Med Cruise 2023: Ports of Call

Barcelona

The cab driver from the airport to my hotel ripped me off for 20 euros. There's no 20 euro surcharge. I should have paid 21 euros to my hotel. Next time I will be sure, and know to push back harder. Dishonest cabbies aside,I really loved Barcelona. I thought the vibe and the sense of history were wonderful. 

 

The hotel was well located, although the rooms were quite small. One of its other attractions was the rooftop jacuzzi with a lovely view over the city. 

 I spent sometime wandering in the La Rambla neighbourhood, with its back alleys and funky shops. I found a nice place to get tapas, and made a nice dinner of cava and crispy eggplant. 

The driver to the port charged the correct amount, so all's well that ends well.

Valencia

I didn't get off the ship here, as I was still jetlagged, it was pouring rain, and I didn't have any particular place to be. And I know I'm coming back to Spain. 

Ibiza

I loved Ibiza. I had checked on a few things before we hit port, so I knew i wanted to take the water taxi instead of the bus. Not only was it cheaper, it also was an open air boat as opposed to a big enclosed bus. It was a bit of a hike from the cruise pier, though.

 

Again,  I had just wanted to wander around. I developed the goal of having a glass of the local bubbles and a snack at a cafe in each port. I loved the fact that smoking didn't seem to be permitted on the patios here. The place I selected gave me a lovely presentation of manchego,  my favourite cheese, and two glasses of a friendly little cava. 

Ajaccio

Corsica was full of lovely little alleys full of nifty shops and cafes. I wasn't really sure where to stop until I passed a cafe that was playing La Vie en Rose. 

Naturally, I sat down. They were out of sparkling, so I ordered a red wine, and a chantilly cream crepe. It may be commonplace for natives, but it was the best crepe this little Canadian ever tasted. Divinely eggy, thin, and topped with yummy cream.

La Spezia

I missed Portofino due to my ineptitude on the dance floor, so La Spezia was my first foray into Italy. As luck would have it, it was a holiday, so only the tourist area was really open. There was a trolley tour close to the port, so I jumped onboard to have a look around.

Civitivecchia

This was debarkation, so I didn't really see anything except the port and the view from the bus on my way to the airport in Rome.

In case you've wondered if Mickey is still travelling with me.

The flight home was fairly standard for Air Transat Club Class: good service, but no lie flats 

Coming soon: Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady, my Virgin Voyage. 

Med Cruise 2023: Celebrity Edge

This was my first European cruise, but the second time on my favourite Celebrity ship: the Celebrity Edge. I bid for a concierge cabin this time, after  being in a solo infinite verandah last time. I enjoy the little touches. And I won the upgrade. Both cabins had infinite verandahs. I've mentioned this before, but you might be new, so an infinite verandah is basically a floor to ceiling ocean view with a window that opens about two thirds down. I don't think of it as a real verandah, but it's a vast improvement a regular ocean view. 

I'm not going to spend much time on the ship since we've covered this one before. 

It's more spacious than the solo verandah, and it comes with amenities like an umbrella,  a tote, a bottle of wine,  and afternoon canapés. The toiletries are good quality,and in refillable dispensers instead of single use plastic. 

The steak house is wonderful, especially the Caesar salad which includes a generous helping of caviar. 

The wine tasting for Elite passengers (status for cruising a lot with Celebrity) is informative, and includes some nice wines. 

Raw on 5 has some lovely seafood  in addition to its sushi offerings  

The martini bar tends to put on a good show, and has a good dance band of an evening. Sadly, I wiped out when the hem of my dress caught in my heel. The heel detached and down I went. 

I was very sore the next day, and was advised to go to the medical centre. Because the accident happened on the ship, I wasn't charged for the visit, and I was interviewed by the safety officer. He was very nice,  and seemed quite relieved to learn that the accident was the fault of my own lack of dexterity and overlong formal gown. He was very sympathetic towards me as well. I was x-rayed, because one of my fingers was literally black and purple, but there wasn't a break, and they sent me off with some naproxen and a freshly bandaged elbow. I did miss Portofino because of my little mishap, but I was back to port visiting the following day. 

Next: Part II - Ports of Call