April 9, 2023

This morning we arrived in Cadiz. Cadiz is an ancient port city dating back almost 3000 years. Today the city has a population of about 115,000. The city consists of narrow streets connected to plazas.

This morning we hopped on the hop on bus, and stayed on the bus for the whole loop going by all 12 stops in order to have a good look at the City. We passed by many historical buildings and massive rock constructed seawalls protecting the City from the Atlantic ocean. We eventually hopped off the bus near the Cathedral. As it was Easter Sunday, there was a mass scheduled for this morning followed by an Easter Procession (religious parade).Soon as we left the bus we could hear the ringing of the church bells(very loud). We walked through some of the very narrow streets and ended up on a square by the City Hall where we had a coffee with something🎂. We were informed of the parade leaving the church at 12:30. Around 12 we headed back towards the church. Most stores were closed because of Easter Sunday, except for some coffee shops and souvenir shops. When we got back to the cathedral a large crowd had already gathered along the parade route. Right at 12:30 the church doors opened and the religious procession started to move with a number of people carrying a religious statue followed by a drum band, while the church bells were ringing. We felt very fortunate to witness this on Easter Sunday. After the parade we walked back towards the ship,  stopping on the way for somefresh deep fried calamari. for today we had an early departure of 4:30.

We didn’t know much at all about this City before our visit here today, but we’re very surprised by all the historic buildings , towers and beaches. All and all I recommend visiting this place if you’re ever in the area.

Cheers

April 8, 2023

Today we’re in Malaga, a City in southern Spain with a population of 600,000. Malaga is a port city in southern Spain on the Mediterranean. It is well-known for its beautiful beaches and historical buildings.

For today we booked a hop on hop off bus tour. You are basically in self control of how much time you want to spend at each stop. This is a very old City with narrow streets, lined with sidewalk patio cafees everywhere. As it was a nice sunny spring day, there was no shortage off locals mixed with out of towners to fill up the patios. After spending 45 minutes on the bus, we figured it was time for a coffee break. We had coffee on this beautiful square in the old City. After cofee, we set off through the maze of narrow streets lined with small shops and numerous sidewalk cafees and Tapa eateries. Strolling and taking in these places, that is basically what we did most of the day, combined with taking in the spring sunshine and the scenery, till we got back on the ship around 4 PM.Malaga is a very nice place to visit, where you can easily spend a couple of weeks.

Cheers

April 7, 2023

A new day a new City. Today we are in Tangier, where the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean meet. It is also our last stop in Africa. Tangier’s metro area is home to 1.3 million people. It is a large port City and it is also a regular stop for cruise ships. Also known as an area where spy’s used to hang out during the cold war.

For today, we had a City tour on the program. First thing the bus took us for a ride all over the newer part of town, ending up on the outside of the City near the beach. No, we didn’t get of the bus but it did a 180 and headed back the same way. Passing by a group of Camels on the side of the road. The camels looked very comfortable munching on hay or bamboo grass. Continuing up the hill we stopped at the point where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet. You could definitely see a difference in the color of the water. Back on the bus we continued on to a stop at the Kasbah. (Old Fort) Being at the Kasbah, it was also the entrance into the Medina. The Medina is a maze of very narrow streets with small stores selling live’s essentials like produce, meats,fish and baking. We wandered through the maze of streets, stressing out our guide, because the people with cane’s had a hard time getting up the stairs and walking on the uneven cobble stone streets. We ensembled at an hotel for a complimentary drink, luke warm Moroccan tea and a cookie. After the tea break we boarded the bus, then our guide realised we were one person short. After looking for him for ten minutes, he decided to leave the person behind, because he or she didn’t show up on time. We rode the bus back to the boat. Later that afternoon we saw lthe missing person. He told us he got lost in the maze of streets, but he could see the boat, so he knew how to get back there.It was an early night tonight as we were setting our clocks forward by two hours and saying goodbye to Africa.

Cheers 

April 6, 2023

After another bumpy night at sea we arrived early this morning in Casablanca. Casablanca has a population of 4.2 million in the Metropolitan area and is the business center for the region. Most people know Casablanca from the 1942 movie Casablanca , what was axially entirely made in Hollywood.

For this morning we planned a trip with several stops in the city. We started off with a 800 meter walk towards the custom building and the bus. Our first stop was at the Hassan II Mosque. The mosque is towering 210 meter into the sky and is build on piles on the edge of the Atlantic ocean. According to our tour guide there is ocean water running underneath the church. ( I didn’t crawl under the floor to confirm that)This mosque is the largest in the country with a inside capacity of 25000 and an outside capacity of another 80,000. On top of the mosque there is a green laser beam shooting up in the night sky towards Mecca. Upon arrival at the mosque , the guide lead us to the entrance. After we entered the mosque we were requested to remove our shoes. The inside of the building is quite the scene with its marble pillars and beautiful tile floors. The inside is an enormous open space the size of several football fields. The mosque was build between 1987 and 1993 and around 15,000 tradesman worked on the project. On the bottom floor is the prayer area for the males and on the second floor is the prayer area for the females. There is a basement area with over 100 fountain areas to wash your face hands and feet before moving into the prayer hall. Our guide explained to us the basic fundamentals of the Islam religion. Currently, we are in the middle of Ramadan. Basically no food or water between sunrise and sundown for the whole month.After the mosque visit we boarded the bus for a seaside restaurant to have a toilet break and a complimentary refreshment. Back on the bus we went towards the residence area of the king. As the king was in residence, there was a a lot of police around. After walking around a block through narrow streets we got back to were we were to meet the bus. Well…… no bus but lots of commotion, the street was blocked off, parked cars were being towed away. There was a line up of black SUV’s at one point I noticed an undercover guy getting out and he pulled an AK47 riffle out off the trunk of the car and took it inside the vehicle. Meanwhile our guide had taken off to find our bus. After waiting on the sidewalk for 5 minutes or so , we saw our guide waving to us to come over to the end of the street. He had located our bus. After boarding the bus, which was parked blocking halve the intersection with a dozen cars honking their horns at us telling us basically to get off the road. After we finally got going, we traveled to a square where we were given an opportunity to purchase authentic Moroccan leather products, spices and a variety of other handmade crafts. Carol ended up with a nice pair of slippers or pantoffels the Dutch would say. After this market stop, we headed back to the ship.

That pretty well sums up the day.

Cheers 

April 4, 2023

After a rough boat ride last night, we arrived this morning in Agadir. Agadir’s population is around 900 thousand, the population for all of Morocco is 36 million. The City of Agadir was totally distroyed by an earthquake in 1960. The City was totally rebuild after the earthquake. Agadir is a winter destination for snowbirds from northern Europe. It is boasting a mild winter climate combined with modern seaside hotels and sandy beaches. In the harbour I noticed a fishing fleet of at least a couple of hundred large fishing vessels and another hundred or so small fishing boats.( no wonder we running out of fish) For today we booked a trip to several City destinations. Our first stop was outside the largest mosque in Agadir. We walked al around the mosque, but we’re not allowed inside. The following stop was at the Kasbah, the site of the old town. Today there is a large area with fantastic views and there was construction in progress to open a large market with a museum in the near future. There were a few Moroccans parading around with camels enticing visitors to go for a ride. After this stop the older population on the bus were requesting a toilet break. Our guide took us to one of the beach hotels for an half hour break. The beach at the hotel was nearly 250 meter wide. The downside was , because of gale force wind we were getting sandblasted out there. After our short break we were off to the Souk a 6000 stores indoor  market on 13 Hectare. At this market you could buy anything you can think of. It was quite the site.Here you also are expected to barter for the price you pay for your goods you’re buying. I managed to buy a fresh squeezed cup of orange juice for 1 dollar (it was well worth it). After our visit here we’re returned back to the ship. Meanwhile the wind had become so strong, that the Captain decided to stay anchored for the night, and the new departure time will be 7:00 AM tomorrow morning.

Cheers 

April 3, 2023

Buenos Dias, today we’re in Lanzarote the thirth most populous of the Canary Islands. The port City is called Arrecife, it has Approximate a population of 60,000. For today we have a tour planned towards the north part of the Island. The landscape is volcanic rock everywhere covered with bushes and cactuses. Apparently the volcanic lava sand is quite fertile. A variety of small farms are growing vegetables. The lava sand holds the moisture in the ground quite well, protecting it from the sun and wind. The annual rainfall is only 5 inches. All buildings on the island are White, a pretty sight against the black lava rock. Our first stop was at a restaurant called Mirador Lireo it was designated by the famous painter Cesar Manrique from Lanzarote. The restaurant was build on the edge of a volcanic hill side with an incredible view over the ocean to a neighbouring island. We were so high up, that the clouds were actually rolling through the parking lot. A very interesting place to visit I’ll say. After manoeuvring the bus down the narrow roads we arrived at our next stop, Cuevo de Los Verdes. This was part of an underground lava flow tunnel designed by Cesar Manrique. After going down the stairs into the tunnel we arrived at a small lake. There was a pathway carved out of the rockwall to pass around the small lake. In several places we passed by areas to sit down for a drink or a meal. On the other end of the tunnel there was a small geological museum. This is definitely a must visit location if you decide to visit Lanzarote. After we loaded everyone back on the bus, we headed back to the port. We planning to to sail away at 4:30, but that was delayed till 9:00 pm due to the strong wind. Tomorrow we have another port visit, Agadir, Morocco.

Cheers 

April 2, 2023

Early this morning we sailed into the harbour of Santa Cruz on the island of Tenerife.Santa Cruz has a population of around 210,000 and the whole Island has a population of 1 million. The Island gets around 4 million yearly visitors. For today we have a visit planned to the pyramids of Guimar. we boarded the bus around 9:30 this morning, for a 30 min bus ride to the Pyramids.We arrived at the pyramids just as they opened for the public. The pyramids are mostly a set of mortered rockwalls build on lava rock. Archeologists determined that they dated from the 1900’s. Adventurer Thor Heyerdahl took a liking in the pyramids and was trying to make a connection with artifacts found in Central America and Egypt.The Walls apparently line up with the sun on summer solstice (June 21) and in another direction with winter solstice (Dec 21) There is also a replica of the Kon Tiki ,the ocean raft from Heyerdahl. After our tour we were given time to enjoy a authentic spanish style coffee. Our next stop was planned for a town called Candelaria. This was a beautiful small town on the Atlantic ocean with lava rock beaches. In this town there was an opportunity to visit the cathedral. We decided to do our own thing and we went for a walk through the town instead. As it was Sunday today, lots of local families were enjoying their time on the beaches.Todays temperature was around 23 deg celcius. We ended up at a local Patio where we enjoyed a beer and an empanada what cost us a whole 6 Euro. (not bad). After spending an hour in this town, we boarded the bus to go back to Santa Cruz. We followed the coastal highway back towards the City which gave us a beautiful scenic view of the Atlantic ocean. Our last leg of the tour was a drive through the streets of Santa Cruz. I have to say it is a very beautiful City build on the water with houses sprawling up the hillside. I imagine that those elevated houses have a very scenic view looking out over the ocean. The City is also blessed with many parks. As today was a Sunday, I noticed several markets were setup in the park. Eventually we ended back up at the Pier. In the afternoon we visited a few shops which were setup along the pier, to purchase a few postcards. Lots of electronics are quite inexpensive here due to the low add on tax rate. That pretty well sums up our first visit to Europe. It was sure nice to see the nice clean streets compared to our African visits.

Cheers.

March, 31,2023

Good Morning, early this morning we sailed into Dakar, SenegalDakar is a city of 3.3 million in the country of Senegal with a population of 18 million.Senegal is well-known for its French-african cuisine and its vibrant music scene.Sailing in this AM, we could see the island of Goree in the distance. We booked a tour to visit this island today. Goree is known to be the most westerly point of Africa, and also being an island where slaves were held in prison before being send west to the America’s. Goree is also an Unesco Heritage Site. After we had breakfast we were all ready to go.But then,………….!The captain came on the Intercom, today’s visit would be cancelled due to political onrest on the streets. It was considered not safe to send passengers out on tours. Nobody would be allowed to go off the ship, except for medical reasons. Lots of people on the ship were complaining for captain’s decision, because everything looked quiet on shore. One of our Canadian people we know on board had to go to the hospital for a CAT scan. when they arrived back on the boat, they talked about the heavy police presence in the streets combined with tanks they said. Based on that I believe the Captain made the right call. BBC warned tourists to stay inside their hotels today and stay off the streets. Because of these changes we had to do activities on board instead. Our next stop will be Tenerife in 2 days.Below are some Dakar pictures I took from the boat.

Cheers 

March 30, 2023

Good Morning, Early this morning we coasted into Banjul, GambiaOn our way in, we noticed another one of the so called power ships moored near the shore. We’ve seen those ships now in several of our last stops. These ships are often supplied by a gas line or the ships have LNG on board to power the generators. They often also have solar panels on board. These ships supply power to shore.This morning we planned to go on a tour to see the highlights of Banjul. By 9:30 we boarded the bus. The City of Banjul is build on a island connected with a causeway to the sister city’s Bakau and Serrekunda.The bus was going to take us to Serrekunda first, to show us a real African market. It was a good decision from the tour operator, not to let us out of the bus but just do a drive by instead. We would’ve for sure lost some of the older passengers in the very dense populated market. This market wasn’t a tourist market, but an everyday real Afrikan market. They would sell everything from shovel, rakes, kitchenwares, fruit and big hunks of meat covered with flies  hanging down from rafters outside the stores. Apparently the market is packed with people everyday. Because people go out to buy fresh food everyday, most residences lack cooling facilities like  fridges. After passing through this market, we stopped briefly at a small craft market. (not my cup of tea)Our next stop was at a Crocodile farm. The street to the farm was to narrow for our large bus, they transported us to the farm in mini vans. We toured the farm, lots of Crocs out there, most were deep a sleep,  apparently they were recently fed I was told. I noticed there were a lot of chickens running around on the farm. My guess is they are likely part of a future Crocodile lunch. While we were waiting for the passengers to come back to the bus pickup, we shopped a bit waiting for everyone to arrive. Carol managed to buy some linnen after some serious haggling about the price. The end result was that the buyer and vendor were happy with the sale. There was an open channel raw sewer  running right beside the road, very smelly in this heat. After all getting back on the bus, we were on route to a stop at an nice hotel (Tropic Garden Hotel) on the beach for a cold drink. This was a beautiful hotel at the beach. An hotel with a beautiful pool and a impressive set of stairs leading to a sandy beach.We were served a nice ice cold beer here. I talked to a police lady here, who was riding on one of the buses for security, she was getting quite hungry. She was fasting as part of Ramadan. In Gambia 90% of the population is Muslim and 10% Christian. After our refreshment we carried on with our tour and made a brief stop at a museum, not to much to see here, just the attendent yelling no pictures unless you paid him two bucks, then you could take as many pictures as you liked. The last stop was at a place were they were selling jewellery. The place was about 15ftx15ft, Very interesting trying to get sixty people through the door, many of them with walkers. (doesn’t work well) At last we continued on with our last segment of the tour back to the ship. By this time we were quite hungry, as we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Now I realised how the police agent lady I mentioned earlier must been feeling by now.The remaining of the afternoon I made some necessary phone calls and paid bills. Tomorrows port is scheduled to be Dakar, Senegal 

Cheers

March 26, 2023

Hello followers, this morning we arrived in The City of Abidjan, a city of over 4 million in the country of Ivory Coast (30 million). Ivory Coast is a former French colony.The water route into the harbour is quite scenic. We moored at a brand new section of dock. There was totally no activity in the harbour, this was maybe because it was Sunday today.Most harbours we have been in, there is always a ship being loaded or unloaded, being it Day or Night. Today we’re going on a tour towards the neighbouring town called Grand – Bassam, roughly an hour’s drive.Grand -Bassam was the first French Colonial Capital in Ivory Coast towards the end of the 19th Century. Today the government offices are located in Abidjan. Today Grand -Bassam is a Unesco Heritage Site. There are many old colonial buildings all over the town. Our first stop was at an old light house build in 1915 and inactive since 1951. The odd thing is, it doesn’t sit not on the water , but in the middle of the town. Apparently it used to be at the entrance of a lagoon, but over the years it all silted up. The light house, like most of the other buildings in the town are very much in disrepair. If no maintenance is done on the building’s, they won’t be around anymore in 10-15 years. We also stopped in at a museum, it had old pictures on the walls from the French colonial era. The museum was also in need of repairs. After the museum we stopped in at an hotel on the beach where they served us a buffet lunch. The lunch was lovely. The adjacent sandy beach was being used by hotel gast and local families.There were a handful of vendors on the beach selling local souvenirs.I am not sure how many stars the hotel was rated at, but it also needed repairs badly. One thing I noticed in this town was, nearly half of the cars on the road are orangy – red. What’s up with that? After the lunch we headed back to the City. The drive back, showed us area after area of people and families living in currugated steel old sheds and garbage everywhere. Not very pleasant living conditions. When we entered Abidjan, there are a lot of highrise buildings, making it look like a glamorous City. I am not sure why they call the City the Paris of the south. Looking back on this City, it didn’t impress me much. I guess that’s what life in this part of Africa is like, overcrowded and a lot of poverty. The bright side is, the children still smile. 😁

Cheers