Julie's Adventures In Wanderland

The Ship

We recently returned from a magical Mediterranean voyage on Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas. This was the largest ship we have cruised on and our favorite so far. A cruise ship is a mini city that allows you to travel the world, changing location on a daily basis, while sleeping in the same bed and sharing adventures with (or avoiding) your neighbors for the duration. A member of what Royal Caribbean calls their “Quantum Ultra-class”, it houses 15 restaurants, a rock climbing wall, a surf simulator called the Flowrider, a theater, Spa and Fitness Center a casino and many other things to keep you occupied while onboard for the duration of your adventure.

The Eats

So, travel is rumored to broaden the mind but, when you travel the Mediterranean, it can also broaden the waistline. I mean, pasta, pizza, tiramisu and gelato in Italy; gyros, moussaka, and feta cheese in Greece; heavenly baklava dripping in honey in Turkey. And the wine, let’s not ignore the wine!

Greece

Growing up in Detroit, we have what amounted to an entire street full of Greek Goodness known as Greektown. Before a casino took over the area, you could eat your way through two city blocks full of Greek restaurants. I couldn’t get enough moussaka, pastitsio, spanakopita aka “spinach pie”, gyros, souvlaki and grape leaves stuffed with rice, herbs and meat. In Athens, we waited too late to get in to tour the Acropolis within our allotted time in port, so we spent our day scaling Mount Gyro at a quaint restaurant named Thea instead. As soon as we got seated, I jokingly told our waiter (or WAS it?), that I wanted one of everything on the menu. Our table was full of food and I was delighted as each new dish was dropped off. Spinach pie, greek salad, moussaka, pastitsio, a gyro, all fighting for space on our small rooftop table. It was then on to Santorini the next day for a cliffside glass of wine with some fried cheese, Mykonos and Crete in the following days to prove my theory that the food I grew up eating was, in fact, as authentic as what I had in Greece. I am happy to report that it was!

Italy

Who doesn’t love Italian food? A plate full of pasta dripping in a decedent sauce? I mean, come on! Well, apparently the Italians don’t! One of our surprising culinary discoveries was that pasta is NOT considered the main course in Italy. Menus refer to pasta as the “First Dish” as you prepare for the “Second Dish” which is where you order your steaks, chicken, lamb or other meats. Our waiter appeared stumped as we told him we were having pasta as our entire meal. And as for the sauce? They do NOT drown their pasta in heavy creams or thick sauces like we have come to expect here. Amazing Cacio e Pepe, pasta with a pepper and cheese flavor, cheese stuffed ravioli with a light drizzle of butter and sage, spaghetti with a fresh tomato sauce. Everything was light, fresh and delicious without being drowned in fat and calories. And don’t get me started on the creamy goodness that is tiramisu. It was more pudding-like as opposed to the more cake-like version I have always had in the US. We even took a cooking class in Rome at Gusto restaurant through Eat and Walk Italy, where we made fettuccini, ravioli and tiramisu from scratch. It was fantastic and one of the best meals we ate!

Turkey

The food in Turkey was pretty similar to the food in Greece with kebobs and eggplant galore. I had some fantastic grilled eggplant and tomato at Black and White Steak and Fish House located close to the port where our ship docked for the day. We also indulged in Turkish coffee and baklava dripping in golden honey as we wound our way through the lively marketplace dodging merchants begging us to come into their shops who each promised the deal of a lifetime on knock off goods. (One shop’s sign proudly proclaimed they sold genuine fake watches). The coffee kept us up past our bedtime it was so strong.

Wine and Spirits

We did not get the deluxe drink package on the ship that would have included alcoholic beverages because, well, WINE in Italy and Greece! We felt obliged to sample our way through the local fermented grape varieties were not disappointed. Pinot Grigio? CHECK! Amarone? CHECK! That sweet/tart Italian delicacy, Limoncello? CHECK! And let’s not forget, sparkling sunshine in a glass, the Aperol Spritz, which is Aperol, a citrusy, sweet aperitif mixed with some bubbly wine and sparkling water (and an orange slice for decorative purposes)? YES PLEASE! Cheers!

Farewell to the Mediterranean

By the time we returned to Rome after our nine day voyage, we had eaten our way through three countries, convinced ourselves that the Mediterranean diet HAS been determined the healthiest in the world so we were good, and traded in our tight fitting clothes for those with elastic waistlines. We did exceed our step counts each day as we toured our surroundings so the damage wasn’t as great as it could have been.

As we arrived back to the reality of our post vacation lives, we realized that while we may have temporarily lost track of our fitness goals, we had gained a lifetime of delicious memories that will remain as sweet as golden honey on a delicious piece of baklava.