Iberian Cruise

Paul and I got to enjoy a one week Iberian cruise from October 2nd to 9th. Gemma went on her 'holidays' to Granny and Grandad's in Louisburgh, including going on the train for the first time, so that we could have a getaway. We had a wonderful week of relaxation and seeing some beautiful sites. 

We flew to London, then got a transfer to the port in Southampton, England, where we boarded the ship- Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas. Our first full day was a sea day, then we had four days of stops in Vigo, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Cadiz, Spain; and Gibraltar. The last full day was a sea day, then we arrived in Barcelona in the early morning of Friday, October 9th, and we flew back to Dublin from there. We had a great time, but we missed Gemma a lot- the last day we spent nearly the whole day looking at pictures and videos of her on our phones!

Enjoying a drink before we sailed out of Southhampton. 

On the first day of the cruise we went to a talk onboard about all the different ports of call. We won one of the prizes of a day excursion when we were in Vigo to Santiago de Compostela. The city is the capital of Galicia, in northwest Spain, and the destination of a major Catholic pilgrimage route. We had a guided tour around the city and some time to explore on our own. 

In Lisbon we explored on our own, including taking a tour of the city on an open top bus. It was a beautiful city with gorgeous tiles everywhere, but unfortunately it was extremely windy and poured rain at times!

Cadiz is a beautiful coastal town with an amazing cathedral. We spent the day wandering the narrow streets and walking along the seafront. 

Gibraltar was probably our favourite spot. We took a private taxi tour with 4 other people to the top of the rock, stopping at all the points of interest along the way and getting educated about Gibraltar by a local person. We enjoyed looking in the numerous shops as well- it's a tax free shopping destination! 

On the last sea day we relaxed, read, watched an ice skating show, and enjoyed a final drink in one of the bars onboard. 

We arrived back in Barcelona after a wonderful week, then went straight to the airport- very excited to get back to Gemma!