At Sea

We were suppose to dock at Marseilles,  but there were almost gale force winds so we couldn't get into the port. Surprisingly the seas were not that rough. We enjoyed the day at sea, doing some of the things we might not have had time for like an exercise class, sauna & steam room, line-dancing as well as both afternoon tea & happy hour!

I'm having some issues with the charger for my laptop so there may be a gap until I can get that fixed!

Palma de Mallorca

A lovely arrival at sunrise with sun over the harbour and black clouds over the city. We took the earliest (8:30am) shuttle into town to beat the crowds although the only 2 ships in town were us and the Seabourne Quest. The cathedral really dominates the town, a very impressive building. We walked through the very narrow (and slippery) cobblestone streets , then went to the Pearl museum to learn how Mallorca pearls are made. (no oysters involved) There was quite a downpour as we came out, so we headed into a government building which had some large statues of kings and a beautiful stained glass window. Then we headed to the cathedral and did an audio tour of the cathedral and attached museum. Gorgeous, you can see why they call it the Cathedral of light. Afterwards did a little shopping and bought some inexpensive pearl jewelry. By this time the wind had blown all the clouds away so a lovely afternoon.

On board Riviera and Valencia

We are now on board Riviera, even more beautiful as she has just come from a 10 day dry-dock!
She is only 3 years old, but Oceania likes to keep their ships in fantastic condition.
Cabins are large and comfortable, with beds to die for. Lovely public areas and interesting artwork everywhere. The ship is full, but doesn't feel like it, no lineups anywhere.
Our first port of call was Valencia, Spain's 3rd largest city. We took the free shuttle to the historic centre and walked the twisty streets to the Old Market, the Silk Market (no longer in use but a beautiful building) and the Torre de Serrano, old towers that have been both a fort and a prison with a great view from the top.
The river that use to run through the town has been diverted, now the riverbed is all parkland with bike and walking paths as well as soccer fields and gardens.
Back at the ship Ian & I took a cooking class, making tapas and paella. It was so much fun & everything was delicious! Only problem was we were too full to eat dinner. Jennifer did the art class and made a travel folder for keepsakes. The artist in residence on the ship has some beautiful artwork displayed.

Barcelona 2

It's very hard to take pictures of Flamenco, they don't do it justice! Terrific show, lots of passion.
We went to the 10:00pm show, there was still a later one that started about 11:30pm. Still lots of people walking Las Ramblas about midnight, as well as sitting in the cafes and restaurants.
We had a last walk around this morning, and went to a beautiful market. The morning is the best time to walk around, not as crowded, and the streets have just been cleaned. But even in the middle of the day yesterday it was much less crowded than our first day, which was St Jorges Day, a holiday where the women give men books, and the men give women roses.Every where you looked were stalls selling nothing but books and roses.
We are now looking forward to the rest of our ports!

Barcelona

Well, I can certainly see why every-one loves Barcelona! What a wonderful city, beautiful, easy to get around, friendly and affordable. We have spent several days on the hop-on hop-off bus seeing the sights.
Last night we did a walking tapas tour, which I would highly recommend. We went to 4 "local" bars trying different drinks like vermuth brewed differently in each bar, and "tinto de verano" what the locals drink instead of sangria, as well as Cava, the local sparkling wine. The tapas ranged from eggplant with honey and cinnamon, to squid, to pork & potatoes, to marinated cod...we had great fun and were all best friends by the end of the evening!
Tonight off for Paella and a Flamenco  Show. Tomorrow we board the Riviera!

I've been planning this trip for almost a year, now finally it's here.
I've been sending so many clients to the Mediterranean, I felt it was time that I went back! I have cruised on Oceania before and loved it, so I'm really looking forward to seeing their newest ship.
 Most of the ports are new to me, and after the cruise I'm heading to the Puglia region of Italy (the heel of the boot) of which I've heard wonderful things. It's going to be a very busy trip so I'm not sure how much time I'll have for blogging, but I'll try and keep up!