How to see Europe and avoid airports
The history-steeped Mediterranean is bliss when you do it via ship and avoid airport hassles.
The aquatic playground of the Mediterranean is ideal for cruising. Sparkling coves, cliffside villages and historic ports are a dream to discover by water, with destinations just one day’s sailing apart yet widely varied in culture, language and topography.
I’m on a one-week sailing that visits Spanish, French and Italian waters, cannily mixing a Greatest Hits medley with lesser known locales.
Days are filled with an intoxicating blend of art, architecture and history, bookended morning and night by the comforts of Celebrity Cruises’ 2900-passenger ship Celebrity Edge.
Barcelona is the energetic starting point, and I’m keen to explore the city before setting sail. The cadences of Catalan-inflected Spanish fill the bars of the Gothic Quarter, and Roman, medieval and Gothic architecture collide on Plaza de Ramon Berenguer el Gran.
I stroll the Mercat de la Boqueria, admiring Jamon Iberico hams dangling like chorus girl legs before stopping at El Quim market stall.
Here, a sparkling house rose cuts nicely through smoky, charred eggplant, and I mop up the sauce from a green pepper and prawn dish with crunchy bread.
Seeking a fix of live music, I’m advised by the excellent tourism information kiosk at Plaza Portal de la Pauro to head to Basilica Santa Maria del Pi, a 14th-century chapel.
It hosts Spanish guitar maestros for a mostly local audience and I’m captivated by the dexterous fingers of Ekaterina Zaytseva as she conjures Spanish composers such as Joaquin Rodrigo from her strings.
Along the Passeig de Gracia, people stop in wonder at Gaudi’s Casa Batllo 1904 apartment block, where iridescent tiles glimmer in the architect’s marine and coral-inspired fantasia. Nearby, Farggi 1957 serves gelato in cucurucho cones, and espresso topped with a cloud of cream.
By day, the botanical gardens of Montjuic Castle have the best views over the city. By night, the Barceloneta marina district hops with live bands. Then it’s time to board the ship.
My excitement is heightened by Celebrity Edge itself, a titan of navy steel with its wide bridge resembling a hammerhead shark.
The Resort Deck’s 23m pool features two hot tubs perched in towers shaped like martini glasses. The neighbouring Rooftop Garden has massive glass walls that connect passengers to the sea.
I settle on the wicker chairs of the Sunset Bar as the place to watch each port recede as we leave Barcelona’s low-lying coastline framed by the Montserrat mountains.
Celebrity’s extensive shore excursion options are divided between destination highlights that cover the most fabled sights; smaller tours (capped at 24 guests) exploring specialty subjects such as foodie experiences; and “private journeys” with a local guide in luxury transport. I intend to do a mix of independent meanderings and guided tours.
We sail south to Valencia, where the old city’s small size and splendour make it easy to tour solo. Sacred music pours from the cathedral on Plaza de la Virgen. Chatty women are dipping custard-filled bread sticks into horchata, a chalky, tiger-nut lemonade, at the nearby Horchateria Santa Catalina.
On the walls are exquisite painted tiles depicting knights on horseback and other medieval characters; these Manises ceramics were once prized by princes and popes.
The laneways of the Old Town open to Plaza Del Ayuntamiento, its Beaux Arts and Art Nouveau facades adorned with ornate balconies and beehive domes. Three times a year, bullfights come to the nearby, Roman-inspired Placa de Bous (bullring), built in 1859.
Fun in the sun is the main draw of party capital Ibiza in the Balearic Islands. Edge’s wonderfully wry Greek Captain Kafetzis announces: “We arrive at Ibiza and I’ll be doing donuts accordingly.”
Cars and water taxis take solo passengers into town, which has plenty of diversions, from the magnificent castle rising above sorbet-coloured homes to eclectic boutiques selling haute boho fashion. Tourists are lingering over lobster stew in a whitewashed town square lined with gnarled olive trees; a cottager throws calamari to hovering seagulls.
I take a local ferry to see the craggily beautiful island by water, zooming past the white sands of Playa de Talamanca and the 3km stretch of the built-up Playa D’en Bossa, dotted with beach clubs that fill with revellers each summer.
Back on board, a session in Celebrity Edge’s adults-only Solarium pool and jacuzzi, under a geometric see-through roof, offers restorative peace.
A day at sea is carte blanche to decompress in the spa, which has white leather club chairs, bonsai trees and excellent top-to-toe massages. More active types can choose from up to 90 daily activities, including dance classes and sunset yoga.
The ship comes roaring to life at 7pm. Celebrity’s clientele skews younger, mingling gen Xers (the line’s fastest-growing demographic) with Boomers.
The cathedral-height Grand Plaza pulsates with live music as Martini Bar crew juggle cocktail shakers, while in the theatre, singers and a tight horn section joyously belt out bangers that have the audience on their feet.
Specialty menus are memorable.
At Fine Cuts, succulent Californian steak is so meltingly delicious it barely needs the creamy pepper sauce. Eden Restaurant’s decor is spectacular, featuring designer Patricia Urquiola’s glamorous lounge with velour chairs, marbled carpets and a mezzanine library. A massive glass wall reveals churning water in the ship’s wake.
The open kitchen prepares rarefied clean cuisine such as a silky almond gazpacho and herbaceous cocktails.
There is an embarrassment of riches to come, such as stretching our sea legs at Corsican capital Ajaccio’s port and along its palm-fringed boulevards. A day later, we wake to the glories of Portofino, the crown jewel of the Liguria Riviera.
A flotilla of moored yachts faces the village’s colourful buildings. I follow the winding coastal road for 90 minutes to neighbouring Santa Margherita for fluffy focaccia at a bakery, passing the vintage chic of 1950s Baia di Paraggi beach club, and luxury villas magically built into barnacled boulders.
Passengers who booked early are touring this stretch of coastline by chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz, whizzing by Dolce and Gabbana’s Italianate villa and the yacht of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos. I’ve missed the boat on that tour, but in Portofino, even taking a walk and having a swim feels glamorous.
It would take decades to plumb the depths of Florence, a city built by merchant princes, and where Renaissance treasures line the streets.
One afternoon’s wander leaves me agog. On the Piazza della Signoria, naked male statues are everywhere; 500-year-old gargoyles gurgle water into stone shells. Over the river, I browse the tailors, jewellers and independent fashion boutiques of Via Maggio and Sdrucciolo dei Pitti. I chance upon rustic trattoria Camillo’s and enjoy lovingly prepared sage and anchovies with parmesan-encrusted spaghetti.
The cruise concludes at Civitavecchia, where travellers can dip into Rome’s former and current glories for a few days, or switch gears for a long land stay. Mediterranean culture celebrates life: food, heritage, community – and butter-drenched carbs. Experiencing so much of its landscape and culture with no airports and luggage hassles? That’s amore.
In the know
Celebrity Cruises has an 11-night Best of the Mediterranean voyage return from Barcelona departing October 31 next year.
Sailing on Celebrity Equinox, it calls at Valencia, Malaga, Gibraltar, Sardinia, Naples, Rome, Florence and Marseilles; from $3033 a person in a veranda stateroom.
Celebrity Edge arrives in Australia for the first time in December. It will sail itineraries to New Zealand, the South Pacific, Tasmania, South Australia and the Great Barrier Reef until April.
Cleo Glyde was a guest of Celebrity Cruises.
