 |
| cross atop Sana Cruz last night |
 |
| full bus, but still got a row each |
windy at Agüimes
Steps – 6,224
We woke up in the beautiful Las Palmas container
port. This is not the first container port we’ve been in and likely won’t
be our last. Container ports are a not-so-desirable factor of being on a
cruise. It’s really no big deal unless you want a bit of a balcony sit with a
beautiful view before the ship sails – this is more Chris’ problem than mine,
as I typically hunker down for a nap while Chris reads outside.
container port
Today we had a pre-nap chore ahead of
San Sebastian Church
us. We learned
yesterday that we are not longer going to Tangier, Morocco and will instead be going
to Portimão, Portugal. Something about complicated immigration if we
leave the EU…I can’t see that this is new information that the cruise wouldn’t have
had long before yesterday, but who knows.
monument to St. Sebastian
Lots of people on here were more disappointed than we are about
the itinerary change. We were on a sailboat cruise in 2006 that stopped in
Morocco - a long time ago, but crossed off the Morocco, Africa list. Plus…you
can never be set on a cruise itinerary…something’s bound to change due to
weather, political situatio
pretty deserted
n, the Pope vacation bombing our time in Lisbon…lots
of factors.
Anyway…our morning started with a drive through Las Palmas learning
as usual from the guide. Las Palmas is the capital of the Canary Islands, actually
shared with Santa Cruz as the 
Coffee Nelson
capital - the parliament changes every 4 months. We
first stretched our legs in Agüimes, a medieval town in the southern part of
the island. We did a short walking tour to see the church, a hotel courtyard
and just wander a bit…I think we counted about 10 people other than those of us
on the tour…apparently no one lives in the historical centre…or does business,
or anything – it was a bit odd, cool little town, but oddly empty.
wind mills everywhere
Next, we visited a museum dedicated to the Guanches people,
prehistoric inhabitants of Gran Canaria, who once made their homes in caves. Here
we learned about daily life of these people – one of the biggest things of interest
is how they got water as it is not readily available on the surface. 
VERY narrow, windy roads
Some people
still live in these caves.
Lunch was a traditional tapas Canarian lunch at a local
restaurant –chicken wings (for the first time this trip), and other tapas
offerings, including the mojo sauce we learned to make yesterday.
surf
Some of the roads up the hills/mountains are so narrow,
they are only one-way. I’m not sure exactly now each car decides, but at one
point a car headed to us, had to back way, way up so we could pass. Our guide
got out to stop all other traffic.
Once back at the boat, we decide (over a Coffee Nelson) between the options for tours at Portimão and settle on a trip to caves (they seem to be a theme on this cruise) only accessible from the sea.
No comments:
Post a Comment