Tag Archives: Chaput foot prints

Spain

Unique and quaint restaurant

On Tuesday evening we went out with friends to a quaint Spanish restaurant called “La Taberna Iberica”.  The restaurant is in the old quarter of Alicante in a small alley up some stairs.

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The walkway towards La Taberna Iberica Restaurant

Inside the restaurant, we were greeted by the owner who welcomed us more like family than customers. We sat down in the quaint restaurant and chatted with the owner for a while.

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Inside La Taberna Iberica Restaurant
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Mike, Ray Liz and Shelley at “La Taberna Iberica” Restaurant

We did not have a menu and only ordered some red wine. What was truly enjoyable was the fact that she decides what to cook and serves us a variety of different dishes.

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One of the many courses served to us over the evening

We were served numerous courses of food, including tapas, fish, shrimp, ham, cheese and an assortment of sweet treats for dessert.

When we were leaving the restaurant she took the time to chat with us and walk with us to the door. It was a very nice spot and the service was friendly.

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One of the owners of “La Taberna Iberica” Restaurant

After our meal, we took a walk and stopped at a terrace bar in a small hotel called “Les Monges Palace”. The terrace bar was quiet and we had a perfect spot to enjoy a nice after dinner drink. The view from the terrace was beautiful and we could see the Castillo de Santa Barbara.

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View of the Castillo de Santa Barbara from the terrace bar

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Cruising the Mediterranean

We have been thinking about taking a cruise for quite some time now. We finally decided to take a cruise and selected the Norwegian cruise line with a 7-day Mediterranean cruise. The cruise took us from Barcelona to Naples, Rome, Florence, Cannes, Marseille and back to Barcelona.

This was our first cruise and we were not sure what to expect when we arrived to board the ship. We arrived early and found a lineup of people with suitcases in tow getting ready to board the ship. We Got in line and managed to board the ship easily with a few stops to fill out paperwork.

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Checking into the Norwegian Epic cruise ship in Barcelona

We walked a long gangway to the cruise ship called the Epic.

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View of the side of the Norwegian Epic ship from the gangway

The ship is the very impressive and it has the longest water slide on any cruise ship.

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The Epic claims they have the largest slide on any cruise ship
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The waterside goes right around the top section of the deck

We walked through the ship checking it out. On one of the decks, there is a section with several different restaurants and shops. In the centre of the floor area was an opening with a large crystal chandelier hanging down to the floor area below. It was quite impressive and a nice feature for the restaurant below us.

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The Epic crystal chandelier claimed to be the largest of any cruise ship

Our first evening on the cruise we went up to the top deck area and enjoyed a relaxing beverage and watched the sun set over the  Mediterranean sea.

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Sunset viewed from the upper deck of the Epic

On one of the lower decks, there was an outdoor track where we could walk and look out over the side of the ship.

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Walking and running track on the Epic cruise ship.
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view from the walking/running track on the Epic ship

We took several excursions when the ship was docked. We tried to explore as many places along the trip as possible.  On one excursion we could not dock on shore and had to take a boat to ferry us to shore.

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Leaving the cruise ship by boat to head to shore.
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View of the Epic ship from our boat
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View of one of the boats used to bring people to shore

The cruise was different from what we are accustomed to for travelling, the pace is relaxed, the downtime is full of things to do and the food was extremely good. We enjoyed the change of pace by travelling via a cruise ship.

Here is a short video of some of the highlights of the cruise ship “The Norwegian Epic”.

https://youtu.be/_UvmNK-7Ylo

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

France

Le Paradis du Fruit restaurant

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We went to this unique restaurant during the day called “Le Paradis Du Fruit”. It is located near the Notre Dame Church at a busy street corner.

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LA Paradis du Fruit restaurant

The place was busy with a great atmosphere. There were people laughing and having a good time. We got a nice table that gave us a good view of the hustle and bustle outside.

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There were unique glass lights overhead that were pretty neat.

Unique lights in restaurant
Unique lights in restaurant

The meal was very tasty. Shelley ordered a soup, quinoa salad and shrimp. Check out the size of her soup, it’s the one that looks like a shooter glass.

Shelley's meal
Shelley’s meal

The restaurant had a healthy theme and the menu focused mostly on healthy meals. There was an assortment of drinks to choose from. Shelley ordered a Cosmo which was apparently quite good.

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Shelley enjoying her Cosmo drink

I had a chicken burger with salad. The meals and the restaurant was great. Just one of the many neat spots we found in Paris.

” au revoir et bonne journee”