Tenerife Canary Island

So our last port...sad...

It is a beautiful place to end our ports of call...we walked the promanades... took the trolley way

out of town and stopped at the town of Laguna...a college town. We walked, chatted with a lonely American girl who recognized our accent. Imagine we were the ones with and Accent! Then stopped for caffe, con Leche and a Palma, Jason's favorite...in his honor. It was wondrful. We sat outside and enjoyed the world around us. We walked on and found...imagine... a 1 euro store... them too.

We walked back, found a wonderful cross, to remember this trip, and thought this is it...better make the ship or else.

What a wonderful trip.

we will show you the ship in the upcoming day.

Lanzarote Canary Islands

today we landed in Lanzarote Canary Islands, it is like being on the moon. No vegetation...all homes and buildings are white with blue, brown or green trim. They climb the hills like a greek island and have roofs and

towers like a Morrocan influence. We chose today to make it a beach day. We found solice for 8 euros 4 rows back in a sea of people. It was to Dan's delight a very European crowd. Hmmm...they change right under their umbrella or don't, just undress and sun...hmmm. You can see their suits drying on their umbrellas.

Dan swam, I waded and then he slept...loving the sun and sand. We walked the promenade, as they call it, and had coffee and cake in beach side resturant. We shopped and found treasures and then back to the ship. It was a great day, an odd Island, and a new experience to add to our journey.

Cartegena

By far the cleanest and smallest city yet. A huge contrast to the Cartegena Columbia of our past. We have loved all the Spanish ports.

Here we learned about a defensive light house...where it leads the ships of enemies to the rocks. We also visited a crypt where if you turn in a circle the skeletons on the wall dance like a flip book. They dance over crowns, etc. to represent that death is a great equalizer and inevitabl.

This port is a navel seaport and has many forts to protect. The Port is beautiful and small and a real challenge to put a big ship into.

We are off to our last two Canary ports and then home.... what fun we have has so far.

La Palma, the city of palms, was todays port. We arrive 6 am to bright sunshine and small breezes. This is Sunday so many of the stores are closed. I found it sad that also many of the churches are closes...hmmm. We toured the Belver castle, drove the many seaside beaches that Mallorca is known for.

We entered the Bull ring...no bull, except maybe what you read here on this page:) We toured a Mallorca pearl store and enjoyed a rest stop. The hotels close for the winter...unlike the US who offer deals in the winter. So the beach walks, bars, resturants close also. It is a place people come when its warm. Strange eerie silence. Beautiful day and great memory.

:

Barcelona was as we remembered. It felt like we were home. We found our ideal burial plan and will let the kids know to start on it now....

We found the market and my fig cake of memory. We enjoyed once again the mime life of the Rambla and we tou

ed many cathedrals...enjoyed or at least looked again at Gaudi (sp) and the Church of th Familia is not done yet:) After seeing the sites we relaxed on our deck an caught a glimpse of our next ride...probably connected to the burial sites and after:)

Well we decided to wear clothes today and not our bathing suits...good thing:)

We went to Cassis as small fishing village by the sea close to Marseilles. We loved it. Weather was clear and wonderful when we went to the highest sea cliff in Europe. Dan stayed back but I

braved the sight and took some great pics. We toured Marseilles by bus and then back to the ship. Overlooking the city and harbor is Our Lady Mary of Marseilles, where the art inside is whatever people bring to give...pictures, soccor shirts, bullets.... So what would you bring our Lord? Good question. Fun day and so different from the ruins. Off to Barcelona tomorrow.

Naples

Last port of the 1st trip is Naples. It is beautiful, with islands, water and Italian housing climbing the hills. Mt Misouvious.(sp) rising in the bay and Capri and Sorrento clinging to the rocky shores. We walked narrow streets and saw fish, vegetable and bakery markets. It is a National armed forces day so we say a great celebration in a Piazzo. Looks like a small vatican city.

We drank cappucino and took pictures of laundry, trollies and boats. Walked for miles and then took a small bus ride to see the other bays. Beautiful place. Strange fish:) Fianlly after all the ports found some coffee to buy. Plenty to drink but not so much to buy.

Yesterday we saw most of Alexandria...a great National library and the catacombs. Today was Cairo and the pyramids. We were gone 12 hous and it was worth the journey. i think I captured the best picture yet and th Sphynx sits in agreement. This is certainly a 3rd world country and the poverty is so eviden. Everything is only 1 US dollar witch makes it easy to shop. :) We are tired but loved it.