Double Sevens

Where did I leave off?  Oh, yeah, it was Sorrento.  Thursday we were in Civitavecchia, the port for Rome.  We skipped going into Rome and just did a walk around Civitavecchia.  From where the shuttle bus dropped us, we walked to the old town center in the Medieval district.  The district and the Piazza Leandra were not much.

We then made our way to guess where - that's right, the San Lorenzo Market.  

From there, we walked down to get a view of the Michelangelo Fort.  That also gave us the opportunity for a coffee break.

After the break, we could have walked back to the shuttle bus stop but we chose to make the 30 minute walk back to the ship.

It was an okay way to kill a couple of hours.  We had booked an excursion in Civitavecchia that was canceled due to lack of interest.  We'll try again next week on the next cruise.  If it doesn't go again, it might just be an easy day on board.

Friday was a sea day.  After a disappointing no win bingo session, we did another wine pairing lunch, the Sommelier's Choice.  Yasuko and Marc joined us as did Carol, an Oceania friend.  And this time, I remembered to get a photo.

It was another excellent lunch.  Kudos to Head Sommelier Vitaly and Chef Frederic (who always makes us a superb fish dish to substitute for the meat on the menu).

Saturday was the big day - double sevens - my 77th birthday.  Yikes!  We were in Valencia, Spain.  We visited there many years ago and have memories of walking in the Turia Park.  The park was created in the former river bed, which was moved after a disastrous flood in the 1950's.  The shuttle bus dropped us alongside the park and we immediately started to walk in it again.

We even came upon a Little League practice.

After the walk, we made our way to the Barrio del Carmen, the old town.  I plotted a route that would take us past a barber shop.  You see, I had failed to find an available barber in the 3 previous ports.  And that day was no different.  Strike four!  But the street we walked on had much street art (or, perhaps graffiti).  

And there were some interesting store fronts.

Once in the old town, where do you think we went?  The Market, of course.

Then it was time for lunch.  After a couple of failed attempts to find a suitable restaurant, we stopped at a small place.  What could be better than tapas and sangria in Spain for a birthday lunch?

We then worked our way through the old town to get back to the shuttle bus stop.

Returning to the ship, I treated myself to a bubble waffle from the new creperie on board.

That evening, we found our suite decorated for my birthday.

My birthday dinner was in the Red Ginger Restaurant.  GM Dominic provided a wonderful bottle of champagne for the occasion, a 2015 Vueve Clicquot La Grande Dam.

 

It was a great way to cap off a fun day.

Today, Sunday, we are in Barcelona where this adventure started about 2-1/2 months ago.  There are 3 other ships in port - mega ships with 5000 guests each.  We wanted to avoid the most touristy areas (like La Rambla).  So we took a nice long walk from the ship, over the bridge, to Barceloneta.  

And, guess what?  I found a barber!

We then walked to the beach before heading back.

It was a good, almost 6 mile walk in pleasant weather.  We have been to Barcelona many times.  Here is a collage from some of those visits.  Can you tell which one was from 2010?

Tomorrow, we will be in St. Tropez, France.  The next day it will be Monte Carlo where, sadly, Yasuko and Marc will be leaving us.

On our walk today, Linda and I sat on a bench and contemplated what we saw in a cloud over our heads (if only I had taken a photo of it).  At the age of 77, it is clear that I do not seek eternity and I love this quote from that park in Ljubljana:

"He who seeks eternity should look at the sky, he who seeks the moment, should look at the cloud."

Mia Couto

Peace, blessings, and the moment,

Linda and Larry