EUROPE IN STYLE: Getting into the Spirit When Silversea invited me to take a Med cruise aboard the Silver Spirit I didn’t have to give it much thought. I’ve been watching and writing about Silversea Cruises for years and in all that time have heard nothing but the most laudatory comments from those who have cruised with the company. Could they really be that good? Well, there was only one way to find out. I have only two criteria for going most places – internet access and time to write and edit - if I didn’t insist on those you’d not be reading Travel Industry Today weekday mornings. Silversea does have internet access on board (there is a charge) but my concerns about reliability and speed were unfounded, at no time while in port or sailing did I ever have difficulty with access. The Itinerary I loved the itinerary. We were to sail from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Portofino, then spend two days in Livorno (a two hour drive to Florence), then Alghero in Sardinia, Porto Mahon (Menorca), Ibiza (Balearic Islands, Spain) and then finally to Barcelona. I was particularly keen to visit Portofino a place I’ve been fascinated with since childhood, and Florence – to anyone with an interest in art, Florence is a must – so that was also high on my list. Ibiza has a reputation as ‘party central’ so I was curious about that too. I didn’t know much ahead of time about Alghero or Porto Mahon but was ready to learn. I had initially hoped to spend several days after the trip in Barcelona, a city I have always wanted to visit, to take in a little of its vibrant art, architecture, cuisine and music scenes. Unfortunately the itinerary collided with other commitments and I ended up going straight from the Silver Spirit to Barcelona Airport. So, Barcelona remains a pleasure yet to be experienced. My friend Helen Tilston joined me on the trip, flying over from Ireland where she and her husband Michael recently bought a house. Helen and I met years ago when we both worked at Wardair. She is now an artist, one of a group of three talented women known as The Plein Aire Cottage artists who work primarily on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Take the train ... but watch out Helen is always game for adventure and we frequently travel together. After spending a couple of days in Rome (that’s another story) we took the train to Civitavecchia. (Considerably cheaper – and more fun – than a limo.) The rather aggressively helpful young woman who gave me an (unasked for) hand pulling my luggage onto the train, was not content with a thank you – but insistently held out her hand for a couple of euros. Feeling foolish I complied, but the young man in the seat ahead faced with a similar situation turned on his “helper” who was demanding €5. “Five euros? You want five euros?” Said the young Englishman incredulously. “Si, five euros.” Said the belligerent foxy faced man with his hand out. “What for?” “Five euros.” Hand still out. “Get out.” Said the Englishmen, indicating the door with a jerk of his thumb and a wave of his fist. “Go on – get outta here, before I give you a thump.” He said with a laugh. The man understood the intent, if not the actual words, and given the height difference not in his favour, muttered angrily, but left. Clearly I could do with a lesson on handling unwanted assistance. Getting settled On arrival at Civitavecchia we shared a cab from the station with a couple off another nearby ship, and after a super-fast check in (we were the only ones there) boarded the Silver Spirit greeted by smiles, hot towels and a drink. The formalities at reception were quickly and efficiently handled, and we were shown to our suite to be met by Marlon, who was to pamper and spoil us for the rest of the week. (I miss Marlon.) He offered drinks, snacks, gave us a rundown on everything, asked for any preferences in stocking the fridge. We had simple tastes - lots of water, lots of Diet Coke (fuel for writing), and some Newcastle Ale. Our suite was well appointed and spacious with a good sized sitting area and a desk large enough for me to spread out and work comfortably. Both North American and European plug-in fixtures at the desk ensured no converters were required (I always have one anyway). The flat screen televisions in both the bedroom and sitting room areas were more than unobtrusive – they were invisible – hidden in the mirror till you turned them on (though despite Marlon’s demo we never did.) The beds were very comfortable (with a choice of pillows) and those Pratesi sheets could be habit forming. I loved the bathroom which was large and had both shower and tub and a choice of different amenities. Curiously, though we enjoyed having it, we seldom used the balcony during the voyage. Declining Marlon’s offer to unpack and set us up, we handled that chore ourselves before heading off to the safety drill. Evening One That done, we proceeded to explore the ship a little, ending up at the poolside bar where we made some friends, toasted the other ships leaving the port until it was our turn to sail out into the sunset. We had dinner the first evening at the Seishin restaurant. To walk through the door of this small intimate restaurant is to know that a special evening lies ahead. The service is impeccable, the atmosphere sophisticated yet warm - Seishin is apparently the Japanese word for ‘spirit’, and the spirit here is welcoming. The restaurant specializes in Asian fusion and despite the Japanese name and style, the cuisine also includes regional dishes from China, Thailand, Vietnam and India. The meal was fabulous – Seishin gets my vote for best dinner in a week of excellent dinners – and believe me there was plenty of competition. The one disappointment was an announcement from Captain Mino Pontillo that due to bad weather we would be skipping Portifino, and sailing to Genoa instead. Quite a night It had been a long day, so we decided after dinner to make it an early night. I awoke a couple of hours later and knew immediately where I was. On a ship. On a ship that was in rough seas. And I don’t mind confessing I didn’t like it one little bit. Helen bravely popped out on the balcony and enthusiastically urged me to, “come and look at the size of these waves.” But I wasn’t having a bit of that. I would rather stay put, (try to) concentrate on my book, and picture waves not nearly as big as Helen described - all rocking and pitching evidence to the contrary. The next morning it was calm and sunny when Marlon arrived with a smile and a fabulous breakfast – I haven’t tried replicating the grilled peaches yet – but soon. Helen went wandering while I did some work and then we decided to take our paints, go ashore and see what Genoa had to offer. Call 1-888-286-8789 or visit JustTravelDeals.ca
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 12:00:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015