Lisbon, Mallorca, and Barcelona!

About a week into the first Med cruise now on the Queen Victoria. The first couple sea days were a little hectic, and super busy, but its smooth sailing now! After the first rainy day in Vigo, we headed to Lisbon, Portugal. The weather has been quite good and I have had many chances to suntan on the top decks, as well as relax in the spa! If I am not working, there is always plenty of things to do!

Lisbon was amazing! I escorted on a tour of the river and saw Lisbon’s best landmarks. They served us wonderful pastries, and fresh juice. Lisbon is home to a beautiful fortress and to the sister bridge of the “Golden Gate Bridge” in San Francisco. I walked though the downtown later where there were many shops, outdoor café’s, and bakeries.

Yesterday we headed to the city Palma on the Balearic island Mallorca in Spain. I got a pass on the city tour bus, sat up top and got a wonderful view! Mallorca is home to Spain’s royal family’s Summer Palace and an amazing cathedral. There was a castle at the top of the mountain we walked up to thrugh a crowd of people, when we got caught in a wedding celebration. The bride and groom came though and confetti and silly string went everywhere!! It was beautiful and I was caught in the middle of it all! As all the locals sang and celebrated I couldn’t help but snatch a picture! What great timing! We later relaxed at the beach, and had a quick lunch at a beach side café. It was very hot!


Today we sailed into Barcelona! I was so lucky to have Alex pick me up at the port. We started the day off with a café con leche and croissants while we caught up. It was really great to see him! Being Sunday today, the city was pretty quiet, everyone is either on holiday or at the city beaches. About an hour later we picked up Kasandra who just got off work, and we drove about 30 minutes down the coast to a beach town called Caldeta. We went for a swim and later went for lunch on the beach where we shared tapas: patatas bravas, calamari, and gazpacho! Lunch was delicious, and we had a wonderful visit! I got to show Kasandra Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia, and later Las Ramblas Boulevard.

Vigo, Spain

Arrived today in Vigo, Spain. It's raining so really not much to do or look at. A group of us went and had coffee on a street side cafe. Lots of seafood restaurants and old ladies selling Oysters on the street. There was a big mall that we wandered through with a Mango and a Sephora. There were lots of pig statues everywhere, however I am not sure why. Lucky to find free internet!

London for an afternoon

My flight was a red eye overnight to London, arrived UK time in the afternoon so we were able to explore a bit! Alex took us in London, and the Windsor Palace and Richmond for drinks by the river. It was a very short time, but well worth it!

Off to Europe this summer!

Looking forward to another summer onboard the Queen Victoria, Cunard's newest ship! Leaving July 18th from Southampton, England!

Twilight - Great Book, Great Movie!

Sarah and I bought tickets online today for opening night of Twilight the movie! It was madness, line ups, sold out shows, and packed theatres, I felt like I was going to a Harry Potter movie! I read the book, so I had to see it, and although movies are usually not nearly as good, they did a pretty damn good job of this one! I loved it, especially Edward Cullen! Wow!, I feel like a silly teenager... I'm going to bed now! lol

Sydney!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ile de Pins

My last port day was today, and after our Halloween party last night, it took a huge effort to get out of bed and make it to the island early enough. It was awesome, and I am so glad that I did! The weather was beautiful and I snorkeled around the whole sacred rock “Kanemura”! There were plenty of fish, and I borrowed an underwater camera from the ship, so I was able to get cool photos! I saw a sea snake slithering on the sand, which was a little frightening, as they are poisonous and very prominent on Ile de Pins. The island is a French islet discovered by Captain Cook in 1774 and is called “Kunie” by the local Melanesians! Later we strolled around and I enjoyed my whole coconut that a native chopped for me with his machete so I could drink from it! Yummy! It was a perfect day to end with! Only 2 more sea days until Sydney! Hooray!

Ouvea, Loyalty Islands

There are beaches, and then there are beaches… but the island of Ouvea has quite simply some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere in the world. I was very lucky to get off today. I jumped off with Andrew first thing in the morning, but shortly after the captain announced crew could no longer tender, as two of the boats were not working, and there was a back-up of passengers! So most of the crew was stuck on the ship, which would have driven me mad! Anyways, we headed to Mouli beach, where the gleaming sand is talcum powder soft and the water crystal clear! I brought by big camera today and took heaps of photos! There were barely any people, I felt like I had the beach to myself. So thankful for the weather, after yesterday’s never-ending rain I was a little worried! We probably walked 2 hours to reach the end of Mouli beach where we had an amazing lunch at a beautiful resort, saw some huge spiders, and then headed over the bridge to find more sand. The turquoise waters of Ouvea are breathtaking, and literally untouched! Later Andrew, John, and I jumped off the bridge. I was scared at first, but it was great, and decided to jump 3 more times! Ouvea is by far my favorite island in the South Pacific! It is no accident that Ouvea, in English, translates to “the closest island to paradise”!