Equinox – Scribbles and Snapshots

Douro Valley – No wine left behind

September 4, 2024Posted in Europe 2024Tagged Celebrity Cruises, Celebrity Equinox, Equinox, Port, Porto, Portugal, Wine TastingLeave a comment

Sunday, September 1, 2024

We docked in Porto, Portugal on Sunday. Jon had found a tour company that was accessible – and private – to take us into the Douro Valley for some wine tasting.

Márcio was both our driver and our guide – he had been in communication with Jon before we left the USA – so we knew we were in good hands.

Marcio explained that in Portugal it was more common that the wine be paired with food. He was super mindful about all of my food preferences (no red meat or pork – also, hoping that there weren’t any faces attached to the fish, etc…) Our first stop was in a quaint little town, Amarante.

Amarante is a charming town in northern Portugal, nestled along the Tâmega River. It is a stop on the famous Camino de Santiago hiking trail, offering a picturesque stop for hikers. However, we were not hiking – we were there to eat and drink! They had some famous pastries, I’ll let you take a look at the picture and determine what you think they were supposed to be shaped like.

Márcio stopped at a local tavern that had plenty of smoked meats, and some local wines for us to try. It was a great way to kick off the start of our day.

From there, we started our drive to the first winery. The Douro Valley is stunning – it was absolutely beautiful. We’ve been to quite a few different wine regions in the world, and this was definitely one of the most beautiful as it followed along the river.

We saw quite a few river boats making their way through to the Spanish border

The Douro Valley in Portugal is an absolute dream for wine lovers and nature enthusiasts. With the rolling hills covered in terraced vineyards, the scenery is straight out of a postcard. This region is famous for producing Port wine, and visiting the local wineries for a tasting is a must. (This trip made me a convert! I think I’ve just been drinking the wrong Port wine!)

Our first winery was called Quinta Do Val Moreira, which had a stunning view overlooking the river and the valley. We enjoyed our tasting there – and the pastries that Márcio had picked out for us.

The next stop was lunch, it was a beautiful outdoor setting. I’m not sure about the others, but I was already starting to feel full. The staff walked us through the traditional kitchen, and oh my goodness – the smells were heavenly! I suppose you can always find room for more when you’re on vacation.

We were seated outside under a beautiful tree, where we had another tasting and a lovely meal. They had prepared fish for me – and the others had their choice of lamb or pork dishes.

We moved onto the last winery, Quinta Seara Dordens. Where we were greeted by some lazy dogs, Typhoon, Ruby, and Tawny. Our host there was very friendly, and we enjoyed our time there. We bought a bottle of Tawny Port before heading back to Porto to hop back on the ship.

Márcio was Fantastic and would highly recommend him to anyone!

At the beginning of the day, I had asked if we could swing by a bookstore in Porto. It’s supposed to be Harry Potter related, but we realized we were short on time and wouldn’t be able to go. So instead he brought us around on a very quick city tour, which was pretty cool to see.

We will definitely have to come back at some point, because we didn’t even scratch the surface of Porto!

After dinner, we went to another show on board the ship. It was poorly marketed, but actually ended up being a great experience with plenty of songs and acrobatics.

Up Next:
– At sea

Sintra: the magical misty town

September 2, 2024September 2, 2024Posted in Europe 2024Tagged Celebrity Cruises, Equinox, Lisbon, Portugal, SintraLeave a comment

Friday, August 30, 2024

Our next stop was Lisbon for two days – we were excited that we had an overnight here, because it meant we could go to nearby Sintra and not have to rush back to the ship.

One of my girlfriends had gone to Spain and Portugal a few years back and raved about the beauty of Sintra. We knew that we needed to see it for ourselves. The ship has many of their own excursions, but none of them quite fit the bill for what we wanted to see. I was able to secure a private tour that was set up in a choose your own adventure format, our priority was Pena Palace, but there were other activities that we could choose from.

We had seen pictures of an ancient looking well – we didn’t know entirely what it was, but thought that could make a good stop. We also opted to do a famous bakery/factory in Belem.

As pulled into Lisbon, we went under a copy-cat of the Golden Gate Bridge – and Christ the Redeemer welcomed us to port with open arms.

We got off the ship pretty early, and met our guide outside of the cruise terminal. He said we were doing good on time, so he wanted to bring us up a tall hill in Lisbon to give us a great view of the city. The views were incredible – we could already tell that Lisbon was going to remind us a lot of California.

From there, we made our way to Pastéis de Belém, which is known for its iconic custard tarts, known as pastéis de nata. These have been made using a secret recipe since 1837.

These heavenly pastries feature a buttery crust filled with a creamy, sweet custard. You can choose to dust them with cinnamon and/or powdered sugar. The bakery is located in the Belém district of Lisbon and is the birthplace of this beloved Portuguese treat. I had seen pictures, and knew that I needed to have one. Growing up, my grandmother made custard pies and they were always my favorite!

After the bakery, we made our way to Quinta da Regaleira. The place with the really cool well. Quinta da Regaleira is like stepping into a real-life fairy tale, filled with mysterious gardens, hidden tunnels, and unique architecture. It was built in the early 20th century with lots of nods to secret societies like the Freemasons and the Knights Templar. The highlight for many is the Initiation Well—a spiral staircase that winds deep into the ground, offering a symbolic journey of discovery. Wandering through the palace, chapel, and gardens, you’ll find grottoes, fountains, and secret paths, making it a place where every turn reveals something new and magical.

We walked to downtown Sintra from there, and stopped for lunch at a cute Italian place with great pizza and lemon cello spritz. We continued to stroll through downtown, before getting picked up to head to Pena Palace with our guide.

Pena Palace sits atop a hill in Sintra and it is a striking blend of architectural styles, and is highlighted in bright colors. Originally a medieval monastery, it was transformed by King Ferdinand II into a whimsical royal residence, that was used as more of a summer house for royalty. The palace has beautiful fairy-tale towers and ornate details throughout. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, Pena Palace is a masterpiece of artistic imagination and natural beauty.

Unfortunately for us, it was incredibly foggy that day and we weren’t able to see the views from its high perch. Just gray clouds, but it was still an amazing visit!

Our guide took us to the most western point in all of Europe next. We drove through sunshine to get there, but within a few miles we were already covered in fog again. It was incredibly windy, but we took a quick picture before hopping back in the car.

He drove us to Cascais next, what used to be a small fishing village but has become incredibly popular for locals and tourists alike. Each corner we came around we saw a new sandy beach. He offered to stop for us to get out and walk around, but we were already exhausted from all of the walking. So we made our way back to Lisbon.

We had a quick dinner before calling it a day.

Up Next:
– Lisbon walking tour with Jon & Yvonne

Cadiz – Flamenco show and a walking tour

September 1, 2024Posted in Europe 2024Tagged Cadiz, Celebrity Cruises, Equinox, Flamenco, Spain, Walking Tour1 Comment

August 29, 2024

Our first stop on the cruise was Cadiz, Spain. This is viewed as the gateway to Seville – but it was an hour and a half one way to get there. Andy and I opted to do a flamenco show in Cadiz, and Jon and Yvonne went nearby to do a sherry tasting outside of the city.

A lot of people had signed up for this excursion, so many in fact that there were three charter buses waiting. Our group had flipped the original itinerary and we were doing the walking tour first, then the flamenco show, and ending with the bus tour of Cadiz.

We were relieved that we got the walking tour over first, as it was already getting hot and humid. Prior to this tour, we didn’t know much about Spain – except that they “discovered” a lot of the world. It was interesting to learn more about the country, and also Cadiz. Cadiz is one of the oldest cities in Western Europe is situated on a narrow strip of land surrounded by the sea. It really was quite beautiful!

From there, we walked to a flamenco bar. We got there as the place was opening, and it was only our group. We met a lovely duo from Canada, but originally from India. They were very interested in US politics, so we had a fun chat about what’s going on south of their border.

As we all got settled, they offered us all a drink, we of course chose sangria (when in Spain…), and a potato omelette with a cheese and meat plate.

But the political conversation came to a screeching halt once the dancers came out. We had one sassy Spanish woman – and a gentleman accompanying her. In addition, there was one singer and a guitarist. The music, the lyrics, the dancing… they were electric!

A flamenco show is a powerful expression of passion and cultural heritage, combining expressive dance, soulful singing, and intricate guitar playing. The performance features a singer and guitarist creating a deep, emotional backdrop, while the dancer(s) responds with intense footwork and graceful movements. The result is a captivating, dynamic experience that immerses the audience in the heart of Spain’s vibrant traditions. Unfortunately, no videos were allowed – so we had to work with still pictures only. Ole!

She was so sassy – and fierce – and incredible

If you get the chance to attend a flamenco show – do it! We enjoyed it – I wish we knew enough Spanish to understand the lyrics, but our guide translated some of the lyrics to us later. The stories in the songs varied about the Spanish’s hate for the French – to a woman wondering where her husband was (probably drinking wine)… it was a lot of fun.

We were there for about an hour – and after the show was over. We went to a local market – it had a lot of fish and produce. It was fun to see – but we didn’t have time to do any shopping. We walked by a few more historic buildings before hopping on our bus.

The bus took us around Cadiz – we got to see a few beaches and a former fort. It then dropped us off at the cruise terminal.

We had dinner with Jon and Yvonne on the ship and shared stories from the day. We did a pub quiz that evening with a charming Aussie as host.

Up Next:
– Sintra tour

Seas the day! Spain/Portugal/Morocco Cruise ‘24

August 31, 2024August 31, 2024Posted in Europe 2024Tagged Barcelona, Celebrity Cruises, Equinox, Silent DiscoLeave a comment

Tuesday, August 27th & Wednesday, August 28th

Working for a global company offers the ability to connect with colleagues around the world – a year ago I met Chester in the Philippines and he recently moved to Spain.

We were able to connect and meet up for breakfast. It was so nice to see a friendly face in Barcelona before we got on the cruise ship. He picked a place close to his apartment and our hotel, which was really nice!

After coffee, I made my way back to the hotel to finish packing. We were now leaving our hotel and boarding the cruise ship. We asked the hotel to help us hail a larger cab for us (+ Jon/Yvonne) and all of our luggage.

Once on board we opted to have a casual lunch at the Oceanview Cafe. We knew it would be a few hours before our luggage would be delivered, so we sat around with Jon and Yvonne for a while and just relaxed.

Eventually, we went to check, and our luggage had been delivered (well, at least mine – and let’s be honest… I’m the over packer!) so I started to unpack. Once it got closer to leaving the harbor, we went up to the rooftop to watch us sail away, which is always magical.

After that we finished unpacking and then went to dinner. It was fun to be back on the ship, and this time with Jon and Yvonne. We opted for Anytime Dining, which always a lot more flexibility based off of your plans for the day.

After dinner, we went to the Pub Quiz. It was a good day to be back on a cruise!

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Wednesday, August 28th

At sea days are a nice way to break up the trip – and because we had flown in early and already done so much in Barcelona. It was a great day for us to relax.

Andy and I started the morning off by using the fitness center for a quick workout. After freshening up for the day, and having a more leisurely morning we joined Bingo in the afternoon.

It’s sort of funny, because they’ve never had Bingo on a cruise that we’ve been on before. You had to pay for your cards, and each of us (Jon and Yvonne included) decided to split the cards up. (Each card did have a unique identifier). Well, as soon as we got into the theater for Bingo the activity manager let us know that we weren’t supposed to do that… and that we “should have been told we couldn’t do that.”

The infamous bingo card that got us into trouble

Unfortunately for us, no one did. He was really condescending in his approach about it, which was really unfortunate… because we haven’t had bad service while cruising with Celebrity.

Suffice to say, neither couple won. But it did seem like they were giving out good prizes if you did!

We had an early dinner, and then made our way to one of the production shows. It was pretty cheesy, but they are a fun way to enjoy different facets of the cruise.

We ended the night with one of our favorite activities – the Silent Disco! This time there was only one DJ, and the other stations were Latino music and more 70s/80s music. We all had a blast rotating between the different stations, since the DJ refused to play the Britney Spears music that I requested until the very end.

We’re having a great time!

Up Next:
– Flamenco Show
– Walking tour of Cadiz