Laid Back Cruisin’ in Europe

As you read in our previous posts, India was everything and nothing that we expected. It is just as beautiful and chaotic as people and literature say it is, but the full extent of all this came to light when we landed in Barcelona, Spain to meet up with Rachel’s parents to go on a 12 day Mediterranean cruise. Nothing was more shocking than having all the luxuries of the boat and first world living at our disposal.

The single greatest part of our cruise was being with Rachel’s parents. Even though we had each other during our journey, there still was a feeling of loneliness from being apart from family and friends. We had our blog and email to share our experiences with everyone, but nothing can take the place of conversation in person, face to face, especially over dinner and wine. I was so excited to be around familiar faces that it feels like I personally didn’t stop talking for the entire trip.

Like I said, our time in Europe started in Barcelona. We were extremely lucky to fly business class on Royal Jordanian Airlines by using the last of my reward miles. This made the 12 hour and 1 layover trip…how can I put it…AWESOME! The service was of the highest caliber, we had many movies to watch on demand and all the food and drink we could ask for. I wanted to savor every moment of it and didn’t sleep a minute.

On landing in Spain, the first thing we noticed was the total lack of security at the airport and with Customs & Immigration. It sounds strange, but our experiences have shown us that third world countries seem to have the highest level of security, almost to the point of obnoxiousness, and first world countries only show the illusion of security. When Rachel and I went through Customs & Immigration in Barcelona, our passports were never scanned or even entered into a computer- we simply received a stamp and were on our way. No official even gave us a glance. In India, you can’t even enter the airport terminal without a passport and your ticket in hand, are searched not only through the normal checkpoints, but also at the gate and the entrance to the plane, and every little detail is scrutinized by armed military personnel. Note: if you are fugitive or don’t want to be found, go to Europe!

The second thing we noticed was the cleanliness. The sky was blue with no pollution in the air, the cars were new and clean, the streets had sidewalks and were swept clean, and there were no hawkers begging us for business. It was the complete opposite from what we were used to! We looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief…ahhhhhhhhhhh.

Barcelona

Most hostels we’d been staying in in Asia were inexpensive private rooms with a large assortment of amenities. Not so in Barcelona. Even though we wanted only to stay near the port, most hostels did not have private rooms and the cheapest hotel we could find was for about $65, and did not have internet or any other amenities you would expect at that price. It is mind-boggling that in an advanced society such as Spain provide so little for so much.

We awoke in the morning to meet Rachel’s parents who were flying in from Miami. What a reunion it was! We were excited and they were full of smiles. It never felt so good to see familar faces. After a round of hugs, we went to the port, checked into the cruise, and boarded the modern Goliath of luxury, the Celebrity Solstice. This was to be our “home” for 12 straight days; the longest stretch we have had of staying in one place at a time in a while.

The cruise was the perfect re-introduction to the Western world. We ate fine food, drank incredible wine, spent time in the gym and spa, and spent time ashore at the various ports. The cruise stopped at Naples, Venice, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Rome, Florence, Corsica, Toulon (France), and Barcelona. At each port we did a historical walking tour of the city with a guide, sampled local cuisine, and did some shopping. Almost every tour guide was great in their own way and made us laugh. In particular, our guide in Napoli made me crack up by talking about the invention of pizza in Napoli. In his strong italian accent he said, “I now KNOW it is POSSIBLE…to eat the pizza ALL OVER THE WORLD.” The best tour guides we’ve had were definitely in Europe with the cruise line. You get what you pay for, as the saying goes!

the ruins of Pompeii, Italy

fresh mozzarella cheese in Sorrento, Italy

gondola ride, Venice

Rachel & her dad, Ajaccio, Corsica

Our favorite port was Dubrovnik, Croatia, because it was our first time in Eastern Europe and though very similar to the rest of the Mediterranean, the architecture and the people definitely felt different. As fun and luxurious as cruises are, the major downside is how little time you have in the ports. For some people this is preferred method of travel, but it felt like a tease in many ways and left us hungry for more of Croatia. We will definitely be back (and to the rest of Eastern Europe)! It was also nice to be in Rome again- Rome is a magnificent city and worth visiting over and over.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik old town

Roman Colosseum

Speaking of having little time, I want to add that if you are thinking of doing a European cruise, I would only recommend this if you have already been to Europe at least once. It is really difficult to get a sense of Europe traveling by cruise. Europe is all about exploring the cities and villages, and they really need to be explored for days at a time not in a few hours. There is so much history in Europe it’s mind-blowing and I think it would be really hard to appreciate it and process it all if this was the only way you got to experience it. It’s also difficult to see the cultural differences in such a short time- in a few hours they might all seem very similar, but the reality is that the cultures are all very unique.

dinner in Venice

Ajaccio, Corsica

spices in Ajaccio market

After the cruise returned to Barcelona, we spent a few days exploring the city and experiencing what Europe is all about: eating, drinking, and…eating and drinking. Oh, and a little history and architecture too. For architecture and design fans, Barcelona is the place to be. There are some incredible architectural sites in Barcelona, like those of Antony Gaudi- which you will not see anywhere else in the world.

Barcelona bike tour

Gaudi’s Parc Guell, Barcelona

Gaudi “bones” house, Barcelona

Sadly, the dream had to end and we boarded our flight on AirBerlin to JFK via Dusseldorf. It was a really long travel day (with a 6 hour layover in Dusseldorf) but we were happy to be returning home. Our last flight (from Delhi to Barcelona) on Royal Jordanian was really great, but AirBerlin was disappointing. No tv’s, crappy food, and less than friendly flight attendants- but it was the cheapest so we had no choice.

We did not experience much culture shock when we arrived in New York, probably because we had been in Europe for more than 2 weeks and had been on a cruise. It was comforting to be able to communicate with everyone and to be in familiar territory again. We had to stay overnight in New York because our flight got in so late, and the Howard Johnson by JFK was probably the worst hotel we’ve stayed in in all of our travels. Not the welcome home we were hoping for, but your options are both expensive and limited near the airport so we sucked it up and made it through one more night on the road.

The next day we flew to Charlotte, NC to visit with my mom in Lake Toxaway and pick up our dog Indy before driving down to Florida. She was overwhelmed when we arrived and began trembling, but eventually she warmed up and now things are back to normal. We were so happy she remembered us, as this was a big fear of Rachel’s. Unfortunately we couldn’t pick the cats up yet, since we’re staying at my parent’s house for now and my dad is severely allergic. When we start working and can move into our own place, we’ll be able to bring them home.

Indy

It has been so wonderful getting to see our old friends and family again and to take advantage of all the things we missed (free refills!). The downside is we are unemployed, sharing one car, and don’t have a home of our own but the price we paid was worth it. We wouldn’t trade this temporary obstacle for the world (pun intended). We are the same people but we have also been profoundly changed by our experience. It isn’t possible to visit 22 countries and not be changed by what you see and the people you meet. I think Rachel and I are both adjusting in different ways, which we each will write about soon.