MSC Bellissima 14th March 2019 Part 9 (the concluding one)

16th March 2019 Marseille
Shuttle bus passengers were dropped off near a Ferris wheel in a vast and empty parking area. I didn't recognise where we were at first but was directed towards the harbour, and soon knew where I wanted to go: along the side of the water leading to the inner harbour where the fishermen sell their produce each morning. Crowds of Saturday shoppers or strollers were enjoying the hot sunshine here in the south of France, and it was fascinating to walk along the quayside or under the arcades in deep shade.

Under a shady arcade

It's a miraculous fish soup...

Blue sky and white tree

Le Ferry Boat


Halfway along the quay I saw what I hoped to find: the cross-harbour little Le Ferry Boat was running. I was soon on board, paid my fare, and enjoyed looking around. It takes 45 people maximum but I was one of about a dozen.

View


The water sparkled, and we soon set off and a few minutes later arrived on the other side. I disembarked and then joined a little queue of people waiting to return to my first boarding point. Well, that was all enjoyable.

I walked back to the shuttle drop-off point and prepared to get what ship photographs I could on the coach journey way back to the ship.

Walking back to the coach park - the Cathedral

Another view

Piana

Vizzavona


As I walked into the coach park the red-hulled VIZZAVONA sailed out of the harbour at speed so I was fortunate to be able to turn my camera and capture that. The journey back proved fairly worthwhile, even at speed and with the unexpected route.

Mediterranee

MN on the hull

A Superfast vessel


Back on board I enjoyed a very late lunch before returning to my cabin. Later on I met my friend and during a promenade around the ship a little later we discovered some lovely ship models in glass cases; these included MSC MAGNIFICA, MSC GRANDIOSA, MSC BELLISSIMA, MSC SEASIDE and MSC MERAVIGLIA.

MSC Magnifica

MSC Grandiosa

MSC Seaside

MSC Meraviglia

MSC Bellissima


We met again in our favourite Champagne Bar before dinner, enjoying our last evening on board.

Tonight we have a booking for the Cirque Du Soleil at Sea show, which sounds really exciting. The performance is called 'Varelia - Love in full colour' and is described as 'a tale of modern chivalry where love and courage triumph over the greatest divides'. The doors of the Carousel Lounge Deck 7 opened at 21.45 and we were soon in our allotted seats very near to the raised circular stage. Passengers were also able to book seats at raised dining tables at the back of the Lounge and have a meal there, but they seemed very expensive for such a distant view of the performance. We were given a drink as we arrived and that was just as good, and we were able to look around and watch the high level screens showing interesting light displays before the show started. Then the music started and it was time to watch the performance right in front of us - we enjoyed it all hugely.


Ships seen: MSC Bellissima, Viking Star, Girolata, Superfast something, an MN vessel, Mediterranee, Piana, Pascal Paoli, Tariq Ibn Ziyad of Algerie Ferries, Vizzavona of Corsica Linea, Le Ferry Boat in Marseille harbour

Sunday 17th March 2019
This morning we sailed back into Genoa harbour, under a sunny sky again. We disembarked and walked up to the Railway Station where my friend was to get a train on his way home. I caught a free bus taking me to the airport, where I could enjoy a last Italian coffee before flying back to England. It had been an enjoyable and interesting short trip on this brand-new ship MSC BELLISSIMA.

MSC Bellissima

MSC BELISSIMA 14th March 2019 Part 4

Thursday 14th March 2019
Breakfast in the beautifully-painted restaurant started the day well

Breakfast room ceiling
Copyright S. Morton

I smiled at this decorative piece
Copyright S. Morton

Looking down on the Lounge & Bar Royale
Copyright S. Morton


and my friend decided he wanted to go up in the funicular again to see if we could see MSC BELLISSIMA at the cruise terminal; we were soon walking along Via Balbi to the funicular and enjoying another trip up to Righi. We could see the ship, but the bare-branch trees hid some of our view.

Porto Antico area near the funicular
Copyright S. Morton

Up the funicular route
Copyright S. Morton

Snowy mountains in the distance

MSC Bellissima barely visible


We returned to the hotel, collected our luggage and our friendly local taxi driver took us to the Cruise Terminal.

Picture outside the Maritime Terminal

More ships

Even more ships

And a few more ships


I enjoyed looking at some of the large pictures in the building and we were soon through the checking-in procedures and heading on board this huge ship.


To be continued...

MSC BELLISSIMA 14th March 2019 Part 3

Wednesday 13th March 2019
I slept well in my delightful bedroom and enjoyed breakfast down in the Restaurant. I had time to myself this morning, as my travelling companion was arriving by train at lunchtime. I had decided to walk to the ferry terminal (Traghetti Terminale) for exercise and pleasure to see what I could see. Not a lot, was the general answer. The pavements were uneven and I had to watch my step, but once inside the public part of the building at least I could see the Arrivals and Departures boards.

Arrivals board

Departures board


These showed arrivals as ATHARA from Porto Torres, BITHIA from Olbia and LA SUPREMA from Palermo. The departures were to be GNV FANTASTIC to Tunisia, Tirrenia's ATHARA back to Porto Torres, Tirrenia's BITHIA back to Olbia and GNV'S LA SUPREMA back to Palermo. Ah, memories, memories.

I could only look out at the ships from the main passenger terminal, and that view was through glass, and above concrete balcony edges outside the glass, but I managed a few photos. I liked seeing the list of things of things Forbidden to be taken on board: Tortoises, parrots, monkeys, chameleons etc.

Bithia

Bithia's other side

Forbidden things

Athara and Bithia

Majestic and Fantastic


Then it was time to walk back to the hotel to meet my friend and wish him a happy birthday for today before we set off to see some sights. His train was on time, his check in was easy, and we were soon ready to set off for the delights of the funicular as he requested, followed by a taxi ride east along the coast to the little village of Boccadasse. This visit had been suggested by the Bar Royale Steward during a chat the previous evening. A friendly local taxi driver took us to the end of the promenade near the village, and we could then descend numerous cobbled steps down to the beach and find somewhere for a late lunch.

Boccadasse

Confetti on the steps

Steps up behind us


The views were beautiful around us and of the sea and the far mountains around the coastline; we could hear the sound of the sea crashing onto the rocks and beach below us before we arrived at the bottom of the steps. I saw confetti blown onto the steps outside several homes on the way down.

Sparkling sea and the lunch terrace

The sea again

It looked rough

A shell wall


At the bottom we decided to walk around the little beach and then up part of the other hillside, before coming back for a very late lunch at one of the beachside restaurants. We enjoyed all of that in the sunshine, but a brisk wind later sent us back up to the street-side promenade where we could call the taxi to come back for us. Out in the sea we noticed EUROCARGO SAVONA was at anchor, and then a Grimaldi vessel was sailing towards the port of Genoa.

Eurocargo Savona

A Grimaldi vessel


The day ended back at the hotel with drinks and dinner and chat about the day's events.

Tomorrow is the day MSC BELLISSIMA is due to arrive in Genoa, for us to check in and sail away for 3 nights on board.

Ships seen: Bithia, Majestic, Fantastic, Athara, Eurocargo Savona, a Grimaldi vessel

To be continued...

MSC BELLISSIMA 14th March 2019 Part 2

12th March 2019 p.m.
Part 2

My hotel front doors were firmly bolted, but then I noticed a large sign inside one of the doors pointing me in the direction of an hotel a few steps up the road. Outside that one I walked up the three steps covered in a little red carpet and found myself in a Belle Époque style reception area with smiling staff behind a desk. A little poster on a wall told me the hotel was built in 1897: Grand Hotel Savoia.

I was welcomed and told I had been upgraded from the booked hotel, and was soon checked in and shown to a lift up to my room. The room was large and beautifully furnished in what must be the style here - and the room number was the same as my own little home in the South of England. That seemed like a good omen.

My bed head


I unpacked, read the hotel book details

Hotel book cover


and discovered that on the 7th floor was a terrace, with views. That needed to be seen before going out to the Porto Antico and proved really worthwhile.

The 7th floor terrace


I could see a great deal of the bay around Genoa and, hooray, ferries down in the harbour and shipyards. I could see the airport runway and even the back half of a plane taxiing back to the terminal, as I had done a few hours before. The sky was a glorious blue and the calm around me was such a contrast with home, and memories of being almost blown off my feet a few times when walking back from my village recently.

View down to the Railway Station and the bus circle

My view above the station

View to my left, of the Porto Antico area


Before leaving the 7th floor terrace I noticed that the room behind it contained several ship models, and I imagine this was part of the hotel's conference room facilities.

Ship models in a glass case

Walking in the Porto Antico area


My next plan was to go down to the waterside and walk along to the Porto Antico part of this little city, get something to eat and then walk up to the funicolare station that I particularly liked, which goes between Zecca and Righi. It costs just Euros 1.50 each way and celebrated being 120 years old in 2017. I enjoyed walking amongst tourists and locals, before buying my ticket and admiring the posters.

One of the funicolare posters

Some of the picture cards

Ready to board and go


The ascent is in a tunnel at first before emerging into daylight; it is very steep with calls at 5 stations. The 'down' funicolare is balanced with the ascending one and they pass at the stations in the middle where the track divides for short distances. I read that the rise from bottom to top is 915 feet.

The station stops between top and bottom


The views from the top were wonderful; I could see across the bay in one direction and then down into the shipyards in another.

View from the top, to my right

View down, slightly left

A poster on the wall nearby, showing the Quail cruise ship and Moby ferries


I enjoyed seeing one of the posters on the outside wall, and noticed the ship belonging to Quail cruises shown. I can remember that ship actually being there in the harbour many years ago and taking my own photograph at the time.

I walked home again along Via Balbi and remembered staying in a small hotel along here once. I had been astonished at seeing the pictures painted on the ceiling of my room in what was once a small palace. I think it had suffered water damage over the years but most of it was lovely. That little hotel seems to have disappeared, perhaps amalgamated into the University buildings that now line part of the street amongst the coffee bars and shops.

Back at the hotel I took photographs of my surroundings and then enjoyed some offerings from the Bar Royale, whilst listening to the talented pianist in the main Lounge playing to hotel guests and visitors.

Hotel poster in the foyer

One of the small lounges

Part of the hotel's main lounge

Bar Royale pictured in the hotel book

Hotel Bar Royale


Ships seen: Scarlet Lady, of Virgin Voyages, GNV vessels in the ferry terminal area, yellow-hulled Corsica-Sardinia ferries down in the shipyard.


To be continued...