Hola! Barcelona: Day 3 (post-cruise beach day)

What a nice day to wind down after 12 days of cruising and sightseeing around Europe. I love the beach!!! Though the water was not as blue and clear as the Caribbean ocean, it was very cold, relaxing and refreshing just standing in the sea and catching the waves. 

Toulon, France

Pisa/Florence

Leaning tower of Pisa - made of marble and after the third floor, it's built towards the other direction to balance it out. Spent the 30 mins here trying to perfect the touristy poses. 

Rome - history at every corner

Trevi Fountain - surrounded by hundreds of tourists, it appeared smaller than I'd imagined. (left side was under repair)

Naples - home of Margherita pizza

Margherita Pizza - (Red) Tomato sauce, (White) Mozzarella, (Green) Basil represents the Italian flag

Slightly salty thin crust, basic ingredients, delicious authentic taste

Linguine w clams

Drenched in olive oil with a salty clam taste. Again, al dente in Italy is much harder but more delicious!

My impression of Naples is that it's a very run-down, ghetto slum city. Old buildings, dirty streets and graffiti covered walls. Many beggars and vendors selling fake bags and watches on the street. This is not the most tourist-attractive place; better to visit the nearby islands of Capri and Pompei - heard those have amazing nature views/historical ruins. But the one good thing about spending the morning in Naples was that I purchased 2 Zara tops for only 10euros each! Zara is so much cheaper in Barcelona/Italy and carries a much wider selection.

Split, Croatia

super clean streets.. something about these tiles that make it much nicer than cement

I thought this was an Asian street food, surprised to see it here

looking out to the sea, our cruise ship ~ 拍下這個舒服休閒的感覺

So I thought Split was a small, boring old fishing village that I didn't even bring my camera or enough cash to shop, but it ended up being my favorite port! Sunny and clean with lively music, boardwalk lined with palm trees and cafes, small local shops and even a Zara! Even somewhere like this, my family ends up purchasing some clothes/shoes. A peaceful afternoon.

Venice

Dubrovnik, Croatia

\

Western Mediterranean Cruise ~ more food @ sea

  

{ Strawberry flambeed crepe, cooked tableside @ Murano, French specialty restaurant; the best Grand Marnier and chocolate souffle; beef carpaccio; my favorite French toast and hot, fluffy waffles for breakfast; cod in corn, potato & leek cream sauce; lobster (slightly overcooked); huge T-bone (the New York Sirloin was the best, though all steaks were top quality) }

Why I love Cruising: Eat, Sleep, Swim.
The lounge chairs by the pool are padded - much more comfortable than other cruiselines I've been on. Definitely a carefree holiday.

Western Mediterranean Cruise ~ Day 1 (Tuscan Grille)

Prosciutto and melon ~ but in Italy, prosciutto is just the name for regular ham

Beef Carpaccio w. Octopus in the middle - the thinnest carpaccio I've had, delicate paring with octopus and balsamic 

Calamari - crispy outside, soft inside 

Fried mozzarella balls - bland and hard texture, but I love arugula

Scallop and Shrimp Scampi w. spinach

the best tiramisu

Celebrity Solstice has excellent logistics. Embarkation was efficient and hassle free. We boarded the ship around 1:30pm and after touring the ship a bit, we headed to the Oceanview Cafe buffet for lunch. The decor is definitely more modern and cleaner than previous ships I've been on. Food-wise, there is a lot of variety. One thing that stood out at the buffet was the huge pan of paella and large grilled prawns they had one day for lunch. For dinner, we went to Tuscan Grille - the specialty Italian restaurant, at $30/person but 20% off for reserving on the first day. The service was friendly, the food was good but not spectacular, except for the tiramisu which is one of the best I've had - perfect ratio of cream to cake, slightly sweet, slightly soaked in alcohol.