OCD Planner's Mah-valous Mediterranean Adventure on Serenade of the Seas

[Elmartellama]

Glad to see you had a nice time in Mallorca. The first part of November was much warmer than usual this and also last year, it might be really wet and rainy that time of the year, so you were quite lucky!

[ace1zoe2]

Glad to see you had a nice time in Mallorca. The first part of November was much warmer than usual this and also last year, it might be really wet and rainy that time of the year, so you were quite lucky!

 

Mallorca was beautiful and yes, we were very lucky the entire week with the weather. If we are ever blessed enough to return to Palma I will be visiting the Cathedral and the Castle!

 

Cindy

[ace1zoe2]

On Tuesday morning we arrived in Valencia, Spain's third largest city with close to a million people there. About 3/4 of the population works in the tourism and service industries. It is also home to Valencia oranges.

 

This is a port where there are also lots of things to do in the city with the parks, 30+ museums, the City of Arts & Science, the cathedrals, HOHO tours and more. By the time we arrived in Valencia we'd probably been in 15 cathedrals and done lots of city walks. We decided early on that we would do something off the beaten path here and get out of town.

 

We booked a private tour through Do-Valencia! The information about the tours and prices can be found here: http://www.do-valencia.com/shore-excursions-valencia.html

 

I opened this tour up to our Roll Call and we ended up with 8 from our group and 8 from the Roll Call. Our tour guide was Mike, who owns the business with a partner. He is originally from Canada, went on a business trip to Spain, met a girl & ended up moving there and marrying her. He was a really nice guy and provided us with a full day of fun.

 

The port in Valencia is quite aways from the terminal. We all met outside the ship in a covered enclosed tent type area and once we were all there we boarded a shuttle bus (city size bus) to take us to the terminal. Upon arriving at the terminal Mike was there waiting for us with a mini bus and there was plenty of room to spread out.

 

We spent about the first 30-45 minutes doing a driving tour of the highlights in Valencia before heading out of town for the remainder of our tour. He are some of the things we saw.

 

Valencia is home to a LOT of Mosaic art, the blue thing here is all mosaic as are several buildings:

 

 

Not a great picture but you can see the bell tower and get a sense of the old buildings in the downtown area:

 

 

The Cathedral:

 

 

I also have a thing for doors... not sure why but I love to take pictures of doors in architecture. I've held off on posting all the various pictures I took during this trip but suffice it to say, there are a lot of them!

 

 

I didn't take too many pictures in the town of Valencia because we were in a moving vehicle with cars passing, people in all the views, etc. The ones I did take were mostly blurred. I really cannot tell you which direction that we went when we left Valencia but on the way we passed this large castle and Mike told us that you can actually go there and tour it. No idea where it is or what it's called though...

 

 

There were charming little towns along the way:

 

 

Ooops, times up...I'll be back later today to do more but lunch time is over & I've got to get back to work so that I can pay for my next cruise!

[K Kruisers]

Are there refrigerators on Serenade? What if insulin needs one?

[ace1zoe2]

Are there refrigerators on Serenade? What if insulin needs one?

 

 

Yes there was a fridge in our cabin. It doesn't get super cold but was cool.

 

You can also contact special needs at : special_needs@rccl.com if you have medical or other needs.

 

Cindy

 

 

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Edited December 12, 2014 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

More great views along the way. This picture is a little on the crooked side but I love the church with the blue domes.

 

 

Orange groves in the front, olives in the back. This was taken while driving so excuse then blur:

 

 

We stopped along the way, in Navajos where we were to visit the Bridal Veil waterfalls. Along our walk to the waterfalls we were treated with the flora & fauna of the local flowers and trees.

 

Silly me always thought black olives and green olives came from two different trees... guess that's why they are referred to as "ripe" olives when they turn black.

 

 

This was a massive olive tree, no telling how long it has been around!

 

 

Just my luck the park service was working in the area and we were not allowed to enter... so we only got to see it from above which was a disappointment. Here's what we saw:

 

 

The canyon area was much prettier and had some smaller falls:

 

[ace1zoe2]

On the walk back to the bus we saw some beautiful flowers and fruit:

 

 

 

 

This day on our trip was a little chilly and and drizzled off and on during the morning time. After our walk to the falls (which we really weren't able to see) we continued on to the town of Jerica where we made a short stop to use the facilities at a convenience store. It allowed me enough time to cross the road and get a nice picture of the town.

 

 

Any idea what this might be?

 

 

People pay hundreds of dollars a day to be inside one of these during the running of the bulls!

 

Our next stop was on a pull out near this large mountain.

 

[ace1zoe2]

We finally saw some small waterfalls below - I'm sure they would have looked much larger if we had been down where they were.

 

 

 

Then we walked through a tunnel a little farther down the road for a different view:

 

 

 

These rock cliffs are favorites among local rock/mountain climbers:

 

 

Not far away we walked down a paved road probably half a mile to see the ponytail geyser. It is a horizontal spray of water that is amazing... it sprays several hundred feet across and the mist travels even further. I'm not sure where the water comes from but it never stops.

 

[ace1zoe2]

The water actually comes from the dam. It really is loud and the mist sprays you way before you ever reach the actual ponytail.

 

 

 

Then we rebounded our bus and traveled a short way to Montanejos to the hot springs. We had all worn our swimsuits under our clothes and had planned to swim... however the night before Valencia had a several inches of rain which is very unusual according to our tour guide, Mike. The water was very cool, now where warm enough for any of us to swim.

 

 

It was a beautiful area, and if you stood where the water coming up into the springs you could feel the warmth. The water was very clear and you could see the bottom as well as fish swimming about. We probably spent about 30 minutes here for everyone to take pictures, wade in the water and just walk about.

 

 

 

 

I really enjoyed out time at the hot springs. I just wish it would have been warm and we could have relaxed for a bit. It would also have been a nice place to bring kids and to have a picnic. After our time here we rebounded the shuttle bus and within a few short minutes stopped in a tiny town for lunch. We entered a side door with no name that looked like a whole in the wall...

[ace1zoe2]

We were all seated at a long table and all agreed to let Mike take care of ordering local tapas for everyone. Mike spoke to the owner in Spanish and we ordered our drinks (water, sangria on tap, local beers and more) and had a great conversation while waiting our our foods to arrive.

 

 

That's Mike our tour guide standing up, leaning in from the right side. Our first tapas that was brought out was escargot (or snails still in the shells to be exact) which were cooked in a very good sauce. You actually took a toothpick & pulled the snail out, leaving the last part (the stomach) inside. You ate the snail whole from the toothpick and were then supposed to take the shell and dip it in the sauce to fill it up and then drink it from the shell. I did eat 3 but I did not drink the sauce.

 

 

These were Papas Bravas (Brave Potatoes) and they were spicy. They were very good!

 

 

We had whole shrimp with the heads & legs still on. There were olives, the toasted bread with a tomato sauce on it, there were chicken and pork croquettes, dried meats and more.

 

This was a wonderful baked cheese served with a jelly type sauce eaten on toasted bread and it was to die for!

 

 

And then the owner came out with his wine. It was in a pouch made from a goats skin and the wine is stored inside. You take shots from the pouch by placing it near, but not touching, your mouth. Open your mouth and squeeze on the pouch near the bottom as you pull it away from your mouth in a long stream until your mouth is full.

 

 

Mike went first and showed us how it was done:

 

[ace1zoe2]

We had a great time at the little restaurant. The food was wonderful, the owner spent lots of time with us and the wine was great!

 

 

Before leaving, Mike told us about another tour he did for another guy that he brought to this same place to eat. Mike is also a photographer and takes pictures all during the tour. He will also email them to you for free. He opened a cabinet nearby and pulled this picture out that he had taken of Sabastian with his tour customer. You might recognize him...

 

 

So of course then we all had to ask questions about him. No Kate wasn't with him. It was before Kate and there was a blonde with him at the time.

 

We had the check combined, including Mike's meal, and split it by the 16 of us. It came out to around 8 euro each and I think we left 20 euro per couple. I enjoyed the entire day but I think lunch was my favorite part. It was such fun and the food was good.

 

Afterwards we went out the front door into a little square where I took a few photos before we headed back to Valencia.

 

 

The little Bar Pizzeria Mijares on the left side is the place we had just eaten.

 

 

The fountain in the middle of the square:

 

 

A light rain started moving in our way back to the port:

 

[ace1zoe2]

By the time we returned to the port we had a lovely rainbow in our view:

 

 

We arrived back "at home" to our corner aft balcony to have a little quiet time on the balcony before dinner. I took a view pictures as we left Valencia.

 

We were on the 4th deck up in this picture on the far left, which was deck 10, Junior Suite cabin 1100.

 

 

 

This one is back at the hot springs of some of the girls. It was such a fun day!

 

[ace1zoe2]

We arrived in Barcelona for an overnight port stop. The port of Barcelona is a working port and as such our first views were not too pretty. Today we had planned a DIY tour to Montserrat outside of Spain since we were staying over 2 days after the cruise.

 

 

The terminal areas:

 

 

After debarking the ship you walk through the terminal building. RCI is selling shuttle passes for 5 euro per person with unlimited rides back and forth into Barcelona to the area in front of the World Trade Center. So we purchased our tickets only to find that outside the terminal we could have paid 2 or 3 euros to ride the blue city shuttle to the a block or so closer to the train station.

 

 

We purchased our tickets for the R5 train to Montserrat and had just missed the earlier train. We had to wait about 35-40 minutes for the next one so we went back up to street level to walk around and take some pictures.

 

The Columbus Monument:

 

 

The old bull fighting arena that has now been turn in to a shopping mall with lots of stores, cinema, eating places and more:

 

 

[ace1zoe2]

We headed back down to board the train. The route was very well marked and machines were available to purchase tickets by cash or credit card. You need to decide before getting there if you plan to take the train and then the cable car OR the train and then the rack train to get from the station up to the mountain. The price is the same but the tickets are not interchangeable.

 

Information for planning your day to Montserrat can be found here: http://www.montserrat-tourist-guide.com/en/transport/barcelona-to-montserrat-train.html

 

 

 

The trains were nice and clean. We all boarded and sat in the same general area for our less than an hour trip to Montserrat.

 

 

Our first views up the mountain while waiting on our cable car to descend to pick us up.

 

 

And then a few zoom shots:

 

 

[Raxter54]

We were on the 4th deck up in this picture on the far left, which was deck 10, Junior Suite cabin 1100.

 

 

 

We will be in #7172, which is over by the ladder behind the pole.

 

Too bad about the hot springs, that would have been a very enjoyable swim for all of you. Once again, you are more adventurous than me when it comes to food :).

[ace1zoe2]

This is the picture of the train/tram station that we came into by train and left from by aerial tram.

 

 

And here is where we were headed to by tram:

 

 

Views during out short 5 minute trip:

 

 

The plaza area in front of the basilica.

 

 

 

Over 2 million people per year visit this small Catalonian treasure. It is home to the Montserrat l'Escolania Boys Choir, dating back to 1223, who preform twice daily in the basilica at 1pm & 6:45pm. If you would like a seat I would advise you to arrive at least 30 minutes early or you may end up standing in an aisle.

 

Entrance to the Basilica:

 

[ace1zoe2]

Interior views of the Basilica (excuse the lighting as we were not allowed to use a flash)

 

 

 

The entire monastery was built around the Black Madonna and she is located at the very back of the Basilica looking down over the alter. You can stand in line and go behind the alter to touch the Madonna's hand free of charge if it is something that you would like to do. It plays no part of my faith so we were just seated up front in the Basilica and waited for the boy's choir performance.

 

 

 

In this picture you can see how small she looks from the Basilica... that's here way back at the back with a person waiting in line to touch her.

 

 

And finally what we had been waiting for:

 

 

Even though they were chanting Gregorian hymns which I didn't understand a word of, it was a very moving experience. After the boys sang a clergyman came out and spoke in Cantalonian and then in English.

[ace1zoe2]

The alter with the lights on was very impressive:

 

 

A few more of the stained glass windows:

 

 

 

The Montserrat Mountains that envelope the Monastery:

 

 

 

[Dreamer115]

Amazing pics again. Some of these last ones remind me of a James Bond movie. Or maybe a war movie of my DH. Looks familiar at any rate. Keep it up, I just wish we weren't getting close to the end.

 

Connie

[ace1zoe2]

Amazing pics again. Some of these last ones remind me of a James Bond movie. Or maybe a war movie of my DH. Looks familiar at any rate. Keep it up, I just wish we weren't getting close to the end.

 

Connie

 

 

Thanks Connie! I appreciate your taking time to read & post.

 

At times it seems like I may never get finished! Busy the next couple of nights big hoping to get back at it by Wednesday.

 

Hope you'll follow along!

 

Cindy

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tidygirl]

I am impressed with the Montanjos area the pictures look like a place my family would enjoy. (I'll have to keep that in my memory bank)

Monserrat it looks like you had a beautiful day, when we were there in Sept by the time we had got to the top it was pouring and cold! Our day was cut short as it was just too miserable, but hubby thought it would have been REALLY impressive had it been a clear day.

[ace1zoe2]

After lunch we took the Funicular Sant Joan up the steep side of the Montserrat Mountains. The Montserrat Total Ticket includes your round trip train ride from Barcelona, your round trip aerial tram or rack train up to the monastery in Montserrat and round trip on both funiculars. Sant Joan goes up the mountain to get a bird's eye view on the monastery and has several trails & the Santa Cova goes down the side of the mountain to trails that lead to the Santa Cova caves. This is the base site in Montserrat:

 

 

If you notice the white line up the middle of the last picture - this is a close up of the funicular and where we were headed at the top of the mountain:

 

 

Views from the top:

 

 

And yes that would be people hiking and mountain climbing and staying in tents on the side of the mountain!

 

 

Further up the mountain are the remains of the Santa Magdalena Chapel:

 

 

Our view heading back down to Montserrat from the top of the Sant Joan funicular:

 

[ace1zoe2]

This is the train that we came in on from Barcelona:

 

 

The aerial tram holds around 20-35(max) people per trip. Once you arrive in Montserrat you walk up an incline for about 3 minutes to reach the heart of the town.

 

 

The water in the river below was a really red/muddy color. Not sure if this was due to the recent rains or the normal color.

 

 

Another church in lower Montserrat at the base of the mountain:

 

 

Once we made our way back down via the aerial tram we waited a view minutes for the train back to Barcelona. We didn't have to be back at any certain time since the ship was overnighting in Barcelona but we decided to skip the Santa Cova trip down the side of the mountain.

 

By the time we made it back to the ship we had walked 15,032 steps or 6.56 miles!

 

On our way back to the ship, the moon was shining bright!

 

[Dreamer115]

Unfortunately this is not a place I could go. I was getting a queasy stomach just looking at the pics. I have a terrible phobia of heights. They are incredible pics though, it must have been amazing.

 

Connie

[ace1zoe2]

I am impressed with the Montanjos area the pictures look like a place my family would enjoy. (I'll have to keep that in my memory bank)

Monserrat it looks like you had a beautiful day, when we were there in Sept by the time we had got to the top it was pouring and cold! Our day was cut short as it was just too miserable, but hubby thought it would have been REALLY impressive had it been a clear day.

 

Thanks again Tidygirl! We really ddid have excellent weather throughout our two weeks in Europe. Only one slightly cool misty day out of the entire time. We really loved Montserrat but wished we would have had a few more hours there!

 

 

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