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Published: April 22nd 2012
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Fortunately, the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain and not on the coast. It seems that we were dodging liquid sunshine across the Mediterranean. Our first stop was in Malaga which used to be famous or infamous for the lager louts who would come down on holiday looking for suds and sex and soccer. But now Malaga is a beautiful old city which has done well with its infusion of EU money. The entire port has been refashioned and is a showpiece that can vie with Barcelona’s striking waterfront. The home of Picasso and the Costa Del Sol, this Andalusian city reflects both Moorish and Roman influences. The city is just coming alive from its long winter slumber and all the sidewalk cafes and shops are opening just in time for the arrival of spring visitors. We took a long walk through town along the port promenade and ended up at our favorite Chinese restaurant. The owner greeted us warmly, remembering us from our previous visits.
The next day we arrived in Cartagena and what a surprise this was. I think this might be my favorite Spanish town. The harbor is one of the best in the Western
Mediterranean and is home to the Spanish Navy. An ancient city was founded in 227BC and is filled with Roman ruins and structures. The city was in the midst of Holy Week preparations and had a large religious parade the day we were there. The town has wonderful pedestrian streets and it was a nice hike up to the amphitheater and the Conception Castle. On the way back to our ship while passing the local marina we saw a Krogen trawler docked. This is the same make of boat that we have. So we asked the harbormaster to allow us onto the docks. We were hoping the owners would be on board but unfortunately “Sonrisa” was all buttoned up. But it did kind of make us a little homesick for our floating abode. This was our second Cartagena port on this trip. Back in early January we docked in Cartagena, Columbia.
We arrived in Palma De Mallorca appropriately enough on Palm Sunday. The skyline is dominated by the huge Gothic La Seo Cathedral whose stained glass Rose Window is said to be the largest in the world. Every church we went by was packed with parishioners carrying palm leaves
and many of the faithful dressed in robes and other Passion Week costumes. We took advantage of this great walking city and explored the cobblestone alleys and backstreets.
We didn’t have much time in Barcelona to wander around since we had to change cabins again and also welcome our newly boarding passengers. After getting our stuff moved we took the shuttle to town and walked La Rambla. The city is absolutely packed with tourists and school kids on holiday. Speaking of kids, many families boarded in Barcelona and Regent had two social hostesses to run the program for the 40 children. We had a Cruise Specialists sail away party that evening and as soon as we sailed we were engulfed in a huge fog bank making it impossible to view the beautiful city as we put out to sea.
We cruised past the largest private sailing yacht in the world on our way into the port of Monte Carlo. The “Maltese Falcon” is quite a vessel at 289 feet in length. There are 18 permanent crew members and she has three towering 190’ masts which rotate. The ship with her 18 sails can be operated by one person
KROGEN 42
"Sonrisa" in Cartagena electronically. We first saw this stunning yacht in San Francisco Bay several years ago when she was owned by the venture capitalist Tom Perkins who was married to Danielle Steel at one time. He sold the boat for about $95 million in 2009. Now it is chartered out to very wealthy sailors.
The tiny country of Monaco is set on the Cote d’Azur against a mountainous background. It truly is the playground of the rich and famous. The fairytale romance of Grace and Rainier took the world by storm somewhat akin to Diana and Charles and now William and Kate. Famous for its Formula 1 Grand Prix race every May, the city is already starting to set up the viewing stands along the waterfront. We hiked up to the old town—it seems that we are always climbing some hill or another—to check out the Oceanographic Museum and visit the Palace of the Prince and the Cathedral of Monaco. The Prince and Princess are entombed side by side in this old church receiving a steady stream of visitors daily.
We saw a sign for a Vietnamese restaurant and so, of course, we had to give it a try. We
WONDERFUL WAITER MICHAEL
We have crossed many waves together had an excellent bowl of Phơ while gazing out over the miniature kingdom.
That evening we were having dinner on the balcony when suddenly a big fireworks display lit up the night sky. I don’t know what the occasion was but we certainly enjoyed the show. As we cruised out of Monte Carlo, we again passed “Maltese Falcon” who had one of its sails unfurled and was showing a movie on the canvas. We didn’t get close enough to see the film, but I’m sure it wasn’t “Mutiny on the Bounty.” No one would want to abandon this lovely vessel.
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Mary Courim
non-member comment
Susan and Kevin, I really enjoy your adventures! Please say hello to Jamie for me. He looks wonderful. Be safe, MLC