~*The Best Vacation Ever (III)*~

On the third day of our cruise trip, we embarked on a full-day guided tour to Sorrento and Amalfi which are both located in Naples. Due to insufficient time, we did not hang around Naples city centre and instead, we headed straight towards both Sorrento and Amalfi. The journey from Naples city centre to Sorrento takes about an hour drive by bus and the journey from Sorrento to Amalfi takes about another 45 minutes. I took too many pictures in Sorrento and Amalfi...so, i am gonna post the pictures i took in Sorrento first in this post and i shall post the Amalfi pictures in another separate post. Sorrento is an extremely popular tourist destination, known for its stunning beauty where people come all the way just to relax and enjoy the scenery around this area.

On the way from the Naples city centre to Sorrento, we managed to pass through Mount Vesuvius (as can be seen from the two pictures taken below). It does look very astonishing from afar but when one looks at it closer, it looks nothing more than an ordinary mountain...and it doesn't even seem volcanic to me.

The view of Sorrento from afar (inside the bus)

The pictures below are Sorrento's town centre...a small little bustling town full with branded and luxury goods shops, restaurants, souvenir shops and much much more!!

The pictures below are taken from the town of Sorrento, overlooking the bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius.

Sorrento's pier whereby famous local and international celebrities docked their yachts.

The Mediterranean Sea and Mount Vesuvius from afar (Part 1)

The Mediterranean Sea and Mount Vesuvius from afar (Part 2)

The pictures below are basically the same scenery but i took it from different angles...

~*The Best Vacation Ever (II)*~

The second place we went during our cruise trip was to the city of Trapani in Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. There's nothing much to see in Trapani's city centre and therefore, we headed towards the historic town of Erice...which is located 750m above sea level on top of Mount Erice. We took a cable car from the bottom of Mount Erice all the way to the top of the mountain which is about 20 minutes journey. I didn't quite enjoy this guided excursion...don't know why but i wasn't feeling excited when i visited this place. Anyway, enjoy the pictures below:-

The map of Erice

Typical street / narrow alleyway in Erice

Erice's main church

The main square in Erice's town centre

A smaller church in Erice

Pepoli Castle at Erice, which is now a hotel

The pictures shown below are taken from the top of Mount Erice overlooking the city of Trapani and also the Mediterranean Sea.

The pictures below are some buildings along the pier of Trapani and also the pier itself. Nothing spectacular since it's just a small pier...

~*The Best Vacation Ever (I)*~

Ok guys, the pictures below were taken in Palma, Majorca...on the very the first day itself when we arrived there. Our guided tour bus took us straight from the airport to the port whereby the cruise was already waiting for its passengers...so, i didn't have a chance to take pictures of Palma's city centre and its tourist destinations. Palma is basically a major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. One of the main tourist attraction in Palma has gotta be La Seu, a magnificent cathedral located in the heart of Palma's city centre...too bad we just passed by without stopping over so that we can take some pictures. Anyway, enjoy the pictures of Palma's port below:-

The three pictures below were taken on the second day of the cruise trip. The cruise was on its way to Trapani, Sicily and i managed to capture the beautiful sunset in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

~*The Best Vacation Ever*~

Hey all...i just got my arse back the day before yesterday. I've been enjoying myself to the max and upon arriving back here, i feel so depressed and miserable!! I wished my holidays would have lasted longer...i wanna stay in London longer instead of coming back to Newcastle. This recent trip has gotta be the best vacation i ever had...the cruise experience was definitely unforgettable and no words can describe how wonderful the whole trip was!! The entire journey started out like this...on the 2nd of July, i took a bus from Newcastle to London to meet up with my aunt and stayed in London for a couple of nights. Then, we flew from London Gatwick airport to Palma, Mojorca (the largest island of Spain). The cruise journey begins from here and it lasted for 8 days/7 nights visiting the relevant Mediterranean regions. In Sicily, we visited the beautiful city of Trapani and Erice(a historic city located on the top of Mount Erice). In Naples, we visited Sorrento and Amalfi (one of the most magnificent places in the world and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites). On the way to both Sorrento and Amalfi, we managed to pass through the famous and still active volcanic Mount Vesuvius. In Ajaccio, France (the place Napoleon Bonaparte was born), we did nothing much except walking around in the city centre and strolling along the pier...oh, and not forgetting visiting Napoleon Bonaparte's statue located in the main square and also Casa di Napoleon, the house in which Napoleon Bonaparte was born (which is still fully preserved until now).

The next day we headed towards Toulon, a city in southern France and a large military harbour on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Instead of hanging around in Toulon, we decided to go to Cassis, located about an hour drive by bus from Toulon's city centre. Among all the tourist destinations i have been to, i have to admit that i LOVE Cassis the most!! The place itself is so so beautiful and breathtaking...Cassis is well-known for its famous cliffs and calanques. In Cassis itself, i took more than 150 photographs as i was so amazed by its scenic beauty. On the second last day of the cruise trip, we visited Barcelona and spent the entire day visiting the Barcelona Cathedral, Sagrada Família church and not forgetting the iconic street of Las Rambla (one of the most famous streets in the world along with Oxford Street in London and Champs-Élysées in Paris). On the last day of journey, the cruise headed back to Palma, Majorca and we then flew back to London. I stayed in London until the 18th of July (which also happens to be the birthday of "Queen Elizabeth II") before returning back to this awful place whereby i am counting down the days before going back to Malaysia. By the way, the whole of France and England (and perhaps in other countries too) are having a big big summer sale...and the sale here is totally a REAL DEAL!! Discounts ranging from 50% to 80% on items such as clothing and et cetera can been seen everywhere in central London...i was tempted to buy so many stuffs but due to budget constraint, i have to limit myself to buying things which i really wanted.

I really gotta thank my aunt for everything and if not for her, i wouldn't be able to go to all those wonderful places. Who knew going on a holiday trip with 3 senior citizens would be full of fun and excitement...and now that i am back here, i really do miss my aunt and her friends a lot. No wonder this vacation was the best i ever had!! Anyway, that's all for now and i shall be posting up the pictures in a couple of days time...until then, take care!!