Barcelona and the journey home

I'm writing from home. We made it here after a seemingly endless journey back across the Atlantic. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before we boarded the plane there was Barcelona.

We docked in Barcelona early on Monday morning. The ship has a quick turnaround, since it pulls out of port that same day with a new batch of passengers. So we had an early departure from what had been our home for the past several days. 

The three of us had booked a tour of Barcelona through Celebrity, the cruise company we sailed with. It took us through Barcelona and ended up leaving us in a central square from which we could get a taxi. Barcelona is a beautiful city with stately boulevards, interesting architecture, and really nice views.

View from Montjuic Parc. The Sagrada Familia is in the middle of the picture.

Our tour took us to the Barcelona Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. We spent some time there and then walked back to where our bus would meet us at Plaza Catlunya. Unfortunately, we had two hours yet to spend before we could get into where we were staying that night; two hours for three people with six pieces of luggage. Fortunately, we found a restaurant/cafe with outdoor seating and plunked ourselves down for about 90 minutes. We ate very slowly and ordered desserts spaced out over a period of time. It worked. We finished and caught a cab to the place were were staying, which was a very nice apartment that the three of us shared.

After settling in and some short naps, we wandered out in our neighborhood to explore. We walked down a street to the Arc de Triomf, Barcelona's response to the bigger one in Paris, I guess. It was made of brick though and was an interesting stop along the way rather than a destination. 

Barcelona's Arc de Triumf

After a glass of Sangria we strolled back to our apartment and got ready for dinner. Through one of the former students at the school where I work, we got a recommendation for a tapas restaurant that ended up being walking distance from our apartment. And it turned out to be delicious. We enjoyed every dish that we ordered. (Tapas restaurants serve small plates of food that are meant to be shared.) I think my favorite dish was the fried camembert cheese with raspberry sauce. Yum.

The next morning was another early rise to get to the airport. Marilyn's flight departed about an hour before ours so it was easy to share a cab. Allen and I flew Air Canada which turned out to be a really nice airline. I would definitely fly them again. The only downside was that we had a six-hour layover in the Toronto airport. Because of customs issues, we couldn't go out into the city to explore so we spent the whole six hours in the airport. I need not say more, do I? (What else is there to say about six hours in an airport except how many restaurants can one eat in?)  We got back to our apartment just after midnight of a very long day.

Now we are settling back into life here in San Francisco. The bags are all unpacked but there is the laundry to do yet. But the cats are extremely happy to see us. All in all, it was a wonderful trip, varied and lots of fun. And stay tuned--Allen and I have already booked another cruise through the Panama Canal. But that's not until 2017 so you (and we) will just have to wait.

Sunset from the last day on the ship.

pictures fro Alicante

From Castle Santa Barbara

Alicante and the Mediterranean in the background

Castle Santa Barbara sits on top of that big hill

Cadiz, Granada, Alicante

It's been a busy few days which is why I haven't posted lately. Sorry about that. But we've had three port days in a row. So here's a review of our time in those ports.

Our first port after Lisbon was Cadiz. Cadiz is the gateway to Seville, but we didn't go to Seville...we stayed in Cadiz and wandered around the narrow streets that make up the old part of that city. We found the central market which was impressive with the amount of fish and seafood that was for sale. We didn't have a shore excursion so the wandering was on our own. It's a lovely seaside town.

Our next stop was Málaga but Allen and I didn't stay there. We took an excursion up to Granada which is about two hours away inland. In Granada is the Alhambra, a beautiful Moorish palace built centuries ago when Spain was an Islamic country. After the long bus ride up to Granada, we met with our guide who toured us through the palace and the grounds. It's simply stunning. The fountains and the carvings were magnificent. We walked through the main palace and then strolled through the gardens to the summer palace. Each was breathtaking. It was King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who expelled the Moors from Spain and they and their son Charles V left their marks on the grounds. Unfortunately, over the centuries the palaces fell into disrepair but some of them were restored in the 20th century. 

Today we were in Alicante, edging ever closer to Barcelona. Alicante is another seaside town (obviously, if a cruise ship goes there, it's going to be seaside). We didn't have an excursion lined up but Allen and I went off on our own again and explored. There is a castle, Castle Santa Barbara, which overlooks the town. It's still there and after an elevator ride, you can visit what's left of it way up on the cliffs over Alicante. The sea was gorgeous from that vantage point and all around us were people enjoying Mother's Day on the beach or with their families. Unfortunately, the pictures from Alicante are still on my phone and haven't made it over to my iPad yet to share with you.

As I write we're headed for Barcelona, our final stop where we disembark. It's been a marvelous trip and I'll post again either from Barcelona if I have time or from home when we return. This is our 2nd time in Barcelona so I'm looking forward to visiting that marvelous city once again.

PS

Oh, I forgot to respond to the comment that was posted--yes we did go to the Abba singalong. It was more of a lyrics contest with dancing following but how could we miss an event like that???

Lisbon

Well, after 2 relaxing sea days we reached the port of Lisbon in Portugal. This was our second visit to Lisbon, but it's always a pleasure to visit this city. Of course in a day, we can't really cover the whole city but we got a very nice sense of the town from our short time. It reminds us a lot of San Francisco; if SF were in Europe, it would be Lisbon. The hills and the atmosphere all lend a very SF feel to Lisbon.

We did not have a shore excursion in Lisbon but were on our own. So the three of us got the tickets for the shuttle bus to the city center and wandered around there for awhile. We took one of the outdoor elevators that allow you to go to one of the upper neighborhoods where we stopped at a cafe for a respite. We then had a failed attempt at riding the 28 tram which winds its way through the streets of the city. It failed because we waited and waited and waited for a tram and when one finally came it was packed full and only a few people at our stop were able to get on. It didn't seem like our idea of a fun time to be packed like sardines in a vehicle that we couldn't really see out of because we were standing. So we walked back to the city center where Marilyn caught the bus back to the ship while Allen and I spent a little more time wandering the streets. We had lunch where I ate octopus for the first time, which was actually very good. It was a new taste sensation for me.

The elevator we rode

For our depature from Lisbon, the three of us were invited to a special sail-away reception at the very front of the ship. It was fun to have that viewpoint as we sailed down the Targus River into the Atlantic Ocean. One of the fun things about Lisbon is that it has a bridge almost identical to the Golden Gate Bridge, built by the same person who did the GG Bridge. The only difference is that is has two levels, the lower level for trains. We sailed under the bridge, (whose name escapes me at the moment) and had some wonderful views of it.

Last evening was fairly quiet, dinner and some quiet time with a drink and some photo taking by an onboard photographer. As I write we're docking in Cadiz, our first port in Spain. We'll see what adventures await us here.

Pictures from Sao Miguel Island, the Azores

The green lake and the blue lake next to Sete Cidadas

Sao Sebastian crater lake

Azores

We've made it across the Atlantic...at least as far as the Azores. We're sailing for two days between Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel Island in the Azores and Lisbon, Portugal, which is our next port. After seven days at sea, it was good to be on land again for a while. 

We prepared ourselves for this port of call by going to a lecture on the Azores by the speaker on board, Professor Lisa Didier. She is the one who has done the other lectures and the information she gave us about the Azores was helpful. The Azores, for those of you who don't know, are part of Portugal. The nine islands were discovered by the Portuguese in the 1500s who then claimed them. Except for a 60 year rule by Spain they have always been in Portuguese control. 

In Ponta Delgada, the largest city in the Azores, the three of us had arranged a shore excursion. So we met our bus after breakfast and climbed into the hills above Ponta Delgada. The islands are volcanic, having been formed over the centuries by eruptions, much like the Hawaiian Islands and the other Pacific islands. The islands are small for the most part but very hilly. The volcanoes, most of them dormant, frequently have deep crater lakes, which we saw two of. The first one was beside Sete Cidades, or Seven Cities. As our guide explained more than once, no one knows why this one small village is called Seven Cities, but there you have it. This particular lake is divided into two parts. On one side the water looks mostly green and on the other side it looks mostly blue. 

We drove around in our bus stopping at several locations with lakes or views of the lakes from above. The tour ended with a wine and cheese tasting event. The Azores produce some very nice cheeses and wines and we got to sample some of them.  (Well, and buy some too.) The afternoon was spent relaxing and just hanging out. Allen went into Ponta Delgada to explore some more while Marilyn and I stayed on the ship. We left port at dinner time.

Last night the entertainer was a comedy magician who was very good. He did some usual tricks and some new ones I hadn't seen before but with a patter that was very fun. Tonight there is a duo of brothers from Scotland who play the accordian and fiddle. Following that there is an Abba sing along, which we might lend our voices to.

Last night, after I had gone to bed, the ship started rocking terribly, but in short bursts. We don't know what caused it but all three of us thought that it felt like an earthquake even though we were miles out to sea. We haven't heard what was going on but it felt very strange. We all survived though.

Now we have two sea days again and then begin the ports of call. I suspect these won't be really active days--just sitting around reading and enjoying some time to relax. 

Again, thanks for reading.