Tales of the Sea

We cast off from Malaga and headed for Funchal.  We thought.  At sea, our favorite Captain Stan (Stanislaus Mercier De Lacombe) got to deliver the news that the weather sucked (big tropical storm) and we were deviating to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands to take on fuel and then it would be nine days at sea, straight to Miami.  With plenty of rough seas.  Goody.  So much for Bermudan Thanksgivings.  

We don't have pictures of Las Palmas because there was so much spray in the air, but the surfers love the place.  And, we got out of there just in time.  Check out this video of what happened when the storm got there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRg6yJg2lKM

The Captain and the Cruise Director did something new enroute.  They made really good "Weather Channel" tapes so that we could keep up via TV.  That's how we knew about the storm videos.

OK.  So.  We spent about 35 hours rocking and rolling before it finally calmed down, but there was enough motion still for a person to feel a lot of vibration from the engine pods in the aft section.  One afternoon, we were sitting in the Horizon Lounge, which suddenly stopped vibrating and went dead still.  Gee, it really calmed down, we thought.  After a couple of minutes we decided that something was wrong...too quiet.  And we seemed to be turning, hard.  

We intrepid sailors were right.  Here came the announcement:  we have spotted a lifeboat on the port side and we're going to investigate, maybe put a rescue team overboard.  We circled the boat, which was the ejection type (think Captain Phillips) that are on cargo ships. The hatch was open, and it was floating semi submerged.  We got real close and sounded the whistle.  No response.  

Captain Stan could read the name of the ship it belonged to, and got on the radio.  The ship was in Croatia with everyone accounted for.  We got straightened out and again set off for Miami.  We found out later, from the Portuguese Coast Guard, that the lifeboat had been lost, last April, from a Chemical Tanker in the middle of the Atlantic, along a line roughly between northern Canada and northern France.  It had been drifting for the last eight months and had wandered over 1,000 miles south of its original position.  We noted the fact that it was still afloat says something good for lifeboats!

Although we went 550 miles out of our way, we were making good time...fair winds and following seas, as they say.  Everyone cheered when it was announced that we'd make a stop at St. Maarten before heading into Miami.  In port there, we saw the oddest ship parked next to us.  Look at this.  Can you figure out what's wrong with this picture?  Took us a while!

When we got to Miami, all was well...in Miami.  Chicago, however, was having themselves a bugger of a snowstorm.  Our 3:50 p.m. arrival time got bumped four times and we finally got there around 10:00 p.m. and thought we were lucky.  Our limo company couldn't get a car to us.  We finally found another limo and got home around midnight.  And did we need a drink.

There is good news, however.

Pati won the wiener dog contest, 5 to 1.

The Alhambra!

It's a two hour drive from Malaga up to Granada and the Alhambra.  This Moorish palace has plenty of history for both the Moors and the royalty of Spain, including being home to the young Infanta Catalina de Aragon (Henry VIII's real queen, Catherine of Aragon).  We'll not tell its history here, check online at www.alhambradegranada.org and other places for outside pictures and historical stuff.  We'll take you inside where the treasures really are.  Hang on, here we go:

The tree of life.  God, apparently, sits above its roots:

The patios:

And inside: Hint on this first photo...that's not decoration, it's Arabic from different periods.  And it says "there is no conqueror but Allah".  Twice.  This particular carving is replicated all over the building.

Here's the conqueror script again:

Mind boggled yet?  It's amazing isn't it?  One can come up for air at the nearby Generalife Gardens, where the royalty hung out on hot days...

We stopped for a wonderful lunch and then, back to the ship and onward.  Read our next installment for an interesting tale of the sea.

The 2018 Crossing

This crossing from Barcelona to Miami was kind of an extra added attraction.  We flew to Barcelona to spend a couple of days, one of them in a hotel we would have never sprung for.  Regent footed the bill.  We indulged in our usual meal of Iberico ham and sausage, but also tried something different.  We have enjoyed our duck pates and terrines so this time we branched out and tried Iberico pates.  They are excellent!  Of course, we dined at our favorite place, El Mussol.

The weather allowed a longer walk, so we went up to the Sagrada Familia.  We hadn't been there for about three years (in spite of being in Barcelona a lot), and we can report that they're making a lot of progress on the building.  Here's some of the detail from the building:

And we found this guy slaying a dragon along Passeig Gracia:

Leaving Barcelona, we were to visit Cartagena, Malaga, Funchal and Bermuda.  Bermuda Thanksgiving was the title of the cruise.

In Cartagena, we visited the old Roman parts of the city, including a museum built around a Roman cemetery and dedicated to the various findings as the excavation was completed.  Our guide had lived, as a child, very near the cemetery and he told of he and his brother climbing the wall and stealing bones from the cemetery.  Well, it got him started because now he is an archeologist and, funny, next in line to head the preservation committee!

Detail from the Cartagena Town Hall:

Right now, they're excavating a Roman arena (where the games took place) that is within walking distance of this Roman theater (where plays were put on).  By the way, for racing, you need a Roman circus.

We left after dark, so we couldn't see the submarine pens near the docks.  Next stop, Malaga, but not our usual Malaga day at the market buying almonds and figs...we're off to the Alhambra!

Road Trip!

Been home for two weeks.  Time to get back on the road.  We loaded up the Cube and headed for DC to visit the kids, then on to the south to stop in Charleston and finally through Atlanta to Braselton and Road Atlanta.

In DC, we visited a pumpkin festival with the family and met a couple of old friends, the Punkinsaurus:

and William Goat:

The family mans the AVPC (Anti-Vehicle Punkin Chunker), aimed at a boat, a car, or a truck, your choice:

And finally, no outing of this kind is complete without a pig race!

This farm where the event was held made fresh, warm, apple cider donuts.  Those things are heaven on earth...absolutely the most delicious donuts we'd ever had.  The bunch of us ate through way too many of those but still had room for a lively luncheon with our cousins Amy and John (wine was exchanged all around) the next day, before heading south.

An overnight stop in Selma, North Carolina was just an opportunity to rest, then onward to Charleston, South Carolina via Myrtle Beach.  Charleston was interesting but threatened rain for both days because Hurricane Michael was heading north from the Gulf.  We didn't carry the cameras but we did walk all over town.  One major mistake:  we didn't quite get back to the hotel before it rained like hell.  We managed to keep our Pecan Coconut cookies from Harris Teeter dry.  That's a recommendation in case you missed it.

The second evening in Charleston was spent mostly watching the weather.  The hurricane was due to run just between us and Atlanta, heading right at Columbus and our intended driving route.  We watched the weather deteriorate and finally went to bed.  No decisions were to be made before morning.  Overnight, yes, there seemed to be a hurricane nearby.  Rain, thunder and howling wind.  In the morning, it looked as though we needed to implement plan B by driving south to Savannah and then northwest to Atlanta, thus skirting south of the worst of it.  We started out in rain and wind but soon broke through into sunshine and all was well.

Onward to Road Atlanta for the Motul Petit Le Mans!  We didn't know quite what to expect at the track, but it turned out to be a very pleasant experience.  We walked the track on our first day, of course, and finally settled on a great spot to watch the race from before heading down to the pits for the autograph session.

There's a terraced area where people set up their lawn chairs...good viewing on race day.

And now for some Halloween Fun!

Final Stops for This One

A day at sea brought us to Ponta Delgada in the Azores.  Ponta Delgada is on Sao Miguel Island, the largest in the archipelago.  And that island is absolutely beautiful.

We took a tour to the Sete Cidades Crater Lake area.  There's a lake under there.  Really.

Apparently this cloud cover is not unusual in the morning.  What is unusual is this building.

It was a five-star hotel and spa.  After opening in 1989, the hotel only operated for a little more than a year before shutting its doors. According to reports, for about a decade the empty halls were patrolled by guards and dogs, but with no one interested in paying them any longer, it seems that they simply disappeared some time in the mid-2000s.  We understand that the nightclub was the bomb and the views from the suites were fabulous.  In the afternoons, of course.

We stopped in the nearby village and had a walk around to enjoy the sights and sounds of a lazy weekend morning.

They grow pineapples on Sao Miguel at the Arruda Pineapple Plantation, and not the ones we are accustomed to seeing at the grocery store.  These are kind of shorter and fatter, and much more flavorful.  They are grown in greenhouses under very strict conditions and are pretty costly.  They make some very tasty (and very strong) liqeur from them.  We had a free taste.  Our advice:  put it on ice cream.  Here's a few more examples of the island's scenery.

Next day, more Azores.  This time we were in Horta, on the island of Faial, and we were off to see the Capelinhos volcano.  This one erupted as recently as 1957, so it is really young.  The area is a moonscape and we were reminded of our "adventure" on the volcano in Nicaragua...this was much safer and easier, but we did take a hike through the volcanic cinders.

From Capelinhos, we walked a good five miles down a vegetation lined path to the village of Varaduoro, a resort town with natural swimming pools near the sea.  It was a pretty hot walk, but worth it for the ocean views.  This was one time that we were glad to see the air conditioned bus!  Overall, the Azores were a pleasant surprise and an area we would consider visiting again.

Four days at sea lay ahead.  We took a leisurely pace, deviating a little south to avoid the Hurricane Florence disturbances, and heading for Bermuda.  On the last day out, it was so much for leisure.  We had a medical emergency and Captain Atanas (Captain Ubaldo bailed out at the last stop) poured the coals to it.  We arrived at St. George's in the wee hours of the morning, discharged the patient (he was recovering well at last report), and drifted around until morning when we could dock.  There's not too much to see in this little town, so we hung out on the ship on this overnight stop.  One more day at sea and we were back in Manhattan.

Wow.  What a trip.  So much to see and absorb.  Icebergs, midnight suns, Soviet blocks, quaint seaside villages, vinyards, volcanos...but only three wiener dogs. 

Final count?  Gordon wins, as usual, two dogs to one.

The Last Leg Begins

The ship turned over in Barcelona.  We shuttled into downtown, grabbed a couple of things we needed at Decathlon, cruised the sale rack at Desigual and then bought a take-out dinner:  Bread, Iberico ham and sausage, olive oil, and two bottles of Rioja.  Mission accomplished, return to the ship, have a glass of champagne, get ready to sail.

OK, so here's the thing.  Some people on the cruise would almost kill for this little piece of paper:

Us?  We said WTF?????  How in the heck...?????

The next day, we called at Ibiza.  Sailing in, we noticed an area perched on top of the hill that reminded us of Eze in France. 

Ashore, we joined an excursion that took us up there to walk through the area and down the hill to the fisherman's village. 

It's not really a fisherman's village anymore, it's a tourist trap.  Ibiza is a popular tourist destination due to its well-known and nightclub based nightlife.  The amount of people coming and going around the ferry dock was staggering.

The guide said that the tourist season is about April to October.  After that, half of the place shuts down and all that's left is Spanish pensioners.

Next stop, Cartagena.  We made it into a sea day and waited to get into Malaga for our next mission.  There, we hot-footed it ashore for Marcona almonds and dried figs.  It isn't Spain if we don't have those!  After Malaga, we headed for Portimao, Portual.  We'd never seen the Algarve area, so we took a bus ride-around to check it out.  We always suspected that we would not like the Algarve  very much and our suspicions were confirmed.  It's got some redeeming qualities if you're really into beaches.

A day at sea brought us to Funchal, Madeira and our last chance for Portuguese goodies.  We walked into town for Rissois and custard tarts and returned with more candy (oh, the candy that was in our suite by this time!) and a bottle of Madeira.