Cruisin' 3 – East Spain and Malta

The next segment of the cruise was up the Eastern coast of Spain. We resisted the offer of beaches in Malaga and headed to the hills in a taxi where UNESCO sites beckoned. One hour later we were at Ronda. The vertical weathering of these hills is dramatic and building a bridge between the two sides of the town was not for those with vertigo.

Any area that vaguely resembled horizontal was claimed with a stone wall to form a garden.

The town is also famous for training bullfighters. This was a rare moment when crowds were absent.

Whether you live on the edge or at the base it does seem that any minor earthquake would be devastating. Presumably this is a stable zone but….I think I am happier being a visitor than I would be as an occupant.

Just a short 20 minute drive down the road is an equally extraordinary site at Setenil. These are modern day cave dwellers. This particular shop not only had part of the roof that had fallen away from the rock above but sought to emphasise the flaw with lighting. I suggested Helen to make her selections quickly….

Some of the rock shelves were so wide that they formed the same roof for shops on both sides of the street. The caves provided cool shade and generated a breeze so it was a very comfortable environment. I suspect winter may be a different story!

After those two UNESCO sites we headed to Alicante. As we walked down the quay towards town there was an unexpected diversion - the Volvo Ocean race museum. It turned out to be a wonderful education of winners, designs and unfortunately deaths. You could even spend a few minutes in a simulator…. we gave that a miss!! We prefer larger ships with stabilisers. This lego version comprises over 100,000 bricks and everything works including winches, rudders and even the canting keel.

The town is overlooked by the usual fort. What was interesting were the corner turrets. I suspect they would have been very useful in the days of bows and arrows in shooting down marauders climbing the walls but would have been rather vulnerable when cannons were introduced.

In town, a simple street became a tourist attraction through the clever addition of some sculptured mushrooms. I suspect it is the largest area for selfies in Alacantie.

We opted to escape the crowds and visited the cathedral of St Nicolas. This was an austere but nonetheless stunning structure comprising many large hewn stones, delicately refined to provide tight interlocking. The skill of the stonemasons producing flawless curves culminated in the wondrous 45 metre high dome.

Out next port was Valencia where Helen had arranged a short walking tour of the historic centre followed by some tapas. Our walk around included a huge market. Produce was not limited to Spain – it seems the UK continues to survive Brexit.

Most buildings were adorned by small balconies. They look good but other than the very occasional washing line do not appear to have any real function.

As with most towns in Spain there are structures going back to Roman times. La Almoina Archaeological Museum entices thanks to a glass roof covered by a few inches of water, giving distorted views of the ruins below. Had time allowed we would have probably succumbed but on this occasion lunch beckoned!

It turned out our host was not just Irish but a qualified chef so after the tours gave us a real run through of some of the greatest tapas we have ever enjoyed... 

together with a large selection of the local wine. We certainly travelled “home” full (in all senses of the word)!

The half-way point (and changeover for the ship) was Barcelona. This was hot and very busy (4 cruise ships in). With a late off time (those leaving the ship had priority) and early back on board time (notwithstanding we left 1½ hours late) our planned trip to Monserrat had to be shelved for another day. Some ships look like they belong in space rather than on the sea…

A relaxing day at sea then saw us in Malta. What a stunning city/island. Natural harbours abound with many buildings having great outlooks. A Hop-on-hop-off trip enlightened us on the many initiatives Malta has taken to generate wealth (free port for cargo and servicing of airline planes). I suspect boat insurance must be somewhere in the list.

The city sits atop a large hill within fort surroundings where the focus is on giving tourists all that they need. Squares with flowers, gardens, decorative pillars, and statues abound were a welcome distraction from the shops!

Some fountains were quite new – the Triton Fountain, unfortunately, lacked water.

The fortifications are an unusual blend of built structure and hewn walls. They would have been a formidable challenge for any attacker.

The Royal theatre had fallen into disrepair, but rather than demolish and rebuild, they have built over the top of the original stonework with a steel frame and set in new, comfortable seats. Although concerts are now outside, the chances of inclement weather upstaging plans is small, given a dry climate and temperatures tempered by the surrounding sea.

The original building and what has been kept is readily appreciated from a picture en route to the loo....

The steepness of the city can be better appreciated when compared to the ships. These normally dominate the harbour but here tend to nestle into the landscape.

There were many attractive buildings. The Auberge de Castille sits to the right as you enter the bastion and is home to the Prime Minister. (A little more lavish than Downing Street!)

Cruise ships are encouraged, and a short stroll from the port is a lift to the Upper Baraka gardens and city level. Having bused up we took the lift down. Using steps to descend the 58 metre height would have taken most of the day. Climbing up would have taken less time, as partway would have inevitably resulted in an emergency trip to hospital.

Fortifications are not just limited to the city centre. Bastions are the dominant feature of each of the numerous bays within the harbour.

This view rather summarises the city. A few relatively skinny buildings near water level to service the sea industry backed by a vertical cliff face with the main city above. I cannot recall a similar landscape.

Even exiting the harbour was a zig-zag affair.

With a spectacular sunset…. 

We all agreed Malta is on the list for a longer visit.

Cruisin 2 - North Spain and Portugal

After Portland we headed South for warmer climes. No points for guessing our first stop. The flower puppy and Guggenheim glimpses should be an obvious clue, not least because they have both starred previously in this blog.

We opted to walk around the old part of Bilbao initially up the river. The sculptures were too numerous to log but this one seemed to embody both grace and strength in trying to throw the discus across the river to the City Hall.

A little further along was the 1860s railway station which glinted extravagance.

While across the river the 1890s Theatre Arriaga was eye-catching and spacious. 

As we wove our way through the laneways, all manner of tapas, food and coffee shops beckoned. This shop not only tempted with an immaculate display of hams and cheeses, but the wall displayed the speciality regions of Spain, Portugal and Italy. Now that is worthy of some study!

After Bilbao our next port was “A Coruna” which translates to “The Corner”. Aptly so as it is on the Northwest corner of Spain. It is a small but wonderful town which we explored using a surprisingly comfortable Tuk Tuk. The headland’s focus is a lighthouse named Hercules. This is the oldest working lighthouse in the world with the first version dating back to Roman times and the first century where a ramp was needed to supply the essential fire-wood. It has gone through several iterations with the current renovation dating back to 1788. It is a solid immoveable stone structure

which can be seen for miles around.

A speciality of this coast is Octopus and this brightly tiled version enticed all manner of passers by to sit amongst its tentacles and grab a picture.

The town front was particularly striking with most of the buildings clad in a myriad of small windowpanes. It made for a bright eye-catching façade and is appropriately nicknamed Crystal city.

Next stop was Porto where the guide had suggested we called into the Lello bookshop. This is where JK Rowling spent some of her time and the structure seems to have fired the imagination for the Hogwarts (Harry Potter) library.

Another that could have had an input were these two churches which were separated by a very thin hidden house. The entry is just to the left of the two square columns. The “Descubra a casa Escondida” is about 1 metre wide! 

The church to the left is Carmelitas. There was nothing secretive about the expensive decoration here! It is one of the most flamboyantly decorated churches you could hope to see. 

The attention to detail was also apparent at our next stop – the markets. The care taken in the presentation of these mushrooms almost detracted from a purchase – who would want to disturb this display?

Our guide Miguel L (as opposed to Miguel M or F or…) suggested that a quick stop at the railway station would be worthwhile. What great advice. The tiled pictures were sensational. Waiting for a train would be almost desirable!

After all that activity, it was good to stop for lunch where seafood was the focus. Alan and I succumbed to some wonderful Octopus while Kate and our guide shared a round loaf full of seafood all washed down with Pinot Grigio.

After that, a return to the ship for a rest was required! No prizes for guessing the imaginative concept behind the design of the cruise terminal.

Our next stop was Lisbon. As we had all undertaken a local tour when we called in last year, we opted to travel further afield to Sintra to visit the National Palace of Pena. The Sintra Hills are often covered by cloud, which fortunately cleared as we arrived. 

The mixture of colours and shapes were more discernible on the sunny side. We opted to access only the outside areas. Even so the ad hoc layout and numerous nooks and crannies took some time to navigate. Add queues and the inside would have been an all-day affair.

Our return trip was via the Western most point in Europe - the Cabo da Roca (Longitude 9°30). Fortunately, the weather was perfect. I suspect the Atlantic ensures there are many days when the weather is less clement - but at least the crowds would be smaller.

Our departure took us under Lisbon’s “copy” of the Golden Gate bridge being overlooked by the copy of Rio’s statue of Christ where a welcome restful sea day awaited.

Cruising – Dover, Amsterdam and Portland

This year (as an infill!) I stumbled across a cruise that would take us from UK to Cairo and included some ports not previously visited and others where a re-visit was still enticing. Our embarkation was Dover and this gave us a half day to undertake a bit of exploring of Dover castle.

We had a tour of the tunnels which was interesting but not the most memorable guide. We also had time to climb to the top and were rewarded by a fantastic view. Our cruise ship (Nieuw Statendam – Holland America Line) beckoned in the distance.

After dropping off the rental car, walking the couple of kilometres to the ship and unpacking, we were all set. This was the last cruise ship for the season for Dover and we were fortunate to have a perfect Autumn day.

After a comfortable night, we arrived in Amsterdam and had booked a trip to Edam. The first stop was to see clog-making. Clogs come in all shapes and sizes with any amount of colour. Our guide advised that the makers would claim clogs are very comfortable – but his experience suggested otherwise!

Making clogs was fascinating and surprisingly quick. A small block of Yew was roughly trimmed with a special "Blocking Knife". It is tethered at one end, which enables the blade to be rotated as required.

The block is then put into a special lathe with a last (pre-formed model) and as both last and block are turned the new clog takes shape.

A similar process then occurs to hollow out the inside. The clog maker does have a little work to do with this machine by setting the angle of attack on three occasions! Once shaped, the clog (which is made from unseasoned wood and has so much water that some could be blown out) is left for a few weeks to dry before being painted. 

The clog factory was also in the middle of several brightly coloured windmills, which were originally built to drain the land. However, as pumps were introduced, many were closed and dismantled, with only a few surviving to be converted for milling and similar processes.

The machine on this tractor made short work of baling and wrapping hay compared to yesteryear. It was mesmerising viewing.

The third site was a visit to a Gouda cheese factory – the process of cheese making was unremarkable but the subsequent shop with samples was irresistible and we came away with biscuits and a cheese.

We then hopped back onto the bus and travelled up the road to Edam (dam on the Eye). This is a beautiful town.

Still need convincing?

The central square has some pristine buildings including a shop selling Edam cheese (where again we succumbed). It adjoined a building that used to be an early maternity hospital, complete with a stork symbol on the front!

The voyage out of Amsterdam was along the North Sea canal which enable access to Amsterdam rather than negotiating the ZuiderZee and its related islands The banks were a hive of activity including numerous cross river ferries. Kate and Alan joined the cruise here and both Alan and I were taken with the design of this building. It looks like a large spring toy ready to launch bits of paper across the classroom (well waterway).

The end of the waterway was marked by a large lock to manage water levels within the canal and prevent flooding.

The gates were huge and the width of the loch. They are 77 metres wide, 25 high and 11 metres thick. They each way 2,400 tonnes. This picture shows the lower gate closing which, undestandably given their size, took some time.

As if that wasn’t enough excitement, we then had the Captain advise that someone on board had become seriously ill and needed to be lifted off by helicopter. What skills – the helicopter came around and lowered a medic, then followed with a stretcher basket and lastly hovered over the ship at a precise distance from (the moving) ship until the patient, basket and medic could all be winched up together.

After a sea day we arrived in Portland, where we were met by Ngaira and Nick. They had arranged a Thomas Hardy visit. His initial home was a picture-perfect cottage. However, this needs tempering with reality. Thomas was one of four children and there were initially only two bedrooms upstairs. An extension to the right was added for his grandmother.

The width of the building was also small as can be seen by the parlour. The Settle on the right was to keep the draft away and help trap the warmth of the fire.

Thomas was a remarkably intelligent person and penned his first poem at 16 years and went onto school in Dorchester - a four-mile walk. As he published his various books (normally as a monthly series) he became increasingly wealthy and eventually designed a new house (he had also qualified as an Architect) not far from the first cottage which he named Max Gate.

Although he was very supportive of the local village and the plight of the poor (many of whom struggled to feed themselves) he did support a two-tier household. The main staircase here was backed by a second staircase (behind the glass) for the servants to make their way upstairs. He does appear like many intellectuals to have been a complicated character.

A fascinating visit supported by wonderful volunteer guides. One of the best port days we have experienced.