at sea

The Roamers cruise the ocean

While we spent most of November on a cruise, we started off the month with a special lunch honoring our friend Tom’s birthday. Where he had dessert. Just a small one.

Tom with his profiteroles birthday dessert. Yes, he ate it all!

We also enjoyed a long-anticipated lunch at Les Grand Buffets in Narbonne, joined by friends Sheri and Dennis, Sue and Dave, and Shelia and Steve. Amazing!

We made our reservation seven months in advance–for the first available date!

A few days later, we flew to Rome to begin our voyage. We had decided on a Princess cruise because it stopped in Casablanca, along with Cagliari (Sardinia), Malaga, Madeira, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. We spent the night near the airport before taking a one-hour taxi ride to the terminal at Civitavecchia. After a long wait, we boarded and found our cabin. Lesson learned: when booking a cruise, check the age of the ship. The Caribbean Princess is the oldest ship in the Princess fleet–no USB ports, only one electrical outlet in the cabin (American, which didn’t fit our EU plugs), dated décor, and the worst hair dryer ever. But every staff member was awesome!

Our home for 16 days

We set sail, and the next morning we arrived in Cagliari, on the gorgeous Italian island, Sardinia. We had booked a tour that included wine tasting at an estate from the 1930s, where they produce wine and olive oil. They’re developing a botanical garden, and they also display interesting sculptures along the path through the vineyard.

Gorgeous view of Cagliari

A room at the wine estate

The next day was spent at sea before our arrival in Malaga, where a thunderstorm was in progress. All excursions were cancelled, stores and restaurants were closed, and residents were advised to shelter inside, but we left the ship armed with raincoats and umbrellas (which were useless because of the wind), to see what we could. 

I got this photo during a lull in the rainstorm.

We spent about three hours walking in Malaga, returning to the ship soaked but happy for the adventure–and grateful for hot showers! We later learned that the captain had closed the ship just after we left, so we were lucky to get out.

The next morning, we landed at Casablanca. Our all-day excursion started with a visit to the largest mosque, where we were not permitted entry (I had bought a scarf anticipating going inside) but strolled the grounds.

Mosque at morning

Our tour bus returned to the mosque that night so that we could see it lighted. The architecture is remarkable, unlike anything we’d seen before.

Mosque at night

In between mosque visits, we headed to Rabat, a beautiful seaside city north of Casablanca, where we enjoyed a Moraccan lunch in a restaurant that began as a private home.

Moroccan lunch: crowded and delicious.

Our tour group walked to a nearby park to admire the plants and the ocean view before boarding the bus for a trip to the tomb of Mohammed V. 

Tomb of Mohammed V

Everyone was disappointed that our tour guide declined to take us to the market (he said there had been complaints, but later others on our cruise said it was wonderful), opting instead for a single shop selling mostly souvenir-type merchandise. After this, and a nightime tour of Casablanca, we returned to the ship around 9:30 pm.

Morccan billboard at night

After that long day we appreciated the sea day that followed!

Lazy day at sea

Our next stop was Funchal in Madeira. We had toured this beautiful place before, so this time we opted for a walking food tour, which turned out to be our favorite excursion. We tasted chocolates featuring Madeira fruits, as well as a pastel, a special custard tart served with cinnamon, before heading to the market to take in the sights, sounds, and smells: fresh flowers, beautiful fruits and vegetables, fish, and much more.

Our guide explaining the monstera delicioso, which is eaten over several days as it ripens.

After a delicious lunch where we sampled far too much food, we stopped at a bar for a delicious poncha, the famous Madeiran cocktail made from honey, citrus juice, and alcohol.

We returned to the ship full and happy. The next morning was our last stop, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, arguably the most beautiful place we visited.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands

Here we opted for another bus tour, where we learned about the microclimates of this volcanic island–which is due for an eruption. Our guide explained that they have an event every 100 years, and they’re a few years past due.

Seismic measurements indicate this volcano is ready to erupt!

After a photo stop at a park where locals were playing cards, we headed to our guide’s hometown, where we visited the orchid garden Sitio Litre. 

Amazing orchid garden, apparently a favorite haunt of Agatha Christie

We were given plenty of time to walk around northern Tenerife, window shopping and watching people enjoy the sunny day, before heading back to the ship. Now began our eight days at sea. . .

Sunrise at sea

We enjoyed beautiful views of the sea, especially at sunrise and sunset, and we spent lots of time reading, walking, and eating. But honestly, the activities aboard didn’t interest us much; we don’t gamble or dance much (well, we did try a foxtrot class, which was not a success) or play tv-type game shows, and many of the activities turned out to be sales pitches for the salon, art auctions, shops, etc. One evening, inspired by my favorite author, MFK Fisher, who wrote about this exact meal on a tranatlantic voyage, we enjoyed a picnic in our cabin: chicken and mayonnaise sandwiches with iced vodka! With that we re-watched an old Thanksgiving movie, “What’s Cooking?”

Ingredients for our cabin feast

We did have a delightful surprise during our sea days. I had met Deb two years ago when she and her husband Tim were house-sitting near Montpellier, and we have been Facebook friends since. One day at sea her post popped up, and I realized that they were on the same cruise! We very much enjoyed reconnecting, spending time getting better acquainted. She is a writer, and you might like to check out her novels! 

Sunset from our balcony

After eight long days at sea, we were happy to get off the ship. After a stop to replace Phil’s broken-beyond-repair-but-only-three-years-old Macbook, we headed to the Miami airport, where we were greeted in the lounge with a glass of Champagne.

Champagne at the airport

One nine-hour flight later, we landed in Barcelona, one of our favorite cities. Honestly, I could live there (but I love living in France too much to move!).

Arriving in Barcelona

At the recommendation of our friends, we stayed at the Casa Camper Barcelona hotel, conveniently located near the Rambla. We checked in and headed out to explore (and to try to stay awake until at least 8pm).

One of the beautiful buildings in Barcelona, this one the site of a memorable dinner in 2022 with friends Joni and Scott

At Deb’s suggestion, we visited the Palau de la Musica Catalana, a spectacular music venue built in the Catalan Modernist style. If you are lucky enough to visit Barcelona, don’t miss this amazing building!

Palau de Musica. This photo doesn’t begin to do it justice!

Our hotel was lovely, and we will definitely return. It happens to house a Michelin-starred restaurant, which we skipped after so much rich food on the cruise–but I was fascinated to see in the window an autographed veste blanche from El Bulli, the now-shuttered “best restaurant in the world.”

El Bulli jacket

The next morning we shopped at the market (amazing!) for a train picnic before heading home. We arrived in Montpellier early in the evening, happy to be home after almost three weeks away. And our Thanksgiving dinner was leftover empanadas and croquettas from our train picnic!

Thanksgiving dinner, ready to go into the oven!