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Published: June 15th 2013
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GUGGENHEIM BILBAO
Another masterpiece from the genius of Frank Gehry On the cruise up to Portugal we ran into some swells and 20ft waves. Or as Captain McNeill said: “We encountered the odd bump during the night.” Cruising into Lisbon is really neat. The long ride up the river to town passes many interesting and historical spots linked especially to the Voyages of Discovery where some of the greatest navigators left on their journeys around the world.
We had a private car and went with Lani and Bert out into the countryside on our own discovery tour. We visited Estoril which is a famous beach town. Because of Portugal’s neutrality during WWII and the mild climate, Estoril was a place of great intrigue, filled with spies and royalty. The Casino there inspired Ian Fleming’s novel “Casino Royale.” From there we motored up the mountains to Sintra. This is one spectacular place in a beautiful setting in the wooded hills with palaces and castles everywhere. It was the summer home to many of the rich and famous Europeans. Our niece, Julie, spent a month here in this fairytale town and thoroughly enjoyed it.
As we were leaving port that night, the ship picked up a line which became entangled around
GORGEOUS SINTRA
Surrounded by beautiful homes one of the propulsion pods. So we had to re-dock and divers were sent down to remove the line. Fortunately no damage was done and we went merrily on our way several hours later.
In Oporto we went with John and Brooks up to the medieval city of Guimaraes. Traveling in Portugal is really nifty because these lovely, perfectly preserved towns are not overrun. It is like traveling in Italy but without the crush of tourists. We hiked around the castle and met up with a man who was showing off his birds of prey.
Back in Oporto we saw many of the warehouses that store the famous wine which is named after the city. The Douro River runs through Portugal and empties into the Atlantic at Oporto. The port grapes are grown along the steep hillsides of the river and are dispatched down river to be made into wine and shipped all over the world.
We spent Sunday in La Coruna. As with most European cities, La Coruna was virtually closed for the Sabbath. We wandered around and found an Asian restaurant that was open. The Chinese waiter wanted to know all about our ship and
LANI and BERT
Searching the back streets of Sintra for fabrique life in the United States. He traded us some of his Chinese money (yuan) for an American dollar. He just wanted to have something from the U.S.
Because of a forecasted storm we spent two days in Bilbao, Spain. This gave us a chance to explore the countryside and visit the village made famous by a painting by Pablo Picasso. Guernica was devastated by the German Luftwaffe bombing. This was Hitler’s practice run for the blitzkrieg war tactic he later used in Poland and England. There is a reproduction of Picasso’s painting in the form of a mosaic. Residents of Guernica feel that the original canvas should be permanently displayed here in the village that inspired Picasso rather than in Madrid.
Bordeaux is another great city to sail into. The Gironde River weaves its way from the Atlantic Ocean right into the heartland of some of the most famous (and expensive) wines in the world. The weather wasn’t the best but we were able to tour around the downpours. We spent the day in St Emilion visiting the cloister, ramparts, catacombs, vineyards, wineries and caves. It seems that we have just gone from one fantastic town to the
next, day after day and St Emilion is one of the best. It takes your breath away as did the wonderful merlot that we tasted there.
Honfleur was the last port of call of this 130 day odyssey. And it was a grand way to finish off this memorable cruise. Like a Monet painting, the village was alive with a Saturday market, fishing boats tied up to the quay and outdoor restaurants filled with Parisians on a day’s outing from the capitol city. We had a French lunch of mussels and steak and pomme frites…delicious.
Then it was time to hike back to the ship and finish packing. It is always hard to make the emotional separation, not to mention the physical separation from what has been our home for five months. There are so many farewells and special moments at the end of a cruise.
We visited so many countries and experienced so many cultures on this trip. It is almost too much to comprehend. This is one reason we do the blog as it helps to remind us of our good fortune to be able to see the world on such a fine vessel surrounded
by wonderful friends and staff. We left the United States on New Year’s Day to embark on another series of adventures. It has been that and more. Our home is with each other whether we are on a ship or on our boat in Sausalito. We love the vagabond life and feel at home with the world. When we are cruising we wake up every day and wonder what we will see and learn and feel. In seven months’ time we plan to rejoin the Regent Voyager in Auckland and retrace our route through Asia, the Middle East and on to Europe looking for new adventures. We can’t wait!
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Beth Saucier
non-member comment
Loved reading about your recent adventures
Thanks so much for your blogs on this cruise. Hope you're both doing well! Things are fine in Berkeley. Still enjoying my photography and the opportunities it allows.