Rome and Silversea Day 9

Start of day: Cartagena, Spain
End of day: At sea, heading toward Portimão, Portugal

The day started mostly cloudy. Today I attended the Secrets of Cartagena with Paella tour, which wasn’t quite what I thought it would be (it was 80% walking history, 20% eating paella) but still fine.

We started with the historical walking tour: Selfie in front of the ornate Palacio Consistorial (Cartagena city hall), a domed Belle Époque building, with tourists crossing the plaza under a cloudy sky

A street newsstand kiosk in Cartagena displaying racks of magazines and newspapers, with two people browsing in front

Pedestrians strolling down Cartagena's Calle Mayor, lined with elegant historic buildings and a modernist white cube canopy installation overhead

After an hour or so, we stopped here for lunch, of which paella was the featured dish.

A restaurant entrance set beneath weathered stone archways, with a potted tree and wooden wine barrels out front

A traditional Spanish rice dish served in a black metal pan on a white tablecloth, with a glass of water and wine glasses alongside

The tour was fine and the lunch was fine. Probably I could’ve done an audio tour on my own, but at least this way I met a few interesting fellow passengers – one benefit to booking shore excursions through the cruise line that I’ll need to remember for next time.

After the tour I wandered Cartagena on my own. I walked through a mercado with lots of fresh fish, meat, vegetables, and more.

A leafy tree-lined Cartagena street with cars parked along the curb, apartment buildings, and wooden benches in dappled shade

Fresh fish and seafood displayed on ice at a Cartagena market stall, with vendors and shoppers behind the counter

A bit later I sat outside a restaurant just off the main strip and had caprese that also included some of the best olives I’ve ever tasted.

An outdoor café terrace on a Cartagena pedestrian street, with red tables, Estrella-branded parasols, and historic buildings under a bright blue sky

A caprese-style salad of sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and green olives on a white plate at an outdoor café table, with olive oil and balsamic bottles

I wandered my way back to the ship.

A rustic chalkboard sign in a restaurant window reading 'We speak really little English but we cook the best paella'

A bronze statue of a sailor on Cartagena's waterfront promenade, with palm trees and a Spanish flag in the background under a clear blue sky

Once onboard, I soaked up the sun and read.

The teak-decked pool and lounge area aboard the Silversea ship, with grey sun loungers, railings, and the ship's funnel and radar domes against a deep blue sky

Around 7 I posted on our WhatsApp group to see if anyone was open to accepting a +1 for dinner. One of our group members, Jennifer, responded quickly and said she and her husband had just sat down at Riviera and I was welcome to join them. I did, and had an excellent meal and conversation in the open-air restaurant.

Around the time we were getting our desserts, the restaurant turned into a dance party. I people-watched for a bit, and the DJ was good, but I called it a night and returned to the room.

An evening deck party aboard the Silversea ship, with guests in summer attire mingling and dancing under colorful purple and blue lighting