Europe Cruise, 2022
I took this cruise on Sky Princess, in April, 2022. It started and ended in Southampton. I was booked on this cruise in 2020, but the cruise got cancelled because of the Covid pandemic. The cruise went to France, Portugal, Spain and Gibraltar.
La Rochelle, France. I took a tour to the Chateau de la Roche Courbon. The gardens are modelled off Versailles. The gardens are laid out on marshland, which keeps sinking, so they had to be supported on piles. From there, we drove to the town of Saintes, We walked around the town and saw the Arch of Germanicus, an ancient Roman arch dedicated to Emperor Tiberius, his son Julius Caesar and his adoptive son Germanicus. After the tour, I had lunch, then took the shuttle from the pier to the town of La Rochelle. The town has two towers, Tour Saint Nicolas and Tour de la Chaine, that acted as the gateway to the port, and were part of the town’s fortifications. A chain used to be strung between the two towers. These towers were used as a place of residence for ship’s captains and as a prison. A 3rd tower, Tour de la Lanterne, had a glass lantern and served as a lighthouse as well as a prison.
La Rochelle 001 : Arch of Germanicus.
La-Rochelle 002-004 : Tour Saint-Nicolas and Tour de la Chaine.
La Rochelle 005-006 : Tour de la Lanterne.
La Rochelle Cathedrale Saint-Pierre de Saintes 001-006 :
La Rochelle Chateau de la Roche 001-008 :
G
ibraltar. I took a tour where we drove to the cable car station and took the cable car to the top of the Rock. There were great views from the top. We could see Morocco, which is just about 9 miles away. We walked through the Nature Reserve. We saw a lot of the famous tailless Barbary Macaque monkeys. We were warned to not keep any food in our backpacks, because these monkeys are very adept at opening zippers and throwing out everything in the backpack, to get to the food. We went into St Michael’s Cave, where we saw the sound and light show. From there, we drove to the Siege Tunnels. These tunnels were carved out of the rock by Merchant Marines, to defend Gibraltar against France and Spain during the Great Siege of 1779-1783. After the tour, I had lunch, then walked from the pier to the town. I took a bus to Europa Point, the southernmost point of Gibraltar. I saw the famous lighthouse, and the Sikorski Memorial. I also saw the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim mosque, also known as King Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Saud mosque or Mosque of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. I came back to town and walked through Main Street. I saw the Moorish Castle in the distance, but did not have time to go there. I saw the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity and the Franciscan Convent, which is now the Governor’s residence. Gibraltar takes British Pounds and Euros, but you have to be careful to avoid getting change back in Gibraltar pounds. I saw the very British red Telephone box, where the telephone actually works.
Gibraltar Rock 001-002 : Top of Rock of Gibraltar
Gibraltar Rock 003 : Prince Philip’s Arch
Gibraltar Rock 004-017 : Barbary Macaque
Gibraltar St Michael’s Cave 001-005 : St Michael’s Cave
Gibraltar Siege Tunnels 001-006 :
Gibraltar Europa Point 001-004
001 Lighthouse
002 Harding’s Battery
003 Sikorski Memorial
004 Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim mosque
Gibraltar City 001-004
001 Moorish Castle
002 Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned
003 Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
004 Franciscan Convent
Cartagena, Spain. We did not have a lot of time here. I took a tour that drove around town, then came right back to the pier, where we walked around. I could have just walked around myself! We went inside the Museum, then inside the well preserved ruins of the Roman Theatre. This had a capacity of 6000 and was dedicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar, grandsons of Augustus Caesar. We saw the remnants of a fortress wall, some lovely buildings, and the City Hall. I went inside the City Hall. I’m not sure if it was closed, but the guard was explaining something to a couple, and did not notice me till I had reached the top of the stairs. By then I had already taken a picture of the grand staircase inside.
Cartagena City Hall 001-008 : Exterior and interior of Town Hall
Cartagena Roman Theatre 001-006 :
Cartagena Museum 001-004 : Museum
Cartagena City 001-007
001 Monument in front of City Hall
002 Remnants of fortress wall
003-007 Buildings
Malaga, Spain. I decided to take the tour to Granada, which was about 2 hours away. It was a 15 minute walk from where the bus parked, to the Granada Royal Chapel. The guide pointed out a few things, told us what time to be back and then we were on our own. I went inside the Royal Chapel. Photos are not allowed, but I managed to sneak a few in. This chapel contains the burial place of the Spanish monarchs, Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand, the Catholic Monarchs. They were second cousins, but the Pope gave special permission for them to be married, and their marriage united Spain. I saw the Corral del Carbon, the oldest monument left by the Arabs. It was used as a warehouse, then adapted by the Christians for stage performances. I walked along a narrow street that was once an ancient Arab marketplace. I saw the statue depicting the meeting between Queen Isabella I and Christopher Columbus. I saw the Town Hall, the High Court of Justice of Andalusia, the parish church of San Gil and Santa Ana. I saw a sign to the Alhambra, so I walked up the steep road. Tickets to the Alhambra were sold out. I had not thought of buying tickets online, ahead of time. Even if I had bought tickets earlier, I probably would not have had time to see it, because it takes about 3 or 4 hours. I saw what I could from the outside, then walked back to the meeting point and returned to the ship.
Granada City 001-006
001 Monumento a Isabel la Catolica.
002 Corral del Carbon.
003 Street that was once an ancient Arab marketplace
004 Town Hall
005 High Court of Justice of Andalusia
006 Parroquia de San Gil y Santa Ana
Granada Royal Chapel 001-005 :
Granada Alhambra 001-010
001 Puerta de las Granadas or Gate of the Pomegranates is one of the gates to the Alhambra complex
003-005 Palacio Carlos V, the palace of Carlos V
006 Inner Courtyard of the Palace of Carlos V
007-010 other buildings
Lisbon, Portugal. I had heard a lot about Sintra, so I took the tour to Sintra and Cascais. That was a mistake. We had about an hour in each place. I was not very impressed with Cascais. An hour in Sintra is not enough to see anything. We did not even see the exterior of any of the famous monuments in Sintra. We only saw the outside of the National Palace. The guide suggested we walk around the town center and did not even recommend we go inside the National Palace. By the time we returned to Lisbon, there wasn’t enough time to go to Geronimos Monastery, or St George’s Castle. All I could do was walk around a little and see a few of the lesser known churches. When the ship sailed out of Lisbon, I went to the upper deck, and I managed to see the Monument to the Discoveries, the Belem Tower, and the Christo Rei statue. The Monument to the Discoveries is made up of a group of sculptures that represent the prow of a caravel, a small sailing ship constructed by the Portuguese, to explore the Atlantic. Leading the shop are Prince Henry the Navigator and behind him are other explorers like Vasco de Gama, and Ferdinand Magellan. The Belem Tower, or Tower of St Vincent, is a fortification that served as the ceremonial gateway to Lisbon and was the point of embarkation and disembarkation for Vasco de Gama and other Portuguese explorers. It is built on a small island in the Tagus River. The Christo Rei statue was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, and represents Portugal’s gratitude for avoiding the horrors of WWII.
Lisbon 001-008
001 Church of Santa Engracia
002-004 Monastery of Sao Vicente de Fora
005 Monument to the Discoveries.
006-007 Belem Tower
008 Christo Rei statue
Cascais 001-006
Sintra 001-006
001 Palacio Nacional de Sintra
002-003 St Martin’s Church
004-006 Buildings
Bilbao, Spain. I took a walking tour of Bilbao. It was interesting and included a stop at a restaurant, where we got Tapas and a drink. The Tapas was really tasty. One of the stops was the Cathedral de Santiago Apostol, consecrated in honor of Saint James the Great. This is a point of transit for the pilgrims that followed the Northern Branch of the Way of Saint James, to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where St James is believed to be buried. The guide pointed out a small tile embedded in the pavement outside the cathedral, that marks the Way of St James. We went to Bilbao before going to Santiago de Compostela, so I did not understand what this was and did not take a photo of it. The last stop was the Guggenheim Museum, where a floral monument of a Scottish terrier called ‘Puppy’ guards the doors of the museum. This monument has a changing mantle of tens of thousands of flowers.
001 Church of San Nicolas
002 Train Station
003 Cathedral de Santiago Apostol.
007 Teatro Arriaga, opera house
011 Floral monument in front of the Guggenheim Museum
012 Spider sculpture in front of the Guggenheim Museum
013-019 Guggenheim Museum
Cadiz, Spain. I took a tour to Seville, which was about 2 hours away. The famous cathedral of Seville was a short walk from where the bus parked. We were provided with a map of the city and told what time to get back to the bus, then we were on our own. The cathedral was huge and very beautiful. I spent way too much time admiring it. It was Easter Sunday, and Easter Mass was in progress, so we could not walk around inside the cathedral. I was able to step in and take photos just inside the door. The Semana Santa parade takes place the week of Easter. A statue of the Virgin Mary is carried around and there are people dressed in white robes, wearing conical hats. There were several beautiful buildings near the cathedral, like the residence of the archbishop and the church of Santa Cruz. From the cathedral, I walked to the bullring, and then to the Palace of San Telmo, formerly the University for Navigators, and now the seat of the Presidency of the Andalusian Autonomous Government. I then walked to the Torre del Oro. This is a dodecagonal (12-sided star polygon) military watchtower. It once served as a prison. The name comes from the golden shine it projects on the river, due to its building materials, a mix of mortar, lime and pressed hay. I then walked to the Real Alcazar, a royal palace built by Castilian Christians for the Christian king, Peter of Castile. It was built on the site of an Abbadid Muslim Alcazar or residential fortress that was destroyed after the Christian conquest of Seville. The next ticket for Alcazar was at 5:00 and our bus left at 3:00, so I was not able to go inside. I did not think of buying tickets online, earlier. Even if I had tickets, I probably would not have been able to see much of it, because of the limited time we had in Seville.
Seville Cathedral 001-019
Seville City 001-011
001 Torre del Oro
002 Real Alcazar. Puerto del Leon, or Gate of the Lion.
003 Parroquia de Santa Cruz.
004 Bullring.
005 Palacio Arzobispal, residence of the archbishop.
006 Palacio de San Telmo
009-011 Semana Santa Parade.
Vigo, Spain. I took a tour to Santiago de Compostela, which is about 2 hours away. It was about a 10 minute walk from where the bus parked to the Cathedral. The guide told us what time to be back there and left us on our own. The guide told us that if we wanted to go inside the cathedral we should do so right away, because once Mass started, we would not be allowed in. I went in right away, and was able to take photos. Inside, I saw the Botafumeiro, the larger-than-life silver censer, used to burn incense during mass. It is swung at 40mph from one end of the transept to the other. The cathedral is believed to contain the tomb of the Apostle St James, the Elder. The main entrance used to be the Portico de la Gloria, which is now kept closed. I was able to walk in through the Holy Door. This door is opened every 6, 5, 6 and 11 years, when the Feast of the Apostle St James falls on a Sunday. It was supposed to be open in 2021, but because of the Covid pandemic, the Pope gave special permission to open it in 2022 instead. In ancient times, pilgrims used to come here, by foot or horseback, along what is called the Way of St James. This is actually a number of routes, that come from England, France, Portugal and Spain. Pilgrims used to get a scallop shell as proof they had completed the pilgrimage. Modern pilgrims come on foot or bicycle, and get a certificate if they complete 100 km on foot, or 200 km on bicycle. Across the cathedral, is the Hostal dos Reis Catolicos, a 5-star hotel that was originally constructed by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, as a hospice and hospital for the pilgrims. From the cathedral, I walked around the town seeing some lovely old buildings. The town looks very medieval, and you almost expect to see knights on horseback riding around.
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral Interior 001-011
001-010 : Cathedral interior.
001-003 show the Botafumeiro
011 : Tomb of the Apostle St James, the Elder
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral Exterior 001-020
001-005 : Praza de Obradoira, west façade, the Portico de la Gloria entrance.
006 : Puerta Santa, Holy Door
007 Inside the Holy Door
008 : Plaza de Praterias, south façade. Fountain of the Horses with the Casa do Cabido in the background
009-010 : Plaza de Praterias, south façade. Fountain of the Horses with the Cathedral in the background
Santiago de Compostela City 001-013
001-002 : Palacio de Rajoy or Pazo de Raxoi, the Town Hall
003 : Monasterio de San Martin Pinario
004 : Igrexa San Bieito
005 Iglesia de San Augustin
006 : Praza de San Fiz de Solovio
007 : Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Maria Salome
008 : Convento San Francisco
009 : Hostal dos Reis Catolicos
