I'm finally getting back to this blog. Arriving on an Iberia flight from Madrid, we had a couple of nights in Barcelona before departing on our Viking Saturn cruise. Once underway, our first port stop was Marseille, France.
Marseille: Our all-day bus excursion from the port brought us to the small village of Saint Remy de Provence. There, we had a guided walk through the cobblestone streets and some time to visit a few small bakeries, cafes and shops. We purchased some truffle flavored salt, tapenades and thin slabs of almond nougat. The next stop from the village was the psychiatric hospital that Van Gogh resided for a year. From the hospital, Van Gogh painted several of his well-known pieces, focusing on Iris flowers, olive orchards, blooming almond trees, and the hospital grounds and buildings. We were able to view similar, if not the same, views around the hospital that influenced these paintings. After our hospital visit (it is in operation today), we continued to Les Baux-de-Provence. We had lunch at Le Petit Rocher and time to explore the village for a short time. Les Baux-de-Provence was gifted by Louis XIII in 1642 to the Grimaldi family, in recognition of the Prince of Monaco's support of the French Crown.
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| Van Gogh's Recreated Bedroom |
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| Rear of Hospital - Note Flowering Tree on Right |
Corsica: Our morning walking excursion was in Ajaccio. The island of Corsica was the original residence of the Napoleon Bonaparte family. The family house is now a museum and we had time to enter and view the interior. Our tour led us past the former island fortress and a monument to Pascal Paoli, who wrote Corsica's first Constitution (1755), which influenced the content of the US Constitution. We learned that Corsica played an essential role in WW2. In 1943, it hosted and allied airbase that supported the Mediterranean war theater.
Our visit was on a Sunday and many shops and cafes were closed.
Valletta and Mdina: Our Viking Saturn stopped at the port of Valletta. From there, we had a private guide excursion of Valletta and an overnight at the Xara Palace hotel in Mdina. We opted to take advantage of the ship's overnight in Valleta and have the opportunity for to visit to Mdina and Rabat during the evening and morning - without the need to return to the ship at night.
Our guide arranged taxi support to make the best use of time. In Valletta, we toured the former harbor fortress, Parliament, Merchant streets, Knights of Malta auberges wharf area, Prime Minister's office, Upper Barrack Gardens, St.John's Cathedral and Hager Qim Archeological Park. We even had time to try a pastizzi (a baked pastry filled with Ricotta cheese).
At the end of our Valletta day tour, our guide and driver brought us to the Xara Palace hotel in Mdina. This hotel is a 17th century palazzo, originally built for the noble Moscati Pariso family. It is now a Relais and Chateau hotel, featuring baroque architecture, original beams and antique-filled rooms. The palazzo was acquired by Zammit Tabona in 1996 and restored and opened as a 17 room hotel. It is the only hotel located within the walls of Mdina.
After dinner, we took a stroll through Mdina and enjoyed the evening lights and local preparation for Easter processions.
In the morning, we met our guide and had a walking tour of Rabat and a visit to St.Anton Park. We returned to the ship in plenty of time before our 2pm port departure to Tunisia.
If your cruise ship stops overnight at the port of Valletta, I recommend staying a night in Malta. As day visitors depart Malta, the fortress and town empties. The evening and early mornings in Malta are similar to staying overnight in Venice, after the tourists depart for the day.
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| View of Valletta from Arrival |
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| St John's Cathedral, Valletta |
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| Entry to St Anton Garden Also Used as Red Keep in Game of Thrones |
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| Looking Down Into Lobby of Xara Palace Hotel |
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| Interior Hotel Hallway |
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| Junior Suite |
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| Walking Entry to Mdina Also the Entry to Kings Gate in Game of Thrones |
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| Malta at Night |
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