Sue and I have taken a number of TransAtlantic cruises over the last decade; we especially like the days at sea. There is a lot positive to be said about cruising, but there are certainly drawbacks. Over the years, we have become less able to deal with the drawbacks, so we are resolved not to go on another, but I think I said that the last time.
Anyway we flew to the East Coast and met up with Sue’s brother, John, and his wife, Bonnie. our companions for this cruise as they have been in years past. Our ship, the Norwegian Escape was to leave from NYC on September 26th–we, the ship, and a fierce Nor’easter all arrived the night before.
Not to be deterred, we boarded the ship that morning, despite the wind and the rain. Boarding was a nightmare–that’s all you need to hear, but know that it is tough for anyone, and if you are unsteady on your feet and tire easily, the two to three hour wait to board was not what we expected, but by late afternoon, we and are luggage were finally reunited in Cabin 9246. That’s about half way up the the 17 decks on this monster of a ship. Picture a block long, twenty story building floating on the ocean, loaded with 4000 passengers and 1600 crew. (You can see the Escape in the background of the top picture above.)
The weather did delay our departure until the next day, when we finally set sail for Halifax, Nova Scotia, the first port in our 16 day voyage. Halifax is a very nice small city, very worth a short visit. I especially enjoyed seeing the graveyard where more than two hundred unidentified victims from the sinking of the Titanic are buried and memorialized. That evening we turned almost due East, heading to our next port of call, Punta del Gado, Azores, Portugal. (If you look on a map, you will see that th Azores and thus the Iberian Peninsula are just a bit South of East of Nova Scotia, something of a surprise to me.)
We sailed on that course for the next six days, each day we awoke up having gained an hour on the clock and lost an hour of sleep. After five days this begins to tell on you physically. Otherwise, it was delightful being in the open ocean with only the sea and sky about you. One of the best features of the Escape was Deck Eight which offers a 1/4 mile walking promenade completely circling the ship. Most days I was able to walk about two miles, countering somewhat the effects of three rich meals (with dessert, of course) and unlimited bar access. Without this opportunity, I am sure I would have gained 10 pounds or more.
Because of high winds and seas, we were unable to dock at Porto del Gado, so we steamed on to Madeira, Portugal. If you haven’t been to Madeira, you should go. The uninhabited island, which is several hundred miles out in the Atlantic west of the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, was discovered and colonization by the Portuguese in the early 15th century, first exploited for its forests, then sugar, wine, and finally now as a tourist Mecca. A dormant volcano, it is a green oasis rising some 6000 feet out of the Atlantic, with lovely year round weather and fewer tourists than I feared. We fortunately found a great taxi driver who drove us all around the island in his very comfortable Mercedes van.
Another sea day (and another lost hour of sleep) took us to Gibraltar. Gibraltar, a British protectorate since the 18th century, is not as quaint nor as interesting as Madeira, and the tour we took really didn’t show us too much of the “Rock” or its famous monkeys, but we did have a wonderful English high tea, including delicious scones, strawberry jam, and clotted cream.
Our next stop was Melilla, an autonomous Spanish city in North Africa. Again we found a taxi driver who drove us around the town and countryside, even showing us the very tall stone wall and barbed wire fence that separates the city from it neighbor Morocco. Very recently, Melilla and a similar autonomous city, Ceuta, have been subjected to waves of Moroccan youths swimming from Morocco to the city seeking refuge. Most have been sent back home, but some have gained temporary refuge, all adding to Spain’s recent political instability. All was quiet when were there, and we enjoyed a peaceful glimpse of life in the “European island in Africa.”
The next port where we chose to go ashore was Ibiza, Spain. Ibiza is well known for its nightlife and electronic dance music club scene in the summer, which attracts large numbers of tourists. The island’s government and the Spanish Tourist Office have worked toward promoting more family-oriented tourism. Our lovely taxi driver, Susanna did point out to us several “discos” as she called them, as we drove around, but we much preferred the Old Town and its medieval homes and churches. She was a delightful host, and I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to converse with her in Spanish.
We enjoyed Ibiza, but we were disappointed with Palma, Mallorca. The island is clearly being swamped with tourists, especially from cruise ships, like our. The day we were there, it was impossible to get a cab, and we were told that the hop on/hop off bus would not pick people up and left a number of people stranded. We did manage to see an interesting finca, Els Calderas, which reminded us of some of the haciendas we have seen in Mexico over the years.
Mallorca, I think epitomizes a real problem greatly exacerbate by the cruise ship industry. In the past, cruise ships were much smaller and primarily carried well-to-do people from one place to another, often in luxury. Today, the ships seem to be on steroids, seemingly growing bigger ever yea with each iteration. Instead of carrying 900 passengers, some of them carry four or five thousand passengers and 1500+ crew. Image being Venice or Mallorca or Santorini and four or five of these behemoths descend upon your community day after day. No wonder some of these places are beginning to push back. Cruise day-trippers really bring relatively little to the local communities.
Barcelona was our last stop, and we had a lovely time there, despite the crowds. Recently, there have been demonstrations against tourists and tourism in the city. After taking in a tour of La Sagrada Familia, I can well understand the sentiment. We had previously visited the beautiful church about a decade ago and were fortunate enough to view it when there were only a few fellow tourists, so we could appreciate its beauty and grandeur. My brother in law, John, had wanted to see it again as he had heard that it was to be finished this year. It isn’t and won’t be for another twenty years. This time, the crowds were horrendous and daunting, diminishing one’s appreciation of the architect, Antoni Gaudí, and his dream of a church to glorify Jesus and the Holy Family. Should you visit Barcelona, I don’t think I would recommend touring it.
That aside, I would have to say that our short two day visit to Barcelona was a wonderful end to our adventure. We very much enjoyed our hotel, Arc La Rambla. As the name implies it is located on La Rambla, a beautiful pedestrian street that winds through the old part of the city. La Rambla, however, is currently being torn up, to replace failing utility lines and bring the area into the 21st century.
That aside, we had some lovely meals, delicious gelato, a stroll through the most incredible outdoor market, and great sangría. And the highlight of our stay has to be our two hour TukTuk tour of the city, led by a recently arrived immigrant from Georgia (the country, not the state). He and his wife spent years saving money and filling out forms to qualify to emigrate. But they are happy; life is a lot freer in Spain than a Russia dominated Georgia.
We saw so much of the city, often up close and personal, we and were able to avoid the hordes of tourists, for the most part. We laughed so much as we rollicked along through Barcelona’s busy streets and then climbed to the highest point in the city for a spectacular view of the city. What a nice way to finish our stay in Barcelona and our Cruise.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself. We have had so many incredible opportunities to see and enjoy this beautiful world of ours.
