Dos Dias en Espanol

 We are wrapping up 2 days in Spanish ports prior to crossing the Med to Rome (really Civitavecchia) for the end of this leg of our cruising.  First up was Cadiz but before I get there I should report on what happened the night before.  We were having dinner with the GM up in Polo which lasted until about 9:30.  While we were there, the ship experienced a few good rolls.  When we returned to our cabin, we found that the 7 bottles of wine we had sitting on our cabinet had fallen to the floor.  Fortunately, none had broken.  We did have some broken glass and a broken dish.  The really good news in all of this is that Linda, the now seasoned sailor, has had no ill effects from the motion of the ocean.

Now, back to Cadiz, Spain.  Cadiz was added as a port after the stop in Tangiers was cancelled due to Covid restrictions.  We were only mildly disappointed since we've been there 3 previous times although we do like visiting Tangiers.  Here's where Linda and I had a little bit of a disagreement.  I remembered stopping in Cadiz once before and was anxious to go back while Linda thought that we had not been there.  In fact, I had a very distinct memory of a park that we had walked through.  Linda thought that the park was someplace else (Seville).  The dispute was eventually settled.  Despite a weather forecast of rain, we arrived to find a fairly sunny morning.  

So we headed off the ship with me leading the way to the infamous park.  Walking along the waterfront, it wasn't long before we got there.

Linda finally remembered that we had been there.  Just for reference, I'll include a photo in the park that was taken in April, 2018.

That settled, we spent the rest of the day wandering the city and eventually making our way to the market.  We did hit a bit of predicted rain along the way but nothing serious  We love roaming the local mercados!

                                                    

And, of course, no day in a Spanish city is complete without a stop for a cortado.

After a bit more of wandering, including a peek at the Roman theater (those Romans built theaters all over the place!), we headed back to Riviera.

On the sail away we got a good look at one of the sleekest yachts we've seen.

                                        

The yacht YAS was built on the hull of a former Dutch navy frigate and is 463 feet long!  She's owned by Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the UAE.  Apparently, it ranks as the 11th longest yacht in the world.

Today, we were in Cartegena.  It was another return trip for us.  Again, the weather forecast was poor - rain predicted in the afternoon and we didn't arrive until after noon.  Our plan was to walk around, weather permitting.  Once again, we were greeted by some sunny weather.

So we hustled off the ship before the predicted afternoon storm was supposed to hit and walked the busy pedestrian streets and, naturally, up to the mercado.

And, as luck or good fortune would have it, as soon as we stepped back on the ship, the rain came!

We're looking forward to a day at sea which will be our last for many days as the rest of the cruising will be quite port intensive!

For today's Rule of Civililty: Rule #42. Let thy ceremonies in courtesy be proper to the dignity of his place with whom thou converses for it is absurd to act the same with a clown and a prince. (Or, perhaps, some sheik who owns the 11th longest yacht in the world!).

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry