Tricia’s Travelogue

We are making our way around the southern coast of Spain toward Barcelona on the east coast. This morning was very cold (in the 40s) and windy, and I really wished that I’d packed a fleece jacket. My wool sweater and long-sleeved tee weren’t sufficient for today’s walking and tapas tour.  We met our tour group near the ship and began walking down the boardwalk.  We first saw a replica of the Santa Maria ship.  I can’t imagine taking to the high seas in such a small ship! Our guide told us that the obelisk is a war memorial.  Behind it is the government administration building. This sculpture is titled El Zulu, and represents victims of terrorists. Nearby is another sculpture, The Whale’s Tail, representing the whales often seen migrating in the area. There are 12 cannons along the waterfront. Next we walked past a naval history museum and saw this early submarine, the Peral, launched in 1888.  It was the first electric-powered submarine capable for combat. Charl...

We moved ahead another hour last night, as Spain moved to Daylight Saving Time.  We’re now 7 hours ahead of Texas.  A fellow passenger snapped this photo of Gibraltar as we passed through the Strait last night. When we awoke, the ship was docking in Málaga.  We left the ship about 9:15 and took a taxi to the Plaza de Merced, where Picasso’s birthplace is. Before meeting our guide, some friendly girls took our picture with Picasso. Our guide, Maria, was originally from Russia, but has lived in Spain for ten years and is a citizen now.  Her English wasn’t perfect, but we were able to understand most of it. She began by explaining the history of Málaga since prehistoric times. Along the way she pointed out elements from various periods, including its years as a Roman city, a Muslim stronghold, and then after the Christians conquered it.   We stopped nearby for coffee and churros, which were delicious, especially dipped in chocolate! Then we saw the exterior of an o...

We docked in Cadiz early this morning, and we left the ship about 9:30.  We walked about 15 minutes to meet our guide in front of city hall.  Betty, from Ethiopia, is an international relations graduate student at the University of Cadiz, and we were her only guests!  City Hall was decorated for Holy Week, and we got to see a city band playing and marching slowly in preparation for all of the Holy Week processions.  Betty explained that the two pillars represent the end of the known world in ancient times.  On the triangular pediment is a relief of Hercules, the mythical founder of Cadiz. He’s also depicted on the banners and part of the city’s seal. Cadiz is also the oldest city in the western world, established by the Phoenicians in 1100 B.C.  From there, we walked to the cathedral, which was surrounded by viewing boxes set up for VIPs attending the processions. Then we walked up to the wall surrounding the city. We walked all the way down, as far as you ...

Last night the wind picked up, and the ship began to rock quite a bit!  This morning I had to hold on in the shower to keep my balance.  The captain reported 12-foot seas. We’re still rocking enough that we are staggering a bit. Several women made only brief appearances at our final crafting group to say goodbye, because they were feeling seasick and didn’t sleep last night. Thankfully, my nightly Bonine has protected me from feeling queasy.  We’re all happy to see sunshine, though, and there were some sunbathers at noon, though the wind is still 30 mph. Last night we had dinner in Coastal Kitchen for a change.  I enjoyed the Caprese salad, and Charlie really liked his lobster cake (similar to a crab cake). Then we both had the barramundi (which is just sea bass, according to Charlie’s), and it was fine, if not thrilling (or photographed). Caprese salad Lobster cake To continue the food theme, for lunch today we chose the pineapple-glazed Caribbean-style pork ribs wi...