Week 11 Madeira, Portugal and Cadiz, Gibraltar, and Granada, Spain

 What a last two weeks! The wi-fi has gotten worse and they are waiting to get to Spain for equipment and technicians.  That did not happen as expected and in Week 12 they need more parts and new techies. So, that has caused issues with Jeff's photo processing program as some photos are seen but the file is missing.  As such, I am waiting on pictures, time when I can use the wi-fi, and trying to figure out what else might have gone wrong. That said- the trip is fantastic!

Sorry this post is a week late (see above) 

After 3 more days at sea on the Atlantic Ocean, we have arrived at Madeira, Portugal. Madeira is known as the "Garden Island" for its rich agriculture, terraced hillsides, and beautiful flowers. The island produces four types of grapes that are used in the production of Madeira wine. Like its parent, Portugal, you find exquisite blue and white tiles. We opted for the city tour and a trip to the Monte Palace Botanical Gardens.  It was spectacular as you can see from Jeff's photos. That evening, we set sail for Cadiz, Spain.

Pictures to come for this island as I did something and messed up Lightroom for Jeff. We have met someone who will see if he can undo my error. So far I am still alive and the majority of photos I took with my phone so not as good as Jeff's!


Located in the province of Andalusia, Cadiz and Saville are two of the most picturesque cities. The influence of the Moors is very prevalent in its architecture and culture. We opted to go to one of the "white cities", Vejer de la Frontera with a stop at Cape Trafalgar. Trafalgar was the site of a major naval battle between Spain and Great Britain where Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson lost his life. An aside: Nelson's body was placed in a barrel of French Brandy which acted as a preservative so he could be buried in England. Our outing was great: weather perfect, guide knowledgeable, and bus comfortable.

                                                Cadiz, Spain
                                Vejer de la Frontera, one of the White Cities of southern Spain

                    Jeff and I at the beautiful tiled fountain in the center square of Vejer de la Frontera

No picture yet of Trafalgar Battle Site

We sailed overnight to Gibraltar. Seen as the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, Gibraltar is said to have been formed by Hercules when split the area between modern-day Spain and Morocco. The weather was clear for us to see the outline of North Africa. The Rock has a long and rich history and has been under British rule since 1713. During WW II, Allied troops lived inside the rock which also housed a hospital, war rooms, and supplies in its series of tunnels. We took Scenery and Historic Tour of the British territory and followed that by riding a cable car to the top so we could walk around and see the Barbary monkeys. Windy as HECK up there and those monkeys love to steal food. We stayed safe. 

                                                           Gibraltar Rock, British Territory

                                                        Barbary Monkey on "The Rock"


An overnight sail took us to Granada. YES I GOT TO GO TO ALHAMBRA PALACE. It was cold and windy but I did NOT care. It is so amazing- Moorish architecture, wall carvings, art, gardens, and history.  There were originally 7 palaces on the site but only 3 remain along with the Summer Palace. This is an UNESCO site and it is so amazing how much remained in tact.  Our 9 hour trip to the palace was worth it as we spent over 4 hours there followed by a really nice meal including paella and wine. We walked over 12,000 steps that day. 

                                Alhambra Palace across the valley from the Summer Palace.

                                                    Inner courtyard of Palace (one of many)

                                                    Famous Lions Fountain in Sultan's Palace

                                Doorway in Palace (tile work and plaster carvings in Arabic)

                                        Close up of corner of a wall with plaster carvings


                                                            Outer fortification of Palace

                                                            Inner Courtyard with fountain

Comments

  1. Jody EckMarch 21, 2022 at 5:17 PM

    It is all beautiful! You know I am partial to Gibraltar! Sorry have read these in a couple of weeks. But you know what I've been doing.

    ReplyDelete

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