La Coruña, Spain - Architecture and Fashion. . . . . . . . .

Named the 'Crystal City' because of the glass-enclosed balconies which adorn

the tall apartment buildings facing the harbor, La Coruña is a delightful mix of old and new. 

This area in the region of Galicia, is the wettest and greenest part of Spain, a world 

away from the popular resort areas. 

We walked around the city in an on again off again light drizzle, but still able

 to enjoy the architecture, plazas etc. 

As for a final chance at shopping, an exciting thing for me was discovering,
 with a little help from a local lady, the world's fashion giant Zara's flagship store. 
This company is actually based in La Coruña, its massive headquarters
 and design center being just a few miles outside the city.

Did I shop? You bet I did! The entire first floor of the huge shop was a showcase

 for that week's new stock and was full of amazing affordable items. I did 
notice that there were some very fashionably dressed women on the streets of
 this lovely Spanish port city.

La Coruña was our last port of call before setting sail for the return to
 Southampton, England. 

The Bay of Biscay was somewhat rough, but meeting up with several of our

 newly made friends on board, for good eating, drinking, laughing, and watching

 yet another fabulous musical show in the theatre, soon made us forget 

that the regal Queen Victoria was at sea tossing us, and the great singers
 and dancers, about a wee bit. All was good!

It's quite exciting cruising in winter, a much different feeling than in hot weather. 

Some people would not want to do it perhaps due to the lack of hot days on

deck, or sightseeing ashore in what can be chilly, wet weather. 

We thoroughly enjoyed it and would not hesitate to do it again.

Lisbon, Portugal in winter. . . . . . . . . .

Lisbon cascades down many hills to the waterfront along the great River Tagus

 making it one of the world's most beautiful capital cities.

We arrived early morning as the city awoke.

The second longest suspension bridge in Europe - first named the Salazar, now officially

 the 25 April Bridge, but also answers to the name of the Tagus Bridge, or just 'the Bridge'.

Early morning ferries.

Once ashore we headed to the Hop On Hop Off bus knowing we would require

 transportation up those hills. Unfortunately the weather was very cold and although

 we started out on the open top deck - dressed in layers - we were so cold and

 windblown, that we had to move to the lower enclosed deck which of course

 was not conducive to taking photos.

Quite honestly I was frozen and really miserable on this particular sightseeing

trip - it took me forever to get warm again - and I felt somewhat glum when we

did get off the bus and walked, which we probably would have enjoyed more 

for our entire visit to this lovely city.

Looking down from the hillsides of Lisbon.

Lunch at a small restaurant where the chef and waiter were lovely guys,

all the other customers were locals, and our food was prepared to order.

 The Portuguese wine was excellent.

Thankfully I felt warm again after this stop!

Here you can get the feeling of the narrow, hilly streets.

We walked a few once off the bus and have to admit they were

quite a workout.

Torre de Belém - the five-storey fortress built between 1515 and 1521 to

 guard the approach to the city by water.

Lisbon was actually our first port of call on the cruise in December.

Next time I'll share our last stop before returning to England, the interesting

 city of La Coruña in northern Spain.

Málaga and cruising. . . . . . . .

Málaga, capital of the province of the same name on the Costa del Sol,

 it is one of the oldest towns in Spain and in the beautiful region of Andalucia.

 It is surrounded on three sides by relatively high mountains and enjoys the mildest

 climate in Spain.

Early morning arrival - Málaga at daybreak.

Some those mountains are visible here - and the sun was out for a

 short time but then it clouded up and we had showers for much of the day.

No problem finding a juicy Spanish orange on the streets of Málaga.

We enjoyed our usual overview of the city via the Hop On Hop Off bus,

 then spent time wandering through the old city viewing the buildings and

 doing a little shopping, however it was not a beach day, and there are

 some lovely ones here along the Costa del Sol which attract hundreds of

 thousands of tourists in the Summer months.

The star marks our stateroom on this recent cruise.  

We really liked this location of our balcony cabin. 

It was very quiet, but close to the elevators and stairways, and high enough

 above the dining room that we were not bothered by late night cleanup noise

 which we did experience, and found somewhat annoying, on the previous

 cruise when we were in the same area but one deck lower. 

We enjoy longer walks - after all that eating - through the length of the

 ship to reach the entertainment areas - ballroom, theatre, pub, bars, music

 venues, library etc., all of which are usually forward in the bow of these ships.

Regarding choosing accommodation, some of you have asked for tips on

 selecting a comfortable/affordable cabin on a cruise ship.

 This was our second cruise on the Queen Victoria. Other mid-size ships

 we've sailed on have been Cunard's Queen Elizabeth and the Crystal Serenity. 

Ships of these proportions are really nice, hold no more than 2,000

 passengers, and don't feel at all crowded.

This link below to Cruise Critic's article on ship sizes and their offerings will be of

 great help if you are considering a cruise. For us the mega-ships will never be on

 our list, however the even smaller expedition ships are high on the list as always

 and we'll be cruising on another of those later this year.

Cruise Critic

Cruising is not for everyone, however it is an opportunity to see a lot of countries 

on one trip, with the comfort of only having to unpack once, and personally

 I really love that part!  

Cost can range from very expensive to a surprising bargain. 

I'm not an expert by any means, however if you are considering a cruise

 and need any further information I will be glad to point you in the direction

 of those who can help. . . . . .or answer any questions you may have regarding

my own personal experiences from exciting shipboard life.

Mysterious Tangier, Morocco. . . . . . . . . . . .

Tangier, the 'White City', is one of the oldest and most vibrant cities in Morocco, 

and it has quite an air of mystery surrounding it. The lively souks, ancient mosques

 and Grand Sorocco (market place) offer a much different world.  Just a stone's throw

 from Spain's familiar Costas, and a ferry ride across the Straits of Gibraltar, Tangier 

is a northern gateway to the continent of Africa.

We had just a day to explore when our ship docked on a cool damp morning

 and we decided to walk into the city and do our own tour on foot.

Of course we did get lost, more than once, but we did see some interesting 

places and people. 

It was difficult to take photos of anything much when it started raining quite hard.

 Local people were definitely not thrilled when I pulled out the camera from 

under my raincoat and pointed it in their direction. . . . . . . .all except the 

smiling gentleman in the window below. He waved and seemed thrilled to 

have his photo taken, and I thanked him profusely from my vantage point 

in the narrow street below. 

Whereas, once in the crammed market places selling anything and everything 

imaginable, recognizable, or otherwise, the hundreds of people, including 

complete families as it was Sunday and a huge shopping day, and the
 shopkeepers, would wave me away and hide their severe faces. I love to 
photograph people going about their daily lives but here I realized
 that it was both a religious and/or a cultural thing not to permit photos, 
so I only managed a few.

The streets and markets were not a comfortable place to be for me whilst
 dealing with a cold rain requiring an umbrella all whilst negotiating dangerous,
 slippery narrow hills, speeding traffic, and huge throngs of local people.
 I had been warned that stepping out onto the streets of Tangier is a daunting
 experience for the uninitiated. However, putting up with a relentless barrage
 of beggars, so-called 'guides' and souvenir sellers made a lasting impression
 and I was able to absorb a little north African culture in just a few
 hours of sightseeing.

The tagine - one of Morocco's most common dishes.

Cunard's Queen Victoria from the hillsides of Tangier.

Leaving Tangier (click here for more on the colorful history) Morocco on the evening tide. 

We had walked up and down those hills through the medina, the old city, but I
 wouldn't relish doing it again in just a few hours. If there's a next time, which is
 doubtful, it might be fun to have a few days with time to learn one's way around,
 hopefully in sunshine with a parasol rather than an umbrella!

Surprise, had to share this with you.

The laundry lady did look out first, but didn't smile or wave for me like the
 man next door!