On Nov. 20, 2008, Mitchell & I flew from Atlanta to Barcelona for an amazing adventure. We boarded the Azamara Journey for a twelve-day cruise with ten ports in Spain, France, Monaco & Italy. The weather was cold, the seas rough but the places we visited were glorious. Due to the time of year, the crowds were greatly diminished. And, we were treated like royalty aboard this small ship with less than 550 passengers. I hope you enjoy our photos.
Photos: Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Pantheon in Rome, a Spanish bar/restaurant in Cartagena & the Rock of Gibraltar
We left home at 7:00 AM on Thurs 11/20 for the Atlanta airport. We arrived at 10:00 for a 1:00 flight. No line at security although we had like 8 bins which is so stressful. We then made it to our gate, had a bite to eat, visited with our friends Bob & Nancy from Columbus who were on their way to Morocco. When we landed at JFK, we made our way on the long moving walkway to the international terminal and Hinda, from cruisecritic saw us (we had exchanged photos). She & Bill were in an empty area so we sat with them for a few hours. I had severe dry eye so bought a $9 bottle of visine at the airport!!!! We were one of the first on (elite skymiles) for our 2nd row behind bulkhead so I arranged all our stuff. We were so cramped and uncomfortable. You'd think the international planes on Delta would have better seating areas. Then, we sat on the ground for 2.5 hours (waiting for ground crew?). We finally took off, watched a crappy movie, ate chicken and TRIED to sleep. Needless to say, we were so uncomfortable, (especially Mitchell) that I doubt we got 2 hours). We arrived in Barcelona only 1.5 hours late, retrieved luggage, and met with the ship's transfer people--52 of us.
Eventually, we received a nice surprise. Since we were so early, we had an almost 3 hour tour of Barcelona. We had a great guide and and saw many wonderful sites. So glad the transfers were part of our package. We arrived at the ship at noon and get this: Cabins were not ready--we could wait upstairs until 2:00 or leave all our carry-ons at the desk and leave. Well, ya'll know us so you can guess what we did! Checked our carry-ons, took a shuttle bus from the pier (3 euros pp round-trip) into town and started walking. One of the most famous streets in the world is Las Ramblas, a beautiful, huge & wide street with a large central thoroughfare full of restaurants, shops, dozens of fantastically dressed mimes. It was also decorated with a ton of Plane trees (leafless). After about an hour, we found a grocery, bought water and walked back. After waiting for the bus, we arrived back at the ship at 3:45. Our luggage was in our cabin along with fresh flowers and a fruit plate. The cabin seems small although much bigger than many of the inside cabins we have had lately. There are a lot of big mirrors, a love seat, desk and closet. There is also a small bathroom with a shower. Although laid out well, my only complaint would be that there is so little counter space, just the desk. I also packed way too much and there were not enough hangers. We unpacked for a few minutes and then went to the blooming muster drill. I'm glad we did as they checked cabins AND they checked our names off when we arrived. At least we were seated but we were so exhausted by this point (4:15) that I don't think I could have made it to the lifeboats. In fact, as I looked at the sea of people, many of them had drifted off.
Afterwards we threw stuff in closets to get rid of suitcases and went to dinner at 5:45 because we were starving (a bagel on the plane much earlier--at like 5:00 AM) and an informal get together for cruise critic at 7:00 PM. Dinner was unbelievable. Appetizers were the best French Onion Soup, salad with wonderful fresh greens and perfect Jumbo shrimp cocktail. The solicitous waiter Fredrick suggested the prime beef (NOT RIB). Against my better judgment (IMHO beef is never good on a ship), we both ordered it and it was DIVINE. It cut like butter with an amazing sauce. We also had little potato pancakes and a vegetable. We also ordered a cheap bottle of chardonney for $29 w/ tip. I just wanted to have a drink and relax
Part I
We were still so exhausted the next morning but had to wait to disembark in Marseilles; a 3 hour delay due to an emergency transport at midnight. The wind is blowing so hard--61 mph that we've finally docked but no gangway. Last night, although slept very well--the ship was rocking so hard that I thought we were going to tip over. At one point I almost got queasy, I remember thinking, "Oh no, for the first time in my life I'm getting sea sick!" Luckily, I fell back to sleep. I'm sure that because our ship is so small--that exasperates things.
What a day we had today. Now I know why the book/movie A YEAR IN PROVENCE was such a hit. WE LOVE LOVE LOVE PROVENCE. As I previously wrote, today was absolutely freezing and when I say that, you can believe it. Poor Mitchell freezes when it is below 80 degrees. Not only was the day around 40 degrees, it was so windy that my face is extremely wind-burned. But it was all worth it and I would give anything to come rent a villa sometime in either spring or early fall (if I wasn't living on a pension).
I emailed Alain, our tour guide to apprise him of our late situation but regrettably, he had already arrived from Avignon but was able to write me back. I didn't know if we'd even get off the ship. I felt like Al Roker reporting from a hurricane--I can't believe I wasn't knocked over. Mitchell was glad he had his heavy boots on. Anyway, we got underway quickly with: Kim & her dad Lawrie from Niagara Falls, Canada who, like all Canadians we've cruised with were some of the nicest people Mitchell & I have ever met. She is a HS art teacher (she left her 2 small children and husband at home!) & her Dad is a retired engineer. Then there was Carrie, a Systems Engineer and her husband Brian who has his PhD. in some sort of intergalactic astronomy (studying other galaxies and their matter.). Violet & her Physician husband Kay completed our little group.
It was a good group and Alain was the sweetest man. Even though we were delayed, He drove us out of the way to Aix en Provence and we walked down the promenade. Lots of elegant people with high end shops, a ton of trees, some tourists and a lot of freezing wind. We had a blast though and Carrie & Brian bought some chocolate at Samantha Brown's shop (from her show). We then drove to Arles; what a treat. And Kim, the art teacher was walking on air. She was so happy and amazed at everything. She reminded me of me, only young and beautiful. She loved the ruins, the cobblestones, the shops and of course all things van Gogh, her favorite artist (my mom's too).
I still am so awed by the beauty of this planet, especially antiquities. There were also a ton of wonderful Roman ruins and a coliseum, both featured on Rick AND Samantha. After walking around, we ate at a sandwich shop/bakery. The sandwiches were on small rolls--Mitchell had ham & chauveau (sp) cheese and I had jamon and parmesean. It hit the spot and we split this wonderful pastry full of buttercream. I can't tell you how good it was. With a large diet coke that we shared, our meal was 10 euros. We then walked back to the van and made our way to the cathedral of Lex Baux. This was a humongous limestone quarry that had tremendous rooms where they had an exhibit (6.5 euros pp) of Van Gogh paintings in a slideshow over all the walls and floors in all the rooms with coordinating classical music. It was unique and wonderful and it was hard to get Kim to leave!
We then stopped at an overlook to photograph Les Beaux and it's destroyed castle before making our way to the quaint city full of winding cobblestone pedestrian streets, shops, restaurants and churches that were built in the 1500's. We really didn't want to leave but we had an olive oil tasting next. This was interesting. Then an hour drive back to the ship in the dark at 6:00. The tour was 58.50 euros pp and we saw 3X what the ship's tour saw at 1/3 the price. We found out later that due to the late docking, most of the ship's tours were canceled so it looks like we were the only ones who got to go to Provence. What a day! I'd go back tomorrow.
I have to recommend our tour guide: Alain Lesomptier His address is on the worldwideweb:
ventoux-decouvertes.com/sommaire_gb.php3
I told Mitchell that I think we walked 10 miles today and he said that was an exaggeration; it was maybe 5. We left the cabin at around 9:30-10:00 and walked up a few flights of stairs and along a paved path around the sea to a public carpark with an elevator that went to the top of Monte Carlo.
The city is spotless, the people wealthy and elegant. We ended up at Jacques Costeau's famous and gorgeous (building) sea museum--we didn't stop but followed signs and then walked all the way to the Cathedral (where my idol Grace Kelly got married/buried) but it's Sunday & they were having Church so we wandered a bit, looked in the tourist shops, & made our way through the winding cobblestone alleys to the palace. I Knew that the changing of the guard was 11:55 so I asked one of the many palace policemen where to stand and he told me to go to the front of the palace before the throngs arrived. We watched the guards do their marching back and forth and then here comes the band--that was great fun. Then a group of dignitaries went through to the palace (the flag was up so we assumed Albert was there. Then the guards all march in, and back and forth. There was a lot of pomp & circumstance (which I love) but our backs and legs were really hurting from standing on that pavement for 1.5 hours.
We then walked all the way back to the Cathedral because it was now 1:00 and I was hoping we could go in. No, not until 2:00 so we decided to walk the 1.5 miles down the steps and on paths all the way to the famous casino. It didn't open until 2:00 so we wandered around looked at the expensive restaurants, the closed designer shops (it is Sunday--you can gamble but not shop) and at the rolls royces, porshes, and a Lamborghini. At 2:00 we checked our bags and paid 10 euros each to enter the casino. It was beautiful; looked like a palace but small, only 3 big rooms. Some zillionares were already playing poker etc. They had on suits or tux and were writing down (cards?) in notebooks. I quickly lost a 5 euro note in a slot machine and we left. It wasn't worth the big bucks but we were glad we went.
By now I am so exhausted (& hungry) I can hardly walk--anyway, it was my decision so we walked all the way back up that winding steep hill & steps with me huffing and puffing to try the cathedral again. The town is absolutely besotted with their Princess. Everywhere there were giant photographs of different stages of her life in Monte Carlo starting with her arrival on the ship to her marriage to photos of her and her kids--it was quite fun--anyway, we got to go in the Church, it was beautiful, a typical Cathedral but with several Grimaldis buried there--they have ruled for like 900 years. We found Grace's grave, it was covered in flowers. We then left and walked all the way back down again. I was so tired/hungry and sore that I was almost in tears. But it was a wonderful day.
The Cinque Terre (5 lands) is composed of 5 small villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola, Corniglia, Riomaggiore. The Cinque Terre is a National Park and Unesco World Heritage site.
This morning we went down one flight of stairs and were at the meeting place at 7:30 AM. 15 minutes later the 16 of us were escorted to the tender launch. This was one of the most frightening things I've ever done. The water was so rough that there were 6' swells and there were 4 men trying to get you on the tender. We finally made it on but after about 12 people, they were afraid we were going to capsize so they closed the doors and we rode to the port of Portofino and waited an hour for the rest of the people. There were actually 2 tours leaving at the same time. Finally, everyone was here and we took another ferry to the town of ST. Margherita. We then boarded a coach for the hour+ ride to Cinque Terre National Park. This is an area of FIVE LANDs/ 5 villages around a bay on the Med. characterized by steep slopes and mountain ranges full of terraces for grape vines. It is almost like Brigadoon. Until the 1930's, outside people couldn't come to this area; then a road was built. The views of the sea pounding the rocks and the millions of acres of terraces (more rocks supposedly than the great wall of China) were breathtaking.
We had about an hour hike through a place called lover's lane, which is a spectacular path along the seaside village of Rio Maggiore. The weather was fairly cool and when we started it was raining. We were bundled up and happy that it was not 90 degrees. We then took a train to the next village (10 minutes) where we had a lunch that was a gastronomical feast. The food was plain but exquisite. Our table had a bottle of white Cinque Terre wine (and we drank the entire bottle by ourselves which is a first in our marriage but it was so good), water, bread and local olive oil with lemon. Yummy. Then we had a bowl of home made fresh pasta (another first and I can't even describe the taste) with a pesto sauce. Next we had salad, then a big slice of grilled swordfish that was incredible. For dessert we had tiramisu which was divine, I can't even describe it--fresh, tiramisu. We then were given 40 minutes to wander around and I bought a bottle of that wine for 5.6 euros, a bag of pasta, a bottle of lemoncello (that was given as a sample and I thought it was delicious (of course maybe it was because of that wine) and some lemon olive oil, all for 25 euros. We explored the 1307 church and made the 1.5 hour drive back to the ferry to be transported to the tender and then of course to the ship.
Mitchell thought today was the best day so far but I'm withholding my opinion because every day has been perfect. I could so move to France or Italy and rent a villa for a few months ala UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN and just be in heaven. Mitchell agreed with me. When I come into my fortune, I will and ya'll can come visit. the food, scenery, sights, people are all extraordinary.
Those poor room service people--a ton of people ordered breakfast today because of all the early tours, even ours was 20 minutes late. I was up at 4:30 and couldn't fall back to sleep. Mitchell had the cabin so warm (he will let me turn it down at night but last night I fell asleep and forgot to turn it down). Our breakfast came and it was delicious. Mitchell had a bowl of cherrios, fruit and oj. I had the English Breakfast w/o the baked beans--scrambled eggs, mushrooms & bacon with a piece of toast. Oh & coffee and Oj. Very nice but we're going upstairs in the morning.
Kim & her dad Lawrie are 4 doors down and we met Geoff & Nga outside and immediately saw John, our hot, 6'2 Italian Stallion dreamboat with the big, new van. He was very knowledgeable (did I say he was adorable--32 years old) and told us about the port of Livorno and Tuscany. We drove about 45 minutes to Pisa for a 30 minute stop with him telling us all about the history of this beautiful college town (Galileo's home). I had originally told Jany, the gal from the tour company that we didn't want to go to Pisa because I wanted to spend every second in Florence but she talked me into it (and I wasn't happy). Little did we know how beautiful the place was and we were all so glad we stopped. It is a walled city with a giant, gorgeous Cathedral, a Bapistry and the tower which is so much more beautiful in person. We walked around taking photos and marveling at this change in plans. And yes, we have pictures of us holding up the wall! We then drove through the city which we also found beautiful.
Continuing on through countryside that looks like every picture of Tuscany with the fields, Cyprus trees, etc, we arrived at the scenic (massive parking lot which was empty) overlook of the city of Florence. You can't imagine the view, the walls, the bell towers, the cathedrals, the bridges. Oh my goodness. Next John took us through crazy traffic to the Academia Museum that was full of art and statues, especially Michelangelo’s. And there, at the end of the hall, there he was, DAVID, in all his majestic glory. I've seen tons of photos and replicas but nothing prepares you for the real thing. It is massive and that is not a rock in his hand, it is a slingshot that straps over his back. It was very emotional for me--a combination of seeing something so incredible and for the fact that I was in FLORENCE. Photographs are not allowed although Geoffry took several. There were also many famous paintings that we have all seen in books. Kim, the art teacher was just floating and her dad was trying to drag her through. Tickets were 10 euros each and we didn't have to use the reserved tickets which would have been 14 because there was incredibly, no line. What was also amazing was my husband who naturally had seen the replicas but was shocked to learn that this David was THE DAVID of the Goliath fame. He stared, circled and returned several times to this masterpiece--he too was besotted. He quite likes statues now.
We've decided that this is the time to go to Italy. The tourists are all gone and you can see everything with no crowds. Of course the weather was COLD, 46 but it wasn't bad.
John then drives us through Florence pointing out everything including the famous Pitty Palace--the final palace of the de Medici's, the rulers of Florence (and benefactors) for centuries from around the 1300's to 1700's. They started the first bank. I want to go back just to see the inside. There are 55 museums in Florence, all full of the Medici's endowments. There are actually palaces everywhere with artwork and magnificent statues and decorations throughout this wealthy city. We next park outside the famous Santa Croce cathedral, which is so beautiful and huge. Tons of famous people are buried here including the de Medicis, Michaelangelo, Galileo, etc. We had over an hour there and our choices were to visit the cathedral (5 euros) or eat a delicious, authentic Italian lunch at John's favorite restaurant. Guess what Kim did and guess what the rest of us did. Mitchell and I bought a bottle of house Chianti to share and then we shared bread, the most delicious lasagna I've ever eaten and tiramisu (homemade). It was the most wonderful meal, again and Kim came in time to drink a half-cup of wine. She said the Church was Magnificent and was so glad she saw it.
Next we parked and walked around for 45 minutes. We first walked to the Ponte Veccio, the famous bridge that Hitler signed some accord with Italy--it is full of shops that sell gold jewelry. It was the only bridge in Florence that he didn't destroy. Next we went to the market and wandered around. Ingrid would have loved it--a ton of shops and the famous brass bull that everyone has to rub (and get their photo taken in front of).. I did not buy one thing in Florence, not even a post card. We really didn't have time. From here we walked to the famous Uffizi Gallery which was previously, in the middle ages, a Medici Palace and is now the largest museum of Renaissance Art. It seemed like we walked miles and miles inside and we saw all the old master's work, especially the famous THE BIRTH OF VENUS. There were a ton of Carpeggios, Botticellis, Raphael’s, even Hans Holbien, you name it, we saw it. Paintings that were over 500 years old just as fresh as if they were painted today--even the people looked contemporary. I have to get a book to help me remember what I saw. I left my ipod in the cabin that was full of Rick Steve's tours of these 2 museums. This museum was also 10 euros each.
It is now 4:00 and alas, time to drive back to the port. John did take me into Livorno so I could get some euros for our trip tomorrow to Rome & he returned us to the ship at 5:40. The charge for the tour was 550 euros for the 6 of us so we each paid around 183/couple & I tipped him 20 euros. Remember that a euro is $1.30. We all had a blast and saw more than the ship's tour that was $359 PER PERSON!!!!! And they were on buses so I imagine they had to do a lot of walking to get to areas that buses weren't allowed. Believe it or not, John parked in front of every place we stopped at!!!
We met Kim & Lawrie and two other couples at the gangway. At 8:00 AM we took the port shuttle (no wait that early) into Civitavecchia, the port city. From here, after asking several people, we found the train station (4-5 blocks) and bought our round trip tickets to Rome-- 9 euros @. The ride was 1 hour & 15 minutes. Oh, we caught the 8:41 train without any waiting. We arrived at Roma Termini, the humongous main terminal for Rome. It was sooooo confusing. We went to the water closets and paid 50 cents to 'go'. Kim & Lawrie had bought tickets online for one of the hop on/off tour buses so we went with them while the other 4 took the subway to the coliseum. After searching everywhere, we found the bus, bought 2 tickets for 16 euros pp. They had earphones and we went upstairs (it was sooooo cold) for 2 stops, until the Coliseum exit.
Down the stairs we went and someone asked us if we wanted a tour. Even though I had Rick Steves in the ipod and we were going with K & L (who had a Rome book) Mitchell said yes so we paid 23 euros @ for a guided tour & the entrances (would have just been 11 euros). Our guide told us all about the Col. & then we toured the inside going up the ton of horrible steps to the 3rd floor. It was fascinating although nothing could take the place of my first impression when our family went almost 4 decades ago when I was a young college student. After the exhausting and over priced tour, we made our way outside for a tour of Palentine Hill, one of the 7 hills of Rome--above the forum. Here were the remains of the grand palace of Dometian, the son of Titus who finished his dad's work of the building of the big Coliseum. This is a very hated ruler; his palace was over a mile in circumference--it had a full track/gymnasium inside (still there). Sometimes he would have it flooded and play naval war games. It was fascinating. We walked around, our guide showed us other points of interest and we left to run to the arch of Constantine, the beautifully carved marble arch in honor of their emperor who allowed Christianity to survive. He is our friend who founded that other city we went to last May--Istanbul. He was a great emperor and his name is still popular today for sons in Italy--the nickname is Costa!
The 4 of us walk all the way back up the hill/stairs, immediately catch to bus and ride for 45 minutes to the Pantheon exit. This was probably 2/3 of a mile walk through winding streets. We were constantly stopping and asking for directions but eventually we found this incredible & magnificent monument. I had been before and seen it several times on Samantha and our buddy Rick Steves but still, it is so amazing for a building to be so intact after 2,000 years. Indescribable. On the way back to the 110 Hop off bus we bought a big piece of margherita pizza and shared it. It was about 2:00. We got on the top of the bus and rode the rest of the tour on top and that was wonderful. Mitchell & I sat in the front by the huge window so the wind was off of us.
At 3:15 we were back at Termini station and this bathroom was 80 cents to use. Kim gave me a euro and in the process lost her train ticket. She looked madly and told us to go on--we missed the 3:39 train back by 4 minutes so we sat and waited for our next train. The train that was getting ready to leave was the Pisa train and people were boarding but we kept asking and people just said, only Pisa. Finally Kim & Lawrie came (she had to buy another ticket) and said this train was also going to Civitavecchia so we got on, along with Geoff & Nga & a few other ship people. After sitting at the next station for 15 minutes, they said to get off, the train was broken down. Some of the cruise people were panicking, as we had to be back by 6:45. As we were walking away, people started boarding the train again so we boarded, sitting apart. We finally arrived at the train station and got back to the ship before 6:30. It was a long and eventful day. Rome is packed; I don't know how we could have seen more.
Okay, I LOVE days like today, we arrived at port at 10:00 so we could laze around this morning. I had a hard time falling asleep (when that happens, i always think I got real coffee instead of de-caf) but I slept great and awoke at 7:00 AM. The second that debarkation was announced, we were off the ship. The people were so nice and we each received a gift--a beautifully wrapped bottle (small) of 43 (cuarenta y tres) licquor--cool huh? There was also a gentleman there giving directions and maps. This city is very large and spotless. The people are lovely but NO ONE speaks English. I had Spanish in school & college and have taught it and I had a hard time but we were able to make it around. This city has poured a ton of $$ into tourism; there are many lovely museums, they are refurbishing ruins, there are restaurants, shops, the city is gorgeous as is the architecture. It is like they are so happy to have cruise ships here that they are absolutely rolling out the red carpet, trying to make this a wonderful city to visit. We just loved it.
From the ship we walked way across the street and then up a long avenue where we came upon the PLAZA DE TOROS--an 1800 bullfighting stadium that they are trying to excavate. We then WALKED all the way to the top of the mountain--there was an elevator but you know who thought it wasn't working! So, up probably 8 flights of stairs and ramps to the hill where there were beautiful views of the city and the fortress--the CASTILLO DE LA CONCEPCIO'N. At the ticket office, we bought tickets to 4 museums for 8 euros for old people and 11 for us youngsters;o). We then walked around and inside the fortress--not much to see but a movie with subtitles of the history of Cartegena. Founded 2,000 years ago, the Carthinegans over took the city (from Carthage in Africa). Also, the Goths, Visigoths, Romans, etc. all ruled this wealthy city. From here we took the gigantic elevator down and walked through the museum of civil war. In 1936 the Germans bombed this city and the people survived in the miles of tunnels under ground. The museum was really cool and was in the air raid shelter.
From here we walked along the port avenue and then to the famous square. It was absolutely beautiful with shops, restaurants, etc. But, alas, no shopping for us, we needed to go see the Roman Theatre and museum. We even got them to show the movie in English that showed the excavation of this Roman amphitheater (and all the cool things uncovered). We spent a couple hours walking through this beautiful museum. It is now 1:30 and I am looking for a real Spanish restaurant--nothing touristy, something full of Spaniards. We end up going down several alley ways and find a small, out of the way restaurant/bar. There are seats at the bar and 2 tables. Several older men are sitting in the corner and everyone is so nice. No one speaks English but there is a lot of food under the glass so I ask for tapas and point to food that I've seen Samantha Brown & Rick Steves eat! We got jamon--there were like 10 hams hanging from the ceiling; also dried fish and sausages. Also a plate of fried sardines, octopus and carne pollo (chicken mixture fried in balls). We also got 2 glasses of Spanish Wine. I was taking photos and one of the older gentlemen motioned for Mitchell & me to get behind the counter with the proprietor and he took our picture. It was one of those moments that you see in travel shows. Oh, we also had a plate of bread. The food was delicious, especially the fried sardines and chicken. Of course the ambience made it perfect (except the people smoking). Eventually, the place became packed--all Spanish. We were feeling quite proud of ourselves, doing as the locals!
Next, we start looking for the post office. Mitchell asks a young man for directions and he ends up taking us almost all the way there--3/4 of a mile. The post office is huge and you take a number. Of course only one booth is open although there was much activity with dozens of workers walking around and some sitting at computer screens (were they checking email?). After waiting over a half hour, it was my turn; I showed the lady my post cards and told her I wanted ocho (8) stamps to the Estados Unidos. She kept telling me I couldn't do it and then she'd say cinco, and I'd say, "tres para manana". I kept telling her I wanted 3 for postcards I may send tomorrow. It was so confusing but she eventually stamped the stamp places and charged me 86 euros per stamp. So, I hope everyone gets one. We walk back through town but everything closes for siesta from 2:00-4:00 PM so no shopping although we stop at a chocolate shop for a cup of hot chocolate. We have seen Spanish Hot Chocolate on the travel channel and it is so thick, it is almost a melted chocolate bar. It was also quite hot with a hint of nutmeg. 2 for 5 euros. Oh, and our lunch was 20 euros.
Next we finish walking through town and end up going to the brand new Museo Nacional de Arqueologia Subacuatica--the new sea Archeology museum. We spent a good while here--it was free as it was brand new and returned to the ship at 4:30. We probably walked 3-4 miles--wish I could build up an endurance! Today was such a wonderful day. We saw some wonderful sites and met some amazing people. We just loved Cartegena.
We woke up at 6:30 and went up to the buffet for breakfast, we both had the usual although the OJ machine was broken;o( We then hurried, got ready and started out for the Cabaret Lounge right downstairs. I turned around to get my iPod (to have something to listen to during the 4 hours on the bus) and thankfully discovered I had left my room key. Glad that didn't happen as we were leaving the ship! We left at 8:00, right on time which is so unusual for a cruise ship. Our guide Juan was very good and pointed out places in Malaga, the birthplace of Picasso! The drive was through lovely countryside (with snowcapped mountains only an hour away) with tons of olive trees. He was disdainful of his country's massive socialism--he said most people were in the service industry--90% don't work and are supported by the 10% who do. He said you can pick olives for 35 days and get 6 months of unemployment. I then listened to Rick Steve's Colosseum tour until we had a pit stop. We re-boarded, took off and the bus promptly broke down. Thank God for cell phones because in less than 10 minutes we were boarding 2 RCL buses and we finished the trek to Grenada.
Only groups of 30 are allowed into the ALHAMBRA with their own trained guides and in certain time increments. We had Lucy, probably early 30's, pretty and a walking textbook. She took us on a 2 hour tour of the Palace of the Sultans--it was absolutely incredible. Built in the 1200's, the city was almost entirely Arab with a lot of Jewish people. Then Ferdinand & Isabella defeated the Arabs in 1492 (the sent Christopher Columbus on his way from Sante Fe, the next town) and moved into the ALHAMBRA. The Spanish kings lived here and added on to the palace only for a few years until 15-1600's until moving the capitol to Madrid. We saw where all the wives lived; it was beautiful but FREEZING. We then walked through the Arab and Spanish gardens. We walked probably 3 miles and were exhausted. Several of the women didn't start the tour and a few didn't finish it. Then at dinner there was a gal with her 75 year old mother and her 89 year old dad and they WALKED THE ENTIRE TOUR!!! 89 years old!!!!!!!!!! Made me glad that I didn't quit! Next we went to a restaurant for a typical Andalusian lunch. Sherry (not good) & Spanish wine (good) and: a fabulous salad with the cerrano ham, cheese, anchovy, etc, a plate of shrimp/chicken paella. We thought we were finished and out comes pork, french fries and veggies. For dessert, there was Neapolitan ice cream which wasn't impressive oh and champagne. The meal was good and we grabbed the two almost full large water bottles to bring back to the ship. Oh, and the best part was the Spanish band with beautiful college students who played those popular Mexican songs like Bese me Mucho (Kiss me a lot) and Aye, Aye, Aye, Aye, something Linda (beautiful).
During the 2 hours back, I tried listening to Rick Steves but mostly, I dozed! We had a wonderful day and are so glad we at last got to see the famous Alhambra
This morning we slept in until 6:45 which is late for us, regrettably! We took our time going upstairs to get our coffee and breakfast. We then got ready and were off the ship by 9:35. It was so very cold out. We passed by all the taxi drivers who wanted 40 € for an hour tour and were mobbed by the people from the Cadiz hop on/off buses ("The same that are in London"). It was 10 € apiece. Mitchell, very out of character, wanted to go upstairs and ride outside! It was FREEZING but we lasted. The tour was 15 minutes shorter than the 1 hour promised (with about 15 minutes in stops.).
We came back at 11:00 frozen solid and went upstairs for an expresso, to warm up and then we walked to the Cathedral. It was absolutely huge and magnificent (one of the prettiest I've ever seen). At noon, mass started so, since we had a lot to be grateful for, we decided to stay a while. I am so glad we did, it was like watching a movie. First, out comes a priest with incense, then altar boys, then priests in white robes, more priests then the head priest or Bishop or Cardinal--I don't know who he was but he had that long hat on. The all come filing right to us before they turn and he looks at both Mitchell and me in the eyes and blesses us. We both nod to him (and I noticed that is what the other people did too). It felt very, very holy and I honestly could feel a blessing. What a marvelous experience, the music, singing, chants, etc. We eventually left after a half hour and walked to the Cathedral--Saint of the Apostle--catty corner to this church was another one. It was the most ornate Church I have ever seen. I can't describe it. It was also full of big bouquets of lovely flowers. There were statues everywhere, mostly of St. Mary. There was a priest sitting in the confessional box with no customers. We then caught the bus back to the pier.
Today was Sunday and not one thing was open. We could have saved the euros by walking in the first place but we didn't know. It was a restful day but kind of disappointing except for the Cathedral
Rain was expected so we were thrilled that the day was beautiful. Now it was much colder on the rock and really windy, but who cares?
Today was one of those little gems--we didn't know too much about Gibraltar except there was a huge rock (isn't it on Prudential Life Insurance , 'Piece of the rock'?). There are only 18 miles or kilometers from Gibraltar to Africa (Tangiers). And, this place is British although it is completely surrounded by Spain. And yes, as my Dad knows since I called him, Spain tries periodically to reclaim this territory. The people are bi-lingual although the schools are all British/English. There is no crime and no unemployment. It is a big shipping port, then a banking place and then tourism.
We awoke at 6:45 as usual, went upstairs and Mitchell had ham and eggs & I had oatmeal with coffee and OJ. We got ready, bundled up and disembarked at 9:00. At the port we shared a taxi/shuttle with 2 Canadian couples and a couple from a Spanish speaking country (I'm ashamed to say that I didn't ask where they were from). For 25 € pp including a tour and entrance fees we went with Lionel, a fabulous tour guide who took us all over the rock, to the top and even inside of it. The view was awesome. And yes, Dad we saw the famous monkeys that were brought here from Africa over a thousand years ago. How on earth did you know that? We sure didn't! The only place in Europe where apes are indigenous. They are really apes although looked like monkeys--we saw a few dozen of them. We went inside a beautiful cave with a lot of gorgeous rooms--St. Michael's Cave. We also saw the Pillars Hercules and, In 1779-1783 (the Great Siege) tunnels were started to be dug for cannons and protection. Gibraltar was where Admiral Lord Nelson's body was brought from the Battle of Trafalgar in a cask of brandy. There are now 35 miles of tunnels built through the rock where people lived during the WWII before the rock was evacuated for several years to Jamaica, Ireland and England.
Lionel then dropped us back in town (he said it was a 15-20 minute walk back to the ship--actually it was an hour)--all British! We walked up town --wide pedestrian streets with tons of shops and Churches, went into the Episcopalian church where I wrote 3 post cards that I had just bought. We then walked to the big museum, saw a movie about the history of Gibraltar (inhabited since Neanderthals 50,000 years ago). The Romans, Phoenicians, Goths, Visigoths and then the Arabs in 700 all ruled Gibraltar. It was also over Roman & Arab baths. We spent probably an hour and a half here and then walked into town--it was getting crowded (a Costa cruise ship had just docked & it was huge) but there were many souvenir shops and famous British stores. We found a big Marks & Spencers (my parents had suggested it as a place to get delicious sandwiches, etc. when we first went to London as a family in 1993) and went in search of lunch. The only fresh food they had were pastries but we found a bottle of house rose wine for £2. 20 which was really cheap (we had just bought 2 more huge (1.5 litres) of water and I had some British $ left from the museum so we sprung for the wine--(about $4.40 in USD) and then walked to a Fish & Chips restaurant where we shared a Becks beer and a plate of fish & ships (12 €). It was good (we are eating upstairs tonight so couldn't eat much). We then found a postal box and tried looking for an internet cafe. We finally found one and it was so expensive that after 30 pence, I still hadn't logged on to my email so we left. Most places will accept both euros and pounds although some, just pounds.
When I talk about a day being a hidden gem, it is because we didn't know too much or really, nothing about this port and then you explore and absolutely fall in love with the city. It is like an unexpected gift. Florence is a place I've always wanted to go and it is a gem, just what I expected and we loved it. But, who plans a vacation to Gibraltar or Cartegena, Spain? We truly loved both of those places.