Well...it's been a wonderful vacation!
We've travelled 47 days, been through 11 airports, slept in 6 hotels, sailed on 1 sailboat and 2 riverboats, used 6 currencies, visited 9 countries, sent 41 blog entries, received 27 blog comments (thanks everyone!), read 12 books, never sat in window or aisle (Lisa only), lost my lunch once (again Lisa) and have a million terrific memmories!
We can't wait to see you all again and share some photos - not the stories, you know all of those don't you?
The morning started with a tour af a port house. Our ship is docked (like the first time we were in Porto) at the point in town where all the port houses are so the Sandeman port tour is just steps away. Apparently Sandeman port is one of the most famous ones - can't say we've ever heard of it and Chris is quite 'familiar' with the stuff.
We had a city tour of Porto scheduled conviently when the Portugal/Iran soccer match was starting. However, we were finished by the time fans were driving around - the Red Mile this aint.
As this is our last night in Europe, we decide to go for dinner off of the ship. We actually end up watching the evening soccer match and having a few tapas.
Although we have a tour this morning we don't depart until 9:45! Breakfast on this ship has been nothing spectacular so we sacrafice it for more zzzzzzs.
The day looks beautiful with a forecast temp of 26. We arrive to a small town in the Portugese mountains. Again the scenery is beautiful. The city's cathedral is at the top of a hill with 700 stairs leading to it. The bus takes us to the church and we walk down. Along the way down from the church are fountains, grotos, palm trees, tile murals and statues - the stairs are also something to look at as they are wide, old and archetectural. This is really the highlight of the town. We see a castle at the top of a hill and climb up to it, but it turns out to be locked up with grafitti all over it.
The afternoon is another relaxing one of sailing. By evening, a monster thunder storm accompanied by hail is upon us. Again the balcony is a great asset as we opened the door and were able to hear and watch the storm without getting wet.
Dinner is off the ship at a former monastery - beautiful. They cooked our dinner of roast pork, potatoes, salad and rice in a 12th century oven - very interesting. It was probably the most delicious dinner we have had in Portugal.
Once we get back to the ship, we walk to a small pub just outside of where we are docked that seems like it is in the middle of nowhere to watch the end of a soccer match.
Throughout this trip I've discovered that I'm actually tall! Just not in North America. And especially in Europe a few hundred years ago! We go through doorways that I actually have to duck to walk through.
I've been meaning to mention how much I looooooove the Tide pen I brought with us. I don't know what it has in it - I suspect that it is some sort of dry cleaning fluid. As soon as we used it on any type of stain is disappears - almost exactly like on the commercials!
Whew...it has been touch and go for the last 2 days with the last blog posting giving us a huge amount of trouble. It seems like it just went so hopefully it was a temporary problem. I'm pleased to know people haven't become totally bored by the blog and are still waiting for the next post!
The day stared at a medieval town atop a hill. This town currently has about 75 inhabitants (Chris is convinced Europe is the only place the word 'inhabitants' is used). It is truly medieval - ruins of a fortress, steep and narrow streets. This is a special day for Catholic Portugese (all of them) as it is Pentecost. This means most shops are closed but also that they have a religious procession through the town.
The local products include almonds. We buy a pack of honneyed ones - yum! We try to take a look at the work of the local artisans, but the shop turns out to be the smallest one in the history of the world - about the size of a shoe box so we bail on that.
After lunch on board the ship we spend the afternoon sailing and napping! The scenery is amazing with vineyards, orchards and the gorge. It was a great decision to get the balcony room.
Before dinner we are taken to a Port house for a lecture and a tasting. We haven't yet found the perfect, super sweet gift for Doran after he promised to do all the weeding in our garden.
We have been invited to sit at the Captain's table tonight for the Captain's dinner. We have no idea why, but it is fun. The captain doesn't speak much English so really we just visit with some of the other guests at the table - we drink free wine so here's to the Captain!
Once again it looks like rain as we set out for Salamanca, Spain. The river isn't controlled which means is it not navigable in Spain so the bus trip into Salamanca is about an hour and a half on windy roads.
As we arrive in Salamanca it starts to POUR! We have to wait a bit for the guides for our walking tour and by this time luckily, is it only spitting. Salamanca is a fair sized city of about 200 000. We visit the university which dates from 1200, a cathedral and some other city sights - the usual European city stops.
The symbol of the city is a frog (which suits me just fine!) and can be seen everywhere - on monuments, on t-shirts and in every souviniere shop in town. For Salamanca they symbolize good luck and wisdom.
Lunch at a hotel is paella and roast chicken - delicious!
After lunch we watch the end of the Spain/Ukraine soccer match, take in more of the city sights and buy a few souvinieres. On the bus back to the ship we are relegated to the front of the top of a double decker bus. This does nothing good for my belly and by the time we are half way into the trip I'm expecting to see the paella again. We arrive back to the ship just in time and after lying down for a few moments things have settled down. I'm still not feeling great for the rest of the night and pretty much head straight to bed after dinner which is a good thing as tomorrow is another early call.
The sky is grey and ominous when we wake in the morning. It isn't raining as we arrive at an old palace and gardens and is actually quite warm. We start in the palace, but unfortunately the rain comes in buckets just as we are about to go on a tour of the gardens.
This is not too bad really as the trees are so thick that standing under them is completely dry. There is also a 'cedar tunnel' that is so thick is it totally dry and quite dark. When we walked through a couple of old ladies were busy sweeping the forest under the tunnel.
The rest of the afternoon is spent sailing with intermitent rain. This weather is not great for the sun deck, but is perfectly fine for sitting of our balcony - sheltered, yet outside. Plus we bought a 2 liter box of wine at the Casa Matteus so we were set.
After dinner we are docked in a town that doesn't really seem like a town at all as there is 1 buildind. We find a pub with a few locals in it to watch the end of the Brazil/Crotia game. As far as World Cup goes, we get no games at all on the ship which sucks! It would be ok to even be able to go into town and see them each night, but that isn't always possible. Once the game ends we head back to the ship to catch the end of a Flamenco performance in the bar.
We set sail this morning after spending the night in Porto. The south side of the river is Porto and the north side is considered another town called Gaia. The Port houses and their signs (Taylor, Sandemans, Grahams etc.) are on the Gaia side just like we have seen in pictures. They established there and actually created the town so they wouldn't have to pay taxes to the Bishop of Porto - good business!
The morning is spent on the sun deck reading and enjoying the scenery. The river has cut a gorge through mountains which is absolutely beautiful as there are vineyards and olive orchards everywhere. We have to get off of the sun deck just before we head into the first of 5 locks/dams but our room has a balcony so we are able to watch the goings on from there (after a few minutes it is really not all that exciting.)
We sail until about 2:00 in the afternoon when we stop for no apparent reason other than to stretch our legs. The town we stop is very tiny but is renouned for its hot spring spa. There is a spring in the middle of town that a huge wash area is built around. The town's people apparently bring their wash there. We dipped our hands in the water and it is very hot!
After sailing for a couple more hours we stop at another town where they have a port tasting center. We taste a few ports and buy a bottle for the ship.
Dinner tonight is in a paradour which (I have just learned) is a system of hotels in Portugal that are in old manor houses, palaces, castles etc. with the purpose of perserving the old buildings. The meal and the setting are both very nice.
It is about 300K from Lisbon to Porto where we will meet the ship. On the way there we stop for lunch of cabbage soup, BBQ chicken, salad, fries, ice cream, wine and coffee - tasty.
We are in the Portugese city of Coimbra where we visit their university. Here we visit a library (no longer really in use) with books starting from the 1600s. We are told the student population of the school is 200 000 - I find that extremely hard to believe.
Once we arrive to the boat (which is very nice BTW with a balcony off of our own room) we walk a bit through the town a bit before the welcome drink and dinner. There are a lot of people out with their Portugese shirts, flags etc ready for tonight's soccer game.
The welcome drink (Port of course) is accompanied by snacks such as bacon wrapped slices of bananas. These looked decievingly similar to bacon wrapped scallops or cheese. Imagine Chris' (and even mine for that matter) surprise to find a banana inside the bacon!
Since the Portugal game is still on after dinner, we head out to watch the second half. Although there is a fair amount of action and a HUGE screen resembling a drive-in theatre (without the cars), as soon as the game ends people clear out quite quickly. We sort of expected more all night partying but it is only the first game I suppose and they were only playing Angola.
Tomorrow is a sailing day which will be a welcome rest after the busy past week or so.
It's back to getting up early as we begin our last tour in Portugal. Breakfast in the hotel is very good and FINALLY there is Champagne at the buffet!
The city tour of Lisbon begins in the old part of the town where rents are around 10€ per month. Not typical of Lisbon but this area of the city is for those who can't afford to live elsewhere. Along the narrow, winding streets we come upon a fish market with more fish than I have ever seen in my entire life - pallet after pallet of ice covered fish. Grilled sardines are one of the most popular fish dishes here - we haven't tried them yet.
We have the tour bus driver drop us off at an area called The Docks where there are many restaurants and cafes most with TVs set up outside for the World Cup games. We eat lunch outside while watching the first half of the England/Paraguay match. For the second half we move on to an Irish pub full of England fans singing like crazy during halftime. On a trip to the WC one of the doors was marked with an H and the other was marked with an S. I really had no clue which door I should go through as I could think of words to go with either letter. In the end I think made the right choice and used the S.
After the game we walked to the downtown area of town looking for souvenirs and then back to the hotel. The walk from where we had lunch to the hotel is up hill and I will probably feel it tomorrow.
Today is a travel day and all goes smoothly other than a short delay leaving Madrid. After a 55 minute flight we are in Lisbon. Because we are coming from a European Union country we aren't required to go through customs - certainly saves time. We decide to take a 15 min taxi ride to the hotel rather than wait an hour or so for the transfer.
Upon landing in Lisbon I am immeduately struck by huge trees in blossom with PURPLE flowers! I have never seen anything like it. The street our hotel is on is lined with these trees. As we stand at one end of the street and look to the other it is like looking through a purple tunnel! WOW. Under the trees where the blossoms have fallen is a purple carpet. The trees we learn are called jacaranda trees and only blossom for 2 weeks and then drop the flowers. Lucky timing for us!
The cooler temperatures here are a welcome change from the sweltering ones of Madrid. Today it is about 24 with a breeze. Ahhhhhhhhhhh
World Cup has started today. Although we aren't in Germany we can see it on TV. Hopefully we'll still get the right tv station on the boat.
We had our welcome meeting tonight for our 10 day tour-a whole bunch of old people were there, what a surprise.
Although grocery stores have every type of juice you could ever want no one seems to have heard of cranberry....
Holy crap it's hot today! Madrid has a huge park in the middle of the city that we visit around noon - mayby not the best time to be outside I realize. WOW it is hot. Eventhough shade is abundant it is HOT!
We walked the city after our visit to the park hitting the shopping district. We pop into a few shops more than anything to cool off.
Lunch in-doors is in order today. Just when we didn't think it could get any hotter, after lunch the wind is now hot - crazy.
Madrid was a good choice for a place to visit. It is a beautiful, lively city with much to do, eat and see.
Tomorrow sees us leaving Madrid for Lisbon and the final leg of this journey.
Everywhere we go in Madrid there seems to be police blocking or directing traffic, and today is no exception.
We make it to the Prado, Madrid's signature museum. It is quite busy with quite a few school groups. We thought this museum would be a lot bigger, but we did it in about 2 hours.
Madrid has the typical double decker tour bus giving city tours. We get on after the museum. It is a good day for the tour as it is overcast and cooler than yesterday. We get off at the Real Madrid football stadium and visit the gift shop.
The evening sees us strolling Madrid's streets sampling various tapas and people watching.
Some things I've noticed about Madrid...
-cigerette butts everywhere, especially in any grate on the sidewalks
-ambivalence toward toilet seats
-outside workers including police smoke, today we saw a window washer smoking a big, fat cigar
-attitude that red lights are a suggestion only
-pollution, I thought I was sick when we got here with what started as a sore throat, I think it is the pollution
-Starbucks has a bit of a presence here, we haven't seen it anywhere else in Europe. Although it looks like tourists only in there and it is never all that busy.
Madrid is home to many museums - 3 of which are major attractions. We have to choose which ones to see and which ones to save for next time. We decide on the Thyssen for today - thankfully it is not crowded.
In the evening we walk for quite a while taking in some new areas of the city. Kids and families are out playing until at least 11:00. I don't see how they can get up for work in the morning - I guess that's what the siesta is for.
We try for some tapas. Some bars have tapas you pay for and some have tapas that come with a drink. The place we decide on has a list hanging on the wall of about 10 tapas that you select from. Each one comes on a wedge of baguette we have tried cheese and tomato, ham and egg, smoked ham and beef. This place also has the best sangria I've tried yet.
We eventually stop for dinner and have a fantastic tomato salad. Nothing unusual but delicious! The cafe we are eating in is in a square with a ton of tables - I'd guess about a couple hundred. A dance troup (ala Backstreet Boys/New Kids On The Block) are busking. They are not bad but only have a routine for about half a song.
I always count on museums to have reasonable washroom facilities - today's disappointing. I'm not looking for palatial...just a seat and some paper. Apparently that's too much to ask!
By the way...it is still stinking hot here - probably 30+ degrees. We occasionally see a temperature reading on a building or other digital advertising and those always say it is hotter than it feels. There's very little breeze but thankfully no humidity. We learned our lesson a few years ago in a hotel without AC - the one we are in now has more than we could ever want.
What they say about Madrid not sleeping is definitely not hype. Throughout the night I was awoken to what sounded like metal garbage cans rolling down the street. Who knows what the sound really was, it certainly wasn't a problem I just rolled over and went back to sleep - Chris didn't even seem to hear it.
Once we woke up and got moving, we were entertained by a demonstration of some sort outside the window of our hotel. We have a couple a tiny balconies to watch the street life below. We have no idea what the demo is about - angry chanting in any language seems to sound the same.
Madrid's palace is the first stop of the day. We sprint across the palace's courtyard in 35 degree heat and arrive just in time for the English tour. Part of the tour includes an armoury which includes children's armor - I don't think children should need armor.
We have somewhat discovered tapas - although not entirely. Some places make a menu of them while others offer them 'gratis' with a drink. The evening find us then walking the tourist route of the city. We finally settle on a cafe on a boulevard for dinner.
Tomorrw is museum day.
We arrive in Madrid at 5 pm (to a very nice hotel) and we have plenty of time to explore tonight. The city is hot (probably 25 by the time we head out) and very lively.
Squares full of cafes seem to be around every corner. Unfortunately, we aren't too familiar with Spanish foods so menus are a bit of a challenge - fortunately 'calimari' is on all the menus! We find a cafe and manage to order a few small dishes and a bottle of wine. No surprises when the food arrives thankfully.
The rain has finally stopped - still chilly though, about 10 degrees in the morning.
The day starts with a bus tour of the city highlights. The city is beautiful. It is hard to get my head around the fact that some of these beautiful buildings are only apartments.
The tour ends at the city's palace/fortress on the top of a hill (as usual) and the view is of the entire city. We find a few things up here that we are interested in and plan to return after lunch. This area is really quite large with a hotel, many shops, restaurants, a cathedral, and other touristy things.
After lunch we explore the Pest side of the city (the river divides the city into the Buda and Pest sides). We walk down a long pedestrian area filled with shops and cafes. The prices here seem to be the same if not higher than what we would see at home. I bought a top in the H&M store in NY and saw a very similar one in the H&M here and it was 25% more. The sun has come out so we stop at a cafe for a drink and some people watching. It seems as though most people speak English and other languages besides Hungarian.
Next we cross over to the Buda side and stop at a chapel in a cave. Apparently there are many caves in the area. We take a funicular to the top of the hill where the castle/fortress we want to revisit is. A wine cellar is here with over 1000 Hungarian wines. About 50 of them are open for sampling so we spend a bit of time here. We tasted some really good stuff here, however, the Hungarians and the Spanish must have a competition on the the world's worst wine. We tried one just like the one we had in Spain that we hated.
Some of the caves here have been made into a labyrinth for visitors. You are given a lantern to help you through the completely dark maze. The caves themselves are natural, but the rest of the things to see are recent additions.
Although this is our last night on the ship we wanted to go out again after dinner. The rain has returned so we decide against it.
The first thing we see this morning is rain - and lots of it. Our room has a wall of windows which let's us see the passing landscape. Today's tour isn't until this afternoon (and we are still travelling) so we hope that the weather will cooperate - it doesn't.
The tour that was supposed to be 5 hrs has been shortened to 3 as the Hungarian customs took longer than expected. The part of the tour we are most interested is the cancelled part so we blow it off. As it turns out we made the right decision. In the words of one eleoquent American "it was cold, wet and stupid". Instead, we made use of the ship's launderette, watched a movie and napped!
The level of the river seems much higher here as the branches of the trees on the bank are still submerged. There is no flooding anymore but it is certainly easy to envision the problems they had a month ago - and this rain today won't help.
Tomorrow we are in Budapest.
Serbia is definitely another place I never dreamed I'd visit. A city tour of Belgrade revealed a typical Eastern European city with the addition of bombed buildings still to be restored or destroyed. Quite striking to see the consequence of war.
With only a couple of hours on our own after the city tour we wander the streets busy with city life. We changed 10 USD and hoped for a beer on a terrace (what cafes are called in this part of Europe.) We got 2 beers and had over half of our money left. With little time before the ship sailed we wanted to spennd the rest of the money. This was not easy. An ice cream was .60 USD. So we have some Serbian notes as souvenirs!
The ice cream I mentioned was not exactly what we think of when we say icw cream. This was like very cold whipped cream in typical ice cream flavors. It was very good just very different.
By this time we have 10 minutes to get back to the boat so we pick up the pace. We arrive no problem and sail to Hungary.
Today is a sailing day. On the agenda are reading, napping, watching movies and enjoying the spectacular scenery.
The Iron Gates (which to my 'surprise' aren't actual gates) are a beautiful narrow passage on the Danube river between Serbia and Romania. Many died here trying the escape from Causescu's Romania. Around one bend of the river we see an enormous face of a king carved into the mountain. Tucked into nooks and crannies here are monasteries and convents. The entire area is spectacular scenery.
We sail through 2 locks - one is relatively small (took about 30 min) and the other was in 2 parts and took 90 min. Power Station #2 (lock #2) is the biggest power station in this part of the world. Before we go through the locks we have to wait our turn behind other ships waiting to continue along the Danube.
The weather is quite chilly today (probably around 15 degrees) so we really spend little time out doors on the boat. Fortunately our room has floor to ceiling windows so we have a great view.
Who has Bulgaria in their top 10 list of places to visit? I certainly didn't imagine myself here.
We were warned that the busses would be 'not the best' and had AC but again this would 'not be the best'. I don't know what I expected, but if not for the warning I wouldn't have noticed. The AC performed very well, considering it was 34 degrees today! The roads are another story all together...bumpy and narrow only begin to describe them with horses and wagons almost as common as vehicles. As the bus bounced through the Bulgarian country side, we spotted a few stork nests. Actually not difficult to spot - these nests are on the tops of power poles and are enormous.
We make stops at yet another church which was built as a typical barn on the outside during the time the Turks ruled the area as they demanded the belief in Islam. The inside of the church was amazingly decorated with frescos on all walls and the ceiling.
We then visited a fortress which although seems very old was in ruins and was rebuilt by the communisits. Then we had a stop for some shopping where Chris found a plastic liter bottle of beer for one USD!
Another one for the 'firsts' list...was 'going' in a hole in the ground. I knew this day would come and it was actually much, much better than I had expected.
