Tuesday, 30 April 2024

At Sea on QM2

Today is our second full sea day heading to New York. The QM2 is a beautiful ship; its recent refurbishment has it in prime condition. The sea was quite calm yesterday, but today the waves and the wind are a bit stronger. It isn't at all uncomfortable, but we do need to be careful when walking the very long distances from one place to another. The air temperature is in the low 50's and the sky is bright blue with puffy clouds, but we haven't ventured outside yet.

Sunday 14 April-Friday 26 April 2024

A Special Blog Edition About Life on Board Seabourn's Quest

There are so many wonderful things to Illustrate about the Quest that I can provide only a brief selection, in no particular order.

Unlike other cruise lines, all Seabourn ships have staterooms in the front, with public spaces in the aft section behind the iconic ship-height atrium double-spiral staircase.

Seabourn Quest Docked in Cartagena, Spain

When first boarding, passengers pass through the brightly-lit corridor that leads to The Restaurant, the main dining room.

Do You Think Will Has Enough Wine Glasses?
You Will Notice He Already Has a Glass of Fine French Champagne

There are other places for food that aren't quite as "casual elegant" as the Restaurant.

The Poolside Bistro Near the Top of the Ship . . .

. . . Offers Sun or Shade for Breakfast and Lunch . . .

. . . Often with Special Events . . .

. . . and Poolside Entertainment.

Solis, a reservations-required restaurant offers unique menu selections and table-side preparation for almost every course. That includes the individually-constructed tiramisu that rises right before the eyes of the diners. Although the specialty restaurant requires advance reservations, it does not have extra charges. In fact, everything on Seabourn is complementary, including alcohol--and champagne--as well as specially made coffees and pastries at the Barista's in Seabourn Square.

Fine Dining in Solis

Seabourn Square is the central meeting point of the ship, with a large Barista bar, computers, shops, library, and all the information desks that passengers might need.

Evening entertainment and a variety of lectures are held in the Salon, an intimate theatre with raked seating.

In addition, there are several bars and lounges that offer a variety of drinks, food, and entertainment--all included in the basic price.

But this entry has gone on long enough and I have more to offer about Seabourn's Quest. So I will carry on in another blog to be posted later.

 Sunday, 28 April 2024

At Sea on QM2

It’s bedtime on Sunday as the QM2 starts her journey across the Atlantic. After spending two nights in cold and rainy Southampton, we boarded the ship at 3pm, set sail at 5:30pm, and had our first martini and dinner at 8:30pm. We set the clocks back one hour tonight and tomorrow; we are looking forward to making up all the sleep hours we lost on Oceania sailing eastward. But more about this ocean liner voyage later, as I use days at sea to catch up on the blog. 

Thursday, 25 April 2024

Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain

We have a close-up view of Ibiza's Old Town as Seabourn's Quest sails into the harbor.

We have a four-hour shore excursion, "South Ibiza Discovery," that takes us to various sights and scenic views on the southern half of the island. The tour does not take us to the old city, as it was supposed to, and that is disappointing. However, I did have a tour of that area on my previous visit in April 2010 (see the links at bottom of page).

The tour drives to Ses Salines, where Ibiza's salt industry began. Although no longer a major part of the economy, local salt is still sold for exorbitant prices at local tourist shops. The sea water deposits its brine in the spring months and as the water dries and evaporates over the hot dry summer the salt crystallizes and is harvested in the fall. It is still very early in the spring and in the process, so there is not much to see. We had a much more interesting visit to salt collection deposits in Bonaire, in the Netherlands West Indies in July 2018 (links below). The redeeming virtue of this site in Ibiza is the presence of flamingoes, who thrive on the healthy bacteria in the salt water.

The tour continues on to the village of San Jose, where we have a brisk walk through the town as a result of the guide letting us off the bus very far from our destination--a local cafe to sample Flao (a cake of soft cheese and local herbs), with a quick view of the old church across the street.

Bayside Sant Antoni de Portmany is lined with large hotels catering to the many British visitors to Ibiza. The town is also the location of several of the very large nightclubs that make the island so popular with jet-setters and hedonistic tourists. Many of these clubs are very expensive for visitors but make their owners very rich. Each of the clubs often host up to thousands of visitors on summer nights.

Roadside Sign Pointing Partygoers to a Large Nightclub

Near Sant Antoni are many small bays and beaches enjoyed by locals and tourists. We stop at one overlook to see how the leisure class lives and plays.

We return to port and to the Quest in time to see this large ferry dedicated to a famous American:

Back on board we spend the rest of the day getting our luggage ready for tomorrow's flights from Barcelona to Paris to London, and then on to Southampton.

Saturday, 27 April 2024

Southampton, UK

We arrived here last night, ready to start the last part of our 42-day journey:  tomorrow afternoon we board the QM2 for the seven-day trip to New York City. It was a long difficult day of travel from Barcelona, but we had a good night's sleep and today we are ready to meet the (unfortunately) typical English weather in this port city. Robert Browning may have written: "O, to be in England / Now that April 's there," but he was in sunny Italy at the time.

Wednesday, 23 April 2024

Cartagena, Spain

This is my fourth visit to this charming small city, centered on Spain's Mediterranean coast. Although there are only about 200,000 inhabitants, Cartagena is one of the most important of Spain's ports, with the widest and deepest harbor. Although hidden from the casual visitor's vision, the city is host to Spain's largest naval military port. It is also important for the mining of minerals and for agriculture.

The city center has been turned into a pedestrians-only zone lined with elegant early modern buildings and 17th-century churches. On my first visit, as you are all aware by now, I spent 12 days in hospital having a hip replacement. When I returned six month later, I was able to photograph the city and document the preparations for the beginning of Holy Week and the procession of floats. If you wish to see these photos, you can link back at the bottom of the page to 12 April 2017.

This is Will's first visit here and he is pleasantly astonished when he opens our suite's drapes and sees the city spread out and up close to the dock. 

We take part in a morning shore excursion, "The Roman Theatre and Tapas Trail," covering two of Cartagena's most important cultural traditions:  the continuing discovery of Roman ruins (Cartagena was an important naval base for them, too), and the enjoyment of tapas and wine (mostly sangria)--the perfect combination for a perfect morning.

Will Documents the Ruins with His iPhone

After learning about the murderous relationships of the Roman ruling families responsible for building this theatre, the whole tour group is ready for refreshment at five different tapas bars as we make our way from the city center back to the port.

Tapas Trail Stop #1:

The Bar . . .

. .  a Warm Cheese Tapas

Tapas Trail Stop #2:

The Bar . . .

. . . Waiters Serving the Tour Group . . .

. . . Pork Stew Tapas

Tapas Trail Stop #3:

The Waiter . . .

. . . the Bar

Tapas Trail Stop #4:

The Tour Group at the Bar . . .

. . . Potato Bravas Tapas

Tapas Trail  Stop #5:

View of Harbor from Tapas Bar .  . .

. . . Cheese and Egg Tapas with a Tall Sangria

And then we walk very tipsily back to the Quest.

Wednesday, 24 April 2024

Cartagena, Spain 

We are spending today in this lovely small city. LFLatSea will give a report in a later blog. Now back to . . 

Monday, 22 April 2024

Day at Sea, Sailing from Gibraltar to Melilla, Spanish North Africa

Days at Sea on Seabourn are welcome not only for a break from touring in port, but also for the special events that are always planned. Besides the usual talks on upcoming ports and their cultures, today's afternoon event is an Ice Cream Social on the Pool Deck. We are offered several flavors of gelato, several flavors of sauce, and a large selection of liqueurs to pour on top. Tonight's entertainment is a major production prepared as a tribute to lyricist Tim Rice, who has worked with composers Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alan Menken, and Abba (to name just a few). The singers and dancers are talented and the small theatre is well-designed, with comfortable raked seats. But the audio system is very bad. In a show designed to spotlight LYRICS, it is unforgivable that the sound is so muddled it is difficult to make out the words.

Tuesday, 23 April 2024

Melilla, Spanish North Africa

It is certainly ironic that the Spanish complain about the British occupation of Gibraltar, when the Spanish themselves govern two cities carved out of the eastern Mediterranean coast of Morocco, Cueta and Melilla. These cities, although separated from each other, are consider a province of Spain, use the Euro as currency, and have difficult relations with Moroccan neighbors, especially after Covid.

Melilla, a city of 75,000 inhabitants is bordered on the east by the sea, but surrounded on the other three sides by Morocco. There is 16-foot fencing surrounding these three sides, with only one open border point at the present time. Previously Moroccans could come and go in Melilla for work and for shopping. But Morocco has made the crossing much more difficult (primarily for economic reasons). Spanish control of these cities dates back to the early part of the 20th-century, although the cities themselves are much older.

If the tourist can ignore the political situation, the city itself is quite pleasant. The "old city," built upon a hill above the sea, is closed to traffic and offers many quaint alleyways and buildings, as well as a selection of bars and restaurants.

The modern city has the largest collection of Arte Moderne buildings outside of Barcelona.

The new city also has lovely beaches with first-class hotels and many venues for local sports.

Former Military Barracks Now Used for Sport Activities

A short drive from the city center takes us up into the surrounding hills where we have panoramic views of all this small area under Spanish control, including the densely packed population areas.

After the tour Will returns to the ship and I walk back to the modern city to take the building photos I have posted above. To avoid the long walk back to the ship, I catch the free shuttle provided by Seabourn.