Reset search
2016 Indy Western Med Sept
  • Rulocal

2016 Indy Western Med Sept

A 9-day adventure by Rulocal Read more
FollowInsightsCalendarShareShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Trip start
    September 21, 2016
    Rulocal2016 Indy Western Med SeptRulocal

    Indy 2nd day

    September 21, 2016, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Well we're on the 2nd sea day out of Southampton, headed for Gibraltar 🇬🇮 our first port of call.
    This is my first time back on the Indy since she came back by popular demand from the US where she was supposedly supposed to stay.
    Anyway the whole crew has changed, no one that I recognise is still on board not even Joff Eaton the cruise director, who had been on here for years.
    Having said that, the atmosphere is good.
    Talking about people I know, when I walked in to the concierge lounge last night, there was a couple we'd met on the Navigator last year when we went with Nic and Joe.
    Lovely old couple name of Geoffrey and Mila Barnes.
    Geoffrey is an older chap who walks quite slowly with the aid of a stick, and on the Navigator he really took to our Joe, who then had only just started walking. And Geoffrey would take his hand and walk Joe up and down the lounge.
    I think he would struggle to keep up with Joe now, as he's like a little rocket.    Read more

  • Rulocal2016 Indy Western Med SeptRulocal

    Gibraltar

    September 23, 2016 in Gibraltar ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    I've been to Gibraltar 🇬🇮 many many times and I love the place, but this time I decided to give the old town a miss.
    On the walk along North Mole Rd, which takes you from the ship right in to the old town, I turned right at the first traffic island, that's the one with the statue commemorating the evacuation of the civilian population of the rock in WWII.
    There is nothing of any historical interest down there, but it was nice to get away from the tourist magnet of the old town.
    It is basically just a residential area, where I passed, the local Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall, and the local swimming pool, this as well as the indoor pool, has two outdoor pools fed directly from the sea.
    Further along the road is the very British Morrisons supermarket along with the obligatory McDonald's.
    Next came St Bernard's hospital which looks very new and modern.
    Finally I came across a lovely little park with views of the cruise ship and part of the port, quite an industrial view but nice all the same.
    On the way back to the ship I crossed over to the other side of North Mole Rd, to another residential area which overlooks the other side of the harbour and the end of the airport runway.
    It was quite exciting to see the planes takeoff, but it must be very noisy for the residents.
    So that was about it for my stroll around this part of Gibraltar, it did make a nice change from the old town, and was interesting in its own way.    Read more

  • Rulocal2016 Indy Western Med SeptRulocal

    Cartagena, Spain

    September 24, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    What an interesting city, so much to see and so little time.
    Cartagena was apparently founded over 2000 years ago, and has a rich history. In particular Roman history, there are many archaeological sites dotted around the city. One of the most impressive is the Roman amphitheatre, which costs €6 to visit or as in my case €5 with the senior discount, lol.
    The amphitheatre is a very impressive structure, which has been restored to give you a real feeling of what it must have been like when in use all those years ago.
    After the amphitheatre, I had a gentle stroll through the town which is typically Spanish with many narrow streets complete with Juliet balconies and many bars and restaurants.
    I also came across a pleasant square with some interesting mangrove type trees.
    I came across a park at the back of the town, it turns out that it is an archaeological park, free to enter and has many Roman ruins, and a great view over the city. The park is still undergoing excavation and restoration, and when finished will show a Roman forum and baths.    Read more

  • Rulocal2016 Indy Western Med SeptRulocal

    Barcelona, Spain

    September 25, 2016 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    I'm afraid I didn't bother getting off at Barcelona.
    The main reasons where that the weather wasn't brilliant, and threatened rain ☔.
    Also there was some kind of festival going on so most places were closed.Read more

  • Rulocal2016 Indy Western Med SeptRulocal

    Palma de Mallorca

    September 25, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Got off for a stroll as I'd not been to Palma de Mallorca 🇪🇸 for some time.
    I didn't bother going in to town as most places, where closed because of the festival.
    So as I can use my phone Internet in Spain I decided to use Google maps and find my way to Bellver Castle.
    It was quite a pleasant walk until I got to the steps that lead up to the castle itself. There must have been 1,000,000 of them. OK that's probably a slight exaggeration, there is about 500,000. Lol
    OK not that many but a lot.
    When I got to the top, after about 4 rest stops. (I am getting old you know) it was worth it as the views where spectacular, and the castle itself was interesting, also as it was the festival weekend, entry was free!
    The castle was built in the 14th century and was residence for the first kings of Majorca.
    In later years it was used as a military prison.    Read more

  • Rulocal2016 Indy Western Med SeptRulocal

    Cádiz, Spain

    September 29, 2016 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Now here is another city that I'd been to before but never really explored.
    Cádiz in Spain 🇪🇸 is a fascinating city, rich in history and is the home of the Spanish navy.
    The old town is very Moorish in its design with lots of horseshoe arches and winding cobbled streets that open out in to tree lined squares.
    It is a walled city and it was really nice to walk along the wide 17th century bastions. Some parts of which still have the old cannons pointing out to sea.
    After walking part of the walls, I headed into town and found the Cádiz museum/art gallery.
    The entry was free, which is always a bonus.
    It covers four floors and has items from prehistoric times right up to the modern art of the present day.
    One of the things that always fascinates me with these old towns is, that you look at the outside of some of the apartment buildings, and they are old and crumbling, but if you look inside the open front doors, most of which are left open, they can be beautiful, with gorgeous tiled hallways and what look like communal areas.    Read more

  • Trip end
    September 29, 2016
  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice