Europe, 22-23 May 2012 - At Sea & Copenhagen

On the way to Copenhagen was a sea day. This one turned out a little more exciting than usual. We attended a talk by the marketing head of Fabergé and Karen won the drawing for a small Fabergé ornament. She can no longer say she never won anything. This is the Russian decorative egg company, whose eggs, jewelry, and watches are very expensive.

Since we will be in Copenhagen for a few days after the cruise visiting Ron & Vonnie, we decided to simply walk around town and see the obvious sights along the way. To begin, we took the shuttle bus from the ship to Tivoli Gardens. This large amusement park and entertainment center was not open when we arrived, and we thought we could always come back later if we want to. So we simply wandered around central Copenhagen.

in castle courtyard

Our first stop was at Christiansborg Castle, the government center. It has a large open courtyard in the center. A horse cart with two horses was circling the area, with no apparent goal except going around in circles. Perhaps this was a comment on government operations?

 From there we walked to Christianshavn, an interesting neighborhood of the city. We came first to Christianskirken, one of several medieval churches in the city. Interestingly, there is an open crypt under the church which is the church's cemetery, filled with above ground burials, often filled with a family.

Top of Spiral Steps
of church tower

Our Saviour's Church Tower

The next church in the area we visited was Our Savior's Church. It was another chance for Dick to climb a church tower, again with wonderful views of the area.

A unique area of the neighborhood is Christiania, what we would term a hippie neighborhood. It was obviously an alternative life style area, with many signs painted on the buildings prohibiting photography. There were also the unmistakeable signs of marijuana use.

From the Church Tower

Back across the bridge we visited two more churches, Holmenskirke and Nikolaj. Nikolaj is no longer used as a church, but has various art exhibits and concerts.

Our next stop was a shopping area, Hojbrs Plads. There we had lunch at a sidewalk table at a department store restaurant, Holm's Bager. We followed Stroget, a shopping street through the main shopping area, the usual European pedestrian street. Near the end of the street was the Round Tower at the Copenhagen Cathedral. Dick did not climb this one, but we did go into the church.

Our last stop in the city was at a bar/coffee shop which had free wifi. So Dick had a local beer and we caught up on email and other things again. From there we walked back to Tivoli Garden, after nearly getting lost, but asking directions from a young woman who didn't seem to be sure of how to tell us to go. But we got there fairly directly.  Back on the shuttle we headed for the ship.

Leaving Copenhagen we passed the bridge to Sweden we would cross over later with Ron & Vonnie.

Europe, 21 May 2012 - Amsterdam

We had been to Amsterdam on our first trip to Europe, so this was a chance to repeat some things and add some new. The ship docked about a fifteen minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal, the main train station and a good place to explore the city from.

At the station we scouted a place to store luggage on our way through after the cruise. There is a place, but we didn't find it. We did, however, buy our train tickets to the airport for that day.

Usual Transportation

From Centraal, we walked to Dam Square, the central city square. Around the square the buildings, in addition to stores, include the Royal Palace and the New Church, which is no longer a church but a concert hall. We caught a tram from Dam Square to Albert Cuypmarkt, a several blocks long outdoor market. Here one could buy almost anything imaginable from small venders, including bicycles. Many seemed to have set out things from the shops along the street.

Albert Cuypmarkt

After walking the entire length of the market and back part way, we headed to Weteringplantsoen, a large open square along one of the canals. The original Heiniken brewery, now a museum and tour center, is here. We did not tour and taste.

We caught a tram from there back to Dam Square. And walked the rest of the day.

Heiniken Beer Wagon

View from Westerkkerk Tower

Just west of Dam Square is the Westermarkt and Westerkerk. Westerkerk is still an active church, the largest in Amsterdam. The organist there is also the concert organist at the Bavokerk in Haarlem. Fortunately, he was practicing, so we got to here the organ.

Dick bought a ticket for a later tour climb of the church tower, the tallest in the city. It was lunch time, so we walked around the neighborhood a little to a small local bar. Since it is close to the church and on the square, we were not the only tourists in the place, but there seemed to be more locals than tourists.

Lunch

After lunch, Dick joined his five companions for the church tower climb. It's restricted to a small group because of the crowded space in the tower, and to get narration along the way from the guide. In the tower is the old carillon keyboard and some of the original bells. Dick used a mallet to play a little "tune." Of course, the views of the city from the tower were spectacular. And while this was happening, Karen took a stroll around the neighborhood and along the canal. The area has many restaurants and small shops.

It was then time to start heading back to the ship. We returned to Amsterdam Centraal for a coffee at the Starbucks there, also hoping for internet. Unfortunately it is a franchise store, and they have no wifi. The barista told us there is a brand new store, the largest in Europe, in an area we had been in this morning, but not close enough to go back to on the way to the ship. Maybe when we come back through.

However, we did find a DoubleTree hotel on the way, and there was wifi in the lobby, so we caught up with email and other necessary internet checks. From there it was about a ten minute walk back to the pier.

In the lock back to the North Sea

Sailing out of Amsterdam

Sailing out of Amsterdam is its own adventure. Amsterdam is a little below sea level, so getting back out to the North Sea required passing through a lock to raise the ship a few feet. (We had been through the lock the night before on the way in to Amsterdam.) The ship fit in the lock with only a little room to spare, and it seems to have been local entertainment, as several people were there to watch the operation.

Off into the North Sea for the trip to Copenhagen.

Europe, 20 May 2012 - Brugge

It didn't really feel like Sunday today to us, because we simply headed off into Brugge instead of going to church. And it was a bit surprising that everything seemed to be business as usual. I guess that's the way of the world now.

The Canal in Brugge

Since the ship docked at Zeebrugge, which is the port for Brugge, we took a shuttle from the ship to the train station in Blankenberge where we caught the train in to Brugge. It was a fairly short train ride.

In Brugge, we followed our usual plan of wandering the city and finding interesting sites. And occasionally getting lost. It was pretty quiet when we first arrived in the morning.

Our first stop was the Church of Our Lady, which was not open to visitors yet as it was Sunday morning. Near the church was the Gruuthuse, a museum where we only visited the outside and surrounding area.

Town Square from The Bell Tower

Brugge from The Bell Tower

From there we arrived at the Markt, the medieval center of town and business. It is still a lively place. Nearby is The Bell Tower, with great views of the city. Dick, of course, climbed the tower. It was our one day so far of cloudy overcast weather. But the views from the top are well worth the climb.

Lunch at Herberg Vlissinghe

Returning to the ground and rejoining Karen, we then headed to another church, The Basilica of the Holy Blood. They claim to have a relic of Christ's blood from the crucifixion, which we did not see. There was a Mass going on upstairs and the church was crowded, so we only peeked in. On the street level was the older medieval part of the church with very old brick work.

Attached next door is the Town Hall, another fine example of medieval architecture.

Dumon Chocolate

The next goal was food. The Belgians are famous for beer and chocolate. So our goal was both. For lunch we went to Herberg Vlissinghe, the oldest pub in Brugge opened in 1515. It's a fairly small place with tables that are shared. There were a couple of larger groups, the second of which seemed to be local people from the neighborhood, gathering for a celebration. We shared our table with two other couples successively. We of course had local beer with lunch.

For the chocolate fix, we found Dumon Chocolates, a family operation off Market Square with a very good selection of freshly made chocolates, sold by family members. It is one of very many chocolate shops in Brugge. And they make very good chocolate.

It was time to head back to the train to return to the ship. We went through the Markt, and stopped again at the Church of Our Lady, now open for viewing. From there we headed to the train station with a short detour through Minnewater, a large park with a river and canals. It is another beautiful area.

Church of Our Lady

Minnewater

Another short train ride, followed by a bus ride back to the pier returned us to the ship after another good day.

  

Europe, 18-19 May 2012 - Cruising

After four port stops in succession, we had two sea days in a row. These days are generally quiet and relaxing. Since we had bought the Thermal Suite package, we spent a fair amount of time in the thermal pool and on the heated ceramic lounges. It is all quite relaxing.

Otherwise one could say about these days that on this site at this time, not much happened. That's one of the benefits of cruising.

Europe, 17 May 2012 - Lisbon

Monument of Discovery

Another new city and country awaited us today. We docked in Lisbon (or Lisboa), Portugal. There are some interesting monuments on the way in to the harbor where we docked for the day.

Ponte 25 de Abril

The other main feature coming in is the Ponte 25 de Abril bridge over the river, a suspension bridge that looks like a smaller version of the Golden Gate in San Francisco. That is because it was designed and built by the same engineer and builder. It's even painted about the same color. It has two decks with trains traveling on the lower deck.

We took the train from the dock area to the central city and began walking up the hill into the Bairro Alto area. Many buildings in Lisbon have tile façades which are quite beautiful. That is true of both homes and businesses. Tile is, therefore, a prominent  feature of the architecture.

John baptizing Christ

In the first church we visited tile walls play a significant role in the decorations. Another interesting feature of Igreja de Sao Roque, a renaissance church completed in 1574, is the Chapel of St John the Baptist. A large painting of John baptizing Christ serves as the altar piece for the chapel.  Most interestingly, the chapel was built in Rome with rare mosaics which resemble oil paintings, dismantled, shipped to Lisbon and reassembled in the church.

We  continued our walk around the city going to Praça Alegria View Point, a park at the top of a hill with good views over the city. There is a funicular, but we walked both up and down. It is a beautiful area from which one can see many of the main features of the city. A prominent structure is the Castelo de Sao Jorge on another hill of the city, an area we visited later in the day.

Se Cathedral

One goal was to buy some port wine in its home country, and something that is not available at home. We went into the first wine shop we came on and accomplished that goal. (Then we had to carry it around the rest of the day.)

Heading back down the hill we continued our wandering around the Bairro Alto through many narrow streets and alleys. We then headed across the city through the Chiado area into the Baixa. This area is filled with many stores. The streets are wide and straight. This area was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755.

Rose Window of Se Cathedral

We walked into the Alfama area to the Se Cathedral. Reaching the Cathedral we stepped inside. Literally, as the doors did not open, but had a small door in them which one had to step high through. The cathedral had a beautiful rose window behind the altar, mostly of blues, which, unfortunately did not photograph well. Across the street was the smaller church, Igresia de Santo Antonio.

Cathedral doorway

Funicular

We then climbed the hill and wandered the area around Castelo de Sao Jorge. This area is filled with homes, shops, and restaurants. For lunch we found a small café on an alley, Mercearia Castello, that was mostly filled with locals. Once again, it was a good choice off the tourist path.

Hilltop View

Lunch stop

Sidewalk Mosaic

We continued our wandering after lunch and headed down the hill to the huge square known a Praça do Comercio. This is at the water's edge and the gateway to the Baixo area. From there we walked back to the Cais do Sodre train station to head back to the ship.

Parça do Comercio

We went on an upper deck to watch as we left Lisbon.  It was a great experience going under the bridge and seeing the Christo-Rei statue on the opposite shore (similar and inspired by the Rio de Janeiro statue). We also passed the Padrao dos Descobrimentos (Monument of Discoveries) as we passed Belam. The Mosteiro do Jeronimos in Belam was also visible. We had not had time to visit this area. There was also a Portuguese submarine leaving port as we were. At one point some of the crew were on the conning tower watching our ship just as we were watching them.

Portugese Sub

Cristo-Rey

Europe, 16 May 2012 - Gibraltar

Cable Car to Top of the Rock

Today we "discovered" the Rock of Gibraltar. It was not quite what I had expected, but still very interesting. It's really not a rock at all, as much as a small mountain.

At the "Top of the Rock"

The Rock of Gibraltar

To save time we did a shore excursion from the ship instead of our usual go on our own. That got us a bus ride  directly to the Rock and the tickets for the cable car up to the top. Not the top you would expect from the insurance advertising, but with good views of that. And the rock has many caves throughout it, which served as shelter for soldiers over the years. Gibraltar is a British Territory at the southern tip of Spain.

with young one

Barbary Macaque

On the rock, the other notable feature is a colony of Barbary Macaques, the only remaining native European monkey breed. They appear rather docile, but have a reputation of taking anything they can grab. The ones we saw at the top of the rock seemed rather tame and not very interested in the people. Unless they were hoping for a food handout.

The other notable feature of the area as seen from the Rock is the Gibraltar airport. It has a rather short runway which is partly built on fill over the water, and has a city street across the runway. The stop light turns red when a plane is landing or taking off.

Karen on shopping street

Gate in old wall

From the Rock, we walked through the city back to where we caught the tender to the ship. The main shopping street is a pedestrian mall and has the usual collection of fancy stores and souvenir shops. Dick made a major purchase of a Gibraltar baseball cap.

As we sailed from Gibraltar, there were more good views of the Rock. Then it was south around the very southern tip of Spain and Europe. We could see a town at what was probably that point, likely Tanla. As the day ended, we sailed NW toward the southwest point of Portugal into the night on our way to Lisbon. 

Europe, 15 May 2012 - Alicante

Alicante, Spain is a city we had never heard of until we saw the itinerary for this cruise. It is Valencia's second largest city. We spent our time in the waterfront area and medieval city.

Karen near waterfront

La Explanada

As we walked into town we came to La Explanada, a beautiful palm lined walk of inlaid marble. Then we wandered through El Barrio, the old town area. There we visited San Nicolas de Bari, the cathedral.

Karen at lunch

We then took an elevator to the top of Mount Benacantil to visit Santa Barbara Castle, a medieval fortress. There were spectacular views of the city and the Mediterranean Sea. Returning to El Barrio, we visited Museo de Belenes (Nativity Scene Museum). We added to our collection a small piece of the Holy Family by a local artist.

Our lunch stop was a sidewalk café next door, where we had a specialty of the area, paella. When we asked for wine to go with it, he brought a bottle from Alicante. The whole meal was very good.

Paela & Red Wine for lunch

Another church we visited was Basilica de Santa Maria, originally a Muslim mosque. There are marks and a cannon ball in the wall from a medieval siege. The church wall was originally a part of the city wall.

Cannon holes in church wall


We returned to the ship and were able to use the cruise port's free wi-fi before the ship sailed. That evening we had dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, compliments of Pam, our travel agent at AAA. It was very good.