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.