Live from Silver Spirit, November 19-28, Barcelona to Lisbon

[Lois R]

Hi JP, thanks again for taking us on your cruise🙂 the pictures are all excellent (as always) and glad you had a great time. 

 

Safe travels home🙂

 

[QueSeraSera]

5 hours ago, Lois R said:

the pictures are all excellent

agreed, thanks JP, we really enjoyed traveling with you & Chris, even if from a distance

[spinnaker2]

Safe travels home JP and Chris.

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 25th. Cádiz, day 1.

 

Today was to be the warm-up. We had big plans for our 35 hours in Cádiz. We've been here twice already, done our own visits to Sevilla and Jerez, and had time to wander Cádiz too. The major boxes were already ticked.

 

So all plans for this visit involved driving to places off the beaten path. Chris had put together a very ambitious itinerary. Let's hope it works.

 

So naturally, instead of a relaxing morning of sleeping in... I woke up with a start around 6:00, thinking that I'd forgotten my driver's license! That would put a major dent in our plans!

 

After getting up to check, and finding that yes, our licenses were actually in my wallet, I got a little more sleep. Phew.

 

As usual, a snack in the Arts Café, and then a few peeks outside of our balcony as we slowly drew closer to Cádiz. 

 

 

The buffet at LT opened early today so we got an outside table right at 11:30. We had a great view of Cádiz as we tied up. 

 

 

We were done with lunch a little before noon. Exactly on time, Roy Perez came on over the PA to announce that we were cleared to disembark.

 

So we disembarked and headed to the train station to get our car. I'd reserved the cheapest, smallest model, but they gave us a decent VW. Looks good. Off we went.

 

Chris wanted to see the Roman Theater in Cádiz so we made a detour there. Took a minute to figure out the parking meter system, but €1 got us an hour, so we were good to go.

 

The museum entrance is tucked into a back alley. Tour books say that it's hard to find, but we had no issues. And it's free. After a brief exhibit and some background information, you can make your way through some tunnels,

 

 

And get a view of what's left of the theater. It's certainly a bit worse for the wear. And you can't go into very much of it.

 

 

We retrieved the car and drove out of Cádiz. I scoped out a gas station that would be handy when returning. Then we crossed a beautiful bridge and turned north.

 

About 45 minutes later, we arrived in the town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Schools were just letting out so it was chaotic in places. But we saw a parking spot on the street near the Central Market! So we grabbed it, and walked a few blocks to our destination. 

 

The Castillo de Santiago!

 

 

We started exploring the castle. Three flights down, a no-longer secret escape tunnel. They haven't mapped all of it yet. Or so they say! It was gated off after a bit. Back up to ground level. 

 

 

The beautiful mermaid gate led into the inner courtyard. 

 

 

Off to one side, a grand hall with pomp and pageantry on display. 

 

 

And some weaponry. We didn't try to fence with each other. The swords were heavy! 

 

 

Now there was a tower to climb, of course. All good castles have towers. Partway up, a map room. Many good specimens. 

 

 

The climb was worth it. The ocean is very close.

 

 

Nice decorative parapets. 

 

 

Chris was happy with this hidden gem. But of course she had more places to go find in this town. No rest for us!

 

 

One more panoramic view.

 

 

Walking down the tower, I noticed how old and dessicated the wood looked. This castle showed its age, but gracefully. A neat site.

 

 

Off to explore more of the town. And if we have time, there's a National Park nearby too...

Edited November 29, 2021 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 25th. Exploring from Cádiz. 

 

There were a few more sights along the street where the Castle was located. Just hoping that I marked my parking garage spot correctly. 

 

Another old church. The Iglesia Santa Maria Mayor de la O. 

 

 

The Palace nearby was closed, as were the gardens at City Hall. One peril of visiting in the off-season I guess.

 

There were other photogenic sights though. And it goes more quickly when you don't have to go in everywhere! 

 

 

Around the next corner, we spied these mermaids, on the roof of the local fish market. 

 

 

These are old shopping arcades. The stonework was really beautiful. Modern shops in the space now.

 

 

Now onward, to a few cute little squares. The cafés looked tempting. 

 

 

 

 

Time to head back to the car. But another shot of Castillo de Santiago as we passed by again. It was still there. And the car was too!

 

 

Now a little scenic driving through part of Doñana National Park. The roads weren't great and we only found some short trails. Not much scenery but the forest offered a pleasant spot for a stroll.

 

 

We turned back towards Cádiz. Since we'd made decent time, maybe we could squeeze in another stop there before parking for the night.

 

That is, if the weather cooperates. I'm keeping an eye on a band of thunderstorms which may roll through at 6:00. The clouds are definitely picking up.

[TLCOhio]

6 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Thursday, November 25th. Exploring from Cádiz.  There were a few more sights along the street where the Castle was located.

 

Great, as always, sharing, pictures and details from J.P. and Chris.  Wonderful adventure.  Appreciate your time and these follow-ups.  What's next on your exploring and cruising schedule?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 243,032 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 25th. Thanksgiving in Cádiz. 

 

We made it back to Cádiz a little after 5:30 and found a parking spot near the Castle of Saint Catalina. With the help of a shoe horn, I squeezed our little VW in and we headed to the castle.

 

The weather had definitely changed. It looked foreboding out there.

 

 

And the waterproof, windproof parkas had come out. Good thinking! It was chilly and I felt a few drops of rain.

 

 

We went inside to see some exhibits, and the heavens opened! Guess we'll wait here for a few minutes! 

 

 

The castle's chapel was decorated for the season.

 

 

It stopped raining hard around 6:00, but it was still drizzling and windy. So we decided not to walk the beach promenade. 

 

Instead we went back to the car and drove to a parking garage that I'd scouted out earlier. It could not have been more convenient. The exit stairs were about 20 steps from the pedestrian entrance to the port.

 

We cleaned up for dinner and had an aperitif in Panorama. It's casual night but Chris made sure to match her dress with her mask.

 

 

Dinner at LT tonight. Chris started with gnocchi dressed with a sage butter sauce. I had a spinach-filled large ravioli-type pasta, with walnut sauce. Very rich but tasty. Lots of cheese!

 

 

For mains, I had a Piedmontese filet of beef with a mushroom and red wine reduction. Chris had her veal chop just like the last time here. It was still really tasty. The mains went well with a Nero d'Avola.

 

 

Nice chocolate dessert.

 

 

Directly to bed after dinner. A long day planned tomorrow and we want an early start. We can leave whenever we want, so if we get up early...

[jpalbny]

14 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Great, as always, sharing, pictures and details from J.P. and Chris.  Wonderful adventure.  Appreciate your time and these follow-ups.  What's next on your exploring and cruising schedule?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Thanks Terry.

 

We are booked at Northern Lights Village in Finland this January to see (hopefully) the Lights. It's planned to be Chris's birthday trip. Mother Nature and COVID-19 will hopefully cooperate. 

 

Then March-April in Slovenia and Croatia. 

 

We haven't booked another cruise. I can't plan that far ahead yet. The SS protocols on board were reasonable and not too much of a hassle. And we really enjoyed this trip.

 

But with so much uncertainty these days I don't want to get caught with too many pending trips. We lost three big trips due to covid and it was such a hassle to reschedule. So I'll plan accordingly for now.

[Dolcevita Diva]

JP, I'll  echo the others in thanking you for sharing such great details and photos of this voyage.  Since I came very close to booking this cruise, it made me feel almost as if I was along for the journey!   

 

Will look forward to any posts about your upcoming trip to Slovenia and Croatia (on your blog?). My next Silversea booking at them moment is for next June and  visits a number of Croatian ports and am thinking of staying over after the cruise to visit Slovenia.   

[Catlover54]

Why is Chris wearing a mask in post #82?  Is it required while waiting for food and drink?

[Stumblefoot]

55 minutes ago, Catlover54 said:

Why is Chris wearing a mask in post #82?

As JP said, to show how the mask matched her outfit that evening.  Classy!

[Catlover54]

17 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

As JP said, to show how the mask matched her outfit that evening.  Classy!

 

I will work on finding an outfit in surgical blue 🙂

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, Catlover54 said:

Why is Chris wearing a mask in post #82?  Is it required while waiting for food and drink?

 

You are supposed to wear them while moving about. You can take them off when seated. We are so used to wearing them at work, that we'd sometimes forget to take them off until our drinks / food arrived.

 

So I happened to catch her in that photo with her mask still on, even though we were already sitting at our table for two, waiting for our G&Ts to arrive.

 

1 minute ago, Catlover54 said:

 

I will work on finding an outfit in surgical blue 🙂

 

That's a good one! Make sure to post photos of you in your "formal" scrubs!

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

JP, I'll  echo the others in thanking you for sharing such great details and photos of this voyage.  Since I came very close to booking this cruise, it made me feel almost as if I was along for the journey!   

 

Will look forward to any posts about your upcoming trip to Slovenia and Croatia (on your blog?). My next Silversea booking at them moment is for next June and  visits a number of Croatian ports and am thinking of staying over after the cruise to visit Slovenia.   

 

Glad you enjoyed - would have been more fun to have you on board, though.

 

I'll probably do a blog for the Slovenia/Croatia trip, and yes, it will be on my blogger site, not here. Assuming we can actually go. That will take a bit more time than the CC blogs as I have to do the blogger pages on my laptop. The phone interface is too clunky (or it was, the last time I checked).

[brimary]

JP & Chris,Having had the pleasure of sailing with you in the distant past we are really appreciating your excellent reports and photos which bring back so many happy memories of our SS cruising history since first cruise on the Wind when the choice was Wind or Cloud in the late 90s.We are still relying on the memories as we have not plucked up the courage to Go Again in the present World circumstances and this is why you reports and super photos mean so much to us.

[mchell810]

Adding my thanks to you for sharing your cruise with us.  I just love the photo of the mermaids.

[RachelG]

Just now catching up on your posts as I have been SOOO busy at work.  Multiple doctors just up and quitting, etc.  Anyway, the trip looks amazing.  You are brave to rent a car in Spain.  George and I did that once--there was water in the gas tank and the car died on the freeway.  This was before cell phones.  Thank heavens I speak passable Spanish, but it was still quite the ordeal. 

[RachelG]

On 11/21/2021 at 5:47 PM, Stumblefoot said:

@RachelG, let George know we’re going to have to have a conversation with JP about this matter.

We have had grass fed Argentine beef that was pretty good, but it was in Argentina and had never been frozen.  You can't get that on the ship. 

[jpalbny]

Friday, November 26th. A whirlwind tour around Cádiz. 

 

So we were awake by 6:30. I felt a bit more rested than yesterday. We thought about getting an early start but decided to wait until dawn. No point in sightseeing while it's dark!

 

Our butler was surprised to see us up so early but temperature checks were still OK. A quick breakfast bite in Arts Café then we set out a few minutes before 8:00.

 

The overnight parking cost €14.50 but it was worth it to have the flexibility to leave as early as we wanted. We headed out of Cádiz to the south and east, with the first rays of the rising sun. Which were directly in my eyes as I drove, but not complaining. Better than rain!

 

We got to Vejer de la Frontera about 8:45, and promptly saw a bus tour disgorging a load of passengers! They proceeded to amble down the middle of the road, in front of our car. Then they spread out along the side of the road, blocking the entrance to the parking garage. Finally the gaggle moved along so we could park.

 

We exited the garage and promptly saw that there was some climbing to do,, in order to get into the town. But the short climb was well worth it when we came to the main square.

 

 

Plaza de España was aglow in the morning sunshine! And the tour group hadn't quite caught up with us yet.

 

 

We wandered around to a few other sights, keeping ahead of the hordes. Old city walls surrounded by whitewashed buildings. 

 

 

The castle was being renovated but nearby, the Arco de la Puerta Cerrada was surprisingly open. And a nice view through it, as well.

 

 

We walked by an old church, but we were more impressed with the gorgeous tile work in this entryway. 

 

 

More walls. Too bad we couldn't climb them for the views. The gates at the top of the stairs were locked! They must have known we were coming...

 

 

Back down to the garage level, for more views. On the way, we passed this fellow. Juan Relinque was a  local hero who took on the powerful Dukes of Medina-Sidonia and made sure that they kept their legal obligations to the commoners.

 

 

Now some pretty views of the valley below.

 

 

 

Onward. Lots more to see today! 

 

Only a few miles away, down a bumpy dirt road, there was an abandoned Visigothic church. The Ermita de San Ambrosio was consecrated in 644. No, that's not a typo. It was really that old!

 

 

They have done some work to prevent the total collapse of the structure but it's completely accessible and you can just walk in and look around. Crazy!

 

 

Cool stop. Completely abandoned and a little spooky. There were no tour busses here to interfere with our visit.

 

 

We tried to visit a nearby hotel that supposedly had a large dovecote (bird house) and panoramic views, but it was closed.

 

So onward, to a hiking trail along the coast, in Parque Natural de la Breña y Marismas del Barbate. The 2-mile hike was easier than typing that name!

 

But the sea views were worth it.

 

 

The Barbate Cliffs were pretty as well.

 

 

No sign of last night's rain. Shaping up to be a gorgeous day!

 

 

We could have hiked longer, but there were many other stops on our itinerary. So far so good. It's only 11:00.

 

Back to the car and we set course for Bolonia. We heard there are some Roman ruins to check out. Stay tuned.

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, RachelG said:

Just now catching up on your posts as I have been SOOO busy at work.  Multiple doctors just up and quitting, etc.  Anyway, the trip looks amazing.  You are brave to rent a car in Spain.  George and I did that once--there was water in the gas tank and the car died on the freeway.  This was before cell phones.  Thank heavens I speak passable Spanish, but it was still quite the ordeal. 

 

Wow, that is crazy on so many levels. The trip was great fun but paying for it today at work. Sorry to hear that your work is such a mess as well. COVID has made many people rethink their priorities and the health care industry is certainly not immune from that.

 

We've had good luck with Hertz in Spain, at least. Ten years ago we had a nice BMW 3-series for a week which was lots of fun. And the VW we had in Cadiz was just fine. Hopefully things remain consistently better after your bad experience!

[mchell810]

Your pictures are truly lovely, especially from the clifftop.  I love hearing about the days on your own -- I"d never be brave enough to rent a car in another country, even with such great rewards.

[Dolcevita Diva]

On 11/29/2021 at 8:12 PM, jpalbny said:

 

Glad you enjoyed - would have been more fun to have you on board, though.

 

I'll probably do a blog for the Slovenia/Croatia trip, and yes, it will be on my blogger site, not here. Assuming we can actually go. That will take a bit more time than the CC blogs as I have to do the blogger pages on my laptop. The phone interface is too clunky (or it was, the last time I checked).

Will definitely keep an eye open for your blog posts after that trip.  And if for any reason you have to change your plans for a land trip to Croatia and Slovenia, come join me on the Spirit on June 24th (5 Croatian ports on the itinerary)! 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Dolcevita Diva

[jpalbny]

15 hours ago, mchell810 said:

Your pictures are truly lovely, especially from the clifftop.  I love hearing about the days on your own -- I"d never be brave enough to rent a car in another country, even with such great rewards.

 

The best way to get around, in most places. But the first time or two can be a bit scary. 

 

11 hours ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

Will definitely keep an eye open for your blog posts after that trip.  And if for any reason you have to change your plans for a land trip to Croatia and Slovenia, come join me on the Spirit on June 24th (5 Croatian ports on the itinerary)! 

 

Tempting! We will be in Split and Dubrovnik on our trip. We've been to Dubrovnik on a cruise before, so we're more inclined to revisit by land this next time. 

 

But very excited to see Slovenia, especially Lake Bled. And Plitvice Lakes in Croatia.

[Fletcher]

3 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

The best way to get around, in most places. But the first time or two can be a bit scary. 

 

 

Tempting! We will be in Split and Dubrovnik on our trip. We've been to Dubrovnik on a cruise before, so we're more inclined to revisit by land this next time. 

 

But very excited to see Slovenia, especially Lake Bled. And Plitvice Lakes in Croatia.

In Croatia it's worth driving to Pula to see the gigantic Roman amphitheatre.  A very nice town, too.  In the northern suburbs of Split there is the Roman city of Solin/Salona with another amphitheatre and also a theatre, though you need a proper map/GoogleEarth to find them.  It's also worth driving into Bosnia for Mostar and its iconic bridge which was destroyed in the civil war and rebuilt. There can be some border hassle for locals but foreign tourists are usually waved through.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Fletcher

[toseaornottosea]

Pula and the Roman amphitheater are very much worthwhile.  Not far away is the small city of Rovinj.  A beautiful city.  A great area to stay or use as a base for touring.