Aloha 3.0-Arrecife, Lanzarote

My first thought this morning when looking out at Arrecife was "if we ever colonize the moon it will look like this". 

All the buildings are white and no more than a few stories high. Other than a few palm trees there's not a tree or anything green in sight. 

Needless to say the first impression wasn't very positive. It didn't take too long once we were off the ship before I realized just how wrong I was about that first impression. 

What we soon found was a big "WOW" to the point we've already started plotting our return. 

Shortly after we left the ship we learned we could rent bikes cheaply and that there was a long, flat paved bike path (24 kilometers long) along the coast running through Arrecife to Puerto del Carmen. 

What we found the entire journey there and back was spectacular. Blue water with golden sand beaches in some areas and lava like rock beaches were on one side of the path. On the other side there were often small white beach bungalows and sidewalk cafes that were doing a bustling Sunday afternoon business with a mix of locals and visitors. There was a little bit of a Greek, Moroccan feel mixed in with the Spanish influence creating a feel as unique as the barren moon like mountainous backdrop. 

Amazing place!

Tidal Area in Arrecife-When we arrived this was completely empty

Along the Promenade-Great Bike Path that went for 24 Km

Going to go back and stay in something like this sometime

No, I didn't bury Beth in the rocks.  These were along the beach and were actually built to block the wind.  They were big enough inside for 2-4 people to lay down and enjoy the sun on a windy day

Aloha 2.0-Santa Cruz & San Cristobal de la Laguna, Tenerife

It's been a super Saturday on the island of Tenerife. The real irony and something that makes the Canary Islands seem more like Hawaii is that I am sitting here in Tenerife looking out and I can still see Gran Canaria island in the distance. So we really didn't travel too far at all. I'm no expert and my google maps is turned off but I'd guess it's about 30 miles away. Maybe I'll bring my paddle board next time!

I'm pretty sure that late last night we just cut the engines and drifted for a few hours. I guess I should have brought a fishing rod as well. 

As soon as we were off the ship this morning we headed for what turned out to be a fabulous bargain. We were docked in Santa Cruz which was still waking up when we set off around 9:00 am (Spain doesn't start it's days too early).  For around $1.30 each we took a forty minute tram (street car) ride to the UNESCO world heritage city of San Cristobal de la Laguna. 

The ride was very scenic as we passed small communities, a major university and climbed  higher into the mountains. When we arrived the town was also still waking up. It was around 10:00 now and as you have probably figured out Spain stays up late and sleeps in even on "business days".  Most of the small businesses even in the larger cities still have siesta time for 2-3 hours in the afternoon. Nothing wrong with that concept!

The town had a very interesting cathedral and bell tower.  It has maintained it's original layout from the year 1500. 

While it was fairly warm in Santa Cruz where we caught the tram we had climbed quite a bit. Walking the streets of Laguna we were kind of chilly. Of course the locals had on coats and jackets while we were parading around in shorts. 

After a bit of roaming we headed back to the tram station for the ride back to Santa Cruz. 

We got off the tram at the main pedestrian street Calle de Castillo.  Shops, restaurants and cafes were now open and doing a bustling business on a late Saturday morning/early afternoon. 

At the local market we bought killer beef empanadas and a stuffed potato that rivals those we get in Ybor City (Tampa).  We enjoyed these while sitting on a bench in the middle of the market enjoying a variety of sights, sounds and smells. 

The day wrapped up with more of the national drink of Spain, (sangria of course)fresh olive tapas and a leisurely stroll down the beautiful tree lined waterfront promenade..squeezing every bit out of the day as possible. 

Speaking of squeezing every bit of the day, I think a couple of folks might have enjoyed the day a little too much and been left behind. 

When the captain says we leave at 4:00 you'd better be on board. It's 152 miles to Lanzarote, that's a long swim!

The National Drink of Spain plus some outstanding olives

There were several trees with these crocheted wraps on them, pretty cool looking

Entrance to the Public Market

Bell Tower-San Cristobal de la Laguna

Aloha from the Canary Islands

 No, I'm not geographically challenged and I'm not confusing languages. Just a little play on words.
For the next few days we will be visiting various Canary Islands.
These islands are a part of Spain. So in a way these are to Spain what the Hawaiian islands are to the US, hence the "aloha"!
We'll be visiting Santa Cruz, Tenerife and Arrecife, Lanzarote in the next two days. Right now we're sitting on our balcony overlooking Las Palmas, Gran Canary Island.
Tenerife is the largest of the islands but the majority of residents live on Gran Canary Island and Las Palmas is the largest city on the island and actually the ninth largest city in Spain.
As with most of our days we really didn't start off with a plan or objective other than to see where our feet were going to take us.
It was a short walk into the very lively business district and just a few minutes later we were on the familiar beachfront promenade of Playa de las Canteras.
Because it was a little cloudy today the "golden sand" appeared a little brownish. On a sunny day I can see how it would live up to the "golden sand" described in the brochures.
We hit the 2+ mile promenade pretty much in the middle and turned right which took us far beyond the end of the promenade along a cliff side walk and down to another path over what was obviously an old lava field.
We learned from a very chatty older gentlemen from the U.K. that we were actually walking near the rim of a long dormant (thankfully) volcano. I appreciated the information and in return tried to assure him that President Trump wasn't likely to go out and start a war just for the heck of it and even if he did it most certainly wouldn't be with one of our strongest allies.
I'm not sure I convinced him but I did my best.
Speaking of wars. I'm not a real history buff but I do know that way back the Spanish Armada had quite a reputation until they went into battle. Once engaged they didn't fair much better than my Gators in recent years against the big boys like Alabama and Florida State.
I think I figured out by looking at one of their current navy boats that they still might have an issue.
Look closely at the picture of the ship. It's hard to see but there is only one gun and it's located on the front of the ship. It can at best protect about 1/4 of the ship.  Hope nobody sneaks up from the back or side!
To sum up this rambling, we had a great day hiking along a magnificent coast line. We  probably covered 10-12 miles stopping frequently for sitting and staring out at the waves which were breaking along both sandy beaches and rocky shorelines depending on our location.

This was near the turnaround point on our walk.  On the far right is an old gun installation to protect the port

Spanish Navy-One small gun on the front of the ship that may be hard to see.  I hope they don't get attacked from the side or rear

Two salty old dudes

Along the promenade-this was actually a part of a small cafe

Walking partner-This was along the Cliffside part of the trail

The Doors of Old Funchal

Funchal is the largest city on the Portuguese island of Maderia. 

According to a local we talked with there are about 260,000 residents on the entire island. I would guess that a little more than half live in Funchal. 

We had visited here a few years ago and enjoyed it. We were able to see a bit more today and can't wait to come back. 

Funchal is a centrally located coastal city.  It seems like you can drive to any destination on the island in about an hour and a half. Looks like there are some great coastal towns/fishing villages to explore. 

In the "old town" section of Funchal the doors of many houses and shops are colorfully painted. Enjoy the sample of pictures. More will be posted later. 

In the words of a famous former Governor...."I'll be back"




Not sure I'd want to go home to this one every day!

We have a controversy on our hands!

The first few hours after leaving Barcelona we were rocking and rolling a bit on the high seas. Not horrible but a bit bouncy. 

We're heading south so in addition to the seas calming the temperature has been going up gradually. 

We passed the Rock of Gibraltar around 6:00 last night. Shortly thereafter we were in the Atlantic Ocean. Today it's sunny and around 65 here in  the North African country of Morocco. 

We broke with tradition and actually did a ship sponsored tour. 

It has actually allowed us to get out of the port and industrial city of Casablanca and see some of the surprisingly lush green agricultural region as we made our way to the city of Rabat. 

Although it is located on the coast as well Rabat is not a port town. It is the home of most of the government offices for the country as well as the Royal palace. 

Like England there continues to be a royal family but it is more of a tradition than actual authority. 

In Rabat we visited the Royal Palace as well as a kasbah and a medina. For those who are interested a kasbah is a walled or fortress city with only one gate whereas a medina is a walled city with many gates. 

The kasbah was quite interesting because it contained ruins from the 14th century and if you hadn't have known where you were you would have thought you were in Rome. 

The medina was much larger. In some areas there were the narrow alleyways like those in many of the older European cities and there was another small area that was white buildings with blue roofs like the Greek islands. 

After a very nice lunch we're now heading back to Casablanca. Which like any city with over 5 million residents is a little noisy and congested. 

Things we learned and observed:

Morocco is a Muslim country, but as our tour guide pointed out is very secular. "There's a road to the mosque and a road to the bar....you choose" was his way of describing it. 

Children are taught both Arabic and French. 

The minarets on the mosques are square instead of the more traditional round shape because North Africa was never under Turkish rule. 

A local would never refer to Casablanca by it's full name. It would simply be Casa. 

Our guide proclaimed Morocco is the phosphate capital of the world. Now I didn't want to correct him and start an international incident but "Phosphate Capital of the World" is Mulberry's claim to fame and we're not giving up that title to anyone. 

A small but significant victory!

Saturday around 11:00 we left the hotel and made our way towards the ship. It was a little chilly, a bit windy with a very light drizzle. Perfect weather to throw on the backpacks and walk to the ship!
We didn't get hot and it did give us the chance to get a nice walk in before starting back on the floating food fest.
The last cruise we had a cabin with a window that was located at the front of the ship on deck six. This cruise we have a balcony room mid-ship on deck nine. We don't always have a window or balcony room but they sure are nice. On the other hand, an inside room with the lights out instantly becomes a cave which is great for napping.
The Norwegian Spirit is by today's cruise ship standards a mid-size ship. I haven't been on any of the new mega ships but I don't think they would be my style. Beth did an "old lady cruise"on one  called the Norwegian Epic a few years ago and was not impressed.
Now the name "old lady cruise" is not some back handed swipe at some aging women. This is the name she, her mom (NaNa) and her two sisters have used for years to describe their adventures. By sea it was an "old lady cruise" and on land they were "old lady trips". They've done a bunch of them and had some great times.
We were scheduled to sail at 6:00 PM for Valencia but learned upon checking in that the itinerary had changed. Due to VERY rough seas from Barcelona to Valencia we would not sail until noon on Sunday and head straight to Morocco arriving Tuesday morning.
Our level of disappointment in skipping Valencia was minimal since we were there just last Sunday. We were even less disappointed as we watched waves crashing over the 15-20 foot sea wall on the outside of the port. Some folks might have been upset but no arguments from us for staying safely docked in Barcelona.
We could have gotten off and went back into town but we were happy to be inside the warm and friendly confines of the Spirit especially with free food and entertainment readily available!
We did leave at noon today under dreary looking conditions with some pretty rough water. We've been in worse water and the captain is promising improving conditions overnight.
Oh by the way, I did it!  To the best of my knowledge everything that I unpacked at the hotel was repacked and made it to the ship. Sometimes I even surprise myself.

Barcelona Eats!

It's back to the ship later today and I'm already feeling the pressure. My stomach is in knots, I'm breaking out in a cold sweat and my heart feels like it's going to pound right through my chest. 

No, this isn't some cruise phobia (obviously) and I haven't contracted some strange disease. It's simply the anxiety produced by knowing I have to pack in a few hours and wondering if all my clothes are going to make it in the backpack and on the ship. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about read "Muey Stupido" from January 8. 

We hadn't been awake for more than five minutes this morning before Beth asked me in a soft and kind voice "so how many times are you going to check the room today"?  I think she knows you can't fix stupid but you can help guide them along and I'm sure she will. 

During our five night stay here at the Negresco Princess Hotel we've covered a lot of territory. We've also covered a lot of restaurants. If you know me even a little bit you know that high tone, fru fru places just aren't my style and thankfully their not Beth's style either. 

We both prefer the "hole in the wall" local places and street food cuisine. From an eating cheap and eating good standpoint Barcelona would have to rate as one of the best cities in the galaxy. A walk down any street will take you past numerous small cafes with killer menus of various tapas, seafood, panini's, as well as food from around the world such as Asian, Greek and Italian. Also the local markets have colorful displays of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats (many of which still have their heads on) and more varieties of seafood than you could ever imagine. Another beautiful thing is about every block will have a fresh pastry and bread shop. Mornings here have consisted of coffee and hot tea for starters and the a quick trip down the elevator out the hotel and three or four doors down to elFornet for a couple of breakfast sandwiches on fresh bread as good as real Cuban bread and a sweet roll that would make Joe Jennings from the Mulberry Bakery proud. It was raining last night so we didn't want to go far and so here we were in Barcelona and we walked about 200 yards and ended up in an Irish pub eating surprisingly good nachos while watching coverage of the inauguration on television. A little schizo I know but it is what it is and is just an example. 

Some of our favorites have been churros and 

hot chocolate, and numerous traditional sandwiches with fresh meats and cheeses. They're so proud of their meats that right on one of the busiest streets (La Ramblas) there is a museum dedicated exclusively to ham called the Jamon Experience". They take their meats and cheeses seriously!There have been olives, olives and more olives from the tapas menus and great Asian yesterday from the local market at a place called "Wok to Walk". 

One of the most memorable meals was dinner the other night at Casa Alfonso. This place was just a few doors down from the hotel and had been around since the early thirties. 

I would use words like iconic, colorful, and traditional to describe it. We enjoyed tapas of olives, fried croquettes with meat and vegetables and a mini beef casserole which was mini but had some incredibly tender beef cooked in garlic and peppercorns. 

We understand that the restaurant has been used for numerous tv shows and movies. There were pictures of "celebrities" on the wall eating there. I didn't look too closely but I did see Rod Stewart and most impressive was a picture of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. They didn't take a picture of us, oh well their loss!

Our favorite meal was lunch the other day at a small, very non-touristy place called Cal Borter.   We had been tipped off to this place by Beth's sister Cindy who saw it featured on one of my favorite food shows, Diners, Drive-Inn's and Dives. 

Tucked down a narrow alleyway it certainly wasn't a drive in. I guess you would call it a "dive" which in my classification of restaurants is about as good as you can get. 

Excellent three course lunch. I went with black beans and rice paella, beef steak and mixed fruit. Beth went with soup, chicken and cake. We did plenty of swapping of food so we pretty much had equal amounts of everything. Of course there was also bread and wine, all for just a little over $20. 

In addition to the great food we had a server who was very helpful in guiding us through the menu which was only in Spanish. When asked about the tv show she admitted she didn't know much about that "Guy fellow" or the show but that he had interviewed her at the table right next to where we were sitting. I assured her it was a big show in the US and she was now a celebrity. I think she bought it, especially when I asked if she'd have her picture taken with me. 

Didn't need my speedo for this trip!

Over the last two days we've criss crossed Barcelona on foot easily covering at least 20 miles. It's who we are, it's what we do and its one reason we travel alone. 

Hop On-Hop Off buses are fine. Organized tours are fine. We simply prefer to be on the ground whether in a large city, small community or on a trail. 

I'm sure there are places in Barcelona that travelers shouldn't venture but we haven't heard about them or ambled into any of them. It's a clean and safe city to see on foot. Heck, unlike in Rome even the motorists are friendly to pedestrians. Here a crosswalk is a safe place to cross the street whereas in Rome it's more of a place to funnel pedestrians so it's easier for motorists to pick them off. 

Yesterday (Wednesday) for starters we headed towards the Plaza de Espanya. This is a simple walk down the Gran Via Corts Catalanes one of the widest and most scenic streets in Barcelona. There is a pedestrian only section in the middle and wide cafe and tree lined sidewalks on the outside. 

Plaza de Espanya is a major intersection which of course over here means a roundabout. In the middle is a huge monument and fountain that was designed by a peer of Antoni Gaudi who was the architect of the Sagrada Familia. 

Plaza de Espanya is also home to the Barcelona Arena which is where the bullfights were held until they were ruled illegal back in 2011. I'm sure this ruling made the bulls very happy. Beth and I first visited Spain back in the late 70's with a group that was lead by the Spanish teacher at the great Mulberry High School. I guess you could say we were traveling Idiots before we became Mr. and Mrs. Traveling Idiot. 

We went to a real bullfight and at the end of the day it was Matadors 6-Bulls 0 although one bull did manage to gore one of the matadors before suffering the same fate as the other five. 

We were told that bullfighting was a rich part of Spainish history and culture. We were also told the bulls were considered "noble" and "honorable". Given an option I'm thinking the bulls would have chosen to be less "noble" and "honorable". Living out their lives in a pasture doing what bulls are supposed to do. 

The bullfight was interesting to see but I don't think I would do it again even if I had the chance. 

From the Plaza de Espanya we headed up to one of the highest points in Barcelona; Parc de Montjuic. This hilltop park is massive!  It houses the National Museum of Art, a Botanical Garden, Castle, Cemetery and many of the venues used in the 1992 Summer Olympics including the main stadium. 

We took in quite a bit of the park although in reality we just scratched the surface. After a very mediocre pizza at a cafe with a magnificent view of the harbor we made our way down to the marina where several huge yachts were docked. I always enjoy getting the names of these big guys and reading about them as well as who owns them.  We've seen Larry Ellison's (cofounder of Oracle) yacht before. This time some of the more impressive ones have been Ona, Royal Romance, Eminence and Iroquois. Most of these seem to be owned by Russian "businessmen" who I assume are probably friends of Vladimir and Donald. 

The Iroquois was interesting. According to google it is 217 feet long, has 6 bedrooms, an infinity pool, massage room, sauna and was purchased by John Henry who owns the Boston Red Sox for $90 million!

Disheartened that we weren't invited onboard we slowly made our way back towards the hotel which is quite nice and does have a rooftop infinity pool. Too bad the heater of the pool is broken right now. If the water was a few degrees colder we could ice skate. 

Today (Thursday) was beach day!  The "beach area" of Barcelona is known as Barceloneta and is just a couple of miles walk from our hotel. We had never been there before but based on what we had read it seemed very nice. When we got there it was apparent that it was going to live up to its billing. Unfortunately today was also one of those rare days when the weather predictors got it right. The temperature of around 50 was no big deal but when the winds went from strong to real strong in just a couple of minutes we cut our beach time short. So far not packing my speedo for this trip has been okay, I sure didn't need it today!

We did do one thing a little unusual today, we took a bus!  I have always been interested in going to a big soccer game (match) somewhere and there aren't too many places around the world bigger than Barcelona when it comes to soccer. 

Barcelona currently has the best player in the world (Lionel Messi) and a rich soccer history. Unfortunately they do not play in Barcelona again until next week but being somewhat of a sports geek I thought it would be cool to see where they play. The stadium name is Camp Nou which seats just under 100,000 and is the largest stadium in Europe. In terms of history and tradition Camp Nou is right up there with Yankee Stadium and Lambeau Field. 

They offered self guided tours which seemed very popular. Beth who did the Lambeau Field tour with me earlier this year and seemed to enjoy it opted out of the tour and chose hot chocolate and a pastry at a restaurant attached to the stadium instead. She sent me on my sports geeky way. 

Although I don't have much background or deep knowledge of the sport I will say it was really nice. They have a museum which goes through the history of the club. There are displays including significant trophies they have won in their 100+ year history. There sure was a bunch of them. 

The stadium was quite a site to see and the tour allowed you to see it from the press box right down to coming through the players tunnel and out onto the sidelines. 

I really enjoyed it and am now anxiously awaiting tonight's game against Real Sociedad. The game doesn't start until 9:15 so I doubt I'm going to be with it for too long but I do feel a kinship with them now. 

The end is near!

Having five days here in Barcelona is great. There is so much to see and while we certainly won't see it all we're able to move about at a fairly leisurely pace and cover a lot of the sights. 

Most of Europe has been unusually cold for the past week or so and Barcelona is no exception. Today's high was probably around 45 and there was a fairly brisk wind blowing. I'd still much rather be here at this time of year than in the summer. The rates are much better, the crowds are much smaller and it can get pretty darn hot here in the summer. 

At the risk of sounding like a broken record today was a "roaming around" day although we did have one item to check off our list. 

There are two major cathedrals in Barcelona, the Cathedral of Barcelona and the Sagrada Familia.  Both are huge and very impressive but of the two the most famous one is the Familia Sagrada. 

The Cathedral of Barcelona was built between the 13th and 15th centuries and is very traditional in it's gothic design. 

On the other hand the Sagrada Familia wasn't started until 1883 but the unusual thing about it is that it is still under construction. Equally impressive is that it is being built using much of the original design by the architect Antoni Gaudi who worked on this project for forty three years. 

Visiting the Familia Sagrada is an absolute must if you're in Barcelona. Depending on which side you approach the church you'll be amazed by either the old facade that has been there from the early days of construction or the new impressionist style on the opposite side. Inside,

the stained glass windows,and ceiling that is over 60 meters high are fantastic and likely to leave you with a sore neck from looking up so often and for so long. 

We last visited Familia Sagrada about five years ago and while we can't remember all the specifics we knew we were looking at things that didn't exist on our last visit. 

If you do go don't be disappointed by the construction cranes that you will see. They've been there awhile and they're not going anywhere soon. 

The good news is that the construction that was started in 1883 is scheduled to be completed in 2026. Interestingly 2026 will mark the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudis death. 

We look forward to occasionally checking on the progress and seeing the finished product. 

The end is near!