We came into a beautiful port with wonderful weather. These islands have a very similar climate to the Caribbean even though we are on the opposite side of the Atlantic and just off the coast of Africa. Another thing, I never really thought I would be able to say. Being a last minute port change, we did not have an excursions planned. Instead, we decided to take a walk around town. There was a mall we walked through too. Tonight's show was a comedian, Bengt Washburn was funny but we are glad that this will be his last performance on the ship.
Time for someone new.
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Well, not entirely unexpected but we need this day to make the difference in distance to the Canary Islands. We relaxed and enjoyed bright sunny skies if a bit of a roll in the ocean that kept the ship in motion constantly. So everyone does a drunken sailor walk even if they are completely sober.
Tonight, Shawna and I enjoyed some music at the Rolling Stone Lounge.
As we wake this morning, we have a very pretty sunrise with a ship anchored off shore.
Then we notice an unusual cruise ship. It is a four mast sailing ship.
I think Shawna is thinking about another adventure.
Today, Shawna and I are going on a land adventure. We will be hiking a dangerous trail. The bus will take us inland to a canyon.
Our ride to the start of the trail was interesting. We are in the south of Spain and the weather is a bit warmer than the last few ports.
We stopped along the way for a bathroom and possible snack at a small restaurant. For some reason I found the menus interesting. Behind the restaurant was a hostel.
On our bus ride our guide explained that our hike was described as the most dangerous hike in Europe. Not so much now but our guide was one of those who used to hike this before renovations made it much safer. Still this is something that most people would feel very uncomfortable doing as the platforms are attached directly to the side of a canyon wall. Having a fear of heights or vertigo would make this hike nearly impossible. Nothing but straight up above the platform and straight down below. Most places you can look down through the slats and see the bottom and the river usually over 150 feet or more below.
The hike is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is a relatively new construction by UNESCO standards.
The hike starts in a 650 foot long tunnel that only gets you close to the beginning of the canyon. After that there was about a ¼ mile walk to reach the beginning of the State park and hike. We got our last opportunity to use a bathroom. Then we got our helmets which we were required to wear the entire hike. Just the walk to the start of the hike was interesting. Several tunnels. Views of the animals and valleys.
We had great weather. Not perfect but this hike is known for being very hot. Well not today. We had wind and cloudy skies that kept the sun at bay. We reached the entrance of the State park/hike for an introduction by the rangers plus some warnings. We were to be very careful of the wind which is known to blow items out of peoples hands. That we must obey instructions of any rangers on the trail.
The hike is in a canyon. Originally the work in this canyon was for two purposes. A railway and hydro electric system. The walkway was built for workers to maintain those projects.
Over the years the need for the walkway reduced to the point it was no longer maintained. Of course, that did not stop risk takers to sneak in to make the hike. Over several years people died falling from the unstable and sometimes broken original platforms. The government decided that rather than destroy the platform system they built a replacement and safer system.
Well, this looks interesting. This is the canyon we will hike along. If you look above the concrete platform, you can see the edge of the railing and the trail.
The new platform system was opened in 2015. Today you can see the old platforms and often walk over them on the new system. The hike is still highly regulated to LIMIT the risk of death. Yes, Limit!
Cameras at points along the trail allow State rangers to monitor hikers and several are posted at points along the way to manage the hikers.
The trail quickly became interesting. It is a bit unnerving at times. You can see down through the slats all the way to the bottom 100 feet or more below.
Yes, most of the trail is platforms mounted to the side of the canyon.
On the far side of the canyon, the train tracks made their way in and out of tunnels.
At times, the old platforms are directly below the new ones.
At a turn in the canyon, we were diverted to a tunnel. That curve was the most dangerous of the trail because winds funneling through there have been known to knock people over on the platforms. We could see out at points to the old and new trails.
The trail is impressive.
Though a bit scary looking in some areas.
For a short part of the hike, we had a regular trail. Along with that was the original channel that for many years carried water to near by communities.
It was a really fun hike but at 5 miles more tiring than expected. Exciting, that's for sure. Near the end of the canyon, we crossed to the other side.
The walk out of the canyon was pretty strenuous.
Looking back as we came out of the canyon was very impressive.
The most tiring was the last mile which is a wide gravel trail but is a pretty steep walk.
A portion of the 1965 film Von Ryan's Express was filmed using the railroad tracks. The trains run through the canyon several times per day on the opposite side of the canyon from the platforms.
Our bus driver needed to hurry us back but the ride back was a bit unnerving especially as the road through the mountains was barely 2 lanes and on any curve we took up both lanes.
We got back right at all aboard and found out that the rest of the cruise changed. All our remaining ports were removed and we are being diverted to the Canary Islands. The reasons were two fold. One, the weather was going to be bad 30 foot seas and force 5 winds. Two, all of Portugal's port pilots have gone on strike. This means we can not visit ANY port in Portugal. The ships insurance will not allow ships to go in without a pilot (I.E. someone to blame if something gets damaged). The ports won’t allow ships un-piloted for both money paid and to avoid damage in the port. It amazes me on how much insurance companies influence what we can do.
Off to Warmer and much better weather in the Canary Islands. Yea!
Rough seas, weather, and a strike have changed the rest of the cruise ports. Instead of visiting Cartagena, Cadiz, Lisbon, or Madeira we will be having several more sea days and stopping in Spain’s Canary Islands.
We had another cruise ship traveling near us and it shows how bad the seas were.
We are all pretty seasoned cruisers so the rough seas don't bother us at all. It just makes walking a bit challenging.
We will be able to visit Malaga, Spain tomorrow but that will be the last of our planned ports.
Wang Wang drink. 7 liqueurs and slightly sweet with a bit of a kick..
Music at night after dinner. We hear from Rodrigo on the Chapman Stick. A strange musical instrument but a beautiful sound.
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Time for our bus tour of the city.
The bus takes us on quick tour of the city. This includes passing several buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí. Yes, they were all very gaudy and that is where the term comes from Gaudi's designs. It seems that making buildings gaudy caught on.
Part of our tour is to see the ugliest church in the world which is also the longest under construction. La Sagrada Famila has been under construction for almost 100 years. George Orwell said it was “one of the most hideous buildings in the world”. He was right but there are several ugly buildings in Barcelona. Some by Gaudi but not all.
The following are pictures of a church. No really! This was what was allowed to be put on the outside of a church and the inside is supposed to be not any better.
It amazes me that anyone would pay for the construction and it is not even finished. It is disturbingly ugly. In a store near by, we saw a model of the finished church.
After leaving there, we moved to where we would see dancers. The surprise was seeing the number of children dressed up.
The city celebrates All Saint's Day for about 2 weeks. Lots of adults and children dressed up.
Next Flamenco dancers. Not Flamingos dancing which would be interesting but not what we were there to see.
Back to the ship. Along the way, we saw several buildings including a bull fighting ring which is now converted into a shopping center. Bull fighting is no longer allowed.
As we got to port, there were several huge yachts.
I thought I would throw in a few pictures of the fancy food we get on the ship.
We arrived in Barcelona on Halloween.
As we arrived in Barcelona the ship had some pretty interesting transformations. Well, it is Halloween. So some carvings.
The chefs had a competition on who carved the best pumpkin. Wow these people are creative. The carvings are a bit creepy.
We walked into the Ledo pool area and it seems that all the towel creatures escaped the cabins and gathered around the pool.
Well, we have another country checked off. Sort of. None of us got off the ship today. We arrived a bit after noon and don't have any excursions planned until tomorrow. Walking around a tourist trap shopping market surrounded by pickpockets did not seem a good choice. The cruise director warned everyone that Barcelona has the highest number of pickpockets in Europe if not the world. Today, we relaxed on ship.
Tonight, Shawna had a very different mixed drink.
The drink is a Smoked Cherry Old Fashioned. Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Angostura and Orange Bitters with Smoked cherry wood.
Tomorrow, we go on an excursion.
We come into the bay at Cannes but have to tender in to the dock.
Well, we did walk around Cannes so we can all say we have been to France.
We saw a European RV. Tiny by US standards.
Cannes is known almost exclusively for the annual film festival which is at different time of the year. This is the off season for Cannes. We walked along the shore and that pretty much was all.
Shawna walked down to the shore to touch the Mediterranean.
The pianist with the hair performed again tonight. He was great.
Later was the Orange party. The colors of the Dutch royal family is orange so Holland America cruise line has a party each cruise in honor of them. Fun time. Music. Dancing. Some free snacks.
The ship is moving at a pretty good clip. The captain said we would maintain 18 knots all night and we could tell. Time for bed.
Well, we came into port of Livorno, a big industrial port. They make boats here. The Seven Stars boat manufacturing company. Most seem to be luxury mega yachts. There have to be 2 dozen HUGE ones here right now. There is a ship next to us in the port that got my interest. It is currently named Cape Wrath but its original name was Hual Trader. It is a car carrier ship with US registry. Of course, there are several ships, cruise ships, ferries, … The most interesting ferries have huge cartoon characters on the sides. These are BIG ferries almost like small cruise ships. There is one completely dedicated to Batman and one for Superman. Two with multiple cartoon characters from Bugs Bunny, Sylvester, Tweety Bird, Tasmanian Devil, Coyote,… We have a quick breakfast and head down for our tour of Pisa. The bus ride took us to a trolley that dropped us just outside the plaza. Our guide had a very thick accent and this made understanding him difficult. We drove around Pisa on the bus as he quickly pointed out locations, churches, bridges,… The trolley which was very bumpy. Yes, we got the full “trolley” experience. We walked into the Piazza del Duomo where the Leaning tower of Pisa is located. There is the tower of course which is much larger than I thought but also a very large church. The church is huge and next to it is the worlds largest baptistery. One whole building is dedicated to baptistery. It is the largest building dedicated to that purpose. It does not have a huge pool inside for baptisms. Even so that building is impressive. It was built in 1180. Is round and over 107 meters in diameter (351 feet) and over 54 meters tall (178 feet). Both the church and baptistery are covered in carvings and marble. The church was built in 1064. Everything is SO OLD. To give you a better idea this church is hundreds of years when Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Marco Polo were born and Christopher Columbus and Galileo Galilei great-great-great grandfathers had not been born yet. AMAZING! Okay back to the main attraction, a bell tower that started to lean and would have fallen to pieces if it had not been re-enforced. That's right the Tower of Pisa is a bell tower and was not even started until many years after the church was completed. Remember that it is documented that Galileo dropped to balls of different weights from the tower to prove his theory of free fall in gravity so we know he visited this area at least once. The tower was started in 1174 but was not complete until 1372. The slow completion was because even at the beginning it was obvious that something was wrong with the foundation. The tower began to lean during construction due to soft ground that would not completely support the weight of even the incomplete tower. The sinking and leaning continued to get worse as the tower was completed but the bells had yet to be installed. In an attempt to limit the problems with the increasing weight the walls are thinner as they reach the top. There are over 290 steps to the top. We did not have time to make the walk up. One more thing to add to the list of things we will want to do when we come back. The weight of the tower is estimated at 14,500 tons. The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing side of the staircase. By 1990, the tilt had reached 5.5 degrees. The structure was stabilized by remedial work between 1993 and 2001, which reduced the tilt to 3.97 degrees. Today the tower is 183 feet tall on one side and 185 on the other. We grabbed a quick lunch at a cafe. It was great but this is Italy and if you sit down at a cafe there is an expectation that you will be there for a while and in no hurry at all. We had to make it clear that we were on a tour and only had 30 minutes to eat. Thankfully they were able to help us. Back on the trolley for a bouncy ride back to the bus that would take us to the Cruise Ship and our last view of the the tower. Overall a very nice day. We got to tour around the tower and other buildings in the plaza. We had some Italian pizza and something to drink.
We needed much more time and planning to go into the tower, church, baptistry, and the cloistered cemetery. All require timing and the tower requires reservations to climb. Maybe someday we will come back with more time.
Finally Shawna, Betty, and I have been to Rome. The ship came into Civitavecchia. A small port town northwest of Rome. After a quick breakfast, we headed to the main-stage to get our turn for the bus that would take us into Rome. The drive in was along highways that passed through a mostly agricultural area of Italy. After about an hour, we started having more buildings and traffic.
We made a quick bathroom break along the highway. The location was a cross between a convenience store and a rest area. An interesting thing was that much of the parking lot had solar panels over the spaces and EV charging stations. Several were in use.
As soon as we entered Rome, the traffic became heavy and we slowed. Rome as a city surrounds the places we would want to see. We weaved through the city and then stopped to start our long walk today. The tour guide spoke to us over a small headset we all wore. He was very knowledgeable. We really enjoyed his descriptions and guidance.
Even the walk between stops took us past some interesting buildings and churches. Just a heads up. There will be lots of history in this post.
Our first stop was the Spanish Steps but we walked many blocks before coming to that square. First, we pass a large column. The Column of the Immaculate Conception. Each year there is a ceremony here where the Pope brings a wreath. Our guide told us that day the square is completely packed with people waiting to see the Pope. The sculptures are impressive.
We then reached the steps and fountain in front. Interestingly they are called Spanish but paid for by the French and built by an Italian. There are 135 stairs and completed were in 1725. At the top of the steps is a church and the Sallustiano Obelisk.
The steps are surrounded by some of the most expensive land in Rome. Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Prada, Versace, and a lot of brands I don't recognize have stores here. Just saying the extremely wealthy shop here.
We then moved on to the Trevi Fountain. Once again walking through streets and turning left and right before suddenly there was the fountain.
It was completed in 1762 and depicts Oceanus, the god of all water. The fountain is the terminus of the Aqua Virgo viaduct which was constructed in 19 B.C and is 85 feet tall and 150 feet wide. It's huge. The name comes from Three Roads which come together at the fountain. Tradition says that if you toss a coin with your right hand over the left shoulder and into the pool ensures you will return to Rome. Lots of coins are thrown in the fountain each day usually around 3000 euros. Every evening the coins are collected and used to feed the needy of Rome. We spent some time at the fountain and had a Gelato. It was very good. The area around the fountain was packed. A couple of times we were bothered by beggars, street vendors, and always on the watch for pick-pockets.
After tossing a coin in the fountain, we gathered and started to our next stop which was the Pantheon.
Even our walk from the fountain to the Pantheon was interesting. Everywhere there are ancient churches and and occasional obelisk. Sant' Ignazio di Loyola, a Jesuit Church, is impressive from the outside but the 400 year old frescos inside are supposed to be spectacular but it was not part of our tour.
As we walk into the plaza of the Pantheon, it is amazing to think this is the ancient Roman building that has a hole in the ceiling. There is so much to say about this landmark.
It would have been even more amazing as it was soon after it was completed.
The plaza in front of the Pantheon there is a fountain and obelisk. The Fountain of the Pantheon was one of the first fountains erected in 1575 of Renaissance Rome.
MAN! Everything is SO OLD here. The central obelisk of Ramses II. Yes, this is a real Ancient Egyptian Obelisk. The carving is "Ramses the second excellent son of the sun god" and works performed in honor of the god. It was originally moved from Egypt to stand at a temple to Isis but that temple was demolished and the site is now a Catholic Church. In 1711, Pope Clement XI Albani had the Obelisk added to the center of the fountain.
The Pantheon it self is amazing. Much bigger than I imagined.
It was built in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa, burned in a city fire in 80 BC and rebuilt, burned again in 118 BC and rebuilt by Hadrian by 128 BC. Much later it was remodeled from for the Roman gods to Catholicism.
The building is amazing. A circular dome 142 feet in diameter of Roman concrete that rises 71 feet above the base and ends with a 27 diameter hole to the sky. It is still the worlds largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world and the exact method of construction has never been determined. The walls the dome rests on is 20 feet thick.
The "front" porch and entrance is of Corinthian columns supporting a triangular gabled roof. Beneath the porch are huge 24 foot tall bronze double doors. Impressive! I guess that was the point. The romans were incredible builders. If a sphere were in the Pantheon it would exactly fit the dome and just touch the floor in the center. The concrete was made with different material. At the base it is stronger and heavier but at the very top of the dome it is very light mixed with pumice. It would not have have supported the weight if the concrete was of the same mix. The dome itself is not just smooth but decorated with a geometric design. When the sun shines in it moves across the building to indicate time of day and seasons. The hole, oculus, being 27 feet wide allows rain to fall in the building. The Romans planned designed the floor to slope to the center and drain between the marble tile floor. To this day the system allows rain to drain away without creating puddles. The Pantheon was dedicated in AD 609 as the Church of Santa Maria Rotunda, or Santa Maria ad Martyres, and is still and active church. All the original Roman deities and decorations have been replaced with statues of the Catholic. Much of it in late Renaissance form.
As with many churches there are several tombs in the building. The most notable is that of Raphael or Raffaello who died in 1520. He was considered one of the greatest artists, painters and architects of the Renaissance. His dying request was to be buried in the Pantheon.
The last stop was Piazza Navona where the fountain Fontana dei Fiumi is found. That is also where we had lunch at a very nice restaurant. We enjoyed pizza and drinks.
After about an hour, we regrouped and headed to the bus for our ride back to the ship. Of course, there is always someone our a couple who can not find their way back to the meeting spot on time. After a few minutes, they walked up as if nothing was wrong and we started for the bus. Our guide was determined not to be late even if it means someone gets left behind. Rome is NOT a place you want to get left behind.
We are exhausted but we made it without getting pick-pocketed or lost in the city. Back to the ship. Dinner and then off to bed as we have an excursion in the morning.
We arrive early in the morning but the ship ahead of us in the port was having problems so we were delayed going on our excursions. Of course, we did not know that until we were already up, dressed, and headed to breakfast prepared for the excursion. We had been warned that we should have rain around noon and that we about the time we were to start back to the ship. So with cameras and all the related items including raincoats, we found that the ship was still out to sea instead of almost docked. The city is interesting. The castle was at the port and high on the hill was a large Monastery with another medieval castle above that. This city is definitely a place we would like to visit again. It is a bit hard to wrap my head around but by Italian standards these are not even old being from the 1300s medieval times. They can all be toured and have museums. Betty was going on a scenic and city drive which it turns out she was not very happy with in the end. Shawna and I got on a bus to Pompeii. Never thought that would be something I could say. The drive from the port to Pompeii involved a stop that carves and sells Cameos. They had a demonstration by an artist. Palazzo del Corallo has been carving Corals and Cameos for 100 years. Shawna bought a small cameo. The other purpose was to access a bathroom as there is very limited access at Pompeii. We were dropped off just a short walk from the entrance to the site. It was a gas station and next door was an RV park. So camping is right across the street from Pompeii entrance. The campgrounds here are for “caravans” which is the European version of an RV. It’s not the size of the RV’s but driving it in Italy that concerns me. They are crazy drivers. We parked across the road in a lot that was a short walk to the Archaeological site entrance. Our bus was divided in two groups and our guide was named Anna. She was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. We did a tour of Pompeii. WOW! It was very interesting and at times a bit more strenuous than expected. It was good that Betty did not go on our tour. We were also lucky that it did not rain because the stones would have become very slick. History Warning: Pompeii was first settled around 600 BC. The city grew quickly and by 79 AD the city was an estimated population of 11,000 and wealthy. It was a port city with many wealthy merchants. Many theaters, temples, homes, restaurants, .... But in 79 AD that all suddenly came to a sudden end when Vesuvius erupted sending ash and pumice to cover the city. Both Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried under 12 to 20 ft of volcanic ash and pumice. The lesser known Herculaneum is differently worth the a tour according to Cousin Paulette. Back to the eruption. For two days near the end of November 79 AD the volcano erupted. On the first day Pumice rained down first which allowed most to escape with much of the wealth was removed. Sometime before sunrise on the second day pyroclastic flows started which killed everyone still in the city. As far as has been determined so far just over 1000 people were buried in the flow. All died suddenly suffocating in the extreme heat then immediately buried incasing their bodies leaving a nearly perfect mold of the body in the last moment of death. By the end the city was gone and even the coastline was expanded. Some excavations were done but most were just to rob the city of stone, statues, and what little wealth that remained. It is speculated that most of the Pompeii was left undisturbed because gold and silver melted and was difficult to find in the ash making digging unprofitable. Back to today. It was a busy day to visit the site. Pompeii is amazing. You literally walk in the roads and paths of Pompeii. Walk into and around theaters, homes, stores, and even a brothel. The walls were the original walls. Many that had the “plaster” with color still showing. Everything was just as it was after Vesuvius covered the city with ash. Mosaics on floors. Marble seats, ponds, walls, columns, and even fountains. They looked like no time had passed at all. Our first stop was a large area for events. All around the outside were 2 or 3 story tall structures where people could sit to enjoy events presented in the center area, purchase snacks and meals. This was primary for small competitions and religious events. Next, we walked by one of the many theaters. Being at the stage area, we could see where the actors would enter to perform. The doorways are too short for me. The Pompeii version of a fast food restaurant was so obvious to everyone. The holes used to hold large bowls of food both heated and cooled by water. It was difficult to just walk knowing that 2,000 yeas ago this was a thriving city and we were literally walking where they did in their time. They did have poop flowing down what are now clean roads but same stones in the same roads. All but one plaster cast are in the Pompeii museum but one woman in her last moment is frozen for us to see in a room where she was found. The detail that was captured was surprising. The folds of her clothes and even hair were easily seen. Along the roads were small homes, restaurants, and shops. Interior of the city block was where the wealthily lived away from the noise of the road and the smell. We walked into a home where the name of the owner is known. The rooms surrounded a large courtyard and inner courtyard. There was a private water cistern, marble pool/pond, and some mosaics. A brothel was in a narrow alley. Inside above each doorway to a room with a large stone platform (bed) were paintings of the type of “attention” the person would get in that room. VERY explicitly shown. The reason pictures were needed was that many did not speak the same language. The guide then told us that the upstairs rooms were for multiple people participating together at the same time. I am trying to be as careful as possible as some of our younger relatives read the blog. The builders were very smart and imbedded reflective rock into the roads to make walking at night easier. The city was supplied water with lead pipes. Many can still be found. We now know that lead is a horrible choice for drinking water pipe. Fountains were placed throughout the city. More mosaic which were entrances to wealthy homes. Even the sidewalks were originally paved with scrap mosaic rock. We then walked down the main road to the large area which was easily multiple acres surrounded by the remains of temples. The front of each with columns and words carved above. Pompeii is far too large for us to tour in the time we had available so we really want to return and tour on our own someday. Back to the ship to have lunch with Betty and relax. Tonight, we have another dance and music stage show. Step One Dance Company: Musicology – look them up it’s very good.
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