We went on a cruise!
Our other cruise trips had been either with family or when we were young and broke. This is the first cruise that we have planned and paid for in 30 years.
The cruise was a transatlantic "repositioning" cruise that started in Tampa and finished in Barcelona. Along the way, we stopped in the Azores and Cadiz Spain before going through the Straights of Gibraltar. After that, we hit Malaga, Cartagena, Valencia and finally got dropped in Barcelona. We stayed in Barcelona for a few extra days and then flew back to Colorado.
We were a bit worried that the 9-day crossing of the Atlantic would be really boring, but we were wrong. It was really relaxing and it turned out to be our favorite part of the cruise. Once we started hitting the ports every day, things got more frantic.
Here is our ship, the Celebrity Constellation. It holds 2400 passengers, but only 800 were onboard. This made the ship nearly empty, so there were no lines anywhere and very little competition for the prime deck chairs.
Since the ship was so empty, upgrading to a family suite at the back of the boat was really cheap, so we went for it. Here is the view from the room:
Like all cruises, photographers were circling the dining rooms.
Our good friends Pat and Deb came along with us on the cruise.
The bartender pouring all twelve martinis at once
First port of call, Ponta Delgada in the Azores. We rented a scooter and rode around the island. It reminded me of Hawaii due to it's volcanic formation. Lots of black soil and lush vegetation. Here is a lake that formed in the burned out center of a volcano.
Because of the volcanic activity, there are a few hot springs. Here is the exit canal from a very nicely landscaped spa in Furnas that we relaxed in for a few hours before the long scooter trip back to the boat:
There is a geothermal park in the town of Caldeiras (near Furnas). Lots of hot pots and fumaroles.
Second Port of Call: Cadiz
Third Port of Call: Malaga
Beautiful day in Malaga. Fire roasted sardines, a visit to the central market, churros, coffee, and a visit to the castle. We had wonderful tour guides, Manolo and Bea who live in Malaga and who stayed at our house in Boulder last September.
Scenes that simply do not exist in the United States. Walkable pedestrian avenues and plazas throughout the downtown, tables and umbrellas with people just relaxing, no traffic or honking horns.
When I return home, I miss the human scale of European and Mexican cities.
Fourth Port of Call: Cartagena
Not much to say about Cartagena. I'm not sure why the cruise ships even stop here. On the plus side, it was a day of aimless wandering and drinking at the local tapas bars.
Spain definitely has some strange street art.
Fifth Port of Call: Valencia
Last Port of Call: Barcelona
The cathedral in Seville is amazing. The elaborate carvings and lavish gold and silver articles speak to an era of wealth, power and craftsmanship. It is simply amazing that something like that could be built with hand tools, ropes and donkeys.
The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is absolutely shocking. All of the old rules for building a cathedral were pushed aside. Symmetry? Don't need it. Big, heavy columns? No thanks. Smooth and polished Greek and Romanesque
marble statues? Nah - we prefer rough hewn.
Being inside is like being surrounded by large trees of several species in a forest.
10 pm and Barcelona is coming alive just as we are thinking of going to bed. We so old.
And, yes, F*ck Putin indeed.
