Med Cruise Part II

After leaving Casablanca on Wednesday we headed north to Lisbon. Lisbon was just as I remembered it from a late 1998 stop on my way to the Azures. In fact, I think the weather was just the same too, 65 and clear. The Attache and I began with a 5 mile run. We explored a few hilly neighborhoods on our way to a cliff side cemetery with wide views of the port, harbor and ocean. We returned to the ship for a quick shower and then spent the remainder of the day walking the historic section of the city, climbing to the top of St. George's Castle, sampling port, and adding double- buckle black leather shoes to my footwear collection. We also saw thousands of supporters for the English football club Everton preparing for a UEFA Cup match against a Portuguese club by filling the city fountains with soap suds. Unfortunately our ship set sail before kickoff so we missed the game. Gibraltar was the next stop. It's a beautiful peninsula with fascinating history and from one vantage point you can see Africa, Spain, the Atlantic and the Med. It is only around 3 sq miles but boasts such oddities as having the only airport runway intersected by a 4 lane highway and wild apes. And no, I do not mean to say apes intersect the runway. Our final two ports of call were the Spanish cities of Alicante and Barcelona. Frankly we didn't have much time in either city but they were both fun to stroll through. As is always the case, cruises are not just about seeing the ports. Aboard ship we all ate too much and drank too much. Also, my father celebrated his 70th birthday and had quite a day winning the championship of our week long cribbage tournament and taking in 150 euros in blackjack at the casino. I also started and finished Ken Follett's World Without End, which might be the perfect book. Well, at last the cruise is over. I just said farewell to my parents. The Attache and I are on an overnight train back to Vienna. I'll be posting hundreds of pictures soon. -posted remotely so please excuse the typos

Comments

[mark from nrc]

So, did you buy striped djelabas that you can wear at home while in Morocco?