Driving the Coast of Spain

Rich:

"Got our motor running, heading on the highway, looking for adventure, and whatever comes our way"... The Cult classic captures such a great feeling.  After 16 months of somewhat structured travel itineraries (minus the unexpected Prize or Cruise), we have taken off the auto pilot and just seeing where and who the road leads us to.  It is still Jan-Feb here in Spain and it can be cold, so we think the coast road (Costa Blanca) will be warmer.  After a 3 day visit to Valencia, (a really beautiful city), we eat some iconic Paella, wash the few clothes we own, and off we go.  We sometimes drive an hour, sometimes 3 hours.  Each night we ask, "Do we stay or do we go?"...Usually it is go, and hopeful to discover/meet the next cool thing. We were not "Born to Be Wild", but we were Born to Travel.

We only drove 45 minutes the first day, we had seen some cliffs off the Cruise Ship and went looking for them...Ended up in a funky little town and a hotel where the owner turned out to be a huge Springsteen fan, quotes and posters on the wall, a concert memory case, a place you imagine in Bruce's song  Rosalita. We also met Andrew...

Andrew (middle) is inspirational, a person who will someday have a book/movie made about him.  After several near death experiences and overcoming severe health issues, Andrew has the zeal and belief of Apostle Paul taking on the Greeks.  A person we will be seeing more of in the years to come.  The other gentleman is Hero, the owner of the wonderful "Restaurante Hero"where we are dining in Els Poblets, Alicante.

Wanda:

We docked back in Barcelona, said our goodbyes to this magnificent city and headed south to Valencia on a 3 1/2 hour train ride....

...First things first, since we are here for only a few days - we must check out the markets and taste the local delicacies ....(what's a few more days before we start the serious diet)

We head into the historic Mercado Central...

Walking in your senses are surrounded by the vibrant colors, noises, and smells...

...We find beautiful fruits and vegetables - and giant radishes!!!

A clever and tasty way to eat fresh sardines...hmmmmm!

...And of course, we must find a restaurant that serves the paella Valencia is famous for, and the Sangria (the locals actually drink!) - that would be Palace Fesol (since 1909).   We have Javier explaining the Valencian Paella -  the chicken, (we opted out of the rabbit) vegetables, lima beans, lots of rosemary, and crispy carmelized rice in the bottom of the pan.... and the lovely Imma with her secret Sangria recipe that I will now share shhhh!!.....   

White Spanish Vermouth, Red Spanish Vermouth, Rum, Red Wine, Fanta orange and lemon soda, sugar, and let's not forget the cut up fruit.....We were very happy the rest of the day!


Now we can take a view of this city:

We always try to exercise after eating a big meal, so we climbed to the top of The Miquelet or the Belltower of the Valencia Cathedral to get the best views of the city  (a later post on the Cathedral itself)....

The Dumbbell at the top... no, I am not talking about Rich - who is just resting after climbing the 207 steps (I think he is wishing he stayed for another pitcher of Sangria)...

View from the bell tower...Valencia is Spain's 3rd largest city after Madrid and Barcelona, and it looks like it - the view from atop looks like it is all buildings, but there are plenty of picturesque squares as The Queen Square (bottom left) found throughout the city...

Valencia was founded as a Roman Colony in 138 BC.  Today even the Old City has been restored to look new...walking aimlessly and taking buses through the city, you experience so many styles of architecture from Romanesque to Moderniste.   For a large city, Valencia is clean and vibrant.

After 3 days in Valencia we rented a car and drove down the coast.  We stopped in a little town Els Poblets, and met Andrew.  (Rich is pictured with him above)  Sometimes special people come into your life (as the poem of an unknown author says) for a reason, a season, or a lifetime...

Back in the car we continued down the coast and I was so surprised to see the number of high-rise condos and apartments that littered the coastline - not a very pretty sight.  So on we drive, stopping at a few places that were not memorable....

...Interesting note on another "not so pretty sight",  While driving through Almeria - there must have been miles and miles of plastic green houses all along the road...I guess it's a way to grow food in the driest places of Spain.  I had to Google this to find out more - you can do the same, I won't bore you with what I learned.


Cartagena is a stop worth talking about since it has 3,000 years of history and claims to be one of the oldest cities in the world.  (I counted the 60th oldest city in Europe - but I could be wrong)

Las Murallas (the old walls) partially surrounds the old city of Cartagena and were built in the 16th century

The Cartagena Roman Theater dates from the 5 -1 Century BC, but was not discovered until the late 1980's underneath poor and deteriorated housing  built over it.  The Roman Theater Museum is a must see!

The Funeral Crypt from the 16th century St Joseph Monastery found in the small 

Museo Nacional de Arqueologia

The 3 days we spent in Cartagena we walked and walked (what else is new, we still have Christmas and Cruise weight that must come off)... and there are wonderful statues scattered all over.  Bottom is  "El Zulo",  a heart wrenching (2 ton) bronze statue dedicated to the victims of the 3/11 terrorist attack in Madrid, 2004.

We always take a coffee break in the afternoons, the owner of the Cafeteria Restaurante Teatromano located in the town square told us we must have an "Asiatico" coffee.  It is known only in Cartagena!...  Of course we loved it - and asked for a 2nd cup and the recipe.....No wonder why we loved it, little did we know it was the Licor 43  made in Cartagena that made it so special!

Simple recipe I must put down here just so I remember:  Shot of expresso, Licor 43, Conac, condensed milk, Lemon and orange twist, cinnamon, and cream.  This was indeed a treat and made walking the city much easier!

 Off to Nerja...

Nerja is a beautiful town 3 hours south of Cartagena.  Nerja is famous for its prehistoric caves and caverns -  where Stalactites meet Stalagmites.  The beautiful "Speleothems" are jaw dropping and the vast and extensive caverns have  a "Do Not Miss" label. 
 No photos (especially mine) or postcards we saw could do it justice.

Adios!! 
Time to leave the bat cave and head to the Carnival in Cadiz!.....

Cruising with Norwegian Cruise Lines

Rich:

It has been 25 years since we had been on an extended Cruise Ship voyage, the reason being was that the last trip (Wanda won from work) was in a cramped cabin with a small bed, the shower and toilet were merged, the food was reception quality, and the entertainment highlight may have been a stand-up routine I performed for Talent Show Night.  (Yes, that bad).  We had just spent a month in Barcelona for Christmas and were trying to decide our plans for the next few months of our journey.  I came across a Norwegian Cruise Line Internet ad for a 10 day Cruise from Barcelona to Morocco, Madeira and the Canary Islands and back to Barcelona by way of Malaga.  The cost, with unlimited beverage (booze) and food and a ship-board credit for WiFi in a balcony room came to about $120 a day.  When you add up what a flight to Morocco and the other Islands would cost, plus food and lodging, this was fantastic, plus a safer way to visit Morocco.  It was also nice to stop in for a quick once-over of several locations-Islands-Ports of Call.

Wanda:

Yay - Let's go!!!!!......

...Heading out for a 10 day tour on a calm Mediterranean Sea...

...and a beautiful day for a January cruise!

...Finding our way around the ship - the lobby pictured above with Rich avoiding the paparazzi (they were always after him) ...

....We had no trouble finding all 10 of the lounges and bars - after all, we had the "unlimited beverages" pack!

Captain Lars is busy, so he sends his first mates to meet Rich to explain what keeps a heavy ship afloat...

A sunset from Galaxy Bar in the front (or bow) of the ship 

Back to Rich:  
Ok, this sounds like an Ad for Norwegian Cruise Lines, BUT- what about the food and bed etc??  What a change a few years has made.  The bed was incredibly comfortable, queen size, and the room was well equipped and the towels and supplies were boutique.  Also, the Jacuzzi and steam/sauna rooms were very therapeutic and nicely done.  So far so good....





Wanda again:  
From the title of the post, I thought this was supposed to be an ad for Norwegian Cruise Line!  Let's get back to our commercial.....

On Board Entertainment:

Waiting for the show to begin...

Rich keeping the cruisers entertained, at least he picked an age-appropriate song - I heard a few people in the audience went to school with Mick Jagger...

....OK, Now For The Real Entertainment:

Beautiful Broadway voices and dancing kept us entertained...

The wonderful singers and dancers hanging with us on their night off...

Pablo singing all our favorites in the Irish Pub!

Our entertainment crew "The Fun Bunch" that kept things lively throughout the cruise...

Rich:

As far as the entertainment, the shows were using many actors with West End credentials, the show band and various lounge acts were of a very high quality, and only once did I experience a "cruise ship cringe" over a performer.  The Torch singer of "Trio Royale" had a beautiful voice and Guitarist Pablo Rodriguez was incredibly gifted.

Back to Wanda:

The Port Stops

....Casablanca, Morocco - view of the The Hassan II Mosque

Shopping in Rabat Morocco for the "All White" Party....Rich skillfully bought 2  Caftans called Djellabas for 300 Moroccan Dirham!

....Of course you can't miss eating the street food in Morocco!

Santa Cruz the capital of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Pictured above is "The Market of Our Lady of Africa".  We spent the day wandering the city...

On the  island of Madeira we went for a "Tobaggan" ride on the street (no snow here!)...

  ..."Sledges" were used for 100's of years transporting people to Funchal (the town below)  from the steep mountain top (now it's done for the tourists!)

Riding camels on a Wednesday (humpday!) in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands - one of our favorite excursions...

A trip through Timanfayo National Park and the Montanas del Fuego or the Fire Mountains with more than 100 volcanic craters - amazing tour!

I guess its called the Fire Mountains for a reason - those volcanoes can erupt at any time, I felt safe since the last eruption was in 1824...

One of the park rangers poured water into the ground and a  strong geyser of steam came spouting up - showing how hot the surface temperature is.




Grapevines grown in the volcanic earth- each vine is cultivated separately and surrounded by rocks to protect them from the wind.  The result is a sweet dessert wine we all know as Muscatel! 

And finally a stop in Malaga  Spain, we spent the day walking the city (pictured above is the Roman Theater) ....

.... and eating my favorite 
Marcona almonds (grown almost exclusively in Spain)  sold on street corners...

Rich:

Though interesting in many ways I believe we would not go to Morocco or Lanzarote again, our trip to Rabat Morocco was a great experience and included a couple of caftans and some incredible street food.  We would like another shot at Funchal in Madeira for a longer stay. The tours you can take from the ship will vary from educational and interesting to rushed and fluff.  It is hard to determine which to take, sometimes the tours are interesting, (such as Lanzarote) and sometimes it is better to explore on your own.

Back to Wanda.....
How we gained 5 Kilos (sounds so much better than pounds):

There are 14 dining options on board - and we went to every one of them!!

On a nice day there are Barbecues outside - this one just happens to be paella!

Playing with food is OK on NCL...

Attentive waiters like Mohammad!  Everyone of them made sure Rich never went hungry!
 A shout out to Christian -not pictured (from the Philippines), who read Richard's mind (or maybe belly) and brought him out seconds, sometimes thirds... 

Rich:
The dining concept on Norwegian Cruise line has advanced, "Freestyle Dining" is a chance to eat when you want and what you want with either a restaurant quality or a buffet line efficiency, plus room service.  You can eat pretty much 24/7!  (Please note the tight jeans and bulging sweaters, arggh)  They have restaurants in the theme of French Bistro, Chicago Steak House, Teppan style Sushi, and Italian.  We found the service and food to reach a very high level of professionalism in nearly all variations we experienced.  Is it the best food we have ever eaten?  Well, of course not, but in 10 days of eating we had only a couple of disappointments, and then we just ordered another dish and it tasted great.  It is odd to order 3 starters and 2 entrees and have the waiter ask if you would like more grilled shrimp, but I adapt well :-).  We also found they will let you order different items and put them together as you wish, so a Caesar salad becomes a grilled shrimp Caesar!

OK, funny story, I am ordering at a late-night food place - The Blue Lagoon.  I start to order - chicken wings, fish & chips, Sliders, Artichoke Dip, etc.. when I notice the waiter not writing anything down.  "Did you get all that?" I asked, and he replied, "Oh no, I'm sorry, I thought you were just reading the menu."  Wanda has laughed for days on that remark.

Back to Wanda...

We made wonderful new friends:

Lenny and Charles from the UK - the father and son team that could actually keep up with us - we spent many a night closing all the bars down.

Steve and Jan from Bakersfield CA- fellow bingo winners!

(Small world - Steve probably sold Rich's Dad a Chevy in 1974 in Porterville) 

Rich's  karaoke competition, Malcolm from Scotland and his lovely wife Angela - Malcolm sounds and looks like Rod Stewart!  Both he and Rich were finalists in the Karaoke competition...

Mary and Craig (isn't he handsome?)  from Pennsylvania USA - these 2 people travel the world doing volunteer work, so inspirational!

Special Thank You To Our favorite Crew Members!!

Charming and engaging Anastasia from New Zealand...

Gary from Nicaragua our favorite maitre'd - he always made sure we got window seats at the Windows Restaurant!

Yay Christine!  (from the UK) the ship's acupuncturist.  If you start feeling a little woozy, she is the one to go to!

Thank You Francisco! (from Nicaragua ) Francisco kept our stateroom clean and tidy twice a day and from a couple of messy people!

Sebastian (from St Lucia) the best waiter in the Galaxy Lounge....

...and of course Karen from Germany, the most caring and professional concierge that we could ask for! 

Even your photographers made us look good!!!

 The entire crew is made up like a mini United Nations, but they work together in a much nicer way!

Rich:

Some negatives? 
The Wifi is charged by the minute, not a flat fee or by the megabyte as it should be. 
But really, it should be a good time to get off the electronics grid completely, and we did fairly well, but when you use the Internet for research and to blog, it is still a burr in the saddle to monitor your usage. So there!

Will we do it again?  Probably.  The age of the guests (on a January sail) were a few years older than us, but we found inspiration in many of our new friends energy and enthusiasm. We were quite surprised at the food presentations. As for the ship motion sickness, Wanda did get a little woozy, but in January that can be expected.  I was fine and actually enjoyed the rocking motion of the ship.  As for other Cruise Ships?  I am almost worried to try another Cruise Line after our positive experience.  Some Cruise ships these days are enormous, I will say we were on a medium size ship The Spirit, with about 2,000 passengers, yet we never felt crowded, (OK, perhaps at 3-4 pm with so many English on board the Tea Time Buffet experienced a crush as if Manchester United were playing).  However, if the price and place is right, we would go on another one.  I think the Cruise Ship can be an excellent way to "taste" a few places to see if you want to go back for a longer visit.
 Bon Voyage!... now back to the "Road".



Wanda:
Rich, hmm - that was only 1 negative...my negative is that I did not use the on-board treadmill to walk off all those calories I consumed and drank - oh well, as Scarlett O'Hara said, "I can't think about that right now.  If I do, I'll go crazy.  I'll think about that tomorrow."

Cheers- a trip to remember!