Our kiddos invited us along with our co-in-laws on a cruise to the Mediterranean. We readily accepted and got to planning right away. With airfare SO incredibly expensive, we decided that if we're headed to Europe, we may as well add on a few extra stops. And this is how it all went ...
We departed Phoenix via Delta Air Lines on a 6am flight to New York's JFK airport, had a 5-hour layover, and flew the remaining forever hours to Lisbon, Portugal! We've never been and this city had been on our list during Covid and cancelled just before the travel/vaccination ban had been lifted. So we wanted to make up for lost experiences this time around.
First things first - the food!! We had exceptional meals and treats in Lisbon everywhere we went.
We sampled delicate grilled octopus, fresh house-made pasta, gorgeous gin & tonic cocktails, and so much more. But the treat we couldn't get enough of were their Pastel d'nata custard tarts.
Oh. My. Goodness. They are amazing, and cost like $1.50 a piece. They sell them everywhere, but the very best ones we tried were from a place called Castro, near our hotel. YUM.
Speaking of hotels, we stayed at the gorgeous Ivens Autograph Collection by Marriott. What a gem of a stay. The service was second to none, the room was a dream, and the breakfast was perfect. I would stay here again and again and again. As a matter of fact, it is now in my top 5 hotel stays ever!
One of my favorite stops was this gorgeous (completely above-ground) cemetery in Lisbon. The tombs were these amazing edifices with room for up to eight caskets in many of them. They had altars within and little chairs for visitors. I marveled all morning long.
We also took a fantastic Tuk-Tuk tour throughout all of Lisbon's crazy tiled streets.
I love all the history and architecture here - so many different influences throughout history.
The bridge across this gorgeous river was patterned after The San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge!
Tuk-Tuk Travels
The inside of a beautiful historic cathedral, bombed out during WW2.
And yet, so many sculptures remain, luckily.
The world's oldest continually operating book store!
The Lisbon Arch into the city from their beautiful port
Lisbon is famous for their hand painted tiles adorning both the interior and exterior of many buildings. We visited the tile museum here and were absolutely blown away with the beauty and creativity from hundreds of years past.
We spent four days here and it probably wasn't nearly enough. There are so many more museums to see, maybe head over to Sintra, take a boat ride on the river, or day trip up to Porto. Next time...
But, of course we rode Tram 28!
From Lisbon, we flew to Barcelona to meet up with the rest of our travel mates. We stayed in a gorgeous local chain hotel, the H-10 Madison, right near the cathedral and luxuriously comfortable. Barcelona is another treat of a city. We found it to be a tad more crowded than Lisbon, but it was also the week before their Grand Prix race and the start to the summer travel season.
We spent just two quick days in Barcelona and loved it all. The city is vibrant and busy, loaded with gorgeous architecture, and the Antoni Gaudi influences abound. We were treated to an excellent walking tour by our son and saw much more than even we expected. Cisterns, underground cemeteries, hidden alleyways, parks, and superb little places for snacks and drinks.
The sweetest lady on the planet is my co-in-law and I love her to pieces.
Also this guy - love him so much.
Pinxtos and Churros and Chocolate... of course!
Do you love that our churros are right near the hand sanitizer?? Still a remnant from Covid.
This historic building is La Segrada Familia. We've visited Barcelona previously but didn't get a chance to visit La Segrada. This time, it was our number one priority. The Gaudi exterior is unbelievable with so many carved bits to view. The front of the cathedral depicts the Nativity of Christ and the backside of the cathedral depicts His Crucifixion.
The interior is a totally different vibe, loaded with color and light and a glorious sense of peace.
Barcelona isn't real happy with the over-tourism going on right now. We did run into one protest happening just outside Parc Guell, but other than that we were unaffected by some of the unhappiness shared by the Spanish citizens.
We boarded our cruise ship here in Barcelona - Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas.
And she was magnificent! Huge, yes. Scads of passengers, yes. But beautiful in so many ways.
Our biggest surprise was how un-crowded this ship felt, even sailing with 6,000 of our best friends.
This multi-generational cruise ship has so much to offer just about everyone. From upscale dining to a lovely buffet, water slides and dry slides, adult pools and diaper dips, game rooms for kids and adults, water shows, Mama Mia, parades, and a carousel!! This ship has everything. We never felt the sway on the water and loved our time aboard with our family and sweet 18-month old grandson.
Celebrating my birthday in style - love that Jaeger!
We visited Palma de Mallorca in Spain.
Marseille, France
Sailing into La Cinque Terre, Italy
The absolute beauty of La Cinque Terre, Italy
These five little villages (we visited three of them) are connected by railway.
Each one has a distinct flavor, but all are enchanting. We loved the food and the views!!
Summer was a teeny bit crowded for sure, but it didn't stop us from enjoying it all.
Everyone else in our party opted for Rome, but Jeff and I wandered in Civitavecchia, the little port town where we docked. The small churches and cathedrals, the anthropology museum, and a wonderful Italian lunch were everything I hoped for on this walking day.
Our last port stop was Naples, and I might say it was my favorite port. We started out with the sfogliatella pastry which everyone raves about and we loved as well. We wandered the Nativity Street, into and out of so many churches and cathedrals, visited the Chapel with the Veiled Christ (AMAZING), and ate pizza and sampled the local libations. The streets here are dirty and gritty and we absolutely loved it. Truly exceptional day.
The castle near the port of entry, Naples, Italy
Sfogliatella pastry!
Another gorgeous cathedral!
Neopolitan Pizza - what they say is true. It's delicious.
We had only one sea day on this cruise. We needed the rest after all our port visits. We love cruises, but not everyone in our party agreed. Some felt that sea days were too empty and the port days were too rushed. If you're planning a cruise, be sure to do your research and discuss all the options ahead of time with your traveling party. We think a cruise is the best way to travel with multi-generational families. But that's just our opinion.
Love this family of ours!
Following the cruise we decided to fly to Edinburgh, Scotland for two quick days. We'd neither one been here before and wanted a sample of Scottish charm. We got it in spades!!
A lovely cemetery near our hotel. We stayed at the Sheraton Grand, Edinburgh and loved it.
That's the Edinburgh Castle in the background of this gorgeous fountain.
We loved this little cheese shop that Phil Rosenthal had visited previously. YUM!
We tried Haggis with Neeps and Tatties!
We let our Pride show!
And we had the most delectable hot cocoa here in Edinburgh at a place called Knoops. I can't wait to find out if they are expanding to the United States, but wow. So deliciously dark, rich, and creamy!
Knoops!
Bye-Bye for Now. We'll sail again for sure and I'll keep you posted.
:) Deb
