WELCOME BACK TO BARCELONA

We’re back.  We arrived back into port sometime around 5 am-not that I noticed.  I checked to make sure that the monster had been taken, which it had, and I worked my morning around a 9am departure.  As I was heading to breakfast groups of colours were already being called at 7am, but they were people with flights to catch and I was glad I had a few days in town before I had to head off.  Firstly I was able to store bags-I couldn’t imagine having all my gear in the cabin that I had-Linda wouldn’t have seen a mess if I had of done that and I didn’t have the stress of getting to an airport and I just hoped that there were taxis!!!

I had a book to swap at the ‘book swap’ section of The Library on deck 12.  I had left a book during the week, swapped it-read it and returned it this morning with another book that I had finished and wanted to swap.  You always feel like such a thief when you put a book in and take one out.  I feel like I want/need to show someone that I have put one in to take one out.  Ridiculous I know as people probably don’t really care.  There were more foreign language books in the swap library than English ones, but as long as they had one, I would take it.  I am still reading hard copy books while I can.  I much prefer that than the Kindle.  I wonder if books are expensive to get a hold of in Kenya like it was in Ethiopia.  Like Ethiopia, my only things I need on my wish list are internet and a bathroom.  I don’t think that is too hard to ask.  I am assuming that the cost of living will be more expensive in Kenya than Ethiopia and I have no idea on what the cost of a place to rent is-all this I guess I will find out when I arrive. 

Breakfast was a quick one this morning as it was SO cold outside this morning.  I had my delightful pancakes and fresh cream one last time and I was kind of happy that I didn’t see Sahul, the waiter from the other morning-talk about awkward.  I had nearly 1.5 hours till I was to leave the ship.  So I headed back to The Library and read my book in the warmth and comfort of a big cushy arm chair.  There was no-one else in there, I had the whole place to myself and it was a nice way to spend my last hour on the ship.  I headed back to my cabin at 8.30am as this was the time we were supposed to have vacated them by.  I was hoping I could hole up in there for an extra 30 minutes trying to maximise my time and delay my arrival to the hotel as late as I could get.  I got a knock from Linda not long after I got back, but she said to take my time, she had other cabins to do and she could come back to mine.  My stewardess Linda was a breath of fresh air during the week with her smile and saying good morning every day and I would see her on my way out each evening as I headed to the theatre.  She had one more cruise to do and then she was heading home to the Philippines for 7 weeks for a break before coming back.  I decided to leave her a small note on the dresser to say thank you for her smile every day and I also attached a kangaroo hat pin for her to remember me by.  Hopefully that made her smile.  Gee I hope she gets it!!!!  So at 8.50am I decided I better get my butt off the ship and let Linda have my cabin-she was just across the hall so with a hug and a quick chat I said my goodbyes and it was time to leave my home for the last 9 nights.

Deck 7 was the gangway and there was a line-up of staff, the cruise director and the second captain there all to say goodbye as we swiped our ship cards for the last time.  Welcome back to Barcelona and it was a chilly one at that.  The Barcelona port also looks quite new and well laid out.  After walking the access bridges and down the escalators we arrived at the baggage collection point and it was just like an airport, with bag carousels and each one was numbered with the coloured tag that you had on your bag.  It was a great system and the monster arrived only a few minutes of me getting to my belt.  I was able to use the edge of a counter to get the backpack on my back and then I was following people out to the taxi rank.  There was a small queue but it was moving and there was a port policeman moving the taxis into bays and another guy directing people to cabs as they pulled in and not even 10 minutes of waiting I was in a cab whisked away to the city.  There was a weird moment when I had a look behind me and I saw the English couple, Lee and Adele were standing behind me and didn’t say a single word to me.  So I thought ‘flip you’ and didn’t say anything to them.  I think what may have happened was I had a great report with Lee and I reckon Adele said something to him and they kept their distance.  I only saw them one other time in the buffet on like day 4 and they were very off Standish then.  I’m not sure what went down, but we never did catch up for that drink we spoke about on the first day of the cruise which is a shame as they seemed quite cool and we had a few things in common.  Oh well it was their loss.  That reminded me that I didn’t get to say goodbye to my Danish couple.  That makes me sad as they were lovely.  At least I do have their email address so I will be sure to send them an email in the next few days.       

As I sat in the taxi as it drew away, I couldn’t see a meter.  I thought how much could he rip me off.  I knew I paid 11EUR for the trip down so I had that price in mind for the return journey.  I am glad I had my vouchers as it makes it so much easier to communicate with the drivers when they know where they are going without my pathetic attempts at Spanish-but in saying that I am staying on the Ramblas and you can’t go too wrong saying that word.  As I found out when I arrived and had to walk the sucker, The Ramblas is a long tree lined street/pedestrian mall that stretches for 1.2 kilometres and with this in mind my taxi driver popped out right near my hotel-great work buddy.  So you can imagine my surprise when he told me the fare was 20EUR.  Actually it was 20.15EUR but he was happy to call it 20EUR.  Well how swell of you.  I really didn’t have a leg to stand on as I couldn’t see a meter anywhere so I just paid the 20EUR reluctantly and exited the cab.  I made him help me with the monster to get it on my back-he was going to work for that 20EUR.  I just don’t understand how an 11EUR cab ride down was a 20EUR cab ride back.  We were travelling at similar times-there was no traffic to speak of and we didn’t travel the whole length of the Ramblas.  Any way I wasn’t going to argue and I walked into the hotel to be greeted by the same guy that popped my bags into storage for free when I was last here.  He was also cute and my rip off taxi was immediately forgotten!  I asked if my room happened to be ready and he did look to which it was no.  He told me the room wouldn’t be ready till 1.30pm, maybe earlier which I did expect.  But he said he would check if there was another room that I could have.  He took about 10 minutes checking the computer and the log to no avail telling me that there were no other single rooms free.  I asked then how much extra would it cost to pay for a double room and at that moment another staff member appeared (also easy on the eye) and after a few words he said I could have room 207.  AWESOME!!!  I was SO thankful as I know they don’t have to do it, or they could and ask for money for an early check-in, but they didn’t and it really made my morning.  The first good looking chap remembered I had bags stored without me even mentioning it and I said I would take what I had up and be back for the other 2.  Once I got to my room I could see why he didn’t look at this room as it was a disabled room-which I didn’t mind.  It had a single bed and the bathroom was as big as the actual room itself but there was lots of room for my bags and would give me extra space for my final pack in a few days’ time.  I was happy. 

I retrieved my other 2 bags and then I pretty much locked myself away in my room for the rest of the day.  I had some blogs to finish, I had A LOT of support messages replying back to my down status I had put up on Facebook yesterday and all the messages just made me cry all over again, so I wanted to read them all and hopefully reply back and my BIGGEST job was to finally load all my photos from the last 9 days.  I had done all the hard work of editing them while I was on the ship, so I literally only had to load them.  It was nice to look over them again and it made me think that I should take the time to look over a lot more of my pictures that I have taken in the last 2 years, but it is just a time thing.  Well I will be a bit of a bum in Kenya for a little while so maybe I will have some ‘down’ time to just soak in everything I have accomplished over my time away and re read some blogs.  It would be interesting to ready a blog from the start of the Odyssey and compare it to how I am writing now.  I wonder if there is a difference at all.  I also have a few more things I need to do while I have a good internet connection from internet banking, updating my antivirus software, sending a few emails and of course the never ending blogging.  Yes I had the perfect day ‘at home’ with no constraints at all.  I did go out at 3pm to get some lunch and I just had to have some paella.  Paella is a Valencian cooking metal casing, and a rice dish that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera, a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.  There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella, seafood paella and mixed paella but there are many others as well. All contain white rice, green vegetables and meat depending on the option you choose.  I was feeling a little adventurous and ordered the seafood paella and lemonade and after the drink arrived I kicked myself as I should have ordered a glass of sangria.  Never mind.  So I settled on with my book in the warmth of the restaurant until my meal arrived and it looked delicious and I wasn’t disappointed, it tasted as good as it looked. 

As I had eaten such a late lunch I knew that I wouldn’t be too hungry for dinner but I would probably need something to get me through till breakfast in the morning.  So I found a supermarket and bought some Doritos, some crackers, and some ham and when I looked in the cheese section I was hoping to see Brie or Camembert but to avail BUT guess what was there?  Cow Cheese!!!  You know the cream cheese that come in 8 segments in a round cardboard case?  In my books that was just as good as the Brie/Camembert and with that in my basket, a can of coke and 2 passionfruit poppers I think I was set for a bit of a snack later on tonight if I needed.  Perfect. 

So it was a productive day for me.  Maybe not in the sense of being a tourist but I need to have ‘office’ days and I think after next week I am not sure when I will have internet again-so I need to make the most of it while I have it.  In my defence I have been to Barcelona twice before and I have done a lot of the ‘touristy’ things.  The only thing I haven’t really done here is the museums and I am not really a museum go-er so I don’t feel guilty that I am not getting around the city. 

Tick, tick tick-Africa in 4 days…….

FINAL DAY AT SEA AND OF THE CRUISE

I am still sleeping weirdly and with the dresser lights on.  I was lucky last night, one of the bulbs blew, so it dimmed the room considerably and I did get a better sleep.  I haven’t slept in a room with a window for the last 11 nights, so it's a little strange to not see what time of day it is and have no idea on what the weather is doing outside.  I had a windowless room in London, a windowless room in Barcelona and then the last 8 nights of the cruise-it is very disorientating to say the least. 

I’m glad that our last day is a sea day and not a port day.  It just lets you unwind that last minute without the pressures and constraints of time.  There seems to be a lot of new faces on the ship that we picked up in Malaga.  It would be interesting to know just how many people disembarked and how many boarded.  You spot the ‘newbies’ a mile off as they have the deck plan in their hands and they have a look of ‘where the hell are we’ on their faces.  I have a kind of smug feeling knowing where everything is and knowing my way around the ship and how it all works.  Pffftttt, newbies!!!  In saying that though, during the week there were people still getting lost that had boarded in Barcelona-after 5 days……  I must say there were a few places on the ship that I didn’t go into, most of the eating venues, but I did know where they all were. 

I had breakfast at 9am and this morning and it was a very smart move as there was an influx of people at 10am on my way out, so I was lucky today I missed the car wreck of breakfast with all the ‘newbies’ learning how to use the drink and coffee machines.  And to answer your question, they had cream and it was fluffy pancakes again for breakfast.  I know that I have probably put on some weight on the cruise, but I have tried to choose my food smartly but at the end of the day I should just make the most of what is in front of me as there will be nothing like that in Kenya.  Sure I am sure I could go to a 5 star hotel for a breakfast, but firstly it won’t be the same thing and it will cost me an arm and a leg.  I may do that as a treat to myself if I totally feel down, but there won’t be this where I am heading.  It is funny I have used that attitude since going home in August, so I have just eaten like a maniac the last 5 months-but in my defence I was heading to Africa in September and that fell through.  So I know I have definitely wacked on some weight since August, but hopefully once I get into a routine, cooking healthy food and maybe even throw in some exercise I will be able to shift some of that when I settle.  Just think I have basically been ‘eating out’ for the last 22 months, so really it is kudos to me for not being bigger than what I am right?  I mean that is a lot of takeaway meals-based on 3 meals a day-that’s 1848 meals.  I feel bad, I don’t feel healthy, but again I hope to rectify that in the coming months. 

As routine predicts I was in Galaxy of the Stars after breakfast to blog and watch the 10am salsa class.  It is SO cold in there I have my scarf up around my head and my cardie on, my jacket on my knees and socks on my feet.  I wonder why they keep it so cold in here-it’s been like this all week.  Maybe it’s for the exercisers?  I don’t know but flip its cold.  It was busier up here than usual with all the newcomers and I am now thinking that the ship mustn’t have been full when we did our first 8 days, as it certainly seems a lot busier today than any other day so far.  The average age hasn’t changed and we are still in that 60+ age group.  I don’t think I even thought about the age demographic when I booked the cruise.  Not that it would have mattered as I still would have booked on this cruise anyway.  A lot of the passengers are Europeans getting away from their prospective winters.  I guess the coldness of the lounge for them is nice and cosy when the temperatures in Germany or Denmark are 0 degrees.  Maybe I am just a hot blooded person from the southern part of the world? 

So today is the last day of the cruise.  I got a picture email from Shelly today of Zoe doing her seal experience that she got for her birthday from Aunty Sandy and it just bought a tear to my eye.  Gosh I miss those guys so much it actually makes my heart hurt a little.  With Africa looming it really makes me think now what I am actually giving up and what a big step I am undertaking.  I have been so good for the last 8 days being in my own company, in my own head, but today something has just flipped and I am tearing up at the drop of a hat.  I really don’t know what is wrong with me.  I am missing home but I guess it is a lot of things, some of them I can’t change and things that I just can’t foresee for my arrival into Kenya, the unknown.  I find myself under a really dark cloud and I hope that I will be able to move it in the coming days.  Am I feeling sorry for myself?  I don’t think so-there are a lot of people that would die to be in my shoes, I know that.  I am lucky-but it doesn’t mean that I am not fighting my own demons that surface every now and then.  After all I am only human I suppose.  I updated my Facebook status:

“No one said it was going to be easy-that just promised it would be worth it. I am finding that a little hard to grasp the last few days. I am so down and crying at the drop of a hat-what is wrong with me? 5 days till Africa-let’s hope my mood improves .......” and it is exactly how I felt.     

I used the afternoon to have a good cry and then I had to pack.  I really did have stuff from one end of the cabin to the other.  Linda must think I was a total pig not even having unpacked properly, literally-I didn’t even store my ‘monster’ backpack away, it just sat at the base of my bed the whole week.  Oh well it was an organised chaos, I knew where everything was, well most of the time.  The main thing I seemed to keep misplacing was the damn TV remote.  I got 90% of my stuff packed I will try and zip the monster after the show tonight so I can out the clothes I am wearing in the bag before I have to out it outside my cabin before midnight tonight for it to be collected.  You did have the option of taking it off the ship yourself at any time, but I would be crazy to do that with the monster.  I had the lime sticker on my bag, which was the last possible departure you can have off the ship of 8.45am.  I need to try and keep my departure as late as I can as I am pretty sure my hotel room won’t be ready at 9.30am-but I will still try and ask.  I did keep the airlines ‘HEAVY’ tag on my bag, so hopefully some porter guy won’t pull out his back moving that thing later tonight.  This is the second last time will have to pack.  That is one thing I WILL NOT MISS and that is all the packing, especially this section as I have all the extra clothes and bags with me.  It really has been a nightmare and cost me some money, but not knowing when I will get my belongings sent over, I needed to make sure I had enough stuff with me to keep me going for a while. 

The final show in the theatre the cruise was a guy named Andy Buenger.  He is a musician but not just any old musician he can play over 15 instruments!  He played 7 for us in the show including the marimba (like a xylophone), vibraphone, the panpipes, the steel guitar, drums, saxophone and trumpet.  He played well known tunes with all the instruments and he was backed with the amazing Norwegian Spirit 6 piece band and it was a great show.  I think the 2 highlights for me was the marimba.  He can play that thing like no tomorrow and he said the song that he just played had 1250 stokes in the 2 minute song.  He told us that he looked for a song that had more strokes than that and he couldn’t find one-BUT he did find a song that had 1200 strokes in ONE minute and he played that with illuminated sticks and with the theatre lights dimmed we could see just how fast he was moving those sticks.  It was incredible and to show my state of mind, it bought tears to my eyes.  Now why would that make you cry?  The second was Andy played a ‘drum off’ with the drummer from the band and it was so cool as they played together in time, then they played separate and then joined up again, t was well choreographed.  You could see the band drummer was tickled pink with his 5 minutes of fame and also looked like he enjoyed the opportunity.  Andy was a very clever man and you need to add in the 4 languages he knew and spoke in during the show.  It was a SENSATIONAL way to finish the cruise  The last show of the 9 nights on board and out of those 9 nights I think there were only 2 ‘ordinary shows’ the rest were incredible.  Well done on act selection NCL.  Well done.   

On my way back to my cabin I stopped at the reception desk for the first time as I wanted to check about the gratuities.  In Australia when you book they add the gratuities to the cost of your cruise fare.  I think Australian may have a bad reputation as bad tippers as we don’t have to do it in our country, so I can see why they do do it that way and I don’t mind.  I am a tipper and the staff certainly deserve the money.  They work like dogs and long hours and time away from their families.  Some of the staff have small children that are being cared for my grandparents or the other spouse.  It is a tough life.  So no I don’t mind paying the tips.  NCL have a policy that will automatically add 15USD per day to your account and I wanted to check that I wasn’t going to be paying the tip twice.  As it worked out, it wasn’t on their and my total bill came to 426USD.  It seems quite high for someone that didn’t buy a single drink the whole time, except for my soda package on day one of the cruise of 65USD, but 155USD was internet usage and I know it seems a lot, but that was my ‘thing’.  People drank, people played the pokies, people paid the fancy restaurants, I paid for internet.  I mainly did it to keep my blog updated, as I was able to catch up on my blogs and I wanted to load them as they were completed and of course some Facebooking to keep me in the land of the living.  And the last of the bill was the 3 shore excursions.  If my bill was 426USD with no drinks, what did peoples account look like that did drink?  That people is where the cruise companies make their money.  I can guarantee that people will be shocked to see their bill and when it is double checked that it is actually all correct.  I did a cruise with a buddy back in April 2011 of the Mediterranean on a MSC cruise and we had a drinking week on board the ship and my bill after 7 days was 1200AUD!!!  Now that was a MASSIVE bill and I knew it would be big, but that was 2 months into my Odyssey and I my budget was getting hammered in the first 8 weeks!!!!  Let’s just say a lot of alcohol was consumed on that cruise. 

I have to say I have enjoyed the cruise, but I am looking forward to getting back to Barcelona in the morning.  I have 3 days there to repack and prepare myself mentally for my last leg.  I have been so down the last few days and I really don’t know what is wrong.  I think I am ready to plant these travelling feet for a while and starting my new chapter.  5 days till I leave and I am nervous as hell.

So it’s good night one last time from the Norwegian Spirit and I’ll see you in Barcelona in the morning. 

THE WHITE WASHED VILLAGE OF MIJAS

So today is the last port of call and the second last day of the cruise.  We have a day at sea tomorrow and then we are back into Barcelona port first thing on Thursday morning.  Where has the time gone?  My tour today was a half day tour to Mijas.  The other tours that were on offer and more popular was a transfer to the Rock of Gibraltar and the other one was to Granada and the Alhambra which I had doe both when I was on my Contiki Spanish Spree in May 2011-gee was it really that long ago?  I was in my 3^rd month of travelling my World Odyssey and I made lifelong friendships off that tour…. You know who you are!  Anyway, so I didn’t have to do those tours; that were also full days, so I chose a more leisurely ½ day tour and thought I’d get out of the city and see one of the small villages. 

Based on that, there was no hurry for breakfast as my tour didn’t leave till 12.50pm from the terminal so I had decided to relax on the ship.  I could have caught the bus into Malaga and seen some of the city, but when I stepped out for breakfast, it was cold-no it was FREEZING, so I decided to stay on board and just do the tour.  This morning they had CREAM, so I was able to have my pancakes with fresh blueberries and cream and the last few days I have just been having 2 small ham and cheese rolls, I’ve stayed away from the fully cooked breakfasts and feeling better for it-I am sure that fresh cream makes up for anything I am missing out of the hot food-but DANG it is so good.  As usual the dining room was chockers, which surprised me as I though most people would have been out on tours at 9am.  I decided to brave the cold and eat outside, which once I had wolfed down my food I had to go back inside, it really was cold.  .  I guess we are well and truly back to a European winter and out of the Atlantic Ocean and its warmer weather.  I was talking to one of the waiters and he was from Indonesia, so I told him the few words I have learnt at school in Indonesian and we talked about food and he told me he had something (memory fails me) in his cabin if I was interested in having some that he bought from home.  Ummmmmm my question was it spicy, to which he relied yes, so there was my ‘out’ and I told him I don’t like super spicy food.  This was after he asked me if I was cruising on my own.  Had I just been picked up?  Oh Sahul-so sweet, but no thanks. 

So after spending the morning in galaxy of the Stars on deck 12 reading my book with a beautiful view of the Malaga skyline I headed out at 12.30pm to make my way to the terminal and our waiting coach.  The port of Malaga looks new and the facilities are all spotless and new.  They had some duty free shops (not for us) but we could pick up some shopping on our way back if we wanted to.  As we were in Spain a duty of 21% would be added to the prices on things.  I didn’t need anything but good to note.  I got to the coach with 5 minutes to spare and thankfully I wasn’t the last, there were 3 more people to come.  It was busier than I thought it would be with 85% of the coach full. At 12.50pm we were on our way.  Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain.  It is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. The southernmost large city in Europe, it lies on the Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun) of the Mediterranean, about 100 km east of the Strait of Gibraltar and about 130 km north of Africa.  Málaga's history spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. It was founded by the Phoenicians as Malaka about 770 BC, and from the 6th century BC was under the hegemony of Ancient Carthage. Then from 218 BC it was ruled by the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire as Malaca (Latin). After the fall of the empire it was under Islamic domination as Mālaqah for 800 years, but in 1487 it came again under Christians rule in the Reconquista. The archaeological remains and monuments from the Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and Christian eras make the historic centre of the city an "open museum", displaying its rich history of more than 3,000 years.  The internationally acclaimed painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso and actor Antonio Banderas were born in Málaga.

The city is an important tourist destination, known as "the capital of the Costa del Sol". Tourists usually visit the birthplace of Pablo Picasso and the Museo Picasso Málaga, the Carmen Thyssen Museum, the old town or the beaches. The Málaga harbour is also the second busiest cruise port of the Iberian Peninsula.  The Port of Málaga is the city's seaport, operating continuously at least since 600 BC. The port is one of the busiest ports on the Mediterranean Sea, with a trade volume of over 428,623 TEU's and 642,529 passengers in 2008.

The tour was called Charming Mijas and Countryside and we were admiring the countryside as we made our way via small back roads through the agriculture area of Malaga.  We were at sea level when we started; surround by the Sierra Nevada mountains which span the Andalusia region including the provinces of Granada and Almería.  It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3,478 metres above sea level and its spectacular from where we were sitting.  Agriculture of the area included bitter oranges, also known as the Seville orange, refers to a citrus tree and its fruit. It is hybrid between Citrus maxima and Citrus reticulata.  Many varieties of bitter orange are used for their essential oil, which is used in perfume, as a flavouring and as a solvent. The Seville orange variety is used in the production of marmalade.  We also saw flowering almond trees.  The almond is native to the Mediterranean climate region.  It was spread by humans in ancient times along the shores of the Mediterranean into northern Africa and southern Europe and more recently transported to other parts of the world.  I’ve never seen a flowering almond tree before and it reminded me of a cherry blossom tree.  There were thousands of banana plantations and lastly the other MASSIVE export for the region-Olive trees.  Olive tree cultivation originated in the Middle East more than 5,000 years ago and spread to the West throughout the Mediterranean area. From the wild olive trees that grew spontaneously, the first cultivators of the Iberian Peninsula began to choose those that had the best characteristics depending on the areas, productivity, adaptation to the soils, yield, etc... The olive trees in the Iberian Peninsula are now, therefore, hardy trees that can withstand diverse climate.  In Spain alone there are 260 olive tree cultivars and around 300 million trees just in Andalusia making the area the number one producer of olive oil in the world.  A shame I don’t eat olives. 

After an hour and 15 minutes winding our way over the mountains we arrived at the small town of Mijas.  Mijas is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga.  It is a typically Andalusia white-washed village located at a mountain side about 450 m above mean sea level, in the heart of the Costa del Sol region. There are some local history museums and many souvenir shops; Mijas also has seven golf courses (four more are under construction) including La Cala Resort, the biggest golf resort in Spain.  Economy is mostly based on tourism. Agricultural producers include potatoes, cereals and avocado.  Founded in prehistoric times by the Tertessians, it was known as Tamisa by the Romans; later the name changed to Mixa and finally to the current Mijas. The Romans were replaced by the Visigoths, and then, after 714, by the Moors.  At the time of emirate of Córdoba, it was conquered by Umar ibn Hafsun, remaining under the rule of Bobastro until the latter was defeated by Abd al-Rahman III.  In 1487 Mijas resisted to the attacks of the Catholic Monarchs during the siege of Málaga; later the inhabitants surrendered and most were sold as slaves. During the Revolt of the Comuneros it remained loyal to the Spanish crown, which granted Mijas the title of 'Muy Leal ("Very Loyal").  In the 19th century, Mija’s livelihood, were mainly agriculture and fishing, plus some farming and mineral extraction. And vines were the main wealth of Mijas until the Philloxera plague destroyed all the plantations. Also important was the paper production’s. It was found some mills located in the area of “Osunillas” 1744. At the half of the century, was the most productive time in the industry, thanks to the arrival of Valencia’s papermakers.  In 1873 they opened the road between Mijas and Fuengirola. Fuengirola was segregated from Mijas in 1841. However, the village remained isolated until the second republic, when the first newspaper arrived. There was no phone until 1953 and as descriptions of the time; the town consisted mostly of shacks. The population was scattered across the countryside.  At the post war period there was much hunger and lack of work.  In the 50’s an asbestos factory came to alleviate unemployment and began building small hotel because the fame that Costa del Sol was getting.  The Climate of Mijas, due to the proximity of the sea, conditions mild temperatures, with an average of 18 °C without heat in summer and little frost in winter. The rainfall is below 600ml per year. They occur mainly between November and January. The town boasts some 2920 hours of sunshine a year. 

Once we arrived we were given 10 minutes for the ‘older’ generation to go to the bathroom and then as a group we made our way from the main village square uphill for a small orientation tour of the town with a rest at the ‘Wine Museum’ and rewarded for our 10 minute walk with a glass of crisp white dessert wine and then taken further through the small cobbled streets surrounded by the stark white walls of the buildings to another small square and then given 1.5 hours to spend to our own devices and to meet back at the main square at 4.15pm.  We were pointed in the direction of up one more hill to get views over the valley and also over the white washed homes that hugged the mountains and we weren’t disappointed when we got to the top.  There was a small reserve/gardens called La Muralla, where there is a pathway around the mountain that you could follow and just appreciate the view and at the same time get some great snaps.  The Municipal Auditorium was also located up here.  It was windy and a little brisk, but the sun was out to help counter act the howl of the wind and I spent a good 30 minutes walking around the path.  It truly was stunning here.

On my way back down to start making my way back to the coach, like most towns in Andalusia, Mijas has its own bullring, the Plaza de Toros. Situated in the earlier mentioned La Muralla area, the bullring stands on a small square, within easy walking distance of the gardens, the Municipal Auditorium and the centre of the town. Built in 1900, the Plaza de Toros is one of the most interesting sights in Mijas.  It was a cute little bullring, only the second one that I have ever seen after the one we saw in Seville in my Spanish Spree tour, but here we were allowed to walk into the actual ring.  It was 3EUR to get in and I think it was worth every penny.  I was the only one in the whole establishment, so I knocked myself out taking a bunch of photos.  This outstanding bullring, built in 1900, stands in the higher part of town on a rock next to the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción.  Its most remarkable feature is its oval shape (one of a few in Spain).  The first bullfighting event in Mijas took place on 8 September 1900. Since then, there have been hundreds of young bull running events. These have their origin in how young bulls were brought from the meadows in the past. Instead of using boxes, they were driven along roads and tracks to a rest place where now the Mijas Hotel is located.  After the break, the young bulls where driven across a deserted town centre to the bullring. In those days, just like they do now, the assistants must have felt tempted to run ahead of the bulls, with their legs and maybe a timely window as protection.  There are no running events now. The bullring was closed for rehabilitation from 1968 to 1977.

I found my way back uneventfully to the main square.  All the little alleyways look the same, so you have to pay attention to the stores and signs which are in Spanish and also English as it could be quite easy to get lost in this small village when all the buildings look the same.  But never fear, I made it back with time to have a look at the shops that faced the main square-all selling the same stuff and then the coach arrived right on time, we all got on, everyone was accounted for and we made our way back to the ship via the main highway getting us back in 45 minutes at 5pm.  It was a great little tour and I am glad that I did it to get off the ship and see some of the Spanish countryside.  Thanks to Miguel or driver and to Jose our guide for a delightful afternoon.

The buffet dinner was closing at 8pm tonight as they were having the chocolate buffet starting at 9pm which actually worked out okay for me as I didn’t have any lunch so after dropping off my bag to my cabin I headed to dinner early and figured I could always get something latter on should I get hungry after the show.   It was also a double bonus as I was on deck for the sunset at 6.20pm and to also see the Holland America ship “Rotterdam’ leave.  I still marvel at how those little tug boats work.  There was just the one tugboat and it basically turned the 62,000 tonne ship 180 degrees for the ship to then chug its way out of port.  Really it is amazing.  There were hundreds of seagulls all swooping as the ship left port.  I guess the ship was churning up a lot of the sea floor and they were hoping to scavenge some food.  Literally there were hundreds of them and it made for some good photos-if they come out.  I think flying birds are one of the hardest pictures to take.  It was a shame that I only had my point and shoot on me.  There seems to be something wrong with my little friend.  I have some black lines appearing on the screen and they seem to get worse when the weather is cold and it currently won’t let me delete any pictures anymore.  I do get my monies worth out of my camera’s as they certainly work hard in the hands of myself, so I can’t really complain-but I did only buy this camera in July.  It wasn’t super expensive; I think I may have paid 110AUD, so I just may have to keep my eyes peeled duty free for a new one when I leave Barcelona.  I mustn’t forget to mention that beautiful sunset over the Sierra Nevada’s with the shipping container cranes silhouetted.   It was an incredible view.  As soon as the sun set, there was a distinct chill in the air and the wind was still blowing a gale force, so it was time to head back to the cabin to freshen up and get to the Stardust Theatre for the evenings show.     

I feel so ridiculous now as I wait for the theatres doors to open each night.  I am getting that pedantic that I want the same seat each night that I am now getting there early, before the doors even open; to make sure I am one of the first in.  The first 4 days there were hardly anyone waiting, me and this old couple and an older dude travelling his own, to the last few nights around 20 of us all standing waiting and I am embarrassed to say I am the only one under the age of 50 out of that 20, not including the wheel chair lass, as they need the extra time to settle in.  When the doors open I feel like I need to pop out my elbows and like a comedy skit push over all the old people to make sure none of them get my seat.  Funny and sad all at the same time.  I am lucky I am the 6^th row up and a lot of the first comers are after the first row anyway.  Lucky for them.  The show was SENSATIONAL tonight.  It was a combination of Cripton the Magician and his wife Renata, the duo of Dou Amore-the acrobatic/dancers and the Norwegian Dancers and the show was called Elements.  Everyone was incorporated and the show ran through earth, fire, rain, sunshine and finishing with snow.  The costumes were magnificent, there were rope climbers, the whole theatre was used for the show, including up the aisles and it was a new looking set from what we had seen all week.  It really had it all.  The magician was great, but he had two tricks that really didn’t work and I feel embarrassed for him.  The first one was he had to blow a bubble for his next trick to progress to the next part of the show and he took 3 attempts to get a damn bubble and only just caught one to give you the idea of what he was doing.  And the second act was the ‘magic’ lifting of Renata in the air using the water tray he had her lying in which did look impressive and he did the hoop over the body thing to show you there was nothing holding her up but as she came down you could see she was sitting on a small seat of some kind and see a bar going up her back, but still seeing that, I don’t know how he gets the hoop around her.  The grand finale had all of the dancers, singers, and acts on stage in their snow outfits and small pieces of paper getting blown around on stage making it look like it was snowing and then they called up all the stewards and stewardesses, the drinks guys, the bar staff, the wait staff in the restaurants, the head chef and his guys and then the senior officers and finally the captain.  It gave me goose bumps as all these people are required to make your holiday a special one and the catch tag that NCL had was we are now their ambassadors.  What a great end to a show and they all got a standing ovation.  The last people to come out were the hand washers.  They have these guys at the entrances of all the restaurants and the catch cry for these guys is “washy washy” and my Indonesian guy was up there with his towel mate Roger.  It is strange to have the finale on our 2nd last night.  I wonder why they didn’t do the show tomorrow night for the Barcelona passengers?  What a great show to start the Malaga people on though!  Beats our comedian guy who I didn’t even see, but apparently he wasn’t that great. 

As it worked out I wasn’t that hungry and after the show made my way back to my cabin.  I will have to pack all my crap tomorrow that I have strewn all over the place.  I never did end up unpacking properly.  I could have left ½ the clothes I bought in Barcelona but not knowing what the weather was going to be like I was better to be safe than sorry.

That completes our last port of call.  A day at sea tomorrow and then back into Barcelona.  I have had a great time on the ship but with only 22 minutes left of internet time and the buffet dinner getting a little tiring I think I am looking forward to getting back to land and then preparing for my last flights into Africa.  Crap-Africa in 5 days.  FIVE DAYS.  Still hasn’t hit me yet!

GETTING MY SEA LEGS-JUST IN TIME FOR END OF THE CRUISE

We moved our clocks forward an hour last night which works in my favour I believe when I wore at 7am it was really 6am, but 7am looks better right?  I got caught watching a clip in E Entertainment on TV and didn’t leave my cabin till 9am.  Not sure why this feels so weird to me, but I am normally just finishing breakfast now and heading up to Galaxy of the Stars on deck 12.  But what am I in a rush for?  My daily routine had changed and it felt strange!  After only mentioning last night about not seeing my Danish couple I saw then this morning at breakfast and have now got their names and details.  Frits and Elisabeth-they are so sweet and after they had finished their breakfast Elisabeth came over and we chatted for about 40 minutes while Frits went for a walk.  It was nice to have a conversation again with someone and when I think the last time that was it was probably day 2 of my cruise with Lee and Adele.  I speak to my room attendant each day-but that is generalities-a good ol conversation has been a long time overdue.  Elisabeth asked for a card with my details and I think about the business cards I got made before I left in August with all my Ethiopia details and a picture of Zeme and I on them.  I told her no-I didn’t have cards and I gave her my email and blog address on a piece of paper.  I must say I did throw all those cards out when I got back to Australia along with any photos I had printed of Zeme and l, along with all my IPod photos deleted of the two of us.  It was like a big cleanse for me-but what a waste.  I just LOVE the saying ‘remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck’ and I know that.  There are bigger and better things waiting for me out there.

It was a lot cool this morning and not many people at breakfast at 9am.  I wonder if they were all still on yesterday’s time as when I left at 10.30am there was a hell of a lot more people around.  Looking at the ocean the waves don’t look that big, but the ship is really rolling today and I feel sorry for the old people trying to navigate their way around the ship.  I’m just at the ready to catch any of them that are walking in front of me in case they fall.  It really is disconcerting walking around on a ship that has a roll to it, and that’s with my ‘young’ legs.  Sitting in Galaxy of the Stars you get a 180 degree view of where we are and there is nothing as far as the eye can see, not in front, port or starboard-just the horizon and a lot of water.  I didn’t even see another ship-not one.  Galaxy was just wrapping up a question and answer time with the Captain and his senior officers.  I caught the last 2 questions and one was with the cancellation of the port call yesterday why we didn’t high tail it to Malaga to give us some extra time there instead.  The Captain answered that question and said that the ports are booked 1-2 years in advance, it is quite hard to get a berth at short notice and by the time the request went to Miami to Malaga and back to the ship the Captain saw no positive in getting us into Malaga at midnight-there was nothing to be gained in doing that.  Good question and good response.  The other question was when we had our mandatory lifeboat drills on the first day we weren’t required to have our life jackets with us-each cruise line is different and NCL had changed their policy that you no longer needed to bring your life jackets with you as they were cumbersome to passengers and to NCL the most important thing is knowing where your evacuation station was rather then getting you there with the lifejackets on.  Interesting to know. 

As the morning wore on I was in the lunge to see the towel folding demonstration.  For those of you who may have not had the good fortune to cruise before each night your steward comes into your cabin for a turn down service and they leave these cute and crazy towel animals, made out of..well towels.  So they had a demonstration of the top 10 animals they make.  They had housekeeping taking this talk and it gave one of the head guys a chance at his 45 minutes of fame and he was actually quite good with his explanations and jokes.  My stewardess Linda was up there with 2 others and I have to say she was the best roller and animal maker out of them all!!!!  All the bodies of all the animals seem to be a standard roll and then it is the hand towels and face washers that create and complete the masterpieces.  I have to say my favourite one out of them all was the mouse, which was left last night on my bed and I hope to keep till the end of the cruise.  He is a cutie.  They don’t keep the animals each day, I guess there would be a shortage of towels if they let everyone keep the animals ‘alive’ for the duration of the cruise-which is a shame as it would have been a great photo to get the whole zoo in on the last night. 

I was also still in the lounge for the next activity which was ‘Name that 80’s Tune’.  I did turn my IPod off for this one and thought I would just play on my own to see how I fared.  There were 20 songs that the staff played and when it came time to mark I got 13 out of 20.  There were a group of 4 that got 20 out of 20-which is pretty impressive.  I can’t believe that I didn’t even get the name of Boy George’s song Karma Chameleon… but Shelly would be proud that I got Maneater right, which was a song that was played at my wedding.  Was that PC back then now that I think about it?

I was also still in the lounge for the next activity which was ‘Country Line Dancing’.  I tell you they get the numbers on the dance floor.  There would have been 25 people out there and to start off with it looks like a train wreck as they are getting taught the steps but I looked back up after a while and they actually all looked quite good and all in time with each other.  It was funny to watch at times when the ship got a roll the 2 steps would become 3 or 4 as they tried to then compose themselves back to the steps, but they were all in time with the sway as well.  Good on them for giving it a go is all I have to say.  Half way through the dancing my computer was about flat and it was 2.30pm and lunch time for me.  So I packed up all my gear and as I was already on deck 12, so I headed to buffet and then into my cabin for a few hours till it was time to get ready for the show.  I didn’t want to be late for this one as my fav band of the cruise FourEver were back again and they were just as good as the first time.  The poor buggers were supposed to get off yesterday in Lanzarote but as we didn’t stop they will disembark tomorrow in Malaga.  I wonder how they get paid and if it is worth it?  I guess it must if the acts come onto the ships.

So that sums up what was another day at sea.  We have a port of call tomorrow in Malaga, one more ship day and then back onto land and into Barcelona and even though I have had a nice time on the ship, it is time for me to get moving onto my next chapter, getting to Kenya and seeing if I can make a life there.  I am still a little precious, emotionally, but I think I am holding up okay all things considered and remembering that I really haven’t had a lot of conversations with people the whole trip, I thought I may have gone batty after a week-but again I am doing okay. 

LANZAROTE CANCELLED AS STORM FRONT MOVES IN

Another busy day with a full day tour booked including a buffet lunch.  Well so we thought.  This morning was the first morning that my alarm woke me up, and yes I am still sleeping with a light on, so I must admit my sleeps aren’t quite fitful-but I did have that slight heart attack when I was in London in a windowless room (they are cheaper) and I woke at 10 thinking it was am but it was pm.  It is an awful feeling-being disorientated and you would think after all this travel I would be used to it.  I guess not. 

I was looking forward to my pancakes and cream this morning and of course I still wanted my eggs and sausage as well.  It is hard when you are eating on your own in the buffet restaurant because if you need to leave the table to go and get another drink or more food, the waiters swoop in on your table to clear it and if it’s busy people will take your table thinking that you have finished.  I don’t have anyone to stay put while I go and get things.  It can be hard at times but maybe it has helped me not getting a second helping of something, but not this morning.  I had all my stuff with me that I needed for the day tour, including a jacket, so I was able to leave the jacket and my first course on the table and then head in to get my pancakes and cream.  When I came back and finally sat down it dawned on me that we didn’t seem to be anywhere near port and it was 7.30am.  We could see land, but it was a long way off, hmmmmm I wonder what was happening to be late again!!!  Well we didn’t have to wait long.  An announcement came at 8am from the Captain, which at first I couldn’t quite hear and didn’t understand much of what was said except at the end he said enjoy your day on Norwegian Spirit….. Something in that statement didn’t sound right…..  And then the announcement was repeated by the cruise director which I could understand better.  Basically our port of call to Lanzarote had been cancelled due to high winds in the port and the possibility of a storm front this afternoon of winds up to 35-40 knots which I would assume would make us getting out of the port a nil impossibility.  We were also going to cruise at 20mph as to try and miss the storm front we were heading into and were told it may get rough this afternoon and to be extra cautious walking around the ship.  It sounded ominous but as I made my way back from breakfast there were spew bags already adorning tables and banisters throughout the ship.  It must be serious.

It was a bummer that we weren’t stopping at Lanzarote as it was one of the places I was looking forward to.  My silver lining was it was the most expensive shore excursion so it will be refunded to my account and there are people worse off than I.  Think of the domino effect of a ship not coming into port.  The staff on the ship don’t get any time off-I bet they must look forward to it no matter how long or short.  My steward, Linda, got off the ship for only 1.5 hours yesterday but she said it was great and she went and had McDonalds.  There are the tour operators that aren’t getting the clients which in turn no work for the locals and tips.  What do they do about the supply of food?  They hadn’t counted on having 2000 people on board at sea-do they have extra provisions for something like this or do they dip into food that was for Barcelona and then pick up extra food in Malaga?  What about the food suppliers in Lanzarote?  I am sure that the ship must be stocked with supplies from there-whether it be food, alcohol, supplies or the dumping of waste or rubbish.  Maybe there is a ship stuck there and can’t get out till the winds die down?  Where is our Costa ship?  So looking at all of the above-it seems like a logistical nightmare to cancel a port, so I am sure it is a difficult decision to make.  Not to mention some unhappy clients on the ship.  I haven’t seen any, but I am sure there must be some whingers out there that have said their piece.  I don’t understand people like that.  The decision has been made to keep us safe and the ship in one piece (especially after the track record of this particular ship) and it is the same when flights are delayed due to weather or mechanical faults-it is for their own safety and I just cannot believe that people don’t look at the bigger picture when these things crop up and unfortunately that is the beast of travelling.  Not everything is going to go to plan-things go wrong, planes are delayed, storms come and go, taxis have strikes in the city where you actually need one and a multitude of other things that are out of your control.  Touchwood I have been EXTREMELY lucky on my whole Odyssey that I had no major setbacks.  A few things here and there like the date change of my Galapagos cruise, missing a flight in Cairo heading to Nairobi, the cancellation of one of my internal flights in South America but in the scheme of how much I travelled, again touchwood, I have been lucky.  The last thing is the new activities on the ship now that we had a day at sea.  They must have contingency plans like this, I am sure it is not the first time that a port has been cancelled and I must admit, again they work fast and a new schedule was up within the hour.     

So another day at sea.  What was I going to do today?  I’ll get cracking on my Madeira blog-it’s a biggie-so I may as well tackle that while I can.  So with my computer in my bag I made my way up Galaxy of the Stars lounge and ‘my’ spot was already taken, but I think that worked out okay as I feel there is a lot of pressure sitting there as you are up on a small stage and people look at you every time they walk into that part of the lounge.  Too much pressure, so I found a nook at the back of the lounge that had a table and if I needed a power point to boot and more room to spread my crap.  I had also bought up my dairy as I needed to also update that and that would happen once my battery went flat on the computer.  I knew my Madeira blog was a biggie but man it took me 2.5 hours to pump that puppy out but there is a relief and a feeling of accomplishment every time I finish an entry and this one was no different.  I used my satellite account to upload and realised I was getting low on minutes.  I will have to purchase some more credit and I was in a quandary on which package to buy.  Another 100USD got me 250 minutes or 55USD for 100 minutes.  I try and limit my access to 30 minutes a day, based on 4 more days at sea; I went with the 55USD package and hope that it will see me through to the end of the cruise.  It will be funny to see my account at the end of the cruise.  I don’t have a single alcoholic drink on my account.  I have 3 shore excursions, a soft drink package I purchased on day one of the cruise and the internet credits.  I wonder if I am the lowest account they have EVER had for a 9 night cruise?  The only way someone can beat me is to have done no shore excursions, which is possible with the oldies and to have not used the internet, which is probably a pretty good bet that they certainly would be doing 100USD worth.  So I guess it is possible for someone to beat me.  But it would be close, I’m willing to wage.       

 

It is a week today till I start my last journey to Africa next week.  It is a yahoo and an ahhhh moment all at the same time.  I am now getting butterflies when I think about it.  I hadn’t really hit me yet as I was doing so much before I got to Kenya.  The good news is I have a friend picking me up when I arrive, so that has settled my nerves a little bit and it will be nice to see a friendly face as soon as I arrive.  It feels like I left Australia months ago and not just 19 days ago.  That really is insane, but I guess I have done so much in those 19 days that it seems longer to me.  I have all these stats in my diary and it was good to read over them.  Today is my 574^th day of actually travelling.  It’s not counting the 2 trips I have had home, if I count them that makes it a total of 658 days.  I left Australia on the 29^th March 2011.  To think that I am coming up to a 2 year anniversary of travelling on my Odyssey is surreal to me as the trip only originally started out as a 12 month gig, which extended to 14 months and then  added on the USA and ended up being 19 months.  I was always planning on coming home, I never in my wildest dreams expected that my life would change that much and that I would be moving to Africa.  The thought never crossed my mind.  After talking to my BF Shelly, she said she knew deep down that I wouldn’t be back to live, that I would find something or someone, and that I wasn’t going to be moving back.  She said that is why she was so sad the first time that I left.  It is funny what people see that you just quite have the picture yourself, just yet. 

Lunch was busy today-like grannies and poppies everywhere and it was difficult to get a seat inside or outside.  The sun was out but there was still a small nip in the air.  The sea was rough but so far not too bad-certainly nothing to warrant any sea sickness bags at least.  I think all the British passengers were thankful for the day at sea as they all seemed to be crammed around all the available TV’s to watch a football match.  I was just reading my book at the table after lunch when some old folk asked if they could join me as I was smack bang in front of a large TV.  I told them I was done anyway and let them have the table.  I went to the library to see if there were any books available at the book swap shelves.  On the first day there were a bevy of books and I took one (whoops I didn’t swap) but today there was not much left and what was there was in Dutch.  There was one book in English and can you believe that I had read before.  What are the odds of all the books in the world, the only one left was one that I had read.  Priceless.  Then I remembered I had my Kindle so I will just use that.  I was back to the cabin at 2pm and chillaxed and watched the Bourne Identity on TV.  I really have a craving for nachos and can you believe out of all the places to eat on the ship they don’t have nachos on the menu.  There are pay restaurants that you can eat at like the Sushi Bar which is a-la-carte, La Trattoria 15USD-Italian, Shogun 15USD Asian fusion, Le Bistro 20USD French, Cagney’s 25USD Steakhouse and Teppanyaki 25USD Japanese.  No Mexican.  Bugger.

7pm came and it was time to head to the show.  Duo Amore was the act tonight and they were a French act from Paris.  They were, I guess you would call acrobats/dancers.  There was just the 2 of them, a male and a female, and their opening act started on the ribbon cloths suspended from the ceiling. And he was wrapped in one.  She was definitely a dancer, classical trained as she went right up onto her toes and the first time I saw it I ooooooo’d out loud.  To see some-one actually do that pose is an incredible sight.  She was SO flexible and she also did a solo routine on a hoop suspended from the roof and it was just awe inspiring.  Also taking into account the roll of the ship, as it was rough outside, they were true professionals.  There was one move they all did that made the whole audience gasp and that was when he had her over his head and she was in a ball position, with her hands grabbing her feet and then he let her go and she dropped over his head and he stopped her hitting the ground with his thighs and feet.  WHAT A MOVE.  They also threw in some Dancing with the Stars routines and the Dirty Dancing lift.  His upper body strength was remarkable as he had a few routines on his own with the ribbons and busted a few great moves himself.  They truly were INCREDIBLE.  They then continued to WOW the audience for 40 minutes to an amazing end to them both on the ribbon swinging around in stage all dressed in white.  She looked amazing as she had a twig figure and he was very deliciously built and shirtless wearing those ballet tights that just magnify the crotch area.  What a GREAT show! 

At the end of the performance the cruise director mentioned that FourEver were going to be performing tomorrow night which surprised me and then I remembered that they were supposed to get off at Lanzarote today, the poor buggers.  So I guess why not do another show if they are on board.  That’s a win for us as they were also amazing.  Hands down I would have said they were the best act of the week so far…until tonight-now I’m not sure who I would pick.  Well done NCL for getting some quality up on stage. 

For dinner I just couldn’t stomach another buffet, so I decided to head to the Blue Lagoon Café.  This serves what they call snack food (included in your cruise price) till 4am in the morning.  You still get a choice of starter, main and dessert if you wish and it just felt like I was having a normal meal.  I am finding the buffet is serving the same food every day in regards to the main staples of the pasta, salads and the ‘American’ section and I have not really liked the looks of the other hot food they have been serving.  They do have the carvery that has a new meat every lunch and dinner, so I have pretty much been sticking to that and salads-but I just needed a change.  So with a won ton soup for a starter and English fish and chips for main I felt half human again and made my way back to my cabin.  We had to wind our watches forward an hour before we went to bed tonight so now it was 10pm already-just like that.

I was feeling a little blue tonight.  Don’t get me wrong I am still enjoying my cruise.  I haven’t seen the English couple or my Danish couple since day 2 but I’m okay with that, that’s not the issue.  But I think the reality of what I am about to embark on is starting to kick in and then I miss everyone back home and I was thinking about my mum and I gave Zeme a minute of my time as well and it just made me a little blue and a little reflective.  I think we all need that sometimes and it makes me more determined to appreciate each day I have and to know that tomorrow is a new day and life keeps on rolling along, literally at the moment as the ship is in some pretty rough waters.  With those thoughts in my head I went to sleep with the image of pancakes and cream in the morning.  See I’m feeling better already.     

THE VOLCANIC ISLAND OF SANTA CRUZ, TENERIFE-CANARY ISLANDS

I was awake at 6am this morning.  I didn’t have to meet my tour at the Stardust Theatre till 9.30am.  So I decided to get some underwear washing done.  There had been a washing bag left on my bed last night that you could get done for 25USD.  It’s actually not too bad a price, but I only had a few shirts, a skirt and undies to wash and didn’t seem worth that.  So I washed my undies and I’ll save my washing for when I get to Kenya.  I can’t remember the last time I actually hand washed any clothes; I have always paid to get them done as the pricing hasn’t been too bad.  Sorry to my steward Linda when she walks into my bathroom this morning……  I am still sleeping with a light on in the cabin as I am afraid if I turn the light off I will just sleep through and miss the next day all together.  It really is pitch black in an inside cabin at any time of the day-black-the darkest of darkness and perfect sleeping conditions with the hum of the ships engine and a roll of the ocean to rock you to sle……….snore….snore….snore… Yeah I think I will keep that light on-I certainly didn’t want to sleep in today.  I had a full day tour booked of the island of Santa Cruz. 

The great thing of a later tour is that sunrise was at 8am and I was at breakfast at 8.30am, so I got to see the beginning of a new day.  Tenerife looked bigger than what I had imagined and as I ate my breakfast on the back deck of the ship I got a bird’s eye view of us coming into port, following another ship and the new days light hitting the very green slopes of the island as the city comes to life.  There were 3 other ships in port, there were 2 from the German company Aida and a ship called the Saga Sapphire which I have never heard of.  Plus us made 4.  It was going to be a busy day on the island.  I wonder where Costa has cruised to? 

The buffet breakfast is starting to take its toll on me and not food wise, even though that is getting to me but people just don’t watch where they are going.  They just pull out without checking, people bang into you as they try and pass without saying excuse me and not to mention old people that take 10 hours to put some fruit on their plate.  In my head everyone is Pops and Grandma and I have been very patient for the whole cruise, but today just seemed more pronounced than any other day.  Maybe they are getting cabin fever-hell maybe I am getting cabin fever?  I do suck it all up and smile as I know that one day that will be me.  I did discover something awesome at breakfast today and that is fresh pancakes which I hear you say no big deal, but I also found the fresh blackberry jam that goes with them and for the piece de resistance- the FRESH cream…. Oh yes-no pancake is complete without fresh cream on a fresh pancake.  It couldn’t have come at a better time when I was getting sick of the bacon and scrambled eggs that I have had every morning so far.       

Welcome to Tenerife-Santa Cruz-Canary Islands

Tenerife is an island created volcanically, building up from the ocean floor 20–50 million years ago.   

We arrived on time after yesterday’s 1 hour late arrival and we were just as swiftly deployed from the theatre to our waiting coaches for our day tour.  We had a few early hick-ups before we even left the port.  The air-conditioning was working, so we spent a few minutes waiting as the driver fixed that and then the microphone wasn’t working but a few more minutes and this was also sorted.  The coach looks brand new actually-it still smells like a brand new car and was a lap of luxury with full leather seats and clean windows.  I did the right thing again and took the back seat and again I was rewarded with being the only person to sit there and with the seats in front of me also spare.  It was a perfect photo taking position from the coach.  Our guide must have been 65+ and I had to really concentrate on his English but he knew what he was talking about as he had lived on the island his whole life.  He said we were lucky with the weather as it had been raining all week and was due to rain again tomorrow.      

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital (jointly with Las Palmas) of the Canary Islands located about 210 kilometres off the north western coast of Africa within the Atlantic Ocean.  Between the 1833 territorial division of Spain and 1927 Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the sole capital of the Canary Islands, until 1927 when a decree ordered that the capital of the Canary Islands be shared, as it remains at present.  The port is of great importance and is the communications hub between Europe, Africa and Americas, with cruise ships arriving from many nations.  Its harbour is one of Spain's busiest; it comprises three sectors. It is important for commercial and passenger traffic, as well as for being a major stopover for cruisers en route from Europe to the Caribbean. The city also has one of the world's largest carnivals. The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife now aspires to become a World Heritage Site, and is the most important of Spain and the second largest in the world.

The area on which now stands the city and the municipality of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has been the subject of human occupation since the time of the Guanches, approximately 2000 years ago, as attested by the archaeological sites found. The area was known to the Guanches, the first inhabitants of the island, as Añazo. Later, it became one of the most important ports of the Atlantic and the Canary Islands, a status it retains to this day. This former fishermen's village rose to prominence after a Volcano destroyed the port of Garachico in the 18th century.  Santa Cruz became the major port on the Island. It first won its independence from La Laguna and, in the 19th century, was awarded the status of Capital of the Canary Islands province by King Ferdinand VII.  Between 1833 and 1927 Santa Cruz de Tenerife was the sole capital of the Canary Islands. In 1927 a Royal decree ordered that the status of capital city of the Canary Islands would be shared with Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. This arrangement remains in place today.  The Santa Cruz de Tenerife-La Laguna Metropolitan Area forms the second largest city and metropolitan area of the European Union outside Europe.

The first thing we notice when we pull away from the port is the Opera House.  It is an interesting building that resembles slightly of the Sydney Opera House in its unusual shape.  It is an emblematic building of Spanish architecture. The building has an organic and famous structure in the shape of 'sails' with white blue rollers and has become a symbol of the city, island and archipelago. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the Auditorium of Tenerife was constructed in 2003.  It is one of the main attractions of Tenerife and the Canary Islands.  From here we started our ascent up to the centre of the island and what was going to be the highlight of the day Teide National Park.  But first we had to pass through a part of the island, The Esperanza Forest.  Not only were there hundreds of massive green pines, but the views and the landscape we followed along the mountain ridge that runs through the north east of the island was INCREDIBLE.  Not only pine trees but you could also see cypresses, eucalyptus trees and a lot of other interesting plants. Apparently is often foggy in the forest because it is located in the zone where the clouds of the trade wind stick which in turn makes the forest so green-but we had a glorious day and even Carlos our guide, said that it was unusual to have such a clear day this time of year.  I couldn’t stop taking photos and I know I will have a lot to delete when I get home tonight.  We also got our first glimpse of Mt Teide which is not only the highest mountain on the island but also of Spain.  It was a magical view and Carlos stopped the coach twice for us to get off and be able to get some photos and then he also stopped a few times for us to take photos from the coach.  What a good man.  The forests of Canary Island Pine occur from 1000–2100 m, covering the middle slopes of the volcano. 

We stopped for a coffee break and blue loo as Carlos like to call it.  He said that you don’t need to pay for toilets on the island.  The Canarians see it as a human right to go to the toilet and don’t believe in charging you for it.  Nice sentiment I guess.  The restaurant we stopped at was busy.  There were another 3 coaches in plus motorbike riders and day trippers.  It was after all a Saturday and there were hikers and walkers also out and about.  There was one smart business woman selling chocolate coated almonds which don’t sound that amazing-until you ate one and they were just delicious.  Her try before you buy theory worked on me and before I knew it I had paid 11EUR for 2 small bags gift boxed.  I mean there weren’t even cashews which are always more expensive than almonds and I am just grateful that she didn’t have them as they would have been more expensive to buy.  I justified the cost as I haven’t really spent anything on this section, which is a GREAT thing but one little splurge, well 2, I also bought a beautiful small ceramic plate that I will be able to use for my jewellery or for nuts or something.  It hit me that I can really buy up if I want because my next stop is Kenya-Home.  I just have to carry the stuff, but what are a few souvenirs when I have 60kg of luggage already?  Pfffff a walk in the park.  For the record the plate only cost 10EUR-my almonds were more expensive than that!  But they were good and locally produced, so I was giving back to the community! 

After a 30 minute stop here it was time to head into the park.  Teide National Park is centred around 3718 m Mount Teide, the highest mountain of Spain and the islands of the Atlantic (it is the third largest volcano in the world from its base). It was declared a national park on 22 January 1954, making it one of the oldest national parks in Spain. It is also the largest national park in Spain and an important part of the Canary Islands. Another volcano located in the park (next to the Teide) is the Pico Viejo. It is the second largest volcano in the Canary Islands with its 3,135 m peak.  The park has an area of 18,990 hectares and was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on June 29, 2007.  Since the end of 2007, it has also been one of the 12 Treasures of Spain. Midway up the mountain are the telescopes of the Observatorio del Teide. Territorially, it belongs to the municipality of La Orotava.  Teide is the most visited national park in Spain, with a total of 2.8 million visitors.  The Teide in 2010 became the most visited national park in Europe.  The Teide is the most famous natural icon not only of Tenerife but also of all the Canary Islands.  The Teide National Park has a large historical value. This place had an important spiritual significance to aboriginal Guanches in the park where important archaeological sites have been discovered. For the Guanches the Teide was a place of worship, thought it was the gate of hell.  The Teide National Park contains a huge range of invertebrate fauna, over 40% of which are endemic species, with 70 species only being found in the National Park. The invertebrate fauna include spiders, beetles, dipterans, hemipterans, and hymenopterae.  In contrast, Teide National Park has only a limited variety of vertebrate fauna.  Ten species of bird nest in the park. Three endemic reptile species are also found in the park.  The only mammals native to the park are bats and other mammals such as the mouflon, the rabbit, the house mouse, the black rat, the feral cat, and the Algerian Hedgehog have all been introduced to the park.

The minute we entered the park you could see the trees disappear and what Carlos like to call the ‘lunar’ escarpments started and he was right.  There wasn’t really a tree in sight the further into the park we drove.  There seemed to be a lot of green tumble weed looking plants and a lot of rock formations left from millions of years ago and old eruptions.  With just the one road in and out and at times tight on the side of small mountains traffic was a little congested at times-nothing to disrupt the tour, but someone would have to back up to let the coaches through and we also had week-end traffic that was on the road.  On the straights of the roads and cars behind us with the starkness of the landscape you did feel like you were on another planet.  Which seems to prove a little realistic apparently.  The similarity between environmental conditions and geological that Teide National Park and the planet Mars have turned this spot volcanic reference point for studies related to the red planet.  The analogies between the red planet and parts of Tenerife make the island the ideal place for testing instruments that will travel to Mars and reveal past or present life on Mars. In 2010 a research team tested at Las Cañadas del Teide, the Raman instrument to be sent in the next expedition to Mars, ESA-NASA ExoMars from 2016-2018.  In 2011 a team of United Kingdom researchers visited the National Park in June to test a method for finding life on Mars and finding places to try in 2012, new robotic vehicles. 

My question was when had the volcanos last erupted?  Well Tenerife is a rugged and volcanic island sculpted by successive eruptions throughout its history. There are four historically recorded volcanic eruptions, none of which has led to casualties. The first occurred in 1704, when the Arafo, Fasnia and Siete Fuentes volcanoes erupted simultaneously. Two years later, in 1706, the greatest eruption occurred at Trevejo. This volcano produced great quantities of lava which buried the city and port of Garachico. The last eruption of the 18th century happened in 1798 at Cañadas de Teide, in Chahorra. Finally, and most recently, in 1909 that formed the Chinyero cinder cone, in the municipality of Santiago del Teide, erupted.  About 800,000 years ago, two gravitational landslides occurred, giving rise to the present-day valleys of La Orotava and Güímar.  Finally, around 200,000 years ago, eruptions started that raised the Pico Viejo-Teide area in the centre of the island, over the Las Cañadas caldera.  Carlos was saying they are due for an eruption!  Hopefully not today.   

The lava plains were surrounding is and it was a surreal feeling.  The Teide–Pico Viejo complex and the Las Cañadas areas are the most prominent. It comprises a semi-caldera of about 130 km² in area, originated by several geological processes.  There was view point in the park where every man and his dog go to can see the crater, get to climb some stairs to get a higher view of the surrounds and it is also the start of hiking trails as well.  There were some clusters of volcanic lava ‘statues’ made millions of years ago that made for some great photography.  Considering how many people were here, surprisingly you get photos without too much fuss.  I climbed the stairs as far as they went before you had to walk on the rock face and then I was out.  No need killing myself for a photo of a view I had already taken 20m below.  We were given 30 minutes here and even though we were at an altitude of 2100m above sea level with the sun high in the sky it made for a great day of 20C, quite pleasant if nothing a little hot but I could see how it could get cold up here and known for snow in the winter months which is definitely hard to picture.    

We now had to make the 1.5 hour journey back to sea level.  I had my IPod so it was wonderful to just kick back, listen to some tunes and watch this amazing scenery pass me by.  Both Madeira and Santa Cruz have surprised me-I’m not sure what I expected but they are both stunningly gorgeous islands and I am looking forward to seeing what Lanzarote has to offer tomorrow.  We were now heading to the seaside town of Puerto de la Cruz which located on the north coast of Tenerife Island, in the Orotava Valley.  The coasts of Tenerife are typically rugged and steep and we saw this as we came back down the valley.  It really was stunning scenery-MAGNIFICENT.  We arrived into Puerto de la Cruz at 2pm for a late lunch and a look around this beachside resort.  Prior to the development of hotels and buildings, much of the area consisted of agricultural land. Considerable fiscal pressure led to land development, which saw the character shift from rural/agricultural to urban/tourism-based. Valle de La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz were the first holiday resorts on the Canary Islands.  Puerto de la Cruz occupies a prominent place in the history of tourism of the islands.  Before mass tourism existed in Puerto de la Cruz, minority tourism catered for privileged elites who were interested in climatology, botany and the tranquillity of the location. The proximity of the Canary Islands to Europe meant that travel for health reasons was a primary driver for launching modern tourism here.  At the beginning of the 19th century, the environment of Puerto de la Cruz meant that it attracted many researchers and exclusive high-class groups from Europe. At this stage Puerto de la Cruz was a leading cultural centre accommodating many travellers and writers, including William Wilde and Alexander von Humboldt.  Puerto de la Cruz therefore gained an illustrious reputation in Europe, and when it came to the subsequent advent of modern tourism, the city was at an advantage compared with other tourist sites.  Tourism began to have an important role in the local economy in the late 19th century. It was in those years that the Grand Hotel Taoro was built and that old family houses began to be remodelled, for example as Marquesa or Monopol, transforming them into the first hotels in the city centre. Finally, the real tourism boom came in the 1950s, when the city began its transformation into the tourist reference point of the island and of the archipelago. 

I have to admit that I was hungry and after nearly a week of buffet food I wanted something ‘normal’ and I had McDonalds and it was delicious.  I would have loved to have done a little Tapa’s but we were only given 1 hour and 15 minutes here, so I decided to hoe into lunch, use the free Wi-Fi (welcome back) and then hit the streets to have a look around.  It was quite and I don’t mean people wise, there were people everywhere and I would hate to imagine what this place looks like in summer.  I am not sure I would want to be here in summer but I would expect music to be playing from somewhere.  There was one guy on a guitar and people peddling bags and necklaces and the restaurants were busy, but it was quite.  The main part of the promenade overlooks the Parque Marítimo César Manrique which is basically an entertainment complex, designed by architect César Manrique.  It contains a set of pools (with water drawn from the sea), hot springs jacuzzi, children's play areas and a sports facility.  There were deck chairs all around the 3 pools and a lot of sunburned looking British people sunning themselves. 

I walked the length of the promenade as far as time would permit and then turned around to walk the other side which was also the beach side of the area.  The island has 67.14 kilometres of beaches.  There are many black sand pebble beaches on the northern coast, while on the south and south-west coast of the island, the beaches have typically much finer and clearer sand with lighter tones.  I was standing on a black beach with the white of the waves breaking on the sand it made for a great photo.  There was a guy there selling rocks that he painted faces on and I instantly saw one that made me smile and after asking him how much they were I paid my 4EUR-I know you may think I got ripped off paying that for a rick I could pick up myself, but the face was well painted and it made me smile.  4 EUR well spent I say.  He signed the rock, dated it and put the place on the reverse side of it and I was now the happy owner of a pet rock.  Wait till you see the photos-you’ll see.  It was also a great opportunity to see the steep mastiffs of the coast-aka the steep cliff faces.     

It was time for me to high tail it back to the coach for our last stop of the day at a small village called La Orotava located within the Orotava Valley. It is only 5 km E of Puerto de la Cruz and about 33 km from the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.  La Orotava has a rich land for cultivation and its economy was based on agriculture for centuries, with products such as wine, tomatoes, bananas and others that were exported mainly to Europe and the UK.  It was not until beginning of century XIX when the tourism industry began. The environment of La Orotava meant that it attracted many researchers and exclusive high-class groups from Europe. At this stage La Orotava was a leading cultural centre accommodating many travellers and writers, among others William Wilde and Alexander von Humboldt.  Currently, La Orotava is frequented all year by Northern Europeans, especially during the winter months, due to its mild climate.  This section was a walking tour and t was nice to get off and stretch the legs.  The architecture has been looked after here and the buildings reflected that.  Main points of interest included Casa Molina, Plaza de San Francisco La Casa de los Balcones and a few of the majestic homes still in the centre of town.

We left Orotava at 5pm to head back to the ship.  It took just under 45 minutes and with an all aboard call at 6.30pm we had made perfect timing the whole day.  High five to Carlos and our driver Roger to sticking to the plan and all the oldies that had also kept up all day and what a great day it had been.. One of the benefits of being on a lower deck is that the gangway is always from deck 4 or 5-so no waiting for lifts when I get back from tours.  I only had an hour till I had to get ready for my show at 7pm (7.30pm show-but need to get my seat) so I switched on the TV and started watching Hunger Games.  I pretty much mossed all the hype when this movie came out but I was really getting into it when I had to leave for the show.  Even then I was 5 minutes late and my German couple were already in place.  Since the second night the 3 of us have sat in the same seats.  He reads his book, she has her IPad and I am on my IPod playing solitaire till the show starts.  I am in row 6 and the 6^th seat in.  There is no particular reason for me, it just happens to be a good seat.  I didn’t bother to go on deck when we left at 7pm as it was totally dark and you wouldn’t have been able to see anything anyway.  Tonight’s show as was Broadway with the Norwegian Dancers.  They had picked 6 big shows and then did around 5-10 minutes from each one.  It was pretty good.  There was some cheesy dancing but overall I enjoyed the show.  The costumes were pretty impressive, so I guess that is a plus.  You could after the show, go and meet the dancers and get a photo taken if you wanted to, but they all seem pretty stuck up and don’t talk to the passengers when you see them around the ship.  No thanks.

A great day and looking forward to tomorrow.