British Isles: Day Two in London
We slept. We slept and slept. We didn’t want to get up. My body ached. It got to be eight and we knew we needed to get up and get going, but our bodies said it was still the middle of the night. Coffee. Coffee would help.
We went down to breakfast, and it was lovely, very lovely, hot and cold things but no oatmeal, and I am diabetic. I keep it controlled, but I need my oatmeal. So I treated myself to smoked salmon, and to oat cereal with fruits, and hoped for the best.
After breakfast, we took the Metro to Kensington, another new experience, where we didn’t buy tickets, just used our credit cards like everyone else was doing, remembering to tap in and be sure to tap out so we wouldn’t be charged for a whole day. We walked to the Museum of Natural History, where AdventureMan spent a lot of time with dinosaurs, and I focused on the beginnings of the earth, and found a fabulous display of earth minerals, sparkling minerals. It must be my Scandinavian blood, I love gemstones, and I found an exhibit that captivated me – there are gems I didn’t know about!
This museum quickly became packed with families and groups. By noon, once again my feet were tired. Texted AdventureMan who was also ready to leave. We love these museums but their floors are hard, harder than the pavement and sidewalks in London.
We walked to Herrod’s, getting there late in the game – we had to fight the crowds going in. Every designer of luxury goods has displays on the ground floor, so lovely, so tempting, but we have a mission – we head straight for the food halls, where we find something for dinner and some cheeses to take with us for when we board the ship; we like to have a small stock for wine and cheese as we sail away, or for before dinner celebrations. Just sitting on our balcony as the sun sets is a celebration. Any excuse will do, and having cheese and wine makes it even more special.
We found a wonderful man who knew a lot about cheese, who helped us find two we wanted to try, a Leicester Red and a Black Bomb. I found a smoked salmon salad for dinner, and AdventureMan found a wedge of quiche, and we picked up forks and knives as we headed out. The only souvenir I have bought here that was not edible was a Herrod’s canvas bag for foodstuffs with a leather strap. I love it and I will use it with a smile.
We saved so much money on little stuff that as we left Herrod’s and were trying to figure out whether we wanted to walk back or take the metro. We were right by the long line of taxis lined up to ferry Herrod customers where they needed to go, so I said, “Let’s grab a taxi!” and AdventureMan and his feet agreed heartily.
Our taxi driver was Dominique, from Nigeria, and we had a lively conversation on the way back to the hotel. I had never met a Nigerian Catholic before. I know many Anglican Nigerians, we went to church with them in Doha and Kuwait, but he was Ibo from near the coast. He told us Nigerians do not gather as Nigerians in London, but as communities along tribal lines, so he gathers with large numbers of Ibo in London.
We reorganized and rested briefly, then headed to take a river cruise, which was part of our Big Bus Hop On Hop Off package. We’ve been on these before, like in Paris, the Bateau Mouches, and they can be very crowded and uncomfortable, but it was still early, not crowded and we got good seats. I could get up and down as I needed, and a lot of the things I had seen and photo’d yesterday, so this was all very relaxed. We went from the Westminster Pier to the Tower Pier, got off, grabbed sandwiches at Pret a Manger, then found the HoHo to take us back to our hotel, where we need to pack up to move to our ship tomorrow morning.
We have two more days in London, and already we have had a wonderful time. We are feeling very relaxed, and happy to be here.
Back at the hotel, we got our bags packed for our six a.m. pickup, I took one last luxurious bath in the generous tub the room provided, we had a great conversation with the Polish woman who took care of our room and was married to a Pakistani, and we settled in for a good night’s sleep.
British Isles: Arrival and First Day in London
Arrival in London was both chaotic and orderly. As we arrived, early in the morning, several other large flights arrived, mostly from Africa, and we moved in a large crowd towards customs. At customs, we were separated into two lines, one countries associated with the British Empire, even the United States. All you had to do was to put your passport in the machine and it gave you the green light and you were done, so easy, so painless. It took seconds!
Pick up bags, walk out, the Viking people are waiting for us and pop us into a van with another couple to take us to our hotel.
At the hotel, it isn’t even nine a.m. but they have a room for us, and we love it. Spacious, for London, with a large bathroom with both a bathtub and separate shower room. Last time we were in London, we were in a room like a closet, climbing over each other to get to the bathroom which was like a toilet room in a boat, maybe 2.5 feet by 4 feet, and the shower got the toilet all wet. This feels so luxurious, and it is quiet.
Even better, the Big Bus, a hop on hop off line, stops just around the corner from our hotel, and we are close enough to many places to just walk. We spend some time cleaning up – having a bath after a long flight is just sheer luxury, and we are celebrating having a room, not having to leave our bags in a storage room and go out into the city in clothes we spent the night in. We’ve done it – and so we really appreciate not doing it.
Once we’ve cleaned up, we are ready to hit the town – and it’s not yet nine on a quiet August Saturday morning. We decide to take the Hop on Hop off and then change our minds and walk to the British Museum.
It isn’t our scheduled time, but the guard checks our bags, lets us in, and we go to the great court for a little coffee and cake, just to give us energy. We have museum guides and AdventureMan is eager to hit the Egyptian displays, and I have my own agenda so we separate with plans to meet in 2 hours.
I head straight for the Sutton Hoo warrior. I think early man is fascinating and smart. We think we are so smart now, with all our technology, and it concerns me how little practical knowledge we have. In all cultures, the early cultures were about survival. How to nourish our bodies, how to protect our bodies, how to heal our bodies, only slowly developing more complex behaviors like farming, cloth making, cooking, making containers to store things – so I love exhibits on early civilizations, early communications (petroglyphs and pictographs) and early war fighting. Second, the Lindisfarne chess set, and then the Rosetta Stone. At first, my quests were easy, but quickly the museum filled and getting close to the Rosetta Stone was nearly impossible.
Finally I texted AdventureMan “my feet hurt! I found a bench in the great court by the questions booth, you will find me there” and within minutes AdventureMan showed up saying “My feet hurt!” It had also become, as you can see, very crowded. Individuals, groups, entire bus-loads, families – it’s a Saturday morning and we are glad we got there early and saw what we wanted to see and now, we are glad to escape the hoards.
AdventureMan had done his homework and had found a restaurant in Chinatown with duck, and we walked there. They sent us upstairs, where we were crowded in with about a hundred Chinese families, mostly at large round tables, with a few tables for two wedged around the room. Hardly space to exit or enter. We loved it. We got the food we wanted, duck with pancakes and sliced onions and cucumber and sauce, and a bowl of spinach and garlic.
With all that good food, our feet stopped hurting and with some searching, we found the Big Bus Tour stop, had our paperwork verified and climbed on the bus for a two hour overview of London up high on the top of the bus.
It dropped us off at our hotel and we staggered in, bathed again, and tumbled into bed. In about an hour we woke up, but decided to sleep another hour, then made ourselves get up, get dressed and go out walking some more to find a place to eat.
We walked to the Thames, to Westminster Abbey and discovered the clouds were disappearing, and a rich glow was lighting up the gilding on the Parliament buildings and Churches. It was glorious, and revived us.
As it got late, we needed to eat to get our bodies on local time, but couldn’t find anything right. Then we came across the Blue Boar pub, liked the look of the menu and went in, only to figure out that we were in our own hotel again, just a part we hadn’t found before. I had a beetroot salad and mussels, and AdventureMan had a goat cheese quiche (we split the mussels) and we stumbled up to our room and fell into bed. We had walked almost 18K steps.
It was a great day. We had intended to take it easy, but all the exercise and staying up really helped us to get on local time. The nap helped; even so we decided to ditch our already-paid-for sunset whirl on the London Eye. Once we saw it, saw all the people enclosed in a tiny capsule that goes very very slowly around, it didn’t interest us. So much to do, so little time!
British Isles: Leaving Pensacola
We were so relaxed Adventure Man and I, leaving at a very reasonable hour of 8:15 when our Pakistani friend would pick us up to take us to the airport. We really like this man; he sends a text early the morning of the day before departure to confirm he will pick us up at 0815. He is never late. He is occasionally early. That’s just fine with him; we are ready.
We are flying United; we hardly ever fly with United. When we arrive at the airport, there is a large crowd checking in, but they are all at Delta and American, and there are clerks waiting to check people in, and no other United customers. Check-in is a breeze, we zip up to security, which is also a breeze – now we no longer need to take off our shoes. Our flight takes off on time, we arrive in Houston early, we have time for a sit down lunch.
We wanted Texas barbecue, but have you noticed, airports are changing. There are fewer and fewer people, fewer personal kinds of shops, almost all generic, and almost all self-serve and self-checkout using machines and credit cards.
We look for a real restaurant with Texas BBQ, but all we find are these kiosk-ish kinds of places with BBQ that has clearly been prepared somewhere else. Se settle for an Oriental-ish kind of restaurant, where you read a menu by using a QR code, and you choose and pay and give the tip with no interaction with a human being. A woman served the drinks and orders, but would (maybe could not) not answer any questions for those for whom the technology was too confusing, or not working as they had been told.
I had one of the most expensive miso soups I had ever had, and shared some dumplings with AdventureMan, who had a great big bowl of soup, both delicious, but the dumplings were served with Thousand Island dressing, so jarring to the way things “ought” to be.
Our flight boarded quickly, we took off on time, we were served dinner immediately, and I slept as best I could. I didn’t think I slept, but my Fitbit said I slept four and a half hours, so I may be wrong.
We have found that we don’t have the latitude we used to have when making travel plans. We learned on the Elbe trip that it makes a difference having airlines reservations made by Viking. When things go wrong, when flights cancel or weather intervenes, their travel people jump into action and take care of things, while those who have made their own arrangements struggle. But it means we sometimes fly airlines we don’t prefer on routes we find less desirable. This time, we just sighed and accepted it, and – had a perfect and comfortable flight, arrival and transfer experience.
Delinquent and Begging Forgiveness
It is five p.m. Pensacola Time, this 30th day of December, and I am starting a new series of posts, a trip we took in August to the British Isles, ending in Bergen, Norway.
While I am still the same Intlxpatr you remember from back in 2006 – yes, almost 20 years ago, I have aged. I still feel the same on the inside, but there are hints even I cannot ignore. I have slowed down. I have given up things that might damage me, like skiing and ice skating, and walking too fast on slick surfaces. Like staying up late at night to finish a book. Like eating too late at night, and cooking for large crowds.
None of this happened quickly, and most of happened unconsciously. We used to joke about becoming “elderly” and we don’t joke about that anymore, or we joke about it differently, with more respect.
We still love to travel, but we travel differently, too. Today I started to plan a trip to the Big Bend National Park in Texas, and to some petroglyph sites north of there, and when I went to plot the map, I discovered it was 1100 miles. When we got to Pensacola, 15 years ago, we might do that in two days, like making a stop in Houston or Fredricksburg, but now, we don’t travel like that. We fly places, rent cars, spend more time in one location. As I looked at the map and the distances, my heart sank. We could do it – and we would pay a price. I sighed, and started looking at other options.
When we finished trips, I might give myself a month or so to sort through the photos and to integrate what I had seen and learned, and then I would start writing and not stop until I had finished up the trip, a day or two. This is the first year I have not written up any trips, and so I will start with this one, The British Isles.
It’s been on the books for three years. We like to plan. We like to research. We weren’t as excited about this trip as others (almost anything on the Mediterranean). It turned out to be one of the best cruises yet.
And there were differences. We had planned to take it easy – we didn’t. This trip was so packed with destinations, we were on the run every day. We booked ahead for early tours at our destinations, so there wasn’t a lot of sleeping in. I had books with me, but the only reading I got done was on the airplanes, going and coming back. There were days, I am embarrased to admit, when we woke up and had to check what day it was and which city, which country we were in. There is one day that I uploaded photos, ran short of time, thought I had saved them, carefully deleted from my camera and disk, then discovered I had lost two days worth of photos. Fortunately I had also taken some on my camera, and Adventureman to the rescue – he had taken some beautiful photos.
All I’m saying is that I am confronted by some realities I never dreamed would apply to me. Uncomfortable realities relating to energy levels, bone density, conditions that only applied to The Elderly. Oh. Wait.
So we are traveling a little differently now, maybe just a little slower, definitely lighter, expecting less of ourselves and truthfully, enjoying it more. AdventureMan told me tonight he has noticed over the years I am putting in less written content and more photos. Sadly, it’s because sometimes I can’t remember! Sometimes I just get tired of writing! But I am committing to sharing this trip with you, starting now.
The map at the top is the route we followed. We gave ourselves two days in London to adjust to the time change before joining the Viking Jupiter. I may be rueful about aging, and less compultive about posting, but we really loved our time on this voyage.
Morocco Malta and the Med: Disembarkation in Barcelona
We have a late disembarkation, but our leisurely morning is not a leisurely morning for the crew. These wonderful people work so hard. They truly do everything they can to ensure their passenger’s happiness and well-being, and today, they say goodbye to us and work to get our baggage off the ship. Then they work like crazy to clean and disinfect every single stateroom and re-supply the food, beverage, and incidentals (like toilet paper and sanitizer, etc) for the next group who will be boarding in just hours. They will do the exact same thing for the next group, welcome them, keep them safe, fed and entertained, and then do the same for the next group. These crews are the true heroes of cruising.
Bags were picked up the night before. We’ve had a quick breakfast. For the only time this trip, this morning there is a passenger at breakfast surrounded by a wide swath of no passengers. He is wearing a MAGA hat. This is the only time this entire trip there has been a hint of politics.
Our group is called and we head for the bus, identify our bags, make sure they are loaded and ride to the airport. It is early on a Sunday morning, the ride to the airport is amazingly quick.
I am a worrier; I don’t see my bags when I exit the bus, but I guess Viking has done this a time or two because the bags are already unloaded and waiting for us in the airport. The line for Delta is long, and chaotic, but we get through relatively quickly. AdventureMan helps me find a Starbucks, where I buy a Barcelona cup. He was very patient. Now he is very glad we stopped; the Barcelona cup is his favorite cup.
The wait in the lounge was comfortable. Our flight was called on time. Everything went smoothly. That seems to be the mantra for this entire trip, every flight left on time, arrived on time, our ship didn’t have to miss any ports, we arrived and departed on time. We had great weather. We had a great trip.
Morocco Malta and the Med: Last Day at Sea
I love this itinerary, and I love that we have a day at sea to hit the spa and pack our bags with no rush. On this last day, there is no rush at all; tomorrow, we will be in Barcelona, and people will be heading home or to their next destination.
Leisurely breakfast on the outside deck as we plan our packing strategy. AdventureMan’s strategy is to go to the fitness center while I pack and to stay out of my way, LOL. Smart man. He has less to pack and he doesn’t overthink the way I do.
We make time to try tea late in the afternoon. I don’t think it is our thing.
Oops, sun is setting and I am on the wrong side of the ship!
Morocco Malta and the Med: Malaga, Spain
Dawn finds us in Malaga, our last new city on this cruise.
You can see the buses lined up already to take us on tours of the city.
In front of us looks like a huge beer tent!
We are told this cruise ship never moves. It is undergoing renovation and no one knows when it will finish.
Lots of Expats buying property in Malaga, forcing prices up, our guide tells us.
You can see the bull fighting arena from this overlook.
Malaga is proudly home to Picasso’s birthplace.
Once again we were trying to break down some of our larger Euro bills so we went into a supermarket where we found some small things. I went through the cashier and then waited outside for my husband. He got the old fish eye; maybe the cashier is wise to tourists needing smaller change.
Love to see recycling!
Tourists love Malaga. It is the end of November. The place is packed, expecially here at the castle.
The guide is finishing our walking tour, which has been crowded with many groups of people just like us.
As the guide finishes our walking tour, which has been crowded but informative and a lot of fun, he points out the way to the open market (!) and then shows us where we will be able to catch the shuttle back to the ship. Yes! He also points out one of the oldest ice cream shops in Malaga, famous for the quality and variety of its ice creams. Sign us up!
We thank the guide, tip him with great appreciation, and head off toward the old central market. If you haven’t guessed, this is one of our favorite places to eat (think really fresh), for taking photos, and for seeing people who really live in a place and what they are buying and eating. We find an outdoor restaurant where people are eating interesting-looking food. We get to know the couple at the table next to us; they are from Amsterdam and just down for a four-day weekend to soak up some beach time and some good Spanish food. What a luxury to just come to Malaga for a four-day weekend!
My husband’s beer glass was particularly beautiful. The beer was very good.
Above are Tomatoes and Tuna, very fresh, very good. Below are anchovies in a vinegar brine. A little was good, but this was too much anchovy, and raw, even for me. The green olives were delicious.
A brochette of grilled shrimp – fresh, delicious.
Spicy shrimp with garlic and peppers. You think you are OK and you are thinking how delicious this dish is, and then the heat hits you. Oh Wow! We had fresh bread to soak up the sauces.
We’ve saved room for dessert and AdventureMan kept track of where the famous ice cream shop was.
Look at that chocolate! It was decadent, so chock full of flavor. AdventureMan had the pistachio and says it was very fine pistachio ice cream.
No, not small servings, but it is our last day in Spain, and the ice cream is so good we choose not to feel guilty about it. As it turned out, it was so rich, I couldn’t eat all of mine anyway.
We walk down to where the guide showed us to catch a shuttle back to the ship, and – nothing. No people, no signage, nothing. Maybe we misunderstood? We walked about a mile along a tourist waterfront walkway and asked people; no one could tell us. At the other end, the Hop On Hop Off boat people said they thought it was back where we started.
Back where we started are some passengers we recognize, and they are all grumbling and complaining. No signage, no red-vested Viking people but this is where the shuttle is supposed to be and they were told the shuttle drivers were taking an hour or so for lunch. There is one young man that they think is with Viking but he is busy looking at his phone, does not seem to speak English (or doesn’t want to) and is not helpful. He does have a red Viking bag.
And then we see the shuttle. It is coming! We get on, and some of the crew get on and we are all riding back together but here come some more Viking passengers and there is no more room in the bus! The passengers are running across the busy street, waving their arms and yelling “Wait! Wait!” but the driver drives faster. We know they got back to the ship on the next bus, but they were angry!
Ah well. Small drama. We put on our swimsuits and head for the spa. As we soak in the waves and bubbles for the last time, we review the trip and think how lucky we are. We never had any serious rain, only maybe ten minutes in Malta. No big deal. And all the ports gave us what we needed – new sights, new experiences, new understanding of how the world works. We love our cabin, our stewards have treated us like royalty, and we’ve met some interesting people and some nice people. This has been a really good trip for us.
Tonight is a special night, a BBQ at the swimming pool with live music and dancing, loud speakers and games.
It is also Thanksgiving. We thought we would go to the BBQ but as we walk through it is crowded and we don’t see anywhere to sit, so we go into the World Cafe. The World Cafe is quieter and we have turkey and whatever else we want. We don’t mind missing the BBQ. We are not too hungry because of the meal at the market and the ice cream 😊.
Sailing away from Malaga.
We find life on a ship can be a little compressing; these stops in Cadiz and Malaga have given us what we need; time on our own to walk and explore and learn at our own pace, to stop and eat good ice cream when we want, to just sit and chat with strangers, to stop in a China shop for a hair clip – just time, time to ourselves. These are the things that make us happy when we travel.
Morocco Malta and the Med: Cadiz, An Unexpected Thrill
Too early for sunrise, not yet in Cadiz, and not allowed out on the deck – maybe high winds?
So this is the Explorer’s Lounge, where I hand out early in the morning, catching up with e-mails and Lectionary readings so I don’t wake AdventureMan.
I have a friend who brings me coffee and says “Madam! The sun is about to come up!” I can’t go outside, but shooting through the window works out. We are still not in Cadiz, plenty of time.
This yellowish haze is disturbing, and it is everywhere. Finally the sun sort of breaks through.
Shortly after breakfast, we approach Cadiz.
So here is the first unexpected blessing. This is the view from our stateroom:
This changes everything. We had booked a walking tour of Cadiz. We cancel it. We are so close we can visit everything on our own, at our own pace, and find a place for lunch.
From Google Earth:
Cádiz is an ancient port city in the Andalucia region of southwestern Spain. The home of the Spanish Navy, the port boomed in the 16th-century as a base for exploration and trade. It has more than 100 watchtowers, including the iconic Torre Tavira, which was traditionally used for spotting ships. On the waterfront is the domed, 18th-century Cádiz Cathedral, featuring baroque and neoclassical elements.
And this is what Cadiz looks like – a narrow isthmus and a quick walk from one side to the other. We are docked in the port to the North east, facing the Cadiz Cathedral.
It is just the kind of place we love – great for walking, lots to see, and we can do this on our own!
From Wikipedia: Admiral Blas de Lezo y Olavarrieta (3 February 1689 – 7 September 1741) was a Spanish navy officer best remembered for the Battle of Cartagena de Indias (1741), where Spanish imperialforces under his command decisively defeated a large British invasion fleet under Admiral Edward Vernon.
Throughout his naval career, Lezo sustained many severe wounds; he lost his left eye, left hand, complete mobility of the right arm, and had his left leg amputated in situ after being hit by the projectile of a cannon.[1] He perceived his wounds and physical limitations as medals, refusing to wear an eye patch to hide his blind eye. Wearing his past battles history on his flesh won the respect of his peers and soldiers.[2] Lezo used to say that the lack of a leg does not imply the lack of a brave heart. It is said that he sometimes recalled famous Dutch admiral Cornelis Jol, called “pegleg” because of his wooden prosthesis, as an example of a sailor who undertook great enterprises and achieved great renown, especially in piracy and privateering, despite his theoretical disability.[3]
Lezo’s defense of Cartagena de Indias against a vastly larger British fleet consolidated his legacy as one of the most heroic figures in the history of Spain. He is often recognized as one of the greatest strategists in naval history.[4][5]
We really can’t get lost in Cadiz:
The Christmas Market going up:
The Cadiz Mariner’s Church and mission
You would think below might be a church, or a mosque, but it is actually a private school for boys.
“To Sing is to Pray twice!”
We’ve learned something from our time in Barcelona searching for a hair brush (which, by the way, I had not lost. AdventureMan was right, it is a small brush and it was hiding in the bottom of my purse.) Now I’ve broken my hair clip, which keeps my hair out of my eyes and face while I am swimming or sleeping. It is totally broken, the wire snapped, it is useless. But as we pass this store below, I can hear the Barcelona hairdressers saying “China shop! China shop!”
China Shops are not always called China shop, but you can always tell from the outside because they are crammed with goods, and local people are inside buying what they need. I found a ton of hair clips, and I think I paid 79 pence (less than $1) for a hair clip. I hated to leave. They had a huge inventory of Christmas items, things I don’t need, thinks I can’t pack, but what if I never see them again? I only buy the hair clip, and am proud of myself, but with mixed feelings.
Then AdventureMan spots this store across the street with the most amazing display of PlayMobile figures. I was about to drift by, but he made me stop and pay attention, and I was blown away. If only I had little grandchildren and could justify buying them!
We’ve been hiking around Cadiz all morning, and we are ready to have lunch. We look and look for the right place – not too grand, not too stuffy, but with good local food. Finally, sigh, we settle for a place that is also full of Spanish tourists, so a tourist place, but Spanish tourists.
One funny thing happened here; a large group, maybe 12 mobility-impaired people and caretakers, came in, and a table was put together for all of them, and they got menus while one woman took her husband to the washroom. They kept not ordering. When the couple got back, they all got up and left.
We ordered tourist stuff – fish, grilled peppers, paella. It was good and we had a great time watching all the people pass by.
We have to be very careful not to catch this woman’s eye; she is soliciting tourists to buy hand made “African” bracelets, but what catches my eye is her headdress and clothing. When the police show up, she fades away quickly.
As we sit here eating lunch, we see group after group of Viking passengers pass by.
After we eat, we head up the street, only to discover our next blessing which is also a little disappointing, but oh well, it is what it is. Around the corner, if we had just gone a little bit further is the open market! It is colorful, and full of fresh beautiful vegetables, meats and seafood. AdventureMan needs to try some local sherry.
We leave the market, wandering our way back towards the ship. AdventureMan spotted an ice cream shop he wants to try. I got a very black chocolate ice cream, maybe the most chocolaty ice cream I had ever eaten. I think he can’t remember which he had, perhaps a cherry, but he says it “was all good. We had some good ice cream on that trip.”
We take our time heading back to the ship. Cadiz is so walkable, so much fun.
You can quickly go through the rest. I fell in love with our view and the sun setting behind the Cadiz Cathedral, our last thrill for the day in Cadiz before sail away.
I think this is the night we eat in the ship’s Italian restaurant, Manfredi’s. We had reservations for another night but canceled them when we discovered it was French night at the World Cafe.
The food was pretty good. People compete for these reservations. Our perception is that we have equally good Italian food other places, often better.
We also have discovered this about ourselves – we like food, and we are both a little on the attention deficit side. Sitting for a long time in a restaurant being served makes us restless. We really like the World Cafe; many of the foods are the same ones served in the Dining Room and the specialty restaurants without the time-consuming service. We can also exercise control over the serving sizes and sample something we might like to try but might not like to eat. We like getting up and walking, and we like that if there is something we like a lot, we can go back and get a little bit more. The World Cafe works well for us.
Morocco Malta and the Med: Casablanca and El Jadida
I can’t be staying in bed when we are coming into port in a new city.
This was seriously disturbing.
That mist looks sulfuric!
We are warned that Casablanca is an industrial port. No kidding!
Quick breakfast and we are off to El Jadida, an old Portuguese fortress city. We were actually here ten years ago on our very first cruise, The Moors in Spain and Morocco. We really love Morocco. One year we came here at Christmas, which was also Ramadan, rented a car and drove all around Morocco with our son. We had such a great time.
Our guide tells us this area near El Jadida is famous for raising horses for racing and showing.
Me and my stone walls!
Getting close to El Jadida:
An old Portuguese Catholic Church in El Jadida. The people around Casablanca make it a point to discuss frequently how tolerant the area is, with Jewish and Christian populations as well as Muslim and Berber. Our guide was proudly Berber.
We had been warned that the beautiful old Portuguese Cisterns were closed for restoration, so the photo below is the exterior only, but I have a treat for you. Below the shot of the exterior is a photo of the interior I took ten years ago. I still love to look at it. The cisterns are so beautiful as well as functional.
I don’t consider this cheating; I consider it . . . um . . . illustrating. . . or embellishing to show you what you might see when you go to El Jadida.
Below are Moroccan silk weavings.
I believe this is the old Jewish bakery.
When you read old histories or bible stories about prisoners being cast into a well, it could look a lot like this:
This picture below is hilarious because I am wearing an expensive pair of shoes that I find clunky. The trip description said it was challenging, with uneven hikes, rocks, and hills. It was a very mild hike; I could have worn my sandals.
My husband took this photo below; he loved the contrast of the drawing of the cisterns and the laundry hung to dry over the cisterns.
It’s going to be a couple hours ride back to the ship, but the guide has a treat for us – “Snacks” at a local restaurant, part of the tour, no extra charge. The small restaurant was just big enough to hold all of us, had a nice clean restroom and place to wash up, and served these delicious sandwiches, followed by a selection of house baked Moroccan cookies, and Turkish coffee or Mint Tea. The owner and his wife were so hospitable. They made us feel like very special guests. It really was a treat!
As we sail away from Casablanca, that same ship continues to be surrounded with that yellow steamy cloud.
For us, we have seen everything we wanted to see. We think Cadiz and Malaga will be pretty tame after the excitement of Ajaccio, Malta, Tunis and Algiers. (We were wrong!)
Morocco Malta and The Med: Alboran Sea and the Rock of Gibraltar
Heading out from Algiers, at sea, en route to Casablanca on the Alboran Sea.
This is exactly what our early morning looks like – dark and filmy. It’s not the camera – it’s the reality.
It is a very flat day. It is a great day to read books, listen to some music, eat a light meal or two, hang out in the spa, and snooze a little.
Flat flat and gray gray.
Late in the afternoon, the Captain announces we will be passing The Rock of Gibralter. We have passed the iconic rock many times by ship – but always at night. This is our first daylight passage. But look at the sky, so flat, the light, so flat. Oh well, you take the shot you have.
And then, just as we are passing The Rock of Gibralter, Jebel Tarik, we hit sunset and a band of light shows up, just for moments, the only band of light all day. It’s as good as it’s ever going to get.
Tomorrow we dock in Casablanca.
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