Cruising The Mediterranean

Are you thinking of going on a cruise this year? If you have never been on a cruise before you really ought to try one and if you have been on a cruise before you could take a crack at cruising the Mediterranean this time

Cruising at sea, calling into a different port each day or two soon becomes a lifestyle you soon get used to, so short cruises can be a little frustrating. A fortnight is all right but a month is much better.

Think of it, a different language and a different culture each day for weeks! The Mediterranean Sea is not considered to be a substantial sea, but it has to be the most diverse region in the world, because there are countries like Portugal, Spain and France to the northwest; the Middle East is represented by Turkey and The Lebanon in the northeast; Arabic countries like Egypt and Lybia line the northeastern coast of the African Mediterranean and Arabic/Berber countries like Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco bring us back to within miles of Spain on the northwestern African Mediterranean litoral.

In fact, the Mediterranean Sea covers about 2.5 million square kilometres and has more than 120 substantial seaports around it. The variety of food, culture and language is quite special. If you are looking for variety, you will certainly find it whilst cruising the Mediterranean Sea.

If you get a kick out of history, then you will not be disappointed by the ruins from the immense Greek, Roman and Egyptian empires that spread around the region prolifically. I should not think that there is a single area without something to remind the population about the power of the Roman army 2,000 years ago.

There are dozens of different Mediterranean cruises to be had many of them specializing in one particular aspect or area of the Mediterranean. Some go for romantic destinations others specialize in Greek, Roman or Egyptian architecture.

The last Mediterranean cruise I went on was essentially two cruises back-to-back. I flew into Barcelona from my home town. I did not have to take care of my luggage from my hometown until I saw it on my bunk on the cruise liner. That was a great touch. On the first leg of the cruise we steamed east to Sicily and then north along the Italian coastline to the French Riviera and back to Spain.

The second leg went east to Sardinia and then south to Africa and returned along the coast calling into Tunisia and Malta on the way back to Spain. They were two completely different cruises on the same ship and separated only by a week from one another.

The luxury and the dining experience was fabulous and I discovered the saying to be the case that you can expect to gain about a pound in weight every two days unless you take lots of exercise, so make certain you pack your swimming costume, even if you do make a decision to leave your exercise gear at home.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on several subjects, but is now concerned with Bikini Cup D. If you want to know more, please visit our website at Swimwear for Big Busts.