Best Buy/Favorite purchase in Ports

[texancruzer]

We will be going there in October. Were the cameos very expensive?

 

I was looking at cameos every where we stopped for a Christmas present for a family member who collects them. We found the best price in Florence in the Ponte Vecchio in a small shop. I think with the exchange at approx. $1.50 - 1 euro it was around $ 35.00 The cameo was not huge but not small either (and some of them are t-i-n-y!) Slightly smaller than a quarter..... or so. Beautiful work....and set in gold.

[JA023]

I usually go into small grocery stores. Tins of tea from London. Tubes of tomato paste from Roma. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil - Umbria.

 

You can find a lot of interesting inexpensive gifts too.

 

Joyce

[travellgirl]

I had purchased a pendant of a fairly good size (not gaudy, though) and a pair of drop earrings. The price for the three items was somewhere around $600. That was back in 2005 and it was a good price we felt. They were all hand carved in the factory. There were some we saw in other places that you could tell were not carved, but machine manufactured. When my husband said this to one of the jewelers he said to him "oh, I see you know your cameos." That made me feel better that we bought it right from the factory.

We have also brought home different food items. Makes the vacation last longer when we get home.

[cruisemom42]

Rome: Leather gloves, silk ties, scarves, unusual kitchenwares, antique coins, antique prints

 

Florence: Florentine marbled paper (stationery, journals, address books -- these make terrific gifts), leather goods

 

Lisbon: Hand-painted tiles, Coimbra pottery, antiques (particularly in Alfama area)

 

Mykonos: 18k gold jewelry, leather sandals

 

Barcelona: Shoes, scarves, turron (almond nougat), cool Picasso-inspired items in the Picasso museum gift shop (ditto Miro museum)

 

Istanbul: colorful Turkish pottery (platters, plates, etc), rugs, costume jewelry in the Grand Bazaar (don't know if I'd buy anything expensive...), bags made from antique kilims

 

Cairo: handblown glass, antique brass, fine inlaid wood boxes & chess sets

 

 

 

I am also one to buy books in museums; too bad they are so HEAVY!

[tally10]

I usually go into small grocery stores. Tins of tea from London. Tubes of tomato paste from Roma. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil - Umbria.

 

You can find a lot of interesting inexpensive gifts too.

 

Joyce

 

That is one of our favorite things to do whether a small grocery store or a "hypermarket." You then have momentos that last a few months and bring back memories. The British goods are the most fun, but we enjoy food items from everywhere we go. People think we are nuts. I would swear that the olive oil from Barcelona tasted much better than what I could buy here. It's all good.

 

Thanks for the cameo advice everyone. I hope to check them out on our October cruise. i just didn't know what to expect to spend. We usually stick to food and wine-its just cheaper!

[feje]

I try to find some little thing that I can hang on my Christmas tree, like a ceramic cicada from Provence or a penguin from Ushuaia. Has anyone bought turkish towels while in Turkey? We are going in October and hear that they are an interesting souvenir.

[evgal/nj]

i love this post!! love to shop, we usually buy a small watercolor done by local artist in every city. but here are some of the unusual stuff we picked up, that were big hits

ireland -baby stuff & x mas ornaments for all my irish family.

london- lemon curd a kind of jelly yummy did find it here but not as good

barcelona- last yr went to the supermarket found 1 euro boxes of sangeria! lol well turned out to be much better than what we had in the tappa bars lol went back & bought a bunch![granted we were driving home from port!]

funchal-hand knitted crazy looking ski hats

paris-lighter made into the shape of the effle tower, licence plate[we hang them on our barn!

london-repoduction jewlery in the tower shop got a box set black pearl earings & drop pearl necklace approx 20lbs alot for costume, was to be gift but liked them so much i kept them lol coat of arms magnets for everyone whose name i found think they were 1 euro

always pick up scarf's from the street venders everyone likes them!

will post again if i can think of more

[vanna]

Naples---Definitely the place for lemoncello and cameos. We bought 3 of the large bottles for us at 8 euro a piece and were able to get some 12oz bottles as gifts for 3 euros. I also got these little dried herb & spice packages to make different pasta sauces for 1 euro a piece. They I loved them!! The were yummy! Wish I got more.

 

Florence---Olive oil

 

Athens (Plaka)---Got lots of the olive oil soaps w/ a nice magnet of one of the ruins attached to it for 1 euro. Everyone loved those. I also got olive oil. The olive oil from Greece taste different than Italy's.

 

Katakolon---Got some Greek pottery. Also got different spreads & herbs. Of course some Ouzo. I found the prices in Katakolon better than Athens.

 

Maramaris---Leather is very cheap here. Apple tea--cheaper here than Istanbul.

 

Istanbul---Colorful pottery. Scarves. Coffee. Cheap silver in Grand Bazaar.

 

 

The one thing I got in every port we went to was a souvenir book. I thought they were pretty inexpensive. They ranged from 5 euro to 12 euro (in the Vatican). The really are a nice way to look back and remember a lot of the stuff you hear about on the tours & may forget since you are listening to so much info. It also was nice to use for writing comments (such as dates & names) in my albums.

[tkere]

I have not been on my cruise yet, but travelled to Rome and Florence 18 months ago.

 

I bought Murano glass pens with ink wells (have in Rome and Florence). People I bought them for loved them (got stationery to go too). I got them for 10 to 15 euro each and stationery packs for 3-5 euro each.

 

Leather belts in Florence for 10 euro each and they cut to size.

 

Leather gloves in every color in Florence and the Rome airport.

 

Beautiful scarves for 5 euro each on the street everywhere. I will def. get more this time, I loved them and will get for gifts.

[travellgirl]

Vanna,

 

We bought those little spice packets also in Sorrento. They were wonderful.

[Lvdisnee]

Naples---Definitely the place for lemoncello and cameos. We bought 3 of the large bottles for us at 8 euro a piece and were able to get some 12oz bottles as gifts for 3 euros. I also got these little dried herb & spice packages to make different pasta sauces for 1 euro a piece. They I loved them!! The were yummy! Wish I got more.

 

Florence---Olive oil

 

quote]

 

You must ship these back home in your checked luggage, right? Do the little shops wrap them in some type of *secure* wrapping or do you bring your own?

[CeleBrat]

No matter what port we are in, we always take time to browse through the local street-side artists to find fabulous unique works of art.

 

From tiny postage-sized watercolors, to larger cityscapes, the art is always great!

 

CeleBrat

[SunDapple]

We always look for local art too. The walls of the stairway in our house is our travel gallery. :) In Dubrovnik there are small coffee sets called jezveh's. They're used to make a strong coffee like espresso. Mine is on a little embossed tray with 4 tiny porcelain cups and the "pot".

Thanks to WeLove2Cruise for this fun thread, and everyone for the wonderful suggestions.

[Taxguy7]

I bought a small oil painting in Oia, Santorini. It hangs in our downstairs bathroom and whenever I see it I remember our cruise, which was 4 years ago.

We are looking foreward to going to Venice this October and looking at glass items.

 

Julie

 

On the glass-blowing island at Venice, I bought two pitcher & glasses sets with translucent colored glass. I gave one to my parents and kept one. Now over50 years later I only have the pitchers and the gold and silver decoration on them is somewhat the worse for wear, but they are still good. It pays to buy good quality!

[Getaway3]

I bought some beautiful fans in Barcelona. They are hand painted and I always get compliments on them.

 

My 9 year old grandson wants a fan from Barcelona. Where did you find the best variety and prices?

I love all these ideas and most seem not too expensive. I am curious about the Olive Oil Soap. I hadn't heard of that before. Must be great since a couple of you mentioned it. Keep the ideas coming!

[dmk]

My 9 year old grandson wants a fan from Barcelona. Where did you find the best variety and prices?

I love all these ideas and most seem not too expensive. I am curious about the Olive Oil Soap. I hadn't heard of that before. Must be great since a couple of you mentioned it. Keep the ideas coming!

 

I bought some in Barcelona and some in Malaga. Surprisingly, they are not that easy to find. I found them on my wanderings through the shopping areas.

[Lve2Travel]

I found some very nice fans in a shop adjacent to La Familigia church. And of course I also had to bring home castanets - they had them also.

[Deeliteful]

Leather handbags Lisbon, Barcelona & Florence, sandals in Ponta Delgada, Olive oil soap anywhere in Greece, unusual watches & jewellery anywhere!

 

Please try Lemoncello before you buy it - I think it is is yuk! so it's not for everyone.

 

Enjoy your shopping.

[Dog Mommie]

Thanks for starting this thread!

I'm learning to write really small so I can take along all my lists...now I have a "To Buy" one! Now, if I could just learn to read this really, really small print of mine!!!!:rolleyes:

[welove2cruise*]

I would love to bring home some olive oil, but worry about getting it home in my packed luggage in tact. Any suggestions on how to keep the bottles safe? I did bring home a bottle of wine from Greece last trip - wrapped it in our dirty clothes as I did not expect to be doing this (received the bottle of wine as a gift after we bought a ring in Mykonos). I suppose I could try to bring some bubble wrap with me?

[bennybear]

Okay, be careful here, last year I ordered a gorgeous hand made Murano chandelier that I love every day, it took two months to come but it is amazing. The glass jewellry is also very nice.

 

Gold jewellry in Italy and Greece, I got a lovely greek key bracelet last year in Crete. I also love the olive oil soap from France and Greece , helps with our dry climate.

 

I also bring back tea from France, this year Monaco, easy to carry and a nice souveneir.

[tally10]

I would love to bring home some olive oil, but worry about getting it home in my packed luggage in tact. Any suggestions on how to keep the bottles safe? I did bring home a bottle of wine from Greece last trip - wrapped it in our dirty clothes as I did not expect to be doing this (received the bottle of wine as a gift after we bought a ring in Mykonos). I suppose I could try to bring some bubble wrap with me?

 

We always bring sheets of cut bubble wrap and large ziplocks with us. After utilizing that, we put the wine (or other glass bottle) in hubby's sport socks for cushioning. We haven't lost anything to breakage yet-only a fridge magnet that we had forgotten about in my carryon. Hope this helps.

[welove2cruise*]

We always bring sheets of cut bubble wrap and large ziplocks with us. After utilizing that, we put the wine (or other glass bottle) in hubby's sport socks for cushioning. We haven't lost anything to breakage yet-only a fridge magnet that we had forgotten about in my carryon. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks. You know even though I am determined to pack "light" :) I think I am going to do this. I would rather have the option of seeing something so good it is worth the effort and having a plan on how to get it home than feel I have to give up the idea on anything liquid.

[nparmelee]

Magellans sells a wine bag thing which is essentially bubble wrap in a zip lock. We usually take a small bottle of port with us, don't want to have to worry about finding a wind down adult beverage right away, so we save the bubble wrap and ziplocks from that for things coming home. I think we brought three bottles of olive oil home last trip and one bottle of Limoncello (we can get 3 or 4 brands here). No problems..... I usually carry extra ziplocks anyway for wet things or anything damp coming home.

[packyourbags]

Here are a few of my favs:

 

Marseille: kitchen linens from Provence markets: http://www.provencelive.com/practical/daily/market/market2.html

 

Florence: ceramic hand painted wine stoppers and ceramic handled salad tongs

Sicily: local pottery- look in Taormina, there are a couple of artists in alleyways!

 

Istanbul: Sunday market at Ortakoy!!!

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul/Sights/Bosphorus/ortakoy.html

 

Corfu: beaded bracelets

Mykonos: cosmos at sunset (sorry, that's not the topic) back to shopping...

 

Santorini: bakery goods and pistachios

Kusadasi: Faux designer handbags- the best I've ever seen...

Venice: glass jewelry and glass topped wine stoppers