This is the story of my life so far: 67 years and counting.
Prequel: A Brief History of my Family in France
The story starts here
Previous episode: Part 33
Fort de France
We left New-Orleans on March 16th, 1971, and arrive in Fort de France, the capital of the oversea department of Martinique, where we arrived on March 22nd
Recent View of Fort de France, Martinique
source
In Fort de France, there were at this time two patrol boats from the French Navy, and those were two of the better first posts for us.
I have no precise memories of what we did in Fort de France. I am sure we tasted the good rum and we visited one of the rum distillery. As I remember, the weather was fine.
We left Martinique after 10 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean eastward.
Casablanca
And our first stop was in Casablanca, the largest city and port of Morocco, where we arrived on April 13th.
Casablanca, Morocco
source
I have several distinct memories of our stay in Casablanca.
I went with others to swim in the ocean, but in April, the water was not very warm, only 19 degrees Celsius, so I did not stay very long.
We were transported to the Rabat, the capital of Morocco, for a reception in the gardens the French embassy, who are magnificent.
With several of my comrades, we rented a car and drove to Marrakesh, one of the most interesting and historic cities of North Africa.
And of course, we visited the souq (marketplace) of Casablanca. I don't think I bought anything worth remembering, but I went for the atmosphere.
Trieste
After six days in Casablanca, we entered the Mediterranean Sea. We stopped for one night in Corsica without going ashore to get and send mail, and we arrived on April 30th in Trieste, an Italian port, very close to Slovenia (which was then part of Yugoslavia).
Port of Trieste
source: Wikipedia
When we arrived in Trieste, I saw an hotel with a very funny French name: "Grand Hotel et de la Ville" (Grand Hotel and of the City). I was not able to find a picture of this hotel.
From Trieste, where we stayed only five days, we took the train to Venice, which is a nice city to visit at the beginning of May, when the weather is nice and there are not too many tourists.
We left Trieste on May 3rd for the last two ports and the last two weeks of the cruise.
Continue to Part 35
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Summary
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7
Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14
Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21
Part 22 - Part 23 - Part 24 - Part 25 - Part 26 - Part 27 - Part 28
Part 29 - Part 30 - Part 31 - Part 32 - Part 33