We’ve finally got the perfect weather. It was obvious the minute we opened our balcony door and found clear skies and a temperature of around 72°. We docked in Alicante, Spain at about 10:00am. Alicante is on the Mediterranean coast about half-way between Gibraltar and Barcelona. The Romans called it Lucentum, or City of Light, a reference to the sand and bright sunshine.
The Romans established an irrigation system of aqueducts and waterways to move water from the mountains to the arid land along the coast. Olive, citrus and almonds were established first, and now wine grapes and hot house tomatoes are also grown in abundance.
The Arabs, or Moors, invaded this area of Spain in 718 AD, and expanded and improved the irrigation system. They also brought date palms from their native lands, which have flourished in the area. They were driven out by the Christians in the 13th century, but the water system and a number of Moorish castles and fortresses remain today.
We took a bus tour to the Canelobre Cave, about an hour out of the city. It is the largest cavern in Spain, and it was discovered in the 9th century. It was used as a machine shop to rebuild aircraft engines during the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39. Unfortunately, they blasted a tunnel into the heart of the cave and the concussions caused many of the stalactites and stalagmites to crumble and fall. It’s still an impressive place to visit.
From the cave, we returned to Alicante and the 14th century Castillo de Santa Barbara which rises high above the City. It was originally built by the Moors, then after they were driven back across the Mediterranean, the Christians rebuilt and added to the fortress. It’s built on the edge of the sea, and overlooks the entire City. Our bus took us up a steep hill into the fortress, but then we had to walk further on a steep path to reach the top and its spectacular views.
From there we traveled into the old part of the City and for a guided walk. When the bus returned to the ship, we remained behind to further explore the area. We walked along a broad esplanade next to the waterfront and found a sidewalk café for a light lunch and a beer or two (of course). After a couple of hours we returned to the ship in plenty of time before our 5:30pm departure for Barcelona.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Day 10 – Gibraltar
After leaving Tenerife and the Canary Islands, we enjoyed another restful day at sea. By restful, I mean that we slept in and missed breakfast… again. The weather was very pleasant, just not very sunny. We tried our hands at Trivia once more, and again we were discouraged at our lack of knowledge. Oh well, I guess we won’t try out for Jeopardy any time soon. One of the featured entrees at dinner was lobster tail, so we each had one, then another one. Shipboard service is too generous for our own good!
We docked at about 9 AM on Friday at the Rock of Gibraltar. It’s only about three square miles in size, but its location at the western entrance of the Mediterranean has resulted in its development as a military strong point over the past 1000 years.
Europe and Africa are only eight miles apart at Gibraltar so whoever controls Gibraltar controls the passage between the Atlantic and Mediterranean waters.
The ancient Greeks called the two sides of the straits the Pillars of Hercules. In 711 AD, a Moorish army crossed from North Africa and took control of Gibraltar as they began the conquest of Spain for Islam. Over the next seven centuries, the Moors and the Spaniards fought for control several times. Finally, in 1462, the Spaniards recovered control.
In 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession, a British naval force captured the town and the fortress. Gibraltar has remained in British hands ever since, in spite of many Spanish and French attempts to recapture it. The most dramatic effort was the Great Siege of 1779-83, during the American Revolution. A large force of Spanish and French ships and soldiers attempted to bombard and starve the British into surrendering. The British tunneled into solid rock for safety and built cannon emplacements to shoot down on the attacking troops.
During World War II, the tunnel system was vastly expanded and fortified by British Royal Engineers, who expected a German attack several times. That attack never came, but the Rock became a major naval and air base for the allies.
We decided to skip the ship’s tour offerings, and instead, hired a taxi for a two hour tour of the Rock. We traveled through town and out to Great Europa Point, the far eastern edge and the closest point to Africa. While there, we first encountered the Barbary Apes, tailless monkeys that are native to the area.
There are about 600 apes on Gibraltar, and they roam freely over the rock. They love tourists, so they can be a bit pesky at times.
We stopped for a tour of St. Michael’s Cave, a natural cavern within the rock. It’s beautifully illuminated and has a large underground amphitheater.
From there, we drove the length of the rock to visit the Great Siege Tunnels. Blasted into the rock by the British in 1782, the tunnels are over a mile in length, with many gun emplacement openings, ammunition storage rooms and crew staging areas. From the tunnel opening, we could look down on the airport, which separates Gibraltar from Spain. The road to Spain crosses the runway, so traffic is stopped when an airplane is landing or taking off.
Our taxi dropped us on Main Street in downtown Gibraltar. The street is closed to traffic, and is filled with shops and pubs that are very British in every respect.
We found a likely pub and had a bite to eat and a couple of beers. After lunch and a bit of window shopping, we walked back to the ship, about a kilometer or so. We sailed again at 3:30 PM, on our way to Alicante, Spain, our next port. From this point until the end of the cruise, we’ll be in a different port every day. I believe we’ll be pooped by the time we get to Rome.
That’s all for now.
We docked at about 9 AM on Friday at the Rock of Gibraltar. It’s only about three square miles in size, but its location at the western entrance of the Mediterranean has resulted in its development as a military strong point over the past 1000 years.
The ancient Greeks called the two sides of the straits the Pillars of Hercules. In 711 AD, a Moorish army crossed from North Africa and took control of Gibraltar as they began the conquest of Spain for Islam. Over the next seven centuries, the Moors and the Spaniards fought for control several times. Finally, in 1462, the Spaniards recovered control.
In 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession, a British naval force captured the town and the fortress. Gibraltar has remained in British hands ever since, in spite of many Spanish and French attempts to recapture it. The most dramatic effort was the Great Siege of 1779-83, during the American Revolution. A large force of Spanish and French ships and soldiers attempted to bombard and starve the British into surrendering. The British tunneled into solid rock for safety and built cannon emplacements to shoot down on the attacking troops.
During World War II, the tunnel system was vastly expanded and fortified by British Royal Engineers, who expected a German attack several times. That attack never came, but the Rock became a major naval and air base for the allies.
We decided to skip the ship’s tour offerings, and instead, hired a taxi for a two hour tour of the Rock. We traveled through town and out to Great Europa Point, the far eastern edge and the closest point to Africa. While there, we first encountered the Barbary Apes, tailless monkeys that are native to the area.
There are about 600 apes on Gibraltar, and they roam freely over the rock. They love tourists, so they can be a bit pesky at times.
We stopped for a tour of St. Michael’s Cave, a natural cavern within the rock. It’s beautifully illuminated and has a large underground amphitheater.
From there, we drove the length of the rock to visit the Great Siege Tunnels. Blasted into the rock by the British in 1782, the tunnels are over a mile in length, with many gun emplacement openings, ammunition storage rooms and crew staging areas. From the tunnel opening, we could look down on the airport, which separates Gibraltar from Spain. The road to Spain crosses the runway, so traffic is stopped when an airplane is landing or taking off.
Our taxi dropped us on Main Street in downtown Gibraltar. The street is closed to traffic, and is filled with shops and pubs that are very British in every respect.
We found a likely pub and had a bite to eat and a couple of beers. After lunch and a bit of window shopping, we walked back to the ship, about a kilometer or so. We sailed again at 3:30 PM, on our way to Alicante, Spain, our next port. From this point until the end of the cruise, we’ll be in a different port every day. I believe we’ll be pooped by the time we get to Rome.
That’s all for now.
Day 8 – Tenerife, Spain
After seven days at sea, we finally put our feet down on solid ground, in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Tenerife is the largest island in the Canary Islands, just off the coast of Morocco, but belonging to Spain. A large expedition from Spain seized the islands in 1402 from the natives, known as Guanches, tall, light skinned people of unknown origins. Columbus visited the islands on each of his four voyages to the new world. The British attempted to capture the Islands in 1797, but were driven off by cannon fire from the Spanish. Admiral Lord Nelson lost his right arm during the gun fight.
The classic question is, “are the Islands named for the yellow birds, or is it the other way around?” Actually, the ancient Romans noted the large number of wild dogs on one of the Islands, and called it Insula Canum or Dog Island. Later, when the little yellow finches were discovered there, they were called “dog island birds, or canaries.
We took a shore excursion from the ship and traveled across a range of volcanic mountains through the Orotava Valley, a lush garden valley, and one of the oldest settlements on the island.
From there, we drove to Puerto de la Cruz on the northwest shore, which has been the island’s premier family resort area since the turn of the 19th century. We had time for shopping as well as a mid-morning coffee at a sidewalk café.
While there, we stopped to visit a beautiful orchid garden and had time to sample some of the local beer. That was so enjoyable, that I think we’ll make it an event in each port we visit.
The weather, which has been very good to us, left something to be desired today. Although the sun came out as we were docking in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as we started over the mountains to the Orotava Valley, the fog closed in, and it was misty for most of the rest of our journey. Once back on the ship, it was warm and pleasant, although not very sunny.
We sailed at 3:30pm for Gibraltar, but we’ll enjoy our last day at sea before reaching our next stop on Day 10.
The classic question is, “are the Islands named for the yellow birds, or is it the other way around?” Actually, the ancient Romans noted the large number of wild dogs on one of the Islands, and called it Insula Canum or Dog Island. Later, when the little yellow finches were discovered there, they were called “dog island birds, or canaries.
We took a shore excursion from the ship and traveled across a range of volcanic mountains through the Orotava Valley, a lush garden valley, and one of the oldest settlements on the island.
The weather, which has been very good to us, left something to be desired today. Although the sun came out as we were docking in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as we started over the mountains to the Orotava Valley, the fog closed in, and it was misty for most of the rest of our journey. Once back on the ship, it was warm and pleasant, although not very sunny.
We sailed at 3:30pm for Gibraltar, but we’ll enjoy our last day at sea before reaching our next stop on Day 10.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Crossing the Atlantic
It's day seven of our fifteen day cruise to Rome, and we're about done with the Atlantic Ocean crossing. When we left Ft. Lauderdale, we had 3700 nautical miles to go to our first port in the Canary Islands. This morning the navigator announced that we had traveled 3300 nautical miles, and had less than 400 miles remaining. We're due to arrive at the port of Tenerife, Canary Islands tomorrow at 7 AM, and should be leaving the ship for sightseeing by 8 AM. We'll sail again at 3:30 PM and have one more day at sea before arriving in Gibraltar. Then the busy part of the cruise will begin. We'll visit six ports in six days before arriving in Rome. Or maybe, what's left of Rome. We heard on the news this morning that a long dead seismologist had predicted a devastating earthquake for Rome this Wednesday. Apparently, this prediction has worried some Romans, as a number of people have left the city. The predicted date will have long passed by the time we get to Rome, so we're not concerned.
So, what have we been doing during our week at sea? Sleeping, eating, drinking, reading, chatting, and other strenuous activities. We've celebrated two wedding anniversaries, 54 years for Herman and Annie, and 50 years for Lu and Joe.
Each was celebrated with good times, good friends and a great deal of hilarity among the 14 in our group. Special cocktail parties, balloons and rousing versions of "Happy Anniversary" accompanied each celebration.
The weather has been great. I expected to encounter cold weather and rough seas, but I guess I was thinking of the North Atlantic. This crossing, at 28 degrees North Latitude, has been calm and warm. The air temperature has remained in the 70's with the sea temperature just a few degrees warmer. We did get a couple of brief showers and periods of cloudiness, but we've also had a lot of sun.
We've participated in shipboard Trivia games most afternoons, but our knowledge and skill are seriously lacking! Our highest scores were 14 right out of 20, and one day we got only 9 of 20. I think the humiliation is catching up to me; I'm losing interest in the game.
The food has been terrific, but we're skipping the hearty breakfast and lunch options available on the ship. Instead, we're grabbing small bites for breakfast and lunch, saving our calories for the sumptuous dinners in the dining room. Last night along with John & Judy and Lu and Joe, we ate in one of the specialty restaurants on board, Sabatini's Italian Restaurant. Wow! It was spectacular! And huge! An appetizer course of about 8 items, a salad course of 4 or 5, a pasta course of 3 items, a main course with a choice of about 8 items and a dessert course with about the same number of choices. Needless to say, we waddled away from that meal.
About the only thing that's bothered us so far is the fact that we've had to change our clocks ahead five times in the seven days we've been aboard. This, of course, is because the time in Europe is five or six hours ahead of Eastern Time. We're now on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or as it's now known, Universal Time Constant (UTC) and we'll only change once more during the cruise. Hooray! Maybe our body clocks will catch up!
That's about it for now; we'll tell you more about our visit to the Canary Islands in a day or so.
So, what have we been doing during our week at sea? Sleeping, eating, drinking, reading, chatting, and other strenuous activities. We've celebrated two wedding anniversaries, 54 years for Herman and Annie, and 50 years for Lu and Joe.
Each was celebrated with good times, good friends and a great deal of hilarity among the 14 in our group. Special cocktail parties, balloons and rousing versions of "Happy Anniversary" accompanied each celebration.
The weather has been great. I expected to encounter cold weather and rough seas, but I guess I was thinking of the North Atlantic. This crossing, at 28 degrees North Latitude, has been calm and warm. The air temperature has remained in the 70's with the sea temperature just a few degrees warmer. We did get a couple of brief showers and periods of cloudiness, but we've also had a lot of sun.
We've participated in shipboard Trivia games most afternoons, but our knowledge and skill are seriously lacking! Our highest scores were 14 right out of 20, and one day we got only 9 of 20. I think the humiliation is catching up to me; I'm losing interest in the game.
The food has been terrific, but we're skipping the hearty breakfast and lunch options available on the ship. Instead, we're grabbing small bites for breakfast and lunch, saving our calories for the sumptuous dinners in the dining room. Last night along with John & Judy and Lu and Joe, we ate in one of the specialty restaurants on board, Sabatini's Italian Restaurant. Wow! It was spectacular! And huge! An appetizer course of about 8 items, a salad course of 4 or 5, a pasta course of 3 items, a main course with a choice of about 8 items and a dessert course with about the same number of choices. Needless to say, we waddled away from that meal.
About the only thing that's bothered us so far is the fact that we've had to change our clocks ahead five times in the seven days we've been aboard. This, of course, is because the time in Europe is five or six hours ahead of Eastern Time. We're now on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or as it's now known, Universal Time Constant (UTC) and we'll only change once more during the cruise. Hooray! Maybe our body clocks will catch up!
That's about it for now; we'll tell you more about our visit to the Canary Islands in a day or so.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Voyage to Europe
We’re traveling again; this time without someone else to write a travel blog. So, here’s what’s happening.
We left home last Monday morning to catch an 11:30 AM flight from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale. Because we were flying against the sun, we arrived at 7:30 PM, Florida time. Our friend and travel advisor, Lu, had found us a hotel that provided shuttle service to and from the airport, as well as to and from the nearby cruise dock. That was particularly handy, ‘cause on Tuesday we boarded the ‘Star Princess’ for a transatlantic voyage to Europe.
The weather in South Florida was typical for this time of year; cloudy, warm and a bit muggy. After a short walk to a sports bar for dinner, we turned in for the night. Tuesday morning we caught the hotel shuttle to the pier where we were quickly able to board the Star Princess. Princess Cruise Lines tells its embarking passengers that boarding is between 1 PM and 4 PM with sailing at 5 PM. But, as we have learned from previous cruises, the boarding process is usually set up by 11 AM, and if you board early, you avoid the crowds. The ship carries 2,600 passengers, so boarding can be frustrating process.
We sailed on the same ship to Antarctica in 2010, so we knew the layout and quickly found the hot dog stand where we enjoyed a hot dog & a beer for lunch. I have vowed that on this trip, I’ll not overeat; I know, I’ve said that before, but this time I’ll try harder!
We sailed about 5 PM, and after a couple of turns to get out of the harbor into the open sea, the ship set a course almost due east (87°). We’ll maintain that course for seven days and 3700 nautical miles, until we come to the Canary Islands which will be our first port of call.
So far, and we’re now three days out of Florida, the seas have been calm and the weather mostly sunny. The air temperature is in the mid 70’s, and the sea temperature is in the upper 70’s; just right for sunbathing, as long as you can stay out of the wind.
We have an easterly headwind of 5-10 knots, combined with the ship’s speed of 20 knots, which makes for quite a breeze.
Our daily activities, so far, have included sleeping late and missing breakfast, working a little on a suntan, reading, and joining other passengers in a trivia game each afternoon. In the early evening, we join our traveling friends, John & Judy, for a cocktail or two followed by dinner. Our travel advisor, Lu and her husband Joe, join us for dinner, as well as four other couples that Lu is shepherding on this trip, who are seated at an adjoining table.
Debbie and I haven’t attended any of the shipboard shows as yet, but a couple of nights ago we went to “Movies Under the Stars” on the pool deck and saw ‘Avatar’.
It was a much better movie than I had expected, but also longer than I had expected. We didn’t get to our room until almost 1 AM, which is at least partly responsible for causing us to miss breakfast.
So, where are we going on this trip? As said earlier, our first stop will be Tenirefe, the capitol of the Canary Islands. The islands, which sit a few hundred miles off the coast of Africa, are owned by Spain. Our next port will be Gibraltar, followed by Alicante and Barcelona Spain, Marseille, France, Livorno, Italy and finally, Rome.
We’ll leave the ship in Rome and spend a week sightseeing in Rome and Tuscany with John and Judy. They’ll return home, and we’ll fly to Munich to spend a week with our good friend Karin and her husband, Wolfgang in Bavaria. We finally head home on June 2nd, after what we expect will be a fantastic vacation.
We’ll keep you updated on our fun as we go along.
We left home last Monday morning to catch an 11:30 AM flight from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale. Because we were flying against the sun, we arrived at 7:30 PM, Florida time. Our friend and travel advisor, Lu, had found us a hotel that provided shuttle service to and from the airport, as well as to and from the nearby cruise dock. That was particularly handy, ‘cause on Tuesday we boarded the ‘Star Princess’ for a transatlantic voyage to Europe.
The weather in South Florida was typical for this time of year; cloudy, warm and a bit muggy. After a short walk to a sports bar for dinner, we turned in for the night. Tuesday morning we caught the hotel shuttle to the pier where we were quickly able to board the Star Princess. Princess Cruise Lines tells its embarking passengers that boarding is between 1 PM and 4 PM with sailing at 5 PM. But, as we have learned from previous cruises, the boarding process is usually set up by 11 AM, and if you board early, you avoid the crowds. The ship carries 2,600 passengers, so boarding can be frustrating process.
We sailed on the same ship to Antarctica in 2010, so we knew the layout and quickly found the hot dog stand where we enjoyed a hot dog & a beer for lunch. I have vowed that on this trip, I’ll not overeat; I know, I’ve said that before, but this time I’ll try harder!
We sailed about 5 PM, and after a couple of turns to get out of the harbor into the open sea, the ship set a course almost due east (87°). We’ll maintain that course for seven days and 3700 nautical miles, until we come to the Canary Islands which will be our first port of call.
So far, and we’re now three days out of Florida, the seas have been calm and the weather mostly sunny. The air temperature is in the mid 70’s, and the sea temperature is in the upper 70’s; just right for sunbathing, as long as you can stay out of the wind.
We have an easterly headwind of 5-10 knots, combined with the ship’s speed of 20 knots, which makes for quite a breeze.
Our daily activities, so far, have included sleeping late and missing breakfast, working a little on a suntan, reading, and joining other passengers in a trivia game each afternoon. In the early evening, we join our traveling friends, John & Judy, for a cocktail or two followed by dinner. Our travel advisor, Lu and her husband Joe, join us for dinner, as well as four other couples that Lu is shepherding on this trip, who are seated at an adjoining table.
Debbie and I haven’t attended any of the shipboard shows as yet, but a couple of nights ago we went to “Movies Under the Stars” on the pool deck and saw ‘Avatar’.
So, where are we going on this trip? As said earlier, our first stop will be Tenirefe, the capitol of the Canary Islands. The islands, which sit a few hundred miles off the coast of Africa, are owned by Spain. Our next port will be Gibraltar, followed by Alicante and Barcelona Spain, Marseille, France, Livorno, Italy and finally, Rome.
We’ll leave the ship in Rome and spend a week sightseeing in Rome and Tuscany with John and Judy. They’ll return home, and we’ll fly to Munich to spend a week with our good friend Karin and her husband, Wolfgang in Bavaria. We finally head home on June 2nd, after what we expect will be a fantastic vacation.
We’ll keep you updated on our fun as we go along.
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