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Camino Mixto Traveler
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Cruise Day 10 - Cádiz
May 30–Jun 3, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
This is the last full day of our cruise. We are in the Spanish port of Cádiz, and the weather is very warm with a high of 33C.

All of the historic landmarks of this city are a short walk from the ship, so we just did our own walking tour.

We saw a church, a cathedral, a Roman theatre, a mercado, a Castillo, and a playa. With pauses for ColaCao (hot chocolate) and Cerveza.

At the beach I went wading in the Atlantic. And at the Castillo there was an exhibit of someone’s personal Beatles memorabilia and a display dedicated to victims of an explosion that occurred in 1947 when a storage facility of WW2 explosives accidentally detonated.

Back on the ship we had lunch, a rest, and started to pack (boohoo).

We did not win the last trivia game, but had a nice dinner with friends from Canada and the Netherlands, and enjoyed one more show in the theatre.

Then we did have to finish packing and set our luggage out in the hall.Read more
Traveler Should have had a foot shot. 🦶🦶
5/31/25Reply
TravelerYou’re right, I should go back!
5/31/25Reply
TravelerYour daily reports have been marvelous! And since I know they are to become your Penguins album, I feel obliged to note the date in today's title ought to be May 30.
5/31/25Reply
TravelerThanks for the feedback. i believe it took the date of the first photo. I'll see if i can correct it later.
5/31/25Reply
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Camino Mixto Traveler
2 1
Cruise Disembarkation - Lisbon
May 31, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Sadly, we had to leave the ship today. It was a lovely cruise. Very different from our previous cruise experiences.

1. MSC is an Italian company so are very good about keeping all announcements multilingual - Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and English are their standard languages but sometimes they throw in some others. I like that, it felt like the Camino. And it was so impressive to listen to the staff use many languages. But I did hear some people who would have been happy with just English.

2. Related to #1, the guests also spoke many languages. Not a surprise as most guests were from all over Europe, with only a few from North America, South Africa, or Asia. Again, like pilgrim life.

3. MSC Cruises (at least this one) is a bit like a hop on hop off bus. You can embark at most of the ports we visited, and then would disembark at that same port 10 days later. I am sure there are benefits and drawbacks to this, but I think the process for boarding and disembarking was quite smooth, perhaps due to only a fraction of the passengers starting their cruise at each port.

Overall I would recommend MSC Cruises Line. We had a great time and saw a lot of amazing locations.

But today we ended that experience, and checked into a small guest house in central Lisbon. After checking in we went for a long walk.

We checked some shops, some restaurants, some churches. We also went to a Flea Market which was very interesting, and did a port tasting at Taylor-Fladgate. And we stopped at the Pilgrim Office so I could add to my sello collection.

The temperature was high today (high of 31C) so we took it easy and made sure to rehydrate often.Read more
Traveler And cervesa
5/31/25Reply
Traveler👍🍺
6/1/25Reply
Traveler 👍❤️
5/31/25Reply
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Camino Mixto Traveler
Lisbon June 1
June 1, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
We were very touristy today. We bought tickets for the Yellow Bus, which is a hop on hop off deal. With it you also get entry to public trams, funiculars, and the Santa Justa elevator. So it is a great deal.

The bus has an informative commentary during the ride so we actually learned some relevant history of Lisbon. Tomorrow we will tour some of the areas we saw today.

We rode two different circuits, then walked around for quite a while. The elevator is interesting, going from street level up to one of the hills (Lisbon is the City of Seven Hills). From there we walked around the hill to the top of one of the funiculars. At that point we found a party starting, some kind of fiesta. I am not sure the reason for this one. The sign translates to Mercy Camp. See part two for another.

So we went down in the Funicular Glória. Then walked some more.Read more
TravelerBeing touristy is good!
6/1/25Reply
TravelerYes, it was a good tourist day
6/2/25Reply
TravelerFun day exploring. Lisbon is an amazing city with lots to see!
6/3/25Reply
TravelerIt is a fantastic city to explore!
6/3/25Reply
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Camino Mixto Traveler
Lisbon June 1 - Pt 2
June 1, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
After a short rest we decided to ride the Tram 28. Thinking we might be more likely to get a seat we walked up to Stop #1, but it was still standing room only. We were able to get seats once a few got off the tram.

We rode to the end of the line, then had to exit the tram and wait for another to come in the opposite direction. We got off near our room but kept walking to find food.

We stopped at a Tapas bar, enjoyed some vino and snacks. Then on to gelado (ice cream).

Then we walked a bit into the Alfama district. Greg wanted to check an artist who paints with coffee and red wine. Interesting character and a hockey fan as well! We bought a few small prints.

Then the music drew us further into Alfama. St Anthony of Padua (Saõ Antonio) was born across the street from our guest house in June of 1195. He is the patron saint of Portugal and is a big deal especially in Alfama, where he is the home town boy. So every night in June they have a party in the streets of Alfama.

Before our cruise we noticed them preparing for a fiesta, tonight it started! Music, street food, wine and beer, cherry liqueur, very festive. Tonight we had already eaten, but tomorrow I think we will just head over there for dinner. Sounds and smells were very enticing!Read more
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Camino Mixto Traveler
Lisbon June 2
June 2, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
We rode a more modern tram this morning, to Belém. This is an important area of Lisbon, very historic with a big focus on the global exploration by the Portuguese.

We got off the tram at the Jerónimos Monastery, which is huge! We knew in advance that their museum is closed on Mondays, so we weren’t disappointed. Yesterday we saw the huge lineup to get in so we had decided to miss this, even though it is said to be amazing.

Instead we went into the Museu de Marinha. This is at one end of the Jerónimos building, and covers the maritime history of Portuguese for the last five hundred years or so! I knew Portugal 🇵🇹 did a lot of exploration and colonization but wasn’t familiar with all the history. It was quite fascinating!

And then we walked over to the river to see the Monument to the Discoveries.

From there we headed to Pasteis de Belém, to taste the “best Pasteis de Nata” in Lisbon. They all taste the same to me, wonderful!

Next we boarded the Tram 15 to return to central Lisbon.Read more
TravelerLooks like a lovely day. We were on our way to Belém when I twisted and sprained my ankle so missed this area. We saw the monument riding by on the train from Sintra. We loved the tarts as well!
6/3/25Reply
TravelerToo bad about the ankle. How was Sintra? We didn’t go that far.
6/3/25Reply
TravelerSintra was beautiful! We hired a tour guide for the day and got a lovely perspective on the area, as well as the Pena palace. You can’t do everything.
6/5/25Reply
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Camino Mixto Traveler
2
Lisbon June 2 - Part 2
June 2, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
We were forced to exit the tram early, not sure why. But that gave us an excuse to see the Time Out Market / Mercado da Ribeiro. It was very busy, with lots of places for food and drinks.

We walked on before stopping for a refreshing glass of sangria. Next we stopped at a wine shop that we had visited prior to the cruise. Now we were ready to purchase some port wines to take home.🍷🍷🍷

We did a little packing, then went out for a walk. I had missed getting a photo of the Bórdalo II art in Belém, so we hunted for one in Alfama. Success! Half Young Panda!

The Alfama fiesta we saw yesterday was much more quiet today. So we walked on and ended up in an Italian restaurant for dinner. Very nice.

Then a bit more walking, gelato, and a glass of port wine 🍷🍷 to say good night to Lisbon.Read more
Traveler Cheers
6/2/25Reply
Traveler❤️🍷
6/3/25Reply
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Camino Mixto Traveler
2
Lisbon to Edmonton
June 3, 2025 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
As we were leaving our accommodation this morning I saw two pilgrims by the cathedral, they must be starting the Camino Portuguese - that is the official starting point according to my Buen Camino app.

When we checked in for the flight yesterday, we were advised to arrived four hours prior to departure. I thought that was excessive. But after going through the process of both security and passport control at the Lisbon airport, I would agree. The passport control especially took a long time.

But all went well and our flight to Montreal was smooth. As was the customs process in Montreal. Much better than Lisbon! Lisbon airport is in the midst of updates, so hopefully any future trips through that airport will be better.

🇨🇦🇨🇦☕️☕️First stop in Canada - Tim Horton’s! Then we just sat for a few hours in a quiet corner before having a beer and poutine snack.

The flight to Edmonton was delayed a bit, but we were back home and I was ready for bed before midnight.

And just like that, my European adventure is complete!

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” Dr SeussRead more
Traveler I have to disagree. Bud Light ought not be called beer.
6/4/25Reply
TravelerIt wasn’t my first choice but there was limited selection.
6/4/25Reply
Looks like to had a fantastic trip it’s amazing how fast the time goes. Time to plan the next. [Terri Lupton]
6/5/25Reply
TravelerYes, planning the next trip is always good. 😊
6/6/25Reply
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Trip end
June 3, 2025