Pearl Anniversary Cruise

Unbelievably this year Hubby and I celebrate 30 years of wedded bliss - how did those years pass by so quickly. To celebrate we decided to do our first Sea Cruise and chose Adriatic Splendours on Marella Explorer 2 (Tui's first adult only ship)

Marella Explorer 2 - Tui at night - pool deck big screen

All told we had a good time, somethings not as we expected, some things better, but even a leaking balcony on our special day didn't spoil the occasion.

Our Junior Suite was bigger than some hotels we have stayed in with a really comfy bed, sofa, table and chair and Lavazza coffee machine. The bathroom was good, just a shame it was a bath with shower over. Our balcony was huge with two sun loungers as well as a table and two chairs. The cabin staff were great guys, did a good job morning and night with a little extra too.

Towel art - door banner - all our cards

There will be no surprise when I say the bar stools in Aperitif became our regular spot - Anton, Serhii and Gilbert were fantastic bartenders. It was a pleasure to watch them making such a variety of drinks, lovely chatting with them and of course trying one or two of their cocktails !

Vespa Martini - Espresso Martini - Porn Star Martini
Espresso coffee - Chococchiato speciality coffee

The food in all the restaurants was superb, we ate in Latitude 53 most evenings but for our anniversary we paid a supplement to dine in Surf and Turf. The chaps at Aperitif provided a very nice Pouilly-fume bottle of wine, perfect with our sharing fish platter. We followed this with a sharing 18oz Porterhouse steak with lobster macaroni cheese side accompanied by a very nice glass of South American Malbec. A trio of desserts completed our delicious meal. However it wasn't quite the end as the Maitre D appeared with a second dessert; 'Happy 30th Anniversary' written in chocolate with a layer cake, such a lovely gesture with all the waiters wishing us many more happy years.

Our Surf and Turf anniversary meal

But the cruise wasn't just about our special day, it was a chance to see new places. We travelled from Naples, through the Strait of Messina, across the Ionian Sea, up the Adriatic Sea with return to Naples the same route.

Plan of our travels - taken on cabin tv

Arriving on board in Naples we were surprised at how big the city was - on the transfer from the airport the buildings seemed to stretch for miles. Sailing away we passed Sorrento and Capri before cruising open sea for 24 hours to Split.

View of Vesuvius as we left Naples

Split was a beautiful place, I was very taken with Croatia before we even stepped foot ashore. All the buildings had character with a variety of styles, shutters and roofs; much rebuilt after the Bosnia conflict.

We decided to wander around on our own as the town was so close to the port. It was an easy but very hot walk to the Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I find it quite overwhelming visiting ancient sites, I'm amazed at the architecture, the knowledge of construction and the actual building work in an era long before our computers and mechanical diggers.

Split Cathedral

Part of the Diocletian Palace

Five Angel's above the altar

The water front at Split was a mixture of modern elite hotels, bars and cafes and market stalls - one thing we all had in common with all the other visitors and native Croatians was finding shade from the 32 degree sun.

A small section of Split's promenade

Overnight we sailed to Venice, arriving at 5am - Hubby and I set our alarms as we did not want to miss sailing into such an iconic place at dawn. The light on the buildings was amazing - with storm clouds brewing there was a touch of red to the morning glow.

Campanile  di San Marco - Palazzo Ducale

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

Sunrise over Venice

After breakfast we used Tui's small boat transfer to reach the centre of Venice. The clouds opened and the water city greeted us with a rain storm but St Mark's Square is lovely in any weather with the beautiful facade of the Basilica de San Marco making a striking focal point. We wandered up and down many small alleyways, over bridges, down wider streets and through small plazas. It's a bustling city with many visitors all discovering the same delights. As the rain stopped we paused for a glass of wine and bruschetta outside a bar in one of the small square - it was just lovely.

Bridge of Sighs

Basilica de San Marco

Palazzo Ducale

Wine and bruschetta- lunch stop

Hubby and I certainly want to visit Venice again, the cruise was a perfect way to see it's highlights but we'd love to return with time to wander further and enjoy some of the many inviting restaurants and bars.

The following morning we awoke in Ancona, a smaller Italian port. After plenty of walking in Split and Venice, and our celebration being the following day we decided not to go ashore. Added to which it was Sunday and over 30 degrees.

Ancona

The ship had plenty of activities should you want them, some chargeable such as the Champneys Spa or the Golf Simulator but the pool side activities were free. We didn't sit by or go in the pool as out on deck was quite a sun trap. We did sit in one of the beach huts for lunch but with sun loungers on our balcony we enjoyed some relaxing quiet time.

Every evening, after spending time on our 'reserved' bar stools followed by superb dinners, we went to the evening show in the Broadway Show Lounge. The stage performers were incredible, a different show every evening with different music and dance styles. No part of any show was repeated and apparently on a two week cruise you would not see the same thing twice - they work so hard. Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed every evening; Tom Binns came on board one evening to do a show too.

Great entertainment every evening

Our final city to visit was Dubrovnik- the perfect place for our actual anniversary, 24th June. We chose to do one of the Tui tours, our guide was a lovely lady. We first travelled by coach high above the city where we enjoyed amazing views.

Overlooking Dubrovnik

The coach then travelled into the city and we began a walking tour through the old town entering through Pile Gate. Our guide was only 9 years old during the conflict and explained about life then, how things were destroyed and now how things have been rebuilt. She is very proud of her country.

Pile Gate - Saint Blaise holding Dubrovnik in his left hand

Dubrovnik old town

Dubrovnik architecture

After our walking tour and some time on our own we rejoined our group and our Tour Guide for a boat ride from the small harbour back to our ship in the big harbour. It was a 40 minute trip seeing Dubrovnik from yet another view, it's a stunning place.

Dubrovnik from our small boat trip

After a day at sea relaxing on our balcony it was time for our final dinner, final show and final drink at Aperitif. Midway through our evening we passed the island of Stromboli where its volcano has been active for 2000 years. As darkness fell we stood on deck looking at what seemed a hill in the sea .... then as we sailed past (the Captain slowed the ship for a while) there was a red glow followed by hot lava shooting high into the night sky - what a sight, nature's own fireworks for our cruise finale.

Stromboli at sunset 

Amazing to see this feat of nature

Hubby and I had a super week, so many memories, so many new places discovered, super celebrations with many cards and messages - thank to everyone who was part of our special cruise - we have treasured memories of our Pearl Anniversary💕

Our 30th Wedding Anniversary Cruise

A trip to Leicester

It felt so good yesterday to catch the train to Leicester with Hubby and our son. Nothing special I hear you say but this time I had no wheelchair, no crutches, no walking stick and only a helping hand on the way home! It felt so good to just walk around the shops and not need to balance myself against walls/shelves/tables when standing still😃

The reason for our visit was Majestic's Seasonal Showcase, we have not been able to join these events for a while so we made an afternoon of our visit .... and discovered somewhere new!

23 Wine and Whiskey is on the main road from the station to the city. Drawn in by the 'whiskey' sign after our visit to Scotland, we were delighted to see a wide range of whisky from Scotland as well as spirits from around the world. Their wine range was good too with labels we had not seen before. Unfortunately we did not have time to stay long but its a shop we will certainly be visiting again .... and they do tasting events 😉

After a lovely dinner we walked on to Majestic, it's only just round the corner from the station so ideal for us. Their Showcase events are always informal with wine stations around the store; as always we were greeted with a glass of bubbly ... to my delight it was Nicolas Feuillatte 2009 ... and paired with a lovely buttery cake (had they read my last post I wonder 😉)

Nicolas Feuillatte
2009

The two tasting stations had a selection of white, rose and red wines with a variety of cheese, savoury biscuits and spicy sausage as pairings. All the wines were either  the Definition or Parcel Series range, wine from well known producers bottles specifically for Majestic.

Definition Viognier: made by Abbotts and Delaunay this French wine had peach, white fruit and a slight creamy edge. There was a hint of light oakiness on its finish.  £8.99 mix six.

Definition Chenin Blanc: quite a high alcohol percentage for a white at 14% this South African wine had flavours of tropical fruits but a little light on its finish for my taste. £9.99 mix six

Parcel Series Sauvignon Blanc (Chilean): a surprising hint of blossom on the nose this, my favourite, wine had plenty of grapefruit and lime in the mouth. Softer than New World, bolder than Old World this Chilean Sauvignon Blanc is good value at £6.99 mix six

Definition Rose: a dry French Provencal wine from old vines this rose was to my style. It had flavours of stone fruits and melon with a touch of minerality, £8.99 mix six

White wine selection 

Definition Beaujolais: raspberries, redcurrants and white pepper as expected in this Gamay wine, surprisingly it had a tannic finish. £8.99 mix six

Parcel Series Merlot: from the Colombia Valley this red had flavours of plums, damsons and brambles. A good wine but I didn't enjoy the finish , a little bit like wet/damp wood. £12.99 mix six

Parcel Series Cabernet Sauvignon: I always need food with this grape so the pairings were perfect, this Australian red had flavours of dark fruits with a hint of chocolate on the finish. £9.99 mix six

Parcel Series Malbec: the deepest red in our tasting with plenty of cherries and a kick of spice. Malbec had disappeared from the Parcel Series but the winemaker has produced a 2018 bottle. £6.99 mix six

Red Wine Selection

There has been a little uncertainty over Majestic's future recently along with it's sister company Naked Wines. I know a few stores have been ear marked to close, however the store manager at Leicester said his store was staying open with Majestic being bought and moving away from Naked Wines ..... you can follow Majestic on Twitter for the latest, or sign up to their emails. 

It was so so nice to go out with my two favourite chaps and feel normal. Thank you Nick, Michael and Majestic Leicester, here's to a many more such trips!

Alternative Europe wine tasting

It was recently time for another superb wine tasting evening with our scouting friends. Last time we went Down Under with a great variety from Australia and New Zealand .... if you missed it here's the link to my write up

Down Under Wine Tasting 

It's great fun planning these evenings, choosing a theme, researching wines, going on a wine spending spree (a task in itself), deciding on the food pairings and setting up.

All set for another great evening 

Alternative Europe sprang to mind after watching Eurovision and seeing many more wines from East Europe on the supermarket shelves.

We began with bubbles .... as always .... this time English Sparkling Wine. Denbies Broadwood's Folly Brut from Lidl (£14.99). This seemed even more appropriate as the estate is celebrating its 30th anniversary, as are Hubby and I later this month.

Broadwood's Folly had plenty of bubbles, larger in size than some English Sparkling Wines, and which were quite lively producing a good foam. This pale pear yellow glass of fizz was full of citrus with a touch of toasty brioche and a dry finish. Overall it was a decent wine but for me I'd prefer Aldi's Cremant de Jura at half the price.

Denbies Broadwood's Folly 

Our white wines were all quite light and, as everyone suggested, would be great for a summer lunch in the garden or to take to a BBQ. The wines came from Austria, Bulgaria, England, Hungary, Portugal and Romania, but not in that order.

Our first wine was animus Vinho Verde from Portugal, an Aldi wine at £4.79. This wine made from Loureiro and Arinto grapes is a light wine full of freshness with some stone fruit. I was expecting a heavier wine but it had quite a short finish and if you are looking for a light lunch time wine this would be perfect.

Staying with the low budget supermarkets we changed countries and moved to Hungary with a Pinot Grigio. Dunántúil PGI was our cheapest wine of the evening, £3.69 from Lidl. There were many tastes in this wine but all very subtle: apple, honey, citrus and sweet fruits. I'm pleased to have tried this Eastern European wine but it didn't have enough body for me.

Austria next with a wine I usually enjoy with Asian or Chinese food, that said I paired it with Asda's Hoisin Duck crisps, a pairing everyone enjoyed. Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Gruner Veltliner  (£8.25) didn't disappoint with its expected white crisp peachiness, hint of lemon and slight white pepper in its high notes. I really enjoyed this and as I said it is perfect with Eastern foods.

Everyone was surprised by the origins of the wines, most had only tasted French, Spanish, Germany or Italian wines from Europe before; they were very surprised when our next white came from Bulgaria. Stone Arka Chardonnay from Majestic at £7.99 had flavours of peach, citrus and buttery nuts. It was quite a soft delicate wine which, if you love chardonnay, may have left you wanting more.

Moving north into Romania our fifth white was a Sauvignon Blanc, always a favourite of mine. This had a full nose similar but not as heavy as a New Zealand wine. Bradshaw The Peacock Series Sauvignon Blanc from Asda at £5.50 would, in my opinion, be a great lunch time in the garden wine. A dry wine with plenty of fruit, a kick of citrus and a light acidity.

Our final white wine was from England, last October Hubby and I visited Lyme Bay Winery, I love their Bacchus wine. It's a long way to Devon but thankfully Aldi now stock Lyme Block Signature (£9.99), a combination of Bacchus, Pinot Blanc, Reichensyeiner, Madelaine Angeline and Seyval Blanc. It was the favourite white of the evening which came as no surprise as it's full of flavour, plenty of green apple, lime zest and melon with a smooth finish and great length; it's a superb wine.

Our whites from around Europe

It was a wine from Macedonia that started our red selection; Tikves Kratosija Crveno (not easy to pronounce especially after already tasting our six whites). This was our only non-supermarket wine, I picked it up at Slurp in Banbury on our way to Oxford for a recent short break. Tikves wines are always good, we have a white in the garage awaiting discovery. This £7.95 bottle had plenty of red fruits, light tannin (which always pleases the ladies), and soft acidity.

Two Sainsbury's wines next, the first one in their Taste the Difference range and a trip back to Austria with Zweilgelt at £8.00. I have noticed how, now that we have held many of these events, everyone is trying hard to discover the fragrances and flavours I list on the tasting note. This wine caused great hilarity as everyone tried to find the 'prunes'. It had plenty of cherries but the hint of mint on its finish was not enjoyed by a few.

Our second was an old favourite, a Cellier des Dauphins from Sainbury's at £5.75. I love this producer and will never miss an opportunity to enjoy their wine. Although from France which isn't alternative, it's unusual for us to find a Merlot Grenache blend. Soft fruits, raspberries, pepper and spice .... need I say any more.

Travelling back to Romania our next wine was from The Wine Atlas range in Asda. Feteasca Neagra (pronunciation was skipped) £5.25 was a great price for this blackcurrant heavy wine. So much deep fruit with pepper dancing around this was one of the favourite red wines.

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference range was quite popular with everyone, the penultimate wine from Portugal was liked by most, however we have tried a few Portuguese wines in previous tastings  which people preferred. Lisboa is a blend of Castelao, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Syrah and is reasonably priced at £6.00.

Our final red was voted the overall favourite: Selone Puglia Negroamaro from Lidl priced at £5.69. This Italian red was full of dark fruit, had plenty of spice and soft vanilla finish. I don't see it very often in store but I'll be grabbing a bottle when I do.

Our red selection

As always everyone brought items for our buffet table, we enjoyed a variety of cheeses, hams, pork pie, bread, and other savouries. I made a red wine chocolate cake which, after our buffet, I served with a White Russian cocktail:

2 parts vodka

1 part coffee liqueur

cream to taste

Our wine tastings evenings are such fun, it's a great way to share our favourite wines with others and/or to discover new wines as in this tasting. Our Scout Group has such dedicated leaders it is great to have a social night that isn't all about fundraising  - here's to the next one .... theme thinking has begun!