Revisting Cadiz, Spain---------------

October 7, 2019
Sunrise 8:25 am
Arrival 8:00 am
Temp. 80F

Cadiz, located on a peninsula jutting out into the bay, is almost entirely

 surrounded by water. It is said to be the oldest surviving city in Spain and

 was founded by the Phoenicians in 1100 BC and later occupied by the

 Carthaginians, Romans and the Moors. A fascinating old town with

 waterfront gardens, beaches and quaint open squares, it is a busy port and

shipyard today and, since ancient times, its natural harbor has attracted

 fishermen, merchants and ships trading along the Atlantic coast.

Early morning - always a great time to explore a city, especially one set 

on the water.

The Cathedral of Cadiz.

 Coffee morning with the Spanish ladies.

 Interesting apartment building lobby, with laundry drying above!

Quaint side streets.

Glimpses of old Cadiz, Spain.

Cadiz was somewhat quiet the day of our visit as it was a religious holiday.

That evening we set sail for Casablanca, Morocco, a distance of just

190 nautical miles.

Portimao, Portugal..........................

October 6, 2019

Sunrise 7:33 am

Early Mist and 82F

Arriving in port early morning, Portimao's busy marina - already a brilliant blue sky - and 

by 8:30 am we were aboard the coaches and heading out on the morning tour.

Only for the truly brave - walking on the windy cliffs of Cabo de. S. Vicente.

Our guys, Rob and Bob at the Cabo de Sao Vincente lighthouse

situated on the most south-westerly extremity of Europe and watching over 

busy shipping lanes. It's one of Europe's brightest lighthouses and can

 be seen from some sixty miles away!

Outdoor dining as only the Europeans can do it - waiting for the lunch crowd.

Shopping opportunity in Lagos.

A very warm 82F and a brilliant blue sky while visiting Lagos, Sagres and
 Cabo de. S. Vincente (Cape St. Vincent).

Prince Henry the Navigator - born 1394

This statue commemorates the 'prince of Portugal', regarded as an originator

 of the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic slave trade, and who used Lagos as

 a launch pad for many of the expeditions he commissioned. It was inaugurated

 in 1960 on the 500th anniversary of his death.

We headed back to the ship for our lunch. On most days, when aboard, we dined 

(as did the majority of the passengers) on the open Lido Deck where the always 

amazing buffet was served. . . . . .and relaxing and chatting was so enjoyable.

A more formal served lunch was also available in the dining room but we

 much preferred eating outside in the sunshine and watching passing boat traffic.

Next port of call takes us back to a favorite place in Spain!

Portugal 2019 - Embarkation and a little sightseeing -

WELCOME ABOARD!

Returning to beautiful Portugal was exciting, however not much time was spent

 in Lisbon as it was just the jumping off point for the cruise on the Hebridean Sky

 which took us 2,197 nautical miles to visit five countries!

After a quick 'sightseeing' zip around the busy city via motor coach, we and our

 group who had all flown together from London, unloaded at the dock. 

We boarded within minutes, were taken to our cabin (which was like returning

 home as we had the same one on this ship last year on the Patagonia/Chile 

expedition), our luggage appeared immediately, and within half an hour we were

 doing the required safety drill in the lounge area and ready for champagne and

 the Sail-Away!

As you can see, Hebridean Sky is a small ship compared to the German

mega cruise ship docked ahead of us. It probably had several thousand 

passengers whereas we were just 110 making embarkation so quick and easy.

 Another fun thing was seeing familiar faces among the ship's fabulous 

crew - and that they remembered us!

Sail-Away on the River Tagus heading to the Atlantic Ocean and a short

overnight sail of just 157 nautical miles to Portimao in southern Portugal's 

Algarve region.

The Monument of the Discoveries

Here's the link to our former visit to Lisbon a few years ago

where you can enjoy better photos taken when we had more time

in that lovely city.

Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by; 

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sails shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.......................

John Masefield 1878-1967

What the.................?

  

Amazing what a heavy shower can bring!  Yesterday's evening visitor arrived

 when the much-welcomed rain stopped - and following Bob's refilling of the

 bird feeders which had remained empty during our three week absence.

Looking out the window - while awaiting the pasta boiling in the kitchen - I was

 thinking how pretty the rays of the setting sun were illuminating the potting shed.

Then I saw it - a big, hefty healthy looking raccoon, bright-eyed and bushy tailed,

 nibbling away at seed which Bob had scattered on the ground for the squirrels!

Sent a quick photo to my neighbor, his response was, "must be the one who's

 been digging in my garden whilst you were away."

It quickly made its way under the shed when it realized he/she was spotted, but came

 out again later and Bob scared it away. Hoping it's not living under there, 

raccoons in our area can carry rabies!

Our fig tree yesterday after the shower............and as you can see there's still not

 much going on here when it comes to falling leaves or even leaf color changing - all

 due to lack of rain or cool weather.

Roll on autumn, I'm ready for sweaters and coats!

Home - the best place to be!

We made it home from London yesterday evening after battling thousands

at Heathrow, then Charlotte, and even here in Raleigh! Airports are just getting so

 difficult, tiresome, and getting through them in those ever lengthening lines is like

 fighting a battle.  Seems everyone has TSA Pre Check now!  We do have 

Global Entry which gets us through Immigration faster - however as usual I was 

called aside because of my fingerprint problem - I don't have any clear ones for

 the machine to read! Perhaps it's easier in Business/First but for the rest of us - the

 majority of us - it's murder in the airports these days.

I'm too busy/tired today to write much now.

The garden is still suffering from the drought which was in effect 

when we left. It's cooled a bit but apparently only a light shower fell

the entire time we were gone, almost three weeks! 

No much-needed soaking rain.

I looked out early this morning as the sun came up - jet lag had me up

 before 5 AM, so I started unpacking. Then I noticed just a touch of color 

brightening the morning - those hardy little morning glory seeds did

germinate after all!

I'll be back here later in the week - stories and photos to share of some new, interesting, 

often mysterious, lovely places and beautiful people. . . . . . .and tales of life on board 

a small ship.

Sahara Desert wanderings -

The part of the Sahara Desert we visited was quite surprising. 

It made me think of visiting Antarctica where one is 'there' but rarely gets to visit 

the actual South Pole. The Sahara is the largest hot desert, and third largest

 desert in the world after Antarctica and the Arctic. Covering 9,200,000 square

 kilometres it is comparable to the area of China or the United States.

The Sahara comprises much of North Africa, excluding the fertile region

 of the Mediterranean Sea coast, the Atlas Mountains of the Magreb, and

 the Nile Valley in Egypt and Sudan. 

From the port of Dakhla, our fleet of twenty seven 4X4 vehicles, without

 air conditioning, drove us through the city to the Lagoon area and into the

 desert for the visit to the Sahraoui Camp - a rather long, very bumpy, uncomfortable

 drive to say the least! Accompanied by serious looking armed Police in cars, 

vans and on motor cycles, we felt somewhat over-protected.

We were there in the desert but despite the sand it didn't really feel like we had

reached the true desert. It was so vast and I wished we could go further with no

 views of water and kite-surfers in the distance! 

Me with our guide Rashid.

Dancing and afternoon tea. . . . . . . .Sahara Desert style.

Tasting Saharawi Tea.

"Do not regret the passing of the camel and the caravan. 
The Sahara has changed, but it remains a desert without compromise, the world in its extreme. 
There is no place as dry and hot and hostile."

William Langewiesche - Sahara Unveiled: A Journey Across the Desert.