Cartagena and Malaga-part 2

AM moon

Our Malaga excursion takes us on a drive to a scenic overlook where our ship is visible in the port beyond the bullfighting arena.  We pass by some lovely neighborhoods as we climb to this spot.  Malaga is a prime Costa del Sol beach region.  Put this on the list of places to return to.

After this brief bus ride and back in city center, we continue on foot to the Picasso Museum.  Already, some in the group are grumbling about the walking.  DON’T COME ON A WALKING TOUR IF YOU DON’T WANT TO WALK.  Anyway, after wasting everybody's time while the guide coddles this handful of people, we go on the, now abbreviated, guided tour at the museum.  Not really a Picasso fan, but it was interesting to see his early more realistic work.  Obviously, no photos allowed.

Free time to walk the streets.  Again, the narrow pedestrian streets and the wonderful tile pavers, slippery when wet.  It’s Sunday, so most stores aren’t open.  Sidewalk cafes are plentiful and busy.  The streets are full of locals and tourists.  Besides us, there’s a Royal Caribbean ship and an Italian cruise ship in port.  

 

 We’ve teamed up with our Colorado friends (and bridge partners) Sandy and Allen.  We follow the sound of music coming from a side street and discover a full orchestra.  We park ourselves at a café and enjoy some Sangria and tapas while enjoying the concert.  Tapas included a fried ham and cheese roll, fried artichokes, potato salad, ceviche, roasted eggplant, bread, Manchego cheese, and the Andalucian salmorejo, a roasted tomato dip.

More wandering after lunch and regrettably return to the ship.  I think Viking is trying to tease us with just a taste of the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese ports in order to entice us to sign on for one of their Mediterranean or river cruises.

Cartagena and Malaga-part1

I love walking the streets of these European cities.  That’s what we did in both of these Spanish cities, clocking over five miles each day despite Bob’s heel spur.  The temperature was perfect in Cartagena..

 In Cartagena, because we were docked right at the city, we skipped our tour which would have taken us out of town to see a couple of churches (Zzzzz), and instead hoofed around on our own.  The weather was perfect.  The pedestrian only streets, paved in colorful tile and lined with stores and cafes, were delightful. 

Cartagena came under Roman rule in 209 BC.  We climbed the hills amidst archeological remains of the Roman forum, the amphitheater, the temple, and the mill. 

We headed back to the ship and were surprised that a fog had rolled in.  Pretty.  Soon enough, it burned away and again we were able to see the hundreds of moored sailboats.  There was an odd looking boat-like thing which, from a distance, we thought was a sculpture, maybe an interpretation of a sailboat.  Found out later that this is a 480 million dollar superyacht “A” belonging to a Russian oligarch.  It has eight levels, electronic windows, and a glass hull. 

Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy and Rock the Casbah

Today, in another example of bad scheduling, we’re in Algeria for a full day, while yesterday we had only half a day in Cagliari.  So, today we decided to stay on board and not rock the Casbah (more on that later.) 

We had a panoramic bus tour of Cagliari with our guide Maura, who ended every word with a vowel.  First we were driven by the beaches and beach communities.  Looks like a nice place.  Lots of people out walking and biking the pedestrian path.   On the way there and back we pass the salt marshes that are known for a particular type of shrimp that flamingos feed on.  Got a few drive-by photos of the flamingos.  Later from above, we were able to see the faint pink tinge in the marsh where the nesting areas are. 

The last part of the tour was a walking tour through the old walled city.  Wonderful Italy-along the way I ducked into a gelateria for a tiramisu gelato.  This is a typical Italian hill town, with narrow cobblestone streets opening into charming piazzas.  At the bottom of the hill we had some free time to linger in the commercial center before making our way back to the ship.  Not near enough time.

Upon our return to the ship we attended the usual “Port Talk,” which is where we learn about the upcoming port’s excursions and what to expect in terms of the weather, the culture, the currency, and other pertinent details.  The presentation on Algiers, Algeria was so negative that Bob and I decided to stay in today.  (I’ve been catching up on my blogging, instead.)  The negative information about Algiers included such things as 1-we’d be appreciating Chennai and Cochin by comparison; 2-there would be police escorts, but we're aren’t allowed to take pictures of them or cameras will be confiscated; 3-we aren’t allowed to go out independently; 4-if we aren’t on a ship’s tour we can’t leave the ship; 5-we will get lost in the Casbah without the guide and may never be found again; 6-we can’t use binoculars because Algerians associate them with war and will confiscate them; 7-there are no souvenirs to buy because there is virtually no tourist industry; 8-there are no bathroom stops, etc., etc., etc.,  

I hope everybody that went out had a miserable time.

I’m caught up on the blog.  Tomorrow is Spain.

Marvelous Malta

We were scheduled for a full day at La Goulette, Tunisia on April 25^th.  For some reason the Tunisians decided they didn’t want us.  We’re probably more trouble than we’re worth.  Anyway, the schedule was altered to give us a day and a half in Malta instead of the original half day.  That was a lucky break.  It’s a mystery to me why there would have been only a half day allotted for Malta in the first place.  Everyone agreed that it was absolutely wonderful, a true European feel.  I took more photos here than I did of the pyramids.  I need to do some winnowing.

We arrived early and were the only ship in port until the huge Norwegian Spirit pulled in around 10 AM.

Our excursion, “A Taste of Malta,” took us to a fishing village, a glass factory, and a winery, 

followed by a scenic bus ride around the perimeter of the old fortified city. 

The fishing village of Marsaxlokk was just a photo stop.  Not too much fishing goes on anymore, as waters are over-fished and farming has proved to be more profitable.  They do have a rich fishing history and steeped in superstition.  The Maltese “luzzus” are very colorful and all have eyes painted on the bows, supposed to protect fishermen while at sea.

Onward to the shopping stop, Mdina Glass Factory.  Because of the plentiful supply of sand, this factory was established here in 1968.  Not such a rich history, but an important product of Malta.

Next a winery visit.  We pass fields of grapes.  Not the usual hilly terrain I’d expect for grape vines.  The winery is in a colonial home that has a view of the walled city of Mdina.  We go up to the rooftop veranda for a tasting of three good wines, served with some wonderful goat cheese.  We buy a Merlot to take back to the ship.

After the bus ride back to the ship, we head out on foot to the very accessible old city of Valletta on the hill.  There is a lift that ascends from the port level to the city level, one euro to go up, free to go down.  Bob is still suffering with the heel spur so, armed with walking stick, we opt for the lift instead of the hundreds of stone steps.

At the top are miles of narrow cobblestone streets, historic buildings, panoramic views, outdoor cafes, and bustling activity.  I could wander for hours, and I did.

Malta’s claim to fame is the Order of the Knights of St. John.  The knights were noblemen from important European families that were tasked with protecting the Catholic faith from attacks of the Ottoman Turks.  After they held off an attack in 1565, they established Malta as a fortress and soon after built a cathedral in honor of their patron saint, St. John the Baptist.  We weren’t going to visit the cathedral because, you know, “if you’ve seen one….”  Anyway, our friends talked us into going and I’m glad they did.  I think it’s the most opulent example of Baroque architecture I’ve seen, really flamboyant.  We followed the narrated recording until we overdosed on gold leaf and left to continue exploring the city. 

Beheading of St.John the Baptist by Caravaggio

We probably should have stopped at a local cafe for a rabbit dinner, a Maltese specialty, but we headed back to the ship for dinner.

The next morning, I got up early for another look around.  Bob needed to rest his foot.  This time I took the steps up and the lift down, making an effort not to get lost before it was time for all aboard.  I would have wandered farther afield if we had more time.  It’s a wonderful place, really worth a visit.  A good plan would be to go to Italy, take a ferry to Sicily and then take a ferry to Malta.

Sailing away.