12 Day Grand Mediterranean Review on the Norwegian Spirit

Just thought I would start a trip report on my recent 12 day Grand Mediterranean cruise on the Norwegian Spirit. I have never cruised NCL and was interested in trying a more mainstream line. My previous experiences were all on Seabourn and I will try to not to make this too much of a comparison as it is comparing apples and oranges in many regards but I will make commentary occasionally between the two for those that wonder whether luxury cruising is really worth it to them.

 

I have very little exposure to the Med and was really interested in hitting all the highlights. I checked out the luxury cruise itineraries and none were calling out to me considering I still was missing so many of the “big” sights so I started looking at the mainstream lines and this itinerary along with the dates was absolutely perfect.

 

If I recall correctly we booked this sometime in the February/March timeframe when NCL was offering two options with every booking so we were able to book the ultimate beverage package (UBP) and the ultimate dining package (UDP) inclusive with our booking. I am not super picky about cabin location so we just booked an ocean view guarantee. We also pre-paid our gratuities just before they went up so as to avoid that additional small upcharge. We received our cabin assignment in the July timeframe and ultimately decided to upgrade to a balcony cabin. It was $400 per person for the upgrade so not insignificant but I was happy to have the balcony and the light in the room.

 

Our itinerary was as follows in case NCL were to change it in the future. I will detail out each stop with my thoughts and photos and will answer questions along the way. I am sure some will turn up their nose and say I can’t believe you did this/that or whatever and can’t believe you missed X/Y but I was really happy with my choices and if I wasn’t I will be sure to tell you all so you can learn from my mistakes!

 

I did not do any ship’s tours as I prefer a more intimate experience. Some may not be comfortable doing that but I used reputable companies who frequently host cruise passengers so they are well aware of getting you back to the port on time. Sometimes our choices are cheaper/more expensive than the ship’s tours and most of the time more expensive than the DIY option. Make the choice that is right for you!

 

I am a well-traveled person and have stopped counting number of cities/states/countries visited but suffice it to say I needed to add pages to my last passport. I am traveling with another single female traveler and we frequently split up and do separate things but I never felt unsafe in any of these ports. This is certainly an itinerary I would recommend to someone even if they are not comfortable traveling abroad.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015------Barcelona, Spain (EMBARK)Wednesday, August 26, 2015----Provence (Toulon), France

Thursday, August 27, 2015-----Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy

Friday, August 28, 2015-------Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Saturday, August 29, 2015-----Naples, Italy

Sunday, August 30, 2015-------At Sea

Monday, August 31, 2015-------Mykonos, Greece

Tuesday, September 01, 2015 --Istanbul, Turkey

Wednesday, September 02, 2015-Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey

Thursday, September 03, 2015--Athens (Piraeus), Greece

Friday, September 04, 2015----At Sea

Saturday, September 05, 2015--Venice, Italy

Sunday, September 06, 2015----Venice, Italy (DISEMBARK)

 

Pictures and the fun stuff to come! Just as fair warning I am not a professional photographer and I didn't lug around some DSLR just to detail out every inch of the ship or the ports. I tried to capture the things that I couldn't readily find info on so hopefully others will find it interesting. My photos are all taken with an Iphone 6 and were no retouched because I ain't got time for that!

 

My goal is to write the first installment this evening on my flight to Frankfurt.

Hi

We are doing the same cruise on Sept.30 only backwards. We want to see Pompei and the Amalphi coast. Any suggestions on Tour that you used?

Better to prebook or find someone at the port? bankzky1944

Can't wait to read your review! We are sailing this same itinerary in May and I completely get what you are saying about this itinerary! I looked at every option and this one seemed to hit all MY must sees. I'm really sad that NCL is changing this itinerary next year (but thankfully after my cruise!). This would have been our first NCL experience too but we did a last minute family trip in the Getaway so I feel comfortable with the line but I really want to hear your thoughts vs a luxury line.

 

Please be really specific with your tour companies! I'm doing all independent (most already booked) but still have a couple that need to be finalized!

Omg is that not the best itenerary!! I cruised the 14 day in July on sprit!! Loved it!!

 

I used italytoursharing.com in all the italy ports. If u want a private joe bananas limo is awesome as well.

( look on their site as they offer a ton of tours - my fav naples positano sorrento restaurant)

 

I've been reading some ships are cancelling istanbul...what a shame as that was one of my favorite stops.

 

Looking forward to read the rest of ur review!! Don't u wish u could go back tomorrow, lol?

This is one of the cruises that is tempting me enormously. I'll be interested to hear how it went. It may tip me over the edge to booking...

Omg is that not the best itenerary!! I cruised the 14 day in July on sprit!! Loved it!!

 

I used italytoursharing.com in all the italy ports. If u want a private joe bananas limo is awesome as well.

( look on their site as they offer a ton of tours - my fav naples positano sorrento restaurant)

 

I've been reading some ships are cancelling istanbul...what a shame as that was one of my favorite stops.

 

Looking forward to read the rest of ur review!! Don't u wish u could go back tomorrow, lol?

There is no reason to cancel Istanbul. I have been to Istanbul multiple times and even did this port on my own as my cabin mate decided to stay on the ship. Istanbul is totally easy to DIY as the tram is right outside the cruise port and everything is easily accessible for very few Lira.

 

Can't wait to read your review! We are sailing this same itinerary in May and I completely get what you are saying about this itinerary! I looked at every option and this one seemed to hit all MY must sees. I'm really sad that NCL is changing this itinerary next year (but thankfully after my cruise!). This would have been our first NCL experience too but we did a last minute family trip in the Getaway so I feel comfortable with the line but I really want to hear your thoughts vs a luxury line.

 

Please be really specific with your tour companies! I'm doing all independent (most already booked) but still have a couple that need to be finalized!

I used Rome in Limo for the Naples, but we probably did the most non-traditional tour. We did an olive oil tasting / wine tasting / pizza making class but ended up loving it! I will post specifics on the tour when I get to that day!

This is one of the cruises that is tempting me enormously. I'll be interested to hear how it went. It may tip me over the edge to booking...

I will say that I was very pleased with the cruise and will detail that in great detail over the coming days. I am not one to drag a trip report over months as some people have done. I will however say that this is a fairly demanding physical cruise. I suggest doing it now rather than later in life. I reviewed several of the ship's itineraries and many of them said "Activity Level 2" which is pretty light, but what it fails to mention is while you can get to the "thing" with a level 2 it takes more to get to the really "cool" parts. I wear a fitbit and did no other physical exercise other than touring and regularly walked between 10-15K steps so plan accordingly.

Just thought I would start a trip report on my recent 12 day Grand Mediterranean cruise on the Norwegian Spirit. I have never cruised NCL and was interested in trying a more mainstream line. My previous experiences were all on Seabourn and I will try to not to make this too much of a comparison as it is comparing apples and oranges in many regards but I will make commentary occasionally between the two for those that wonder whether luxury cruising is really worth it to them.

 

I have very little exposure to the Med and was really interested in hitting all the highlights. I checked out the luxury cruise itineraries and none were calling out to me considering I still was missing so many of the “big” sights so I started looking at the mainstream lines and this itinerary along with the dates was absolutely perfect.

 

If I recall correctly we booked this sometime in the February/March timeframe when NCL was offering two options with every booking so we were able to book the ultimate beverage package (UBP) and the ultimate dining package (UDP) inclusive with our booking. I am not super picky about cabin location so we just booked an ocean view guarantee. We also pre-paid our gratuities just before they went up so as to avoid that additional small upcharge. We received our cabin assignment in the July timeframe and ultimately decided to upgrade to a balcony cabin. It was $400 per person for the upgrade so not insignificant but I was happy to have the balcony and the light in the room.

 

Our itinerary was as follows in case NCL were to change it in the future. I will detail out each stop with my thoughts and photos and will answer questions along the way. I am sure some will turn up their nose and say I can’t believe you did this/that or whatever and can’t believe you missed X/Y but I was really happy with my choices and if I wasn’t I will be sure to tell you all so you can learn from my mistakes!

 

I did not do any ship’s tours as I prefer a more intimate experience. Some may not be comfortable doing that but I used reputable companies who frequently host cruise passengers so they are well aware of getting you back to the port on time. Sometimes our choices are cheaper/more expensive than the ship’s tours and most of the time more expensive than the DIY option. Make the choice that is right for you!

 

I am a well-traveled person and have stopped counting number of cities/states/countries visited but suffice it to say I needed to add pages to my last passport. I am traveling with another single female traveler and we frequently split up and do separate things but I never felt unsafe in any of these ports. This is certainly an itinerary I would recommend to someone even if they are not comfortable traveling abroad.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015------Barcelona, Spain (EMBARK)Wednesday, August 26, 2015----Provence (Toulon), France

Thursday, August 27, 2015-----Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy

Friday, August 28, 2015-------Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Saturday, August 29, 2015-----Naples, Italy

Sunday, August 30, 2015-------At Sea

Monday, August 31, 2015-------Mykonos, Greece

Tuesday, September 01, 2015 --Istanbul, Turkey

Wednesday, September 02, 2015-Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey

Thursday, September 03, 2015--Athens (Piraeus), Greece

Friday, September 04, 2015----At Sea

Saturday, September 05, 2015--Venice, Italy

Sunday, September 06, 2015----Venice, Italy (DISEMBARK)

 

Pictures and the fun stuff to come! Just as fair warning I am not a professional photographer and I didn't lug around some DSLR just to detail out every inch of the ship or the ports. I tried to capture the things that I couldn't readily find info on so hopefully others will find it interesting. My photos are all taken with an Iphone 6 and were no retouched because I ain't got time for that!

 

My goal is to write the first installment this evening on my flight to Frankfurt.

Looking forward to read about your experience. We left the ship on August 25 in morning and watched it sail away same evening in Barcelona. We did 12 Nights Grand Mediterranean from Venice embarking on August 13.

Hi

We are doing the same cruise on Sept.30 only backwards. We want to see Pompei and the Amalphi coast. Any suggestions on Tour that you used?

Better to prebook or find someone at the port? bankzky1944

 

We used Can't Be Missed Tours, AMAZING tours in Naples and Roma,professional, well educated and trained guides.

Hi

We are doing the same cruise on Sept.30 only backwards. We want to see Pompei and the Amalphi coast. Any suggestions on Tour that you used?

Better to prebook or find someone at the port? bankzky1944

 

We used private taxi for family of 4 in Athens( extremely impressed with service and price). If you want can share the name and contact of the driver.

Looking forward to the rest of your review/photos.

 

Keith

Part 2

 

The cruise was sorted so I turned my attention to flights. I travel a lot for work and have a gluttonous amount of miles. I decided to indulge a bit and booked a British Airways flight from Houston to London and connect on to Barcelona on a 3 class plane in first class. I had read so much about the awesome BA service and seat that I was practically giddy to try it. The days leading up to this trip were stressful ones for me so I was literally packing the morning of the flight, luckily the BA flight from Houston (IAH) to London (LHR) didn’t leave till 8:25pm (20:25) so I had plenty of time.

 

I arrived in time to meet jenidallas at the BA first class lounge. Check in was a breeze and the security line was nonexistent at that time of the evening in Terminal D. The majority of the international flights are gone by that time and I knew that the lines would be short so I arrived just in time to enjoy about 30 minutes of catching up time before boarding. The lounge in IAH was pretty uninspiring so I was glad I didn’t bother planning extra time in the lounge. I know some aviation geeks are all impressed with lounges, but unless you are serving something better than I can get at home I am not going to leave my comfy couch just to eat potato chips and sip nondescript wines.

 

We were originally supposed to be delayed about 25 minutes but they did a good job turning the plane in IAH that we departed on time. I supposed I was expecting fairy wings, angels and unicorns but I was completely underwhelmed by BA first class. Yes, this a first world problem as I know that it was loads better than flying economy. I guess I had just read how great it was and was holding them to some high standards after flying both international first on Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific but I found it barely on par with American and United.

 

Here I am in my first class seat.

 

The amenity kit was okay, but there was nothing that I was like OMG I have to hoard THAT!

 

We finally settled in and we were served warm nuts and a glass of champagne

Shortly thereafter menus were distributed and I was really only interested in the shrimp main course but unfortunately they were out of it by the time they got to my seat. I settled on the beef which was okay for “sky food” but it was certainly nothing to write home about. The steak was somewhere between medium and medium well which is actually pretty decent for airplanes as the majority of the time I have had beef in the air it is usually cooked within an inch of its life. I prefer rare meat which just isn’t going to happen on a plane.

 

 

The appetizer was a lobster dish but it was cold and dry. It was left mostly untouched on my plate.

 

I asked for a glass of water with lots of ice and this is what I got. I know that iced drinks are not common in Europe.

TIP: Learn to drink most drinks with only a cube of ice. If you ask for “lots” you will maybe get 2 or 3 more cubes. 

 

 

I ended with the cheese plate but it was nothing special. Finally tired I asked the flight attendant to make my seat into a bed while I used the lavatory. I really didn’t like the seat and tossed and turned for a good part of the night. The plane was kept uncomfortably warm but I felt uncomfortable lying just on top of the blanket as the seat was very exposed. I gave up on trying sleeping when the FA came around offering breakfast, which was probably the only really good thing on the plane. I wish I had just skipped the dinner all together and focused on just the breakfast.

 

 

All in all I was disappointed in the flight part of BA but I still had the Concorde Room in London Heathrow to look forward to where I had prearranged my complimentary back massage for the layover. I couldn’t wait to get off the plane and head to the CCR!

Thanks for the BA report <nice to be able to say that on these boards without meaning Breakaway>. I fly regularly to the Middle East and we try to avoid BA at all costs, even in F. At least you were treated to New Generation First - significantly better than the old offering but still nothing compared to Qatar, Emirates, Singapore or Etihad. Heck, I much prefer Virgin Atlantic J, especially with their LHR clubhouse.

 

On your return you shall be treated to the best part of flying F on BA - the million pound door straight to the CCR and a Elemis treatment.

Thanks for the BA report <nice to be able to say that on these boards without meaning Breakaway>. I fly regularly to the Middle East and we try to avoid BA at all costs, even in F. At least you were treated to New Generation First - significantly better than the old offering but still nothing compared to Qatar, Emirates, Singapore or Etihad. Heck, I much prefer Virgin Atlantic J, especially with their LHR clubhouse.

 

On your return you shall be treated to the best part of flying F on BA - the million pound door straight to the CCR and a Elemis treatment.

I am currently sitting comfortably in my Lufthansa First class suite on my way back to Houston from Frankfurt. I won't spoil all the fun of the flight but I am on my second serving on caviar. :D Edited September 7, 2015 by nolatravelgirl

I am currently sitting comfortably in my Lufthansa First class suite on my way back to Houston from Frankfurt. I won't spoil all the fun of the flight but I am on my second serving on caviar. :D

 

Can't wait to see what car you got :)

I can't wait to hear what you thought of your flight from London to Barcelona. BA used to rule the world, sat back and basked in the glory whilst allowing the world to pass them by and offer a far better product. The middle eastern airlines like Qatar, and Etihad are the way to fly now along with Cathay and Singapore. I will not fly BA on a shorthaul flight in Club ever again and look at others for longhaul too.

 

I am looking forward to your review of the Spirit, it is a special ship for me and I have many friends among the crew sailing her. They are a cut above British Airways staff for sure.

I can't wait to hear what you thought of your flight from London to Barcelona. BA used to rule the world, sat back and basked in the glory whilst allowing the world to pass them by and offer a far better product. The middle eastern airlines like Qatar, and Etihad are the way to fly now along with Cathay and Singapore. I will not fly BA on a shorthaul flight in Club ever again and look at others for longhaul too.

 

I am looking forward to your review of the Spirit, it is a special ship for me and I have many friends among the crew sailing her. They are a cut above British Airways staff for sure.

 

I like BA for Club Europe - especially since we have the new lounge in AMS, much as I like KLM for European short haul too. I did the T3 > BCN a few weeks ago and had no issues - a good breakfast and some champagne that isn't going to win awards is better than NCL's sparkling 'with compliments' wine.

Edited September 7, 2015 by SwissLe

Part 3

 

We arrived in LHR right on time. Unfortunately we were parked at a remote stand which meant we had to walk down the slick metal steps holding hand luggage. I was extra careful and piled on to the awaiting bus. We were smashed in like sardines and finally deposited at the terminal. Jenidallas is the BA expert so I took to just following her through the maze of people. We made our way to passport control at T5 where we were stopped back in our tracks. The agent informed us that all Barcelona (BCN) flights were going out of T3. We then had to swim upstream and back track the exact way we came to the bus stop where we would take a LONG bus ride across the tarmac to T3. Once at T3 we then took a LONG walk down a maze of hallways, tunnels, escalators, etc where we finally arrived at the BA First Galleries lounge.

 

Again I had my hopes dashed. I was expecting angels, unicorns and the Concorde Room. Instead I was in the T3 Galleries Lounge. It was “fine” but it certainly didn’t live up to what I was hoping with the CCR. Because we were in T3 we didn’t get any Elemis spa treatments and it just seemed rather ho hum especially considering the long walk and ride to get to the terminal.

 

There were shower facilities there and by that point I was hot and sweaty so I took a nice cool shower and refreshed enough to make it BCN. It was certainly not “The Wing” from Cathay Pacific, but it was perfectly serviceable. The lounge was mostly empty and we had a hard time flagging down a waiter to place an order. Jenidallas was craving the cheeseburger. Not one to be left out I ordered one as well. The cheeseburger was quite tasty and I thought the self-serve champagne bar at the lounge was pretty cool.

 

 

It was finally time to board our flight to BCN which was on a regular narrow body plane with no real first class seats. European carriers just block off the middle seat in economy and call it “business class” which is fine. We were in BCN in a little under 2 hours. It was impressive that we were served a snack service tray along with beverages on this very short flight. I have been on longer USA flights where the FA’s stayed seated and said it was too short of flight to even attempt a drinks service. In this regard US based airlines could take a lesson from the European carriers.

 

We went down to baggage claim and our bags soon appeared on the belt so that was good. I had packed my 22 inch rollaboard with an assortment of items that certainly would have sufficed for the trip, but I was glad to see that my bigger bag arrived with no problems.

 

I had researched taking public transport in BCN but we ultimately decided to just take a taxi in BCN to the hotel. It was 35 Euros to the Le Meridien on La Rambla. Public transport doesn’t scare me but trying to figure out where the heck you are going while lugging bags is not my idea of fun and the taxi was reasonable in cost when split two ways.

 

The hotel was in a super convenient location and a great spot for most anything you may want to do. This hotel was lovely but the nightly rate may be out of some people’s budget. If you have Starwood Preferred Guest points you can cash in points wh;ich may be a good use of points.

 

TIP: Hotels in Europe are quite expensive. If you have credit card points or hotel points now is the time to use them, especially in the high season where the rates get really expensive. Other options are Air BNB and other apartment style rentals.

 

We were upgraded to a Junior suite which was really just a bigger room with a large sofa and coffee table. The bathroom had a bidet and a decent sized tub/shower combo. I am sure jenidallas will do a full hotel review so I will link back to it when she is done. My one gripe was the tub/shower had deep sides and you also had to step up onto a little ledge prior to stepping into the deep shower.

 

The sun was setting in the evening and after a bit of a nap we decided to head out on to the La Rambla for a bite to eat. We turned right onto La Rambla and stopped shortly at Sukaldari. The food and wine were tasty. We sat at the bar and were able to point at the various tapas dishes on offer which was nice. The wine was less than 5 Euro per glass and the tapas were also reasonable.

 

 

We did a nice walk down La Rambla looking for another small snack and another drink. Our next choice was not so good and I would NOT recommend. The empty tables along La Rambla should have been a warning sign along with the absence of a price list on the alcohol.

 

Here are some photos of the place you should NOT eat.

 

 

 

These were supposed to be fried artichoke leaves but it was really just quartered artichoke hearts and the centers were not cooked through. Yuck!

 

The second stop was nearly 60 euros for one basket of artichokes, 1 sangria and 1 split of wine for one.

 

TIP: if you want to eat at any of the sidewalk tables along La Rambla check out the food AND drink prices prior to sitting down.

 

It wouldn’t be a trip to Europe without Gelato. We made up for our overpriced dinner by finishing the night with a scoop of Gelato! It wasn’t OMG gelato but certainly worth the 2 Euros!

 

 

 

Tomorrow we experience Barcelona in the daytime!

OP-I'm loving the review and your writing style-you're just as sarcastic as I am!

 

@addicted to sea-I'd love the info on the Athens taxi driver! That's one port we don't have finalized yet.

I am enjoying your review. My husband and I will be on the Grand Med cruise next summer, so I am looking forward to hearing all about your adventures.

Thanks very much! Great job so far. Am looking forward to more. We'll be in Bar. in Jan.

Part 4

 

Today we had a full day in Barcelona and our adventure today was a food tour with Culinary Backstreets. The tour cost $135 per person and is a small intimate tour. We booked the “Blessed by the Mediterranean: Exploring Barcelona’s Seaside Neighborhoods.”

 

Jenidallas has already summarized this stop so you can read her review here, but below are my impressions of the food tours. I was really excited about this tour. Spanish tapas are totally my thing. I love small shared plates and trying lots of different things verses a giant meal is much more style. Combine that with some walking in between to work up an appetite and I was sooo excited. This food tour started at 9:30am where we were to meet David at the entrance to the market. It was a little awkward and sort of like a first date. We had a photo of David but of course when you are looking for someone they all start to look alike. We finally met up with David and the 4 other people joining our tour. 6 people for this tour was a perfect number. It allowed us to get into smaller places without overtaking a single place.

 

Here was our meeting spot a Santa Caterina Market.

 

Our first stop was right inside the market and was a stop where I got to try a cortado, which is a shot of espresso with a splash of steamed milk. It was perfect. Normally I would have ordered an Americano but I knew it was going to be a warm steamy walk so I thought a quick pick me up of caffeine without a ton of extra water and milk would be the best bet. I have to say it was yummy!

 

TIP: if you prefer Splenda/Equal in Europe then you should probably pack your own. I found it very inconsistent to find it with any regularity and while I love real sugar in my coffee drinks I know that too much early in the morning does not sit well with me.

Our coffee stop also included some sliced meats, tomato breads and a potato and egg style quiche. I give this stop two thumbs up!

 

Look for this coffee if you are ordering a coffee!

 

These are the foods we tasted at our first stop. If you are weirded out by sharing then you may not like this tour. I thought there was plenty for everyone considering this was the first stop.

 

We walked a bit through the market and stopped at cheese monger. I am a cheese lover so this was totally up my alley. We sampled two cheeses that were divine! I could have tasted them all on display but unfortunately we had to save room for future stops.

 

 

 

We had two more stops in the market. One was at a fish counter where we tasted these awful codfish balls and another where we tasted olives. I didn’t take a photo of the codfish balls because I hated them. The guide apologized to the group and said that because it was a Monday and August that the choices were limited. He was going to tell the owners of the company that this “fill in” vendor should be dropped if their regular vendor is not available. I am not a huge olive fan so I can’t really comment on them.

 

We exited the market and headed into the streets. It was a gorgeous day to be walking about the city.

 

 

More to come of this fabulous food tour but I am limited to 6 photos per post. This tour deserves more than 6 photos so I will continue on in another post!

Part 5

 

It was nice to be out in the streets of Barcelona. It was warm but not unbearable as we were able to duck into the shade of various buildings. Our next stop was a historic sweet shop where we got to try Horchata super sweet nut based drink and some nutty nougat. I really wished I had bought some of the nougat but alas you can’t take everything home with you!

 

 

The next stop was a bulk foods store where they sold dried fruits, grains, rices and beans. They also sold a wonderful dark chocolate that we were able to taste.

 

 

 

We did make a short stop at Saint Mary of the Sea Church which if it were planted in any US city would be a major tourist stop, but since Europe is literally littered with amazing churches this church is often overlooked. Not saying it is a destination of itself but if you are in the area definitely drop in.

 

 

Our next stop was at another dry foods market where they roasted nuts. We saw the machines and were able to taste several samples!

 

 

At this point I was getting a bit tired of walking and had to use the toilet so I was glad our next stop was a sit down stop. We sat down at a bar where they brought us fresh fried calamari, fried bocarones (sardines) and a bottle of red wine. I enjoyed talking to our fellow tour mates who were only in BCN for the day for a cruise stop on Crystal Cruises.

 

 

More of this tour to come. It was now in the afternoon so we had lots more stops with adult beverages!

I'm glad you've recommended the church. I'm stopping in Barcelona for a day before my November cruise and that is on the list of things to see. Did you stop at any of the markets on Las Ramblas?

Part 6

 

Now that we were starting to have some adult beverages the group was getting more animated and more comfortable with each other. Our guide brought us to Bar Leo a small bar that pays homage to Flamenco dancing. For some reason this reminded me of some of the off the wall bars in New Orleans down to the eccentric owner who brought us cod fritters to enjoy with our cocktails. These fritters were very good. I loved this stop and would definitely go back!

 

 

 

We travel a short distance to Bodega Fermin. OMG I thought the previous stop was my favorite, but after visiting this one I was in love. Everything we tasted here was just delicious; I could have licked the plates clean! Sorry I don’t have a picture of the best dish but it had chorizo, fried eggs and honey. I know it sounds totally weirdo but trust me it was delicious. I did not want to share once I tasted it!

 

 

 

We could have ended the tour right here and I would have been thrilled but David had another stop in store for us. We stopped at a small deli/restaurant/shop called Vila Vinateca. They have these amazing hams that they will slice fresh for you. We learned about the ageing/curing process of the hams then sat down for a tasting of three different hams accompanied by a glass of cava.

 

 

 

 

Our tour guide was amazing and made a great recommendation for our dinner that evening. Review of that to come! Overall I thought this food tour was well worth the money and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to experience some of the food of Barcelona.

 

Here is the info if you would like to book. Be sure to book early as these are small group tours and fill up fast.

 

Culinary Backstreets

Group Size: 2-7

Cost: $135/person

(fee includes everything consumed on the walk)

Start/End: 9:30am-3:00pm

Looks like you've had a great time already!! I have always wanted to do a Med cruise, but have been intimidated by the ports and my lack of knowledge of the areas. Can't wait to read the rest! :)