Mar 05 2022

Port of Call Málaga, Spain

The next port of call Málaga, had been on the menu for several days and finally the weather allowed us to anchor in the cruise port. It was still mostly overcast, but a visit to this summer tourist jewel is a must for its renaissance architecture, magnificent food culture, waterfront avenues and close proximity to the City of Granada and the world-famous Moorish Castle “The Alhambra”.

Just like Cadiz, Málaga was founded by the Phoenicians around 800 BC and later shaped by the Romans, who built the amphi-theatre that still stands today. The Moors arrived in the 8th century, leaving behind the Alcazaba fortress and Gibralfaro Castle that dominate the skyline. After the Christian Reconquest in 1487, grand churches and plazas were built.

Málaga’s history is evident throughout its streets, from ancient ruins to Moorish arches and Renaissance facades, there is over 2,800 years of fascinating settlement stories waiting to be explored. Just as most port cities, there is an air of acceptance and tolerance, created by centuries of exposure to human interactions.

It is the sixth-largest city in Spain and yet it doesn’t feel huge. One of the many pluses of Malaga is that you can explore most of its highlights on foot. Málaga Park, also known as Paseo del Parque, is the city’s green oasis and considered one of the most important subtropical gardens in Europe. Built in the late 19th century on land reclaimed from the sea, it was part of a project to expand the port. Planting began in 1899, and today the park covers 30,000 square metres with more than 350 plant species from five continents, from Mexican fan palms and Madagascan screwpines to Australian ficus trees. There is information on the flora for the green-fingered visitors!

The park isn’t just about nature. Scattered among its shaded paths are 19th-century fountains, sculptures, and monuments, like the Fountain of the Three Graces and the Nymph with a Seashell.

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Mar 03 2022

Port of Call – Palma de Mallorca

Again there was a last minute change as future Port of Call – Palma de Mallorca was placed ahead of the Andalusian City of Malaga. Reason? The same storm system that had taken Gibraltar out of the line up, prevented us from going to Malaga. So, the Regal sailed north to the island of Mallorca and then returned south a day later to visit Pablo Picasso’s birthplace on the Costa del Sol.

Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, gave birth to Spain’s best tennis player ever Rafael Nadal and today hosts celebrities like Catharina Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, Brad Pitt who owns seasonally and many European celebrities. The island has a population of over 480,000 spread over about 1,400 square miles (about the size of Long Island), offering diverse landscapes from mountains to beaches. Even our Cuban friends  Juan and Acéla from Matanzas, whom we visited in 2017, have moved since to the island of Mallorca.

Palma de Mallorca

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Mar 02 2022

Port of Call Cadiz, Spain

Cadiz, three sides on the Atlantic

The message from the Captain came the evening before, while departing Madeira: a weather system in the southwestern Mediterranean forced the ship to set course for Cadiz, rather than Malaga.

Perhaps because of its out-of-the-way location, Cadiz is a hidden gem that not everyone seems to know and visit, so we were happy with the change. Its historic old town and its many unique surrounding villages, make Cadiz a perfect destination for exploration. Gorgeous beaches, amazing local cuisine and an accessible city that is more than 3,000 years old, dating back to the Phoenician merchants from the Levant.

Located on Spain’s southwestern Atlantic coast, due west of Malaga in the Mediterranean, Cadiz played a significant role in Spain’s colonial history, serving as a launching point for expeditions to the New World.   The city itself is a coastal gem—rich in history, lined with golden beaches, and exuding a laid-back charm that feels worlds away from the tourist-heavy spots further east.

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Mar 01 2022

Port of Call Madeira, Portugal’s Year-round Resort Island

After  seven days on the Atlantic, the time had arrived for a day at Port of Call Madeira, Portugal’s Year-round Resort Island. The weather had been pretty good, so the island of Madeira was on the schedule. A great indicator on a cruise ship that you’re nearing land is that you all at once see birds sitting on railings or flying next to the ship.  No diversions needed. Madeira is part of Portugal, as are the Azores, which are often featured on other cruise stops, and lately has become particularly known as the birthplace of soccer phenomenon Cristiano Ronaldo. Besides his own statue at walking distance from the cruise port, the islands international airport is also named after him.

Cristiano Ronaldo, son of Madeira and first billionaire soccer player in history

Madeira

Madeiro was “officially”discovered sometime in the 14th century as an unpopulated island in what later became and archipelago of 4 islands about 430 miles to the southeast of the Portuguese mainland, although archeological evidence exists that the Vikings were there between the years 900 and 1030. Today the island is an autonomous region of Portugal and part of the European Union, so the Euro is their official currency. The island has a population of a little over a quarter of a million people, with an additional million or so tourists annually.

The island, and especially its capital Funchal, became prosperous early on in its development, as a major producer of cane sugar. Sadly the island was used to test the concept of sugar plantations being worked by slave labor. Later, after sugar production  was abandoned, the now famous Madeira wines became prevalent in its economy, which today is based on year-round tourism. Continue reading

Mar 31 2022

A Fourteen Day Trans-Atlantic Princess Cruise

Leaving from Ft.Lauderdale Port

A Fourteen day trans-atlantic Princess cruise was on the menu, now that a land vacation seemed out of the question because of Covid concerns and different international procedures. Beyond a 5 days Bahama’s cruise on Carnival in 2016, we had not done much cruising except for some Caribbean Tallship Trips when Windjammer Barefoot Charters operated several Tall Ships like the Polynesia and the Mandalay in the Caribbean Islands. Actually that’s how we met, when TJ had booked a graduation present for her son Drew on the Polynesia, departing from St.Maarten.

Since May 2019 we manage a summer boutique hotel on Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan which means we have the 6 winter months off to do whatever we like to do. Taking care of guests in the summer time meant to us that during our winter travels we should bathe in the luxury of at least one long cruise where others would take care of our needs. We quickly surmised that on our salary, cruises would be the only real “luxury” that fits our budget, especially because we would book in what is considered the Off Season for cruises, such as February/March. The previous year (2020/2021) we couldn’t travel internationally because the world was locked up in a global Covid-19 pandemic, but this year (2022) we had received our shots and were ready for some real discovery.

Considerations for a final cruise choice were:

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