Pre-Cruise: Adventures in Athens (Part II)

We spent on our third day in Athens touring around the city on the Athens Open Tour (Hop-On-Hop-Off) Bus. We had purchased our tickets the day before for €15 per person for two days. It was the cheapest option, which was why we decided to go with it. We took the bus to Syntagma Square. We walked around for about five minutes when we realized the stores looked really familiar. We were just here yesterday. We were in Plaka! Then, it dawned on us: Everything is super close in Athens. Who knew? It seemed so far on the map, but Syntagma Square ended up being a brisk 15 minute walk from the Acropolis.

We had seen the Athens Public Market on the bus, but no stop in the area meant we had to walk backwards from Syntagma Square. The fruit, vegetable and meat market (Varvakios Agora) is a lively place. I love seeing how markets operate overseas, and discovering all the different types of fruits, veggies and meat available to the people. I work in the produce industry, so I especially like looking at all the fruits and vegetables. The buzz from the merchants and locals in the many halls of the agora is an exciting feeling, even if you're not buying anything.

We had dinner reservations that night at our hotel restaurant, Acropolis Secret Roof Garden Bar Restaurant. The food was delicious but our meal at Liondi was still number one in our books. We had a grilled octopus, and a Greek salad as starters. I had a chicken souvlaki, while the boyfriend had fish.

Now the big draw to having dinner at the expensive hotel restaurant was the gorgeous unobstructed view of the Parthenon at night. While we did have an amazing view of the Parthenon throughout the night, it was not easy to photograph (especially without the proper photography equipment and the many people crowding around the restaurant). You really need to be there to soak it all in.

From Athens, we board the Carnival Vista. Embarkation Day is up next! Haven't read Part I yet? You can read the post here!

Pre-Cruise: Adventures in Athens (Part I)

There is always a bittersweet sadness that overcomes me when I finally realize that my vacation is over. But what better way to relive the memories than to write a full trip report? After almost a week of jet lag, we're finally starting to get back into routine. Perfect timing for me to start my trip report this weekend...

After a quick taste of Europe in 2014, we decided immediately we wanted to go back. We'd been looking at Royal Caribbean cruises for a while, before the Carnival Vista came our way and offered inexpensive cruises to Europe in mid 2016. Royal Caribbean has become our favourite cruise line but it was a new ship and cheap prices, how could we say no? So 15 months out, we jumped the gun and booked the third sailing of the Carnival Vista to the Mediterranean. It took forever for embarkation day to come, with two new jobs and a new home in between. But the day finally came (and went, sadly), and I have to say, this was one of the best trips of my life. My experiences were all so culturally rich, and I had such an amazing time (and delicious food) overseas.

Let's jump right in, starting with our pre-cruise stay in Athens and the ports - my favourite part of cruising - then our post-cruise stay in Barcelona. I'll get into the fun ship during Embarkation Day.

We'd decided to spend three days in Athens before our cruise. We arrived in Athens on Saturday morning. We were greeted by our courteous driver, Alex, from from George's Taxi. George's Taxi was recommended by a fellow cruiser, and it was the best decision we made. During our drive to the hotel, Alex gave us a tour of Athens. He was such a welcoming fellow - and so easy to talk to, we decided to book our transfer to the port with him as well.

Day 1 was a write off. We arrived at our hotel, Divani Palace Acropolis, early, and waited for our room. When we were finally checked into our hotel, we took a short nap before heading out for dinner. We ate at God's Restaurant for our first Greek meal. The food was similar to something we can get at home, but we were tired and it did the trick. The restaurant had a fun plaque on the wall about the Ten Rules of Drinking (bottom right). We had a laugh reading it.

The next morning, we woke up early to explore. It was a windy, overcast day so we definitely needed a jacket for the cool weather. Our hotel was a super convenient ten minute walk from the Acropolis. Note: If you do purchase your tickets at the door, there is a quite a queue - we waited for twenty minutes. There were two different options, we could purchase tickets for the Acropolis and the Theatre of Dionysus (€20) or tickets for all eight of the archaeological sites in Athens (€30). We didn't think we would have enough time (or energy) to see all the sites, so we opted for the Acropolis tickets.

The Parthenon is amazing in person. It is as breathtaking as I had imagined. The sun had finally come out, so the blue skies were the perfect backdrop for the temple. Because the citadel is on a hill, you get a gorgeous view of Athens from the Acropolis. From here, you can see the entire city and Lykavittos Hill (another hill, reached by funicular railway, which had a chapel, a restaurant and an open-air amphitheatre on the top) in the distance. Another amazing view was the statues of the Caryatids on the Erechtheion, once again, overlooking Athens. On the way down from the temple to the theatre, we met a four legged friend.

After one last walk around the Theatre of Dionysus, a major theatre dedicated to the god of plays and wine, we left the Acropolis. Athens is a very walkable city, just like Rome. In minutes, we'd walked over to the Temple of the Olympian Zeus. Since we didn't purchase the tickets, we took a peek of the majestic columns from outside the gates. Just outside the temple was another monument, the Arch of Hadrian, a gateway which was built for the emperor. You can see the sun peeking in and out of the clouds in our pictures. Without the sun, it was definitely chilly in Athens.

From there, we headed to the Plaka, an old historical neighbour in Athens. The area is a labyrinth of stores and homes, which we explored the neighbourhood until it was time for dinner. For our second dinner in Athens, we did a little bit more research and decided to eat at a Trip Advisor recommended restaurant, Liondo Traditional Greek Restaurant. We ordered roast lamb and grilled octopus. We were happy to report the food was much better than the first night's. Opa!

That's it for Part I of our Athens stay! Read Part II here!

Euro-bound with a few of my favourite things!

There is one week until go-time, but I'm already in vacation mode! I'm living vicariously through the live trip reports on Cruise Critic and Facebook.

The Carnival Vista is here and word is, she did not disappoint. Although she is still on her inaugural cruise, the reports and photos have been outstanding. I am so excited for this ship. However, all the ups have not been without the downs. There are a few glitches (dirty pools and spotty internet), but that is expected with a brand new ship. I'm hoping the major ones will be under control or solved by our third sailing.

Some good news! Carnival has added Turkey back onto our itinerary. Instead of Izmir, we are stopping in Kusadasi (I totally called it!). Kuasdasi is not a security concern on the U.S travel advisory. I am estatic we will be going to Kusadasi, after all, I'll know exactly where to get those tartinis. Kusadasi is a lively port with many souvenir shops and coffee shops at the pier, so I think I'll stay by the ship as opposed to booking an excursion as we've already been to Ephesus.

On to packing... Well, our bags are not quite packed, but the lists are complete, and I'll be ready to go - soon. I'm just waiting on the weather!

It is currently raining in most of the ports on the cruise, but the weather seems to be getting better - warmer and sunnier. I live for warm sunshine - so with the weather in the mid-twenties, it is safe to pack more shorts than long pants. One major tip for Mediterranean weather though, I've learned that the weather over there can change at the drop of a hat. During our visit in Venice, it was hot and sunny one day - I was sweating in a skirt and a tank top; then chilly and rainy the next day - I was wearing a hoodie and a rain jacket. Although we are heading into summer, I will be packing my trusty Columbia rain jacket again to be safe.

Another favourite item of mine to pack for a cruise are my soft jogger pants. Not only are they comfortable, they're fashionable and versatile. They're perfect for chilly evenings after the sun goes down (and in the event of a cold Venetian day or on the cruise ship with max air conditioning). So my only question is... does Mediterranean spring weather warrant a sweater? I might bring one just in case if I have room. If I don't... and it gets chilly, it'll be a great excuse to buy a new sweater!

I also love (and need) a good book or two. I have a few books sitting on my bookshelf, waiting to be read. In fact, some of them are old books from my list of summer must-reads in a post from July 2014. Sadly, I have only read one book from this list - the chick-lit, embarrassingly. I will be bringing two novels with me on the trip, Come Away With Me and The One & Only. They should keep me busy on the plane... and hopefully help me fall asleep!

Stay tuned for our trip report!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Time truly flies. We're just under thirty days out until embarkation day! This countdown is officially on.

Since my last post, Izmir has been dropped from our cruise. While there has been whispers of another port, ultimately, Carnival decided it wasn't feasible to fit another port in our itinerary. Our first port was cancelled due to a security advisory issued by the U.S. in Turkey. While I'm disappointed by this cancellation, safety does come first. I was looking forward to revisiting Turkey because I had lovely time at Ephesus during our last Mediterranean cruise, but also mostly because I wanted more of these amazing Firinindan Raspberry Tartinis I had purchased from a convenience store in Kusadasi, Turkey. I know, so random, but it truly makes me sad that I won't be able to stock up on my favourite snack.

However, taking Turkey out of our itinerary also means we will have to pay a VAT (Value Added Tax) on purchases made during our cruise. This complicates everything. Our departing port is Athens, so if Carnival is charging VAT based on Athens, then we will be paying up to 23% tax on purchases made on the ship (different purchases are taxed on different rates).

All in all, I am so very disappointed we won't be visiting Turkey during this cruise. It causes a big financial wrinkle in our trip (plus a sad tummy). Nonetheless, I'm trying to staying positive because it will be an amazing experience. I'm so excited to visit Malta on my birthday! Now onto packing... how will I fit 10 days of dresses in a medium size suitcase?

Accommodation Talk

Wow, has it really been two months already?

Since moving out from my parents' place back in November, I've been keeping busy with home life. Unfortunately, groceries don't buy themselves and bathtubs don't clean themselves.

The good news is I've been slowly doing some planning on the side. We managed to book both hotels for Athens and Barcelona. We'll be staying by the Acropolis in Athens, and in the Eixample neighbourhood in Barcelona. The hotels are definitely pricey. I entertained the idea of booking our accommodations through Airbnb, but ultimately, I didn't really feel comfortable about it. We'd already done Airbnb in Rome a couple of years ago and we didn't particularly love it. Unfortunately for us, we didn't have the most pleasant first experience. Our contact was hours late in meeting us, and we never met the owner. The apartment wasn't cleaned well prior to our arrival. The second shower was literally a locker, so the four of us shared one bathroom. After that experience, we decided to stick with hotels as long as the price was decent.

We are now officially less than 50 days away from our sail date! I'm definitely very excited about this cruise, and thankfully, time has been flying by. The next step is to book our tours and excursions, my favourite part (other than outfit planning). I'll keep you posted, and this time I promise I'll be back in two weeks, not two months!

Hotels with Views of the Acropolis & La Sagrada Familia aka "Hotels I'm Not Staying At"