April 18 - At Sea somewhere in the Mediterranean

 We have one of my treasured sea days today so I need to catch up a little.  I had a glorious day yesterday in Mahón, Menorca.  It was sunny, but very blustery all day and I realized the night before that I'd never been there so I took a tour.  I was confusing it with another of the Balearics, the island of Ibiza. Anyway, I pick my tours by what time they leave in the morning (not early being a prime consideration) and this one left at 9:30.  

Mahón perched above our dock

We set out with our German guide Angelika on a pretty comprehensive tour of the island.  We were docked in Mahón, the capital of the island and the site of one of the world's largest natural harbors.  It's about three miles long and 3000 feet wide.  The island itself was named by the Romans and means "little island" as opposed to yesterday's island Mallorca, meaning major.  Menorca is the second largest of the Balearics and has a population of about 100,000.  Like many of the islands in this part of the world it has been conquered and owned by a succession of civilizations.  The earliest people left many stone megaliths around the island, structures similar to the kinds of stones one sees at Stonehenge.  In more recent history the island belonged to the Minoans, Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, Moors, and eventually in 1713 it became a British possession.  That lasted for the next 80 or so years until the British lost control to the Spanish and French.  In the mid-19th century the British were allowed to return some forces here but they didn't rule any longer. That's a very brief history of a place that has so much history.

We headed out from Mahón to our first stop, the fishing village of Fornells on the north coast.  Despite the fact that it's an island there were actually few communities built along the shoreline, most were inland.  Can you guess why?  Towns on the coast were too tempting for pirates and brigands, so the inhabitants built inland a little to avoid being pillaged and marauded frequently.  Fornells is a charming village with white-washed buildings sitting around a small natural harbor.  There wasn't a great deal to see but it was what I think everyone would call cute.

The promenade along the waterfront in Fornells

We boarded our bus and headed to the highest point on the island, Monte Toro (the Bull Mountain) where there are a Spanish version of the Christ the Redeemer statue and a chapel called the Chapel of the Virgin of the Bull.  It has to do with an old legend about this place. Legend has it that some  early monks wanted to climb up the mountain (the summit is about 1000 ft. above sea level).  It was a hard climb and at some point they came to a tall and sturdy rock wall which the monks were unable to breech.  Along came a very big bull and he rammed the wall creating a passageway for them. Hence, it became Monte Toro and in the chapel at the summit is the Madonna del Toro, a statue of the Virgin Mary ( holding the baby Jesus not a bull).  The view from the top was beautiful.  Menorca, at least at this time of year, looks quite lush.  I should mention that the road to the summit afforded us a very harrowing ride.  It's narrow with many hairpin turns.  On the way up we had a minor fender bender with a car going down.  No injuries, but boy, there sure was a lot of paperwork exchanged between our driver and the car driver.

Christ the Redeemer at the summit

The Madonna of the Bull in the Chapel of the same name

This and the next are views from the top

We left the mountain and drove to a resort town on the southeast coast named Binibeca.  It is a village built to be a vacation resort with a Greek theme.   All the buildings are white-washed and except for the roofs which are also white tile, I could imagine being in Santorini.  (There many roofs are blue.)  We walked through the little town and I found the architecture very charming.  Many of the fence posts at the gates to the houses were topped with stylized pottery animals, especially cats and fish, in a variety of colors. Many of the houses had names and one of the ones I liked best was 'The House of the Rising Sun."

A typical building in Binibeca

The House of the Rising Sun

One of the gate guardians

Our final stop was across the harbor from Mahón, the La Mola Fortress. The headland at the entrance to the huge harbor had a large fortress preceding the current one.  It had been destroyed and fallen into disrepair.  In the mid-19th century when Menorca had already been part of the Spanish Kingdom for decades, tensions in Europe and the Mediterranean ran high and the British told the Spanish that if Spain didn't build a fortress to guard the harbor and the trade routes leading from Europe to Algeria and Morocco, they would.  So in 1848 the Spaniards began construction with the official name being the fortress of Isabella II, the Spanish queen.  The work continued for decades.  In 1896 technical advances in gun design made the fortress obsolete so construction began on a series of coastal batteries along the cliff tops so that more modern artillery pieces could be put in place.  The whole fortress area covers a vast expanse which cost an enormous amount of money and which has so far never been used for coastal defense.  I forgot to mention earlier that Menorca has some splendid cliffs along the coastline.  While in Binibeca  I could look through some of the pathways leading to the sea and catch glimpses of waves crashing against rocks and cliffs.   I find shorelines like that fascinating.

The La Mola Fortress

The Main Gate

We got back to the ship close to 3:30 tired and hungry.  The tour didn't include even a snack and we cruisers are used to eating frequently.  I grabbed a salad and then hustled to to trivia.  We are doing marvelously!

It was formal night so I got gussied up and went to a table hosted by the Chief Engineer.  He is a very nice looking Rumanian who doesn't talk much, but it was a pleasant table.  After dinner it was too early for the show so I went up to the Observation Bar to have an after-dinner  Bailey's.  I sat at the bar next to a delightful couple from Vienna with whom I struck up a conversation.  We talked until nearly midnight.  It was interesting and educational.  I am always fascinated to hear what people from other countries think about the events all over the world.  We wound up agreeing that whether in Austria or the United States it's virtually impossible to get unbiased news.   I hope I have another opportunity to spend time with Tom and Eve from Vienna.

This morning I got up way too early because I was told I had to watch us sail away from Mahón ( we spent the night there).  I was out on deck by 7 AM and it was worth it.  It is quite a beautiful place to sail from with the fortress on one side and the town of Mahón perched on the cliff on the other side.  Thank goodness it's a sea day and I don't have to do much of anything but play trivia.

Sailaway from Mahón

This red house sits overlooking the harbor and was once the place Admiral Nelson lived while he commanded the naval forces here

The ramparts of La Mol

So that's the report for now. It's Good Friday.  One has a tendency to forget what day it is, but someone reminded me of it this morning. Where has this year gone?

I had a visitor from the animal kingdom when I came back to my cabin after breakfast.

April 16 - What a difference a day makes!

 Here I am in Palma de Mallorca on a blustery day with intermittent showers.  I've decided this will be a sea day in port.  I'll be back here in a couple of weeks and perhaps the weather will be nicer.

I'll catch up on what I've done since boarding the ship.  Last night after dinner I went to the show which was "Detroit Sounds." Yes, it was all Motown and it was fantastic. I had been told that this was a new cast of singers and this was their first time performing this show.  They were probably the best performers I've heard on a ship in recent memory.  It didn't hurt that they were performing my kind of music.  After the show I went up to the Observation Bar briefly to say hello to Merle and Barry, the duo I got to know very well on my last cruise.  They are wonderful performers and just such nice people.  I don't normally go up there but I shall have to to listen to them.  Next I went down to the Club and stayed until it closed.  There were two groups that played and both were fabulous.  They played lots of music that I like so I did have to get up and dance.  I'm careful because a knee has been bothering me, but maybe the exercise is good for it if I take it easy.

I should write something about this place. Palma de Mallorca is the capital and largest city in this archipelago of islands (the Balearics) in the western Mediterranean off the coast of Spain.  It's a province and autonomous region of Spain. There is evidence of habitation on the islands dating back to the 3rd millenium BC.  At various times the islands were under Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman control.  One quite interesting thing I think is that the men were renowned for there abilities to use slingshots and they served as mercenaries for those civilizations going into battle with little more than their slings.

This morning when I looked out and saw the gray skies I rolled over and stayed in bed a while longer.  It's easy to become lazy on a ship. So here I sit in Seabourn Square with an excellent cappuccino watching the people go by.  I'm not sure what the distribution of nationalities on board is, but from conversations I've heard I think there are quite a few non-US passengers.  I kind of like that because I can learn lots of new things in conversations with people from other places.  At breakfast I sat across from a retired professor who lives in the Cotswolds in England.  At dinner last night a gentleman I spoke with was a retired attorney from Lima, Peru.  I think meeting people from all over and from all walks of life is one of my favorite things about cruising.

This is what it looked like from the deck this morning.  This is a big ferry port where ferries from all over the western Mediterranean come.  In the distance beyond a ferry you can see the cathedral which is very beautiful.

At this rate I won't have many exciting things to write about, but I will have made new friends like Fernando from Peru and Keith from England. Those kind of memories are, as the commercial says, priceless.  More later ..... 

April 15 - Unpacked and enjoying some champagne!

 After a good night's sleep I feel human again.  I awoke to a beautiful sunny day here.  (It was calling for rain so I lucked out.)  I had a nice breakfast in the hotel's restaurant.  Here in Spain they go in for huge buffets with all kinds of cold cuts, pastries, fruits plus all the usual eggs, cereal etc.  This one also had a big a la  carte menu so I had fruit from the buffet and eggs royale with smoked salmon instead of canadian bacon.  Seated at the table next to mine was a very nice English couple also going on the Ovation.  They too have sailed a lot with Seabourn.

A car arranged by the ship picked me up around noon and dropped me at the cruise terminal right downtown at the World Trade Center.  That's one of the advantages of a small ship like this one; we can dock here instead of at the port that takes the big ships.  As I checked in I ran into several crew members I've sailed with before.  It always amazes me that they remember names so well.  After all they encounter hundreds of people constantly.  I have trouble remembering my own name sometimes.  The cruise director is one I sailed with last year from Australia to Vancouver and I got a big hug.  The captain is one I sailed with a few times with Al.   In fact we had parties in our cabin on those cruises and he and Al had good conversations about sailing.  

After a nice lunch I came back to my cabin to find my luggage waiting for me.  I'm unpacked and ready to set sail.  As usual there's a Solo Travelers get together in the evening and I've got an invitation to dine with the Entertainment Manager (that position used to be called the Assistant Cruise Director - I don't know why they changed it). I ran into friends from my last cruise and one of them likes to go to the Club and dance so I should have company.  I'm ready!

Oh, this was the view from one of my many windows at the hotel this morning.

Basilica Sagrada Familia

If you've been to Barcelona you know this magnificent church.  If you haven't here's a little about it.  This was designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. Construction began in 1882 (that's right - 143 years ago) and it's still not complete.  It's the world's largest unfinished Catholic church.  It was designed to have 18 spires. There are no right angles inside or outside the church and as you can see by the crane in the photo, it's still under construction.  On one of our trips here in November, 2010 the building was finally consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI.  We were in Barcelona for several days before a cruise and the city was packed with people from all over for the event. We had an excellent tour guide who arranged for us  to go into the church the day before the consecration. It was magical because there were all kinds of flowers being placed both inside and outside, there was a choir practicing and there was a priest standing in for the Pope to check out the sound system.  We didn't plan to be in Barcelona for that event; it was just serendipitous. Sometimes you just luck out.  

Anyway, we'll be on our way soon.  So bye for now.

April 14 - Barcelona, España

 Here I am in Barcelona on a lovely Monday.  I had good flights from Richmond to Dulles and then onward to Barcelona on United.  I  have a few comments about United and flying to Europe.  The first is that since my travels recently have taken me to Australia/New Zealand and Southeast Asia which involve endless flights, the flight from DC to Barcelona seemed like just a short hop. Literally I was surprised when the announcement was made that we were preparing for landing. As usual I didn't sleep, but I found movies to watch and I read a book. Second, the United Polaris lounge at Dulles is one of the nicer ones I've been in. It's big and in addition to a pretty big buffet they have a sit-down restaurant where I had a really good hamburger with bacon on Sunday.

The flight arrived nearly half an hour early and clearing border control and getting my luggage was a piece of cake.  I arranged for a driver from Blacklane to pick me up and he was waiting. I've used that company in lots of different places and they are always great.  My driver was an interesting character.  He was a 6'6" tall native Ukrainian who came to Spain many years ago to play on a basketball team. He liked it so much he moved here and his kids were born here and are Spanish. He told me his son and daughter are both also very tall. His son plays for a professional team here and his daughetr is a university student. His Ukrainian mother came to live with them when Putin invaded.  Anyway, I enjoyed my conversation with him.

We got to my hotel, the Hotel Arts which is part of the Marriott family, very early and of course my room wasn't ready.  In fact, the hotel is undergoing major renovation and refurbishing so the kind of room I booked (a king size room) wasn't available at all.  No worries though.  Although I had to wait for a few hours, they upgraded me to a huge suite on the 20th floor.  I have a corner room with a living room, a bedroom, and kind of a butler's pantry. I have views of the city and the sea.  It's really overkill.  Since I hadn't slept and I had all my valuables with me until I got into my room, I didn't try to go out.  I've been to Barcelona quite a few times and I don't really think it's a good place to walk around with much money or jewelry with you.  It's probably not the best place for a woman alone to walk around either.  Too bad, because I love La Rambla, the Gothic Quarter and the Boqueria Market here.

Here are a few photos of this enormous room they gave me!

The pantry

Guess who didn't attempt to use this tub.

The big shower on the left and the toilet in the separate room on the right

Anyway, I got into my room and took a nap after getting cleaned up.  Dinner was in a restaurant here in the hotel which serves tapa kinds of foods.  I had a lovely light meal and a nice glass of Spanish wine and now it's time to say nitey-nite.  Tomorrow I'll be picked up around noon for the short ride to the ship. I'm looking forward to getting settled in and unpacking.  I truly hate living out of a suitcase even for a day or two.

April 13 - Time to Cruise - Barcelona here I come!

 It's time to sail again.  I've been home for not quite three months and I feel the need to go bob around the ocean.  This morning I'm on my way to Barcelona to board the Seabourn Ovation for one month.  This is a shorter cruise than the most recent ones I've taken and I hope it won't fly by too quickly. (I know it will though!)  I'll be sailing around a lot of the western Mediterranean.  With only a couple of exceptions I've been to nearly all the ports.  There are only three sea days out of thirty, but that's okay with me.  They are lovely places and I plan to do a lot of chilling out most days.  My friend Hilary will be on for part of the cruise and she too has been to this part of the world often.  We've decided our plan of action will be to shop a little and then find a café and have some wine and watch people.  That's one of our favorite pastimes.

It is a little bittersweet because the last time I really sailed in this part of the world was with Al.  A lot of wonderful memories will be stirred up.  I'm spending one night in Barcelona and I purposely didn't pick the hotel we always stayed at, the Hotel 1898, because I would be missing him.  Instead I'm going to be at the Hotel Arts right down on the waterfront.   My journey today takes me from Richmond to Dulles and then onward to Barcelona.  I'll get there Monday morning and I'll no doubt be pooped.  After all these years I still can't sleep on a plane no matter what I try.  Fortunately, there are plenty of movies to watch and my iPad is loaded with books.

So, let the journey begin.  I'll try to write everyday but I'm not always that good.