“Oh look, another one! “ I whispered excitedly, and yet discreetly to Steve. His mouth curved into a cheeky smile, his blue reflective sunnies gleaming under the 30 degree sun. “Yes darling, they’re everywhere”.

We are of course referring to another pair of tanned, bare, nubile breasts frolicking on the Barcelona beach. In fact, there are topless bathers as far as the eyes can see. And some wearing nothing at all, men AND women. They are doing everything you can imagine; running, walking, swimming, sun bathing, kayaking, paddle boarding, you name it. In their au naturel glory; every shape, size, and age, doing it with confidence and gleeful abandon. This body positivity displayed against the backdrop of beautiful Mediterranean coasts has been a consistent phenomenon we experienced throughout our travels, even as we ventured along the remote azure blue coves off Menorca island, and we couldn’t be happier. Spain is beautiful, dynamic, and- c’mon, I have to say it- titillating.

This was of course a far and distant cry from the hustle and bustle of Sydney on a Wednesday morning, 8 nights ago, when we boarded our flight to Spain.

Our plane took off amidst freezing torrential rain at 1 pm from Kingsford Smith Airport. When we disembarked in Barcelona airport , we were jetlagged, exhausted, and were definitely wearing too many layers of clothes. Following that was a very eventful 2 hour ride on the metro train into Barcelonetta, mainly due to our lack of Spanish and the metro’s lack of lifts to accommodate our massive amount of luggage.

I was dehydrated, hot and grumpy when we got out of the station, and it was only by the grace of some ancient Spanish Gods that Steve was able to find Port Vell, and eventually a beaming and beautiful Kim aboard AURA. We were immediately invited aboard and were generously fed with the most astonishingly multi-regioned curation of fresh produce ever known to man- brie cheese from Corsica, salad from Sardinia and meats and olives locally procured. We felt so spoiled and I could feel all the stress of travel melt away.

And so began our great Mediterranean adventure.

Kim and Si took us in like champs. They have been the most gracious and generous hosts from beginning to end. Our itinerary spanned from Barcelona (3 nights), an overnight passage to Menorca, and 4 calas in the Menorca island: Cala Son Saura (2 nights), Cala Galdana (2 nights), Cala Escorxada (1 night), and finally our final stop at Cala Portes` (1 night). Every stop has been like a mirage, with each anchorage more beautiful than the last.

Barcelona was a bustling city that is rich in culture, history, and vista. Its token architect was of course the genius Gaudi and his impossibly curvaceous creations- many generously ornamented with undulating pillars, mosaics, and bronze facades. We took a bus tour around the city and were blown away by the sheer size and detail of the Cathedral, still unfinished (and probably never will be).

Our dinning experience in Barcelona were amongst the most delicious and memorable.. We stuffed ourselves full with jamon, paella, sangria, and an endless permutations of tasty tapas. Simon managed to book ourselves into Tickets, where we were entertained for over 5 hours with a total of 32 courses of degustation dinner and dessert– simply called the “Tickets Experience”. Many dishes seem to have ‘identity issues’- with delicious consequences. There were sardines spying as chicken, mushroom that thought it was pasta, and olives that weren’t really olives at all. The flavours range from Spanish to the Orient, with a generous range of poultry, meat and seafood dishes across the menu. They were all beautifully presented, professionally served, and certainly successful in getting our taste-buds dancing.

Part 1 of x : Guest Bloggers and Crew : Tash & Steve