The Wonders of the Mediterranean - All Aboard and on Cruise Control to the Greek Isles

The Equinox was launched in 2009 with capacity of 2,850 

A few weeks ago, I started telling you all about our Mediterranean adventure to Greece and Turkey. We started a day early in Athens and boarded the Celebrity Cruises: Equinox ship to begin our adventure. Did I mention that this was our first time on a cruise ship? AY CARAMBA!!

We enjoyed this beautiful sunset as we left Athens behind and cruised towards the first of the Greek Isles, Rhodes.

The view above is from the Ocean View cafe. Isn't it gorgeous and so romantic. I took tons of pictures like this every night so I could reminisce about those sunsets when I get back home. Although is nice, the dining experience at this cafe wasn't equally nice the first night. I was a bit disappointed in the buffet menu.


The best dining experience was in the Silhouette restaurant where we had to make reservations every night. They had quite a selection of menu items to choose from and enjoy. I normally don't eat meat unless I'm out dining with my friends, so this was my chance to savor the Mediterranean cuisine. Each night I tried a different dish and really experimented with my palate.

Below are some of my favorites from the trip:

Top left corner: Chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream and flambe
Top right corner: creme brulee cake,
Bottom left corner: Branzino (European sea bass) served over a bed of cooked spinach and potatoes with a drizzle of pomegranate sauce
Bottom right corner: Lamp chops served with a side of broccoli and thin broth

My parents loved the Mediterranean spring rolls, French onion soup, and the tomato bisque. We couldn't some of these items were served as appetizers; they were big enough to be entrees. We really had to control ourselves moving forward.

Along with the food, we were really impressed with the quality of service at this restaurant. All the waitstaff were polite and helpful, I never felt like I was pressured to eat my food too quickly because they wanted to seat another family, If we didn't like something, they were all too eager to replace our food. It was unbelievable.

Quick Tip 
- If you don't like anything on the preset menu, ask for the Indian menu which has a lot of vegetarian options. My parents ordered from this menu a couple times; here are some of their favorites: vegetable pakora, mixed vegetable curry, potato and beans curry, and yogurt. WE LOVE YOGURT. - If you have any allergies, let your wait staff know. They are very accommodating to their guests' needs.

How to Keep Calm and Stay Cool this Summer

WITH OUR FAVORITE DESSERTS AND DRINKS!

I thought I would cool down since returning from our warm Mediterranean vacation, but it seems like it is just as hot here. Yesterday, it was about 90 degrees and all I could do to stay cool was eat ice cream, drink yogurt smoothies and turn up the air conditioning. 

In the spirit of staying cool and refreshed during this hot season, I wanted to share some of our favorites with you guys. Check them out:

1) Kulfi - an Indian ice cream. I love kulfi because it is creamy like gelato and there are so many flavors to choose from. My favorite is mango and pistachio; I just love the fruit and nut flavor and texture combination. 

Mango and Pistachio Kulfi. Kulfi is a creamy Indian ice cream 

If you like kulfi, you can also mix it up with vermicelli, basil seeds, tapioca pearls, and gelatin to make kulfi falooda like in the picture below.  

2) My mom's favorite cool drink, which is the Rose Spritzer. Whenever we have family parties, we always try to have a refreshing drink to serve. One day we put our heads together and came up with this spritzer that became an instant hit.  I would definitely recommend for you to try it. 

Rose Spritzer

3) Lassi is a popular yogurt based drink, that is a blend of yogurt, water, spices and sometimes fruit. It can be enjoyed in two ways: sweet or savory. A popular sweet lassi is mango lassi, which is served at Indian restaurants and/or weddings. 

A savory lassi is flavored with roasted and ground cumin and salt. 

Here's a great example of a savory lassi

4) If you're not a fan of yogurt drinks, try Roohafza milkshakes. Roohafza is rose syrup which is used in a lot of desserts and drinks. When we feel like a milkshake, we add roohafza to milk and bananas and ice to make a delicious frothy drink. Click here for recipe. 


For more sweet bliss ideas, check out our recipes page.