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Canary Islands cruise
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  • Начало поездки
    20 сентября 2024 г.
    Making another memoryCanary Islands cruiseПутешественник
    Approaching Praza de María Pita in La Coruña.
    At El Castelo de San Antón in La Coruña.Parroquia de San Jorge in La Coruña.Strolling around La Coruña.The Audirorio de Tenerife is unique.Allan leaping into action, lol!A mural in Tenerife.A flower stall at Nuestra Señora de Africa market.Enjoying barraquitos: layers of espresso, condensed milk, Licor 43, and frothed milk.Playa Las Canteras in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

    La Coruña, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria

    22–26 сент. 2024, Испания ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    We always enjoy visiting Spain, and this cruise has offered a taste of three new to us parts of the country: La Coruña, on Spain’s north coast, and Tenerife and Gran Canaria, far to the south, in the Canary Islands.

    Our experience of Coruña was rather chilly. Other than a kind and friendly couple staffing a cafe near the port, the locals we encountered didn’t return smiles or proffered “buenos días.” Maybe it was the weather, maybe they are sick of cruise ship tourists. Whatever the cause, it’s a once and done destination for us.

    Santa Cruz in Tenerife, on the other hand, was warm and welcoming. We thoroughly enjoyed our day exploring the city and would be happy to return and spend more time exploring the city and the volcanic island. Everyone we interacted with was gracious and friendly, and the city has interesting architecture, a lovely library and art space, and a terrific market chockfull of flowers, fresh meats, vegetables, and beautiful crafts.

    We opted to spend our day in Gran Canaria on Las Canteras, a beautiful 2 kilometer long beach in the city of Las Palmas. We rented lounge chairs and and an umbrella from a kind vendor, and enjoyed coffees and lunch at cafes along the beachside promenade.

    Tomorrow, we’ll visit Madeira, a Portuguese island 250 miles north of the Canaries, before sailing on to Lisbon.    Читать далее

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  • Making another memoryCanary Islands cruiseПутешественник
    Boats in CámRa da Lobos.
    Spdriftwood sailboats hanging by the port in Cámara da Lobos.Another view of Cámara da Lobos.Enjoying the cloud level view at Miradouro Girão.2Seeing the water 1,500 feet below the glass floor...Driving through a eucalyptus forest.Approaching a hairpin curve down a very steep and windy road.Houses are built on steep terrain all around the island.

    A day in Madeira

    27 сентября 2024 г., Испания ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Madeira’s lush vegetation was quite the contrast to the barren beauty of the Canary Islands. We knew that wine was a primary export, but not that bananas are the island’s next largest export: bananas thrive on the island’s steep terrain.

    We got a nice taste of the island on a jeep safari. Our first stop was at Cámara da Lobos, a touristy fishing village. Small fishing boats bobbed in the protected harbor while many colorful art installations swayed gently overhead between the buildings.

    From there, our jeep climbed steep, windy roads until we were at cloud level to visit the Miradouro Girão, a glass-floored skywalk 1,500 feet above the ocean. The water below was so clear that coral heads were readily visible. Well worth the 2€ entrance fee.

    Traveling off-road through a forest of eucalyptus and acacia trees was next up on our tour. Hydrangeas, fuschia, and belladonna flowers were frequent sights along our dirt trail as well as along the island’s narrow paved roads. Two and three story houses with terracotta roofs abounded on the steep hills, with myriad steep stone staircases leading to terraced plots of land.

    After a restorative stop at a roadside cafe for coffee and pastel de nata, the Portuguese custard-filled pastries that seem to elicit rather strong opinions —we enjoyed them!—we continued on to the Faja dos Padres cable car. Our tour didn’t allot time to actually ride the cable car, which didn’t hurt our feelings. Simply seeing the steep drop from a small overlook was enough.

    Madeira turned out to be one of those destinations that we can envision returning to for a lengthier stay. Today we’re en route to Lisbon, for another taste of Portugal.    Читать далее

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  • Making another memoryCanary Islands cruiseПутешественник
    Our first view of Lisbon as our ship docked in the early morning light.
    A tile mural in the Alfama district.A painted mural in the Alfama district.Colorful black and white streets are lovely to look at but slippery to walk on!A view of the Rua Augusta Arch.Cheeses at the Taberna da Baixa.Sampling tawny port at Maria Palato.Special police forces heading toward Rossio Square.

    A day in Lisbon

    29 сентября 2024 г., Португалия ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We made the most of our day in Lisbon, starting out with an early morning walk and culminating with a lovely wine and food tour. In between, a tuk tuk ride provided a great overview of this hilly city.

    Our morning walk wended through the narrow roadways of the historic Alfama district. With cobblestones underfoot, and murals and tile-work on many of the buildings, there was much to appreciate. After about an hour, though, we were ready to hop in a tuk tuk for a less strenuous take of the city. We enjoyed panoramic views from two overlooks, and learning a bit about the city’s history from our driver as we made our way past the National Pantheon, the Santa Justa lift, and the Rua Augusta Arch.

    Our afternoon was spent sampling Portuguese wines and food on a walking tour that included even more details about Portugal’s political history, along with its culinary impact on cuisines around the world. Joao, our delightful guide, cited Japanese tempura as a legacy of Portugal’s early trading days on that distant island. After our history briefing, we made our way to Taberna da Baixa, where we enjoyed some delicious cheeses, olives, and choriço a bombeiro, which was cooked in a clay pot over flaming alcohol, paired with some excellent red house wine. That was followed by stops to sample tawny port with a bite of cheese and pumpkin jam; bifana (pork sandwiches) with glasses of beer; cod fritters and some excellent vinho verde; arroz de marisco paired with a local Lisbon white wine; and lastly, a stop for shots of a ginchinja, a cherry flavored liquor.

    That final stop was on a corner of Rossio Square, where an anti-immigrant protest had gotten underway. Special police forces swarmed the plaza just as we were enjoying that last drink. It was a sobering reminder of the political tensions ensuing as far right groups gain traction in Europe.

    Today, we are at sea en route to Southampton, where we will end this cruise day after tomorrow. From there, we will make our way to Spain.    Читать далее

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    Окончание поездки
    2 октября 2024 г.