>\n

\"City<\/a>
Palacio de la Asamblea,, Melilla.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Melilla<\/a> boasts having the most modernist buildings outside Barcelona and Valencia. This is the legacy of Catalan architect Enrique Nieto<\/a>, who studied under Llu\u00eds Dom\u00e8nech i Montaner and purportedly worked for Antoni Gaud\u00ed before settling down in Melilla, where he rose to become its chief architect.<\/p>\n

Nieto\u2019s style evolved from Modernist to Art Deco and integrated Arab influences into his work along the way. One of his major projects was this twin-towered City Hall, an impressive Art Deco edifice with a Moorish feel.<\/p>\n

\"Colorful<\/a>
Planter benches, Plaza H\u00e9roes de Espa\u00f1a.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wandering around the quiet town, we came upon these vibrantly colored Gaud\u00ed-esque mosaic planter benches at Plaza H\u00e9roes de Espa\u00f1a. It\u2019s easy to think you\u2019re in Barcelona until a local walks by in a kaftan\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a hiatus of almost 2 years, the availability of COVID vaccines and booster shots finally motivated me to take the plunge and start travelling again. As a fan of Oceania\u2019 Executive Culinary Director, Jacques P\u00e9pin, my plan was to defrost in the Mediterranean and indulge in culinary delights while cruising on the Riviera. However, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,15],"tags":[26,694,398,698,703,701,693,700,453,699,702,696,454,697,695],"class_list":["post-9202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-architecture","category-travel","tag-antoni-gaudi","tag-basilique-notre-dame-de-la-garde","tag-cartagena","tag-catedral-de-santa-maria","tag-enrique-nieto","tag-la-vieja","tag-marseille","tag-melilla","tag-nice","tag-palacio-consistorial","tag-palacio-de-la-asamblea","tag-palma-de-mallorca","tag-place-massena","tag-street-art","tag-toulon"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Le-Seu-Palma-de-Mallorca.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9202"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9202\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9255,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9202\/revisions\/9255"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interspace-design.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}