Windstar’s James Beard Culinary Cruise of Portugal, Spain, and France
Basilica of Covadonga in Spain
Highlights
How do you choose a few highlights to mention when every port of call offered something completely unique and memorable?
We fell in love with many of the places we visited and already have a return trip planned to spend more time in Portugal and hope to add future visits to other destinations we’ve been introduced to. In Brittany, where several excellent excursions were offered, we chose to visit Saint-Malo, the ancient walled city, where our yacht was docked just yards from the city gates, and ate oysters and sipped wine in the well-known oyster region of Cancale, rather than take the full day trip to Mont Saint-Michel. Not a bad choice, however, beckoning me in the distance from the top of the wall in Saint-Malo, I could see the iconic medieval monastery and island in the distance. For the second time while visiting this part of France on a cruise, we opted for another excursion. Last time it was to see the Normandy Beaches on the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. I think three times is a charm, so a visit to Mont Saint-Michel on our next visit to Brittany and Normandy is in order.
Saint-Malo
Walking along the top of the wall in Saint-Malo
Mont St. Michel – Three times is the charm (Photo credit – Windstar Cruises)
That is part of the allure of taking a cruise – the opportunity of being exposed to so many different places and sometimes, your favorite destinations are ones you never even thought about traveling to. With a cruise, there is just enough time to learn about and experience a place and know if you want to come back again. And the concept of unpacking once and traveling to four countries is another benefit. Once back on board the ship after a full day of sightseeing, especially during a culinary cruise, you are able to enjoy nightly wines, spirits, and cuisine representative of the regions visited, presented and prepared by experts in the industry. And then you wake up the next day to another exciting port of call and get inspired all over again.
The vistas of Covadonga were breathtaking
Star Legend in Bordeaux
If you are interested in this itinerary, which we highly recommend, please refer to Windstar’s 2017 sailing schedule. For an intimate luxury on board experience with brilliant destinations awaiting you in every port of call, Lisbon to Dublin (or the reverse itinerary) with Windstar Cruises was one of our favorite cruise experiences.
Roger with the Captain
Saying goodbye in Dublin
Temple Bar district in Dublin
For a more in-depth review of the ports of call and images from the beautiful places we visited, look for our second article of the James Beard Culinary Cruise with Windstar Cruises.
Sunset on the Star Legend
For more information on the cruise and the ports of call, here is Part II:
Windstar Cruises – Cuisines & Cultures of Spain, Portugal & France
Note – In the video, images of Maria Hines, the image of William Davis, and one of the Star Legend, were courtesy of Windstar Cruises.
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Disclosure – We were guests of Windstar Cruises. The opinions expressed regarding our experience are our own.
