Malaga

Another Spanish resort town by the sea and oddly their seaside resorts are busier in summer than winter, unlike ours in Florida.  But the altitude is higher here even though in my head we are on the same parallels.  Malaga is the heart of the Costa del Sol and just east of Gibraltar.  At least 300 days every year are sun filled and cheerful which makes for very mild winter weather.  Like all of Spain, but particularly in the South, every civilization from the Iberians on took control either through war or trade.  This was also our stop for Granada and the gateway to the Alhambra.  Tours there were not offered but because of a long day some passengers went on their own.  Some did their research and gained entrance and some did not.  But all made their way back aboard on time.  Only once have we heard someone paged and that was one gentleman who somehow came on the ship without swiping his sea pass.

Elva and I had planned to do the Nerja Caves but chickened out.  I have seen so many caves of great interest and we are both less steady that we used to be.  Plus with the beautiful weather I really didn’t want to be underground.  We changed our included tour tickets to the first of the day so set out early for a lovely tour of this lovely place.  It kept feeling like an island to me!  Again there was the overview and again there was a fort.  Near the shore was another Roman fort and another amphitheater on a minor scale.

Long, steep climb to the lighthouse.  Shipwreck story was interesting.

State owned hotels offer cheap rates even for foreigners.

View of the bullring from the hotel patio and of our ship in the harbor.

Gate in the walled city.

Always love the ceiling detail!

Thought this crocheted nativity is cute.  Maybe Katie will  make us one!

Back of the cathedral.  Interesting how it was a refuge during the Spanish civil War and families even moved in. Pews and other woodwork were used to make fires inside for cooking and warmth.

Pablo waits for some attention in his home town.  The corner apartment was the family home.

Once our tour was over we had about 45 minutes on our own to explore and really the old city is very small and we felt we had seen it all.  So instead of staying ashore we all decided to go back with the tour.  Have we traveled too much?  Are cool temperatures also cooling our interest?  Is one city beginning to look like another?  I will have to think on this a little.

We had lunch on the back deck of the World Café in bright sun but a slight breeze.  Food on Viking is so very good that I really do eat way more than should.  I usually lose a little weight on a trip because of more salads and fruit and more walking.  This is not a big boat and the food is exceptional so I think the scale and I won’t be happy when I get home!

We did indulge in the elegant Afternoon Tea.  I love the scones and ship made strawberry jam and Devon cream served with them.  There is actually a menu of teas and today I chose Bombay Chai.  So cinnamon and steaming hot in its little white ceramic teapot with built in strainer.

We decided to go to the early show at 6:30 and once again enjoyed the ABBA Songbook.  There are so many tunes that I did not know for which they were responsible.  Since we have free WiFi and no cell tower on Viking Ocean ships I can email and text at will.  Not sure the girls and kids love that feature but I do.  I texted Maddie to suggest Thank You for The Music to be added to her repertoire.  She said they sang it in grade school but how good would that be for her to begin or end a future performance?

Dinner in The Restaurant was a leisurely feast.  Service is much slower than in the specialty restaurants and of course not as quick as the buffet.   We have nothing but time.  I think we will do this again!  Then after dinner there is always music in many areas of the ship.  Singers or musicians or both.

Tonight we started to work on the puzzle table.  A round 1000 piece one has just been began and we made some progress.  Not me as much as Carol and Elva so I actually went to the cabin ahead of them and read in my comfy bed under my cozy comforter.

Good night!

The Perfect Day

January 7, 2019 is a day that will go down in my personal history!  Rose early to use the Thalasso Therapy Pool and Elva and I were the only ones there for a while!  What a wonderful water massage and relaxing way to start the day, especially after four miles of walking and lots of standing yesterday.  That was followed with a seven spray shower so we felt completely refreshed when we returned to our clean room just as I Made was putting the last fresh pillow case in place. 

We had collected tea and coffee from the bar in the Atrium along with an almond croissant and a fresh fruit and custard topped sweet roll.  The sun is warm and shining on our balcony.  The breeze mild as we breakfasted on our balcony above the sparkling deep blue Mediterranean Sea.  Fresh air and sunshine and I may never go home again!

We don’t dock until noon so we enjoyed a well-deserved leisurely morning.   We always go to the meeting point a few minutes early and let them know we are together so we are on the same bus.  Our cabin is right by the elevators so Carol comes along and buzzes our doorbell and off we go.  We usually walk down since from Deck Four we are close to the gangway which can be on A, 1, or 2. 

Murcia is a beautiful port that I do not remember visiting before. Our tour wasn’t until 2:00 so Carol and I went ashore straightaway.  The ‘boardwalk’ is a wide expanse of polished marble!  We met a friendly couple who are staying here for a few winter weeks away from the U K damp.  In the harbor, tied up at the Navy station, is a stealth looking sailboat of enormous size.  All steel grey and metallic looking.  No identification or cute name.  We had been wondering what it might be.  Ron and Alice told us and we were quite surprised.  A billionaire Russian oligarch had ordered three of these boats.  This one simply had the letter A on the back.  Inside were two smaller sailboats for entertainment purposes, I guess.  The problem was that he had failed to make the final payment to the German shipbuilders so when the boat arrived in Valencia it was impounded!  Hence still firmly attached to the naval base!

The wide marble walk continued on but we turned on the equally wide and equally marbled main street. After about fifteen minutes we turned up a side street in a residential neighborhood.  It seemed the city was just waking up at noon and still recovering from the weekend activities.  The children are still on Holiday and probably inside playing with their new Three Kings gifts.  Not many people were out and about.  Restaurants don’t open until about 1:00 and even shops were still closed. 

Back at the ship we picked up Elva and met our guide.  We had the luck of the draw!  A delightful girl with a degree in philosophy and art history was personable and with excellent English.  The pace was comfortable and the sun was shining yet again.  The focus of our tour was the best preserved Roman Amphitheater I have ever visited.  Continuously inhabited since more than 200 years Before Christ the heart or very center of the old town is this remarkable structure which was built about 5 BC and dedicated to Caesar Augustus’ grandsons.  It is a relatively recent archeological discovery first identified in 1988 beneath the ruins of the cathedral which had been destroyed in the Spanish Civil War. 

This particular Theater of Gaius and Lucius is nearly perfect with more than 2/3 of the structure found intact!  The museum that leads you to the site is very well done, a series of ramps and escalators make movement easy for everyone.  Large windows let you peek at the underpinnings of the theater and photos of various stages of discovery abound.  Statues and even signage have been brought inside from the weather.  And yes.  Weather damages these marvels which is why this one is so complete.  It was totally underground for centuries!    Well worth your time to visit and explore.  You can actually walk around in it and go from the top to the lowest level.  Imagine standing at the foot of history and looking up to the sky!

The town because of its long history is in layers of civilizations.  Because the new city, which was already old, was built on top of the city beneath, which was on top of the amphitheater!  When it was beginning to be uncovered the government expropriated all the rest of the buildings in the area and gave the citizens newly build homes in another area of the city.  I can bet there were disgruntled people but eminent domain always wins even in Europe.

 

Because we were on the last tour and had already walked along the ‘boardwalk’ on our own we went back for a late lunch / early dinner at the Pool Grill.  Always a delightful place to take a meal.  Sun beaming through the glass roof and pampered with delicious fruits, salads, diner food including an excellent Philly Cheese Steak and fries makes for a very relaxing time to visit and talk about what we have seen and learned.

Elva and Carol caught the Tim Stevens lecture on the Alhambra and I tried to at least begin to catch up on this crazy blog.  Placing pictures into it is a genuine nightmare because of glitchy but free internet.  I always say I will figure out a better way but totally forget when I am home.  So next time for sure!

The entertainment this evening was the Captain’s Welcome as the officers and staff are introduced from the stage.  They are all pretty funny and seem to compete with each other to be the most memorable.  A sparkling wine toast and the preview show, The Music of the Night.  Still enjoyable although we had seen it just a week ago.  Tea and bed after a truly perfect day!