Cadiz, Spain

Apologies for the lapse since the last post.  Time and technology have not been in my favor for updating the blog. 

On June 16, the cruise stopped in Cadiz, Spain.  Our planned excursion included a trip to Jerez (for sherry tasting) and to the Andalusian horse show.  Here are a few of the highlights. 

Moon setting over Cadiz

Charming city of Cadiz

City walls

The beach

About half an hour outside the city, there are huge farms and vineyards.
There were so many fields filled with sunflowers.

Barrels of sherry.  Barrels are not moved during the fermentation process but rather the sherry. 
Younger wine is at the top and older at the bottom.

The different types of sherry.

Debbie, Don, Aggie, Mary, Herb, Leann, Linda, MaryNoel and Frank

 Our next stop was the horse show.  We were not allowed to take pictures of the show so these will have to suffice.....

Andalusian Horse school of the arts

Practice grounds

Inside the arena

Dinner on the Deck with:
Shelly, Leann, Bob, Lyn, Mark, Bonnie, Frank and Lee

Moon rising over Cadiz.

Next port of call:  Portimao, Spain

"The Rock"

The Rock of Gibraltar guards the only exit from the Med to the wide ocean and it's history goes back 4000 years.  In 1830 it was declared a British colony.  It is only 6 miles from the coast of Africa to the south and shares the Iberian peninsula with Spain. 

We arrived very early in the morning, with the ship's horn sounding on a regular basis.  Why?  The fog was pea soup-thick! 

Ships in the harbor.

View of The Rock of Gibraltar barely visible at 9AM.

Captain docking the ship.

We took the cable car to the top of The Rock.

Fog.  :o(

One of the not-so-modest monkeys on Gibraltar.

With The Rock behind us.

Panoramic view of the city of Gibraltar.

Inside the Great Seige Tunnels.

Finally, the fog clears and this is the view of The Rock from our stateroom.

Next stop:  Cadiz, Spain.

Cruise and adventure continues with a stop in Malaga, Spain

We continue to enjoy the trip around Spain and have met many new people.  Our next stop was in Malaga and we opted to explore the city on our own.  It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky!

Panoramic view of the Malaga port.

 The port in Malaga, is HUGE and one of the most important in Spain. 

Snapshot of the park in the promenade that runs parallel to the coast.

In any city in Spain, you can find a palace, cathedrals, mosques and a national museum.  Buildings and cities have strong Arabic influences as well.

Alacazaba

The lighthouse near the port in Malaga.

One of the many beaches in the Costa del Sol.

View of our ship from the top of Malaga.

Street where Picasso was born.

Cathedral.

Dinner with new FSU friends: Les, Ruth,Tom, Roni, Wes, Diane, Leann and Frank

Next stop:  "The Rock" - Gibraltar

Excursion to Palma de Mallorca

Our first port of call was Palma, Spain.  We signed up for a tour that included brief tour in Mallorca (Majorca), a train trip to the small town, Soller as well as a bus trip to Valldemossa.

Pictures from that trip follow:

Majorca - known for its pearls

Residence of the Kings (on the left)

Old train we took to Soller. 

Almond trees!

Lambs and sheep grazing.

Beautiful olive trees.

View of the city.

Soller - known for the lemons and oranges.

A little peninsula.

Natural made hole in the rock.

Royal Carthusian Monestary in Valledemossa

Pharmacy at the monastery.

Frederic Chopin, his secret girlfriend (George Sand) and her two children lived for a few months in the monastery.  Of course, this was after the monks were "kicked out".

View of Valledemossa.

Dinner with Sue, Howard, Leann, Mary, Frank and Herb.

Amazing sunset!