June 15, 2022

Last night, we boarded our gigantic ferry, named Cruise Roma, in Barcelona which departed for Rome. We learned quickly that despite the signs advertising it, there would in fact be no wifi. Also, despite the pool, it would not be filled with water and open for swimming. Lastly, despite the facilities, the gym and spa were closed the entire time. Regardless, we made the best of it and got a lot of much needed relaxation. 

Of course, the first thing we did was wander through the boat to see what we could find. After that, we stayed on the deck until the ferry left port and the sun set. At that point, we went back to our room to eat dinner and then get ready for bed. We got to bed early and then slept late to make the most of our time without anything to go see. This ferry is the 3 week mark of our trip and we were very ready for the break so that we could relax before the last 6 weeks. 

In the morning, we ate some breakfast and watched the boat dock, unload, reload, and depart in Porto Torres, an Italian island which marked the boat’s first stop. Then we went back to the room to relax some more, watch a show, and take naps before heading up to lunch. We had pre booked lunch onboard because we knew we couldn’t bring enough food onboard for every meal. For the meal, we each got 2 rolls, some cheese-pasta that resembled lasagna, a large piece of breaded chicken, potatoes, an apple, and a drink. 

After reorganizing and packing our bags, our afternoon primarily consisted of lounging (and napping) on pool chairs on a deck near our room. The cool breeze made it very nice to just sit and look out at the water. We also enjoyed some (more) apples that we brought onboard and Isabel temporarily used a small piece to replace her earring backing which was lost in Madrid. While we were sitting by the water, we were also very excited to see two whales next to the boat and then kept trying to find more. 

Overall, it ended up being a very relaxing journey but we both wish it had been shorter. When we got off, we headed for the train station and took a train into Rome and a tram to the hotel.