I ended part 1 with a mention of the Epicurian Restaurant, so let me pick up where I left off….

The food in the Epicurian was superb! I will share pictures soon, they are on my phone, not my camera, but to start I went for the Salt and Pepper Oyster and Jumbo Prawn Tempura – I substituted the oysters though for an extra prawn and it was delicious. My main course was a 28-day Dry Aged Beef Sirloin served with triple cooked chips, another tasty dish! In between courses there were some interesting little treats, one being a raspberry lipstick. Would I recommend the Epicurian? Most definitely!

The following day (Monday) was another sea day and a chance in the afternoon to sample Eric Lanlard Afternoon Tea in the Epicurian. It was jam packed! It seemed everyone wanted to sample some of Eric’s wonderful creations and I was certainly one of them. Below is the serving that each table received.

There were sandwiches, cakes and scones. Let me relay some of the menu for you:

Scottish Smoked Salmon and Dill in a Lemon and Cracked Black Pepper Macaroon

Roast Beef Brioche with Horseradish, Crème Fraiche and Watercress

Dark Chocolate Tear Drop with Italian Amarena Cherries

Summer Berries and Meringue, Raspberry Mouse, Lychees Pearls and Fruit Coulis

Traditional and Lemon Scented Scones with Clotted Cream

It was very nice indeed and at just £15 per person I would highly recommend it. Of course, you can have afternoon tea in the buffet or main dining room also and at no cost, but this was something a little extra special.

I spent the rest of the day relaxing and reading, before it was time to decide where to go for the evening meal. I settled on The Beach House, which is very much like the one you will find on some of the other ships – Ventura for example. There is a £5 per person cover charge but again, I would recommend it! I went with the Coconut Crumbed Prawns to start and the Prawn Sizzler for main. They also serve steak on a stone here which is an extra £2.95.

On Tuesday we arrived in Gibraltar, it was pretty wet and miserable, but I was booked on the ‘Rock Revealed’ excursion so off I went, braving Mother Nature. I have visited Gibraltar several times but this was the first time I would experience the rock and as it poured all day I was glad I had an excursion. It was good, the caves were fascinating and incredibly beautiful and all of the monkeys I came across were very friendly, although we were told that the odd one likes to bite – a female in particular – but thankfully we left bite free and with all of our possessions.

Wednesday was spent at sea and my dining choice for the evening, The Glass House. The food was just……just perfect, it really was! The three sample plates were beyond tasty and the steak was cooked to absolute perfection! I’d also like to say the triple cooked chips were by far the best I have ever eaten.

Thursday brought our arrival in Barcelona. I have visited Barcelona several times and it is not one of my favourite places, however, I was booked on the ‘Catalan Cuisine with James Martin’ tour and I was secretly looking forward to it. Our tour began with a stop at Sagrada la Familia before we re-boarded our coach for the short journey to La Boqueria, where James took us around and explained all about the different fish, fruits and gave advice on some of the best things to buy in the market. After some brief free time we made our way to a Torre d’Alta Mar, a Michelin recommended restaurant where we were served a scrumptious three course lunch. I enjoyed the tour and the views across Barcelona were absolutely stunning. We managed to arrive back to the ship almost 30-minutes late – whoops! 😉

I will end my blog today by telling you that I am still very much in love with Britannia, I can’t find anything about her that is a MAJOR issue – I have only come across one or two little things that are a bit different and will take some getting used to. As an example, there is no mid-ship stairwell above Deck 7.

Today we are in Monte Carlo. I will check in with you all again soon……………….