This cruise has been exhausting! Half of my lethargy was self-induced, due to excessive birthday celebrations, and half was caused by a busy schedule. Since I’ve been sleep deprived, I rested during many port days. I did, however, enjoy two lovely afternoons in Spain.

90s stars birthday party. Spice Girls!

The first day was spent in Palma de Mallorca. I got off the ship with my dance captain, her boyfriend, and two of their friends that were visiting for the cruise.   We walked about twenty minutes to find a small beach. There were clouds rolling in and out all afternoon, keeping the temperature comfortably warm, rather than annoyingly hot.

On the beach

The boys went straight into the ocean to snorkel, and the girls laid down, enjoying the warm weather and mild sunshine. After a few minutes, I took a short walk and found a family owned bar on the beach. After a brief chat with the owner, I ordered a strawberry daiquiri, made with fresh strawberries and a heavy pour of rum. It was delicious! The rest of my group was envious, and one by one, they disappeared to order drinks.

Enjoying my daiquiri

After a couple hours, we went off in search of food. We stopped at a small restaurant with a covered patio for sangria and paella, my usual lunch in Spain. The seafood paella was dangerously good. I couldn’t put my fork down! With full bellies, we made the trek back to the ship. It was a simple, but beautiful day.

Giant portion of paella

A few days later, we stopped in Cadiz, a nice little city outside of Seville. It was a show day, so many of my friends chose not to get off the ship. It was also my birthday, so I insisted on getting off to find good food and fast wifi.

Sunny day in Cadiz

I wandered to a plaza with one of the other dancers, the only cast member that was on my previous ship as well. We found a table outside in the shade and enjoyed a nice brunch. I already had a lot of birthday messages to respond to, so we spent quite a bit of time on our computers after eating.

Plaza for lunch

There was not a cloud in the sky, so our walk back to the ship was very enjoyable. We went through another small plaza before returning to the cruise terminal. Once on board, I got straight into bed for my pre-show nap. It may seem dull, but the day was just what I needed! The combination of good food, fresh air, contact with home, and stage time made my birthday pretty perfect!

Statue near the port