Two weeks feels like a long time to be away from your home, life, four-legged friends and family. However, it’s so doable, especially if you stay within the continental US as we did a few years ago when we set up camp in Seaside, Florida. But. Two weeks on the other side of the world, aboard a cruise ship, visiting so many countries that they all begin to run together in my mind….that’s a lot. So there is no way I can possibly cover our experiences, all of the tastes, sights and excursions in a single blog. Herein lies the first segment!
Days 1-4, Barcelona—Marseilles—St. Tropez—Monaco
We spent our first European evening in Barcelona, a little jet-lagged from our travels. The Cotton House Hotel is such a beautiful space (we’d stayed there in 2018 for 3 nights) and because we were exhausted, enjoyed a simple dinner of tapas in the hotel restaurant. A repast of tomato bread, prosciutto, codfish fritters, kimchi rice croquettes with tuna, sea bass ceviche with lime ice cream, and burrata with pumpkin gnocchi was exactly what we needed before turning in for the evening!
Sunday morning included a quick English breakfast in the courtyard before dashing off to our tour of Sagrada Familia, the famously incomplete (but always ongoing) construction of the cathedral designed by Gaudi. Our tour guide was awful, the day was very warm, and our patience non-existent. So we did what any other rude American tourist would do: ditched our tour group, wandered around by ourselves, took a bunch of pictures and departed. 😜
Soon we were on our way to Tarragona, where our cruise ship, the Regent Seven Seas Splendor was docked and waiting. We have never cruised before and had very little preconceptions about what to expect of this new experience. The embarking process was highly organized with our luggage whisked away to our suite and glasses of champagne awaiting our thirsty throats as we walked into the beautiful 4th level of the ship. I have to admit that I had a little bit of a “Titanic” moment…the rich colors of the carpets, gorgeous chandeliers, ultra-polite staff…I felt as though we’d stepped back in time to the age of the huge ocean liners! Our suite was similarly lovely and spacious (enough) with another bottle of champagne chilling in the bar. We wandered around the ship for a bit, had lunch by the pool, unpacked our bags and enjoyed a quiet dinner at the flagship restaurant, Compass Rose.
The next morning, we breakfasted on the deck as the ship pulled into it’s first port at Marseilles! And just like that, we embarked on a multi-day whirlwind of new cities, countries and experiences. Our cruise included many options for excursions, with most of them at no additional cost and it was really difficult to decide which tours we were interested in at each port. Monday we chose a tour in Avignon, a lovely Provencal region, that included lunch at a quaint riverside restaurant, a detailed tour of the Pope’s Palace and a wine tasting in Chateauneuf du Pape. A day packed with lots of history and rich flavors, to be sure.
Back on the ship, we dined at the asian restaurant, Pacific Rim, and enjoyed fabulous sashimi, sushi and a tempura lobster that knocked my socks off! And as we sipped our dessert cocktails in the Meridian Lounge, the Splendor pushed off, headed for St. Tropez.
Another beautiful morning and JB and I decided to explore this sleepy, ritzy port. As St. Tropez could not accommodate the cruise ship, we were ferried to the pier in tenders. We hiked to the Citadel where we traipsed through the museum cataloging the history of seafaring in the area. There was also a very interesting local art exhibit in residence featuring bronze nude athletes suspended overhead, which felt….odd. But we thoroughly enjoyed the view down to the harbor and also indulged in some shopping.
After a quick tender ride back to the ship to drop off packages, we grabbed a quick bite and returned to the dock to accompany our tour to Gassin, the prettiest little hilltop village with views of St. Tropez and the sea beyond. We wandered here a bit and found a lovely restaurant with an outdoor herb garden. I had a thought: I could definitely live here.
Back down the mountain, we stopped for a wine tasting at a biological (organic) vineyard before returning to the Splendor and our evening meal at their French restaurant, Chartreuse. This was also a lovely experience, starting with the beautiful place settings followed by elegant courses and ending with a delicate apple tart. Are you beginning to see a pattern for this trip? Food, history, sights, food, wine, exploration, food, wine. Oof.
Day four dawned with a gorgeous view of Monaco, the cleanest city-state I have ever seen. We didn’t sign up for a tour today but instead hiked the hill/mountain starting at the pier and all the way up to the Place du Palais. We needed the exercise after the past few days of indulgence! Touring the palace, watching the changing of the guard, it was impossible not to feel enchanted by the splendor of the monarchy. We took a turn through the Oceanographic Museum and the amazing aquarium housed therein before hopping on a local bus to Montecarlo.
Lunch at Mada One, located in the heart of the high-end shopping district was perfect. JB had a burger served on black “Coal” bread and he pronounced it delicious! I only wish I’d taken a picture. After our meal, we visited the famous casino and won $100 euro playing slots, lol. When in Montecarlo…
We walked all the way back to the pier, window shopping along the way. It’s amazing what a great point of reference a port can be for a city. We were never lost, just continually redirected ourselves back to the water. Back onboard the Splendor to consume one too many martinis, a lovely grilled swordfish at Sette Mari (Italian) and pass out in our suite. Another, fun, full day.
To be continued….
