Day 1-2. Pretty uneventful flying from Atlanta via Ontario to Rome. Then we took a bus to our ship, the Oosterdam, for a 21-day Western Mediterranean cruise. We departed Civitavecchia, which is considered Rome's port. We'll be back here in 21-days. It was a great start to our cruise weather-wise.
Day 3 - Pompeii (Salerno), Italy
The ship arrived in Salerno sometime overnight. Our 1st night on the ship was very restless trying to adjust to the time change.
Our day in Salerno, Sicily turned into our day in Pompeii. Amazing place. 66 acres of archeological excavations.We did take some pictures of Salerno from the Oosterdam.
There is a dog running with the miniature donkey.
What was surprising was how far away Mt. Vesuvius was. It must have been an amazing explosion that few people in Pompeii had the time to react to the explosion and survive.
Back to Salerno. Arechi Castle.
Day 4 - Palermo, Sicily
We slept in late, getting rid of the last of the jet lag. We walked into the city on a self-tour. Our 1st planned stop was the Cathedral. Then to the Catacombs. We used the Maps download app to get us to the Cathedral. It took us lot longer than we expected.
Never know where that Trailblazers hat might pop up.
The Cathedral of Palermo did not disappoint. It is the 2nd largest cathedral in Italy.
We went into the crypt and to the rooftop. It was difficult up and down those narrow, steep winding steps.
When we left the Cathedral, we discovered the Catacombs were not open again until 3pm. Our sail away was at 4pm. What a disappointment. We should have made a reservation for earlier in the day for the Catacombs.
After the Cathedral, we went to the palace. It was getting later in the day, and we were starting to get worried about getting back to the ship before departure. We talked to a taxi. He wanted 120 Euros. BS. Than 100. BS. Than 80. More BS. Then we saw the Easy Service Train. It was 10 Euros each, cash only. Interestingly, that morning we got 20 Euros before leaving the ship. Pretty miraculous.
Day 5 - Cagliari, Sardinia
Our day in Cagliari, Sardinia Cathy was not feeling her best, so, it was a short day for us. We did visit the Cathedral (don't we always) and the Castello (we always visit them too).
Jacaranda trees.
Dinner time.
Day 6 - Sea Day
It was Orange Day, Holland America does this on every ship, every cruise. Something to do with the Dutch House of Orange Nassau heritage. We wore our orange all day long! We did the usual sea day activities: promenade walk, sun deck, trivia and other games and Dutch dinner. More people and orange tonight than we we've ever seen on any of our previous HAL cruises.
The Mediterranean has looked like glass this entire cruise, except for the small ripples caused by the Oosterdam. We can't even tell the ship is moving. The sunset is different every night. Last night it was gone in 5 minutes. Tonight it lingered for 20 min, maybe because we keep going west
Day 7 - Palma De Mallorca
Our day in Palma de Mallorca. The Cathedral, La Seu was the highlight of the visit. It's one of the most magnificent we've seen, and we've seen a lot.
The cathedral dominates the skyline.
Biver Castle. Just a picture.
In the port.
Working windmill.
The Cathedral. More of it later.
There was a lot of activity around the Palace and City Hall.
City Hall exhibit.
On the main street.
Interesting?
In the Cathedral. Relic of the True Cross of Jesus.
Lots of altars.
From the Promenade.
Day 8 - Gaudalest (Alicante), Spain
Our day in Alicante, Spain we went to Gaudalest, a Moorish fortress in the mountains with access through a single tunnel. We were in Alicante several years ago, so we wanted to do something different.
On the way there.
The only entrance.
The water is naturally colored by the limestone.
Modern bathroom inside the big house, Casa Ordusa.
View from the top.
Stations of the cross on the way to the top of the fortress.
We finally won team trivia!!! The only time. Sandy and Hazel were with us the entire time. We were usually 1 or 2 points away.
Day 9
Our 2nd Sea Day. We wore our PTRR 2024 shirts for our deck walk today! It was Cake Me Away Day. At least 50 amazing looking cakes. We didn't eat any.
Day 10 - Finally, Gibraltar
I've always wanted to visit here. I scheduled this cruise because of this day in Gibraltar. The Rock had it all; my favorite person, great views, caves, castles, tunnels, apes.
The Pillars of Hercules. There is still this pillar. The other was in Morocco.
Higher on the Rock.
The Tunnels built during WW2 almost 30 kilometers of tunnels. Only part open to public.
Huge cavern. Hard hats to protect heads from low ceilings.
The Tunnel Bar.
Goodbye Gibralter.
The evening ended with a spectacular sunset.
Day 11 Sea Day Cadiz Cancelled
Our port of call in Cadiz today was canceled due to a transportation strike in Portugal. Now spending an extra day in Lisbon to accommodate passengers departing and arriving who may be impacted by the strike. Our return to Cadiz in 2 days was also cancelled for the same reason.
Straight to Lisbon, arriving late evening. I left dinner because I felt I needed to go take some pictures. Sure enough, we were arriving at the Cristo Rei and the 25 de Abril Bridge. The last time in Lisbon we drove over the bridge. This time under.
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