MSC Seaview Postcard #8 - Barcelona before flying back to UK

After freshening up from our days walking we headed back out to walk La Rambla and find somewhere to eat. We walked the full length and back and eventually stopped close to our accommodation along the Rambla de Catalunya for our second lot of Tapas of the day, both sittings being absolutely delicious. It worked really well for Nicole because she was able to pick and choose items that worked with her diet.
The lower and more commercial end of La Rambla was extremely busy and being a Friday night it was packed with tourists. We felt much more at ease along Rambla de Catalunya where the crowds had thinned out and the people around seemed to be predominantly locals. We made it back to the hotel just after 10:00 and crashed out more or less straight away.

After a good night's sleep we both came to at around 8:00 and lazed for a while in another comfortable bed, our fourth different one this week.

Breakfast was included so we made use of that before heading off to find Barcelona Cathedral. First though we headed away from the centre to the top of Rambla de Catalunya so we could experience the full length of it.





The cathedral was every bit as impressive as we had read and for €3 we were able to take the elevator up to the rooftop for a panoramic view of Barcelona.















After all that excitement it was Tapas time again, we again found a great little place on the Rambla de Catalunya not far from our digs. With time starting to fly we made our way back to Anakena House to collect our luggage and pick up a taxi to the airport. A fabulous ending to an even more fabulous week.

MSC Seaview Postcard #7 - Barcelona, Spain & Disembarking

We had a good last night onboard MSC Seaview, after doing 90% of packing we ventured out for something to eat and finished off with drinks in the Atrium and then on to the Seaside Lounge. We chatted with two lots of forum friends but not at the same time and with Nicole starting to feel the after effects of her challenge we retired to the cabin to close up the cases and leave them outside for collection.





 

On arrival at Barcelona Captain Scala kept up his usual orientation routine by turning the ship to face out for tonight's departure. From the cabin it looked to be quite a tight space but the whole manoeuvre was done with complete ease and we were alongside and docked by 7:00.

All that remained was to finish packing our remaining belongings and go grab a coffee before making our way off the ship.
Today we walked straight off with no hold ups whatsoever and the only wait we had was for a taxi which was just under 15 minutes. Within a similar time frame we were at our accommodation for the one night. We are stopping at a place called Anakena House which I chose for its central location and the TripAdvisor reviews.





After checking in as early at 10:45 and luckily with our room ready we dropped our bags and headed off to explore. On our hit list this afternoon were a few of the Gaudi sites. The only one we went into was La Pedrera while with the others it was just a fly by for photos. La Pedrera is a very interesting experience and you first visit the roof terrace before going down to the loft and then the apartment.













I found the displays in the loft absolutely fascinating and once detailing is explained you start to see all the influences in Gaudi's designs.
We are in Barcelona again in October and have plans to visit Sagrada Familia then so today was an opportunity to see some of the outside.






We also walked to Park Güell but missed out on going into the monument core itself due to number restrictions. I had no idea you had to pay to go in and that there were allocated time slots. On the plus side we managed to get a great view of the ship from up there before heading back for a shower and to get changed to go out again in the evening. I think the plan is to walk La Rambla and feast on some tapas.

MSC Seaview Postcard #6 - A Sea Day

I was sat in the Sports Bar posting the blog as we sailed out of Valletta and never felt any movement at all. It wasn't until I looked up that I realized we were on our way to Barcelona. No sooner had we left port the winds picked up and any hope of eating outside evaporated.
My food in the buffet was excellent last night but for Nicole not so and she is now beginning to look forward to getting off so that she can get a bit more of a variation. On the plus side, we gave the buzzer another go and surprise, surprise it was a success. Order taken within 10 minutes and drinks following soon after.
The rest of the evening was spent in the Atrium on Deck 7 where we listened to the live band, had a few drinks and generally people watched.





The winds remained over night and we wondered how it would affect today which was a sea day. The answer was quite a bit, sitting outside was virtually impossible and inside was extremely busy with so many people all wandering around.

With Nicole needing to graze we grabbed seats early in the buffet which worked out spot on. I had a really nice pasta lunch which is the third day on the trot I have really enjoyed the pasta on this cruise. What with all prime public areas already taken we decided to go and make use of our balcony. It was sheltered from the winds and there was just enough sunshine to make it feel really nice.

Later in the afternoon Nicole made use of the sea day and went to the gym to do the next part of her challenge which was a 10km run. Rather her than me!!!!! I on the other hand headed for the Sports Bar and made use of the drinks package. They have over 10 different draught beers there including Guinness and Newcastle Brown Ale.

With little out of the ordinary to share today I am going to do a quick gallery of different areas of the ship that we have enjoyed over the cruise.

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Tonight is our last night onboard and case's have to be out by 1:00am and we have to be out of the cabin by 7:00 in morning. We still have one more night away which we will be spending in Barcelona flying back on Saturday evening. I will cover that and disembarkation in tomorrow's post.

Make what you will of this sign in the bathroom of our cabin........

MSC Seaview Postcard #5 - Valletta, Malta

On the food front, Nicole had a good day yesterday with plenty of protein options available. I'm not sure why they are not always available but it was great that she was again able to eat well. After food we ended up meeting with some fellow forum friends in the Seaside Lounge and were very close to seeing midnight in. Lots of chat with plenty of laughter made it a fun few hours. I even sampled a couple of cocktails during the evening, both of which were nice but I do have to say they are not really my thing
We arrived back at our cabin to find our steward had been busy while we were out as he had left us a couple of towel Swans on the bed.



 

This morning nether of us woke to see us come into Valletta so when we eventually came to we had a lovely view outside our balcony. We have noticed that Captain Scala likes to always turn the ship on arrival so he can head straight out when we leave.





 

Nicole wanted to do a workout in the gym first thing so she went off early while I laid in for a bit. There were no great plans today other to get off and walk locally which has been the theme on this cruise.
We were off by 10:00 and did a circuit before coming back aboard just after 12:00 for a spot of lunch. Valletta didn't seem to hold the same charm we experienced from our last visit, it seemed much busier for one thing and the streets were much more crowded. Having seen much of it previously it was an easy decision to go back to the ship and enjoy that some more.













The buffet was practically deserted and the days selection was good too. From there it was simply a case of picking which sunbed we wanted to lie on next to the Sunset Beach Pool. What a great way to spend an afternoon.

MSC Seaview Postcard #4 - Messina, Italy

We followed the same routine as the previous night by eating in the buffet which again worked well for Nicole. I still had no success with the button to summon bar staff but did manage to flag one down so took the opportunity to ask if I was doing it correctly. I was told a light should come on as I'm pressing the button but in all my previous attempts there hasn't been one. Surprisingly when the waiter had a go a light appeared so I came to the conclusion the staff must have their own power supply in order to make it look as if they work perfectly.

According to the booking confirmation, we weren't due into Messina until 8:00 so were surprised to see we were already there when I came round at 6:30 so I took another look at the daily program and spotted it was down as 7:00. You have to hand it to MSC because they are consistent with their flexible allotted arrival times.

Palermo and Catania have been our previous ports of call in Sicily and we never got off at Catania and wished we hadn't at Palermo.
So for today we had originally planned to go along the coast to Taormina but over the last couple of days made the decision to once again get off and walk locally

Our day started once again with coffee in the Seaview Lounge and then onto the buffet so Nicole could get what she needed. It was a nice leisurely morning before we got off just after 10:00.




Messina is what I classify as a pester port in as much as you are constantly being propositioned by people trying to sell tours, taxis, fridge magnets & tea towels. It does become very tiresome but the further you get away from the port the lesser they become in numbers. We didn't stay off the ship too long, only opting to visit the Santuario della Madonna di Montalto and the Sacrario Di Christo Re which were in close proximity and both giving great views over Messina.










We hung around until midday to watch the clockwork figures on the Duomo Cathedral Tower which we came away wondering why we had actually bothered. It seemed to turn the peddlers into overdrive because of the gathering crowds.





By 12:30 we were back onboard and decided to go and find a pool and some R&R. Deck 7 and the Sunset Beach Pool was the ideal spot for us. It became very popular as the afternoon went on and the excursions returned.





I found the heat a little too much eventually so retired to the Sports Bar to do some blog writing.