And so, to continue where my last post left off, my mother and I arrived December 28th in Barcelona, to spend the day before hopping on the boat the next. Our luggage was way too heavy, and we pretty much killed ourselves navigating the train station, metro, and streets of Barcelona on our way to the hostel. But that was all good, because after we arrived and rested our weary backs, it was time for me to show her a bit of the town! It was oddly satisfying to be able to show these places that I'd been to before, enjoying the weather and acting like a little tour guide (I didn't say a good one!). For some reason, that made me feel grown-up to be the one leading the way for once! We went to the beach, ate paella, and had ourselves some mighty fine sangria...and returned to the hostel pooped beyond belief, turning in early.
The next day, we made our way to the boat (with a taxi this time; no way were we lugging our bags another mile) and away we went, for what I can only describe as 12 days of paradise. I had an absolute blast, danced my behind off due to the massive Latin American crowd on the boat, got to work out in a real gym (!!), enjoy hot tubbing and cooking in a sauna, eat delicious food every day, go rock climbing, and party like a fiend on New Year's Eve (and perhaps a couple other nights as well, haha.) I couldn't possibly describe it all, but there are of course certain highlights worth mentioning!
Not a highlight. But what's a good blog post without a dose of silly?
New Year's Eve. December 21st was our first port of call, Palermo, Sicily. The city was gorgeous, the weather sublime after that annoying cold spell we'd been having, and mom and I explored the city on our own. We went a little out of the way and found some amazing Sicilian pizza that was folded over kinda like a calzone but not really, a giant pig in a blanket but soooo much tastier, tiramisu-flavored gelato, and of course cappuccino. Tips from friends led us to a super cool street market that could give any bargain queen a heart attack, and eventually we found our way back to the boat later in the evening to take a quick nap and prepare for our night of festivities. (I took many naps this vacation , by the way: it was glorious!) I'll apologize in advance for the minimal photos, but it'd be near impossible to do these locations sufficient justice so I'll try my best! I'm already a busy girl, and I've barely been back 2 days! I'll have to direct you to my facebook for the true photo tour, but here's one particularly nice one:
View of Palermo at sunset. =)
So, sufficiently recharged after our power naps and dinner, it was time for the party to start! All the party animals (which was probably a good three fourths of the ship) were out on the main deck, dancing up a storm, getting blown about by the wind but still having a great time. Free champagne was in abundance, passed around in fancy glasses, and there were lots of grapes. I was told that eating 12 grapes at New Year's is a popular tradition in Brazil and other spanish-speaking countries, so we decided to be fancy and put some in our glasses ^_^
Bringing in the new year in style!
But by far the best part of the night (besides partying till the wee hours with my new friends after mom went to bed) was the countdown! The captain of the ship timed our travel just right so that we'd pass through the Strait of Messine between Sicily and Italy just at the new year. There were fireworks! But not only were there fireworks, but true to their feisty fashion, every year the Italians and Sicilans put up their dukes and attempt to outdo the other. So, with the familiar tune of "Auld Lang Syne" ringing in the background, we found our place on deck to watch this spectacular display. It was breathtaking, and not because of the chill in the air. All I can say is, what a way to start the year! Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.
Until next time, happy new year!
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