I can think of only a few other favorite ways to spend my 64th (that hurts to say) - sitting here on our deck, in my robe, pitch black, fresh sea breeze, & writing about our experience in Malaga yesterday. The lack of sunlight is my excuse for spelling errors! When this laptop crashed a few days back, it also deleted Word, and along with that, spell-check functionality. Now you can truly see my ignorance and dependence on technology...or is that teknologee??!!
We're sailing toward Alicante, Spain, scheduled to arrive at 10:00 this morning. I'm up at my usual 4-4:30am, & Cheryl's still cuddled in bed where she and most other normal people are right now. She left me a very sweet, heart-warming birthday card, and placed on top of the laptop where she knew I'd find it first thing! She's so thoughtful...I only wish I were the person she describes in the card - even half.
Yesterday, once again, we docked in complete darkness. I (we) enjoy sail-ins...you never know what you're gonna get and the views are often times spectacular. So far this journey, we've come up empty. Our favorites still remain Sydney and Rio, in that order. Hong Kong & Singapore are close behind.
Malaga was great! I'm sure many of you art fans know it was the birthplace of Picasso - we could've visited his childhood residence and museum but instead, decided to get a little adventurous and take a jeep (4x4) up into the adjacent mountains. We went with another couple from Capetown, South Africa and had a terrific day! Left the ship about 8:30 and stayed out until 3:30.
First, a little history. Malaga's located on what the 'locals' refer to as Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun) of the Mediterranean Sea...about 60 miles east of the Strait of Gibralter. It is Europes southern-most city with a population of roughly 750,000 - the 5th largest in Spain. They say it dates back to around 700 B.C. - one of the oldest cities in the world and the 2nd busiest cruise port on the Iberian Peninsula. With its subtropical-Mediterranean climate, they tell us it has one of the warmest winters in all of Europe. Our weather yesterday was beautiful, though the temp climbed to near 90 - very low humidity though. It reminded us a lot of home, weather-wise that is. Malaga is another in a series of beautiful coastal cities we've visited - have been very impressed with the level of cleanliess experienced so far, and of equal/greater importance to me, the residents have all been very friendly & helpful, even with the language barrier. I have wished many times that I would have been a better Spanish student back in high school. I was really lousy - I never applied myself because I thought it was a waste of time - when will I ever have the need to speak Spanish?? And of course, growing up in Iowa, was I really wrong to think that way back in 60's? My final Spanish grade was a 'D' - and really, my teacher probably should've flunked me all together, but I DID manage to learn how to count to thirty. And I still remember it!
So, we're off in a jeep with some new friends - Don & Heather. Very nice folks, and it was nice to be able to compliment them on their home city (Capetown) because we had a very nice, memorable visit there about 3 years ago - particulaly Tabletop Mountain & a few local vineyards. We drove nearly 100 miles inland and arrived in a small city named Frigiliana. The scenery enoute reminded us a lot of what you see between San Diego & Riverside, CA. - rolling hills with deep canyons, large bolders, & numerous white, adobe structures. The big difference was their massive vegetable gardens covered with tarps - dozens/hundreds dot the landscape, but very attractively constructed. Once in Frigiliana, we roamed the streets for the better part of an hour - many cobblestone. The city is absolutely beautiful and typical of the places we've visited here so far, the streets are narrow and often times very steep. Check the pictures below. But a very picturesque, very quaint community - dripping with class, and probably money too!
Next we visited what is known as "The Lost Villiage". You REALLY have to want to go there. About 30 miles from Frigiliana, the ONLY way to get there is by narrow (one lane) winding roads through the mountains - I'm talking VERY narrow, rocky roads on the very edge of the mountainside - one wrong move and the drop ranged from 1,000 to 1,500 feet, straight down. Several times I wished I'd been driving - a little scary, and not ashamed to admit it. The Lost Villiage only has one family living there, along with their dog and a few donkeys...the other few dwellings were vacant - deserted. It was so quiet there you could hear absolutely nothing...NOTHING. It was like something out of The Twilight Zone - if I were looking for complete solitude or running from law enforecement, that's where I'd go. Wow...a little spooky - you could see the remains of where folks once lived, but they just left or disappeared. Backyard swimming pools full of green, polluted water, swarming with insects - a few stray basketballs & toys scattered in the narrow streets - what happened - what's the story here?? Norman Bates would have loved it. Just 20 minutes or so...we were outta there!
We next drove to a lookout, situated another 20 miles or so up the mountain - we could see for dozens of miles in every direction, and could have gone higher but knew what goes up must come back down...down the mountainside on those narrow, cliffside roads where only one vehicle could pass. So down we went, and finally stopped in the city of Compote where we had some wine & cheese - back in civilization with cobblestone streets and not too far from the main hiway. We finally worked our way back to Malaga. The city itself, again, is beautiful - and the beaches are spectacular. We were amazed that on a Thursday mid-afternoon, thousands of residents lined the sand playing volleyball and enjoying the fabulous weather. With the ship scheduled to set sail at 5:30, we knew we didn't have time for any beach activity but would've really enjoyed it had we planned our day a little better. We were told ahead of time that there were many topless areas though we didn't readily see any - NOT that we were looking, mind you. Rather, it's so very fascinating to observe how different cultures and lifestyles meld together to comprise what we know as our world societies.
Once back on the ship, we showered, dressed for our 5:30 dinner, and by 7:30, I was in bed. Cheryl typically stays up later than I do - I'm not sure what time she finally climbed in, but as I now glance back in the cabin, she's still sleeping peacefully and I probably won't wake her for another couple of hours.
We really enjoyed the day with beautiful weather, incredible sites & two very nice traveling companions.
To Orlin & Barbara, our dear friends from Tennessee whom we met on our Pacific Rim voyage a couple years ago...we've NOT had a single drink in the Ocean Bar. When 4:30 comes each afternoon, we feel as though we should be meeting you two there (along with Trudy) - something's missing - it's just not the same without you here so in your honor, we're not going. And to Debby Bacon, another dear friend who's headline entertainment on the Amsterdam...the Piano Bar's not the same, nor is the talent. There's a gentlemen by the name of 'Joel' who plays several hours each day and while he's good (based on what we've heard in passing) he definitely doesn't have your charm, your personality, nor your TALENT! We've not socialized there either...and won't, in your honor! And to your hubby, Ron, we still have breakfast poolside aft...but we miss you too!
After we arrive in Alicante this morning, we're off to see the Castle of Santa Barbara on top of Mount Benacantil. They tell us it dates back to the 9th century during the period of Muslim control - it sounds interesting and we're looking forward to it.
One final note...internet connectivity on the ship has really been a challenge for us. If I miss a day posting our blog, as I did after our Gibralter visit, you'll understand why. My first attempt - nearly 1 hour trying to upload 250+ photos - it completely froze and I ended up deleting. Yesterday was successful but it still took over 45 minutes...and I cut the transmission from 250 to about 170 photos. I'll be grateful for land-based service in both Rome & Venice! Free WiFi IS available in most ship terminals, but our schedule is such that we really don't have time...or the desire, as we'd rather be out exploring.
We're sailing toward Alicante, Spain, scheduled to arrive at 10:00 this morning. I'm up at my usual 4-4:30am, & Cheryl's still cuddled in bed where she and most other normal people are right now. She left me a very sweet, heart-warming birthday card, and placed on top of the laptop where she knew I'd find it first thing! She's so thoughtful...I only wish I were the person she describes in the card - even half.
Yesterday, once again, we docked in complete darkness. I (we) enjoy sail-ins...you never know what you're gonna get and the views are often times spectacular. So far this journey, we've come up empty. Our favorites still remain Sydney and Rio, in that order. Hong Kong & Singapore are close behind.
Malaga was great! I'm sure many of you art fans know it was the birthplace of Picasso - we could've visited his childhood residence and museum but instead, decided to get a little adventurous and take a jeep (4x4) up into the adjacent mountains. We went with another couple from Capetown, South Africa and had a terrific day! Left the ship about 8:30 and stayed out until 3:30.
First, a little history. Malaga's located on what the 'locals' refer to as Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun) of the Mediterranean Sea...about 60 miles east of the Strait of Gibralter. It is Europes southern-most city with a population of roughly 750,000 - the 5th largest in Spain. They say it dates back to around 700 B.C. - one of the oldest cities in the world and the 2nd busiest cruise port on the Iberian Peninsula. With its subtropical-Mediterranean climate, they tell us it has one of the warmest winters in all of Europe. Our weather yesterday was beautiful, though the temp climbed to near 90 - very low humidity though. It reminded us a lot of home, weather-wise that is. Malaga is another in a series of beautiful coastal cities we've visited - have been very impressed with the level of cleanliess experienced so far, and of equal/greater importance to me, the residents have all been very friendly & helpful, even with the language barrier. I have wished many times that I would have been a better Spanish student back in high school. I was really lousy - I never applied myself because I thought it was a waste of time - when will I ever have the need to speak Spanish?? And of course, growing up in Iowa, was I really wrong to think that way back in 60's? My final Spanish grade was a 'D' - and really, my teacher probably should've flunked me all together, but I DID manage to learn how to count to thirty. And I still remember it!So, we're off in a jeep with some new friends - Don & Heather. Very nice folks, and it was nice to be able to compliment them on their home city (Capetown) because we had a very nice, memorable visit there about 3 years ago - particulaly Tabletop Mountain & a few local vineyards. We drove nearly 100 miles inland and arrived in a small city named Frigiliana. The scenery enoute reminded us a lot of what you see between San Diego & Riverside, CA. - rolling hills with deep canyons, large bolders, & numerous white, adobe structures. The big difference was their massive vegetable gardens covered with tarps - dozens/hundreds dot the landscape, but very attractively constructed. Once in Frigiliana, we roamed the streets for the better part of an hour - many cobblestone. The city is absolutely beautiful and typical of the places we've visited here so far, the streets are narrow and often times very steep. Check the pictures below. But a very picturesque, very quaint community - dripping with class, and probably money too!
Next we visited what is known as "The Lost Villiage". You REALLY have to want to go there. About 30 miles from Frigiliana, the ONLY way to get there is by narrow (one lane) winding roads through the mountains - I'm talking VERY narrow, rocky roads on the very edge of the mountainside - one wrong move and the drop ranged from 1,000 to 1,500 feet, straight down. Several times I wished I'd been driving - a little scary, and not ashamed to admit it. The Lost Villiage only has one family living there, along with their dog and a few donkeys...the other few dwellings were vacant - deserted. It was so quiet there you could hear absolutely nothing...NOTHING. It was like something out of The Twilight Zone - if I were looking for complete solitude or running from law enforecement, that's where I'd go. Wow...a little spooky - you could see the remains of where folks once lived, but they just left or disappeared. Backyard swimming pools full of green, polluted water, swarming with insects - a few stray basketballs & toys scattered in the narrow streets - what happened - what's the story here?? Norman Bates would have loved it. Just 20 minutes or so...we were outta there!
We next drove to a lookout, situated another 20 miles or so up the mountain - we could see for dozens of miles in every direction, and could have gone higher but knew what goes up must come back down...down the mountainside on those narrow, cliffside roads where only one vehicle could pass. So down we went, and finally stopped in the city of Compote where we had some wine & cheese - back in civilization with cobblestone streets and not too far from the main hiway. We finally worked our way back to Malaga. The city itself, again, is beautiful - and the beaches are spectacular. We were amazed that on a Thursday mid-afternoon, thousands of residents lined the sand playing volleyball and enjoying the fabulous weather. With the ship scheduled to set sail at 5:30, we knew we didn't have time for any beach activity but would've really enjoyed it had we planned our day a little better. We were told ahead of time that there were many topless areas though we didn't readily see any - NOT that we were looking, mind you. Rather, it's so very fascinating to observe how different cultures and lifestyles meld together to comprise what we know as our world societies.
Once back on the ship, we showered, dressed for our 5:30 dinner, and by 7:30, I was in bed. Cheryl typically stays up later than I do - I'm not sure what time she finally climbed in, but as I now glance back in the cabin, she's still sleeping peacefully and I probably won't wake her for another couple of hours.
We really enjoyed the day with beautiful weather, incredible sites & two very nice traveling companions.
To Orlin & Barbara, our dear friends from Tennessee whom we met on our Pacific Rim voyage a couple years ago...we've NOT had a single drink in the Ocean Bar. When 4:30 comes each afternoon, we feel as though we should be meeting you two there (along with Trudy) - something's missing - it's just not the same without you here so in your honor, we're not going. And to Debby Bacon, another dear friend who's headline entertainment on the Amsterdam...the Piano Bar's not the same, nor is the talent. There's a gentlemen by the name of 'Joel' who plays several hours each day and while he's good (based on what we've heard in passing) he definitely doesn't have your charm, your personality, nor your TALENT! We've not socialized there either...and won't, in your honor! And to your hubby, Ron, we still have breakfast poolside aft...but we miss you too!
After we arrive in Alicante this morning, we're off to see the Castle of Santa Barbara on top of Mount Benacantil. They tell us it dates back to the 9th century during the period of Muslim control - it sounds interesting and we're looking forward to it.
One final note...internet connectivity on the ship has really been a challenge for us. If I miss a day posting our blog, as I did after our Gibralter visit, you'll understand why. My first attempt - nearly 1 hour trying to upload 250+ photos - it completely froze and I ended up deleting. Yesterday was successful but it still took over 45 minutes...and I cut the transmission from 250 to about 170 photos. I'll be grateful for land-based service in both Rome & Venice! Free WiFi IS available in most ship terminals, but our schedule is such that we really don't have time...or the desire, as we'd rather be out exploring.
1 comment:
Hi Bob & Cheryl, We appreciate your not going to the Ocean Bar without us there to share it. We felt the same way on the Veendam Caribbean Cruise last April when you guys weren't there. We are enjoying your blog of the cruise and superb writing style! Tonight we are toasting you to a Happy Birthday. Cheers, Orlin and Barbara
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