Spanish Flair...
Hola!! Spanish flair would be the keywords for the last couple of days. As we round out the ports of call now to 20 cities in 13 countries we're cruising up the Atlantic coastline into the English Channel to go into the Baltic Sea where we will experience 11 new cities in 9 new countries. 
A few days ago we left Cadiz, Spain. It's a cute little port in the southern part of Spain that lies at the tip of a narrow isthmus that forms the western boundary of Cadiz Bay. This is said to be one of Europe's oldest cities. Yet it has all the modern shops one could look for here at decent prices. I couldn't find anything in the shops worth spending money on. I've been looking for a distinct European flair lately and nothing struck me as something I couldn't find in the U.S. We did have a lovely day of walking through the city enjoying all the scenery and ambiance the city could offer. We had lunch at a local place where I tasted empanadas (delicious!!) and had a spoon taste of traditional gazpacho soup. I'm still not a fan whether it's the recipe I got off the food channel or one made by true Spaniards. It was a busy day before retiring back to the ship after a short port day. Yesterday we stopped in the bustling city of Lisbon in Portugal. 
It's the capital city of course. A lot of the buildings here are walled with hand painted tiles and have the traditional Spanish-style rooftops. Narrow winding streets intertwine throughout the city and you can always here the sound of a cable car going by. The Castelo de Sao Jorge sits high atop the hillside overlooking the commercial shopping area of the city we spent most of our day in. There are about 5-6 streets of good shopping in the heart of the port city and then many shops in the outer districts. A good place for bargain prices, but once again nothing that struck me as particularly European. We did cascade the city for the hand painted tiles that are particular to the city and found very few choices. The ambiance of this port is still amazing. Some streets are still lined with cobblestone which makes for quite interesting walking on some of the hillier streets in my no traction sandals. The tiles on the outer walls are what are fascinating to see. As we walked about the city there was a tribute to the bull going on. Various plastic bulls that were painted with different themes were placed throughout the area. It was very similar to the art display NYC took on when they displayed the apples all over the place. I think even another city displayed cows (San Diego?) that I remember. It was a sight to see and fun since this area is known for its bull fights. We had a lovely lunch outside a gorgeously tiled building that was also right next to the theatre. We ordered steak, but it also came with an egg on top. One of our dancers said yesterday that an egg was on his hamburger when he ordered one. The steak and egg combo was oddly delicious. Maybe this is where the ole breakfast item comes from in the good ole U.S.A. We crossed by many open spaces decorated with monuments and fountains paying tribute to those who impacted the city in some shape or form. Also in abundance were cathedrals. It's in the cathedrals where you can see a Roman influence in the city's architecture. Needless to say it was another day of fabulous sightseeing and I'm exhausted and happy that we are taking 2 days at sea before reaching our next 2 exciting ports of call; Paris and London. We actually dock in Le Havre, France and Harwich, England. Each of the respective ports is about 3 hours from the major cities we all know. So it'll be 6 hours on trains both days with the express trips through the cities. We shall be exhausted. We'll also be heading into a more repetitive itinerary schedule so that each new day isn't like the world cruise where you see a new city each stop. I'd love it and hate it at the same time. To see the world would be amazing, but to make a 3-hour day of a major city like Paris is frantic. I'm still going to get my quintessential photos at the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Big Ben, and Scotland Yard. I'll be able to say I've been to those places and take in its beauty and history even for just a few short moments. As we have days like the past few where there's just so much to see and do in such a short time (which can 'cause aggravation at times), I remind myself that I'm getting paid to see it AND that I woke up in a brand new city and tried new things. Yes, I do love my current job and yes there's always time to sit at a lovely outdoor café on a cobblestone street (whether with a view of the water or a view of a fabulously ancient building) and just relax with a good local lunch and a sip of cappuccino (or ale depending on what's offered).
On a side note photos are few and far between because the internet out here is really slow. Uploading a picture takes eons and eats away the minutes. I'll try and upload on faster days, so keep looking back.
A few days ago we left Cadiz, Spain. It's a cute little port in the southern part of Spain that lies at the tip of a narrow isthmus that forms the western boundary of Cadiz Bay. This is said to be one of Europe's oldest cities. Yet it has all the modern shops one could look for here at decent prices. I couldn't find anything in the shops worth spending money on. I've been looking for a distinct European flair lately and nothing struck me as something I couldn't find in the U.S. We did have a lovely day of walking through the city enjoying all the scenery and ambiance the city could offer. We had lunch at a local place where I tasted empanadas (delicious!!) and had a spoon taste of traditional gazpacho soup. I'm still not a fan whether it's the recipe I got off the food channel or one made by true Spaniards. It was a busy day before retiring back to the ship after a short port day. Yesterday we stopped in the bustling city of Lisbon in Portugal. 
It's the capital city of course. A lot of the buildings here are walled with hand painted tiles and have the traditional Spanish-style rooftops. Narrow winding streets intertwine throughout the city and you can always here the sound of a cable car going by. The Castelo de Sao Jorge sits high atop the hillside overlooking the commercial shopping area of the city we spent most of our day in. There are about 5-6 streets of good shopping in the heart of the port city and then many shops in the outer districts. A good place for bargain prices, but once again nothing that struck me as particularly European. We did cascade the city for the hand painted tiles that are particular to the city and found very few choices. The ambiance of this port is still amazing. Some streets are still lined with cobblestone which makes for quite interesting walking on some of the hillier streets in my no traction sandals. The tiles on the outer walls are what are fascinating to see. As we walked about the city there was a tribute to the bull going on. Various plastic bulls that were painted with different themes were placed throughout the area. It was very similar to the art display NYC took on when they displayed the apples all over the place. I think even another city displayed cows (San Diego?) that I remember. It was a sight to see and fun since this area is known for its bull fights. We had a lovely lunch outside a gorgeously tiled building that was also right next to the theatre. We ordered steak, but it also came with an egg on top. One of our dancers said yesterday that an egg was on his hamburger when he ordered one. The steak and egg combo was oddly delicious. Maybe this is where the ole breakfast item comes from in the good ole U.S.A. We crossed by many open spaces decorated with monuments and fountains paying tribute to those who impacted the city in some shape or form. Also in abundance were cathedrals. It's in the cathedrals where you can see a Roman influence in the city's architecture. Needless to say it was another day of fabulous sightseeing and I'm exhausted and happy that we are taking 2 days at sea before reaching our next 2 exciting ports of call; Paris and London. We actually dock in Le Havre, France and Harwich, England. Each of the respective ports is about 3 hours from the major cities we all know. So it'll be 6 hours on trains both days with the express trips through the cities. We shall be exhausted. We'll also be heading into a more repetitive itinerary schedule so that each new day isn't like the world cruise where you see a new city each stop. I'd love it and hate it at the same time. To see the world would be amazing, but to make a 3-hour day of a major city like Paris is frantic. I'm still going to get my quintessential photos at the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Big Ben, and Scotland Yard. I'll be able to say I've been to those places and take in its beauty and history even for just a few short moments. As we have days like the past few where there's just so much to see and do in such a short time (which can 'cause aggravation at times), I remind myself that I'm getting paid to see it AND that I woke up in a brand new city and tried new things. Yes, I do love my current job and yes there's always time to sit at a lovely outdoor café on a cobblestone street (whether with a view of the water or a view of a fabulously ancient building) and just relax with a good local lunch and a sip of cappuccino (or ale depending on what's offered). On a side note photos are few and far between because the internet out here is really slow. Uploading a picture takes eons and eats away the minutes. I'll try and upload on faster days, so keep looking back.
posted by Chris | 8:42 AM
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