DAY 14 - DAY 8 CRYSTAL SERENITY

MARSEILLE, FRANCE - END OF FIRST VOYAGE/BEGINNING OF SECOND VOYAGE

Bonjour from Marseille, France.

​Last evening we returned to the Crystal Cove for another pre-dinner drink.  

Two nights ago we were dressed in white pants for the White Extravaganza night.  Last night I guess you could say the dress was for black night or black knight.   ​LOL.

​Keith tried another of the new drinks.  This one is called Stuck in the Med.  If you are going to get stuck somewhere the Med is a nice place for that. This one has Tanqueray Gin, Maraschino Liqueur Mediterranean Tonic Water, Fresh Rosemary and a Dash of Sea Salt.  Anne Marie tried a Belline.  This was not one of Keith's favorite drinks.  For him maybe too much of an alcohol taste but as they say choice is good and Keith has enjoyed several of the drinks he tried over the seven day voyage.

Each time that Max has come around with appetizers Anne Marie would say she is holding out for the Pigs 'n Blankets.  Well tonight she got her wish.

The entertainment in the Crystal Cove was terrific with the pianist and violinist.  They played some really nice songs.

These are the menus from last evening from the Crystal Dining Room.
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We returned to the dining room for the final night of this voyage.  

We began the meal with  tuna tartare for Keith and Crab Cake for Anne Marie.

Next course was Salad for each of us.

Keith tried the Lightly Smoke Salmon from the Modern Cuisine Menu which was accompanied by Homemade Spinach Ravioli, Saffron and Veloute Romanesco for his entree.  This is a new addition to the menu.  Anne Marie had Tiger Shrimp.  We were both pleased with our choices.

The food was delicious. Keith felt that the salmon was not as moist as he would have preferred and looks forward to trying it again after open dining is rolled out.  He feels that the timing of getting food from galley to table will be quicker following open dining.

​It was a bit noisy in the dining room so on the next segment we are thinking we will try another venue.  

We slept well as we sailed to our final port-of-call of this cruise; Marseille, France.  We understand that 250 of the guests currently on-board are continuing onto the next voyage which goes from Marseille to Barcelona, Spain.

We stayed with our routing this morning. Keith started with a workout at the Fitness Center.

During hid workout he watched two talks given by World Affairs Lecturer Shelby Coffey during this cruise. He often judged lectures o  takeaways and learning  something that new and gave both excellent marks.   One focused on John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. He provided some very insightful information. The other was on scandals and politics in Washington. It went all the way back to Thomas Jefferson yet he spoke about the current scandal involving the Supreme Court Nominee. He found both talks to be informative, and thought provoking and learned a great deal from each one.

​We enjoyed breakfast in the room. After breakfast we took a long walk on the Promenade Deck.  In addition to Serenity there are four ships in port with us; Costa Diadema, Costa Mediterranean, Oceania Riviera (we've been in most ports together) and one MSC ships we can see.  It is possible that there is a second MSC ship in port possibly in front of the one we can see.  

The weather was pleasant and it was nice to walk outside.

We took the first shuttle from the pier into Marseille.  In addition to the cruise ships in port we saw six ferries and several large yachts.  

Marseille is a bustling city.  As we learned on our tour of Nice/Eze it is the second largest city in France in terms of overall population.  Although today is Sunday there were lots of locals and tourists out and about and places were open.  This was in contrast to a visit we made to Bordeaux on a Sunday when the city was quiet in the morning and some places closed.

We saw Notre Dame de la Garde built in the 19th century and Musee de Beaux Arts.  We walked into a couple of churches and viewed others from the outside.  The churches we walked inside were simple in contrast to several in Italy.  

We walked along the downtown port with lots of vessels in port and there was a large outdoor market with many people walking around.  The items ranged from clothing to artwork to various food items.  

The weather was sunny with moderate temperature.

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When we returned to the ship we saw some guests waiting for embarkation to begin.  We enjoyed lunch at the Crystal Dining Room since this is the start of the next voyage.  As part of our tradition we had Cobb Salad and a Flute of Champagne and toasted ​

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We spent the remainder of the day reading, writing, walking inside and speaking with guests and crew members.  We know a few of the newly embarking guests some of whom we have not seen for over three years so it was nice to see them.

This evening we will dine at the Prego Italian Restaurant.

​Anne Marie & Keith