Gibraltar Redux

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Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Malaga, Spain



Well, this morning we awoke to a partly sunny sky in beautiful Malaga. IT was still a bit chilly, but no rain, and very little wind – more of a breeze actually. Mother Nature & Poseidon must have come to an agreement to grant us a smooth ride. I’ll take it. Particularly after the last few days.

We went back and forth about leaving the ship eventually decided neither of us was all THAT interested in returning to Malaga so soon. I mean, it was just last week after all. What we truly wanted to do, was not offered – and that is the Alhambra. We shall save it for another time.

So not leaving the ship meant a while in our stateroom – watched a little TV and read before we decided to go up on deck and read in the fresh air…which by the way had a bit of a chill. Not oo bad, nothing a blanket and sweater couldn’t overcome.

After reading for a bit, we decided on a quick lunch of a Cuban Sandwich split between us. Quite good and satisfying. Back to reading and TRYING to get on line. The WiFi on board the ship is early 17^th Century technology. I think it bounces off a satellite then goes to Florida where it is lost in a hyperloop for a few hours before returning to the satellite and back to the ship. There MUST be a better way. Going to look into a hot spot – perhaps that might help? Unclear. I’m far from being technologically savvy. I know what I want to do and become ANNOYED when I can’t. My patience runs QUITE thin with little things such as this. Someone…FIX IT! NOW!!!

So, we spent a quiet day on board – just as we had hoped.

We decided to go to Tea, for the first time. We each only had a scone. Nothing was of interest. They’ve had to change the service due to covid. So, ordering a scone required quite a trek back to the corner where they selected the two scones 9one for each of us) and then the clotted cream and jam. Took a while. But, in the end well worth it. The tea was quite nice. AND…wouldn’t you know it – two gents we’d met on the 2016 crossing joined the cruise in Barcelona. N & D are couple from England, we turned around and Christopher recognized them immediately. They joined us and we had a rip-roaring conversation trying to cure the world’s ills and catching up on one another. They have left the lake district and moved into a condo with a view of the ocean not far from Blackpool….but they made QUITE an effort to let us know they were NOT in Blackpool. Truly nice to see them, and quite a surprise. S & D, N & D and the two of us had met on the 2016 cruise; we’ve kept up with S & D, but not the others.

OK, time for dinner. If it seems like all we do is eat on this journey – you might be right. We had planned on the GDR for an easy dinner. When we arrived, Ivan (whom we’ve met prior…think he joined in Barcelona) said…Gentlemen, we have tow seats available in Toscana with your name on if you’re interested. Interested? INTERESTED??? That would be a resounding YES. So, up we go to 14 and Toscana.

Copernico greeted us with a smile and said we’ve been waiting for you!! I’m wondering if our Butler made our preferences known?? I, personally, couldn’t care less how it happed, I’m just happy that it DID happen!! We sat at our “regular” table (am I getting too big for my britches…DO NOT answer that).

We had decided, prior to going to Toscana, that we were going to eat light….BUT….this is our FAVORITE restaurant on board. A promise is a PROMISE. I ordered the Red Bell Pepper Sformatino (which we split in two) and the Capellini D’Angelo (simple tomato sauce) for the antipasti and primi, Christopher had the Tortelloni for his primi and we shared the lamb for our main. It wasn’t a lot of food (FINALLY) and we were able to eat our meal and enjoy every bite without waste (or waist issues). For dessert Christopher had the Chocolate/Orange lava cake, I had the Apricot/Pistachio torta. We each had a glass of red & white (from last night…freebies) and for a digestivo some Grappa. What had started out as a sides and perhaps an antipasti mean in the GDR, turned into a gourmands dream in Toscana. It pays to know people on board! Make friends with the Crew. They control EVERYTHING worthwhile.

At 9:30pm, we passed by Gibraltar once again. The sun had just set so the sky was crimson, the only clouds far off in the distance. It’s such an inspiring sight.

The seas are smooth. The winds have calmed. And tomorrow is a sea day. Another day of rest. Once can get used to this. I have NO IDEA how we are going to adjust to “real life” again. When we disembark, we will have spent something like a month at sea. Spoiled? You bet. And ya know what…we deserve it.

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