The flight over was the usual ordeal....somewhere over Iceland I fell asleep and woke up as we were over Scotland - so I maybe got 2 hours sleep. We landed in Frankfurt which was very large and very busy. I also don't think I've seen so many 747's in one place. I was looking forward to some German food while we waited for our next flight, bu the only place we found was a Chinese noodle place - go figure. At least we had some German beer (which Chris hated).
Barcelona airport was easily the most modern looking airport I've ever seen. The entire place was under a huge wavy ceiling that was very cool looking. We got our bags and found our driver who was holding up a sign with our names on it. I've always wanted to be one of 'those' people :)
A short ride and we were at our hotel. Our room is amazing! We have the penthouse suite and it is something right out of one of my Trends magazine with it's modern, square, houses. We have wonderful views, the location is great being that it's only a block from the Metro, and the staff have been wonderful. At $1500 a night one expects nothing short of perfection, and they've more than delivered.
The weather has been great. I'm not sure what the temperature has been, but I got up at dawn and was outside with just my shorts and I'm now typing this as the sun is setting and I'm still wearing shorts. At midday it was hot, but not uncomfortably so. There always seems to be a nice cooling breeze coming in from the ocean. Still I wouldn't want to be here during summer. I'm pretty sure Chris and I wouldn't like it so much then.
Today was our only full day here. We had breakfast at the hotel which was superb. The older lady who served us and who didn't speak much English gave Chris a kiss on the cheek as we left. I've found there hasn't been as much of a language barrier here as there was in say Paris. Most people speak some English. Probably because Barcelona is such a popular tourist destination.
After we ate we took the metro to the Temple. Pictures don't do this place justice. When we walked in we had goose bumps it was so beautiful. I would say it easily puts Notre Dame to shame. Thankfully we took the advice of the hotel manager and got there early as it was a gong show when we left with all the tour buses having showed up.
From there we had a bite to eat and hopped on the Metro (which we're now masters of) and went to the beach and harbor area. The beach itself was nice. It wasn't huge but it was packed with mostly locals enjoying themselves. Of course being Europe many women were topless - which I thought was a nice touch. Chris got the prerequisite picture of me standing in the Mediterranean and then we took a gondola ride across the harbor. This was a big deal for her as those things scare the he'll out of her.
We then went and ate yet again before heading back to our room. We were both bagged from all the walking and were still a bit jet lagged so we laid down for a little nap (Chris is still sleeping). Tonight we're going to go to a bar which is on Tibidabo Mountain and have some bevies while looking at the city below. Then we'll end the night in our hot tub. Yup vacations are hell....
In the morning we took a cab up to the top of Tibidabo Mountain. We had a couple beers and took in the view. From there you can see the entire city below. There's also a beautiful cathedral there which you can climb and get all the way to the top - of course I just had to do that. For two Euros an elevator took you up to the first level and from there you had to take the stairs, all 248 of them!
After returning to the hotel to grab our luggage we caught our shuttle to the ship. Although we had priority boarding, from what I could tell it wasn't needed. There were no lineups of people. I'm guessing most were already on board.
Cruise
A few days ago I realized that even though we had the best cabin on the ship I wouldn't be able to enjoy one of my favorite things about cruising. I absolutely love leaning on the balcony railing and just staring into the water below. Hearing the crash of the waves and feeling the salty breeze go by. As we're in the middle of the ship I wouldn't be able to do that.
However I love that we have floor to ceiling windows (which thankfully are mirrored) which overlooks the main pool area. I also love our two private balconies which are great for people watching. We have our own private stairway leading to our cabin, which is on our own private deck (15), which we get to from one group of elevators via our room key.
Then there's all the perks that come with our status - reservations when and wherever we want, getting seated at the best tables, reserved seating at the shows, priority disembarkation, three 40 oz bottles of booze, two bottles of wine, a butler, concierge, and cleaning staff and on and on. Yup, feeling pretty important right now :)
We hadn't really planned anything for Casablanca. The one ship excursion i really liked was the overnight trip to Marrakech, but considering how much we were paying for our cabin we figured we should spend as much time in it as possible. I knew I wanted to see the Hassan Mosque which is the largest mosque outside of Saudi Arabia. So when we got in the taxi we went there. The first driver we approached would only take us on a 'tour', so we picked someone else. The mosque was fabulous and massive. It was interesting comparing it to Christian cathedrals which are full of statues and paintings. Because depictions of the prophet Mohamed are forbidden you only have script in Arabic to look at. We sat outside for a bit and rested. It was surreal sitting there and realizing that we were hanging out in Africa.
From there we went and ate at Ricks Cafe, made famous in the movie Casablanca. It is very touristy and not indicative of an authentic Moroccan experience, but we didn't care as it allowed us to have a drink (in a Muslim country). Plus the food was really good.
Agadir was explained as being more modern and progressive. In reality it was the same, just with more foreign owned hotels grouped together forming a tourist district. Our shuttle dropped us off downtown and we were immediately accosted by a taxi driver to take us in a tour. This time we agreed as he seemed nice and spoke pretty good English (Morocco is mostly French and Arabic).
Our first stop was the Kasbah which was on top off one of the hills overlooking the city. As expected there were camels at the top which you could ride as well as snakes you could hold and have your picture taken with. The locals there were very pushy and would attach themselves to you as a 'guide' and expect payment. Others would almost literally put trinkets in your hand so you'd buy them. We had one guy who had a cute baby goat which he offered you to take a picture of - of course he wanted money. When I repeatedly said no, he finally said it'd be free. So I took a picture. As we were leaving he demanded money for the picture.
So there was a lot of that. At least in Mexico when you told the people trying to sell you stuff no they'd leave you alone. We knew that we'd have to deal with that when we went ashore but it was still a bit annoying. Our guide was really nice though and we gave him a good tip.
While I probably wouldn't come back to Morocco it was definitely interesting and I'm glad we came.
I'm annoyed and pissed off right now. First off the weather sucked, it was slightly chilly and overcast - of course now that we're about to leave the sun has decided to come out. To save money after spending so much in Morocco we decided to catch the Hop On Hop Off bus, although it was still roughly 50 bucks. Of course the rest of the ship also thought that was a great idea and we ended up waiting at least 30 mins to get on.
Then we sat in traffic as the audio guide droned on about nothing overly interesting. Even though we managed to sit at the top of the bus which was open air, the movement and the people around me made it almost impossible to get decent pictures. Eventually we got off near the historic part of the city and grabbed a bite to eat. We had no idea what we order but it was pretty tasty and the local beer was good.
The one thing I really wanted to do here was go see the Maspalomas which are gorgeous sand dunes overlooking the ocean. However it just wasn't practical. It was on the other side of the island and would have cost us 75 bucks to take a taxi there (and again to come back). And time was also a concern as we had to be back on the ship in a few hours.
We found out we could catch a bus there and spent an hour trying to find the right one. By this time Chris was worn out so we said fuck it and came back to the ship. I didn't even get a bloody postcard. I'm sure the Canary Islands would be great to come to and spend a week at a resort. But having just over 5 hours in port wasn't enough time to do anything meaningful. Overall a very frustrating day.
Last night was crazy. I woke up at 3am and thought the cabin was going to fly from the ship. Everything was shaking and rattling, but the worst was the howling wind. I turned on the TV to see the ship's report and it showed Gale force winds and heavy seas.
Arriving at Madeira Island. The morning was so stressful that I just wanted to smash something. We were late getting off the ship, I couldn't find the name of the beach I wanted to go to, and the walk to get out of the port area and into the city was miles long. Then we couldn't find where we were supposed to go for our helicopter ride. We found a pay phone and tried to get directions and after several phone calls found out that they had cancelled our trip due to mechanical issues. The only thing we had booked on our entire cruise got canceled and had we known earlier it would have saved us an immense amount of stress. Apparently they tried to email us but had the wrong address and they also tried getting a hold of us on the ship but couldn't get through.
At this point I was so upset I just want to go home. This stop was the one I was looking forward to the most and it was going to shit.
We wandered down the main street and ended taking a gondola up one of the mountainsides. It was then that I really noticed how incredibly beautiful the island was. After checking things out at the top we flagged down a cab. I wanted to know how far one of the beaches I really wanted to go to was and was dismayed when the driver told me it'd be 90 mins to get there, as yet again it was on the other side of the island (and we only had a few hours before we had to be back). So we instead had him take us to Lido beach which was another one I had found online that looked cool.
So we spent the rest of our day just hanging out overlooking the beach and gazing out at the ocean. I had wanted to go swimming, but there were no change rooms (all the locals just showed up prepared) and Chris was worried about all the rocks. So we just relaxed, had lunch and a few bevies, and just took in the gorgeous view. Despite the previous setbacks we absolutely fell in love with Madeira. It's one of the most unique places we've visited, easily one of the most beautiful, and the weather was perfect.
We definitely want to come back some day.
Finally a decent sea day. The waves are calm and it's warm with a nice cool breeze. We've mostly relaxed today but we did manage to go to the art auction. And predictably we bought something - three embellished prints by an artist named Brondzinski. In addition to seeing a variety of paintings it was also informative as I now know what an embellished print actually is :) Tonight is our fancy dinner at the steak house. I'm thinking some Lobster might be in order. After that we'll probably go for a tub.
Last night we went to the White Hot Party which is where everyone wears white and is in black light. It was pretty fun. They had professional dancers which started things off and other people who went through the crowd to get people pumped up. It obviously worked as the dance floor was packed. Chris even managed to drag me up for a few dances.
Our last stop was in Malaga, Spain. This apparently is where Spanish people go to vacation in the country. It was a perfect day. No issues, no stress, great weather. We finally decided to do a ship excursion - leisurely Malaga. It consisted of driving around the city, doing a scenic stop as well as stopping for refreshments. Half way through we decided to go it alone as by then we had a good idea of where everything we wanted to see was located.
We wandered through the narrow, twisty streets checking out various stores. While Chris browsed I went and found Pablo Picasso's home. From there we stopped and sampled the local brew and then my eyes lit up as I saw the Alcazaba. A Moorish fortress they were still in the process of excavating. I was in heaven exploring it. I was literally giddy as I ran up and down the ramparts taking photo after photo. We only saw a portion but it was huge, extending all the way up the mountainside. It made Dover Castle look lame in comparison.
We then went on a horse drawn carriage which took us around the city. Loving animals as I do, when we were leaving I extended my hand for the horse to muzzle and the grumpy beast tried to eat my hand! No tip for him. We headed back to the ship, had some wobblies on our deck and took in some sun until we pulled out of port.
While the ship was supposed to be identical to our last ship, the Pearl, it had some minor differences. Having our cabin allowed me to avoid everything I dislike about cruising - the lineups, the crowds, trying to find a deck chair when they've all been 'claimed' since 8am etc. We could do what we wanted, when we wanted, all in privacy while being able to observe everyone else.
We saw a couple shows. One was a musical and the other a Cirque type show. We both loved the musical, but were a bit let down by the other one. It was ambitious and had great sets, lighting, and acrobats performing over the crowd. But there was a magic act component which was a bit lame. Still, these shows seem to keep getting better and better.
Gambling wise we lost money but at least had fun doing it. I finally got a wheel spin on Wheel of Fortune and won $50, while Chris won $100 on an Aliens vs Predator slot machine. I also won two pair of dice on one of those 'slidy coin' games :)
As always happens we ran into a number of people at the beginning of the cruise which for any number of reasons stood out to us and which we then kept seeing throughout our trip. The first was a fat couple we saw walking by. I started calling them Mike & Molly and then we'd try and spot them everyday. If we hadn't seen them for awhile we'd get concerned about them. There was also a Dutch guy that was at the poolside bar almost every night. We chatted him up one night and found he'd been to Calgary and the Stampede. Then there was 'Tub Girl'. She was a 27 year old hotty who's day consisted of going from the hot tub to the bar, to the tub, to get some food, to the tub, to the bar etc. etc. etc.
The makeup of the ship was mostly older people, with some younger families. The nationalities were mostly German, then French, then British and the rest fairly evenly split between Canadians and Americans.
I'm happy to say that I resisted temptation and didn't drink to excess. There was only one night I drank more than I should have and woke up in the middle of the night feeling crappy. I managed to find that right balance of having fun but not over doing it.
I also managed to walk about 2 miles per day on the jogging track, in addition to all the walking onshore. Then there was all the stairs. I did some rough calculations and between not taking the elevator all the time and the walk up to our cabin we easily climbed over two thousand stairs on the ship alone.
Overall this was a great cruise. We liked the ship, the food, the entertainment, and especially being treated like royalty. While we had a couple of so so port stops the other ones more than made up for them. Most of all I loved the uniqueness of our itinerary and being able to visit Africa.
Italy
We have one day left and this is the first opportunity I've had to update this journal. Our visit got off to a rocky start. It had been a long day of traveling and we were both exhausted and getting snappy with each other. On top of that I was sick with a cold. From day one it seemed like everyone in Europe was sick. Despite my best efforts I finally succumbed as well. Chris thinks it's because I didn't will myself to be happy, I think it's because people are disgusting pigs, spreading disease wherever they go....but I digress.
The hotel we picked to spend the night before going to Florence was cheap and close to Termini Station. We thought we knew what to expect. That night I had the worst sleep of my life, maybe getting 2 hours rest. The combination of an uncomfortable bed, not being able to breathe, and road noise made me want to come home at that point. It was the low point of our vacation :(
In the morning we hopped on the train to Florence and I slept on the way. Our room was terrific and we were soon able to put our initial bad experience behind us. It was fun exploring the city. Every street was narrow with the buildings rising high up above. And none of the streets were straight, they all twisted and turned and it was very easy to get lost. We were also impressed with the massive wooden doors each building had. Everything was so different from what we were used to.
Then there was the traffic! Every time we got in a cab Chris was sure we were going to get in an accident. In Italy there really are no lanes. People make it up as they go and there are very few stop lights. Pedestrians weave in and out of traffic and you soon become accustomed to walking among the cars and scooters narrowly missing you as they go past.
We wandered around the city and had our first authentic Italian cuisine and our first of many Cappuccinos. Being that we were in Italy we also had to sample some wine. So we downed a couple bottles while we watched the finale of Italian Big Brother. In the morning we went to the Uffizi gallery. We got there just as they opened and there already was a massive lineup - an electronic sign indicated a two hour wait. Chris scouted ahead and found out that if you paid extra you could go in right away. I don't know if the other people just didn't realize that or if they just liked standing in line.
Of course what I really wanted to see was the Statue of David. So I asked someone who worked there where it was - only to be told we were in the wrong place. The statue was at the Accademia Gallery instead. So what the hell were people waiting two hours in line to see? Paintings. And lots of them by all kinds of different artists throughout history. There were also a number of statues and sculptures. We did find Botticelli's Venus painting which was pretty cool. Chris took a picture, but the minders gave her shit (even with the flash being off), so we couldn't get a better one. After we were done at the museum we hit up the leather market and Chris got some stuff for the girls.
Florence was very pretty and I wish we had another day there.
Pisa and it's famous tower were only an hour away by train. So we did the math and determined we had enough time before we had to catch our train back to Rome. So off we went. Only problem was the train we went on was slower than the other ones and it actually took 90 mins to get there. We now had just 30 minutes to get to the tower, take pictures, and get back to the train station. Otherwise we'd be screwed.
....and we couldn't find a cab anywhere. After missing seeing the Statue of David I was sure we'd also miss seeing the Tower after going through so much to get there. But a cab finally came by and we hopped in. The Tower itself was impressive but I only had enough time to take a few pictures before we had to race back. I wish i had been able to go inside. We literally ran to catch the train and we got on with just a few minutes to spare. Chris and I joked that it was like we were on the Amazing Race.
Culinary Observations
- you get a big basket of bread, but no bread plates, no butter. Just bread. - once you get your meal they leave you alone. They only come if you wave them down. - eating dinner at 10pm is perfectly normal. - restaurants don't open until 12:30. - olives on pizza come whole, not sliced, and pizzas don't come sliced. - oranges are actually red inside - most importantly, no matter where you eat or when, you're meal will cost € 65
Our last night in Rome and we're both beat. While overwhelming at first, you soon get into the groove of things. You could easily spend a week here and not see half of everything. It's also hugely crowded and packed with tourists - constant, non stop.
I got to see some amazing things, but what impressed me the most was the Pantheon. Chris and I literally stumbled across it our first night wandering around. We came around a corner and there it was all lit up. It's hard to put into words why it connected with me so much. The best I can do is to say that it had such an immense 'presence' to it. Upon seeing it you instantly knew it was special - even from all the other famous buildings here. When we got to wander inside it the next day I was simply in awe. Being inside something that was built before Christ was born was surreal.
Going to the Vatican was interesting. For whatever reason I was a bit let down by the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo's famous painted ceiling. I get what a great achievement it is, but I've come to realize since being here that architecture and sculpture interest me much more than paintings do. St. Peter's was huge. Unbelievably so. But beyond the size it was gloomy and felt like a tomb. Which is an interesting contrast to the temple in Barcelona which was so incredibly beautiful. It was a bit creepy looking at the remains of some of the Popes lying in rest. They were mummified and you could see exactly what they looked like when they died. I wanted to go see the tomb of Pope John II who I got to see when I was a kid, but access to the crypts beneath the cathedral was restricted.
This morning we went and saw the Coliseum. We took the Metro to the stop there and as we climbed up the stairs to go outside there it was. Of course it was swarming with tourists. In fact that's why so many pictures that I've taken here are at such a high angle. This was the only way I could get pictures that weren't full of people's heads. Unfortunately we didn't go inside as there was a huge lineup.
From there we went to the Piazza Venetian which I really liked. While a relatively new building by Roman standards it was impressive. Chris waited at the bottom while I ran around like a crazy person taking pictures of everything. Again, I wish we had more time here to take it all in.
Now we're relaxing before we start packing.
This has been an awesome vacation. I feel so incredibly blessed that I've been able to go to so many amazing places over the years. I love Europe so much. If i was to move to anywhere outside of Canada it'd be here. Chris has also been a trooper. Despite all the walking being hard for her she toughed it out. We both really needed this. It's going to suck going home and back to reality.
Update: A fitting end to our trip. We're watching the local TV station and the Pope is giving mass for Good Friday - at the Coliseum. Just a 20 minute walk away! We were just there a few hours earlier. We saw them setting stuff up but didn't know what it was for. I assumed all this would have been happening at the Vatican. It was very moving watching this live, so close to us, and after just having been there. After having suppressed my feelings for almost three weeks it triggered a bunch of emotions within me...
