Wine Cruise--France, Spain, and Portugal
Actually, this entire trip began WAY before day one. Let’s go back to April of this year. Lunch with two of my BFFs in Edina and their mention of a wine cruise along the European coast in September. Instantly I knew I needed to tag along. So I buzzed home to Kirk who nodded his head in approval to the idea. Tour leader Kathy found a spot for us, so within a few hours we were booked on the cruise, had our flights, and made sure our passports were up to date. And the wait began…
What to pack for a two week jaunt in different countries with varied weather can be a crap shoot. Throw in a visit from son Scott and family until a day before we departed, and it gave me an organizational challenge. Bags packed, bills paid, pet care arranged before Scott, Heather and Soren arrived so we could focus on this rare gift of a visit.
DAY ONE:
What a blessing to have friends to Uber us up to our plane on Sept.1. Arrival was early so we could meet up with our son Paul and his friends Adam and Heather who were leaving for Iceland just within an hour of our departure–their trip being a celebration trip of turning 40 this year. Drinks, a toast to memorable trips and adventures, and we were off–to London (us) and Reykjavik (them)!
Trip across the Atlantic on Delta was smooth–our seats in Premium Select offered wider seats, cloth placemats and napkins, headphones (not simply ear pieces) and upgraded meals. Not sure if the price difference between Comfort + and Premium Select is really worth it, but nice nevertheless. Idiot that I was, I’d had to switch our seats from Comfort + up to the next class a month ago, due to my screwup–I’d booked the incorrect date to land in London (!). By the time I’d realized this and checked the seat selection on the same flight a day earlier, Comfort + was full, so up to Premium Select (and extra bucks) we went.
Arrival at Heathrow and customs was smooth (look into the camera after scanning your passport and voila!, the doors open and you are admitted into the UK.)
We opted for a tube ride to our hotel in Kensington. Love that we simply scan our ApplePay or credit card to enter the underground. In fact, we’d been a bit hesitant about arriving in the UK without pounds, but quickly realized very few transactions are carried out there sans credit card. We never needed pounds for anything–just pulled out that AmEx or Visa and all was well.
Most in our travel group had arrived a day ahead of us to experience more of London, so we were the late arrivals. Got into our room before noon, wanted a brief nap, and were suddenly awakened by screeching so loud it nearly threw us out of the bed. The ear-shattering squelch repeated several times. We assumed our plugged-in devices were at fault and quickly unplugged all we could. Then silence, silence. What the heck? Later Kirk glanced a notice in the lobby that on the first of each month at noon, the fire alarms are tested. Well…they certainly worked!
Catching our breaths, we set out to join Kirk’s brother Tad who was serendipitously in London (Kensington) just as we were. Tad’s permanent address is Australia and the brothers hadn’t seen one another in eons. But somehow all lined up so the brothers could finally connect over a beer in a London pub. What fun.
The travel group sauntered into the same pub at 6 pm. and we dined on delicious fish and chips, a memorable gift from trip organizer Kathy Thomes. But with travel fog clogging our heads, Kirk and I headed back to the hotel early for sleep. We fell into bed hoping the fire alarm wouldn’t be activate.
A quick photo with Paul, Adam and Heather before leaving—they to Reykjavik and we to London
Kirk and brother Tad
Patrick (Tad’s son/Kirk’s nephew) joined us at the pub
Just before fish and chips—Veldmans, Senskes and us.
DAY TWO:
Good news–no alarms awakened us. Incredible how a good night’s sleep helps clear the head and creates focus. After a quick breakfast and massive overhaul of a suitcase I swore I wouldn’t entirely unpack (but did), we loaded into a coach and drove 90 minutes to South Hampton where our ship awaited us.
An ocean cruise is new to me. Having sworn to never set foot on a cruise ship, I was encouraged to do so, given that this ship is quite small (700 guests max). The boarding process went well–similar security as in an airport. After initially stepping onto the ship, we watched the required safety video, signed up for wifi ($20/day–really!?) and found our stateroom. With our luggage waiting in the hall for us and our keycards working well, we entered a room that surprised us in its size. King bed, a veranda large enough for a decent table and chairs, and actually enough storage space so we could empty our suitcases.
The trick to feeling comfortable I think is to explore the ship–find out what’s offered or available on each deck. I signed up for pilates and yoga (in the spa area, deck 9), we found good coffee (deck 5), the cafe (deck 9) and dinner lounge (deck 10). Around 5 pm we joined others in the “living room” and enjoyed drinks and appetizers as we set sail. The complimentary drinks are delightful and we felt no need to buy a drinks package, so perhaps that makes up for the wifi cost(??)
Dinner was divine–began with scallops, then swordfish, then a coconut gelato. Our table of six included some of my favorite people–high school buddies and wives. Love the banter, the attentive staff, the delicious food.
While some ran off to a show, I opted to retire to our room and blog a bit. The process has been slow. Thanks to Greg Senske, I’ve included some photos.
The Thames
Kathy, our fearless leader and organizer
Ferry as we leave the harbor
Celebratory send-off
Table 91, our first dinner. Delicious
DAY 3:
The ship entered the Paris timezone during the night and I had to scramble to make my 8 am. pilates class. Watch and ipad didn’t react to the time change and suddenly our waking at 6:30 (not bad! I thought) turned out to be 7:30. But attend I did, and we got in some good stretches and worked a few muscles.
I always wait until after exercise to eat, and a buffet of every imaginable breakfast item from around the world awaited me. But I’m a slug if I eat a large breakfast, so a croissant, unsalted butter (my favorite), jam and a bit of cheese did the trick.
Then blog posting–this was our only day to be totally on the ship and I had some wifi/internet issues to iron out along with clothes to press in the guest laundry. We browsed the shops on deck 5 and eventually ended up at a 3 pm dance lesson/training for music that will be played during our “white night” celebration. The steps were in line-dancing style and we oldies laughed as we shuffled, shook and shimmied. Good grief. The idea is that we’ll be able to show the hundreds who didn’t attend the class how to do these amazing (?) moves when the musicians begin their repertoire. Then we attended a class on some iphone photo secrets and I did pick up an idea or two.
Finally a cocktail gathering for our group was held in the Drawing Room–appetizers and beverages. The ship’s captain made an appearance and I laughed when Greg Senske shared that he also ran a boat, but his was a pontoon. Well, the captain was kind enough to chuckle.
Dinner was in the specialty dining room, Prime C. This small, more intimate dining room offers dishes that are deemed unique, though one has to reserve a table to dine there. I chose to eat crab cakes, a caesar salad, Chilean sea bass, and molten fudge cake with gelato. Oh my. So glad our real wine adventure begins tomorrow–we’ll be landing in Bordeaux at 10:30 am. and will finally get a chance to walk off some calories.
Have to say we were rather lucky cruising through the Bay of Biscay. Often a rather rough sea, it offered us smooth sailing and sunny skies. Hope it’s a harbinger of more to come.
Smooth sailing through the Bay of Biscay
Our ship’s captain joined us for cocktail hour
The girls learning the dance moves.
Prime C dining room
Dining in Prime C
Delicious crab cake appetizers
DAY 4:
We awoke to seeing land outside our window–in fact it was the river Garonne which brought us into Bordeaux. The water looks muddy, but in fact is considered one of the cleanest in Europe. The river’s fresh water meets the salt water of the ocean, creating sediment and a “blond” color. Having now officially entered France, a celebration of French food (i.e. pastries) and a showcase of wine (but no samples) were presented on the pool deck. Pretty interesting to see how much time and effort were put into celebrating our arrival in a new country.
French cheese and pastries
Pineapple “bird” was one of my favorite things
We had the day to ourselves, but chose to visit the Cité du Vin (wine museum), a famous fixture in the city of Bordeaux. The structure itself is quite unique and we wondered aloud what that building was that looked like a whale. Turns out it was the wine museum and we decided to walk the 30+ minutes to it in order to stretch our legs a bit.
But on the way, a quaint cafe attracted us and cappuccino and iced coffee were ordered. So love the tables and chairs on the sidewalks and I love seeing how some American cafes are adopting the idea.
The top of the Cité du Vin is supposed to create the image of a bottle top
Seen from the water, we thought the museum resembled a whale
Opening in June 2017, the museum cost over 81 million euros to build. It holds all the secrets to wine–the history of wine making, explanation of the many grape varieties, the global wine regions, etc. It hosts exhibitions, academic seminars, etc. and is so much more than simply a museum. So much to see and learn and we had to stop, grab lunch, and then go back for a second helping of the place.
Artistic design of a root system—some vines in Greece date back to hundreds of years BC
We managed to figure out the ticket machine to ride the tram back to the ship and quickly regrouped and met for our regular cocktail gathering in the “living room” on deck 10. Dinner was back in our regular Discovery lounge and tonight’s menu featured many things “French.” Of course we dug in…
I was intrigued by this bridge—rises and lowers to allow ships to pass through. Constructed between 2009-2012, it’s called the Jacques Chaban-Delmas bridge, named for the mayor who served Bordeaux for nearly 50 years
DAY 5:
First day we awoke with cloudy skies and light rain. Our tour of the city of Bordeaux included a brief history of the place and I learned several things that were interesting. The Dutch came to this area in the 16th century and helped drain the marshland on which much of the city stands. In the 18th century, Bordeaux was the second largest port in Europe after London.
Bordeaux is known for its great climate and with the new Euro-star train bringing one here in just a few hours from Paris, many Parisians have purchased property here and thus housing prices have skyrocketed.
Also interesting is that a new mayor in the 2020’s (Pierre Hurmic) encouraged investing in the city. Most buildings/apartments are limestone and those that had turned black over centuries were cleaned, offering a new “brightness” to the city. Also a tram system was put into place with drivers being encouraged to leave their cars in car parks just outside of town (park and ride). Also the docks were redone to promote boats of travel rather than those of trade and that area is much safer now. One other thing the new mayor did was to build more bridges that spanned the Gironde and thus helped develop the east side of the river as well.
We were given a brief walking tour of Bordeaux’s old city and were given an hour (11:30-12:30) for lunch. This didn’t really sit well with some of us, as most of the inviting cafes didn’t begin serving until noon, thus leaving only 30 minutes for ordering, eating, settling accounts, etc. It was really quite frustrating, however we all did manage to make it to the bus by 12:30 without hunger.
On to the Médoc region. One of the largest areas in France to produce cabernet sauvignon and merlot is the Médoc region, about an hour’s drive north of Bordeaux. As we drove, we noticed vast fields of vines–reminding us of the acres of corn that grow in MInnesota. The extensive fields were nothing like the small plots in Italy. Stretching nearly to the horizon, we realized the magnitude of the grape/wine production here. One thing we were told is that newly planted vines come from the US because of their intolerance of an invasive mite.
The chateau we visited was Chateau Giscours and it’s very much a big farm with animals as well as grapes. The chateau originated in 1552 with the main structure itself being built in 1882. It has about 1000 acres of vines.
We learned the sequencing of wine making–the onset date of the grape harvest varies remarkably from year to year. This year they feel Sept. 25 might be the start date. It takes 175 people one month to complete the harvest. We were shown the steps in the production of wine and I was surprised about the “future”--a time when critics from all over the globe descend on the area to taste and rate the wines. Only after the ratings become clear does the producer set the prices of the wine.
Also just after this point in the operation, 90% of the wine will already have been sold, and that is about 342.000 bottles for this vineyard. The wine we sampled is sold at Total Wine in the states.
Just one more interesting fact I found is that the 1,140 oak casks the wine is aged in at Chateau Giscours have quite a unique life span. After storing wine for 3 years, the casks are sent to Portugal for aging port. Then the same casks go to Spain for sherry, and then on to Scotland for whisky. Very smart!
We met our ship in Pauillec and are now on our way to Bilbao after having another fabulous dinner–this one with a lovely halibut.
One of the buildings that didn’t get a facelift-years of soot still stain it
Chateau Giscours
One of my favorites from this vineyard
Endless vines reminded us of fields of corn
DAY 6:
Bilbao, Spain. Basque region and home of roija wine. I’d never heard of the city and love that these adventures bring me to unique areas not on my radar. It’s sunnier, more “mediterranean” here. Watching the docking process from the deck, Kirk and I marveled at the skill of the dock workers. We docked around 10 am and moments later were on a coach to view this interesting city.
Bilbao rests in a valley and the city itself is about 14 km from the area where we docked. It was once a huge industrial steel hub, since the hills surrounding it were filled with iron, and it was also known for ship building from the 1920s-1970s. But with the opening of steel coming from the East, the region closed its industries and fell into a rough time of unemployment. It was grim–the shipyards closed and unemployment rose to 28%.
But a cadre of wealthy individuals in the area joined together in solidarity and invested in the infrastructure of the area–they created a new city concept involving art and culture. So Bilbao in the last 15 years has transformed. It’s clean, vibrant, and the Guggenheim here (a Frank Gehry build) is the centerpiece of that transformation.
One thing that intrigued me was the Puente Bizkaia–a bridge spanning the river Nervión. Built in 1888 (began operation in 1893), it resembles the Eiffel Tower with its lattice structure It’s known as a “hanging” bridge” and now shuttles people and cars across in a gondola that hangs from the upper cables. We watched as 3-4 cars and dozens of people utilized the unique bridge. Though similar bridges were built (even one in our own Duluth), this one is one of the few remaining with a gondola. Thus it was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2006.
The Basque language has no known origin, so unlike the romance and germanic languages we’re familiar with, this one has nothing we can to compare it to. Interesting.
Celebrating the Basque culture here, our Azamara cruise line invited all passengers to enjoy the Sociedad Filarmónicade Bilbao. Tonight’s performance featured Basque music and dancing in the hall adorned with intricate designs and ornamentation. Only those who are Basque may attend concerts in this hall, although they granted us a chance to enjoy a bit of their culture.
We bussed into the city for the concert and walked about 15 minutes to the hall. We witnessed a city having a party–so many families out (all ages) and music, and laughter, and joy. We certainly experienced the vibrant city we were told Bilbao was.
Stepping back onboard, we were met with a glass of cava, another late-night meal on the upper deck, and I was able enjoy a bit of gelato before bed. Departing now at 11 pm, we’re on our way to Gijon.
The dock hands (orange vests) work with the guys steering the ship (upper left). The ship hugs the dock and the lines are tossed to the dock hands. The guys lift the heavy line and secure it to the dock bollard (that cleat thing on the pier). Then the ship retracts it until it’s tight.
In the picture it’s hard to see, but the gondola (with red on top) carries passengers on either side of a platform for up to 3 cars. Notice how the gondola hangs from the bridge via cables.
A glimpse at a small portion of Bilbao that nestles in a valley
The famous Guggenheim in Bilbao
Flower-covered pup in front of the Guggenheim
The Basque music/dance performance
DAY 7:
We docked in Gijon around 8 a.m. as Kirk and I were dining in the Discovery dining room–so quiet and peaceful there. One is seated, the waiter sets a napkin in your lap, and you have coffee and order from the menu. The other option for breakfast is a fabulous buffet, but it’s crowded, noisy and there’s a lot of commotion. So we take the simple and calm option.
The day’s activity took us to two areas: Gijon and Oviedo. This area is known for its cider, and apple orchards dot the rolling landscape. It’s mountainous here and outside the cities, tiny, quaint acreages dot the landscape. One unique feature is the raised granary the older properties have. These rather small square structures are on stilts and are designed to keep out moisture and mice. These granaries are considered “furniture” and can be easily disassembled and transported when one moves house.
From 1907-2000 this area mined coal and Gijon was considered an important port. But with the turn away from coal, fossil fuels, etc., this area closed its mines.
Just 15 miles from Gijon is Oviedo, the capital of the principality of Asturias. Our coach took us to two churches from around 850 AD, so we were viewing small churches 1200 years old. Amazing. Both were built when this small region rebelled against the Muslims and claimed the land as Christian. The area became the kingdom of Asturias, and the rest of the region surrounding it remained focused on Islam.
Santa María del Naranco was completed in 842 and is considered pre-Romanesque. Just 100 meters away, sits San Miguel de Lillo. This church originally had had a basilica and three aisles with a barrel vault, but much of the original structure collapsed during the 12th or 13th century. Both churches became UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1985.
We viewed the Gijon beaches and enjoyed watching the parasailers float over the hills. The nearly cloudless sky, mild wind and sun made for a great day to introduce us to the area.
AND the weather continued to complement the evening of White Night onboard that was basically a huge deck party. Staff and crew were recognized and applauded. Passengers were encouraged to wear white and we enjoyed great dining and dancing. The music during this time was provided by members of the crew/staff and they knew how to get people up and moving. Very fun.
Parasailing and the coast
One of the area granaries
White night before dinner and dancing
Perfect weather for White Night deck bash
Day 8:
We awoke in A Coruńa, a city of about 250,000 located in Galicia. It’s a fishing mecca–fish markets here last year distributed over 27,000 tons of fish. It’s also an area that the Romans loved for its gold. Considered at one time a Celtic province, we heard bagpipes playing here as well as in Gijon.
Besides the all-night fish markets, A Coruńa is known as the place where Picasso learned to paint. He lived in this town from ages 4-10 and people are certain he received his first painting lessons here. (?). Another thing that sets this town apart for me is that the owner of the store Zara lives here. He began his business years ago just as we hear of many–from a small store front, etc. Now the daughter runs the company,
One thing emphasized is that A Coruńa is a city with a strong tie to women. Most men were in the fishing industry and women were home alone with the children and took on many roles. In the 19th century the town had 4,500 women in unions. As factories modernized, the women were sure their jobs were jeopardized and they tossed the new machines into the ocean.
One woman of particular note is Maria Pita, who is honored with a monument in the town square. On May 4,1589, English forces breached the defenses of the old city of A Coruńa. María Pita was helping her husband, an army captain, man the defenses. After her husband fell mortally wounded, a furious Maria snatched the spear carrying the banner from an English captain and killed him with it (he was allegedly the brother of Admiral Francis Drake). This shocked the English troops, composed of 12,000 men, and they began retreating. María Pita then climbed onto the wall shouting, "Whoever has honor, follow me!" and the English were driven back. Whew! Quite the woman.
We visited the oldest lighthouse yet in existence on earth (locally called the Tower of Hercules). It was built outside the city by the Romans. Originally it had a winding ramp on the outside of the square tower allowing probably donkeys to supply oil to the flame on top. In the 1790s that ramp was removed and that same stone was used to heighten the tower–this time in an octagon shape.
Our last stop of the day was to the Estrella Galicia brewery. We toured the plant and sampled 6 different beers. The brewery began in 1906–and one of the best selling beers is called “1906.”
Back on the ship we had dinner, enjoyed an entertaining show and we’re realizing we have to have our bags packed tomorrow night and set outside our door by 10 pm. We disembark early on Wednesday in Lisbon and then head to a hotel for two nights. This trip has gone way too quickly.
A Coruña is known as the City of Crystal because of the glass covered balconies
Tower of Hercules, which is actually a Roman lighthouse. It’s the oldest one on earth. Check out where the diagonal ramps existed at one time for donkeys to transport oil to the flame at the top
View from lighthouse area
A tribute to Maria Pita in the town square
The Estrella Galicia brewery
Beer tasting. We tried a flight of 5 beers paired with cheeses. And had a full glass of the brewery’s best seller as well.
Day 9:
Got an extra hour of sleep as we crossed over to Portugal. We awoke to Porto in fog–the ship’s fog horn blasting its mournful horn every few minutes. But as the day evolved, the promised sun appeared, and we delighted in the city of Porto.
Located along the Douro River in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centers and its historical district was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996.
Porto and the surrounding area has 1,750,000 residents and they all seemed to be out and about on this Tuesday. So busy, so many enjoying the weather and the river.
Porto’s port wine is typically richer, sweeter, heavier, and higher in alcohol content than unfortified wines. Because wine lost its flavor when transported to England early on, distilled grape spirits were added to the wine to fortify it and halt fermentation before all the sugar had converted to alcohol, This resulted in a wine that is now usually 19% to 20% alcohol.
Bussing through Porto reminded me of driving in a hilly Duluth and others mentioned San Francisco. Very steep. Some buildings featured tiles on their exteriors instead of paint, and this gave the city a distinct charm.
Our ride on the Douro in a traditional wooden boat took us under the six bridges of Porto. The two sides of the river featured colorful buildings and houses and we loved the balconies where wash was hanging out to dry.
Our noon lunch was fabulous–tapas and pork and a delectable tart for dessert. And I must mention the white wine, the Vinho Verde. The group went through so many bottles that I’m not sure how we all made it to the bus that carted us home.
We had dinner tonight in a special dining room (the Aqualina) that featured Italian food. Everything was delicious, as all meals have been. I enjoyed sea bass again and loved the coconut gelato for dessert. Yum.
We needed to quickly pack our suitcases to set them outside the door tonight as we will arrive early in Lisbon and will disembark there tomorrow morning. Then we will board a bus that will bring us to a hotel for several nights before we fly home.
Tiles instead of paint. Very fun
Houses along the river
Lunch on the boardwalk
One of the six bridges in Porto
The Douro. We took a boat ride on one of the old wooden boats and went under the six bridges
Day 10:
An early morning arrival in Lisbon. We were up and at breakfast by 7 am–and the sunrise on the water was stunning. Saw our luggage that we’d set outside our door last night being sorted by a crew and taken to the terminal. Can’t imagine what craziness that must be, even with our small ship.
We loaded into a coach and spent the day enjoying Cascias and Sintra, both darling towns just west of Lisbon and part of the “Portuguese Riviera.” The winds on the west coast today were particularly strong and I was glad to have tucked my wind jacket into my backpack.
Because of the high humidity in this part of Portugal, most places have air conditioning, which they use in winter as well as summer. So in the summer the homes are cooled and humidity is removed. In the winter, the AC removes the humidity, but I can’t imagine having no heat in the homes. Only about ¼ of the homes in this area have any sort of heat. Ugh. And it can get down into the 40s at times. I get chilled just thinking about it.
On our way to Sintra we stopped at Cabo da Roca (Cape Roca) which is the most western point of Europe. With the wind whipping over 40 mph, the magnificent power of it was both invigorating and nearly overwhelming. The views were particularly gorgeous.
One central attraction to Sintra is its palace–the favorite summer residence of Portuguese Kings. One king after another added onto it creating a rather unique maze of rooms with adorned ceilings and lovely handmade tiles. Sintra became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.
Late in the afternoon we zoomed back into Lisbon, checked into our hotel and had a light dinner. The bountiful, delicious meals on the ship made for a bountiful number of calories and…I’m feeling “fluffy.”
Tomorrow’s the last day of our adventure. Hard to believe.
Caught this sunrise while having breakfast
The crew sorting the ship’s bags
Capo de Roca
Palace of Sintra. The two chimneys are the symbol of the town
Gorgeous tiles and ceilings at the palace
A good beer at the end of the day
Day 11:
We checked into the Turim Marquês hotel last night and simply ran next door for a nice light dinner. Then we fell into bed. But I guess I’m a pillow snob–didn’t sleep well last night due to a cardboard-hard pillow. I can’t say I’ve had that experience in years. But I have a plan–there are softer throw pillows in the room and I’ve already put a pillow case on one for tonight.
Breakfast this morning was a nice surprise–offered more variety than I thought it might. By 9 am we were again on the coach for a brief tour of Lisbon before heading out on our own.
Gorgeous weather and our first stop was the Torre de Belém (Tower of Bethlehem) that served as the point where Portuguese explorers embarked and disembarked (like Vasco da Gama) and it’s considered a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. This tower also symbolizes Portugal's maritime and colonial power in early modern Europe. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
Nearby was the Jerónimos Monastery, a Gothic structure. We were delighted to view the intricate façade and not stand in the ¼ mile long line to get in. What I found interesting is that in the devastating Lisbon earthquake on Nov. 1, 1755, many residents were attending mass that morning in this building–it was All Saints Day–and thus were given some protection from the quake and the ensuing tsunami waves (3 of them), and the fires that ravaged the city.
We moved on to the city center and the old town, delighting in the fun sidewalks, though some were as uneven as the waves we’d sailed on. Love the buildings’ tiles, the balconies, the colors, the history. Symbols of the city include a ship and ravens, seen on metal streetlamps and in the sidewalks cobblestones.
Kirk and I scooted away from the group to discover the city on our own. We walked through a gorgeous arch and onto streets by the river, eventually stopping for a beer and cheeses at the Time Out hall where one can shop the market, eat anything imaginable, and peruse the street market next door.
Finally tired from the nearly ten thousand steps already, we ubered back to our hotel. After a brief nap, we found a quiet bistro and enjoyed oven-baked brie and mushroom risotto. It’s been a lovely trip. We’re packing up, going to bed early and awaiting the “OMG” rush in the morning.
The Tower of Bethlehem where explorers like Vasco da Gama left and returned
Check out the line to get into the Jerónimos Monastery. So glad we simply viewed the façade.
Gorgeous façade of the monastery. It was cleaned 10 years ago and gleams in the sunlight
Sidewalk with sculptures—the boat and ravens are symbols of the city
Loved the dust-covered wine bottles in this shop—some bottles were decades old
Even the street lamps/lights in the old city feature the ship and ravens
Walked through this majestic arch to the water
The market…after reading “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” don’t think I’d touch one of these critters.
AND HOME AGAIN:
All of us were a bit road weary and flying home didn’t seem like such a bad idea. After a brief breakfast and managing to zip my suitcase, we all waited in the lobby for our bus, which arrived a bit late. Apparently traffic and going to the wrong Turim hotel had something to do with it.
But never fear–we had plenty of time to navigate the confusing maze of the Lisbon airport. We knew we were leaving on Delta from terminal one, but exactly where to check in was a mystery. Finally one of our group saw we needed to find counters 109-114, so we wove through crowds and managed to find the correct Delta counters. After checking bags, there was another 30 minute walk through a sea of people to find gate 47, but it had to be N47. So, we found the N area and proceeded to the very last gate. That was a workout in navigation, something I actually enjoy (once I’m at my gate).
Sitting in the bulkhead seats of Comfort+ provided plenty of room for us. And even though the flight rocked and rolled a bit, the movies we watched on our way to Boston kept us busy. The flight lasted just over 6 hours and seemed to go rather quickly. What I realized is that I really prefer sitting in a window seat. By the time we’d booked our flights, those seats were taken. Most people in window seats, I’ve noticed, tend to keep their windows down. Great for overnight flights and sleeping, but hey, it was the middle of the day and I wanted sunlight and a view.
Arriving a Logan in Boston, we did the “park and the middle of the tarmack and hop a bus to the terminal” thing. We went through passport control, searched for our baggage claim carousel and finally plucked our suitcases from the many there. It really pays to have something to help you clearly identify your bag. Mine’s a very worn red thing with a rainbow strap holding all tightly in place. Tada! Very identifiable. Kirk’s is black like 90% of those on the luggage belt, so the addition of a small light blue bow on the handle helped mark it as his. Think we’ll grab him a bright luggage belt for future travel.
But I DID have a window seat from Boston to MSP and had fun snapping a few photos out the window as the sun set and we flew into the night.
As we eventually landed in Minneapolis and gathered around the baggage claim, we weren’t our usual “let’s go” selves, but rather weary, travel-worn (but happy) travelers. I always feel an “ahhh…” once I touch down on US soil. I think my radar isn’t identifying new points of interest, or new languages, or intriguing smells from street food. When I’ve been out of my element a while, being back in it is quite relaxing.
You know you have great friends when they drive 90 minutes to fetch you from the airport at 9 at night. Not only that, but they’ve lovingly cared for your pup and two cats while you were gone. Gryz and Al, our traveling was so much more enjoyable knowing the homefront was in your hands. How we appreciate your generosity. And with other dear neighbors welcoming our dog into their home for playtime with their kids during our trip, I’m not sure our hound was that eager to have us home again.
I thought falling into bed just before midnight after our 20 hour journey home would bring instant slumber. No dice. For some reason my motor was in high gear and I struggled to “just relax, just relax.” I awoke, sure I was fresh, at 3:20 am. Oh my. I tossed and turned and finally simply got up around 5:00. Jet lag is so frustrating.
But jet lag is part of the adventure, and where would we be in life if we didn’t approach each day as an adventure–whether at home or not.
So now we sit in early morning, not on our ship’s veranda with coffee from the Mosaic cafe, but rather in our comfy chairs drinking Peet’s Major Dickason’s blend, and gazing out the bay window as the colorful zinnias are visited by hummingbirds and monarchs. All is well, and we feel blessed to have had such an adventure.
Harbor on the edge of Logan
Flying into the night
Nearing MSP—think those are the lights of Eau Claire
