Tuesday was a sea day so we were able to relax on the ship after four straight days in a different port. Sort of the same old routine, get up, eat, walk around the ship, eat, check out some activities on the ship, eat, gamble, drink, and eat. On Wednesday we were docked in Valletta Malta for only four hours which was not enough time. We came into port around 2:00 PM and the view of the city and surrounding area was like a postcard. Limestone walls and buildings dominate the skyline. From the ship it is a short uphill [View Full Entry]

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Sunday is the third day of four straight days in a new city. We docked in Limassol Cyprus which is located just south Turkey and west of Syria and Israel in the Mediterranean sea. Again we did not book an excursion and decided to take a shuttle bus into the older part of the city. The area the bus dropped off us in is considered the old town and there were many shops selling various items including lace, local olive oil, wine, and kabob BBQ's which caught Jim's eye. These are made up of a tray to hold the coals and [View Full Entry]

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On Friday we docked in Piraeus, Greece. Not a lot to discuss here until we hopped in a taxi to Athens. If crosswalks and stoplights are a suggestion in Sicily, in Piraeus they must be considered casual artwork. People glance at them but it doesn’t change how they go about their day. We once compared a taxi ride in Mexico to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland. A taxi ride in Piraeus is more like a non-stop chase in the movie the French Connection. It appeared the taxi driver could not decide which lane he wanted to be in so he [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday was an at sea day so we were able to relax on ship and take in some of the activities offered. The ship is very nice and in comparison to other ships we have been on, the Brilliance of the Seas has a much different layout. Even though the ship was sold out it feels like most of the passengers are staying in their rooms. We both entered the slot tournament but only Lisa made it to the final round. She did not win the big prize but did get a t-shirt. Later in the day the casino held a [View Full Entry]

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Sunday in Barcelona the weather was overcast and a bit chilly so we decided to take a walk to the Barcelona Chocolate Museum. To get there we walked through the old part of Barcelona known as the Gothic area where the building architecture is of a medieval style. We paid for the entry to the museum and the tickets were small chocolate bars. It didn't take long for Jim to eat his ticket, Lisa soon followed. The museum was small and there were a lot of school kids so we did not spend a lot of time viewing the exhibits. Once [View Full Entry]

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Friday - Day 10 First thing we went back to La Rambla and walked down to the port area where our cruise ship will be docked on Monday. The weather was warm so we decided to head back to La Rambla and stop at the Mercat St Joseph which is a large farmers market like place but much more than we are used to in the states. There were over 100 stalls where vendors were offering fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, charcuterie, candy, breads, pastries, spices, and just about anything thing else you can think of in the way of food. We [View Full Entry]

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Madrid - On Wednesday we decided to stay in Madrid and see a few more of the local sites. We first visited the Museo Reina Sofia where one of Picasso's famous paintings, Guernica, is on display. He painted Guernica in protest to the bombing of northern Spain by Hitler under the request of Franco. The painting was in the U.S. until Franco's death in mid 70's. It is a large painting that is about 20 feet high and 50 feet wide and very impressive to see in person. We viewed the other works in the museum and then left to [View Full Entry]

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Toledo - On Monday we took a short train ride, (30 minutes), to the small town of Toledo which is south of Madrid. Upon arriving at the train station we took the bus to the city center. While it is just less than 1 mile away, it is all uphill. This is a good recommendation if you plan to visit - take the bus or bring along your oxygen. Toledo originally was a walled city and is located on top of a small hill surrounded on three sides by the Rio Tajo river. The two main sites in Toledo are the [View Full Entry]

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Friday night - Madrid Friday night in Madrid was crazy, the central area was packed with tourists and locals looking to blow off some steam. The rumors that food is not available until 11:00 PM at night are not true unless you are looking for a traditional restaurant for a sit down meal. Tapas bars are always open for something to eat, even at 3 o'clock in the morning! So far the strangest tapas has been sautéed pigs ears in garlic and olive oil, and believe it or not they were very good, even Lisa gave them a try. So far [View Full Entry]

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After a few long travel days on Wednesday and Thursday, we made it to Madrid around 5:30 PM on Thursday the 19th. We left SFO at 5:15 PM on Wednesday and with the 8 hour time difference we lost track of time. From the airport we took a taxi to our apartment which is located a half block from the Puerto del Sol which is the geographic center of Spain. It is also the tourist center of Spain as it is packed with tourists all hours of the day and night. Plaza Mayor is about four blocks away and it reminds [View Full Entry]

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