July 8-11, 2024
Mallorca, one of the Balearic islands, sits in the Eastern Mediterranean and “belongs” to Spain. Like much of the Med, the island changed ownership over the centuries – the Phoenicians, The Carthaginians, the Romans, the Vandals, the Moors and finally the Spanish. The Serenade docked near its capital city of Palma.
The main tourist attraction is the Basilica de Santa Maria de Mallorca and the pleasant weather bringing tourists to the many resorts dotting its beaches.
Then onward to Barcelona: We enjoyed an overnight in this lovely city we last visited about 12 years ago. An added bonus – friends Alyssa and Kelly would be joining us on the next segment of the cruise and were already in the city! We met up with them at the start of a Guruwalk on the first day.
One of the current issues in Barcelona is the locals’ irritation with tourists – especially with how apartments in the city center have become unaffordable for locals with so many converted to Air BNBs. The day prior to our visit, tourists were sprayed with water as angry protestors chanted and blocked Las Ramblas. Luckily, we did not encounter any protests, just lots of other tourists trying to see the same things. Our guide took us down some less travelled but narrow alleys.
After the tour, most of the rest of the day we enjoyed time with our friends eating lunch and drinking some of the excellent local Spanish wines. On the second day John and I went up to La Sagrada Familia – aka The Gaudi Cathedral – which has been under construction since 1882 – and still going (when we were there before it was “almost done” – and this trip, over ten years later, it is still “almost done”). Unfortunately, tickets were sold out during our visit (unless we wanted to pay for a formal tour through a tour company that buys up as many tickets as they can when released). Afterwards, we walked a ways to the brick Arc de Triomf.
Next cruise port was the lovely city of Valencia – a place I kept missing over the past few years. Due to John’s treatments, we didn’t get to go in 2016 when Caitlin lived there for her year abroad. A family emergency with Liam and Alan kept us from going in 2021. So finally, we saw the city via the Serenade and a great tour from Liam – he just needs the official badge! After the tour, we enjoyed some of the best paella in Spain. The group had a choice of the classic Valencia paella with rabbit and chicken or the vegetarian.
The next day brought us to one of our favorite places in Spain – Cartagena, where the ship docks in town – so no shuttles or taxis needed. This time we had a Guruwalk to explain some of the interesting sites.
Next up – Malaga on the southern coast and Morocco!