For our third day, we had another winery tour lined up. We ported in Cannes and took a bus over to Nice, where we had the opportunity to wander around their open-air market and sight-see before heading to Cave Bianchi for a wine tasting and pairing. Our host had the thickest accent I’ve ever heard in my life and was a vibrant man who kept the class entertained. We sampled a few wines, all paired with a different cheese to really lock in the French atmosphere.
This excursion was a short one, so upon getting back to Cannes, we had a few hours to kill before having to get back on the boat. We stopped at Boston right at the port for a quick lunch of Caesar salad and a bottle of wine. A bit of window shopping later, and it was time for a quick nap.
For Tuesday’s dinner, we made our way to Pink Agave for some margaritas and Mexican food. We began with guacamole and esquites, and both were above-average dishes. While perhaps not the best thing I ate, you really can’t go wrong with avocado and corn. For my entree, I decided to take it easy on my stomach and get a vegan dish. My digestive tract can only take so much meat in one week. The relleno vegano was spicy, smoky, and just what I needed. What’s not to love with a poblano pepper stuffed with vegetables, potato, and corn? I decided to tuck in early and catch up on sleep while I had the chance.
The premise of a day spent sailing with no excursions booked may sound boring, but it was nothing but. I spent most of the morning catching up on work on the tanning deck before heading down to find my friends and explore the boat some more. In my solo morning, I met a variety of solo cruisers from all over the world. However, the chances of meeting a woman who was also born and raised in southern New Hampshire were slim, but it happened!
Wednesday night, we decided to get tickets to Battling Bartenders on board. The premise is simple, two bartenders go head-to-head and make three rounds of drinks for everyone to vote on. We entered thinking these would be shot-sized drinks, but we were wrong. The bartenders both made three full-sized drinks for each guest, each round based on a different theme. We started with tropical, made our way into refreshing, and ended with spicy. Six drinks served in a short thirty minutes led to me lightly sipping each one before trying to power through to make our dinner reservation. My favorite was the orange ginger cocktail, but our group was divided across the board on which was the best, excluding the banana-flavored drink.
We walked down to dinner with a significant buzz and ready to enjoy some Korean BBQ. Gunbae quickly took our spot as the favorite restaurant on board. Being a group of four, we were sitting with two other couples to fill the table designed for eight. Since Korean BBQ is typically family-style, we shared everything on the menu and made the most of the night. Spirits were high as we started the dinner with a quick drinking game to break the ice. The star of the show for me was the Japchae (a noodle dish with thinly sliced sauteed vegetables), but everything we tried was simply delicious. I made a quick stop at the craps table to try my luck for the evening (spoiler, the luck was high), and then it was time to get some rest before we hit Palma de Mallorca.
When we booked excursions, we decided to do our own thing on Thursday for Palma de Mallorca. We grabbed a taxi to the rental car station and drove up to Cala d’Or. This quaint town had a variety of shops and restaurants on every corner, and we landed at La Bodega for lunch. A smattering of charcuterie boards and a pitcher of sangria were just what we needed to ward off the hangover from the many drinks consumed the night before.
After that, we drove down to Cala Llombards for an afternoon spent relaxing on the beach. I can honestly say this was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The cove had crystal clear water that was chilly but oh, so refreshing. We decided to explore down the coast a bit, and we cliff-jumped back in before swimming up to our chairs. The weather could not have been better.
A beautiful 82 (give or take) with just enough of a breeze to keep the sun from melting, you helped curb our hangovers even more. We drove back to port (and almost lost a phone in the process – big shout out to Apple for their durability and magnetic wallets for holding a phone on the roof up to 70 km/h), and I was in desperate need of a shower. The ocean water may have cured my hangover, but it did a number on my hair.
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