Barcelona

Monday, April 25, 2016

Up at 5 AM to do our final activities including our last breakfast on board, then we were off the ship by 7:30 and in line for passport inspections, long line even this early.  Caught a cab to our Hotel Brummell, too early to check in but they stored our bags and we walked around the neighborhood a bit, returned to the hotel to find they were ready for us to get into our room.  At 10:30 we caught a cab to the Placa Reial where we met our tour guide, Jessica, from Australia who has been living in Barcelon several years.  This was billed as a 2.5 hour Free Walking Tour, the guide gets tips for her efforts.  So we visited the Placa Reial, Placa del Pi, Old Jewish Quarter, Placa Sant Jaume, Cathedral cloister, Placa Sant Felip Neri, Roman City, Medieval City & Placa del Rei and ended at Santa Maria del Mar Cathedral.  Jessica was full of facts and history of the city and we truly enjoyed our tour except for getting really tired by the end.  We managed to find a taxi back to the hotel and after a fresh up we walked to a recommended restaurant for a bottle of really cold, crisp, dry white wine and some grilled octopus, roast pork shoulder with orange and pumpkin with some tasty bread and local extra virgin olive oil that was fresh and peppery.  Walking was required back to the hotel where we collapsed for a nap.  At 7:30 PM we walked a few blocks to the pedestrian street where we found lots of “tapas” bars.  We enjoyed two of them, where at each place we had three tapas each and a glass of wine.  We were stuffed.  Total $20.  Then a stroll back to the hotel and to bed.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Early again at 6 AM getting ready for our tour today.  Bob went to a near-by bakery for croissants  and a bar for coffee to go as our hotel does not serve anything until 7:30 and even then there is no decaf.  Downstairs at 7:40 as we were told we would be picked up between 7:55 and 8:05.  Sitting waiting for us was Martha so away we went in a 12 passenger Sprinter van for our “Barcelona and Montserrat Tour”.  Several stops in Barcelona to see Gaudi’s works as well as the cathedral still under construction (expected completion is 2026 but that will not be the final).  Case Batilo is a marvel but La Familia Cathedral is so busy even photos don’t tell the whole story.  Drives along some of the glitzy shopping streets were before our one hour drive out of the city toward France to Montserrat, the craggy mountain containing Santa Maria de Montserrat, the beautiful Benedictine abbey and basilica where thousands of pilgrims have journeyed over the centuries.  We arrived in time to see the Black Madonna (from a great distance viewed through Bob’s 42 zoom lens)” and to hear the oldest boy’s choir in Europe.  We had our lunch stop here as they had places to eat to meet the demands of the thousands of folks in attendance.  After driving back into Barcelona we stopped at Park Guell, easily one of the most impressive public spaces in the world.  The gardens encapsulate Gaudi’s creative genius with an abundance of colorful mosaics and intriguing gatehouses.  The serpentine benches are amazing to see and rest on.  Our last stop was Montjuic, Barcelona’s 755 foot tall hill with over 800 acres overlooking all of Barcelona and the port and the site of the 1992 Olympic Games.  Then two tired folks were dropped of at their hotel.  After a short rest it was tapas again at the same bars before having authentic gelato before bedtime.  Home to France tomorrow.

Almost to the end of the cruise

Friday, April 22, 2016

Slept a little later than we wanted as we slept through the alarm.  Rushed off to breakfast and made it in time for our course at the Culinary Center for today’s lesson  “Global Gourmet” beginning with Middle East and made roasted garlic hummus, then Greek, watermelon, tomato, feta and basil salad, then Spain for prosciutto wrapped around Cabrales cheese and a mix of dried cherries, olive oil, walnuts, sherry and cream.  Next for Italy was penne al Michelangelo made with sausage, shallots, garlic, wine, spices, red pepper flakes and heavy cream for the sauce then the partially cooked penne pasta is added to the skillet for finishing and served immediately with Parmesan cheese.  Our final recipe was from Sweden where we made Gotland saffron pancakes (crepes) kicked up with saffron and served with salted caramel ice cream (we did not make this).  Very informative chef instructor, Annie Copps, who obviously enjoys cooking and teaching, from Boston and studied under Jacques Pepin and worked under Julia Child and Todd English.  These culinary courses are designed to help you better appreciate the cuisines of the world, and to explore spices, cooking techniques, ingredients, vessels and preparation of foods from around the world.  Since we ate what we cooked we did not need any lunch so we had a glass of wine on the pool deck and decided a nap was in order.  About 5:30 we went to the Horizons Bar for happy hour.  Dinner tonight at Polo Grill where we really enjoyed the fare.  Iris had New England clam chowder while Bob had oysters Rockefeller followed by a filet mignon for each of us, excellent, then creme brûlée for Bob and 7-layer Belgian chocolate cake for Iris.  Yum!  To bed early.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Slept later than usual, did the laundry, made it to breakfast before closing at 10:00 AM, back to the room for packing for Iris, rest for Bob, up to the deck for a milk shake at 1:00 PM then ready for our 2:30 tour of Gibraltar with it’s 30,000 residents sharing the border with Spain.  Gibraltar has unemployment of 2%, the Spanish town just across the border has 40% so lots of Spanish cross the border every day to work.  The airport (very short runway) causes the road to the border to be closed when a plane is arriving or departing as the road runs across the runway.  We had great views of “The Rock” from both sides during our bus tour to the Southernmost point in Europe where we had a good view of Morocco, the mosque built by a Saudi prince placed almost at the closest point to Morocco, the Christian church nearby (but not as elaborate as the mosque).  We then drove to the Rock Hotel, very old English owned hotel where we had tapas and sangria before heading back to our ship.  These were not Spanish tapas but English ones.  Nice tour!  Drinks at Martini Bar followed by a snack for dinner in the Terrace Cafe as we were full of tapas.  Early to bed as tomorrow is packing in ernest.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Lecture this morning about Barcelona so we would have some ideas about what we will see tomorrow.  Iris finished most of the packing except for the few items we need for our last morning as the bags have to be out by 10:30 PM.  Had dinner with Jacques and Diane in the Main Dining Room, our first trip there in 2 weeks, nice folks and enjoyed the food and conversation.  To bed early.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

8:00 AM and we were docked at Funchal, Madeira, Portugal and island 880 km from Africa and 1,100 km from Lisbon.  Discovered in 1419 by Portuguese explorer Joao Gonclaves Zarco and the settlers came shortly thereafter.  In 1560 the Spanish occupied the island but Portugal regained control in 1640.  The Madeira wine is created when the wine is place in US oak barrels and shipped across the equator, when returned the wine is matured and only gets better with age.  Newlyweds buy a bottle on their wedding day then have a taste on each anniversary for 25 years and the wine gets better each year.  Our tour today was “Panoramas of West Madeira” lasting 7 and 1/2 hours beginning at 8:30 AM.  Our drives took us to Camara de Lobos where we stopped for tastes of wine and honey cakes (and rest rooms).  This is where Winston Churchill painted many of his oil paintings.  The drives were pretty exciting when we were on the side next to the cliffs.  The altitudes go from sea level to 1,400 meters and at one place the sheer cliffs plunge 500+ meters into the sea.  We walked out at the top of the cliffs onto a glass floor where your view is straight down to the sea.  Exciting, No?  A stop for coffee and sweet roll at Ribeiro Brava and a view of their black sand beach was pleasant.  Our lunch stop was at Porto Moniz where we had salads and fish soup with a glass of wine.  The whole day was rain and wind but we still made it until we got back to Funchal where the rain was a torrent and even with our rain ponchos our pants legs and shoes were soaked just getting from the bus back to the ship.  Got dried off and made our way to the Martini Bar for drinks before our dinner.  Great day in spite of the weather.  Dinner in the Terrace Cafe and after reading a while, putting our clocks ahead another hour we went to sleep.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Slept late again this morning, this time change is making us sleep later, breakfast followed by a lecture “Nelson and Trafalgar”, very good story of the British Admiral Nelson’s life and times right up to his death.  Lunch of hot dogs and hamburger (no buns) then the movie “St Vincent” with Bill Murray, a riot if you’ve not seen it.  Back to the room to get ready for our evening.  Drinks in Martini Bar with music by the pianist then to the Terrace Cafe for dinner before reading and bedtime.  Another one hour time change.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Up a little earlier than the last couple of days, breakfast of fresh strawberries, blue berries and cream plus a nice sweet roll still warm from the oven.  We decided to pass on the shuffleboard, croquet, golf putting, bridge lessons, needlepoint, line dancing and Mah Jongg and just relax this day at sea.  However, we took time for a cooking demonstration by the executive chef from Italy who regaled us with stories of his grandmother’s kitchen.  Also joining him was the head chef from Jacques, one of the four specialty restaurants on board.  They each put together two dishes, two appetizers, one main, and a desert.  In the afternoon we refused the blackjack tournament, art lesson, table tennis, spa, gin tasting (regrets), magic tricks and afternoon tea and had a nap before heading to the Captain’s cocktail party where the free booze flowed.  Our reservation tonight was in the Red Ginger restaurant where we shared an appetizer calamari and tempura shrimp, then Iris had lamb chops and Bob had the sea bass, both very good.  An early evening and off to bed.

At Sea

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Forgot to say we departed Bermuda at 5 PM yesterday and the captain warned us that we would have 3 meter seas tomorrow instead of the 1.5 meters we had experienced to date.  Yippee!  Some last thought about Bermuda - lovely place, lovely people (those we encountered), housing very expensive, “affordable housing” starts at $250,000 and goes up to $800,000, everything you eat, wear and use comes in 20’ containers from New Jersey making everything expensive plus the government levies 7% on all incoming goods, every family is allowed one car so mom has the car to transport the kids and dad rides a scooter.  Other than that it would be a great place to live.

Today we slept late, had breakfast, enjoyed a presentation of big ships of the Atlantic, a history of ship construction with photos of the great ships built for the Atlantic crossings.  Then a presentation about the use of Microsoft’s Windows 10 was very interesting for Iris as she refuses to follow me to Apple and the easy iOS.  At 5:30 we sat in the Horizons Bar for drinks and enjoyed the ship’s orchestra playing for the dancers.  For dinner we enjoyed dinner in the Terrace Cafe snacking around on the various options from the stations.  No monumental but always tasty.  We had seen the entertainer on a previous cruise with Oceania (for Bob’s birthday last year) so decided to read and go to bed early.  Bob was forced to go to bed early as his kindle ran out of battery.  Bummer!  No photos today as the scenery was the same all day.

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Laundry done by 8 AM, breakfast in the Terrace Cafe, then to the shops to use up some of the onboard credits - new watch for Bob, 2 handbags, globe that turns when exposed to light, rolling duffle bag and scarf for Iris.  In the morning we attended a presentation about future cruises on Oceania that didn’t tempt us to book another one yet.  Lunch in the Terrace Cafe was with Jacques and Diane that we had met on the Little Havana culinary tour in Miami before our cruise.  Jacques has been in the ship’s hospital almost since we departed but is OK now after $6,000 worth of care.  Not sure what was the problem but now seems normal.  For happy hour we decided on the Martini Bar to enjoy the 2 for 1 drinks while listening to the pianist.  After finishing the drinks we went to the Italian specialty restaurant for a very nice dinner.  We both had a lovely spinach salad with some Italian breads and Tuscan olive oil followed by osso bucco with risotto for Bob and veal parmesan for Iris.  Enjoyed it very much.  Skipped the entertainment and read late due to the hour time change.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Today Bob had a real breakfast so he’s obviously improving.  Boarding a city bus today for our tour with C.C. Smith, a very large black native Bermudian, he regaled us with stories and pointed out what we were seeing including trees and flowers along our route.  We made another stop at the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse (they have restrooms), drove by the magnificent beaches again, a short stop in Hamilton where we enjoyed a cafe latte and the sweet roll we had brought from the ship.  On to St. Georges at the opposite end of Bermuda from where our ship was docked.  The US had an Air/Navy base at St. Georges for many years but after Sam Donaldson did an expose on 60 Minutes about life in Bermuda for the US personnel, Bill Clinton ordered the base closed.  So the local government took over the airport, containing the world’s longest runway, built for space shuttle landings (if necessary) and had to come up with a way to fund the $45 million operating costs paid by the US taxpayers before that.  So they introduced taxes, novel solution.  Speaking of taxes there is no income tax in Bermuda, most of the government revenue comes from the insurance companies that make their headquarters here, the largest being Ace and XL (almost went bust paying World Trade Center claims).  Bermuda has a population of 65,000 and 180 islands (some of which are counted if a rock sticks up above the water line), development is on seven islands connected by bridges and causeways.  The capital is Hamilton with its central location while St. Georges was the original capital.

Arriving back at the ship after 3 PM lunch was limited to the burger and hot dog bar at poolside.  All the returning folks were trying to get something so it took a while but finally we made it.  After a rest we went to the Terrace Cafe for a bowl of soup before bed time.   Read until 10:30 then to bed.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Arrival at Heritage Wharf in Bermuda, 62 hours after leaving from Miami and 975 miles.  Situated on the extreme western end of the group of 180 islands that make up Bermuda this is where the British Navy had a presence until after WW I called the Dockyards.  Today all the buildings are converted to museums, shops and restaurants plus some new installations including seven acres of new land being reclaimed from the Atlantic to serve as the viewing area for the 2017 Americas Cup race to be held here.  Shortly after our arrival we met Sam, our driver for today in his van holding six of us for the morning tour of the islands.  Sam is 76 and was born in Bermuda so was full of stories and legends of the area.  We drove from the extreme western end to Somerset Drawbridge then along the south shore overlooking beaches including Horseshoe Bay and Church Bay then to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse for a photo stop and a drive into Hamilton for a walkabout along Front Street and then a sightseeing drive to Harbour Road and back to the pier.  A full morning with some beautiful scenery.  The color of the water is so beautiful and clear, it is impossible to explain.  After lunch and a nap we ran into Sam, our guide from this morning, and he took us to the shops close by to the ship.  We browsed in the Bermuda Craft Center and the Bermuda Arts Center.  After walking back to the ship it was almost time for happy hour.  We went to the Horizons bar and along with wine for Iris (Bob still is not up for alcohol), we listened to a local Bermudian play a steel pan concert.  Supper after that and an early night.

This is a "Moon Gate", built shortly after marriage to represent a wedding ring to show the eternal love of the new couple.

Monday, April 11, 2016

Miami

Today is our embarkation from Miami on Oceania’s MS Riviera.  Took the shuttle from the hotel to the port terminal, bags handled efficiently, smooth check-in, boarded, had a nice lunch, a short nap, the hated safety drill wearing a bulky life vest and finally going to dinner at the Jacques Restaurant where we enjoyed escargot and prime rib with a glass of wine.  Since then it has been downhill.  Tomorrow started early.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Just after midnight Bob was very sick, really sick.  This went on for hours.  Iris is sure it is norovirus, Bob thinks it was a bad snail.  So Tuesday was a lost day, room service for Iris, nothing for Bob.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Bob is a bit improved this morning.  After nothing to eat yesterday he was ready for toast with peanut butter and hot tea from room service. Thankfully Iris is not restricted.  So a slow day mostly in the room with a lunch in the Terrace Cafe followed by a nap.  Tonight is the Captain’s reception but Bob does not feel like attending so a quiet evening in the room with Iris enjoying some malbec and a cheese platter, Bob having water and ice.  Early to bed.

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Austin to Miami

Tony picked us up at 9:00 AM in Georgetown and drove us to the Austin airport where we had a leisurely walk through the TSA Pre-check line, had a coffee, read our books, bought our Salt Lick lunch and boarded our flight to Atlanta.  Arriving in Atlanta we had to change terminals in order to get our flight to Miami and we only had 50 minutes to make the change but it all went off without a hitch.  Upon arrival in Miami we called the Element Hotel and the shuttle appeared to transfer us to the hotel in air-conditioned comfort.  Check in was pretty slow but finally we had our room key and up to the room we went.  After a little rest we decided to have a glass of wine and a snack in the hotel as the location in an industrial area prompted us to not want to leave the hotel.  It is probably four miles to the airport, the closest place to get a bite.  We noticed the couple next to us and what they had ordered and they recommended the chicken wings and curly fries so we ordered that too with a caprese salad.  They couple turned out to be Germans living in Orange County, CA that were naturalized American citizens.  They were leaving for a cruise out of Miami port on Sunday morning.

After our nice supper we were ready for bed and it was a decent hour as we had set our clocks to eastern time.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Miami

Slept until the alarm, unusual for us.  Breakfast in the hotel, nice buffet, back to the room, measured the size of the room and Iris went to the front desk to complain about the size of the room that was far smaller than the advertisement for the room at the time of booking so they moved us to another room that was about double in size, very nice with sectional sofa, king bed, kitchen.  Element Hotels are “green” so much emphasis is placed on saving water and recycling.  We felt it was not good value for money though.

At 11:30 AM we got a driver to take us to Little Havana where we had booked a walking tour of the area focused on cuisine of Cuba.  Cubans have settled in this area of Miami beginning in the late 1950’s and today it is a thriving section of Miami.  Lots of art galleries, restaurants and parks.  Our tour met at an art gallery where the owner was a Cuban that bailed out of Cuba shortly after the Castros came to power.  Ralph (Rafael) met us there and gave us a short orientation talk of what the tour would be and from there our first stop was a sandwich cafeteria where the sandwich station is in the center of a diner counter and there were booths along with tables in a separate room.  We enjoyed empanadas plus a little pastry made with plantains stuffed with chicken and cumin.  All tasty!  Along the street we stopped at Cuba Tobacco Cigar Company to see hand rolling of cigars and packaging for shipment.  This family led by Don Bello legally purchased Cuban tobacco seeds from a third country and planted them in Dominica, Guatemala and Nicaragua and this is the source of the “Cuban” tobacco used in the manufacture of the cigars that are shipped all over the world.  From here we walked to a “ ventanita”, a little window where you could order Cuban sandwiches and coffee.  The sandwich was very good and the coffee was strong even with the cane sugar and cream but tasty.  Iris only gets her caffeine from chocolate so she declined the coffee.  Directly across 8th street from here was the “Ball and Chain”, a night club recreated as a jazz club 60 years after the original closed.  In the 1940’s and 1950’s this was a hot spot for all the big names in jazz like Cab Callaway, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, who were not allowed to stay in local hotels but had to cross the causeway to get to the area that would allow blacks to stay.  Here we had a mojito made with cane sugar, lime juice, club soda and Bacardi Silver rum.  Tasty!  Next stop was to see the Domino park where every table (and there were many) was filled with domino players using double nines instead of the normal double sixes that were thicker than the normal domino probably so it would make the greatest noise when slapped down on the table.  A short walk away we entered an open air fruit market where we learned about plantains and sugar cane while enjoying a glass of sugar cane juice.  This fruit market has been in business for over 100 years.  Current family that owns it had four generations present at the market today.  Ralph retrieved a box of pastries he had bought earlier before the bakery closed and we enjoyed one stuffed with guava jam while standing in front of the Tower Theater.  Our final stop was the Azucar ice cream shop where we had samples of several flavors and then a full cup of our choice.  Very good!  This was the conclusion of our tour so we took a cab back to the hotel and we were ready for a rest after all the walking and standing (3 hours).  A bottle of wine from the bar downstairs was our dinner as we had had so much food on the tour we were certainly not hungry.  To bed fairly early.