Cruise: England to the Med

A very small park near the waterfront in Southampton.  There is a small "old town" with parts of a city wall and old buildings, but nothing outstanding.

The ship is six months old and on its first European cruise.  I am not going to discuss the ship because cruising is a subject unto itself.  Our cabin looked out over the bow.

As you can see, a cloudy cool day in Bilbao, Spain.  We walked through the city and along the river getting our exercise, but otherwise found the area unremarkable.

After a pleasant overnight stay at a residential B&B in Southampton, we joined our cruise ship.  First stop was Bilbao, Spain.  The weather was overcast with periodic showers.  We weren't very impressed with the city, but perhaps the weather was a factor.  Lots of high density housing in a mountainous area inland from the mainly industrial harbor.  Most notable is the Guggenheim Art Museum.  Not being art fans, we spent more time in the Old Town neighborhood of narrow streets and small shops.

A plaza in the old town of A Coruna.  Perfect weather for a walk.

Tower of Hercules. a really old light house and very popular with tourists (but not too crowded).

Next stop was A Coruna which is located right on the coast in a large natural bay, popular for sailing.  One long sandy beach present, but still an amazing amount of high density housing.  The tourist info people have it all laid out: start at Old Town, then San Anton fort, a long walk along the Paseo Maritimo, the Tower of Hercules on a grassy peninsula, then back to Orzan Beach and the shopping areas. Good exercise on a beautiful day.

Looking out from our ship at the Lisbon hillside.  Because Lisbon sits on the open Atlantic coast, the weather here does not get excessively warm most of the time.

We have visited Lisbon previously; now we are here for the day (until 3:30pm).  The Lisbon city view consists of hillsides covered mainly with white buildings with red tile roofs.  It was suggested that we visit the Gulbenkian art museum while here; thus, we found the nearest Metro station and rode the underground train there.  Two parts to the exhibit:  older items including jewelry, furniture, paintings, sculpture, tapestries, etc. and then the modern art building.  Looking at modern art, I'd summarize that art is in the eye of the beholder.  The older items are amazing considering what they had to work with; the modern stuff didn't hold our attention as much.

Approaching Gibraltar.  The town to the left and "the rock" to the right; Spain is in the background.  The ship traffic here is heavy; this 15-mile wide channel connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic.

Looking down from the "Rock" at Gibraltar city.  our cruise ship is visible and Spain is in the back ground.  Mark Zuckerberg's yacht is entering the harbor toward the left.  At this location, a Macaque monkey may come over to touch you, hoping for a treat.

This is the south gate of the city.  To the right (not seen) is a small, old, beautiful cemetery.  Beyond the gate is the crowded main street of Gibraltar, loaded with tourists from the two cruise ships in port.

Gibraltar was interesting; British, language in English, currency is the pound, but they drive on the right.  Spanish is also taught and used commonly.  The strait here is narrow enough that you can see Morocco (Africa) from this southern point in Europe. We joined with six other people to hire a van taxi for a tour.  It took us to the top of the "Rock"; great scenery and the Macaque monkeys. We even got in a long walk from the cable car back to our ship.