The next morning on the ship, we arrived in Solerno. We hit the snooze button a few extra times before heading to breakfast. We met up with our French friends and took a city bus into town. After debating over going to Amalfi coast or or to Pompeii we decided to stay in Solerno and enjoy the city while they made the boat journey to Amalfi. Solerno is a small city with more modern architecture and is not nearly as busy as Rome or Milano. The coast here is very beautiful and looks just like the photos of Amalfi. We walked along the beach with our feet in the water, checked out a local market and watched some cars that were in a stereo competition. We slowly made our way back to the ship and enjoyed walking along the sea wall.
We returned with plenty of time to spare before the ship`s departure and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and eating by the pool. The staff had set up several activities to keep the people entertained during the day. For one of the games Tyson had to eat a bowl full of crackers in one minute and then try to say his name. His mouth was so dry that he could barely make a sound. Then I did an aerobics class and learned some fun new dances. The entertainment team work so hard and they always have to do it with a smile on their faces. We also played mini golf and spent some time in the whirlpool.
That evening we went to cocktail party where we were able to meet the captain and crew of the ship. It is meant to be a formal event but being backpackers the best thing that we had to wear was far from formal compared to the beautiful dresses and tuxedos that the others were wearing. Before dinner we watched another performance about the Forces of Nature, a variety of these performances are held nightly in the main theater and they are always over the top. The performers are extremely talented and they have different guest stars every night. After the performance that night, we went back to the room to rest for a bit before heading to the Pasha club to watch a Mr. Italia show. The men from the entertainment crew stripped down to their underwear to music. Since most people on the ship have gotten to know each other over the last few days, these events are a lot of fun.
That night we fell asleep in Europe and the next morning we docked in Tunisia, Africa. This is Northern Africa where most people are Muslim Arabs. After a buffet breakfast, we got off the ship to people offering camel rides. The city recieves a ton of tourists everyday from all of the ships and the taxis were asking 40-60 euros for rides into Medina and Sidi Bou Said towns. We walked to the bank and changed some euros to dinas (their currency). The whole walk there were taxi drivers following us with cars and on foot trying to make a sale. The lowest offer we got was ten euros one way for the ride. On the train we paid fifty cents and it only took twenty minutes to get to Sidi Bou Said. This is a touristy village with beautiful beaches, white buildings, street markets and lovely architecture. It looks a lot like the photos of coastal towns in Greece that I have seen.
We were looking for a camera but the closest shop was a taxi ride away. We asked a local lady to hail a taxi for us so that we would not get overcharged. At the shop, we did not find a camera we liked and we had run out of the local currency, so we hitchhiked back to Sidi Bou Said. A guy in a truck stopped for us and kindly drove us exactly where we wanted to go. Back at the market a local guy we had met begged us to sell him our old camera. We knew that we were getting a new one in the next few days and we had met some friends on the ship who were sending us their photos of the trip so we agreed to sell it. We removed our memory card and he paid us fifteen euros. He was very happy with the transaction even though we were a bit unsure. We caught the train back to the ship with our last dinar and got there just in time for the buffet lunch. After lunch we slept and relaxed by the pool before a dip in the whirl pool, a quick game of mini golf, a dancing lesson and more drinks. This is really the life, every time we look out over the Mediterranean Sea we feel very lucky and happy. We showered and got ready for the buffet dinner before watching the main show for the evening. We went to our plated meal after that to meet our Indonesian server and our Swiss friends just like the few nights before that. The days went by very fast despite our efforts to slow them down.
The next day was our stop in Ibiza, one of our Spanish destinations. Since this beach town is well known for its night life and partying tourists, our time here was in the afternoon and evening rather than the day. In the morning we woke up in time for the buffet breakfast, here we met a ninety one year old lady that has been coming on this cruise for ten years in a row. She always comes on the same cruise even though she has to travel thirteen hours by bus to get to the port. She has no siblings, parents, partner or children so she is all on her own. We talked with her for about an hour and it was very interesting. We felt very close to her and she shared some stories about her life, she spoke of the importance of coming on the cruise and how it is the highlight of her year. We then decided to go back to the room to get ready to go to the pool. The big comfortable bed had other plans for us though because as soon as we sat on it we both fell asleep for four and a half hours. Of course my internal alarm clock woke me up ten minutes before the lunch buffet was over and we rushed down to eat at the pizza, pasta and hot foods stations. After a couple of desserts we sat by the pool for the afternoon. Normally the entertainment team has several activities, games and dances going on near the pool area during the day. They give away cheap small prizes like mouse pads and bandanas but it is still a lot of fun to participate. They also do dance classes, aerobics classes and other activities for the guests. Additionally, they have ongoing games at all times like tennis, mini golf, ping pong, board games and more. So we took advantage of some of these offers until five pm when it was time to go out to explore the beautiful tropical beaches of Ibiza, Spain. Near the port there is a breathtaking beach with clear blue water and soft white sand that we stayed at for a few hours. It was nice to hear Spanish again and the whole vibe of the place was similar to the one that we felt during our time in South America.
On the way out of the ship, we met a family with two grown children from California. The couple had done a twelve country round the world trip twenty five years ago when they were just dating. They shared many hints for getting ahead and saving money while travelling, we thought we knew it all but these guys were experts on the topic. We got along very well with them and agreed to meet later in the day. We walked to the city area which was not far and it really looked exactly how one may expect Spain to look. It looked like all the photos I had seen of the narrow streets, old architecture, castles, cathedrals, small doors, uneven streets and busy markets. In the markets we found a lot of the same products that we had seen in South America and India but at greatly inflated price. We tried on some clothes and shopped for a while, but our time was short. The famous clubs here charge fifty euros per person just for the entry fee. We had to be back at the ship at midnight and they only open the clubs at two am so it was not possible for us to go anyway. We jumped on the shuttle bus back to the ship and ate the midnight snacks that the staff served in the lounges. We watched a show and joined in on some dancing until it was time for bed.
The next morning we woke up in Palma, Spain. After another large buffet breakfast and some packing of sandwhiches for lunch, we went out to the city. We walked around the port and to the city where we got the same South American vibe that we felt in Ibiza. The city was a bit bigger than the one we were in yesterday, and we shopped for a while. The weather everyday has been extremely hot, between thirty five and forty degrees. This was getting unbearable so we head to one of the famous beaches. We swam and tanned for the rest of the time before we had to walk back to the ship. Being on a cruise ship is a great feeling because you feel like your home is travelling with you and is always close by in case you need it. Also the passengers become like a family. We have become very close with several couples and families and in addition to this, we continuously run into other guests that we can say hello to or chat with. They let us know if we are running late, we share useful information and everyone is watching out for each other. We even run into the staff from time to time and they stop to chat and know us by name. At the beach we ran into a young couple from the States that we recognized from the ship. They are living in Germany because the guy is in the Army and they are stationed there. We hung with them for a few hours and walked back to the ship with them. We got along very well and decided to meet up later on.
We went to the pool for a while where we participated in some variations of activities that we had been playing all day, and tanned some more. We went to the dinner buffet for some snacks before the nightly show at eight pm. This show is extremely extravagant and exciting every night. The dancers are very professional, the costumes are unreal and the performers are very talented. They have comedians, actors, fitness buffs, people with wierd but rather unbelievable talents and so on. This is one of our favorite parts of each day even though we always miss the first five minutes due to being late.
We ate dinner with the Swiss girls that we met at the plated dinner. It was very good and they even had a special presentation for the dessert where all the chefs and staff turned out the lights and marched around carrying cakes on fire. It was great fun and the Alaskan ice cream cake was one of the best desserts I have ever had. This was the second of two formal nights that we will have during the cruise. Of course we did not have tuxedos and evening dresses so we had to make due with what we had. In the evening, they had an event where we got to learn dances from around the world and we participated in that. The next game was a couple`s game where the audience would choose the ideal couple on the ship based on some games the two would particiapate in. Tyson joined the game with another girl that we did not know and I left to upload other people`s photos of the cruise since we no longer had a camera. I took some of the scenery photos so that we could still have some memories of the cruise.
That night they had a special midnight buffet where the chefs had prepared all the food into fabulous creations. They had sculpted fruits and savoury foods into unbelievable shapes and scenes from the sea. We ate again and hung out with four people from France that we have gotten to know over the last few days. The family from California stopped by and gave us a bunch of food from their mini bar including drinks, nuts, chocolates and so on. They have unlimited mini bar so they were kind enough to share with us. They also gave us six extra water tickets that they had.
The next morning we got up for a lighter breakfast than usual but packed some food for later. We hung out at the pool and watched the games and dances for the morning until lunch time. After a filling buffet of burgers, fries, salads, pizzas, desserts and almost anything else you can imagine, we arrived at our second to last destination in Marseille, France. We walked to the public bus stand and caught the bus with several other cruise passengers into the city. Marseille is very beautiful but a lot of the buildings were under construction during our time there. We visited some very large and extravagant cathedrals and museams. Every time we turned a corner, there was a huge structure sitting there looking completely out of place. The streets were narrow and the six or seven level apartment buidings were completely flat looking with very thin balconies inching out the sides. The architecture had changed evidently from when we were in Spain. There were many little cafes in the streets as well as theaters, art shops and music places. We walked along the water and tried to go to the beach but we missed the bus so we stayed in the city. We met some very friendly people who became even more friendly when they realized we were from Canada. Apparently the people of France think very highly of Canadians which was a very nice fact to learn first hand. We stayed in the city for several hours, looking in shops, meeting people and taking in the sights. We took the bus back to the ship and layed by the pool burning in the sun and watching the activities for a few hours before the buffet dinner. After the buffet we did the usual by catching the big show of the night at eight pm and then having a couple of coffees before our plated dinner. Everyone had to say bye to the servers that they have had for the last eight days. A lot of times (including with us) it looked as if people were saying bye to an old friend.
After dinner, Tyson lead me back to the buffet where he had organized the chef to prepare us a special dessert and we had the whole place to ourself. It was very sweet and we talked there for a few hours before going to bed.
The next morning we had to check out of our room and pay our tab by seven am so we were up early to pack and clean out the room. We stopped by our friend's room. They had a lovely room with a balcony off the ship and we chatted with them for a while. They gave us some more drink tickets that they did not need and some snacks from their all inclusive mini bar. We exchanged information and said bye to them there. We went for a plated breakfast for the first time during our cruise. We usually eat at the buffet for breakfast but the plated meal was very nice with some fancier alternatives such as smoked salmon and different flavoured pancakes. We ate there and then head to the buffet to pack more food for the day. We said bye to many of the lovely people we had met and hung out with for the last week. It was sadder than we expected because even though we had not known them for very long, we had gotten close to them. We had some time to lay by the pool and play one last round of mini golf before we had to be off the ship in Genoa, Italy. The cruise was definitely a major highlight of the trip and we had a great time. It's a great way to see many places in a short time with amazing comfort and eaze.
In Genoa we walked to the center of the city with all our bags which keep getting heavier for some reason. We stopped along the water and wandered through the little shops and markets on the way. We met with our couchsurfing host in front of a large cathedral in the center of town. Him and his girlfriend live one apartment down from our meeting spot which is an amazingly great location. We stayed at their place for a few hours catching up on computor activities since we have not had internet access since embarking on the ship.
"If we are not happy and joyous in this season for what season shall we wait"
We returned with plenty of time to spare before the ship`s departure and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and eating by the pool. The staff had set up several activities to keep the people entertained during the day. For one of the games Tyson had to eat a bowl full of crackers in one minute and then try to say his name. His mouth was so dry that he could barely make a sound. Then I did an aerobics class and learned some fun new dances. The entertainment team work so hard and they always have to do it with a smile on their faces. We also played mini golf and spent some time in the whirlpool.
That evening we went to cocktail party where we were able to meet the captain and crew of the ship. It is meant to be a formal event but being backpackers the best thing that we had to wear was far from formal compared to the beautiful dresses and tuxedos that the others were wearing. Before dinner we watched another performance about the Forces of Nature, a variety of these performances are held nightly in the main theater and they are always over the top. The performers are extremely talented and they have different guest stars every night. After the performance that night, we went back to the room to rest for a bit before heading to the Pasha club to watch a Mr. Italia show. The men from the entertainment crew stripped down to their underwear to music. Since most people on the ship have gotten to know each other over the last few days, these events are a lot of fun.
That night we fell asleep in Europe and the next morning we docked in Tunisia, Africa. This is Northern Africa where most people are Muslim Arabs. After a buffet breakfast, we got off the ship to people offering camel rides. The city recieves a ton of tourists everyday from all of the ships and the taxis were asking 40-60 euros for rides into Medina and Sidi Bou Said towns. We walked to the bank and changed some euros to dinas (their currency). The whole walk there were taxi drivers following us with cars and on foot trying to make a sale. The lowest offer we got was ten euros one way for the ride. On the train we paid fifty cents and it only took twenty minutes to get to Sidi Bou Said. This is a touristy village with beautiful beaches, white buildings, street markets and lovely architecture. It looks a lot like the photos of coastal towns in Greece that I have seen.
We were looking for a camera but the closest shop was a taxi ride away. We asked a local lady to hail a taxi for us so that we would not get overcharged. At the shop, we did not find a camera we liked and we had run out of the local currency, so we hitchhiked back to Sidi Bou Said. A guy in a truck stopped for us and kindly drove us exactly where we wanted to go. Back at the market a local guy we had met begged us to sell him our old camera. We knew that we were getting a new one in the next few days and we had met some friends on the ship who were sending us their photos of the trip so we agreed to sell it. We removed our memory card and he paid us fifteen euros. He was very happy with the transaction even though we were a bit unsure. We caught the train back to the ship with our last dinar and got there just in time for the buffet lunch. After lunch we slept and relaxed by the pool before a dip in the whirl pool, a quick game of mini golf, a dancing lesson and more drinks. This is really the life, every time we look out over the Mediterranean Sea we feel very lucky and happy. We showered and got ready for the buffet dinner before watching the main show for the evening. We went to our plated meal after that to meet our Indonesian server and our Swiss friends just like the few nights before that. The days went by very fast despite our efforts to slow them down.
The next day was our stop in Ibiza, one of our Spanish destinations. Since this beach town is well known for its night life and partying tourists, our time here was in the afternoon and evening rather than the day. In the morning we woke up in time for the buffet breakfast, here we met a ninety one year old lady that has been coming on this cruise for ten years in a row. She always comes on the same cruise even though she has to travel thirteen hours by bus to get to the port. She has no siblings, parents, partner or children so she is all on her own. We talked with her for about an hour and it was very interesting. We felt very close to her and she shared some stories about her life, she spoke of the importance of coming on the cruise and how it is the highlight of her year. We then decided to go back to the room to get ready to go to the pool. The big comfortable bed had other plans for us though because as soon as we sat on it we both fell asleep for four and a half hours. Of course my internal alarm clock woke me up ten minutes before the lunch buffet was over and we rushed down to eat at the pizza, pasta and hot foods stations. After a couple of desserts we sat by the pool for the afternoon. Normally the entertainment team has several activities, games and dances going on near the pool area during the day. They give away cheap small prizes like mouse pads and bandanas but it is still a lot of fun to participate. They also do dance classes, aerobics classes and other activities for the guests. Additionally, they have ongoing games at all times like tennis, mini golf, ping pong, board games and more. So we took advantage of some of these offers until five pm when it was time to go out to explore the beautiful tropical beaches of Ibiza, Spain. Near the port there is a breathtaking beach with clear blue water and soft white sand that we stayed at for a few hours. It was nice to hear Spanish again and the whole vibe of the place was similar to the one that we felt during our time in South America.
On the way out of the ship, we met a family with two grown children from California. The couple had done a twelve country round the world trip twenty five years ago when they were just dating. They shared many hints for getting ahead and saving money while travelling, we thought we knew it all but these guys were experts on the topic. We got along very well with them and agreed to meet later in the day. We walked to the city area which was not far and it really looked exactly how one may expect Spain to look. It looked like all the photos I had seen of the narrow streets, old architecture, castles, cathedrals, small doors, uneven streets and busy markets. In the markets we found a lot of the same products that we had seen in South America and India but at greatly inflated price. We tried on some clothes and shopped for a while, but our time was short. The famous clubs here charge fifty euros per person just for the entry fee. We had to be back at the ship at midnight and they only open the clubs at two am so it was not possible for us to go anyway. We jumped on the shuttle bus back to the ship and ate the midnight snacks that the staff served in the lounges. We watched a show and joined in on some dancing until it was time for bed.
The next morning we woke up in Palma, Spain. After another large buffet breakfast and some packing of sandwhiches for lunch, we went out to the city. We walked around the port and to the city where we got the same South American vibe that we felt in Ibiza. The city was a bit bigger than the one we were in yesterday, and we shopped for a while. The weather everyday has been extremely hot, between thirty five and forty degrees. This was getting unbearable so we head to one of the famous beaches. We swam and tanned for the rest of the time before we had to walk back to the ship. Being on a cruise ship is a great feeling because you feel like your home is travelling with you and is always close by in case you need it. Also the passengers become like a family. We have become very close with several couples and families and in addition to this, we continuously run into other guests that we can say hello to or chat with. They let us know if we are running late, we share useful information and everyone is watching out for each other. We even run into the staff from time to time and they stop to chat and know us by name. At the beach we ran into a young couple from the States that we recognized from the ship. They are living in Germany because the guy is in the Army and they are stationed there. We hung with them for a few hours and walked back to the ship with them. We got along very well and decided to meet up later on.
We went to the pool for a while where we participated in some variations of activities that we had been playing all day, and tanned some more. We went to the dinner buffet for some snacks before the nightly show at eight pm. This show is extremely extravagant and exciting every night. The dancers are very professional, the costumes are unreal and the performers are very talented. They have comedians, actors, fitness buffs, people with wierd but rather unbelievable talents and so on. This is one of our favorite parts of each day even though we always miss the first five minutes due to being late.
We ate dinner with the Swiss girls that we met at the plated dinner. It was very good and they even had a special presentation for the dessert where all the chefs and staff turned out the lights and marched around carrying cakes on fire. It was great fun and the Alaskan ice cream cake was one of the best desserts I have ever had. This was the second of two formal nights that we will have during the cruise. Of course we did not have tuxedos and evening dresses so we had to make due with what we had. In the evening, they had an event where we got to learn dances from around the world and we participated in that. The next game was a couple`s game where the audience would choose the ideal couple on the ship based on some games the two would particiapate in. Tyson joined the game with another girl that we did not know and I left to upload other people`s photos of the cruise since we no longer had a camera. I took some of the scenery photos so that we could still have some memories of the cruise.
That night they had a special midnight buffet where the chefs had prepared all the food into fabulous creations. They had sculpted fruits and savoury foods into unbelievable shapes and scenes from the sea. We ate again and hung out with four people from France that we have gotten to know over the last few days. The family from California stopped by and gave us a bunch of food from their mini bar including drinks, nuts, chocolates and so on. They have unlimited mini bar so they were kind enough to share with us. They also gave us six extra water tickets that they had.
The next morning we got up for a lighter breakfast than usual but packed some food for later. We hung out at the pool and watched the games and dances for the morning until lunch time. After a filling buffet of burgers, fries, salads, pizzas, desserts and almost anything else you can imagine, we arrived at our second to last destination in Marseille, France. We walked to the public bus stand and caught the bus with several other cruise passengers into the city. Marseille is very beautiful but a lot of the buildings were under construction during our time there. We visited some very large and extravagant cathedrals and museams. Every time we turned a corner, there was a huge structure sitting there looking completely out of place. The streets were narrow and the six or seven level apartment buidings were completely flat looking with very thin balconies inching out the sides. The architecture had changed evidently from when we were in Spain. There were many little cafes in the streets as well as theaters, art shops and music places. We walked along the water and tried to go to the beach but we missed the bus so we stayed in the city. We met some very friendly people who became even more friendly when they realized we were from Canada. Apparently the people of France think very highly of Canadians which was a very nice fact to learn first hand. We stayed in the city for several hours, looking in shops, meeting people and taking in the sights. We took the bus back to the ship and layed by the pool burning in the sun and watching the activities for a few hours before the buffet dinner. After the buffet we did the usual by catching the big show of the night at eight pm and then having a couple of coffees before our plated dinner. Everyone had to say bye to the servers that they have had for the last eight days. A lot of times (including with us) it looked as if people were saying bye to an old friend.
After dinner, Tyson lead me back to the buffet where he had organized the chef to prepare us a special dessert and we had the whole place to ourself. It was very sweet and we talked there for a few hours before going to bed.
The next morning we had to check out of our room and pay our tab by seven am so we were up early to pack and clean out the room. We stopped by our friend's room. They had a lovely room with a balcony off the ship and we chatted with them for a while. They gave us some more drink tickets that they did not need and some snacks from their all inclusive mini bar. We exchanged information and said bye to them there. We went for a plated breakfast for the first time during our cruise. We usually eat at the buffet for breakfast but the plated meal was very nice with some fancier alternatives such as smoked salmon and different flavoured pancakes. We ate there and then head to the buffet to pack more food for the day. We said bye to many of the lovely people we had met and hung out with for the last week. It was sadder than we expected because even though we had not known them for very long, we had gotten close to them. We had some time to lay by the pool and play one last round of mini golf before we had to be off the ship in Genoa, Italy. The cruise was definitely a major highlight of the trip and we had a great time. It's a great way to see many places in a short time with amazing comfort and eaze.
In Genoa we walked to the center of the city with all our bags which keep getting heavier for some reason. We stopped along the water and wandered through the little shops and markets on the way. We met with our couchsurfing host in front of a large cathedral in the center of town. Him and his girlfriend live one apartment down from our meeting spot which is an amazingly great location. We stayed at their place for a few hours catching up on computor activities since we have not had internet access since embarking on the ship.
"If we are not happy and joyous in this season for what season shall we wait"
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