Gexto and Bilbao, Spain…….

In front of the massive flower cat at the entrance to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

 Other than the Bahamas, our first true international travel was to Spain.  Beth had just graduated high school and I was a student at the University of Florida.  Steve Osthoff, who taught Spanish at Mulberry High School and his wife Pam organized a summer study trip to Salmanaca, Spain.  Both of us, as well as Beth’s sister Cindy and a few other friends from Mulberry were fortunate enough to be a part of the adventure.  We’ll be eternally grateful for their willingness to undertake such a responsibility!

 Maybe it was because that summer trip opened our eyes to a much bigger world, full of wonderful Spanish food, wine, hospitality and interesting things to see and do, that we’ve always loved visiting Spain.  

A few final pictures as we sailed away from Lisbon:

The first stop on this eleven day cruise was in Spain.  Even more exciting for us it was in Northern Spain in an area we had never visited.  The Norwegian Star docked in  Gexto, a coastal city of around 75,000 located on the Bay of Bizkaia.  A few miles up the Bilbao River is the much larger city of Bilbao (pop. 375,000).  We arrived early enough to give us the opportunity to visit both Gexto and Bilbao before our 7:00 PM departure.  

Our plan was to visit Bilbao first and finish up the day back in Gexto.  This meant we’d be back closer to the ship near departure time, avoiding any unforeseen issues.  Thankfully there were none and we loved visiting this Basque region of Spain.  

Getting from Gexto to Bilbao was easy and inexpensive.  The ship provided a complimentary shuttle to a metro station in Gexto (Algorta Station).   The metro was clean, user friendly and for around $4US within 20 minutes we were in the Bilbao city center (Moyua Station).   

Bilbao was very impressive with a mix of old and new architecture as well as a number of parks, plazas and a riverfront promenade.  Nestled along the river is one of the five Guggenheim Art Museums (the others are in New York, Venice, Abu Dabi, and Berlin).  The museum is closed on Mondays, but the building is a work of art itself and we didn’t feel shortchanged by not being able to go inside.  

You don’t have to go in the Guggenheim to enjoy the artwork!

Guggenheim has a spider problem!

After strolling around the perimeter of the museum, it was a 15-20 minute walk along the riverfront to the “old city”.  The walk took us past City Hall, San Nicolas Church, Santiago Cathedral and Arriaga Theatre, as well as along the narrow cobblestone streets of the old city.

Bilbao City Hall

Artists Theatre 

Amazing food everywhere!

The plaza in Bilbao’s Old City

We then returned to Gexto, again by way of the metro (Zazpikaleak Casco Veijo Station).  From the Algiers Station it was a short walk down to Gexto’s Old Fishing Port area where we enjoyed tapas at one of several waterfront bars and restaurants. 

We enjoyed a few tapas at this beachside bar and restaurant.  One of the biggest challenges is finding a table at many of these places.  The Spaniards enjoy lingering….there’s a lesson to be learned there!

The walk back to the ship was along the beachfront promenade. We had plenty of time to soak up the sun and think about our day, grateful that we were able to spend another day in this magnificent country!

Gexto’s beach & promenade from the old fishing port back to the ship.  

Évora and a different kind of Freedom Day celebration!

Enjoying Évora!

After roaming around Lisbon and revisiting Cascius we decided on visiting the city of Évora.  Beth read about it when researching “day trips from Lisbon”.  It sounded interesting and easy to reach, both of which turned out to be true.   

Évora is a city of around 60,000 that is located approximately 80 miles from Lisbon.  There were options to take a train or a bus.  It turned out that the bus was the faster and less expensive option.  

There are at least two bus stations and two bus lines that provide service.  We chose FLIXbus from the Oriente bus station.  Round trip cost was $15 per person and it took around an hour and a half each way.  

The drive was mostly along a modern highway through rolling hills scattered with oak and pine trees. There were cattle and sheep lazily grazing away.  We were entertained by hundreds of stork nests on the power poles beside the highway.  Many of the poles had multiple nests, and it was easy to spot young birds peeking out while carefully being watched over by their moms or dads.  

Évora is a walled city that’s been around for a while.  I’m not really sure when people started inhabiting the area but it goes back to BC.  The Romans conquered it in 57 BC and must have liked it because they are the ones that first started building a wall around it.  In recent years it has been proclaimed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  In addition to the historic sites, Évora has a university and it also regularly makes the list as one of Portugals most livable cities.   

This peacock seemed to be guarding the gate

We had a full day roaming around inside the walls of the historic “old town”.  The restaurants and shops along the narrow cobblestone streets and around the main plaza were busy with a mix of both tourists and travelers.  

Remnants from Evora’s Red Carnation celebration 

Roman ruins near the historic city center

Evora’s city center plaza 

Of all the interesting sites in Évora nothing compares to the Chapel of Bones which was part of the Church of Sao Francisco.  In the 1600’s the church realized they were running out of land within the city walls.  Much of the land was cemeteries.  The Monks came up with an ingenious plan.  They dug up the bones of the dearly departed and displayed them on the chapel walls.  It served two purposes.  First, it freed up much needed land.  Second it was to serve as a reminder to the living to focus on living a spiritually wholesome life.  It was unique to say the least!   Below are a few more photos from the Chapel of Bones:

If you’re in the Lisbon area and looking for a day trip into the country side,  Évora might be what you’re looking for.  We sure enjoyed it!

As for the other Freedom Day Celebration….. well it wasn’t quite as big as the national holiday in Portugal on April 25 celebrating the country’s freedom. However, yesterday (April 26) was a personal “Freedom Day” for us.  We celebrated eight years since the day I turned in my badge and keys and retired!  We committed to two years of trying the vagabond lifestyle.  We’ve had to adjust our sails along the way, but we’re still loving it and looking forward to more adventures in the future.   I’m so blessed to be on this adventure with someone who is not only my wife but my best friend as well!

As I’m writing this blog we’re heading out to sea….the next part of this journey is underway!

Our four days in Lisbon were great.  The people of Portugal are outgoing and very hospitable.  The more we see it the more we like it.  However, there are always a few undesirables in every crowd.  Unfortunately, we crossed paths with one or two on our walk from the hotel to the ship.  Beth had her purse pickpocketed from her backpack.  Obviously we wish it wouldn’t have happened, but the rotten scoundrel(s) didn’t get away with much.  We had the credit cards locked in minutes before any charges were made. There might have been a small amount of cash and there was an old pair of prescription glasses.  The biggest loss was the purse itself which was a 3-4 dollar thrift store investment and the feeling of being violated.  We always try to be vigilant, but wow they were good!   It did put a little damper on the end of our Lisbon time, but it is what it is and it could have been much worse!  We still love Lisbon and Portugal!  

Celebrating Portugal's Carnation Revolution in Lisbon!

 

Cheers to Portugal’s 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution!  And also a chance for you to see Beth’s new Lisbon haircut!

Lisbon is a sprawling, hilly, coastal city of around 600,000 people (metro population is approximately 3 million) that serves as Portugal’s capital.  It’s one of those places that the more we visit it, the more we like.  There’s plenty to see and do around Lisbon and there are a number of interesting places nearby that can easily be reached by rail, bus or car.  

A beautiful day in Lisbon’s Rossi Plaza

A full over Lisbon.  My sister-in-law Debbie tells me this was a “Pink Moon”.  She keeps me up to date on these things!

We have had four days in Lisbon since disembarking the Celebrity Equinox and before we get on the Norwegian Star.   Little did we realize that one of these four days would be a national holiday celebrating an event that occurred fifty years ago that changed Portugal’s future.  

Steve and Marilyn spent two nights in Lisbon after the cruise.  We got together for meals in the evening and swapped stories of our days adventures.  

One final meal together before their flight back

One of our favorite places to visit near Lisbon is the small coastal city of Cascais.  It’s a short (around 30 minutes) and inexpensive (around $5 per person round trip) train ride from Lisbon.  It’s well worth visiting!

There are a couple of more photos from Cascais below:

On April 25, 1974 (50 years ago) a nearly bloodless military coup took place led by military officers who were seeking to oust the authoritarian regime that was in power.  Miraculously, there were very few shots fired and only five fatalities.  Tragic, but as history has shown, these military coups can get quite messy. 

In this case, it was a very peaceful transition that has led to a better Portugal socially,  economically and politically, both internally and on the world stage.  In many ways the day, which is a national holiday, is celebrated similar to the way we celebrate the 4th of July.    

The day seems to be known by many different names including liberation and freedom day, but it is also known as the Carnation Revolution.   According to historians,  once the coup was successful, citizens joined the soldiers in the street to celebrate their new found freedoms.   A restaurant worker named Celeste Cuerio began placing carnations in the barrels of the soldiers guns.   Other citizens joined in and the Carnation Revolution was born.  Red carnations were on sale on practically every street corner and most folks carried one around throughout the day.

Red carnations were plentiful around the city center

Among the festivities in Lisbon there was a symphony and choral concert followed by fireworks from 10pm to midnight on the evening of the 24th.  The morning of the 25th there was a military flyover along the riverfront, a huge run/walk event that had thousands of participants, an open house at City Hall, a military motorcade that included veterans from the Carnation Revolution, live music and a parade.

Thousands of runners running and walkers walking!

The military motorcade featured vehicles and veterans from the Carnation Revolution era. 

The line to tour City Hall was long but moved quickly…..

…..and was well worth seeing!

The parade was an event unlike anything Beth and I had ever witnessed.   There was a “Freedom March” down the main avenue  (Avenida de Liberdade) with thousands of participants.  They were in groups enthusiastically (signs, flags, chants, cheers, drums, horns and whistles) supporting what seemed like every side of every social, environmental and political cause known to man.  Obviously the viewpoints were very different,  but the real beauty of it was that by all appearances every group was respectful of the others. It was quite a sight to see and we were happy to be able to witness it!

This is a picture of the spectators walking up the street toward the beginning of the march.  There were so many spectators and marchers that it moved very slowly.  Our new cruise friend Robbie described it as a “reverse march”, where due to the number of participants and congestion, the spectators marched by and the participants were at a standstill.  

European Adventure Part 1……Bermuda, Azores and Portugal on the Celebrity Equinox

 

Fort Lauderdale to Lisbon…3,869 nautical miles!

To enjoy Europe, you gotta get there first.  Planes are nice, but with plenty of time on our hands, we prefer to go by sea.  Our ship of choice for this trans-Atlantic crossing is the Celebrity Equinox.   The Equinox was launched in 2009 and has a capacity of 2,850 passengers.  Size wise I would say that would make it a mid-size ship.  Although it was “sold out”, without many children and teenagers,  and some solo travelers it doesn’t seem overcrowded or busy.   The ship itself is quite nice with plenty of public spaces, two pools, six hot tubs (we go at night and they are mostly empty) nice food choices, great service, and on this particular cruise outstanding entertainment and the best cruise director we’ve ever had (Angela Clark from the UK).  Angela’s husband (Dave) is the activities director.   They’re great individually, and even more hilarious together.  

After two days at sea, we reached our first port which was Bermuda.  We had been to this island playground of the rich and famous once before.  When I looked back, it was 364 days before this visit.  We’re not rich or famous, but it’s been a nice place to visit twice recently.   

The island is approximately 21 miles long and a little less than two miles wide at its widest point.  The water was a beautiful blue and looked inviting, but at around 70 degrees it was too chilly for these native Floridians to dive in.    

We docked at the Royal Navy Dockyard, which offers convenient bus and ferry service to other parts of the island.   On our last visit we enjoyed strolling the beach at Horseshoe Bay (by taxi) and roaming around the town of St. George (reached by a free ferry compliments of Norwegian Cruise Line).  This time we purchased round trip transportation to Hamilton, which is Bermuda’s largest city.  We had the option of taking a ferry or bus, so we did both.  We took the twenty minute ferry ride to the city and the 60 minute bus ride back to the ship after wandering around the town a bit.  It was a Sunday and most of the shops and restaurants were closed, but it wouldn’t have mattered to us either way. Bermuda is incredibly expensive. Thankfully the impeccably clean and garden like city is free to enjoy.  The buses and ferries run frequently and round trip was $18 a person.  By taking the ferry one way and the bus back we had two very different but nice experiences.  The ferry took us past houses and yachts owned by folks who have a bunch of zeros on the end of their portfolios.  The bus made its way through the residential areas of those we can more easily identify with.  Both are extremely well maintained and worth seeing.  We hopped off the bus one stop before getting back to the Royal Navy Dockyard and did a short hike to the Glass Beach.  At some point back in time this was an area where trash was dumped into the sea.  Thankfully, like many places they figured out there are more environmentally friendly ways to dispose of trash.  Ironically the glass that was dumped years ago has been smoothed by the waves and water.   Nowadays the small beach is a popular destination for both locals and tourists.   

Downtown Hamilton was pretty sleepy on a Sunday morning!

Hamilton City Hall

Sculpture in the Marina recognizing Bermuda’s aggressive role in ending slavery.  

The short hike to Glass Beach was well marked. 

Trans-Atlantic cruises are going to have a lot of sea days.  Once we left Bermuda we had four sea days in a row.  We love sea days.  What’s not to love about someone preparing all the meals, keeping your room clean and providing entertainment from morning till night?  These four sea days were made even better by smooth seas and temperatures in the 60’s.  

Smooth seas will put a smile on your face!

Our second stop on the crossing was Ponta Delgado on the island of San Miguel, Azores.   The Azores are an autonomous region of Portugal made up of nine islands. The islands were formed by volcanos and lie in the Atlantic Ocean roughly between New York and Lisbon.   San Miguel is the capital and most populated of the nine islands.  About 50,000 people live in Porto Delgado, making it the largest city in the Azores.    

We booked a three hour tour that took us around a small section of the island including Sete Cidades, a village of around 3,000 people, which is located in the crater of a dormant volcano.  We also visited a black lava sand beach and a pineapple plantation.  After the tour we took some time to wander around the small, but busy and colorful downtown.  

Me, Beth, Steve and Marilyn on the bridge that leads to the Sete Cidades village.  It’s the only way in and out of the village.  

The tree lined walkway leads to the Catholic Church in the village.   

Beef, dairy and pineapples are the main agricultural products of the Azores.  Pineapples are grown in greenhouses due to the chilly winters.  It takes around 2 years for a pineapple to mature.  Not too bad….I’m sixty six and still working on maturing.  

Black Sand beach courtesy of a volcanic explosion and time.

A little browsing in Porto Delgado.  Our favorite store was Prince of Cheese which was located a short distance from the King of Cheese!

Downtown Porto Delgado

Like Bermuda, we were in Ponta Delgado last year and enjoyed our return visit……

On Monday, April 22 we officially made it across the pond!  We arrived in Porto, Portugal at around 7:00 a.m.  The weather for the entire crossing was absolutely incredible.  Daily high temperatures were in the 60’s and the seas were exceptionally calm.  We feel very fortunate to be here in Porto again (we were here around 5 years ago).   

Porto is Portugal’s second largest city and is located a few miles inland from where the Douro River flows into the Atlantic Ocean.  The city itself has a population of around 250,000, but with the metropolitan area included, the population is close to 2 million.  It’s famous for it’s Port Wine, which is a fortified wine (with all due respect, not my favorite)..

The Equinox docked at the Leixoes cruise terminal which is about 10 miles from the Porto city center.  We were very pleased that they offered a complimentary shuttle that took us to a location near the Ponte Luis I Bridge.    This gave us easy access to Porto’s historic city center.   We were off the ship early and on one of, if not the first, shuttles to leave the port.  

Arriving at the new and very modern Leixoes Cruise terminal.

The shuttle took us to Gaia…..

The Ponte Luis I bridge connects Gaia to Porto….

From the Gaia side looking across the Douro River to Porto.

We had no real plans other than roaming around, which is something we’re pretty good at doing.  There’s plenty to see and do around Porto for several days.  I’ve attached a link to previous blogs below.  Our day was full of simply enjoying the sights and sounds of this magnificent city.   Below are a few photos from around Porto…..

By all means if you end up in Porto try to take in a few of its numerous churches, visit a wine cave (we did this on a previous visit),, enjoy the beautiful blue and white tile murals inside the Sao Benito Train Station, spend some time along the riverfront, walk across the Ponte Luis I Bridge and check out what has been voted as one of the world’s fanciest McDonalds!  

Inside the Sao Benito train station…..

…..the architecture and tile murals are stunning…..

…..equally stunning is the stained glass and chandeliers inside the worlds fanciest McDonalds……

……you can have your Big Mac in style…..

…..or opt for a Francesinha,  which originated in Porto.  It’s two slices of toasted white bread, beef, sausage, ham, and cheese.   It’s topped with a fried egg, smothered with gravy and surrounded by French fries!   Not the healthiest of sandwiches!   If you get one definitely split it and call your cardiologist!

From Porto it was a short cruise to our final port, Lisbon.   We arrived before sunrise and were off the ship by 8:00.  We’ll be here roaming and wandering about this amazingly gorgeous city for the next four days…….but that’s for the next blog!   

This is Bridget and Robbie from Idaho.   We loved meeting them and hearing their amazing travel stories.   They taught us a thing or two along the way that may be helpful in our future travels.  We look forward to staying in touch with them!