Poesia W. Mediterranean plus Barcelona Oct/Nov '19 photo journal

[mimmy52]

We heard we were going to pass Gibraltar starting at 6:00 for about two hours.  But at 6:00 we'd been chugging our free drink and didn't think about it, then it was time for dinner, and then it was dark.  We were told by someone later that they couldn't see anything.

 

In the dining room, we settle into our chairs, Muller hands us our menus opened to the page that's in English, then either he or Kathy bring bread and we choose from about four bread options, we get our bottles of water, and I get my glass of wine.  We have time to peruse the menu, then we order.

 

My starter was the Williams salad. It is supposed to contain pear and carmelised walnuts.  I had one bite of pear but there were some walnuts.  The dressing is really bland, almost tastes as if there's nothing on it.

 

My main course was Tortelli with asparagus tips and toasted hazelnuts.

 

Dessert was a Choco-granduja sundae.  Gelato, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and some kind of nuts but I don't remember.

 

Dinner is not hurried, and except for the first night, we were finished about 8:00 or 8:15.

 

We went to the show that evening.  The cruise director is Nicholas and while I admire someone who can speak so many languages, we were never able to understand his English.  First up, all the officers were introduced.  That's only about half of them in the picture.

 

The show followed and was called "Abyss."  It included aerial acrobats, contortionists, dancers, smoke effects and strobe lights, and fantastic costumes.  We all enjoyed it.

 

Tomorrow is an early excursion in Casablanca, so after the show we all went to our rooms.

 

[JP82]

Great reading still. I have to say it's interesting because all the vlogs and reviews I've watched/read for MSC have been very Meraviglia/Seaside class focussed, and I'm surprised at how completely different a vibe it seems aesthetically on this ship to those classes.

[Oakman58]

That dessert looks delicious.  It looks like the theater entertainment is pretty good too.

[mimmy52]

19 hours ago, JP82 said:

Great reading still. I have to say it's interesting because all the vlogs and reviews I've watched/read for MSC have been very Meraviglia/Seaside class focussed, and I'm surprised at how completely different a vibe it seems aesthetically on this ship to those classes.

I haven't read vlogs, but I was a little worried about what it would be like on the ship after I read so many complaints about MSC on Cruise Critic.  Some of the ladies I traveled with are only used to cruising on American ships, so at first they were irritated by all the announcements in different languages.  Once they got used to it, they were okay with it.  Mostly it might be that cruising the Caribbean is very different from cruising Europe.

[mimmy52]

Saturday, October 26 - Casablanca

 

We were up before sunrise today to get ready for our shore excursion in Casablanca.  It will be hot, maybe up to 31 celcius.  The Poesia arrived in port before 7:00 and it was still dark.

 

We had to meet in the theater at 7:10, so it was a quick breakfast at the buffet.  Some of the group are out of sorts because they set their alarms with their iPhones and hadn't realized the time change from the first night hadn't made it onto their phones.  All six of us are on this tour, so Rose took all our tickets to check in which we were told was the way to be sure we were on the same bus.  It was 7:30 before we were called to leave the ship.

 

It was hazy outside and there's an odor although I can't identify it.  It was a long drive out of the port.  Our guide, Fahima, talked about the different areas of Casablanca as we drove along.

 

Our first stop was at a local market place.

 

 

Fahima extols the virtue of this pale orange.

 

Lots of fish.  

 

 

 

 

 

[mimmy52]

Glad to be out of the smelly fish market.

 

A few of us made an "emergency" bathroom stop in a hotel near the bus.  One stall had a toilet, one a hole in the floor.  Fahima stopped to get some pomegranate juice.  The vendor used a hand grinder on the fruit.

 

Another stop to let us purchase "nougat," some sweetened nuts.

 

Next stop, which we are all looking forward to, Hassan II's Mosque.  Our tour was called "City Tour and Hassan II's Mosque."  It's coming into view.

 

Off the bus and it is awesome.  Fahima said the minaret is the tallest in the world.

 

People were asking about bathrooms, so Fahima pointed out where they were and said only go if it's an emergency.  I'd say 90 percent of the group went to the bathroom.  Those of us who'd had our "emergencies" earlier were okay.   We all brought scarves with us because we thought we'd have to cover our heads.  No, we just had to be sure our shoulders and knees were covered.  One mother and daughter were wearing shorts and both needed to borrow a scarf to wrap around their knees, yet another woman's boobs were practically hanging out of her garment and nothing was said.  Nothing was said to the two men in shorts either, although the shoulder and knee rule is supposed to apply to men too.

 

A group photo minus one while we wait.

 

Fahima started griping about how long it was taking everyone in the bathrooms.  She doesn't understand why they couldn't have waited until we got into the mosque.  I don't know how she expected anyone to know there were bathrooms in the mosque we could use since she didn't tell anyone that.

 

There was beautiful tile work outside the mosque.

 

And beautiful archways.

 

[mimmy52]

Part of the mosque extends over the ocean, but we didn't get around to the back to see.  Time to enter the mosque.

 

Once inside the door, we had to stop and take off our shoes, then carry them with us in the provided bag since we'll be leaving from a different area than we entered.  The prayer hall.

 

It was a beautiful place with beautiful ceilings.  It is large enough to hold 100,00 people.

 

 

The balcony is for the women.

 

After Fahima had explained the architecture, we were herded out of the prayer hall and were then able to put our shoes back on.  We were also able to see the ablutions room.  We have to wait to enter while a previous guide talks to his group.  Fahima stopped to talk to another guide so she could complain about how long her group took in the bathroom.  Maybe we missed a scheduled time slot.

 

A chandelier as we go down the steps to the ablution room.

 

She explained the ablution ritual, the need for physical cleanliness before prayer.  She described how the women in a bridal party would come for cleanliness and prayer before a wedding.  It almost sounded like a bachelorette party minus the booze and in a church instead of a bar and with prayer added, but still giggly.  Each of the round objects is a fountain that would be flowing during prayer time.

 

Some beautiful tile work in the ablution room.

 

 

[mimmy52]

We got back on the bus to go to our next stop, a government sponsored market where the prices were set.  No haggling.  It had gotten quite hot out, in the 80s I'd say.  When we entered the shop, we were seated and Fahima stepped behind a table to demonstrate various items such as Argan oil--Argan trees grow only in Morocco--saffron and other spices, tea and cosmetics.  I wondered what percentage of sales she received because she was a persuasive salesperson.  She'd told us she was one of only four female tour guides in Casablanca.  I wondered if the women were better at pushing these items than the men.

 

The shop was large and had a little bit of everything.

 

 

Fahima was wearing an amulet that she said was protection from the evil eye.  I think everyone in our travel  group bought one. They came in three sizes, small, medium, and large.

 

Once more back on the bus and I thought we'd be going back to the ship, but she said if anyone was interested in seeing the Catholic cathedral, they could make a ten minute stop.  Enough of us were interested.  It was the Church of Notre Dame de Lourdes, not the cathedral.

 

It had beautiful stained glass windows.

 

 

After that quick stop, Fahima said she was taking us for a walk in the Medina, the old city.  She said the word "Dar" was book and this street was a row of bookshops.

 

Not a bookshop, but a building we passed.

 

I don't know how many photos are allowed in a post now.  It used to be only six, but that seems to have changed.

We stopped at this door and Fahima explained something about it, but there was a lot of street noise and I didn't catch what she said.

Edited November 17, 2019 by mimmy52
addition

[mimmy52]

Fahima was leading us to the King's esplanade.  She got permission from the guards to let us walk through.  We were able to see two striking doorways on the King's residential complex.  He has a residence in every major city in Morocco in case he decides to visit.

 

 

That's all we had time for.  I was disappointed that we didn't get to see any of the real old city, but it hadn't been listed on the excursion description anyway.  I noticed this door knocker on the walk back to the bus.

 

The bus pulled up to an office building at the port where our cruise cards were scanned and our belongings put through x-ray.  There were a few vendors outside the building.  The walk back to the ship was hot in the sun.

 

 

Once on the ship, our cards were again scanned and belongings again x-rayed.  We dropped our purchases in our rooms and headed to lunch at Le Fontane Restaurant since it was open until 2:30.  The buffet has hot meats and veggies on one side and various salads and salad fixings on the other side.

 

Fruit and dessert are on a table in the middle.

 

[mimmy52]

We immediately ordered Cokes.  The ship has Pepsi products so our cokes were actually Pepsi's.  I ordered tilapia off the menu.  It isn't very pretty and was only okay.  The carrots were very good.

 

Jo ordered off the menu too, a meatball sandwich.

 

We lazed around on our balcony and took naps for the rest of the afternoon.  The railing on our balcony had become very gritty from the air pollution.

 

The theme for tonight is "White Night," suggested dress for tonight--white.  Some of us had white.

 

Our handsome waiter Muller.

 

I had marinated goat cheese with roasted veggies for a starter (no picture) and cannelloni filled with artichokes, Swiss chard and cheese for the main course.

 

I don't eat meat but if you'd like meat pictures, this is veal escalopes in marsala wine sauce.

 

And pan-seared duck breast with currant-chili sauce

 

This little dessert had the fancy name of Chocolate cream layered cake--carmelized meringue.

 

 

[mimmy52]

The show tonight was Invito All'Opera.  There was only one show tonight at 8:45 not two as there usually are, which I didn't realize so I missed it thinking it was at 9:15.  Mari and I sat in the Zebra Bar for a while with the thought that the duo who sang last night would be there, but it was a different band.  I went up to the pool deck where they were celebrating White Night.

 

 

They had cute decorations.  All the celebrations from 8:00 on had to do with dancing.

 

 

 

I walked to the back of the ship and took a few pictures of the port at night.

 

 

The ship wasn't leaving port until 11:00 and I didn't stick around on the upper deck for it.  We set our clocks back an hour again tonight.

 

 

[mimmy52]

Sunday, October 27 - Sea Day

 

It rained during the night and now our balcony railings are clean again.  Even with the time change, we slept until 9:00, then basically rolled out of bed and ran to Le Fontane Restaurant for breakfast before it closed at 9:30.

One side of the buffet with hot foods.

 

Cream cheese, toppings, and fruit salad

 

Cold food.  I don't know whose plate that is or where it came from.

 

Fruit and sauces

 

I ordered waffles but when I asked for syrup, the waiter said that was the duty of his assistant.  While my waffles cooled, I waited for the syrup bearer to arrive.  He is also the syrup pourer so it isn't like Denny's or IHOP where you could ask for a small container of syrup before you get waffles.  That makes two complaints we have about MSC:  No milk in the MDR at dinner and slow syrup bearers.  Not a big deal.

 

I also had eggs over easy and potatoes.  Loved the potatoes.  Eggs are just eggs.

 

After we ate, we walked the track on deck 7 for a while.  The track makes a U so you can't go all the way around.  We walked by these which I presume are the ones that those of us with the Bella Experience would have to use in an emergency.

 

And these are for the people who pay more.

[mimmy52]

We spent some time on our lovely balcony and around noon went up to the pool deck to join in the line dancing.  The previous activity called "Mission Impossible" was just ending but I have no idea what that was about.

 

We lasted about 20 minutes doing line dancing, then relaxed on the lounges until it was time for lunch.  We'd agreed to meet the others in Le Fontane at 1:00.  At the next table was a woman who personified "ugly American."  She was yelling at the waiter, something about being allergic to MSC's water and pointing to her forehead where I guess there was supposed to be a rash although none of us could see anything.  Yes, we were watching and it was impossible to keep from listening.  She demanded that as an American she should get free bottles of water.  She knew her rights and she would sue MSC and, here she pointed her finger at the waiter, he would be personally responsible if she got sick.  Nan said the woman had sat next to her at the arts and crafts table on Friday and that's why she left.  Some of the higher-ups came over and tried to placate her and she finally shut up.  We'd thought about asking if we could move to another table but decided it would cause another problem.

 

So, onto the food.  I had Canneloni white bean soup and it was delicious.

 

The soup would have been enough but I'd already ordered ravioli with spinach.  Pasta always seems dry to me if there's no sauce.

 

About this time, the woman who had created chaos stopped by our table on her way out to apologize to us.  We all felt she was apologizing to the wrong people.  This also gave us a good look at her clear forehead while she whined her grievances.  Her husband hadn't said anything all through lunch and now he was just trying to pull her away from us.  We just wanted her to go away so we could eat in peace.

I had chocolate ice cream for dessert, but someone at our table had this concoction.  I don't know what it is.

 

We spent most of the afternoon either on our balcony or taking a nap.  At one point on the balcony, Rose said she wished she could see dolphins.  Mari and I both say, Wishful thinking, and what happens?  We see a pod of dolphins!  It was as if Rose wished them there.  No pictures since my camera was inside the room.

 

Tonight sunset was early enough that we could watch it before time for dinner.

 

 

 

On our way to Il Palladio Restaurant, we saw there'd been a wedding.

 

 

[mimmy52]

Another shot of the wedding.

 

It's Mediterranean night, so the menu was geared to that.  There'd been a small buffet on the pool deck around noon that had Italian and French soups and had smelled very good.  Suggested dress tonight is casual.

 

I had mussels marinara for a starter.  They were yummy.

 

For the main course I had Paella de marisco--saffron rice with fish and shellfish.

 

Then some music started, the waiters began parading through with what looked like cream puffs on platters, and everyone started waving their white napkins.  So we did too, although I don't know why.  I expected whatever was on those platters to be brought to us, but no.  They just went away and served whatever dessert you'd ordered.  I happen to have ordered profiteroles, which is what I think was on their trays.  Tasty.

 

The theater hosted a flamenco show tonight which we were all looking forward to. There was a little pre-show comedy involving the audience that was funny.  All done without speaking. Then MSC did something about kids.  I guess it was referring to their foundation for which a one euro charge had been added to all our bills.

 

We all loved the flamenco show.  At one point during a costume change, one of the dancers came out and did a comedy skit with tapping and clapping with the audience involved.  It was very funny.

 

 

 

[Oakman58]

In some of your food photos I see a can of Pepsi.  When you ordered a pepsi did they always bring a can or did they bring a glass of pepsi from a fountain.  I ask because on NCL they almost always serve soda in a glass from a fountain and it tastes flat to me.

[mimmy52]

19 minutes ago, Oakman58 said:

In some of your food photos I see a can of Pepsi.  When you ordered a pepsi did they always bring a can or did they bring a glass of pepsi from a fountain.  I ask because on NCL they almost always serve soda in a glass from a fountain and it tastes flat to me.

Oakman, they always brought a cold can of Pepsi with a glass, sometimes with a glass of ice.

[mimmy52]

Monday, October 28 - Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

 

Here comes the sun.  Just the beginning of another beautiful day.

 

We had our alarms set for 7:30 this morning, but at some time while it was still dark, I heard someone knocking on the door next door and saying something.  I thought it was rather rude.  I heard the knocking a second time, then our phone rang.  When I answered, I couldn't understand what the person was saying and thought they had the wrong room, so I said that I only spoke English.  By then I was awake so when another knock came, I realized it was our door.  I looked out the peephole and it was someone with the room service breakfast that Mari had requested.  I'd forgotten she'd done that, and Mari said she'd requested it for 7:30. She thought it might be delivered late rather than early. I had my breakfast in the buffet.  I didn't think the room service menu offered much and I really enjoy having someone else fix my breakfast.

 

Pulling into port passing volcanic formations.

 

 

 

My shore excursion today, through MSC, is "Impressions of Tenerife."  I'll be on this one alone (well, not alone but without someone else from our travel group).  Four of them are doing a different tour and one is staying on the ship.

 

A photo of the Poesia from the tour bus.

 

The bus I'm on is half German-speaking, half English speaking, so every announcement from the tour guide is in both languages.  When she was speaking German, I would tune out, then sometimes it would take a few minutes before I realized she'd switched to English.  Our first stop was in town at the Garcia Sanabria Park.

 

There were some beautiful trees and flowers and succulents.

 

One of the fountains in the park.

 

A flower clock!

 

There's a little cafe in this area by the flower clock.  If you buy something you can use the bathroom.  There wasn't going to be another bathroom break until our last stop.

 

[mimmy52]

Our next stop was a beautiful overlook at Mirador de la Garanona in El Sauzal.  

 

 

 

 

Even with our busload of people, it was peaceful.  Back on the bus, we rode to the 16th century Church of St. Peter in el Sauzal.

 

 

 

 

 

Sister Maria de Jesus, born in El Sauzal in 1643 and known as "The Servant of God," is believed to have performed many miracles. 

[mimmy52]

This great view was from the plaza area in front of the church.

 

We walked to our next stop.  A bit of a hill.

 

The statue is to honor Sister Maria de Jesus.  One day a year, people can wait in line to see her uncorrupted body which lies in a convent in La Laguna.

 

People come here to pray to her.

 

We toured the House Museum of Sr. Maria, the servant of God.  It is a tribute to her memory since she was born in El Sauzal.  The belongings inside recreate the time in which she lived.  The white museum house is behind the palm trees.  None of my photos from inside are any good.  It was very small, not much more than a bedroom and kitchen, and had low doorways and ceilings.

 

After the museum, we walked back to where we'd catch the bus.  El Sauzal was a beautiful little town.

 

There was construction on the street where the bus was to stop, so we had some wait time.  I admired this tree while we waited although I don't remember what kind it was.

 

 

Our last stop was at La Baranda. 

 

We were supposed to sit on the terrace for the view, but they were remodeling the terrace so we were inside.

[mimmy52]

We were served a glass of Cava and a slice of cake.  Both were good.  By then I think anything would have tasted good.  It was nice to cool off too.

 

The view from inside was pretty.  We were supposed to have a view of Mt. Tiede from here.  I think it was too hazy to see it.  Or else it would have been viewable from the terrace but not inside.

 

Looking down

 

After that refreshing stop, we headed back toward port.  According to the excursion description, we were to make a short photo stop at the Auditorium de Tenerife Adan Martin.  It has a similarity to the Sydney Opera House.  We didn't stop and this is my photo from the bus.

 

This picture from the internet is how it looks.

 

Pulling into port.

 

 

I'd had trouble making up my mind which excursion to choose today.  There were two things that tipped this one as the favorite.  One was the view of Mt. Tiede from La Baranda and the second was the photo stop at the auditorium.  Since neither happened, I found the tour to be disappointing.

 

I went up to the buffet as soon as I returned.  I sat at the back and had a view of the harbor.

 

The buffet does an excellent job with pizza.  Today I had onion and olive pizza.  It would have been even better if there'd been more than two pieces of olive.

 

I also tried their French fries.  Mmm.  They were great!  I took them and my soda back to the room. 

 

Mari had just returned from her tour and she said it had its disappointments too.  They had to walk up a very steep hill to get to a house where the balconies were to be admired.  Some hadn't realized it was the balconies that were on display and regretted they'd walked up the hill.  Mari didn't think the balconies were worth the effort.

 

[mimmy52]

We lazed around for the rest of the afternoon.  That seems to be what we do when we return from an excursion.

 

The pilot boat was just leaving.  We're on our way now to Funchal.

 

Watched the sunset from our balcony.

 

Then went to dinner for more food.  I had smoked salmon with cheese mousse.

 

I had a second starter because I couldn't make up my mind.  I also had "Neapolitan-style soup" with beans and pasta.

 

Roast fillet of John Dory was on the menu.  We thought maybe John Dory was a type of fish but we weren't certain, so I looked it up and it was.  That's what I had.

 

It was all delicious.
 

 

[mimmy52]

Three had the English style slow-roasted sirloin of beef.  Two of our group had pieces that were too rare.  One had it cooked just right.

 

I had chocolate mousse for dessert.

 

Some had caramel Bavarian cake.

 

I lost track of the group after I went to my room to put some things away, so I listed to the classical trio in the lobby bar for a while.  The group had probably gone to the show which tonight was "La Voce Del Cuore,"  songs and dancing.  

 

I decided to check out the Flower Glory Party on deck 13.  It turned out to be a lot like the White Night Party but with different decorations.

 

 

I called it a night after that.

[Oakman58]

20 hours ago, mimmy52 said:

 

Even with our busload of people, it was peaceful.  Back on the bus, we rode to the 16th century Church of St. Peter in el Sauzal.

 

 

 

Apparently this alter was dedicated to the patron saint of television.  Why else would he be carrying a TV antenna?  I'm enjoying your report and your photos.  Thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

[willma]

This is a charming review mimmy52 and I am enjoying reading about your experiences very much. 

Thank you for taking the time to do it.

[mimmy52]

9 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

 

Apparently this alter was dedicated to the patron saint of television.  Why else would he be carrying a TV antenna?  I'm enjoying your report and your photos.  Thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

Oakman, you make me laugh.