Ola, from Portugal and Spain!

 

 

 

Due to our trip back to Maryland for Shockey Gillet’s memorial services, we did not have time to visit Belgium, France, or Ireland. Hence, our voyage will begin again as we depart Ireland.

 
We landed in time to catch the ship prior to its departure from the Dublin port. Meredith had arrived 3 days prior as she had a required class. Upon our arrival on the ship, we were warmly greeted with many "Welcome Backs" To our amazement, there was a huge banner signed by countess members of the shipboard community in our absence in the main square of the ship. It was mammoth and its welcoming messages brought tears to our eyes. It was a very thoughtful display and a nice focus of "Welcome back!" instead of "Sorry for your loss." We have a very special group on board and we are fortunate to be part of it.

From Dublin we sailed towards Lisbon, Portugal for 3 days and again we had a prime city parking spot. We docked a few minutes walk from downtown Lisbon, just below the hill from St. George’s Castle.

 

 Our first day, we strolled around the city after an early lunch on the ship. It was surprisingly hilly, and we admired the colorful buildings and medieval churches in this town famous for its world exploration. The large Catholic Cathedral was our first stop, then we wound through the streets to find a central square, complete with fountains and wavy-patterned paving stones.



 Lisbon has an amazing mosaic of cobblestone streets, and very steep streets and alleys. There is even a place where an elevators have been constructed to save folks from having to walk up/down the equivalent of four stories to the adjoining streets.



We walked the pedestrian mall, passing a modern museum with all these kayaks waiting for us.


 Further on we found the main arch of the city, built as the official welcome to the city from the harbor for all newcomers (by sea). Luckily, we saw the entrance which allowed us access to the top of the arch. The view of the city from here was AMAZING! It was also enjoyable to sit beside the huge statues, which adorns the top and to look down on the plaza below and the Lisbon Harbor beyond. Bill made Iva climb down from our lofty perch, so we could explore more of the city, on our way to the massive medieval fortress on the hill.

 

We wound our way through the city, following Bill’s GPS tour map, which worked on and off as we walked. Funny, it took us to a Beer Museum! How did it know?




                                                                                    Street "statue"

We made it to Castelo de Sao Jorge (St. George’s Castle) in the late afternoon, not without having to stop and ask where the entrance was, due to its being hidden up a small alley. On the way, we were able to look down and see the ship as a centerpiece from the hill above.



 The castle’s walls made up half of the hillside above the city. This impressive Moorish structure dates back to the 2nd century BC.

 

 Many of the exterior walls remain, and are open for walking on and viewing the city below. Outside the castle walls are the remnants of many formal gardens and fountains. Peacocks wander all around and the flowering shrubs were tropical and impressive.

On the way down from the castle we took an elevator down to a lower level which came out at a grocery store where we stocked up on cheap, but good wine.

 

At this point, we were ready for dinner, so we again followed the GPS "guide" to a popular restaurant in the theater district which was not open plus very pricey. In the end, we chose an Austrian café nearby and had a delightful meal. Bill topped it off with the a real Czech Budweiser! We returned exhausted to the ship about 9 PM, just in time to see about 70 students all dressed up and heading TO town for the night. Youth…

The next day we began our 3 day, 2 night trip to World Heritage Sites in Portugal and Spain. We traveled by bus beginning in Lisbon, with the final destination of Cadiz, Spain where we would reunite with the ship. For this trip, there were 3 non-student adults and 14 students with our Portuguese guide and driver.

Day 1 we headed for Evora, a site that included the ruins of a Roman Temple to Diana and reflects the golden age of Portugal.







 Portugal had been badly damaged in 1755 by a large earthquake, and throughout our trip we heard about the reconstruction in the decades which followed. The temple survived admirably although damaged and is still one of the gems of this site. Evora is a small, quaint town with white fortress walls and colorful crafts. One of the most extraordinary things about Portugal was the prolific amount of goods made from cork. We are talking about hats, purses, shoes, iPhone covers- everything! Iva regrets not purchasing something cork, but so much to see.

Best known in Evora is the Ossuary Chapel, also known as the Church of the Bones, as its interior is covered with human skulls and bones. It has a famous quote that states that these bones wait for those of the observer- wow!

Another main attraction was the cathedral, which was another opportunity to get in the roof, which Iva relished. We paid the extra fee to see the cloisters and bell tower and headed for the roof. From here we had a lovely panorama of the Portuguese countryside.

Weather in Portugal seems to vacillate from sunny and beautiful to rainy in minutes, and so we left the rooftop just as the rain began to fall. It was short-lived, and by the time we toured the cloister, the rain had stopped.

We spent the day in Evora, staying at a nearby hotel until we headed out the next day. Every meal we ate was delicious and they always provided more than we could eat, as well as white AND red wine at every lunch and dinner. We feasted our way across the country.

Cork is one of the main exports of Portugal, along with olives and wine. Driving through the countryside for 2 days gave us a full appreciation of how MANY cork trees, vineyards, and miles of olive trees they have. First- about the cork tree. Unlike what we have been told in the U.S., taking cork from the tree does not kill the tree, unless performed carelessly. A cork tree takes 40 years to grow big enough for its first harvest. As our guide said, they are planted for their children to harvest. After 40 years, the cork is removed from the bark of the trunk only, and can be harvested every 7-9 years for 400 years! The trees are marked when they are harvested, so it is known when to harvest again. It does not harm the inner core, which is a lovely russet red underneath. Cork is truly the one product of which Portugal is most proud, and complements the thousands of acres of vineyards. No cork tree is allowed to be cut down without signed permission from the Dept of Agriculture.

Olives were present at every meal, including breakfast. While it (and olive oil) is also a large export of neighboring Spain where we didn’t see a cork tree grove, there were olive groves. Another observation that cannot be missed when driving through Portugal in September is that it is one of the driest and most barren places we have seen, similar to parts of Wyoming. It is hilly and rocky with little vegetation like sagebrush, no flowers, just these tree varieties. We saw no livestock grazing anywhere for days. The people here work in the morning and evening, as mid-day is too hot. It is a wonder that the Spanish fought so hard to retain this rugged property. Originally settled by the Moors, most cities have been built, destroyed by war, and then the new civilization built their churches to replace what had been there. It was not until 1668 that Portugal was able to retain its current boundaries and ceased fighting with Spain.

Day 2 we headed to another World Heritage Site, Monsaraz which was on the highest hill in the area. It is a medieval village with tight cobblestone streets. We walked to the end of town where there is a small bull ring still in use. We were told that in Portugal, by mandate, the bulls are not killed, as in Spain, which we were all glad to hear. From the vantage point of the bull ring walls, we could see the huge reservoir that has been the product of 50 years of negotiation between Portugal and Spain, and construction which was just completed in the 1970s. Since all the rivers that feed Portugal flow from Spain, it has been critical to work out mutual agreements.

 

 

 Monsaraz bull ring

 

We headed for lunch in Mertola, a pre-Roman commercial hub with a mile of ancient wall surrounding it, for another delicious wine-laced meal. I should mention that all our lunches were long- at least 1 1/2 hours, just like Iva likes! The other thing we discovered was a Portuguese dish that we did NOT like. It was made with egg yolks and lots of sugar, a little flour, then heated. We thought it looked like a peach or apricot dessert, but it was way too sweet. It turns out that the egg white was traditionally saved to use as starch for ironing, so that yolk was left over. Mertola also had another old castle, surrounded by a mile long wall, but everything was closed this day because of elections. We saw no one voting, or on the streets going to vote, but all the stores were closed down. Too bad, our group would have provided economic stimulus.

We proceeded to Tavira near the Spanish border for the night . As we arrived late in the afternoon, we settled into the hotel, meeting up for dinner as a group. More wine and an extensive buffet awaited complete with ice cream. We were all glad to have different food than that on the ship, so it was a feast. Afterward, we sat in the adjoining bar area where the WiFi was free. Several students played pool, some got more drinks, and most all were on their mobile devices in this free area. The next day was time for Spain.

We headed to Seville, capital of the Andulusian region, founded by the Iberians, later invaded by Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans.






                                                                                        Seville bull ring

Our bus traveled on the palm-tree lined avenue where the Ibero-American Exhibitin of 1929 was centered, and dropped us off for a tour of the Alcazar. Built in the 1300’s by the Moors, it is an amazing palace that has been used by Spanish kings for seven centuries. The plantings, friezes, and tiles are fabulous! Endless gardens are fragrant with orange blossoms and roses, exotic plants from all over the world, and water gardens all surround this palace. It is set up to allow a ruler to have his advisors living in close proximity, so there are multiple connected living quarters. While we only had a hour here, we would have loved to tour this World Heritage Site for much longer!














Following this tour, we followed our guide to our tapas lunch, which was outstanding. Four courses; more food than our group could eat, endless wine, and fabulous food. This two hour lunch affair was our culinary finale in Spain. Following lunch, we were to tour the largest Gothic and 3rd largest cathedral in the world- Seville Cathedral. However, since it was a Monday, it had already closed when we finished our long lunch, AHHHH! So all we were able to do was to take photos from the outside.

What we did for the next hour, when we were supposed to be in the cathedral, was shop- power shop. Our group fanned out for the next hour and inspected the goods, compared the costs, and purchased what we could. We all have some memorable souvenirs from Spain.

We returned to the ship for one day at sea on our way to Morocco. The ship had to leave at the allowed time from Cadiz despite the unbelievable day that had sent many students to the nearby beach. Iva considered checking in late, and incurring the penalty of having to remain on the ship longer at the next port to enjoy the sand and sun. But we have a great trip planned in Morocco which prevented her from choosing the required "dock time" penalty Iva would incur. We will explain that in another post!

 

 

A Good Day on The Rock- Gibraltar

 

 

 

Between Spain and Morocco, several of us traveled on an S at S day trip to the country of Gibraltar. What an informative day it was! It is totally surrounded by Spain and the Atlantic Ocean, and as we all know, is the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea. Since we were leaving Spain, and going into British territory, we needed our passports. It is a real culture shock to disembark the bus in Spain, walk across the airstrip, and be in a British territory! The only way on to Gibraltar is by crossing the Eisenhower Airstrip. All cars, bikes, and pedestrians cross between planes taking off and landing- it is wild.

30,000 people live on the 2.5 square mile rock. It is densely populated at the base, with many winding alleyways for streets. It has been inhabited by Neanderthals, Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, the Spanish, and since the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, the British. Our tour guide for the day was a tiny redhead, staunchly British, who frequently referred to the "Jack Russell terrier" character of the tough, determined Gibraltarians.

Gibraltar has had two major battles in modern history. The Spanish have tried to have the Rock returned to them several times in the last 300 years, most definingly during the Great Siege of Gibraltar during which time they prevented all provisions from being delivered to the inhabitants on the Rock, trying to starve them into submission. The feisty British formed a plan to defend themselves by digging tunnels into the granite rock, thereby being able to situate cannons aimed directly at the approaching enemy attackers. While the military inhabitants literally were starving, they used their staunch determination to continue to dig with sticks and belt buckles, despite not having proper tools. The rooms and tunnels in the Rock are impressive, though they were greatly expanded during WWII.

 

 

When the Nazis were marching across Europe, there was great concern of the inhabitants of Gibraltar, and all civilians were evacuated. Gibraltar’s prime location as a monitor of the ships which entered the Mediterranean Sea, on the way to the Suez Canal, was a strategic naval vantage point for the Allies. Miles of underground tunnels were constructed along with dormitories, a hospital, and meeting rooms. Eisenhower had his headquarters here until the surrender of the Italians. The network of tunnels is impressive and fortunately there are many windows punched through to the outside, affording ventilation and light, and unbelievable views. It numbs the mind to think of the toils of the young men who dug through rock for years to make this tunnel network a reality. To this day there are about 35 miles of tunnels, most that are not open to the public, and are maintained by the British military.

One of the most whimsical and memorable parts of visiting Gibraltar is the presence of its monkeys. There are over 200 Barbary Macaques who were brought over from Morocco more than a century ago. They inhabit the entire top of the Rock, and even when the British were starving, they considered the monkeys to be good luck and would not eat them. They are considered a talisman, and the Brits felt that if the monkeys left the Rock, that the British would not maintain control of it, so the monkeys do what they like. While there are stiff penalties for feeding the monkeys (about $4000!), the monkeys are skilled at opening purses and bags, snatching food from a passerbys hand, even to jump on peoples heads to do it. They climb all over the cars, and anywhere else they want to. You have to be vigilant when near one to guard your camera, protect your bags, and never to eat in front of them!

 

There are over 150 caves on Gibraltar, and we visited the most popular one, St. Michael’s Cave. Remains of Neanderthals have been found in here. It has been used for refuge for centuries and in the 20th century was blasted to make room for a hospital in case it was needed during WWII. It never was, so today the space, badly damaged after its rough handling, is now an amphitheater and home to weddings, parties, and theater performances. It is so vast that there are parts that still have not been charted. This cave sees over one million visitors a year!

 

The economy of Gibraltar, a country with no natural resources, is mainly funded by tourism, its naval shipyard, and internet gambling. The tax advantages for corporations has provided profitable, so many companies have settled here and they attract tourists from all over Europe. It is a curious place- a country the size of a small city. The people are very friendly and there is little crime, since all inhabitants know each other well and cannot easily evade each other.

Our day on Gibraltar was inspiring and it is a unique place. We did ask questions about the political strain with Spain, and our guide cites the fact that the Gibraltarians had a vote about whether to remain British or consider being Spanish, with 99% choosing to remain as Brits. It seems that strains have remained since the Treaty of Utrecht, and have no immediate signs of waning. The hostility of having a an adversary at your front door is a challenge, and it extended to airplanes having to take off and immediately bank to the left to avoid Spanish airspace.


Current controversies are over Spanish fishermen intruding into British waters (there is only 2 miles of water between the shores) and dredging in British waters, Gibraltar was a terrific day trip, with history, geology, wild monkeys, and sketchy businesses- a great day on the Rock!