Hop-On/Hop-Off in Cartagena, Colombia

Oct 25, 2018 - This morning, Island Princess is docking in the port of Cartagena, Colombia.

Approaching the dock in Cartagena

We have scheduled a City Sightseeing Hop-On/Hop-Off bus tour for this morning. Even though this tour is available through Princess Cruises (and most cruise lines), you can save some money by booking directly with City Sightseeing through their website.

As soon as we disembark Island Princess, City Sightseeing folks are at the end of the gangway to take our tickets and guide us onto a waiting shuttle. In fact, we were invited onto the same shuttle as those who purchased the tour through the ship's tour office. However, this shuttle may not be provided for all cruise ships visiting Cartagena. If not, City Sightseeing will direct you to the nearest Hop-On/Hop-Off bus stop where you can board the tour. The tour includes a bus tour of Cartagena as well as a guided walking tour of the Old Town. Guests can opt to do both, or either one.

Hop-On/Hop-Off Shuttle Bus

We chose to do the walking tour only. The shuttle drive to Old Town takes about 30 minutes and as soon as we disembark the bus, local merchants swarm around us selling everything from sunglasses to hats to bottled water.

Local merchants selling all kinds of items

One of the double-decker Hop-On/Hop-Off buses is just about to leave on its 90-minute tour through the city. There are 14 stops along the way where guests can "hop off", do some shopping, have lunch, explore, then "hop on" when ready to continue their tour. A bus comes around every 30 minutes or so, depending on traffic.

Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus

We have done many of these Hop-On/Hop-Off bus tours with City Sightseeing all over the world and have always found them an excellent, and affordable, way to see an unfamiliar city. But, we have never done a walking tour with them, so today Raul will guide us through Old Town.

Raul, our guide

There are about 20 guests in our walking group and everyone is given a set of ear buds and an audio receiver. This allows everyone to clearly hear the guide talking through his transmitter.

Audio receiver

The tour begins with a walk through the old city gate under the clock tower.

Clock Tower

Once inside the walls of Old Town, we begin walking through a labyrinth of narrow streets, and into expansive plazas.

Tour group walking through streets

There is some beautiful architecture to be found here, not the least of which are the elaborate churches.

Raul took us to a local chocolate museum where we enjoyed a complimentary chocolate milk drink. Many on the tour purchased chocolate items in the store.

Of course, everywhere you look there are local street vendors selling their wares. Rickee finally gave in and purchased a decorative head band. Even though the vendors are persistent, they are not aggressive or pushy. A simple "no, gracias" will send them away if you are not interested. One unique merchant was an artist who painted on a mirror with his fingers and palm, only using a small sponge for a couple of effects. He gave us a demonstration and it was amazing. He did a beautiful painting in about two minutes! We bought two of his paintings ($10) to take home as gifts.

Street artist

The walking tour took about 90 minutes and was an excellent way to see the Old Town Cartegena, which is definitely the highlight of this port city. After the tour, most guests joined the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus for the driving tour of the city, but we opted to catch the shuttle back to the ship.

The City Sightseeing Tour in Cartagena is definitely worth the modest price of less than $23(US). A Hop-On/Hop-Off bus is one of our favorite ways to see a new city.

For more information, visit their website.

South Beach Food Tour - Miami Beach

South Beach is one of the premier pre-/post-cruise destinations in the world. Known for its beautiful beaches and energetic nightlife, South Beach is surprisingly diverse when it comes to culinary offerings. On a recent media assignment for Carnival Cruise Line, we spent some time exploring South Beach and had the opportunity to sample some of South Beach's cuisine thanks to Miami Culinary Tours (www.miamiculinarytours.com).

Miami Culinary Tours offers a South Beach Food Tour twice each day (noon and 5pm). We booked a tour for 5pm on a Sunday. We arrived at Bolivar where we met Ashley, our tour guide for the day. Ashley informed us that a group of seven had just cancelled their tour, so what was supposed to be a group of nine is now a private tour for just Rickee and me.

While we were getting to know Ashley a bit, a waiter brought us our drinks: Refajo Colombiano, a combination of Aguila, a Colombian beer and Colombiana, a Colombian soda pop.

Colombiana is similar in taste to creme soda and, when mixed with beer, creates a mildly sweet, smooth drink that has the flavor of beer without the bitterness.

Refajo Colombiano

An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries of Latin America and in Spain.

I am not much of a beer drinker, so I really liked the smoothness created when the Columbiana was added. In fact, I would definitely order this drink again. Before long, a plate arrived with an empanada and ceviche. The empanada was made up of a corn-based pastry, similar in texture to a corn tortilla, but formed into a pocket, stuffed with minced beef and onion and deep fried. A ramekin of very hot habanero salsa was served for dipping. Ashley cautioned us about the heat of the salsa, and she was not exaggerating. It was very spicy and I loved it!

The ceviche was a delicate white fish "cooked" by marinating it in a citrus mixture of lime and other flavors tossed with mango, red onion and cilantro. It was very fresh and very good.

After we finished our tasting at Bolivar, Ashley began the walking part of the tour. As we walked to Ocean Drive, Ashley began telling us about the history and culture of South Beach and pointing out the historical buildings and describing their architectural style. Our next stop was Larios on the Beach, an upscale Cuban restaurant owned by Gloria Estefan.

The interior of the restaurant has undergone a recent renovation and is beautiful.

At Larios on the Beach, we were served a bowl of Picadillo with a side of fried Malanga chips and Mojo sauce. Picadillo a traditional Spanish dish that is common in Latin American countries. At first glance, the Picadillo looks very similar to American chili, but a taste reveals a much milder, less spicy flavor profile. The picadillo is made with ground beef and Cuban sofrito (a mixture of onions, garlic and bell peppers). The melanga chips are a crispy, healthier alternative to corn or potato chips. By themselves, they don't have a lot of flavor, but that's where the mojo sauce comes into play. The mojo is a mixture of olive oil, garlic and vinegar and is very garlicky. Dip the melanga into the mojo, then scoop up some Picadillo and you have a delicious mouthful of Cuban flavors.

Picadillo served with Melanga and Mojo

After our visit to Larios on the Beach, we began walking up Ocean Drive a few blocks to our next culinary stop, The Tides hotel.

Here we were treated to a Haitian-style empanada filled with chicken and spices. The Haitian empanada was much spicier than the Colombian-style we tried at Bolivar. This empanada was served with a mild chimichurri. Instead of a corn-based shell, this had a light, flour-based shell, almost the consistency of a puff-pastry. We found it to be very delicious.

From The Tides, the walk up Ocean Drive continues with periodic stops for Ashley to enlighten us on South Beach history and architecture. It was all very interesting.

Rickee and Ashley waking up Ocean Drive

Next, we alter course to Washington Street where we find Blocks Pizza, a local pizza joint dubbed "Home of the Mother Dough". The place is famous because the yeast used in their dough has been kept alive for 300 years!

At Blocks Pizza we were treated to the Sun Dried Hippie pocket sandwich. The veggie sandwich had sun dried tomatos, feta cheese, basil, spinach, pesto and kalamata olives. Everything at Block's is made fresh daily.

The Sun Dried Hippie at Blocks Pizza

By the time we finished our sandwich, we were getting pretty full and ready for dessert. Fortunately, Milani Gelateria was our next stop on the tour, and just a few blocks away in the Española Way district located in a beautiful pedestrian-only area of South Beach.

Here we are treated to a sample of the delicious, made-fresh-daily, gelato. We get to choose from 12 flavors, all of which looked wonderful, but we had to go with our favorite, Creme Caramel.

The choice of gelato at Milani

Gelato has less fat than ice cream, but because of the way it is made, it is smoother and "creamier" than ice cream. It was delicious! This was our final stop on the tour which, in total, lasted about two hours. We were very impressed with Ashley and the overall experience. In our opinion, Miami Culinary Tours' South Beach Food Tour is one of the "must-do" activities when you visit South Beach. It is a good blend of eating and walking with an added bonus of history and culture.

Miami Culinary Tours also offers a Little Havana Food Tour (the next one we would like to try), Wynwood Food and Art Tour, and a Miami City Food Tour. For details, pricing and more information, visit their website at www.miamiculinarytours.com.

Best Trips Prague Transfer and Private Tour

December 13, 2017 - Our 2017 Christmas Markets River Cruise assignment begins with an all-night flight ending in Prague. The last thing I want to deal with after an all-nighter (with no sleep) is trying to figure out how to get from the airport to the hotel. Haggling with taxi drivers in a foreign country is just not my thing. That is why we pre-arranged a private transfer with Best Trips Prague.

After arriving in Prague and making our way from the gate through Customs, it only took a few minutes for Stanley, our driver, to show up with a sign bearing our names. Stanley grabbed our hand luggage and escorted us to the VW minivan waiting for us in the parking lot. The drive into Old Town Prague took about 30 minutes. Along the way, our driver was eager to point out various sights in Prague that he recommended we take the time to see. When we arrived at The Emblem Hotel, Stanley helped us with our luggage, and he stopped for a quick photo before departing.

Stanley, our Best Trips Prague driver

Our experience with Best Trips Prague was only beginning. After breakfast on our second day in Prague, Best Trips Prague arranged a private walking tour. Our local guide for the morning, Albi, was actually waiting for us in the Reception area when we finished breakfast. She introduced herself and asked us what we wanted to see on our tour. We told Albi that we would leave the tour up to her and, after she showed us on a local map what we would be seeing, we were on our way. Our first destination is the Jewish Quarter, only a couple of blocks from our hotel!

The Old New Synagogue opened in 1270

After our visit to the Jewish Quarter, we walked a few blocks to the Old Town Square, located between Wenceslas Square and the famed Charles Bridge. The square is bustling with activity on this cold November morning. Near the center of the square is the massive Jan Hus memorial statue.

Jan Hus Memorial

The square is surrounded by typical Gothic architecture and two impressive churches.

Church of St. Nicholas

Perhaps the most visited site in Prague, and certainly in Old Town Square, is the medieval astronomical clock. The clock was installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world.

Astronomical clock

The clock facade is undergoing renovation, but the mechanism itself is still in working order. Each hour, on the hour, tourists pack into the area in front of the clock for photos and video when the clock chimes and various apostle figures emerge from the doorways. Albi gave us a real insider tip. If you want to get the best view of the clock without fighting the crowd, go to the second floor of Grand Hotel Praha and get a window table at Cafe Mozart. You can enjoy a cappuccino, a dessert, and watch the clock all at the same time!

Of course, no visit to Prague is complete with a walk across the famous Charles Bridge. Charles Bridge crosses the Vltava river. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century. The pedestrian bridge connects Old Town to Lesser Town. From the Old Town side of the bridge, you can clearly see Prague Castle on the opposite side of the river. There are 30 baroque statues of Catholic saints lining the bridge.

Charles Bridge

Charles bridge on left and Prague Castle in the background

We walk across the Charles Bridge and down into Lesser Town to a more sedate, relaxed part of the city. This is the artsy, creative part of Prague with a noticeably more "laid back" attitude. This is where our walking tour came to an end. After explaining to us how to get back to Old Town, and our hotel, Albi said goodbye and wished us a safe journey.

Albi and Rickee pose for a photo in Lesser Town

We can highly recommend a private walking tour of Prague. Throughout our tour, we saw several large tour groups huddling around various sights. We have been in those groups and MUCH prefer a private tour. For more information on a private walking tour of Prague, contact Best Trips Prague (https://www.besttrips.eu/).

7-In-1 Tour Of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

The last time we visited Puntarenas in 2014, all we did was walk off the ship to the nearby beach and do a little souvenir shopping. So, when we learned that we would be returning on our 2017 Azamara Quest sailing, we decided to explore further. Rather than book one of the "canned" group excursions with the cruise line, we opted for a private tour with Arenas Travel, a locally owned and operated tour company. Arenas has over 25 years experience in providing group and individual tours of the area. More importantly for cruise guests, they are very aware of cruise ship arrival and departure schedules.

We arranged for Arenas Travel's "7-IN-1 Puntarenas" tour through their website a few weeks prior to our sailing. We received good communications via email from Valerie, the Sales Manager. We were instructed to meet the Arenas representative pierside at 8:00am. We disembarked Quest at 8:00 am and Geovanna, our Arenas guide for the day, was waiting for us at the bottom of the gangway holding a sign with my name on it.

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Geovanna, local guide with Arenas Travel

After introducing herself and welcoming us to Puntarenas, Geovanna led us down the long pier to where a new Toyota van was waiting for us. We were introduced to Alex, our driver for the day, and off we went. Our first stop was Esparza, purported to be the oldest town in Costa Rica, where we toured a unique Catholic church.

Catholic church in Esparza

From Esparza, we drove to the Tarcoles River where we boarded a small open tour boat to hunt for crocodiles and other wildlife along the river.

Another guest points out wildlife in the mangroves

The river boat tour was quite a contrast to a ship's tour we took the day before where we visited the Tarcoles River by standing on a busy highway bridge and looking down at some crocodiles. Today, we got 'up-close and personal' with one of the biggest crocs on the river. His name is Tornado, and he's more than 15 feet long and weighs in at 1000 lbs. The Captain pulled the boat up right next to him. Tornado seemed uninterested in our arrival.

Tornado

This croc was huge! If he had wanted to, I am pretty sure he could eat any one of us in the boat in about two bites. Our guide walked to the back of the boat, reached into the water and grabbed Tornado's tail. Was he crazy? He lifted the tail out of the water and asked if anyone wanted to touch it. Of course, Rickee could not resist the temptation. I would have, just to prove my masculinity, but I was too busy shooting video and taking pictures. Seriously, are you kidding? There's no way I was going to touch that thing!

Insane Rickee just has to touch Tornado's tail

While everyone else was at the back of the boat, tormenting the crocodile, I was at the front of the boat taking pictures, just a couple of feet from Tornado's massive head. In other words, at death's door. Fortunately, Tornado did not see me as lunch and finally disappeared under the water and swam away.

Check out the choppers on Tornado

After my brave, death-defying photo session with Tornado, the boat continued down the river where we saw a lot of other wildlife. We saw tons of interesting birds, iguana, lizards.

Interesting bird life along the river

After our one hour tour, it is becoming more obvious that Costa Rica is a birder's paradise, with more than 900 different species. If you love wildlife, Costa Rica is a great destination. After our river tour, Alex and Geovanna drove us to an incredible hotel on top of a mountain. Villa Caletas has to be one of the most magical places we have ever visited.

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The view from the restaurant at Villa Caletas

The property is perched on the top of a mountain overlooking the ocean and other mountains. It was breathtaking. We were seated on the terrace at a table for two and served a beautiful Costa Rican meal. We were offered our choice of chicken or fish, and we both chose chicken. It was a meal and a place we will not soon forget. And, should we have the opportunity to return to Costa Rica, a stay at Villa Caletas will be on our itinerary.

Our delicious lunch at Villa Caletas

One of the best features of a private tour is a flexible schedule, something that is just not possible when you are on a ship's excursion on a bus with 50 other people. A perfect example of a private tour's flexibility was evident as we were leaving Villa Caletas after our lunch. Alex (our driver) spotted a Toucan in a tree, so he stopped the van and the four of us got out to take a closer look and get some photos. Try doing that on a bus with 50 other people!

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Toucan spotted at Villa Caletas

After admiring the Toucan, we drove to a local shop where we had the opportunity to shop for souvenirs. It was one of the largest and nicest souvenir shops we have ever visited. Afterwards, we drove a few minutes down the road to a fruit stand where we enjoyed a sample of locally-grown fruits. We also learned a technique for selecting a good pineapple. We mentioned to Geovanna how much we loved the mango, and soon, the proprietor brought us a plate of sliced mango to take with us!

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Plate of delicious, fresh mango

Our next stop: monkeys! Just a few more miles down the highway, we turn onto a somewhat hidden unmarked gravel road to what could best be described as a clearing in the forest with a small structure/building. As soon as the van comes to a stop, Geovanna and Alex start blowing loud whistles. We have no idea what is going on. We don't see a monkey anywhere, other than a stuffed toy monkey hanging from a tree in the yard. Geovanna exits the van and walks toward the trees clapping her hands, blowing the whistle and loudly yelling, in Spanish, what translates to "Monkey come, Monkeys come!" Suddenly, there is a rustling in the surrounding trees and dozens of Capuchin monkeys are running all over the place, hanging from branches, chasing each other, and eventually, climbing onto Rickee!

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Mr. Monkey tries to steal Rickee's sunglasses

The little monkeys are very curious and friendly and a blast to watch. There are monkeys running all over the place. Monkeys were hanging from tree limbs. Monkeys were running all around us and gently grabbing our legs, hoping to climb up and find food in our pockets. It was insane. Insanely fun!

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Monkeys, monkeys, everywhere monkeys!

I think the monkey experience was the highlight of the tour for us. We would probably do the tour again just for that. We finally were able to pull ourselves away from the Capuchins and, after a brief tour of downtown Puntarenas, Alex and Geovanna returned us to the pier right on schedule. To say that we were impressed with Arenas Travel would be an understatement. We thoroughly enjoyed our day. Geovanna was so knowledgeable about the area and the history of all the places we saw. And, Alex was a great driver, something you really need on the narrow, winding and crowded roads of Costa Rica! The private tour costs $135/pp (group tour is only $80/pp), making it very less expensive than some cruise line group tours. In our opinion, there's no comparison. A private tour is the only way to go! Arenas Travel offers a wide variety of private and group tours tailored for cruise ship visitors. We can highly recommend Arenas Travel and encourage you to check out their website for more information: ArenasTravelCR.com.

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Half-Day Lagoon Tour in Bora Bora

A cruise to Tahiti and the Society Islands is a vacation of a lifetime. On a recent Paul Gauguin Cruises sailing, we spent two days in Bora Bora, the "pearl" of the Society Islands.

Bora Bora is one of the most popular honeymoon destinations on Earth

A few weeks before our cruise, we pre-booked a Half-Day Lagoon Tour with Vavau Land & Sea Adventures through their website (http://www.boraboraexplorer.com). We were told that a representative would meet us at the pier where the ship's tender drops off guests. As promised, Patrick was there holding a sign with my name when we disembarked the ship's tender.

We boarded Patrick's mini-van for the short drive to the MaiTai Resort where our outrigger boat was waiting for us.

Outrigger boat

We were greeted there by Rai and Ari'i, our local guides for the half-day tour. Another guest from the MaiTai Resort was already on the boat when we arrived. After we boarded the outrigger, we sailed off to the Intercontinental Resort to pick up a few other guests. We actually took about an hour of the tour time making stops at two different hotels/resorts to pick up guests for the tour. However, when sailing between the pick-up spots, we got some great views of Bora Bora while being entertained by Ari'i and Rai's musical talent along the way.

Rai and Ari'i sing Polynesian songs as we sail through the waters surrounding Bora Bora

With everyone on board (9 people total), we head off for our first stop where we will snorkel with black-tip reef sharks in the ocean!

Rickee watches a Black-Tip Reef Shark swim by

There are couple of other tour boats already anchored here with tourists snorkeling with the sharks. There is no shortage of sharks swimming through the clear waters. Guides throw fish out to feed the sharks, which draws them closer. Still, the sharks keep their distance, never coming closer than about 10 feet to snorkelers. And, if you do not want to get into the ocean with the sharks, the water is so amazingly clear that you can easily see them from inside the boat.

After about 30 minutes of swimming with the sharks, we are back on board the outrigger heading to a sandbar where we have the opportunity to swim/snorkel/stand with stingrays. The water here is no more than four feet deep, so even those who cannot swim can interact with the gentle, and quite friendly, stingrays.

Stingrays will swim right up to you

Unlike the sharks, the stingrays seem to enjoy interacting with swimmers. They glide past you under the water, brushing up against your legs, which can be unsettling at first. They definitely see people as a food source as guides hand feed the rays. You can feed the rays if you want. Just ask the guides to show you how. And, if you are feeling really affectionate, you can even kiss a stingray!

Rickee kisses a stingray

The guides are in the water with you the entire time, holding the rays for you to pet, kiss, or feed. There are also a few black-tip reef sharks here lurking around in the distance. We spent about 45 minutes at the sandbar and, for me, it was the highlight of the tour.

Tour participants stand on the sandbar as stingrays swim around them

Our next stop on the tour was the Coral Garden, a shallow area with several coral formations where guests can snorkel with the fish that inhabit the area.

Rickee snorkels above a large coral formation

There are many varieties of colorful fish to be found here, and I think this was Rickee's favorite spot. We spend about 45 minutes at this location.

Colorful fish inhabit the coral garden

After re-boarding the outrigger, Rai and Ari'i take us to a nearby motu (a small island) where we have the opportunity to hike up some steps to a great lookout spot.

Me and Rickee at the top of the lookout point

After the climb up to the lookout point, and back down, we are treated to some local fruit and pineapple juice.

Local bananas, grapefruit and pineapple juice.

After our brief visit to the motu, we board the outrigger one last time for the ride back to MaiTai Resort. We say goodbye to Ari'i and Rai and a 4X4 vehicle is there to take us back to the pier where we can meet the ship's tender. Our half-day tour began at 8:30am and ended at about 1:00pm. At a cost of around $105 ($US) per person, we felt like the tour was a great value and we can highly recommend it. Whether you are visiting Bora Bora as part of a cruise vacation or staying at a resort, Vavau Land and Sea Adventures offers a variety of tours to fit your schedule.

For more information, visit their website at http://www.boraboraexplorer.com

Hop-On/Hop-Off Copenhagen

With one day to spend in Copenhagen after our Royal Princess Baltic cruise, we wanted to see as much as possible in a short amount of time. Copenhagen is a fascinating city with a lot to see. However, many of its attractions are spread out over a wide area. One of the best ways to see European cities is by Hop-On/Hop-Off (HoHo) buses. The concept is pretty simple: you purchase a 24- or 48-hour pass and you can get on and off the bus as often as you like. Tickets can be purchased online in advance or from on-site representatives where you board the bus or from the bus driver. The buses make regular stops every 30 minutes at Copenhagen's most popular attractions.

Red Buses HoHo in Copenhagen

A 48-hour bus pass was 195 DKK or 25€ (about $33US) per person. Compare that to $100 or more for a cruise line excursion and you see why the HoHo has grown in popularity. We boarded the Red Buses HoHo in front of the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel (look for the big SAS on the building). There are several companies offering Hop-On/Hop-Off at this location, so make sure you look for the Red Buses logo of all the flags around the top of the bus. As we boarded the bus, we were given a new set of ear plugs in a sealed bag along with a route map. The Red Buses HoHo makes 17 different stops. Each of the buses is also equipped with FREE Wi-Fi, making it an even better value.

The upper deck of the HoHo bus

When the weather is nice, and dry, there is no better place to sit than on the top deck of the double-decker bus. Not only do you get fresh air, but you have the best opportunity to take photos. It was raining when we got on the bus in Copenhagen, so a tarp was extended to protect riders from the elements. However, the sides were still open for photo taking. Information about all the landmarks you are seeing is available through the plug-in audio system and is offered in several different languages. You take your ear plugs with you when you hop off and use them again on the next bus you board.

One of the stops on the route was the famous Little Mermaid statue. Our driver stopped for 10 minutes to allow us to get out and take photos before the bus proceeded on its route.

The Little Mermaid

When the bus made a stop at the famous Nyhavn district, we "hopped off" to explore on foot. This area has lots of shops and restaurants and some great photo spots. From here, we were able to walk to the famous pedestrian shopping area, and eventually back to our hotel.

The scenic and historic Nyhavn district in Copenhagen

Cruise passengers visiting Copenhagen for the day will be pleased to learn that you can pick up the Red Buses HoHo right where your cruise ship docks in Copenhagen. Just look for the big red bus with Red Buses logo. If you want to explore the city and see all the famous landmarks at your own pace, you can't miss with the Red Buses Hop On/Hop Off bus.

For more information, go to their website at www.RedBuses.com

Originally posted on: 8/25/2014

Barcelona Gastronomic Segway Tour

Barcelona is one of the great tourist destinations in Europe. It is the second largest cruise port in the world[end], second only to Miami. Unlike Miami, Barcelona is not just an embarkation/debarkation port, it is a port call for many cruise lines. Barcelona has also gained a reputation throughout the culinary world as a food-lover's dream destination. So, when we visited Barcelona on our Crystal Serenity cruise, we decided to combine some exploration of the city sights with some of the great food from the region. After learning that our friends at Barcelona Segway Tour have added a Gastronomic Segway Tour to their list of options, we knew that was the perfect way to spend the day in Barcelona.

Our cruise offered a free shuttle bus to the World Trade Center, so we decided to walk from there to BCN Segway offices. If your cruise offers the same, it is very easy to find your way to the statue of Christopher Columbus (Plaça de les Drassanes)*. From there, you can use Google Maps to locate BCN Segway offices, about a 15 minute walk from the statue see walking map here. Along the way, you will find many shopping opportunities along the famed Las Ramblas.

Plaça de les Drassanes

* If your cruise does not offer a shuttle, you can get to the Christopher Columbus statue by taking the T3 Portbus that will pick up from the cruise terminals and provide the transfer for around 2€ per person.

Barcelona Segway Tour offices

Once we arrived at their offices, we were quickly introduced to João, our guide for the day. We were fitted with helmets, asked to sign a waiver (typical for this type of tour) and soon we were mounting our Segways to begin our tour. We informed João that we were comfortable on the Segway and that we had some experience riding them. As a result, we were able to skip the normal training period required for new Segway riders. You should know that these machines are very simple to operate as they are self-balancing. Just about anyone, young or old, can learn to ride one in 15 minutes or less. And, your guide will take time to make sure you are comfortable on the machine before the tour begins. But basically, if you can stand up, you can ride a Segway!

João, our guide for the Segway tour

The 3-hour Gastronomic Segway Tour that takes us to some of the Gothic District’s, Barceloneta’s and Port Olimpic’s gastronomic hotspots. Barcelona is known worldwide as a culinary destination, so this tour shows off the city and some of the local cuisine. The tour begins with riding the Segways through some narrow streets of the Gothic District out to one of the main thoroughfare's. We stop of gaze at the massive post office before riding to our first culinary destination.

Segways make navigating narrow streets very easy

Our first stop is PORK, a small cafe/restaurant, located on Consulat del Mar. This restaurant is all about the pig, in all its forms, from head to tail. The families behind this venture are involved in every aspect of the product, from raising and caring for the pigs, processing the meat, then curing, smoking, grinding, salting, encasing, barbecuing, or roasting. Talk about farm-to-table! This was sort of the "appetizer" portion of the gastronomic tour. We found a nice shaded table outside and soon were served a basket of toasted bread, a plate of salami, pate and Chorizo (a spicy pork sausage), and a bowl containing fresh garlic cloves and a tomato. And interesting combination, for sure.

João explained that the traditional way to eat this was to cut the garlic and tomato in half, rub the raw garlic on the toast, then rub the tomato on the toast, drizzle on some olive oil, top with your favorite cured meat, and then eat. It sounds a bit strange, but it was delicious! In fact, this will be one of our new experiences we will take home with us to try. Now if I can just find sausages at home as good as they served us at Pork. Was it good? Let's just say that Pork will be high on our "re-visit" list the next time we are in Barcelona!

Llonganissa (salami), pork pate and spicy Chorizo

Everything we tried a PORK was delicious, but this is only the 'appetizer' portion of the tour, there's much more sightseeing and eating to be done! We leave PORK and ride our Segways across the main thoroughfare to the Barcelona waterfront and marina. We make a stop at the "Barcelona Head" so that João can explain the sculpture by the famous American Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. The addition of the sculpture was part of the rejuvenation project for the waterfront area (previously known as Moll de la Fusta).

The Head of Barcelona (can you see it?)

We ride down the waterfront and eventually end up at Barcelona's massive, and crowded, beach. I don't think we have ever seen so many people on one beach before. As we rode along the waterfront, we would stop from time to time as João would describe the history of the area, or a particularly interesting sculpture.

The beach in Barcelona is packed with sun-lovers, iconic W Hotel in the background

One of the most recognizable is Frank Gehry's giant goldfish that sits at the foot of the Ritz Carlton hotel. The animal is 56 metres long and 35 metres high and seems to be longing to jump into the blue waters of the Mediterranean.

From a distance, the sculpture clearly represents a fish; however, as you approach the sculpture, you can see it begins to represent a conquistador's helmet. Our next stop was at another local cafe in Barceloneta called L'Ostia.

This stop represents the "main course" on our gastronomic tour. The 'main course' segment of our culinary journey started with a small serving of strawberry gazpacho along with a bowl of blistered Padrón peppers (pementos de Padrón). We were warned that, while most of the peppers are mild, about 1 out of 10 is very hot. It is considered good luck if you find a hot one. The peppers are sauteed in a little olive oil and sea salt and they are absolutely delicious! The gazpacho provided a little relief as I got 'lucky' on the second pepper I tried. Both were delicious.

Padrón peppers

Our final dish was a huge bowl of fresh steamed mussels. Neither Rickee nor I are big fans of mussels, and in fact, Rickee has never even tried one before today. Nevertheless, the bowl soon was turned into a pile of empty shells.The Mussels appeared to be steamed with a little lemon juice, but nothing else to interfere with their natural flavor. I am pretty confident that if you love Mussels, you will be a huge fan.

A huge bowl of steamed Mussels to share

Needless to say, we were already stuffed, and there was still one course left to go! After we left L'Ostia, we rode our Segways through the local zoo where we stopped to see the famous Parc de la Ciutadella fountain (cascade in Spanish) that, unfortunately, had been drained for cleaning.

Cascade fountain

We rode back into the Gothic District's narrow streets to our final stop: a small cafe called "Bliss". This would become the dessert portion of our meal. Since the dessert portion can include an alcoholic beverage of choice, we are required to return the Segways to the BCN Segway office, then walk the one block to Bliss.

Bliss Cafe, Gothic District, Barcelona

We had a choice of a variety of handmade cakes and brownies. And, since we are at the end of our tour with no more riding required, Rickee and I decided to celebrate the end of a great tour with a glass of bubbly Cava (Spanish sparkling wine), to go with her chocolate brownie my green tea cake. It was a fitting end to a delicious and interesting day in Barcelona. For those who follow our blog, you know that we have done a lot of Segway tours all over the world. I have say, the Gastronomic Segway Tour of Barcelona is one of the best we have done to date.

For more information on Barcelona Segway Tour, visit their website at BarcelonaSegwayTour.com.

Lisbon by Segway

A lot of cruises are now making port calls in Lisbon, and a fair number of cruises begin or end in Lisbon[end]. Cruise lines are recognizing that Lisbon has a lot to offer their guests. In our never-ending quest to seek out new and different experiences, we discovered the "Delicious Tour" offered by Lisbon By Segway. On our most recent visit to Lisbon (prior to embarking Crystal Serenity), we scheduled a one-day pre-cruise stay in Lisbon. Since embarkation does not officially begin until 3pm, we had plenty of time to book the Delicious Tour for the morning of embarkation.

Fortunately, our hotel in Lisbon (Altis Avenida) is located within walking distance of the Lisbon by Segway offices. The concierge at the hotel was kind enough to highlight directions on a local map, making it very easy to find our way. Lisbon is a relatively easy city for walking, with street names that are clearly indicated. As soon as we arrived at Lisbon by Segway, we were greeted and quickly introduced to our guide for the day, Ruben Carvalito.

Look for this sign to find Lisbon by Segway tours

After being fitted with helmets (and hair nets!) it was time for Ruben to conduct a short training session on how to ride the two-wheeled marvel. Rickee and I are very familiar with the Segway, but the rest of our group had never ridden before. Ruben took the time to explain the operation of the Segway and there was ample time for everyone to practice their skills before heading out on the streets of Lisbon. One of the great things about a Segway is, if you can stand, you can ride a Segway!

Ruben explains the safe operation of the Segway to Barbara, one of the tour participants

Our tour took us through some of the most interesting parts of Lisbon, including a very interesting visit through the narrow (and steep!) streets of Alfama. Many of the streets here are cobblestone and uneven requiring the "rider" to remain alert; however, the Segways gobble up the bumps effortlessly and provide a surprisingly smooth ride. And, even though the streets can be quite narrow, the Segway has a zero turning radius, making it extremely well suited to the terrain. In some places, there was lots of traffic but Ruben made sure we navigated safely through all the autos, motor bikes and trolley cars.

Narrow, cobblestone streets are no match for the Segway

At one point, we arrived at an excellent lookout spot with a great view of Lisbon, perfect for taking photos! We dismounted the Segways and spent a few minutes just enjoying the panoramic view while Ruben pointed out areas of interest in the distance.

Amazing panoramic view of Lisbon

Next, we made a stop at Lisbon Cathedral, a famous 12th century church. We again had time to dismount, remove our helmets and go inside the church for a look around. At every stop along the tour, and there were many, Ruben would take time to give the history and significance of the location we were visiting. Everyone learned a lot about Lisbon and its place in history.

Ruben points out some of Lisbon's most interesting sights

The complete tour took about three hours. The final stop on our 'Delicious Tour' (59 € per person) was a visit to a local sidewalk cafe to try some Portugese specialties like codfish cakes and fried pork pies. Both dishes went very well with the local beer, Sagres. Our last stop was near the Lisbon train station at a little place where Ruben offered us a taste of the local Portuguese cherry liqueur, Ginjinha, which was served in a small cup made of chocolate. Delicious!

Codfish cakes are a Portugese specialty

All too soon it was time to return the Segways to their home, say goodbye to our new friends at Lisbon by Segway, and walk back to our hotel. We saw a lot of Lisbon that we had not seen before and did it in a unique and fun way. Next time we return to Lisbon, we will be sure to check out some of the other adventures offered by Lisbon by Segway.

Note: Lisbon by Segway offers a variety of unique experiences. See the menu of offerings below.

For more information on Lisbon by Segway, visit their website: http://www.lisbonbysegway.com