Mo writes…

Mr Mo and I like boats. Mr Mo likes dinghies, going fast and getting wet but I like to take things easy and relax with a nice G&T. So off we sailed from Barcelona for a seven night Mediterranean Islands cruise on board the Star Pride, a small, intimate ship, which can get into ports the larger ships can’t. No formal nights so the wardrobe planning’s a doddle. As we left the port of Barcelona to the first of many of ‘sail-away’ parties the music from 1492 – Conquest of Paradise by Vangelis was playing loudly, a fitting anthem to put everyone in the sailing mood! My fascination with the skills of a ship’s Pilot was to begin here.

The next morning, we arrived in Palma, Mallorca where I indulged in my ice cream passion whilst Mr Mo had a severe case of boat envy. After a walking tour of the cathedral area and a visit to the March Palace, full of many treasures including sculptures by Henry Moore, Rodin, Barbara Hepworth and Chillida, we were entertained outside by traditional Mallorcan dancers with folk music and sherry.

The following day was spent at sea, relaxing in the sun on deck and eating their way through the delights that the galley created. The feasting began with a breakfast of French toast, crispy bacon and maple syrup…hmmm. Later in the day the delights of a red velvet cake beckoned! I also discovered how much compasses had evolved since I last saw one. Next stop was Sardinia where the Star Pride docked in Alghero. We hired a car and drove round to see the beaches of this rugged landscape. Another dinner, a night’s sleep and wow, somewhere else again! This time Porto-Vecchio in Corsica and a trip to see the beautiful town of Bonifacio on the southern tip of the island. It’s a mountainous island with stylish coastal towns – part of France but with a very Italian feeling!

Next day it was the Cinque Terre, a string of five colourful seaside villages on the rugged Italian riviera, west of La Spezia and known for steep terraces, fishing harbours and food. Cars can’t reach the villages and the best views are from the water. The local specialities are amazing – focaccia of all flavours, pasticini (filo pastries filled with a sweet cream) and of course the amazing fresh pesto sauce for which Liguria is famous.

The final island to visit was beautiful Elba and the town of Portoferraio. Again we hired a car, toured around and visited Napoleon’s winter home in the pretty town and his summer house in the countryside – unfortunately closed on Mondays.  A consolation visit to the dessert section back on board soon made things ok again though…

All too soon the cruise was coming to an end but there were still two days in Rome to look forward to. After disembarking in the morning, the first stop was the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls. A beautiful building, not in the Vatican City, but still one of Rome’s four ancient Papal basilicas. Next stop was Rome proper and all the iconic sights – the Pantheon in the sunlight, Ancient Trajan’s Market ruins, the famous Trevi Fountain and the Obelisk of Psammetichus II in the Piazza di Montecitorio.

Rome was very hot, but as Mr Mo knows, I managed to find a way to cool down – more ice cream…