Palma de Mallorca

We had an easy start to the day, with breakfast delivered to our suite before going to meet our tour bus at 9 am. We did the Tapas Tasting tour.

Palma is very touristy, with lots of wealth on display in the marina and the apartment buildings. We started off with a bus ride through some of the streets and up to the Belver Castle for a wonderful view of the cit and surrounds.

We then went to the first of our tapas places, called Ar Ardero, a stunning location right on the water, with a lovely view of the cathedral. It was very early, but we had our tapas of calamari and chicken croquette. Ian had a red wine, while I had a soft drink!

We then drove to near the second tapas bar, Biwee, where we had potatas bravos, mushrooms and tortilla - I had sangria and Ian declined. We also got to try a delicious dessert called ensaimada.

From there we had a nice walk around the main shopping strip to the Brondo Architect Hotel. The lobby of the hotel is decorated with a beautiful chandelier and very risqué, almost pornographic, paintings. In the outside courtyard we had our final tapas, pinxos, with wine.

We walked some more and had free time, for a trip to the ATM and coffee / soft drink, before we met the guide for the bus trip back to the ship. One of our fellow passengers had her purse stolen while on free time. Thankfully she only lost a bit of cash and a purse with sentimental value.

We had a light lunch in Kaiseki and went back to our suite for a rest before bingo and trivia. We really didn’t do very well (again).

We got ready for dinner and went to a show at 6:30 in the Venetian Lounge. The performer was a musical theatre star, Steph Parry, from the London West End, and she was really very good. She sang a duet with her mother and then songs from lots of genres, in particular she sang Nessun Dorma, which she did extremely well. 

We had dinner in SALT Kitchen. We both had arancini, then Ian had a sirloin steak while I had Cornish hen. I then had ricotta cheesecake.

It was Halloween today and the ship was well decorated and the entertainment crew and Cruise Director team definitely dressed for the occasion. After the show, our incredible cruise director, Vicki, came on dressed at Wednesday Addams, and had us rolling in the aisles with her announcements.

There was a Halloween party in the Panorama Lounge at 9:30. We went for a while,  it it was very entertaining watching the crew and passengers dancing having a great time.

A very welcome day at sea

After 7 consecutive days in port we were very happy to have a day at sea. All of the ports have been great, but the mornings are very busy. The weather has been very warm every day since our second day in Cadiz.

I got up at just after 7 and went for a good long walk on the jogging track, we had breakfast in The Marquee. We especially like the Greek yoghurt, served with honey and blueberries. Ian likes the pumpkin pancakes while I choose different things. Today I chose the “rainbow mosaic” which is like 5 tiny bruschetta with different, mostly sweet toppings. Very pretty but not so nice. I won’t be ordering again!

We went to a lecture in the Venetian Lounge about the next three posts: Palma de Mallorca, Cartagena and Malaga. It was presented by a retired US Naval academic and it was very informative and entertaining.

At 11 I went to an art class, this time doing watercolour paintings in the style of Miro.

My very ordinary effort!

We decided to go to La Terrazza for lunch. We don’t really like buffets, but thought it might be a change. We both had a small bowl of pasta, then I had some sushi and Ian had some prawns.

We headed back to our suite for a rest and I managed to get some washing done. Then we went to a cooking class in the SALT Lab. We made Spanish Cocas, a kind of baked pizza with two different toppings. It was fun and delicious!

Coca with chorizo and cheese

We missed bingo but made it in time for trivia. We had just sat down and not ordered our drinks yet, when the drink waiter put an espresso martini down in front of Ian. The barman was so used to him ordering them, he didn’t need to be asked! No good at trivia again!

Tonight is a formal night, beginning with the Captain’s cocktail party for Venetian Society members. After your first Silversea cruise you are automatically made a member and every day is accumulated. At the end of this cruise we will be at 64 days (includes 14 days given to us for our first cancelled cruise during COVID). The magic number is 100 - after 100 days you get free laundry!

There are over 400 Venetian Society members on board (out of about 700 passengers), totalling over 15,000 days! At the cocktail party they announced all those who reached 100 days while on this cruise and presented certificates for those reaching 250, 350 and 650 days. The higher the number then more the perks, for example at 350 days you get a free 7 day cruise. They also announced the passengers on board with the most days - the highest was a couple with over 1900 days! We actually met the husband, an Englishman, very nice, a non-drinker!

We went to Dolce Vita for a drink and then to Silver Note where we had a 9pm booking. Silver Note is like a nightclub with a pianist and singer. The menu is interesting as there are lots of small courses, not quite like tapas, but you can order as many as you like, although they recommended 3 - 4 plus dessert. We were not really hungry, so each ordered two courses: lobster tail and beef tenderloin. They were very tasty and just the right size! I ordered a pavlova as well.

 

La Goulette, Tunisia

Daylight saving ended in Europe last night and we somehow messed up! I got up at what I thought was 7 am for a walk, only to have our breakfast delivered as it was actually 8 am! Thankfully Vikas always brings breakfast early, so while I missed my walk we had time for breakfast and my shower before going down to meet our tour bus.

Our first ever visit to the African continent! Unfortunately our Morocco stops are off due to world events, Today our tour was to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Carthage, then to the hilltop town of Siti Bou Said.

Carthage is spread out over a large area, with many major features. But we focussed on three. Our first stop was the aquaducts and cisterns. The Romans built the aqueducts, bringing water from the Atlas Mountains, stretching for 132 km. The gradient was only 15cm for every 100m - an incredible feat! 

What did the Romans ever do for us?
built the aquaducts....

We then visited Byrsa Hill which the Romans modified by chopping the top off to make space for public buildings, mostly gone now. Great views over Tunis. There were also the ruins of Carthaginian houses, used by the labourers working on the Roman buildings.

Remains of the workers' buildings

The heads were lopped off the statues when
a new ruler came in because the statues were
always made in the likeness of the ruler
at the time.

Tunis

Our final Carthage stop was the Roman Baths, a huge area, by the sea and now overlooked by the presidential palace. 

Plan of the baths, including cold and hot baths,
gymnasiums for men and women

We then drove to the lovely town of Siti Bou Said, where all the houses are white with blue doors and windows. Lots of jasmine and bougainvillea growing too.  The Main Street is lined with shops selling to tourists. 

Lots of shops with hard-selling
vendors

We stopped at a cafe for Turkish coffee and mint tea - both very sweet! I bought a fridge magnet for a friend, a key ring and a pack of spices and olive oil (hopefully allowed back into Australia). Tunis is in drought, which happens regularly. Lots of gum trees, she-oaks, jacarandas and Norfolk pines around - obviously well suited to the climate!

We got back to the ship at about 1:30 and went up to The Marquee for lunch. Ian had a hot dog and I had a calzone. After a rest we went to Bingo (got 3 points in a side game) and Trivia (no good). We sat on the balcony for a while as we sailed away and I got some washing done  

We went to Atlantide for dinner. We both had foie gras for entree then Ian had lobster and I had Greenland cod. I had sugar-free profiteroles for dessert (not that nice). We then had a quiet night in - looking forward to a sea day tomorrow!

Trapani, Sicily

We were up at 7, taking in a gorgeous sunrise over Trapani. We had breakfast in our suite.

Met tour bus at 8:45 for the one hour drive to Marsala. We went to the archaeological museum and saw lots of relics from the nearby island, Marzio as well as Roman and Sicilian ship remains, 

We had a very relaxing walk around the town, going in the New Gate and coming out the Garibaldi Gate. Reboarded the bus and drive to the Marsala winery. Tour of the cellars and learned about the history of the winery and about Marsala. Lovely lunch served with tastings of red and white wines, then dessert of cannoli and pastry with Marsala.

Porto Garibaldi - one of the gates to the city

And another market

The entrance to Florio, the marsala 
vineyard

Ancient vats

Lunch!

Salt pans and windmills on the way back

Long drive back to Trapani, stopping off at the salt pans and windmills. I bought a jar of salt.

We returned to ship just before 3 and got a couple of finger sandwiches from the Arts Cafe to keep us going until dinner. Bingo was successful - we each had a win for a total of 18 prize points. We then came third in trivia, so there was an extra 2 points.

We went to a show at the Venetian Lounge at 6:30 then met Penny and Gary and Sue and David (trivia team mates) at SALT Kitchen for dinner. Ian and I both had a small pasta entree, then he had a strange beef dish with hard boiled egg, while I had a lovely couscous and seafood dish. Ian had affogato for dessert and I had a filled donut. It was a great night with lots of lively conversation  

Couscous and seafood

Filled donut

Valletta, Malta

We ticked another country ticked off our list today!  I got up at about 7 and walked around the jogging track. We then had a quick breakfast at The Marquee before going out to meet our tour bus at 9 am.

Arriving in Valletta

On our way into Valletta

We had a very short drive and sat while our tour guide talked and talked! We then walked along the main thoroughfare of Valletta, past the Parliament House to St John’s co-Cathedral. Yet another obscenely ornate church, but this one is special as it was built by the Knights of St John and Ian was especially interested in it given his St John past. It has eight chapels, each belonging to the Knights from Britain, Germany, France, etc. It does contain over 300 kg of gold in the decorations and has a significant artwork by Caravaggio called “The beheading of St John”. The floors are filled with ornate marble decorations commemorating past St John Masters.

Each panel commemorates a notable
Master of the Order and is made of
intricate marble mosaic.

A master tradesman working on the preservation
of a marble mosaic. In the 10 minutes we were in
that chapel he was shaping one tiny piece of marble.

Caravaggio’s “The Be-heading of Saint John”

Ian (Member of the Order of St John)

We then walked to the Casa Rocco Piccola, a private house occupied by the Marquis and Marchioness de Piro. We had a tour of the house and then had tea and cannoli in the courtyard.

The final stop was meant to be a brief visit to the archeological museum, but we decided not to bother. We made it back to the bus with only three other passengers. our guide was useless and everybody had left to make their own way back to the ship. We had left our water bottle on the bus, so had to go back that way. We complained to the shore team about the guide and the day.

We had one win in bingo, but no good in trivia tonight. We watched sail away at 6 with drinks and chips!

We had dinner at La Terrazza. Charcuterie plate and breads came first. Ian had a prawn dish for entree, then tagliata. I had pommodoro and rigatoni. Then Ian had affogato and I had tiramisu (very pretty but not tiramisu).

"Tiramisu"