Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Photos
I posted a group of photos on Shutterfly. You can see them by accessing Shutterfly and going to HirschTravels.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Cadiz, Spain and Lisbon, Portugal
Our day in Cadiz was relaxing. About an hour and a half from Seville, Cadiz is a pretty modern city on the coast of Spain where Columbus departed on one of his voyages to the New World. He did not fall off the edge of the earth.
We took a hop-on, hop-off bus to see what there was to see. There are some lovely beaches, some pretty upscale neighborhoods and the usual old city center area with walking streets. After the bus ride we walked all over the city and back to the ship where we chose to relax for the rest of the day. I think a month's worth of schlepping around Europe was catching up with us. The evening activities on the ship were enough to keep us amused and well fed.
Lisbon is a busy, coastal city with loads of tourists and a multi-cultural population. We went to the walled, medieval city of Obidos which is beautiful. It is about 50 miles from Lisbon, high up in the mountains. The views are spectacular. The wall itself is beautiful, as is the Roman aqueduct. The streets are narrow, cobbled and filled with the ever-present souvenir shops selling everything made or grown locally. It was a lovely afternoon strolling through the narrow streets which was even better when all the tours left and the town emptied out. We got there by metro and local bus so we at least got to see how the locals live and travel.
This was our last day and the ship overnighted so there was no pressure to get back before the ship sailed away without us. Unfortunately, one of our travel companions fell and fractured her shoulder so the last evening was spent with a great deal of anxiety. Fortunately, she was able to travel home with us and went to a doctor at home. We felt really bad and were quite worried but it all worked out in the end.
Final thoughts: unfortunately, the blog really suffered this time due to inadequate wi fi access and lack of time. The cruises were very port-intensive and we were running like maniacs all day and virtually collapsed in a stupor each night, barely making it through dinner. Everyone says Americans are rude, but we encountered very rude people who were from all over; the Americans were the nicest. Cruising is better if the ship is smaller and there are not so many people. I am really sick of buffets. I can't drink as much wine as I used to. Next time I am packing almost nothing and doing washes. I will try to get away with a backpack and a carry-on. We didn't wear half the things we brought and we brought much less than last time. I am a shoe freak but I think I can get by with two or three pair at the most. Europe is becoming more and more homogenized. It now looks like everywhere else: same restaurants and stores, same people blabbering on their cell phones. We have to find new places to see and take a more leisurely cruise which at least overnights in the various ports. I still love the trains. I still love to try to speak Italian. I still love Italy the most. I am now beginning my investigation for the next trip.
We took a hop-on, hop-off bus to see what there was to see. There are some lovely beaches, some pretty upscale neighborhoods and the usual old city center area with walking streets. After the bus ride we walked all over the city and back to the ship where we chose to relax for the rest of the day. I think a month's worth of schlepping around Europe was catching up with us. The evening activities on the ship were enough to keep us amused and well fed.
Lisbon is a busy, coastal city with loads of tourists and a multi-cultural population. We went to the walled, medieval city of Obidos which is beautiful. It is about 50 miles from Lisbon, high up in the mountains. The views are spectacular. The wall itself is beautiful, as is the Roman aqueduct. The streets are narrow, cobbled and filled with the ever-present souvenir shops selling everything made or grown locally. It was a lovely afternoon strolling through the narrow streets which was even better when all the tours left and the town emptied out. We got there by metro and local bus so we at least got to see how the locals live and travel.
This was our last day and the ship overnighted so there was no pressure to get back before the ship sailed away without us. Unfortunately, one of our travel companions fell and fractured her shoulder so the last evening was spent with a great deal of anxiety. Fortunately, she was able to travel home with us and went to a doctor at home. We felt really bad and were quite worried but it all worked out in the end.
Final thoughts: unfortunately, the blog really suffered this time due to inadequate wi fi access and lack of time. The cruises were very port-intensive and we were running like maniacs all day and virtually collapsed in a stupor each night, barely making it through dinner. Everyone says Americans are rude, but we encountered very rude people who were from all over; the Americans were the nicest. Cruising is better if the ship is smaller and there are not so many people. I am really sick of buffets. I can't drink as much wine as I used to. Next time I am packing almost nothing and doing washes. I will try to get away with a backpack and a carry-on. We didn't wear half the things we brought and we brought much less than last time. I am a shoe freak but I think I can get by with two or three pair at the most. Europe is becoming more and more homogenized. It now looks like everywhere else: same restaurants and stores, same people blabbering on their cell phones. We have to find new places to see and take a more leisurely cruise which at least overnights in the various ports. I still love the trains. I still love to try to speak Italian. I still love Italy the most. I am now beginning my investigation for the next trip.
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