Monaco had a gorgeous setting and we were able to dock instead of tender. Our ship is on the right sharing the harbor with several amazing mega yachts.
 The cruise included a good variety of ports. Starting in Barcelona and having a day in Tuscany sealed the deal on selecting it.
 View from our hotel balcony—it was a pedestrian-only street in the middle of Barcelona.
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 Traditional tiled stairs in our hotel on Portal de l’Angel.
 Beautiful ceramic work.
 Barcelona’s Cathedral
 One of the oldest restaurants in Barcelona—apparently a favorite of Picasso.
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 La Rambla had great wavy sidewalks.
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 Apartment building designed by Antonio Gaudi.
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 We thoroughly enjoyed Sangria in Barcelona.
 Manhole covers are unique in every city.
 Our waitress/tableside chef at dinner in the Gothic Quarter.
 Elaborate public water fountain.
 We enjoyed gelato almost every day!
 Visiting Sagrada Familia was a highlight of the trip.
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 The stained glass was amazing!
 This is the altar.
 It was sunny when we visited and the light from the stained glass windows was absolutely gorgeous
 The main hub of Riviera was beautiful. The glass looked like Lalique.
 Our cabin was on Deck 9, Concierge Level.
 We thoroughly enjoyed our private veranda.
 Our cabin was very spacious, located in the center of the ship (smoother than either end), had a lovely veranda and an amazing bathroom. It even had a bathtub that came with Himalayan sea salts!
 The pool deck was a very popular gathering space- even for non-swimmers.
 Dinner at Jacques on our first night. All the recipes are from Jacques Pepin.
 The food was delicious!!
 Majorca was a beautiful resort town.
 Another HopOn HopOff trip gave us a great introduction to this lovely island.
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 The main street in Palma was lined with gorgeous pink hydrangas.
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 Aix en Provence was lovely but just about everything was closed because we were there on Sunday.
 Aix en Provence was really lovely.
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 Thankfully the patisserie was open so were able to enjoy eclairs.
 So many architectural details!
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 Our next port was Monaco/Monte Carlo with its incredible yacht harbor.
 Monaco’s Palace overlooks the city.
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 World Famous Monte Carlo casino.
 All of Monaco was getting ready for the Grand Prix so viewing stands and safety fences were going up everywhere.
 We docked next to this mega yacht, Royal Romance. It was 150 feet long and had a crew of 48.  It is owned by a very wealthy Russian oligarch.
 Monaco at night from the Riviera’s top deck.
 Gorgeous view of the snow-covered Alps from Antibes Harbor with its mega-yachts.
 We took the train from Antibes to Nice. It was a quick trip.
 Train station at Nice.
 Lots of palm trees in Nice
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 The beach at Nice with its characteristic umbrellas.
 Antibes was the only port where we were tendered to and from the ship.
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 These strawberries from Corsica were the most delicious I’ve ever tasted!
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 Leaving Corsica on our way to Tuscany.
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 After leaving Livorno we were in classic Tuscan countryside with rolling green hills and vineyards.
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 Our first stop in Tuscany was the ancient walled city of Monterrigioni.
 The Siena duomo (cathedral) was our first stop. Giovanni dropped us off here and picked us up at the Piazza del Campo.
 Walking down the streets of Siena heading for the Campo.
 Animal-centric symbols of the Siena contrada (neighborhoods).
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 The shops had elegant interior styling.
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 Sienna’s Piazza del Campo
 The Palio horserace where Siena’s contrada compete is held in the Campo.
 Gelato in Siena
 Giovanni was stereotypically Italian—he talked with his hands even while driving.
 The medieval towers of San Gimignano can be seen for many miles.
 Welcome to San Gimignano!
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 The countryside views were unrivaled.
 Our splurge purchases were colorful Furla bags from a charming salesman in San Gimignano.
 Although the Tuscan towns were rather busy quiet side streets could still be found.
 Colorful pottery shop in San Gimignano.
 The Tuscan hills were picture perfect.
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