Cruising the Mediterranean

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July 21: The Great Sea Adventure Begins

With heavy hearts, we packed up (again!) and with only a short stop at the Mercat (more ham!) and maybe just a lttle ice cream, we proceeded to the ship and the start of our first-ever cruise. Boarding was smooth until we reached the line of onboard "packages." Suddenly, things like "soda" and "wine" are packages#?!?

Note to self: money-making scheme tip #12 on this trip. Captured audiences have limited choices, so are thus willing to pay exorbitant premiums for just about anything.

Anywho, the trick is that you must elect to purchase a "package" to "save" money. Got it.

At the same time, we signed up for our various excursions in the stops where we wanted to have a guided tour. These apparently fill up quickly, so "You Must Act Now!" All went well, with the exception of our budget;-) We spent the rest of the day exploring the decks of our new home and enjoying the departure from Barcelona around sunset.

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Photos

Jellies!
Yes-those are jelly sunny side ups!

Mengu-post chocolate bliss
After consuming what was determined to be the best ice cream cone in Europe

Safety first!
The required safety drill before departure. We are pretty sure it's for the crew's enjoyment.

The crew on the way out
Enjoying our trip out of port-you can almost hear the Love Boat theme in the background!