Crossing back to the US on the Norwegian Sun (Cadiz/Seville, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Funchal, Ponta Delgada, Horta, Bermuda, & New York City)

Adios Lisbon!

After 14 days crossing from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona on the Enchanted Princess, five nights in Barcelona and five nights in Lisbon it was time to head back to the US.  On April 2 we checked out of our Lisbon hotel/weekend Dance Club (see previous blog for the dance club explanation) and boarded the Norwegian Sun for our 19-day cruise back to the US. Of all the western European countries that we have visited, we seem to be drawn to Spain and Portugal for many reasons, and look forward to spending more time there in the future.

The Norwegian Sun is one of Norwegian Cruise Lines older and smaller ships.  It's been in service since 2001,but underwent a major refurbishment in 2018.  It has a passenger capacity of around 1,900 and accommodates a crew of approximately 900.   We have never been on one of the largest "mega ships (many with capacities of over 6,000 guests) that have become so popular.  

Comparing the Norwegian Sun to the Enchanted Princess isn't really fair, but of course life isn't always fair, so here's the comparison in a nutshell.  The Enchanted Princess is larger (capacity of around 3,600 passengers) and newer with more whistles and bells.  The food, entertainment and amenities were a little better on the Enchanted Princess, but both ships were very comfortable.  We certainly wouldn't hesitate to do another cruise on the Norwegian Sun if the itinerary and price were right.

The nineteen-day Norwegian Sun itinerary had nine ports of call, including an overnight stay in Bermuda.  Only two of the ports (Cadiz and Funchal) were repeats from the cruise over on the Enchanted Princess.  Unlike the Enchanted Princess, which had seven consecutive sea days at the start of the journey, the sea days on the Norwegian Sun were spread out throughout the cruise.  The longest consecutive "sea days" was three and they came between Horta, Azores and Bermuda.  One of the things we did differently on this cruise from our previous cruise experiences is that we purchased quite a few of the ship excursions.  In the past we've navigated our own way around the ports of call.  I guess the fact that the excursions were offered for this cruise at discounted rates and we're not getting younger were the driving forces behind this decision.  As it turned out, it was a good one.  We did ship guided excursions in all the ports except Bermuda and New York. 

Cadiz/Seville

Our first port of call was at Cadiz on the Spanish mainland.  It was one of the two repeat ports from the first cruise, however, we had a completely different plan for this visit.  Our first time through we enjoyed roaming around Cadiz.  This time through we took a ship led excursion to Seville.  

Seville has a long rich history dating back to the second century.  At one point it was considered the economic and cultural center of Spain.  While Madrid and Barcelona are now the Spanish cities most commonly thought of, and visited, Seville has plenty to offer.  Seville is the home of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Seville Cathedral, The Royal Alcazar and General Archives of the Indies).  It also hosted the 1992 World's Fair.  The World's Fair grounds and surrounding buildings are now an incredible park and home to a number of embassies.

Plaza de Espana is located in Parque de Maria Luisa

You don't have to look too hard to find a statue of Columbus in Spain or Portugal

Checking out the Bitter Orange Trees in the old town section of Seville.  The oranges look great but are too bitter to eat (hence the name).  They are used for making preserves.

We were extremely fortunate to visit Seville on Monday of the Easter Holy Week.  Little did we know prior to our visit that Seville is one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations during Holy Week.  Several times a day every day of Holy Week there are processionals from local churches to the massive Seville Cathedral.  The processionals are somber marches of confradias (church brotherhoods) carrying floats depicting religious scenes.  The hooded confradias pass through the cathedral where they are blessed by the priests before returning to their local churches.  We were able to catch a portion of one of the daytime processionals which was interesting to see.  We heard the nighttime candlelit processionals are even more amazing.   

Fans in a local market.  They come in handy during the summer when temperatures can approach 100.

Old Town Seville

Seville Cathedral-A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Chairs were set up around the cathedral for the processionals that were held daily during Holy Week.

Confridias marching to the cathedral in the afternoon procession.

Every local church has its own color scheme.  We read that many of the confridias hand out candy to small children so they won't be frightened by the unusual dress.

The Guadalquivir River runs through Seville.

Lanzarote

Lanzarote was the first of three of the Canary Islands that we visited.  There are seven main islands that make up the Canary Islands, which are an autonomous region of Spain.  As an autonomous region, they are largely self-governed with their own elected leaders even though they are a part of Spain.  Interestingly, they are located less than 100 miles from Africa, while the Spanish mainland is over 700 miles away. Our timing for visiting was absolutely impeccable. We got to see something that the 155,000 people who call the island home see only a few times per year...........rain!  The rain wasn't real heavy, but considering they only receive around 4 inches of rain per year, it was significant.  I'm not sure if she was kidding or not, but our tour guide told us that school is sometimes cancelled when it rains, similar to what happens in the south when there is a flake of snow!

Sunrise arrival in Lanzarote!

Black sand beach..........it was chilly and rainy which made for a quick visit.

All the homes on Lanzarote are painted white.  Doors can be painted different colors to represent what the occupants of the house did for a living.  I can't remember them all but blue was for fisherman and green was for farmers.

The volcanic soil on Lanzarote is great for wine production.  The vines are protected from the wind by the walls.

Las Palmas

Las Palmas is the capital city of the island of Gran Canaria.  It has a population of close to 400,000 which makes it the largest city in the Canary Islands and ninth largest in Spain.  Our excursion for the day took us from the city to the resort areas of the Dunes of Maspalomas and Puerto De Mogan.  The resorts are popular destinations for residents of many of the European countries, especially during the cold, damp winter months.  We saw a lot of very fair skinned people speaking German or with British accents...........I hope they used plenty of sunscreen!  Like most of the excursions we purchased, this one was mainly transportation to the destinations with a little narration along the way.  This was just what we were hoping for and made for a nice, relaxing day.

Pre-dawn arrival into Las Palmas

Dunes of Masapalomas...........there's a beach back there somewhere!

Spring has sprung in Puerto De Mogan

The beach at Puerto De Mogan

There's always time for olives and sangria  

Sunset from the beach!

Tenerife

Our last Canary Island port of call was Tenerife, which is the largest and most populous of the Canary Islands.  It is home to just under 1 million people and attracts more than 5 million visitors per year with its warm temperatures and sandy beaches.  In addition to the sand and surf, Tenerife is the home of Mount Teide.  Measured from the ocean floor the volcanic structure is over 24,600 feet high, making it the earth's third highest volcanic structure and the highest point in Spain.  Our destination for the day was the black sand beaches of Playa de Martianez.   On our way we stopped at several very scenic overlooks, where looking one way we had great views of the beaches and Atlantic Ocean.  When we turned around, we were staring up at the top of the volcano, which although quiet now, is still considered an active volcano.

Mount Teide the world's third highest volcanic structure

Mount Teide is behind us, Playa de Martianez is in front of us.

The beach area at Playa de Martianez wasn't really good for swimming (there were plenty of surfers).  The area did have a huge and very busy water park with several giant pools.

The rocky coastline and resorts of Playa de Martianez.

A peaceful place in Playa de Martianez!

Funchal

Funchal is the largest city on the island of Madeira.  Madeira, and the Azores, which we visited next are two separate autonomous regions of Portugal.  We had visited Funchal on the crossing to Barcelona, as well as a few years back.  On previous visits we had done what we frequently do, and simply roam around the very scenic town.  On this visit we enjoyed an excursion that took us outside the city and high up to Cabo Girao.  Cabo Girao is over 1,900 feet above sea level and is the highest sea cliff in Europe and the second highest in the world.  The views were made even more spectacular with the recent addition of a glass platform that gives you a view straight down.  All you have to do is trust the engineers and builders by taking a few bold steps out........and look down!  We also enjoyed some time at the small seaside village of Ribeira Brava.  The village was small and somewhat sleepy even on a Saturday, partly because it was the day before Easter and preparations for the Easter celebration were well underway.

Outside the city of Funchal.  Terrace farming is common on the hilly volcanic island.

It's over 1,900 feet straight down to the beach!

The coastline was spectacular!

Church in Ribeira Brava

Bench time!

We ate most of our meals on the ship so there really aren't too many food recommendations in this blog.  We did enjoy eating at Churros and Paninis.  The panini was really good, the churro and ice cream was amazing!

Easter Sunday was a "sea day".  We joined many fellow cruisers for a non-denominational service that was led by a husband-and-wife team of missionaries who were passengers on the ship. They did a great job, and we were very appreciative of the Norwegian Sun staff for providing the space and resources for the service.

Ponta Delgada

Having checked the Canary Islands and Maderia off the list, we had one more autonomous region of islands to visit, the Azores.  There are nine volcanic islands that make up the Azores.  Our journey took us to two of the nine.  First up was Ponta Delgada, which is located on the island of Sao Miguel.  We ventured inland from Ponta Delgada to the Sete Cidades Caldera to see the crater lakes that have been formed.  The volcano, as well as many others on the island are still considered "active".  Thankfully all has been relatively quiet in recent years although there were eruptions and earthquakes in the 90's that caused significant damage.

Sunrise from Ponta Delgada

Ponta Delgada Marina

Sete Cidades Caldera

Four separate lakes have formed in the caldera.

Horta

If you're on a yacht crossing the Atlantic there's a pretty good chance you'll make a stop at the Horta Marina.  The large marina's walls are covered with paintings of the names of yachts, crews and the dates they visited the small city, which is home to around 7,000 residents.  The total population of the island on which Horta is located (Faial) is around 15,000.  Not a lot of people live on the island, however, it's estimated that there are 3 cows for every one person.........and that's no bull! 

Horta is on the island of Faial.

A nice viewpoint of the city of Horta.  The marina below is a popular stopover for yachts crossing the Atlantic.  It was also a strategic port for ships prior to the Normandy invasion.

All the islands of the Azores are a result of volcanic activity that is estimated to have occurred over 10 million years ago.  Masterpieces take time and the Azores are certainly masterpieces that are worth exploring..........if you're exploring around Horta, just watch where you step!

A volcanic eruption has left this part of the island barren at this time.  

A volcanic selfie with lava from the eruption.

Watch where you step........cows and horses are everywhere!

Bermuda

We had no fear of the Bermuda triangle.  We just never had the opportunity to visit there.  While some people's visits may not have ended well, we enjoyed our time in Bermuda very much.  We arrived at 4:00 PM on Saturday, April 15.  Unlike most cruise stops, we were there overnight and didn't set sail until 4:00 PM on the 16th.  

After arriving and exploring the port area for a while, we took a shuttle to Horseshoe Bay, which was about 30 minutes from the port.  This gave us the opportunity to see quite a bit of the long, narrow island that's shaped somewhat like a fish hook.  The pink sand beach and crystal clear water made us wonder why we hadn't been there before.  We enjoyed walking the beach, all the while wishing that we had brought our bathing suits so we could enjoy the water that was much warmer than we anticipated.

The pink sand beach of Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda gets two thumbs up!

On Sunday morning, we took a complimentary ferry (provided by Norwegian) to nearby St. George Island.  The ferry ride was a little less than an hour and really enjoyable.  We were able to enjoy some time of roaming around the city of St. George before heading out to Tobacco Beach.  The calm, shallow bay water is protected by interesting rock formations, making it an incredibly scenic place.

Bermuda Sunrise!

Arriving in St. George.  We appreciated the complimentary ferry that was provided by NCL.

St. George Town Hall

Tobacco Beach Cove looked great for swimming and snorkeling.

See for yourself...............

The Beautiful Dead End!  We've seen a lot of water over the years.  Bermuda's was some of the most amazing!

The Unfinished Church of St. George.  Construction started on the church in 1874.  Because of a series of complications it was never finished.

The Unfinished Church is a popular outdoor wedding venue on St. George.  

Along the walk from Tobacco Beach back to the ferry landing.

We set sail from Bermuda with a great appreciation for not only it's natural beauty, but also for the amazingly friendly people who call this island home.

New York City

We've enjoyed New York City many times over the years. However, as we get older and in the post COVID world, we really weren't sure we'd ever visit it again.  Big cities and large crowds just aren't as appealing to either of us as they once were.  But here we were, back in the Big Apple again!

Arriving by cruise ship in the pre-dawn hours was amazing.  We had the New York skyline on one side and the Statue of Liberty on the other side as we made our way up the Hudson River to the mid-town Manhattan Cruise Terminal (West 50th Street).  Before we knew it, we were off the ship and in a New York state of mind.  

Our scenic arrival in New York

We enjoyed exploring on foot from Times Square/Rockerfeller Center up to Central Park and then down as far as 23rd Street. By the time we made it back to the ship we had covered over 11 miles!  We both enjoyed the day in New York much more than we had anticipated.  It doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be spending more time there in the future, but stranger things have happened!

Times Square before rush hour.  The action did pick up later in the day, but the city did seem a little quieter than we remembered.

We ran into these folks at Rockerfeller Center

Beth and I both used up a few seconds of our 15 minutes of fame in the audience at the Today Show.

Who's the bald headed shady guy in the Today Show audience?

Central Park is in full bloom!

James is a real fan of Lego's.  I wonder if he'll be able to tell the difference between the Lego Hulk and the real Hulk?

I'm not a fan of Harry Potter (I think I saw the first movie).  I did like the shoes!

Sailing away!

We had plenty of "elbow room" on the ship the entire adventure.  We had even more elbow room from New York to Miami.  We bid farewell to around 600 passengers who ended their crossing in New York.  We welcomed aboard no new passengers in New York!  The last two days of the cruise were like the entire 19 day adventure, smooth seas, sunny skies and just a few less people to share it with!

We were so happy to have met Tom and Mary Kay in Lisbon a few days before the cruise.  We ended up having so much in common and enjoyed getting to know them more throughout the cruise.  We look forward to seeing them again somewhere down the line!

 

  

Wandering Lisbon

The Belam Tower........guarding the entrance to Lisbon since the 1600's.  Somehow, we snuck in!

On Tuesday (March 28) we flew from Barcelona to Lisbon, Portugal.  We have stayed here in the capital of Portugal, which is also the largest city in the country (approx. 600,000), for five nights.  Today we'll board the Norwegian Sun and begin our nineteen-day journey back to Florida.  If you're looking to impress your friends and family with your incredible knowledge, you can tell them that Lisbon is Europe's western most capital city and the only one that is on the Atlantic Ocean.

Lisbon is often compared to San Francisco.  A few similarities between the cities are:

• They are both built on seven hills.
• Both cities have street cars, cable cars, and trams.
• Both cities have suffered major destruction from earthquakes.  Lisbon in 1755 and San Francisco in 1906.
• Lisbon's April 25 bridge and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge look very similar in design, color and are actually the same height above the water (746 feet). 

Cable cars..........just one of the similarities between Lisbon and San Francisco

The flight from Barcelona to Lisbon was less than two hours and very easy.  We used a taxi to get from the airport to our hotel (Casas da Baixa) in the Chiado district of the city, which is conveniently located near the city center and just a 10 minute walk to the waterfront.  Our cab driver, who spoke very good English proudly shared a bit about his country and city on the way to the hotel.  He said the biggest challenge they are currently facing is that Portugal (especially Lisbon and Porto) are becoming extremely popular.  Many properties are being bought up by foreigners, which is driving up the cost for Portuguese citizens.  We told him we could relate and that certain parts of the US are experiencing similar challenges.  It's nice to be in a desirable place, but it comes with it's own set of challenges.  

We arrived late in the day and hungry, so we headed out to get something to eat.  We were pleased to see that there are numerous restaurants in our neighborhood.  From our hotel balcony I can see seven restaurants, and there are many more within a block or two.  We noticed an Asian restaurant across the street was just starting their evening service and that a small line had formed at it's door.  Asian sounded tasty and the line convinced us that it was probably good, so our choice of where and what to eat was quickly determined.  It turns out it was so good, that we went back a second time, the very next night!  Having now spent five nights here, we highly recommend the neighborhood. The hotel was wonderful in every regard, until the dance club below us stayed open until 2:00 AM on Friday and Saturday nights.  But then again, we tend to be heading for bed at about the same time the locals (young and old) are heading out for the evening.

The front of our hotel.  It is unstaffed and self check-in. There was a minute or two of confusion when we arrived and didn't know which room was ours or how to get in, but we quickly got it resolved and love the spacious accommodations!

From our balcony we can see seven different restaurants.......with many more just out of view.  Eating good in the neighborhood!

The red and white table cloths (left) is Pizzaiollo (very good pizza) on the right is Boa Bao the Asian restaurant we had enjoyed twice.  So many restaurants so little time!

Pad Thai Noodles with chicken

Steamed eggplant (excellent)

Amazing desert of pineapples, apples, chocolate spring rolls and vanilla ice cream...........because you can't live on steamed eggplant alone!

Sunset at this time of year is around 8:00.  We were heading in as most folks were heading out!

Boa Bao

Having spent some time in Lisbon before, our game plan for our visit was similar to that of Barcelona, wander around and enjoy as much of this historic city as possible.  Based on how our legs are feeling, I think we accomplished that goal.

Cascais

Our first full day in Lisbon we did venture outside the city a short distance.  We took the 35-40 minute, very affordable ($3.00 US roundtrip) train ride from the Cais do Sodre Transportation Center to the Monte Estoril station.  From there we walked along the seaside promenade to the beachside town of Cascais.  We enjoyed walking around the small, picturesque, laid-back community that is popular with both locals and tourists.  The train ride itself is well worth it as the train hugs the shoreline, first on the Tagus River and then the Atlantic Ocean.  For the best views, if possible, sit forward facing on the left side on the way out and forward facing on the right on the way back.  

Along the seaside promenade from Monte Estoril to Cascais.  It's around one mile and really scenic.

The beach at Cascais.  This was taken in the morning and it wasn't very crowded.  By the afternoon it was bustling.  The water temperature is still chilly so most folks were soaking up the sun and only a few hardy souls were in the water.

This is the Cascais Municipal Building.  It contains a library and there is a nice park behind it.

Lisbon's Market is directly across from the Cais do Sodre Transportation Center.  It's divided into two sections, a traditional market and a food court.  We saw a long like at one vendor so we hopped in.  They were selling beef croquettes that looked like Cuban stuffed potatoes, which we love.  Turns out the meet was pureed and there was no potato.   We may be getting older but we're not ready for pureed meat just yet.  We're still trying to figure out the attraction!

Beef Pho at Boa Bao.  We saw it on the menu the first night and wanted to try it.  It was delicious!

Along the Waterfront and in the City Center

After our venture out to Cascais, we spent the rest of our time in Lisbon, doing what we do best, wandering around, bench sitting and both enjoying and appreciating where we are.  The waterfront area is lively with cafes and restaurants along the way.  We really appreciate the laid-back approach Europeans in both Spain and Portugal have in terms of enjoying the moment.  We sat one afternoon at a popular waterfront cafe for well over two hours with a small pitcher of sangria visiting with a couple who will also be on the cruise.  There were no attempts to rush us out or order more, just relax and enjoy, it's all good!

The city center is located just a short walk off the waterfront.  There are numerous streets, with shops and restaurants.  Some of these are "pedestrian only" while at other times you're sharing the road with cars, cable cars and tuk-tuks.  Drivers are courteous and while you should never assume they're going to stop at cross walks, they are very good about it. 

Walking to Belam

Although we don't put in the same amount of miles per day as we used to, we still enjoy exploring by foot.  We retraced a walk from a few years ago that took us from the waterfront near the city center to the Belam Tower.  Most of this five-mile walk is along the waterfront and quite scenic.  It takes you under the April 25 bridge where you can get an interesting photo.  You can get a picture with the bridge and the statue of Christ the Redeemer across the river.  The bridge looks like San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and the statue looks like  the Christ the Redeemer statue from Rio de Janeria, Brazil.  While Lisbon's bridge and statue are iconic in and of themselves, it looks like you have the two more famous ones from San Francisco and Rio in the same shot.  One note of interest:  Lisbon's Christ the Redeemer is actually a few meters taller than Rio's.

The April 25 Bridge and Christ the Redeemer.  A little San Francisco and a little Rio.

I'm not sure when it was erected, but this recognizes Portugal's Healthcare Heroes who served bravely during the pandemic.  It's located along the waterfront.

Near Belam there is a museum which offers great rooftop views.  This is going towards the Belam Tower.  

Once you reach Belam there are numerous interesting sites worth checking out.  These include the Belem Tower (officially the Tower of Saint Vincent), which was built in the sixteenth century as a fortification for the city as well as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for early explorers.  Also worth checking out is the Padrao do Descobrimentos which was built in the 1940's and made permanent in 1960 to commemorate the 500 year anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death.  I have to confess, I remember the stories of some of the early explorers, but Henry the Navigator isn't one of them.  Based on the size of the impressive monument, he must have been pretty good!

The Padrao do Descobrimentos in memory of Henry the Navigator.

The Belam Tower

Across the street from the Padroa do Descobrimentos is the Jeronimos Monastery and Cathedral.  You can access this area by an underground tunnel that connects the two areas.  The monastery houses a archeology and maritime museum and requires an entrance fee to visit.  Entrance into the Cathedral is free of charge and well worth visiting.

Outside Jeronimos Cathedral

 

The Monastery Towers

Inside the cathedral.  There is no entrance fee and it's well worth visiting.

In the old days we would have walked the five miles back to the city center.  That was then, this is now and we paid the $1.30 each and took the train.  We still ended up covering just under ten miles........not a bad day of wandering!

Pizza is always a good way to end the day.  This was from Pizzaiollo just steps from our hotel.

We've enjoyed listening to buskers (street performers) all over town.  We've been fortunate enough to hear some good ones.  Our favorite was the trio at the bottom left (the drummer got cut out of the picture).

For our last full day in Lisbon, we again enjoyed wandering around.  After a nice lunch at a small bar/cafe overlooking some of the city center we walked up the high tone Avenue de Liberdade.  A tree lined street with expensive shops on either side.  At the top of Avenue de Liberdade is Parque Eduardo VII.  The park is set high up overlooking Avenue de Liberdade and down to the waterfront.  We stopped for a bit before slowly making our way back to the city center and towards our hotel. 

Along Avenue de Liberdade!

 

Lisbon is full of monuments, plazas and parks!

Parque Eduardo VII, Avenue de Liberdade, and the Tagus River in the distance.

Inside the church of Saint Dominic.  Groundbreaking on the church was in 1241 and at one time it was Lisbon's largest church.  It was the site of numerous Portuguese Royal weddings.  It was damaged by an earthquake in 1531 and completely destroyed by the massive earthquake of 1751.  It was rebuilt completely.  In 1959 the church was heavily damaged by fire.  Although it has been restored, evidence of the fire can still be seen.  To further complicate the church's historical past in 1506 thousands of "New Christians" (previously converted Jews) were massacred by a Christian mob.  It was also the execution site of Gabriel Malagrida, a famous Jesuit missionary in 1761.

It's true confession time now.  Other than the croquettes we loved all the food in Barcelona and Lisbon.  However, last night we were really tired and meals are not quick over here.  There's a McDonalds just around the corner.  The Big Mac's were quick and tasty.

In a few hours we'll be on the Norwegian Sun.  It's a nineteen day crossing that will end in Miami.  There are nine ports of call.  Two we visited on the Enchanted Princess.  Most we've been to previously, but there will be a few new places to explore also.  We don't feel there is real value (for us) in purchasing an internet package on the cruise ship.  So don't look for another blog post for a couple of weeks.

Speaking of blog posts.  On March 27, 2016, I posted my first blog.  It detailed us selling the house, all our stuff and getting ready for retirement at the end of April.  This is blog number 698..........I can't believe it.  It's been an amazing journey with an incredible life partner.  We both feel so blessed and plan to continue our journeys for as long as possible. Whether you're a regular reader or just occasionally check in to see what the idiots are up to, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I hope it provides some entertainment, information and maybe a bit of inspiration!

This was taped to a post in Cascais.  Good words to live by!