Wine Tasting – Scribbles and Snapshots

Cruise ships, trains, and automobiles

September 17, 2025Posted in Europe 2025, Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Italy Cruise, WineryTagged Brunello, Florence, foodie, italy, NostraVita Winery, travel, Walking Tour, Wine, Wine Tasting1 Comment

September 8, 2025

We woke up really early on Monday (4:45 am) to get ready to disembark from the ship. Normally on cruise lines, you can leave your luggage out the night before and they will carry it off for you, but if you need to leave earlier than 7:00 am – you’re on your own.

We got ready for the day and had breakfast – we were quite surprised how many other early risers there were with us. We made sure that we had everything with us and made our way down to the meeting place. We were quite surprised that they were already ushering people down to the gangway.

We actually think we may have cut the line (oops – it was an accident!) and ended up being the first ones off the ship. As we walked off we knew we needed to get to the train station. On Google maps, it looked like it was a short walk, but it was still dark and figured it would be easier to take a cab. Seeing as neither of us speak Italian, we asked the eager cab drivers to take us.

We were met with blank stares and then no one moved. We figured it was because no one wanted to take us because it was a short drive. Little did we know, it was because they had the whole system figured out. They were waiting until they had a van full of us and they wanted to charge 10 euro a person to bring us over.

Thankfully that took 5 minutes total, because everyone else behind us had the same idea. I had already bought tickets weeks before, but some of these individuals hadn’t yet – and some had mistakenly bought their tickets for the 9 am train (that was 2 hours away). We had to wait a little bit, but before too long we were on our way to Rome!

Our train was pretty full with regional folk and people from the cruise alike, and people were hopping on until the last minute. It was pretty chaotic. (Not as chaotic as our ride from London to Edinburgh, but pretty close!)

We pulled into the station and had roughly 15 minutes to haul from our platform to the next that was leaving for Florence. It wouldn’t have been so bad if we didn’t have all of our luggage, but we had to take that up and down stairs (which wasn’t ideal). But we made it with a few minutes to spare – and we were able to help a few Americans figure out their seats and where to stow their luggage as well even!

We love the high speed trains in Europe – on average our train was going about 154 mph. I really wish we had these in the US – makes travel so simple. When we made it to Florence – Andy and I split up. He took the tram to the airport to get our car rental, and I made my way to our hotel with our big suitcases to drop them and freshen up.

We both had one hell of a journey. He was on a “sweat train” and I was on a battle with cobblestones and some of the dumbest tourists (and yes, I’m aware I was also a tourist!). I also want to note that there are a lot of cities in Europe that are known for pickpockets, and Florence is one of them. And being a single female with two large suitcases, a backpack, and a purse – I wasn’t going to fall prey to anyone. I had my head on a swivel and was trying to memorize my Google maps directions as I was walking.

By the time I made it to the hotel I had sweat through my shirt and my muscles were shaking from being so tense – of course it was so early in the day our room wasn’t ready. Thankfully the hotel had a nice bathroom that I could get cleaned up in. They were able to stow our luggage while we were away.

Andy separately was having a heck of a time getting the car, but he was finally on his way to me with the car and our carry ons. We registered the car with the hotel, which allowed us to drive through some of the “local streets” that would have otherwise resulted in a fine. (Last time we were in Italy it took almost 2 years before the fines showed up in the mail, so we won’t hold our breath – they could still show up!)

And then we were on our way to a winery we went to back in 2019 – NostraVita! We were sad we weren’t able to coordinate with Jon and Yvonne on this trip, funny enough they were going the same week – just a few days later.

We had hoped that we would be able to sneak in another wine tasting on this trip, but due to a few things taking longer than expected we were only able to do NostraVita. But it was worth it. We had a great time doing the tour and seeing all of the new art pieces they had installed and the projects they had worked on since the pandemic.

The last time we were there they had recently lost their daughter/sister – and we were able to see how they were paying tribute to her through the winery now. It was really touching and how beautiful it is to be loved so deeply by a family like them.

We were able to catch up with Annibale with some help from Carlotta translating. He asked a lot about how we kept busy during the pandemic, we could clearly see how he had kept busy. At the end, he made sure we knew that we shouldn’t wait six years next time to come back to visit. It’s just a good reminder how short life is, and it really is beautiful.

While we were on the tour Andy had noticed a label that had said 2014 Brunello – which is the year that we got married. So when we were deciding on what we were going to buy, we asked Carlotta how much those would be. And she was able to verify that they had about 12 left – so we were even able to get some of those! It even made the trip more special – she also gifted a wooden wine box for us as well, which was so sweet.

Annibale- Master of all! (artist, wine maker, author, craftsman, and beautiful patriarch!)

We made our way back to Florence and had dinner in the Piazza della Repubblica, which was right by our hotel. We had a few items we wanted to do while in town. We wanted to buy some leather products, find a wine window and buy drinks from it, and look at the duomo. We had a very productive evening and we were able to accomplish all of them.

We love Italy so deeply and don’t want to wait so long before coming back. We definitely think we will be back sooner next time!

Accommodations:
Hotel Pendini

Up Next:
– Flight to Munich
– Salzburg
– DIY Sound of Music tour

A Postcard from Santorini

September 6, 2025Posted in Europe 2025, Spain, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Italy CruiseTagged adventure, celebrity ascent, Celebrity Cruises, celebritycruises, cruise, Europe, greece, Islands, Mediterranean, Mediterranean Cruise, Santorini, travel, travel blog, Wine, Wine Tasting1 Comment

September 5, 2025

I have dreamed about Santorini since I first had seen a picture of the whitewashed buildings, the blue-domes, and the blue water in the background. I bought a calendar once and I think I kept that picture for years after because I loved that image so much. When Andy and I got engaged – this was where I originally wanted to get married.

One thing led to another and the universe had other plans and we got married in the Dominican Republic instead. This was the port stop that I was most excited to visit because of how long I had dreamed about Santorini for – and honestly, it didn’t let me down.

Santorini is one of Greece’s most iconic islands, but what makes it truly unique, is that it sits on the rim of an active volcanic caldera. The result of a massive eruption thousands of years ago that shaped its dramatic cliffs and crescent shape.

One of things to note about Santorini is that all of the villages are on the cliffs, and tourists have limited options to get to the top. You can climb up 588 stairs to the top of Fira, ride a donkey, ride a cable car and pay 10 euro per person (one way), or book an excursion with the cruise ship who will arrange travel for you.

We opted for the last option, which took the guess work out of it for us. It did mean we had an early wake up call for us, but we got on tender who brought us over to the new port where our bus was waiting for us. These roads were teeny tiny and would have had anyone who was afraid of heights pinching their eyes closed and praying for it to be over as quickly as possible.

Our first stop was Oia, with its winding alleys and the famous blue domes. We were one of the first busses to pull into the parking lot, and our tour guide was so excited that she hustled us to the meeting point and told us to get to the “Instagram” point as quickly as possible because the crowds would be getting there soon and the lines would get long for the picture.

This is where things got funny. Andy and I ended up splitting up on accident because she told us that the there were two different vantage points for the domes, and both of us were in too deep with our respective lines. Andy’s line moved faster. He then came over to my line to be the ever-dutiful Instagram husband and take my pictures. Another bucket list item secured!

Since he waited, he got his line’s vantage point

Our next stop was a winery – Artemis Karamolegos. We sampled three wines: a crisp white Assyrtiko, a dry rosé Assyrtiko, and a sweet wine that they were famous for, the Vinsanto. Santorini has some of the oldest grapes in Europe because they were resistant to phylloxera, which had devastated the rest of Europe’s vines. We enjoyed our time there before getting back on the bus for our last stop.

They had some local cheese, tomatoes, and olives as a pairing

They have a unique way of weaving a “basket” with the vines underground.

We made our way to the capital, Fira. This is where most tourists make the pilgrimage from the old port (the 588 steps or the donkey route). Thankfully, we were already at the top. We had an hour here, so we made our way to the edge and snuck a peek of the caldera and the donkeys before doing a little shopping.

The height of the coach bus really highlighted the crazy switchbacks headed down to the new port- sorry to the moms out there following along…

We made our way back to the cruise ship after our stop in Fira. Andy and I discussed, and we realized that everything had worked out the way it was supposed to. We were supposed to get married in the Dominican Republic. Santorini was stunning, and beautiful. But it was small – and I think we would have been bored after a day or two. It’s funny how things work out and you just don’t know it at the time!

Up Next:
Naples

Sand, Sun, and Sitges

September 30, 2024Posted in Europe 2024Tagged Cava, Celebrity Cruises, Juvé & Camps, Sitges, Spain, Wine, Wine TastingLeave a comment

September 5, 2024

All good things must come to an end, and our cruise returned back to Barcelona Thursday morning. We got up early and ate breakfast right away and then finished getting ready/packing.

Early in the trip we had made the joke about our trip having three parts – the first part was exploring Spain – the next was the cruise and all of that entailed – and the third “half” was Sitges (a beach community outside of Barcelona).

We picked up our car rental, and we were on our way to Sitges. One of the gals that I worked with had recommended Sitges because it is a nice beach community and it’s where her and her family/friends would vacation.

I was so happy that we were going to be outside of Barcelona. This was a much smaller community, and right on the water. We had done a lot of research months ago – and had landed on one hotel. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any ADA rooms – so we ended up switching to a different hotel.

Sometimes the universe gives us what we need, even when we don’t know we need it yet! We ended up at ME Sitges Terramar. It was a very beautiful hotel with a sheltered cove that made it easy to splash around in the water – or try your luck at stand up paddle boarding.

After we dropped our luggage we made our way to our first winery of the day – Juvé & Camps. We needed to rally after not getting a ton of sleep the night before – because we were excited for this tour.

Juvé & Camps is known for making top-quality Cava. Founded in 1921, they farm over 270 hectares of vineyards, focusing on organic practices. Their Cavas are distributed worldwide, so there’s a chance you may have even seen them in your local store! Jon had set up a tour for us – and it was very small. Just another couple from Wales. It was a great tour and fun to see their cellars. At the end they also gave us some characteurie boards.

While in the cave, our guide brought us to a little room pictured below to continue his lesson on making Cava, the disgorging process. We are quite familiar with the process with my love of quality sparkling wine and out tour through the Champagne region. The process is basically to pop the top of the bottle that has been aging and under extreme pressure (7 atmospheres of pressure vs the 4 atmospheres of pressure from the final product) and top it off with special ingredients and then re-cork before it’s ready to sell. Then he surprised us all, he dawned his PPE (face shield and an apron), he grabbed a bottle and actually did the process; a first for us! Instead of the standard process, he poured straight from the bottle so we could see the difference between a freshly disgorged bottle and the final product. What a fun treat to experience the process and taste the difference!

From there, one of our wineries had cancelled. But one that Jon hadn’t heard back from confirmed our tasting. This time – we had the place to ourselves! It was just a tasting, but it was so fun!

This was a much smaller production – Cava Guilera. They had some older vintages as well – which was a great experience. One of them was even from the year I graduated high school. (Which as most of you know was just a few years ago!)

We made our way back to the hotel and took a quick nap before heading to downtown Sitges. The streets were tiny – and there were people everywhere! Parking was a challenge, but we found a spot and made it in time for our reservation.

Up Next:
– Andorra
– Wine tasting
– Beach time

Andorra you glad you visited?

September 30, 2024September 30, 2024Posted in Europe 2024Tagged Andorra, Europe, Llopart, Wine, Wine TastingLeave a comment

September 6, 2024

The next morning we had an early start and we woke up to a beautiful sunrise. We were on our way to Andorra! If you aren’t familiar with Andorra, it is a micro country in Europe. It is nestled in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. It has beautiful stunning mountain landscapes and during the winter is known for skiing. Tourists flock here for outdoor adventures (both summer and winter!), but also for its duty-free shopping.

We drove about 2.5 hours one-way, through a lot of fog and then it started to rain. We hadn’t planned on spending too much time in Andorra, but the weather didn’t make our trip any easier. (Not to mention, I don’t think any of us even thought about packing an umbrella!)

We decided it was time to stop for an early lunch, but unfortunately for us – the restaurants were either still closed or serving breakfast. The rain made it more difficult to find something that would nourish us. We loaded back up in the car and made our way back to a mall that we saw on our way in.

We aren’t big skiers – and this was definitely the off-season. So we had no choice but to spend our time shopping! I love a good deal – so the fact that Europe generally speaking has cheaper prices on some of the same skincare I buy at home – AND it was duty-free. I ended up walking out with two bags full of skincare for a fraction of the price!

We were all feeling a bit peckish – and we knew we had another 2+ hour drive before getting to the first winery. We were all craving a warm meal that was more filling than breakfast foods. This particular mall, really only had a McDonald’s. So we decided to try it!

I opted to try their crispy chicken sandwich – it was pretty similar to the one in the United States. However, you got two sides. So I went with the tried and true French fries, but also opted in for potato wedges. Andy ordered the sour cream and onion flavored French fries to try something new.

We also decided to do an impulse McFlurry – which was fun. They don’t mix in the toppings the same way they do in the USA – we got the Biscoff cookie flavored one. Yum!

As we drove back towards Spain, the rain subsided. We got to see some beautiful blue sky, fluffy clouds, and lots of green grass. Reminded me a bit of Minnesota!

Our next stop was Llopart – another sparkling wine house. Llopart was established in 1887, however, they are able to trace back through their history that they began making wine in the late 1300s!

Jon had scheduled us for a tour, which we were excited for, but we quickly realized it wasn’t accessible for Jon. Roger assured us we would only be gone for 10 minutes, but the second this man opened his mouth I quickly realized that he was a talker. I think we were gone for over 30 minutes, which was a bummer that it wasn’t more inclusive.

Super cool staircase taking us out to the vineyard

It was a pretty cool tour, we briefly got to go out to the vineyard and he was able to point out different ways the vines can grow and be maintained. Once we went back inside, they showed a brief video before the tasting began.

From there, we made our way back to our hotel. We briefly had a dip at the beach, before getting cleaned up for dinner. We had reservations at Villa Marina Sitges, which was right on the water.

I might just be one of the pickiest eaters you’ll ever meet, but I was feeling optimistic about this place – after all – they had a rooster as their logo. Unfortunately for me, there was no chicken on the menu. We triple checked that the shrimp didn’t have legs (or eyes) before ordering the shrimp pasta.

The other three all ordered steaks – and these were some of the biggest steaks I’ve ever seen. I watched the women at the table next to us widen their eyes as they saw the influx of meat. 🥩 It was a great dinner and an even better view!

Our hotel had a rooftop, and the night before we had tried to pop up there for a quick photo, but you needed a reservation. It seemed bizarre to me, since all I wanted was a picture. So I had made a reservation, but at this point we were all full and didn’t want to pay for anymore drinks.

So we went… and sat for a few minutes, took our pictures, and then left. It also doubled as a night-club, and old-man Ramert can’t be bothered with loud music. It was a beautiful view!

Up Next:
– Montserrat
– Wine tasting

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

Australia / New Zealand Cruise Day 11

January 24, 2024January 25, 2024Posted in Australia/New ZealandTagged Auckland, celebritycruises, New Zealand, Waiheke Island, Wine TastingLeave a comment

We docked in Auckland on December 30th – but didn’t stay there long! We got off the ship and made our way over to a high speed ferry that was taking us to Waiheke Island.

We were set to wine taste again that day. On the ferry ride over, we unfortunately ended up sitting in front of quite possibly the world’s grumpiest woman. She complained about the ship – then the spa – the fact that the ship had installed new handrails but hadn’t been varnished. You might call her… Karen.

I sent a silent prayer up that she didn’t end up on our bus. But as luck would have it, she was in our group. These tours can get kind of big, so sometimes you can avoid annoying people. That wasn’t the case.

When we had booked the tour, the first thing that I had noticed was that at our first stop we were supposed to get tea. It stood out to me, because why would I want tea if I was scheduled for wine tasting?!

Well Karen, she wanted that tea. She made a big stink when the winery didn’t have it. They tried to make it right by giving her a glass of her favorite varietal in addition to her tasting flight. Some people just can’t be reasoned with.

Once Karen quieted down – we began our tasting. The wine was good, but unfortunately the set up wasn’t great. Most of us were standing (even though there was a perfectly good restaurant and patio behind us) – but I don’t think anyone wanted to complain after we all witnessed Karen’s outburst. It was a beautiful area – and it was one of the more tropical stops so far on our trip!

We even got to see not one, but TWO helicopters take off and land to drop off some of the more wealthy folks who wanted to wine taste.

We made our way to our next winery that was on the highest point of the island. Andy and I really didn’t like the varietals they tasted for us – but we got a glass of their Shiraz which was nice and the view was great.

The charcuterie board at the second winery – Batch

Beautiful view – look at the water in the distance!

Before we knew it we were already on our way back to Auckland. It had been pretty humid, so we made our way back to the ship to take advantage of the ships amenities. (Pool, proper AC, etc!)

We ended the night with another show in the ship’s theater. The entertainment on the ship was truly top notch!

Up Next:

Bay of Islands (Glow worm caves)
New Year’s Eve

Australia / New Zealand Cruise Day 9

January 11, 2024Posted in Australia/New ZealandTagged celebritycruises, Napier, New Zealand, Wine TastingLeave a comment

The next day, we had a quick stop in Napier. We were only there for a few hours and due to rough waters we only had one gangway. This meant that up to 3,000 people were trying to get off at the same time. The line snaked from the gangway all the way back through the casino, just trust me when I say that it was a LONG line.

I had done some research on the Hawkes Bay wineries – and knew that there would likely only be time for one. We landed on Church Road Winery – they’ve been around for over 125 years. The Hawkes Bay region is New Zealand’s oldest – and voted 12th best in the world.

We had called ahead and secured a tasting reservation. The prices were about the same to wine tasting in the USA. One thing that we noticed is that most of the wine tasting in NZ was about 30 minute appointments, which varies dramatically to what we are used to with California wine tasting! (You could easily spend 2 hours at one spot).

We definitely liked these wines the best out of the other places that we had been to. And the venue was stunning! Since the wine tasting was 30 minutes, we realized that we could sneak in another winery. But… it would have to be in town closer to the cruise ship.

Our server had recommended Urban Winery, which is where we were headed. It was a cute spot in town, although you could tell they did some of their production there on site. The girl working was incredibly overwhelmed that “so many people just want to do tasting flights.” I was a little baffled, considering… they are a winery? Anyway, she wouldn’t serve us tastings. She almost let us walk out the door, but I decided to ask if we could get a glass.

At this point, I think she might have realized that she was about to lose money. (Mind you – important to note, I think there were only 6-8 other people inside). So she decided she could serve us glasses. So that’s what we did!

The interior was really cute, and I loved their branding. I’ll just say that if you are planning on going there – lower your service expectations.

We didn’t get to see much of downtown Napier, but it is known for having Art Deco architecture. We wished we would have more time there!

We made our way back to the ship, and this time we tried the Italian themed restaurant. We had wonderful service, which was a great way to end the night!

Up Next:

Hobbiton

Australia / New Zealand Cruise Day 8

January 2, 2024Posted in Australia/New ZealandTagged celebritycruises, Christchurch, New Zealand, Waipara, Wine TastingLeave a comment

The next morning we arrived in Christchurch (Lyttelton) and immediately got swept away to the Waipara wine region. The weather was cold and rainy again – this trip was so long it was hard to get an accurate forecast for the whole trip. I started to get worried that I was going to run out of cold weather clothing, but made due with a thicker dress and a shacket.

Christchurch had a massive earthquake (6.3) back in 2011 that devastated the port area. 185 people lost their lives in the quake. It took them YEARS to rebuild the infrastructure and for the area to return to a sense of normalcy. Our guide/bus driver was from the Lyttelton area – which was the epicenter. He said the area woke up that morning with 9 pubs, and after the quake none of them were standing.

As we drove north to Christchurch (and beyond to Waipara) – the evidence was apparent. You could actually see where housing developments used to be – but New Zealand decided not to rebuild there because the ground wasn’t stable. The streets were grown over with grass and the streetlights still stood next to street signs. It felt a little post apocalyptic! However, there were some areas where they decided to convert into parks.

We were originally supposed to go to three different wineries, but I think with the holidays some of them were closed. The agenda for the day shifted to going to 2 different wineries, and then a local restaurant that had many of the local wineries on their list. (We would get a glass included with our tour – as well as lunch).

The first winery that we visited was called Georges Road – the owner was actually our host. Their wines were all pretty good, but we liked their rose best. They had an adorable wine-dog, Pepper! She was very cute. Our driver was incredibly prompt, so we were only there for about 30 minutes.

We made our way over to the next winery, Torlesse Wines. We were still on a tight schedule, but our server made it her mission to try to serve us as much wine as possible. They had a large variety of whites and reds – I wasn’t sure what we would get when wine tasting in New Zealand. I had assumed it would end up being a lot of Sauvignon Blanc, but I was completely wrong!

From there, we made our way to a restaurant called, The Better Half. They had a buffet set up for us – and we tried some New Zealand wines. During lunch, we got to meet one of the acrobats, Viktar. It was definitely the highlight of our wine tasting day! We learned a lot more about what it’s like being part of the entertainment team. (And what it’s like being an acrobat!)

We had dinner at the French restaurant, Normandie. It was good! I had their baked Brie and chicken Kiev for dinner. It has been fun being able to try the different main dining room options on this ship.

Up Next:

Napier (Hawkes Bay wine tasting)