CARTAGENA, SPAIN Friday, April 19, 2014

Another gorgeous day on our arrival in Cartegena, a city prized for its beauty, culture and location since Carthaginian times. As happens when we are in port, maintenance of the ship continues.  Today a crew was giving the Ryndam a new coat of paint. 

Being Good Friday I was really looking forward to seeing more of the preparations for Easter week…but we had a slight delay before getting off to see the city. We were packed and ready to get off early but while walking down the stairs  I lost my footing at the top of a staircase and fell down about 8 steps. Not the way I wanted to start our day, that's for sure. Luckily I was on the same floor as the medical center so I was wheeled to the center for a look at the damage I'd done. Thank goodness nothing was broken; I had a good sized gash on my head and cuts on my legs and hands but, all in all, no major injuries. After the doctor took a look she decided I wouldn't need stitches so after cleaning up the cuts and resting a bit we walked SLOWLY out to see the city.

 The marina is only a short walk to the beautiful and historic buildings of the city.

  The entrance to the city is dominated by the Town Hall, a very modernist architecture dating for the early 20th century.

 As in our other ports most of the offices and businesses were closed for the holiday. Not feeling my best for lots of sightseeing and walking, we decided we'd find the cathedral to see what was being planned for the evening parade.  As we turned the corner we immediately knew we were near the Old Cathedral, built in the 13th century. It stands on the remains of a Roman theater, discovered in 1987. The construction dates from the first century AD and is one of the most important in Spain.

 Had I felt better we would have visited the museum and seen all the artifacts, but not today. Today I wanted to see the floats and there they were!!! Right in the middle of this very, very narrow street.

 The street was lined with black plastic chairs for the evening's event.

 We walked on up and into the cathedral to see these amazing floats, some with wheels and drivers who would be hidden under the flowing skirts.

 They were stunningly beautiful with enormous floral arrangements being installed. It looked like the entire seating for the cathedral had been removed to make way for these large traditional statues.

 I had read that the city of Cartegena, spared during the Spanish Civil War, had the oldest and most beautiful statues and floats some dating back hundreds of years. The elaborate gold and silver designs were incredible.

 Also set out ready for the procession were the banners and torches that would be used later that night.

 This is a view front he steps of the cathedral with some of the floats already out on the narrow cobblestone street.

I guess if there were any city to return to and participate in the Semana Santa activities, I'd choose Cartegena. From our experience just that day and all the photos I've seen it must be amazing with the robed and hooded fraternities marching in parallel columns to the rhythm of drums or funeral music. Having seen something similar a year ago in Antigua, Guatemala, I've wanted to see it in other countries too. We got a taste of it on this trip, but sure would love to return for the full experience.

We laughed later that evening that maybe we should have just stayed in town overnight and "missed" sailing with the ship. We could have caught it the next day…I would sure look into that on a future trip.

MALAGA, SPAIN April 17, 2014

The reason I had chosen this particular cruise was to experience Easter Week, Semana Santa, in Spain seeing several beautiful cities and their traditional celebrations.  The days in port coincided with the holy days where religious floats known as 'pasos' are carried on the shoulders of robed men during evening parades. The only thing I didn't remember is that the parades begin near sunset, lit by torches,  and the ship sailed usually about 5 or 6 pm. So, my plan didn't quite play out as I had wished. But, we did get some chances to see the preparations.

On Holy Thursday, we arrived in Malaga. The ship was docked right at the edge of town and an easy walk to the beautiful La Farola Promenade along the seafront. We joined the crowds to watch as a military ship sailed in and this group of soldiers and the band came ashore. 

Once they paraded along the waterfront and the dignitaries, they began a running march in to the city with the crowd following, including us. The streets nearby were closed to traffic so it was easy to cut across the gardens and catch up with them.  It was fun and exciting to be a part of it all. Once they reached the cathedral the soldiers dispersed and the crowds began to drift off to cafes, as did we.

 

 Our next stop was to find the Picasso Museum in the old town. As we were waiting in line, these gentlemen serenaded us. The wait went quickly and soon we were in the beautiful museum based in     the home that was Picasso's birthplace. The collection ranges from his early academic studies to cubism, many donated by the family. 

 Afterwards we sat in the beautiful geranium studded gardens for a coffee.

Then on to see the cathedral though it was closed when we stopped by.  The activities would all begin after dark.

 Principal government buildings were also closed for the day so there was a peacefulness to the streets. This is a view of  City Hall.

 Then we started on our hike up to Gibralfaro Castle (14th century) with outstanding views over the city.

 At the foot of Gibralfaro stands the Roman theater, the bullring known as La Malgueta and the historic part of the city

 It was a wonderful walk except for the water stream running all the way down the stone path making things a little slippery.

 The gardens were beautiful and everywhere we looked. We could easily see why Malaga is considered the capital of the Costa del Sol and one of Spain's foremost holiday destinations with its mild climate and beautiful beaches. We loved it!!  I could see returning to this city for a longer stay and maybe even a chance to be there at night for Semana Santa.

PONTA DELGADO April 14, 2014

Our first port of call was in the Azores at Ponta Delgado on San Miguel Island. The morning started out with some clouds but sun was shining by mid day. We found a small mini van to join for a 5 hour tour of the island. Fantastic guide who showed us the whole southern end of the island. We'll have to see the other end next time we return. And, this is such a beautiful place we'd love to return to and stay for more than a day. It is a volcanic island with amazingly lovely scenery. Our guide said we really weren't seeing the beauty of the island, we were arriving too early. The best time to see the island in color would not be until early summer when the hydrangeas shrubs are in bloom everywhere.

 This was our young drummer from the jazz band, Marc, who looked so much like our nephew, Lars.

 Back in town for the afternoon and a walk to through the city gates and the cathedral.

 A short walk back to the ship with a stop for drinks along the harbor before boarding and sail away at 5PM.

DAYS AT SEA April 6 - 13, 2014

Taking a transatlantic cruise is one of our favorite ways to relax and travel a long distance at the same time.  When we arrive at our first port we are ready to hit the sights and see new places. This year we chose an earlier departure date in early April rather than the end of the month, and maybe a little too early for the warm beautiful weather we have had before.

 On this particular trip we had 8 days at sea once we left Florida.  Our first stop would be the lovely island of Punta Delgado in the Azores, but there would only be water on our horizon for those days. So…what do we do during those 8 days of sailing???? Not much; nothing but time to read, catch some entertainment, eat delicious meals and listen in to some fantastic music. The ship also has a full daily schedule of things to participate in, or not. 

This time our ship had a fantastic library and a full time librarian at the desk.  She organized a book club to read The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grissom. I hadn't realized the book club would be so popular and by the time I got to the library there was already a long line of other passengers waiting to join the group with a max of 24 books available.  Lucky me, I did get the last copy of the book. The book club met each day at sea just before noon to discuss the many interesting and sometimes surprising developments of the plot.  We were to only read chapters assigned and not read ahead, but once we were half way through the book, I just couldn't put it down. It was a lively group but maybe 24 members makes for a less intimate discussion. Not sure it was the best way to hear all the comments and insights of everyone. 

Another fun area of the Ryndam was the Culinary Center mid ship. During several days at sea cooking demonstrations given and a chance to learn a little more about the kitchen staff. It  was also the center for the wine discussions and lots of fun.

 We also signed up for the Spa Relaxation package, and sooooooo glad we did! We had full access to these heated tile beds and a wonderful jacuzzi from early morning till after dinner, and many many times we were the only ones using the room. As it turned out, the weather this time was much colder and wetter than other crossings we'd taken, so having the Spa Room while at sea was perfect!!! It might be drizzly outside but warm and comfortable looking out from one of these lounges.

 Evenings were filled with wonderful dinners and outstanding music throughout the ship.  We had originally requested the traditional late seating at a table for 8 but after a night or two decided we would much rather eat with new and different passengers each night, and choosing when we wanted to have dinner.  We loved it that way, I'm sure we'll never sign up for assigned table seating on another cruise.

We dressed early and went to one of the lounges for cocktails each night and returned after dinner to hear an outstanding duo, piano and violin. Our waiter in that room made the most wonderful Spanish Coffees, flaming the rim with sugar and serving the drink with flair.  We loved it!

 After the evening shows in the theater we'd still have time to catch this jazz combo for a little dancing.  We loved the drummer who looked almost identical to our nephew, Lars.

 We celebrated my birthday while at sea with dinner in NYC's Le Cirque Restaurant aboard the ship. I know, I look pretty serious in this photo…Paul caught me just before I realized he had his phone out :)

 Then our waiter took this one for us. Fun to try something new and we knew it would probably be the only way we'd ever have a dinner from this famous New York restaurant.

Even though the weather didn't always cooperate, it still was fun to join in on all the special things they have going on around the ship. This was the first time we'd ever seen the inflatable safety raft in operation, full of all kinds of emergency supplies. I didn't dwell on that idea for long.

So, before we realized it, our eight sailing days were over and we were ready for our first day back on land.