Monkeys or supermarket? If you are walking into town, see our film if you don’t want to miss the glass blowing.

The Marinid Walls of Ceuta, a walled city that was constructed by the Berbers Marinid dynasty in 13th century.  Beaches and monuments, a square, a house with dragons on the roof, and two churches. There will be tours, but we haven’t found them. It sounds like a beach day, but the beach is not sand, it is granules of rocks. On second thoughts, a relaxing walk around the El Conjunto Monumental de las Murallas Reales. The less welcome is the Africans trying to escape poverty and using it as a migrating station to Europe.

A big capital city of over 3 million. The modern French side is full of thriving industry, the older Muslim city is more traditional. The beaches at Zeralda are clean light sand with gentle waves. There is a replica nomad settlement. The Turquoise Coast has many beaches to choose from.

Fort Santa Cruz on Mount Murdjadjo, is an old Ottoman citadel which was rebuilt by the Spanish. Oran is a port city in northwest Algeria, it features the Chapelle Santa Cruz, built after a cholera epidemic. The 18th-century Pacha Mosque with an octagonal minaret is in the Turkish old town. Nearby, Kasr El Bey is an Ottoman palace. Oran is known for rai folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called cheb.

The Romans all but destroyed Carthage. There are both Arab and Roman remains nearby. Wonderful stories mixed with the aroma, music and spicey food that you can see on a walking tour of the city. This port is mainly used by the MSC OPERA but the SAGA Spirit of Adventure stopped here in 2022 when its Black Sea program was changed. Our FB Film. https://www.facebook.com/dorischats/videos/354151463372810

The Romans did a lot of damage in this area, so you have layers of history.

Malta is the Hollywood of the Mediterranean. It offers sea water tanks or inlets in bays. There is a Popeye Village, and the usual…. It is a home port for many ships who fly cruise to the Eastern Med.

Mgarr is a small island off Malta

An archipelago off eastern Spain, in the Mediterranean. The four largest are Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera. Many of the smaller islets are near to the bigger ones and can be accessed on day boat trips. Spain’s emergency telephone number, 112, applies here.

Mallorca (Majorca), the largest and a home port for many ships in the summer, has for many years been a favourite holiday island of the British. Whether the capital of Palma or the stone-built village of Pollença on the other side, there is something for everyone. The Balearic Islands are in the Mediterranean and belong to Spain. They use the EURO.

It’s known for beach resorts, nightlife, sheltered coves, Roman and Moorish remains, and art galleries. See our film of the capital, Palma with the Moorish Almudaina royal palace and 13th-century Santa María Cathedral.

Menorca may be small, but don’t discount it. Azamara and others cruise there.

Ibiza is the disco centre of the world, some say. Jean’s buddy James Blunt has a house there. See here films.

Alcúdia is a town in the north of Mallorca (Majorca). It has fantastic beaches, which include the busy Platja d’Alcúdia and Platja de Muro on Alcúdia Bay.

For sightseeing; the neo-Gothic Sant Jaume church is built into the walled town’s restored medieval walls. Enjoy the food and wine in the narrow streets with buildings that are centuries-old.

It is a good walk into town, so not one that might challenge especially if you are heading for Dalt Vila is the old town with cobbled streets, just above the new town. Take a taxi if you wish to avoid the walk, but the walk is worth it, past the two Roman statues on the way in.

An island famous for being the birthplace of the first female head of INTERPOL and where Napoleon spent some of his childhood. Also for many mafia stories.

A slightly annoying thing about Ajaccio (“AY-YA-CHO”) is to pronounce it correctly or they get a little annoyed. If they do, through a Welsh town at them!

Corsica.

Hapag Llyod’s Europa 2, Seadream and Star Clippers use this smaller port.

Star Clippers use this port.

Star Clippers use this port.

Normally a tender into the town’s small port. Some ships stop at the nearby Palombiaggia beach. Azamara use this port.

The Marella Voyager has plans to visit this port when joining the fleet.

Hapag Lloyd Europa 2 gets in here.

Island of the Godfather …. The pope ordered Sicily to be taken from the Arabs. Palermo fell in 1071 and resulted in all Sicily coming under Norman rule. The pope promised Richard II the position as King for his efforts and he was crowned in the name of God for his conquering the island. The church on the hill has a mosaic of him being crowned by Christ himself rather than the pope, his agent on earth.

Porto Empedocle is a town named after Empedocles, a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher and a citizen of the city of Akragas.

Giardini Naxos is a seaside resort strung along a wide bay below the famous mountainside resort Taormina on the eastern coast of Sicily. It has a tender pier.

The 12th century, Messina Cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake in 1908. The building was rebuilt between 1920 to 1929 using some pieces from the old cathedral. It is seen more than visited as many ships pass it in the strait but never stop.

Palermo has a lot to offer. A huge city, with lots or Arab-Norman history.

Siracuse or Syracuse was home to Archimedes. An important Greek town and the theatre still stands and is in use. An easy port to walk.

The Enchanted Princess gets to this port. Large ships tender, smaller ships like the SeaDream may be able to dock.

As much as we love old towns and exploring, this is one stop where we prefer the beach. See the films.