Lisbon & At Sea - April 24 - 25, 2012

Quiet River to Lisbon

Clearing the Bridge

A smooth glide into Lisbon, up the river gazing at the city and watching the ship clear the “25 April” bridge (renamed from “Salazar” after he was deposed in the democratic revolution of the 1960’s).  The rolling hills are checker-boarded with quaint buildings.  Once on our tour, we board one of the turn-of-the-last-century electric trams used in this city of impossibly steep and narrow streets.  Most of Lisbon’s buildings are post-1755, when there was a major earthquake and tsunami that destroyed most of the city except for the St. Jerome Monastery, St. Mary’s church and another church in the old district.  When they rebuilt the city, they put a lot of loving care into the buildings, using Moorish tiles as outside facades.  The streets are still cobblestone in many areas and the sidewalks are made of limestone and basalt, cut into pieces and laid in beautiful designs, literally everywhere.  The tile work and street-level mosaics are what we came to see; we get an eyeful on our hour-long tram ride.

The Tower

Explorer Monument

The tram tour includes a glass (two or three for the brave or foolish) of port and one of the famous custard pastries while we are told about the ancient history (Romans and Moors), the various historic neighborhoods, and the city squares with their statues and buildings.  Since it is a cool and dreary European day, we are glad to be aboard a tram enjoying the explanation by Isabelle and treats served by her helper.  We also see an ancient-but-functional funicular tram that routinely transports the residents up and down on of the many steep streets.  Fun to see – definitely not a street we would want to live on!

Friendly Port Server

Electric Tram

Tile Work on Building

Another example of tile facade

Typical Square

Funicular Tram on Steep Street

After a switch to bus transportation near a beautiful downtown park, we head to three famous buildings.  The first is the St. Jerome Monastery and St. Mary’s Church, where Vasco du Gama is now buried.  Since we had visited and photographed his first tomb in Cochin India, we hoped to get a picture of this tomb, to which he had been moved by his son.  Unfortunately we are unable to go in because there is a huge funeral going on inside the church.   The next stop is the Tower, a fortress that was initially and strategically constructed in the middle of the river, only to have the river recede and “move” it to the north bank.  Two such fortresses, twins, had been used to protect and control ships coming to the city of Lisbon; the other did not survive history. The final stop by our tour is the Monument the Golden Age of Portuguese Explorers.  When we were on the ship we could see this monument but not the side with the sword or the tiled world map in the walkway in front of the monument.  A great tribute.

St. Mary's where V.Du Gama buried

Steve at the Tower

Explorer Monument upclose

 

Jesus facing the river & bridge

We would have loved a close-up view of the statue of Jesus built in 1959 as a replica of the one in Rio de Janeiro.  It stands on the south bank of the river, overlooking the city and the bridge.  The bridge was built by the same American company that built, and using the same design as, the San Francisco Bridge.

 By sail away time, the sun is out making the city gleaming.  This is definitely a city on “return to” list - intricate, but sadly deteriorating, grandeur, and the friendliest residents.

Another beautiful Tile work

 Now the Queen Elizabeth faces the Atlantic Ocean, headed north.  Over the next two days on our way to Southampton, the wind is expected to pick up to over 60 knots and create waves of 8-10 meters.  This morning we wake to 21 foot waves and a nice roll, something we haven’t experienced since the Indian Ocean. 

Today’s schedule is interesting.  There will be two lecturers in the morning (which we will skip to start our packing), a Captain’s reception at 11:30 AM, pre-UK-immigration passport clearance session at 2 PM and the last formal dinner in the Britannia dining room tonight.  Packing is now down to what we won’t need on the Queen Mary 2 and the trip souvenirs, which must fit into some hypothetical suitcase void that did not exist when the trip began.

This will be our last blog for the Queen Elizabeth portion of our voyage.  We have a seven-day Atlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2 and will definitely write an entry or two on that trip as our world cruise comes to an end.

Given the very rough seas we face over the next two days, we feel it appropriate to convey the prayer the ship’s Master read at Sunday’s maritime church service.  Some may know the prayer from prior sea-born experience

The Cruisers’ Prayer

Heavenly Father, look down on us, your humble, obedient cruise servants who are doomed to travel this earth, taking photographs, sending postcards, and buying souvenirs.

We beseech you, O Lord, to see that our ship is not detained, or ports missed, or schedules unmet.  Give us divine guidance in our selection of ship.  We pray that the telephone lines are unclogged and the internet freely connecteth.

Lead us to good, inexpensive restaurants where the wine is included in the price of the meal.  Give us the wisdom to tip correctly, even in currencies we do not understand.  Make the natives love us for what we are and not for what we can contribute to the local economy.  Grant us the strength to visit the museums, cathedrals, palaces, and if we skip a historic monument to take a nap after lunch, have mercy on us for our flesh is weak.

Dear God, protect our wives from bargains they don’t need or can’t afford.  Lead them not into temptation for they know not what they do.

Almighty Father, keep our husbands from looking at the foreign women and comparing them to us.  Save them from making fools of themselves in night clubs and bars.  Above all, forgive them their trespasses, for they know exactly what they do.

And when our voyage is over, grant us the favor of finding someone who will look at our cruise pictures and listen to our tales from the launderette, so our lives as cruise veterans may not have been in vain.

Amen!!

At Sea via Strait of Gibraltar - April 23, 2012

We awoke early this morning cruising briskly into the narrows approaching the Strait of Gibraltar, with Algeria on the port side and Spain on the starboard.  The wind is near hurricane force (68 mph – “whole gale”!) as the ship enters the Strait and as the famous Rock of Gibraltar comes in to view.  Gibraltar is a British crown colony near the southern tip of Spain and is only 1 and 7/8 square miles.  The rock is one of the ‘Pillars of Hercules.’  .  I can’t help but think of Prudential Insurance and the 1960’s Wild Kingdom TV show that showed the Rock at the beginning because “The Pru” sponsored the show.  The rock looks a lot more interesting than it did on TV.

Sierra Nevada Mts. in Spain

Gibraltar in sight

Gibraltar

TV Shows where we are loccated

The other side - Africa

Tangiers in the distance

At its narrowest point the Strait of Gibraltar is only 8.5 miles wide.    Opposite the Rock is the northern point of Morocco; Tangiers is near the northwest end of the Strait, right as we enter the Atlantic.

Today, April 23^rd, is St. George’s Day.  This is a day to honor St. George, a Christian martyr of around 300 CE.  In Britain it is customary to fly the St. George’s Cross flag in some way, at pubs in particular.  Also it is customary for the hymn “Jerusalem” to be sung in cathedrals, churches and chapels on the Sunday closest to the date.  It is also customary to wear a red rose in one’s lapel.  We wondered about that last night as there were several people with them in their lapel.  We did not know of this holiday and now we do. Okay, that’s enough geography and history for the day.

The lecture today by Eamonn Gearon was about “The Egyptian Revolution, the Why and What’s Next?”   Excellent overview, and his book called ‘Sahara’ is a very educational read. 

The entertainment director on the ship conducted an interview with Sir David Frost and there was also a book signing following the interview.  David Frost is still as witty and interesting, and still has the same great comedic timing, as ever.

This evening, there is a gathering of the group who went on the Angkor Wat trip to Cambodia.  Some of these travelers will be ending their world cruise in Southampton.  A good chance to say our goodbyes.  Tomorrow, Lisbon.

Civitavecchi (Rome) & At Sea - April 21-22, 2012

In sailing to Civitavecchia, up the western Tyrrhenian Sea coast of Italy, we passed a few islands.  One of which was Stromboli.  It is one of the active volcanoes in Italy and is still smoking today.  Steve takes some great pictures as the ship is sailing nearby.

Stromboli

Port Civitavecchi

The port of Civitavecchia has always been the port and docks for Rome.  It is primarily a commercial port (aka containers) with a large fishing fleet and heavy ferry traffic between the adjacent isles and the mainland.  It is Saturday, the fishing and ferry fleets are idle, and the primary ships coming and going are cruise ships – Cunard, Holland America, P&O and a large and striking passenger sailing ship.  The tours all leave early in the morning, the majority of people headed to Rome.  A few tours go into the Italian countryside and that is what we choose – Tuscany – since we immersed in Rome five years back.

Italian Countryside

As we drive along the road, there is much to view in the rolling hillside.  There are farm fields with durum wheat heading out and anticipating its golden metamorphosis, red poppies along the road and fields of canola plants with their neon yellow flowers.  It is so nice to see “green” after the sands of the Sahara!  Sheep are lazily grazing and there are small towns along the way with a mix of old and new buildings.

Some Sheep Grazing

The tour’s first stop is to a small farm which also happens to have a B&B and Restaurant – Cerrosughero.  The farm’s product is olive oil and we have a sampling with a nice morning snack and then are shown the various machines that are used to make olive oil.  This particular brand has won top ratings for the past 10 years.  The views of the surrounding area are spectacular.  You can even catch a glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea.

Scene from Farm Restaurant

Yummy

Awards

Olive shaker

Ruins - old Tuscania

Tour guide “Mickey” fills us with history and stories as we travel from the farm to the walled city of Tuscania, named after the ancient Etruscans who first settled the area.  This town is one of the many still maintaining its charm as a walled city.  The buildings all look old but we learn many had to be renovated following a devastating earthquake that hit this area of Italy in February, 1971 (does anyone remember this?).  We have the opportunity to just walk around and experience the cobblestone roads and lovely views to the ruins of two churches where the original city was located.  This original city was destroyed by the French in the 1490s and the walled city we are walking was built soon thereafter.  As always, Italy will charm you and make you want to stay.

Quaint house

Friendly Italians

City Gate w/clock

Town water fountain

The back gate to the city

Small doorways everywhere

Nice fountain near cafe

Too bad - back on the bus and home to the ship. 

The weather is coolish (60 degrees) and the air is refreshing.  We take a long walk along the pier, and along with many other passengers, check out the other docked cruise ships.  The sea is right behind a huge breakwater, recently built to protect the harbor area from tsunamis and make room for more ships.

Now the ship will sail to Lisbon through the straits of Gibraltar and up the west coast of Europe.

Our days will be filled with lectures, laundry and packing.  

Today, Sir David Frost will be speaking to us about his life interviewing people.  The movie based on his interview, “Frost/Nixon.” is being screened this afternoon.

And, yesterday, being named as it is, the ship celebrated the actual, not official (which falls in June) birthday of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth!

Athens & At Sea - April 17-20, 2012

The next evening after the ship sailed from Egypt, guess what was on the dinner menu – pigeon!  It was quite tasty.
At sea lectures:
A lecturer on ‘The Sahara’ provided a good recap of the history and explanation of some of the mystery of this large multi-national and multi-cultural portion of Africa.  We definitely know we are not ‘sand people.’   (An interesting factoid:  The original Star Wars movie was filmed in southern Tunisia and place-names used in the movie are actual locations in The Sahara.)
Final lecturer on the Concorde and speculation of the future of fast airline travel.
Interview with Master of the Queen Elizabeth, Captain Julian Burgess – he’s been working ‘at sea’ for 33 years which is remarkable given that he is only 50 years old.  He was on the P&O cruise line, Princess cruises and now Cunard.

Tugs helping

The morning of April 18 upon arriving at Piraeus, Greece, the port to disembark for Athens, the wind speed is over 65 knots and the rain is pelting the decks.  The Captain makes an announcement to reassure everyone regarding their safety and continues to provide updates about efforts to enter the port. The ship has picked up the harbor pilot and has made an attempt to enter to dock, then is directed to return to sea. Then we learn the port has been temporarily closed.  Our ship has to move further out in the Saronic Gulf and the ship lists quite a bit as we come about in the strong winds.  The Captain tells us that as long as the wind is this strong, the ship will not re-enter the port.  The ship is turned into the wind so as not to list and sits in the Saronic Gulf awaiting port-authority word on whether to reattempt entry.  Finally, 3 hours later, the wind has abated, the port has reopened and we are given clearance to dock.  We require two tug boats to help us to the berth because of the narrow entry to this port and reestablished winds. Since the ship is docked perpendicular to the wind and presents a rather huge profile to the elements, the two tug boats remain, fully engaged, along side of us, keeping the ship pushed up against the dock, with the fulltime assistance of the ship’s stern azi-pods and bow side-thrusters, and with the ship lashed front and back with all available lines. It’s like a day-long rugby scrum between Nature and the devices of man.

Street Scene from Bus

Athens side street

Odeum of Herodes Atticus

Everyone heads ashore on tours.  Some tours have been dramatically shortened because the ship is still planning to depart on schedule at 5 PM.  For example, the tour to Corinth will only allow for a traverse of the canal and no tour of Corinth itself.  We decided on a tour that is just the Acropolis and a drive-by of other Athens architectural highlights.  Our tour guide is young and friendly.  A few questions about the unrest are deflected although she does tell us that the bitter oranges growing on the trees were used as projectiles by the protestors.  There also seems to be a lot of graffiti which she laughingly says that yes, it is young people doing it but graffiti is a Greek word!  And she also says we won’t see any protestors or demonstrations today because it is raining and people therefore will probably just go to work…..form your own thoughts about the future of Greece!

Where Paul preached (Acts 17)

View to Parthenon

Eroded detail

Rennovation at Parthenon

Back to the past, Greece has such a long history with a rich culture.  Along with the many islands and coastal towns, it is a destination requiring much more exploring than what little time we have today.  The weather also isn’t cooperating as it is a little drizzly and the wind is blowing in excess of 25 mph.  You can imagine how windy it is on the rocky Acropolis outcrop.  It’s even difficult to hold the camera steady enough to shoot pix.  We wander around and explore, snapping pictures and taking in the amazing views.  Even though the site is constantly under restoration/renovation, there is definitely more there to see than one would expect.  Yet, like Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and the Egypt’s pyramids, your imagination has to come in to play.

The Parthenon other side

The Caryatides

The Erechtheion

Temple of Zeus

Temple of Hephaistos

Back on the ship, our planned departure is delayed due to the winds again picking up.  Finally around 9 PM, four hours later than planned, the Captain-and-crew, pilot and three tugs jointly direct a logistical ballet to somehow launch us out of the wind-blown, tiny-and-maze-like ship-filled harbor.  We note that along with us, one of the other cruise ships also wisely waited to depart.  The departure was a very interesting operation to watch from our balcony at night.

Puzzle Pieces Numbered

The Arch of Hadrian

Now the ship is back at sea and sailing into a 32 knot headwind.  We are notified at noon by the Captain that the ship will be making an itinerary change.  Because we are not able to sail at the speed we need to arrive on time at Civitavecchia (the port for land-tours to Rome and Tuscany), the ship will take an extra day at sea and skip Monte Carlo, the port after Civitavecchia, in order to have a full day in the area of Rome.  For us this is not a big deal as we have both been to Monte Carlo before.  While Monte Carlo is an interesting city, the surrounding Cote d’Azur/Provence area is definitely of more interest to us and we wouldn’t have had any time to really see it.  So……we are at sea for another day and then Civitavecchia on Saturday.  We hope that the weather will cooperate for Lisbon, Portugal (next Tuesday, and the last port of this trip on Steve’s bucket list), our final port before disembarking in Southampton to change ships.

 



The Stadium (marble!)

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie



Sail Away from Athens