Degustación de Tapas - Part 11

A Western Mediterranean cruise continues...

The fourth day of cruising began with yet another big breakfast and what seemed like our first full day of sunshine. Hurray!
Our ship pulled into the third port -- Livorno. From here, many can travel from the coast to several possible destinations; ours would be two of the most popular ones -- Florence and Pisa, Italy.

Scenes from Livorno and Florence: 

Top: Livorno port, early morning.
Bottom left: the train to Florence/ Right: Our goal - the Dome!

I hadn't really prepared too much for Florence. We both agreed to head from the train station to the Dome, the city's most famous landmark. I had also pre-booked tickets to the Museum Accademia, where we could view Michelangelo's infamous statue of "David" (sorry, no photos were allowed inside).

Dome interior, Livorno town square, the Dome outside:

After touring the Dome, on the way back to the train station, we stopped at Gelateria Very Good to eat some ice cream. We got scammed!! So, I've posted the address of the shop and the 14 other poor reviews they got (via Trip Advisor) below. If you check Rick Steve's Europe Graffiti Wall, you'll find many Gelato scams in Italy, so be careful.

Despite that setback, we enjoyed catching the slow train to Pisa....
I took photos inside the train, and of the Tuscany train route map (click for details). From Florence to Pisa takes about 2 hours (slow train) and Livorno is the next stop after Pisa.

Once at Pisa, we walked to the leaning tower with two tourists from Hong Kong, whom we met on the train. If you pay 5 Euros more, you can go inside the white church and basilica there. While the church was impressive, it's not really necessary to go inside.

If you wish to climb inside the tower (not recommended), it will also cost extra. Walking around the base and grounds of the tower, church and basilica, is completely free. As a tourist destination, Pisa is quite nice -- it's a quieter town and there are many nice cafes on the way to the tower. I would have liked to have spent more time here... ^_^

Cutenekko at Pisa! Scenes from the church interior, Pisa. 

We headed back to the ship around 4:30 and got dressed up for another dinner and more entertainment. I will show you next time.

Travel Tips for Florence and Pisa: 

1) Museums:

There are two big ones art lovers must see: Museum Accademia (featuring Michelangelo's famous works) and the Uffizi Gallery (housing historical works of many Italian artists). Pre-book tickets online to avoid long line ups. Again, I recommend the Weekend in Italy site. I think joining a tour is not necessary; just walk around yourself. Allow 2~3 hours minimum. The statue David is amazing. I spent 30 minutes just staring at it. Worth every penny.

2) Trains:

Sorry, no BRIG ticket for Florence. But local tickets are cheap. We paid 18 Euros for two adults, one way, from Livorno to Florence. Trains leave every hour from the station. Station staff spoke English, so there were no problems. If you don't want to wait in the line, you can buy train tickets from the newsstand too. 

3) Gelato Scam:

We got scammed in Florence. The shop name is "Gelateria Very Good". The address is: Via Panzani 55/R Firenze, Italy. Many reviewers on Trip Advisor also hated this shop. The location is close to the train station, on the way to the Dome. You can tell the shop by the fancy display case but no prices listed anywhere!! Avoid this shop at all costs. They charged us 10 Euros for one double cup, which was ridiculous. 

Please follow these tips. Do not buy any gelato if....

• there are no prices listed in the shop
• the server refuses to offer a small size (or only shows the largest size)
• a double is more than 5 Euros. A single should be around 3 Euros.

4) How to get from Livorno port to the train station (using local transport only):
It's easy, but will take about an hour (including wait times; buying tickets; etc):

1. Get on the white port bus which will go to the town square. Cost: 5 Euros (return -- keep your ticket! You'll need it for the return trip)
2. The port bus will drop you off near the town square. Walk to the square (3 mins). Buy a ticket for the city bus to the train station. You can purchase tickets at the green newsstand in the squre, close to the bus stop. Bus No.101A or B go to the station. (15 mins or so)

- Other options:

Many taxi touts will try to entice you with "40 Euros to Florence / Pisa Return". It's a bit misleading. They will offer you the trip for that price; however, you'll share a van with 8 other passengers! Traveling by train costs less and is quite fun. I wouldn't bother taking a taxi. 

5) Around Florence and Pisa: 

You can walk, easily. Don't waste your money taking a taxi or the bus. A great guide book for the Florence & Tuscany area is: Rick Steves' Florence & Tuscany 2013 It's more comprehensive than the Lonely Planet guides, as well as much cheaper. 

Walk from Pisa station to the famous leaning tower:

It takes 20 minutes. It's quite easy. From the station: go straight. When you cross a bridge over a river, walk a little further, then go left. The white tower should be in your eyesight. We stopped and asked two nice police officers for directions just before crossing the river. They both spoke English well and gave perfect directions. I recommend looking out for the police officers when you get to the river/bridge; or, ask station staff for directions. Simple English is widely spoken. Spanish is more easily understood as it is similar to Italian. My partner spoke in Spanish while in Italy. It was very effective. ^_^

Degustación de Tapas - Part 10

Cruising the Western Mediterranean and enjoying a taste of Europe, continues....

The third day of our cruise was winding down after a rushed tour of Rome. Having seen the sights, it was back to the ship where we could eat and relax.

We ate dinner in the Botticelli dining room on Deck 5. Here's my menu...

top left: creamy chowder; bottom left: grilled shrimp
Dressed up for dining (which I enjoyed doing every night!) ^_^

After the meal, I had made reservations to watch something very Canadian -- an ice skating show! The Liberty of the Seas had a mini ice skating rink on Deck 3 and during our cruise, a special show called "Encore, an Ice Spectacular" was being performed on certain dates.

The rink looked like this (pre-show): 

The show featured skaters from the U.S, Canada (yay!) and Russia. There were many jumps and difficult lifts. I thought the skaters were all pretty amazing given the small size of the rink and the ship's constant rolling back and forth.

The show is divided into themes, each featuring a certain country. There was the Carmen / Bullfight scenes for Spain, American Rock n Roll, Japanese geisha, Russian dancers, etc.

I snapped a few photos during the "Viva Las Vegas" segment of the show:

Fat Elvis (cruel yet funny): 

The chorus line girls:

The show really was quite spectacular, and my friend, who had never seen figure skating in person before, continuously praised the show for many days after (including after returning home). ^_^

There were certain times during the cruise when the ice rink was open for passengers; however, I never got the chance to use it. I ended up being so busy touring while the ship was docked in port. I found a short video showing the skating rink when it's open to the public. Click HERE (thanks to njbettle).

If you like what the Liberty of the Seas has to offer and are interested in cruising, you can search for cruises on this particular ship HERE. I came across this book -- Beginners Guide to Cruising: your personal planning guide-- which explains all the ins & outs of cruising for beginners. 

We'll visit another port soon! 

Degustación de Tapas - Part 9

A 6 day cruise from Barcelona to various ports continues...^_^

After visiting Monaco and Monte Carlo, our ship cruised slowly onward to the next destination. Our next port was a small town called Civitavecchia, but many people (including myself) would travel about an hour inland to....Rome, Italy! ^_^

I prepared a lot before the trip -- reading guide books and reserving online tickets. My friend would be the navigator, having researched train schedules and maps.

We caught the local train from Civitavecchia station to Rome San Pietro.

Scenes from TrenItalia... (Italian Rail):

Top left, to bottom right:
1. Cutenekko in the freezing cold. / 2. Inside the train.
3. How to open the door. / 4. The station, San Pietro.

Due to our cruise schedule time constraints, my partner and I agreed to visit four places in Rome: The Vatican, the Vatican museum, the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain. From San Pietro station we walked about 15 minutes to Vatican City. Despite the rainy weather, we both were in awe at the immensity of the square...

Vatican City:

I had made reservations to explore the Vatican museums, starting from 10.30 AM, as my friend really wanted to see the Sistine Chapel. Online reservations are highly recommended; otherwise, be prepared to wait in lines of 4+ hours! 

We took the short route through the museum, enjoying views of the intricate ceilings. Be prepared for a sore neck as you will be looking up a lot here! 

Scenes from inside the Vatican Museum: 

Top left, right and bottom right: various ceilings
Bottom left: the spiraling staircase which exits the museum

Photos are not permitted inside the Sistine Chapel, but you can take a look HERE. (wiki) The Chapel is famous for Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam". I read online that bringing a mirror to the chapel is best for those who want to prevent neck pain. 

After the Vatican, we used our BIRG ticket (see travel tips at the end of the blog), to ride the metro and visit some famous sights in Rome. First, Trevi Fountain, famous for its appearance in "Roman Holiday" (which all Japanese love!). Of course, I threw a coin over my shoulder in hopes of returning again. Next, we headed over to the Coliseum and the Arch of Constantine. 

Roman Holiday, cutenekko style:  

Top Left: Arch of Constantine/ Top right: Coliseum
Bottom left and right: Trevi Fountain

In between all the walking and sightseeing, we took a lunch break. My friend wanted to eat pizza. I got to realize my dream of eating Italian gelato (in Italy! Woo!!) near San Pietro station...^_^

Italy: a foodie's delight.

1. water and free breadsticks. 2. pizza! 3. the gelato selection ^_^

After a long, rainy day in Rome, we headed back to the port and had some time to explore Civitavecchia. As the rain had stopped, we walked from the train station to the port entrance (about 20 minutes). I enjoyed a huge statue recreating the famous World War II photo -- "The Kiss".

Civitavecchia -- quite a romantic little place..^_^

Inserts: our ship, the Liberty of the Seas 

Funny how the rain stopped only when we were leaving. Oh well. It was grand day. Back on the ship, we enjoyed dinner and a show. Visit again soon to see more from the Liberty. 

The restaurant we ate at was great. The staff were extremely friendly -- even when we asked for something not on the menu. Highly recommended! Ristorante - Pizzeria La Fontanella Sistina. 

**Travel tips: 
Travel from Civitavecchia to Rome by train:
If you want to visit the Vatican, don't go all the way to Rome Termini (station). Get off at Rome San Pietro and you can walk (there are lots of signs-- takes 15 minutes). This tip will save you about 30 minutes, plus spending money on the metro, as the Rome Termini is quite far from Vatican City. Also, Rome Termini is notorious for pickpockets and thieves, San Pietro is quieter and much safer. ^_^

On buying Italian Gelato:
There are many scams. Buy only from shops that have the prices clearly displayed. A typical double cup should be 3 Euros. Anything more than 5 Euros is a scam.

Going to Rome? Buy a BIRG Ticket:
This is a great travel deal. A BIRG ticket costs 12 Euros and is valid for one day. (two day passes are also available for more) You can ride TrenItalia, Rome's buses and their metro. Get on and off as much as you like. You can purchase the BIRG ticket at any TrenItalia station. More info from Trip Advisor is HERE.

Want to see the famous sights? Book online -- in advance!
If you don't reserve ahead of time, you'll have to wait in line -- long lines. You can reserve the Vatican Museum, inside the Coliseum and other museums around Italy, all online. Best to reserve at least one month in advance to secure your ideal date and time. Just Google what you want to see and compare prices. I recommend the website Weekend in Italy. They were excellent and reasonable.  

Degustación de Tapas - Part 8

Okay! I've had my Spanish siesta; now it's time to get back onboard the Liberty of the Seas for more European Tapas.... 

The last report from my trip to Barcelona was aboard a cruise ship; we spotted land ahead and pulled into the harbor for the first stop on the 6 day cruise. Where were we...?

...the answer: in France!  Our cruise ship docked offshore, in the lovely French Mediterranean harbor near Nice, (officially called Villefranche). The Citadel from this town was featured in the James Bond movie: Never say Never. (source: LINK -- At the link, scroll down to see videos scenes from the film.)

Bonjour mes amis. ^_^

From top left to bottom right:
1. our cruise ship / 2. View of the village from the shuttle boat
3. Cutenekko arrives in France! / 4. View of our cruise ship from the hill

My friend and I joined an excursion via the cruise ship company. We wanted to try what all the Americans did -- join a tour. So we boarded our bus which drove us along the scenic ocean road. Our tour guide mentioned Villefrance is home to many celebrity villas -- Tina Turner, Bono (from U2) and Sean Lennon (John Lennon's son) all have homes here.

Our bus continued onward to the first of two stops...Monaco!

Monaco is actually its own country and ruled by royalty. The most famous member being the late Grace Kelly, who, upon marrying the Prince, became Princess Grace of Monaco. The church where the couple were married was included on our tour. Let's go inside....

Church outside....

Bottom two photos show images from inside the church.

When Princess Grace was unfortunately killed in a car accident, her remains were buried inside this church. While I felt strange taking photos of the tomb, many tourists were doing so...when in Rome..? 

Our tour also included a 40 minute stop at the Palace of Monaco and we spent some time exploring the back streets, which were hidden between cute pink buildings. 

More scenes from Monaco...

Top Left to Bottom Right:
1. Painting inside Monaco church/ 2. Princess Grace's tomb
3. the Royal Palace/ 4. a side street featuring restaurants

Next, our bus rolled along the ocean road to arrive at our other destination -- Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo and Monaco also hosted scenes from the James Bond film: Goldeneye.

My friend, a race car fan, was excited to catch a glimpse of the stands and start line for the F1 Monaco Grand Prix (to be held May 23 - 26 -- more info is HERE) from our tour bus. We also got to walk part of the track, viewing a hairpin turn. It was pretty surreal.

The highlight and main stop was the famous casino in Monte Carlo. Here, we saw so many expensive cars -- Rolls Royce Phantoms, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porches, etc, etc. We also saw many car fans just sitting on the side of the road, taking photos while the expensive cars passed in front of the casino. If you want to marry a rich man, ladies, this is the place to hang out! (laugh)

Left: Monaco F1 Grand Prix/ Right: Cutenekko in front of the casino
(No, I did not gamble!!)

The amount of wealth on display in these two areas was mind boggling. My friend and I are both kind of cheap; we average $10 for two on dinner and I never buy clothes which are more than $30. As a result, Monaco and Monte Carlo felt out of our comfort zone. I couldn't relate to the people here at all, but it was nice to visit and satisfied my curiosity.  Also, as a fan of James Bond, you could say my travel urges were "shaken, not stirred." (laugh)

The ship will depart for the next port soon. Check back tomorrow for more. 

Want to visit Monaco? See travel information HERE.

Interested in trying your luck at the casino in Monte Carlo? Visit HERE for more information and a list of famous celebrities who live in the area. 

Degustación de Tapas - Part 7

Cutenekko's notes from her first cruise continue...

After settling into our stateroom and gorging ourselves on a delicious meal, we took advantage of one of the first shows onboard -- a tapas tasting of the various musical and entertainment shows to be held during the cruise. Hosted by the cruise director, the mini show was held in the huge Platinum theatre, on Decks 2 ~ 4.

Inside the theater:


The show included musical performances by the ship's big band, and one performance from "In the Air",  created by Cirque du Soleil. There was also a juggler and an announcement about various activities onboard by the cruise director. It was really fun. ^_^

Let's move on to the next activity....

Something new aboard many Royal Caribbean ships -- Dreamworks movie character "meet-and-greets" and character parades. This parade was held the first night onboard, while our ship left Barcelona. The venue was Deck 5's "Royal Promenade",  which is a large, open space hosting many small eateries, cafes, and shops. During the show, I saw: Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda, several characters from "Madagascar"...

I shot a video of one dancer who stopped in front of me:

This night's crossing was very rough; while watching the parade, many passengers were having a hard time standing in one spot as the ship lurched about.

The parade route: 

Before embarking on this cruise, we agreed to be early birds. The following morning, we jumped out of bed before 6am, and headed all the way up to Deck 11, where breakfast was served in the Windjammer cafe. My mom (who had been on a Royal Caribbean cruise before) raved about this cafe, so I was eager to try it.

Perhaps my photo shows I was a little too eager? (it's 6.30 in the morning after all.... *laughs*)

Woo! My favorite time of the day! Breakfast!!!

I love a big breakfast, and Royal Caribbean did not disappoint me. There was so much food and a great variety. I took a few photos: 

O..M..G! Fruit!!! ^_^

So many kinds of cereal! (In Japan, there are only 3 or 4 kinds...*cries*)

After sitting down at a table by a large window, I was able to snap a photo of the sunrise: 

Our breakfast spread:

My partner and I could not stop smiling while eating our morning meal. It was so delicious and eating right next to a view of the water? Wow! 

All through breakfast, our ship steamed onward to the first port. Curious to know where we're headed? Stop by tomorrow to find out! ^_^

Land ahoy!

 Royal Caribbean's the Liberty of the Seas ship info is HERE.

Degustación de Tapas - Part 6

Travels in Barcelona, Spain continue...

Tapas are small, succulent dishes of Spanish cuisine, which give diners a sense of different ingredients, flavors, etc. The title of this blog series, Degustación de Tapas, means "Tapas Tasting". My trip to Barcelona had been deliciously fun thus far, but the real reason for traveling was to get a "taste" of not only Spain, but also, Europe.

After lunch, (see yesterday's post) my travel partner and I jumped in a taxi and lugged our luggage over to this place: Terminal B at Moll Adossat.

Someone taking my picture, while I'm taking a picture! (laugh)

What were we doing here? Well, I wanted to get on board this: The Liberty of the Seas.

Yay! My first cruise!

My friend and I had quite a history together which always involved water -- we had taken harbor cruises together, went fishing, hiked around an island, stolled through an oceanfront park,  and drove along an ocean toll road. As lovers of water, we both really wanted to try a cruise, so my friend found the cruise ship and I made the reservations.

The five night cruise aboard the Liberty would take us to three different countries, and four different ports. We were extremely excited. ^_^

Being my first cruise, I took photos of the whole process. The check in system was similar to boarding a flight....
Our room was on Deck 6, so we got in the appropriate line up, waiting only about 10 minutes. 

The check in counter. 
I was amazed at the number of staff. The whole process was very smooth and over in less than 20 minutes. 

At check in, we were giving our SeaPass card. It has your name, room number and muster (emergency drill) station listed on it. The SeaPass card becomes your passport and is used to identify you on board.

Once onboard, there is a security check in which staff take your photo and register it to the SeaPass card. Every time you leave and re-board the ship, they check your photo and card, making sure your face matches their information.

This line up only took 5 minutes.

After passing security, we enjoyed getting lost while trying to find our room. ^_^ After a long walk, we found it!! ^_^

I had read before taking this trip that cruise ship staterooms are small, cramped, etc. I was pleasantly surprised to find our spacious room was slightly bigger than my Japanese apartment. (laugh) Let's take a tour!

The toilet and shower:

Checking out the vanity mirror: 

A "Welcome Aboard!" message:

View of the whole stateroom.
This was a superior balcony room, Deck 6. 

The balcony. 

My friend soon got anxious and wanted to try the other purpose for selecting a cruise -- the food!  We headed down one deck to our dining room and enjoyed our first onboard meal. Check out the happy faces!!

My appetizer -- shrimp with garlic bread:

My main dish -- roast pork: 

The most sinful dessert ever -- chocolate mousse cake with ice cream:

I was disappointed with myself as I couldn't finish it.
Whaaa!

The view from our dining room looking down at the other two dining rooms: 

Have your eyes been filled with a feast of delectable photos yet? If you're still hungry, there will be more Tapas served up tomorrow. ^_^

Several cruise ship company's sail out of Barcelona. Information about the cruise terminal is HERE. 

The Liberty of the Seas, by Royal Caribbean, is the third largest ship in the world (tied with 3 other ships), and ranks the eighth most popular ship on Cruise Critic. Photos and info on the ship can be found HERE. The top ten most popular cruises can be found HERE. 

A list of the world's largest cruise ships is HERE. 

Degustación de Tapas - Part 5

Sightseeing in Barcelona, Spain continues....

The third day of my holiday was the most exciting. In the late afternoon, I had to be at a specific location, but before that...there was time to explore a little more of this beautiful city!

The weather was sunny, so we headed out to the beach. Did you know Barcelona has 4 beaches all within 10 minutes of the city center? To travel to the waterfront, we tried the city metro for the first time. Being a train fan, of course I sneaked some photos of the subway... ^_^

Inside the city metro:

Train doors opened... 

...and closed. This was interesting for me: in Spain the train doors have a green button that you have to push to open them. In Japan, the doors are all automatic, so I was quite surprised you have to open the carriage doors manually!

After a short ride, we arrived at the station Villa Olympica, closest stop to the beaches area.

I am here.

The beaches and waterfront were better than I had imagined. According to the guide book, this space was developed for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Before that time, Barcelona residents didn't care much for the waterfront. The Olympics changed their attitudes completely. And no wonder! A long boardwalk, perfect for strolling, running, even rollerblading snaked along the beach. It was a slice of heaven for city residents.

Beach on the left, boardwalk on the right.
The building in the distance is the new W hotel. 

If you add me to the photo above, you'll get this... (laugh) 

Water + cutenekko =  big smiles ^_^

My friend and I continued to walk along Icaria beach and headed over to the wharf. Here, we were told by the hostal owner, were lots of great restaurants. We came to enjoy a famous Spanish dish paella, and I wanted to try the fruity red wine called sangria.

From the boardwalk down to the wharf area, near Icaria beach. 
The large fish monument in the center was created for the Olympics. 

After looking at all the choices, we found one restaurant which opened early just for us. I loved our table!

Cutenekko says "meow!" 
(translation: Holy sheep...I'm next to the Spanish Mediterranean! WOO!) 

Notice the bowl of olives on the table? 

My sangria. 

I don't drink alcohol, so I just asked for one glass. Sangria is usually served in 500 ml or 1L decanters.

How was the taste? It was alright, but quite watered down. I ended up drinking a much better sangria later in the trip. I'll share that in a future blog post. 

The paella
This is a rice based dish with shrimp, clams, squid and octopus. It is baked in the oven and served very hot.

This one was a bit disappointing actually...it was very dry. 

By the time we finished eating, we had to hurry off to our appointment and what would be the real reason for our traveling so far from Japan. I'm excited to share that tomorrow. ^_^

The Barcelona tourist site has great information on the different city beaches. Click HERE to read more. 

You can make paella at home. Here is a recipe. For historical information about this dish, visit the WIKI page HERE. At a restaurant, paella is not cheap. Prices start at 12 Euros. 

The restaurant staff were kind, but very slow regarding service. Also, the food wasn't quite as good as we were promised. We both agreed, you really pay for the view, so I can't recommend this restaurant in Barcelona. I'll share the best restaurant I experienced in a later post.