Barcelona itself is amazing. Stopping here for 5 short hours however, was not ideal. We took a cab to Papabubble (a hip candy store), then rode the hop-on-hop-off bus to admire the Sagrada Familia briefly, then head back to the Placa Catalunya and stroll down La Rambla. By then it was time to head back to the ship already. We thought we'd get more HOHO bus in, but looking back, that was kind of a waste. 


Barcelona

We went with the ship excursion here because seeing the Timanfaya park was very important and we didn't want to risk fouling that up with some independent traveler shenanigans :) You know how it goes sometimes.... The excursion was for the PM, so we had the morning to wander around, get our ATM card eaten by a machine and then try to get it back again. It was kind of exciting! The excursion around the park was great. The terrain is other-worldly. Our guide was bi-lingual, leading both the German and English speakers on our bus, and very knowledgeable of the island. 


Lanzarote

We rented a car with friends, split the cost, and head out to Puerto de la Cruz for some coffee and site seeing. Then we drove through the Mount Teide national park, which was gorgeous and yet still very different from the volcanic terrain from the day before. Renting the car was tricky because getting it back to the port required a tricky turn at the end, but we brought our GPS (luckily!) We were amongst the last people back on board. whew! 


Tenerife

We went with a large group and split a taxi tour of the island. This was a good way to cover a lot of ground quickly and get the inside scoop on what we're seeing. The cable car ride up the mountain was a no-go due to too much mist/fog blocking the view. We did the basket ride, which was novel but I wouldn't do it again. Too expensive! We finished our day with the Blandy's tour, which was pleasant, inexpensive, and we learned a lot too. 


Madeira (Funchal)

Grenada is kind of close to Malaga, which is not appearing in the drop down menu as an option here. 
Since the stop was so short again (5 hours) we went with a ship excursion to go horseback riding in the Mijas Mountains. This was fantastic! We started with a short minibus ride up to the ranch, through great scenery. The ride was relaxing, and our horses were really well kept. After hitting the trails, we had a wonderful snack waiting for us at the ranch, and lots of local wine! I never did get to see Malaga much, but that's fine. There's always next time... 


Grenada

Quiet, comfortable bed, clever use of space, not noisy from above, middle of ship

You could have a light breakfast delivered to your stateroom for free each morning, or hit up one of the buffets for more menu items, or go to a sit down breakfast for omelettes/etc made to order.Activities * Here's the part that maybe lacked the most for other English speakers, but we made the best of it!

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Fabulous birthday cruise on the Serena!! Loved it!!!

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