11 Day Cruise, Part 1

The 18th and 19th of April was our overnight in Lisbon.

Day 1
Jessica, Pedro and I got off together and headed towards Belem District. We ate Bolinho de Bacalhau (a traditional ball of breaded cod) and Pasteis de Belem, a creamy pastry with glazed sugar on top, a delicacy Portugal is known for. Back on the road we admired the intricate detail in the doorway of Jeronimos Monastery.
We passed the Museum of Royal Coaches and stopped at the Conquerors’ statue, depicting Christopher Columbus leading the people of the land. As we headed towards Belem Tower, there was a perfect view of “25 de Abril Bridge”, sister to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. They aren’t real clever with their titles of landmarks, apparently! Lisbon also has a miniature replica of Cristo Rei statue, which I’ve been lucky enough to see the bigger and better known brother in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. :D
Inside Belem Tower, we had a great photo shoot in every nook and cranny of the building. At one point I was in the fireplace, poising in a yoga position. Then there was the entertainment of watching Pedro duck way, way down in the old prison quarters, because it was suitable only for dwarfs like in Snow White!!!
We took the tram and passed the Orient station. Stopping at Baixa (downtown) we headed into Commercio Square, walking by the MuDe, a design and fashion museum. We saw Santa Justa Elevator, very similar to the elevator in Salvador. There was an arched walkway, which resembled the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. I swear Lisbon just copies monuments from around the world rather than creating new innovative ones!

Nightlife
When it was night, Whitney joined our group and we headed out into the freezing cold rain. We stood waiting for a taxi for so long, Jessica finally got impatient and ran to the middle of the street to stand on the platform and hail a taxi from either side. I knew this was a terrible idea but before I could yell at her to come back, what I predicted would occur happened right before our eyes and there was nothing we could do to stop it! Rainwater had been gathering on the streets due to Portugal’s lack of drains. There were deep and daunting puddles surrounding her and of course, a car came from one side of the street and a bus on the other and both splashed buckets of water, drenching her instantly. Her purse, shoes and jeans were soaked through. Luckily, we were able to hail a taxi soon after that and get her into a bit of warmth inside the car.
We journeyed out to Bairro Alto, known for it’s nightlife of bars and clubs. Our taxi driver suggested various restaurants, so we had him choose for us. The establishment was really pretty, but most importantly, heated! I had pizza along with fabulous bread and assorted cheese and jams for appetizers. After dinner, we wandered the streets, determined to learn what Fado was. We knew it’s Portuguese music, but it’s hard to know what you’re listening for when you’ve never heard the style before!!!! We stopped into a small pub when we heard a man singing with a guitar, only to soon recognize that he was signing a Brazilian melody.
I’ve impressed myself with how quickly I can determine what language someone is speaking in, because I can tell the difference not only from Portuguese to Spanish, but also with how people from various countries speak the same language a bit differently. I can hear the slurring of their words, the differences in pronunciation. It’s all so new to me, actually being able to understand people from other cultures speaking a foreign language. It used to be jibberish to me, but now if I’m focused, I can comprehend a lot. I’m excited because it feels like I’m on the right track to picking up another language, if I dedicate myself to it.
We continued heading down the streets in search of this mysterious music we had heard so much about, and ended up, literally, being pulled into a Mexican themed bar. The owner must have been on some kind of drug because he was all over the place, clawing the ceiling, salsa dancing with us, and at one point, trying to take Whitney downstairs! You just couldn’t help but laugh along with him; it was too extreme. I enjoyed the music so we stayed to dance for a bit, but soon decided it was time to call it a night and head back to the ship.

Day 2
For our second day in Lisbon, we decided to head back to Baixa. There were quite a few of us in the group so we took three taxis and made a meeting point of the Hard Rock Café in the center of downtown. When he had all arrived, we walked towards Commercio square; stopping a bit for souvenir shopping and money exchanging. Inside Rossio Square we tried Ginja, a shot of cherry flavored alcohol. It was super strong and so disgusting. Pedro said to drink it slowly to enjoy it to the fullest, but that was like sipping vodka, it just burnt your throat too much, I had to shot it. I didn’t even bother with the cherry at the bottom, because it had soaked up too much of the alcohol. BLAH.
The big group I started out with divided so people could go off and do different things, so I ended up with Jessica, Pedro and Bot for the rest of the day. We ate some really nice Italian food on the streets in Commercio Square and people watched. We made sure to buy some Pasteis de Belem before we headed back to the ship.

After a sea day, we were docked in La Coruna, Spain. Holly, Drew, Pedro, Jessica and I took the train out to Santiago de Compostella of Galicia. This city is the end point of numerous pilgrimages that people take. The trek starts in various countries and travelers are walking for months. It was déjà vu for me because I had escorted a tour here last year, and I remember this city was one of the first reasons I fell in love with Spain. The architecture and the gardens are so beautiful. I remembered walking in this place and feeling so peaceful, and wishing to return here and attend college because it’s a college town! Our group made a pit stop to feed our bellies but mostly to get out of the rain that started to pour on us. I had delicious spinach and cheese pasta and we took in the exquisite interior decorating of the café.
When the rain had stopped, we found our way to a ravishing park and got a bit carried away with a photo shoot. Back in the heart of the city, we watched as a group celebrated at having finally reached the end. They looked a bit rough, having stayed in hostels for several months, sometimes not getting a proper shower or bed. It was very moving to see the joy in these people’s hearts because I know this commitment of journeying here was not always an easy one; but to be victorious and finish your quest, would be so rewarding.
We toured the church where they swing the incense burner, possibly in hopes of masking the stench of the exhausted travelers. ;) The burner is so massive, it takes several men to lift it high above! I’ll have to look back at my research I learned when I was first here, because I think that Napoleon Bonaparte was involved with this church and the incense burner. If I remember correctly, my guide had shown me a replica of the incense burner, the original having been stolen by Napoleon.

Following La Coruna was Gijon, also in Spain. Gijon started as a fishing village 3,000 years ago but has now grown so successfully, its main port of El Musel is one of the largest in the north of Spain. Pedro and I were again, having an intense “best photo” competition. Europe provides so many artistic elements; it’s not hard to capture stunning images. Although it was raining, we enjoyed walking through the market in the center of the square. Jess and I found these awesome magnets that were rocks with alluring pictures of the countryside painted on them. We walked under the cover of our umbrellas to a giant monument on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the ocean. The wall that leads up to the structure was once part of a military blockade to protect the city. I’m not sure if the monument has an actual shape or if it’s just meant to be abstract art. The top is two rounded beams that almost close to a full circle, and the middle provides a window view out to the sea. I stood for a while in this gap; closed my eyes and listened to the crashing waves miles beneath me. I felt as if I could just dive right off the end and soar out above the water.
A short walk later we were back in the center of the small city. We saw a church that was preparing for the celebrations of Easter, with several decorations on floats. Then we headed to peek into a museum built around old Roman bathhouses, but we weren’t keen to pay to see the entire museum. The walk along the beach was beautiful because there were green moss patches that grew near the bridge. The green of these patches were such an extreme contrast to the rest of the colors of the beach and the city, it looked as if someone had painted over the pictures I took.
The sky was still cloudy but lots of people were out enjoying the day. An archery field was even set up on the beach, which reminded me of the time I taught archery to young elementary students when I volunteered at Outdoor Lab. We found a cute little diner and ate a really cheap and awesome lunch. I had two sandwiches! One of them was an egg and cheese sandwich. They cut a perfect hole out of the top of the toast so you could break the sunny-side-up egg that was inside. After lunch we wandered the shopping streets and came across a pastry store that had chocolate Ariel and other various animated characters in their display window. So, of course, we had to go inside! I ended up with a chocolatey donut and Jessica tried a pastry we had never seen before.
We still had some time before we had to be back to the ship, so we decided to walk in the city and make our way slowly back to the shuttle stop. I saw a Suzuki store and thought of my brother and his silly (and in my opinion, useless) jeep.
I enjoyed taking various pictures of the architecture, from the churches to the randomly colored boutiques. I love buildings in Europe; even the simplest ones, like apartments, seem so stylish and chic or ancient and full of history. I also thoroughly enjoyed maneuvering through the city and leading everyone with my map skills, which are ever improving with each new city I’m challenged with.
On the shuttle back to city, I played with Pedro’s hair and spiked it, drawing inspiration from the Who’s in How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the version with Jim Carey). :D


Bilbao was our next port, on Saturday the 23rd of April. According to my research, (which I had done for every European port) Bilbao is Spain’s sixth-largest cities, and one of the more expensive and upper class areas to live in. I could see why the instant we were on the shuttle and driving away from the port. The houses were absolutely stunning, surrounded by lush green lawns and parks. It was such a lovely day, lots of people walking their dogs or laying out in the sun, just enjoying the weather. The shuttle bus dropped us off in the city center, an interesting mixture between old churches and new, modernized skyscrapers. Everywhere I look in Europe, there is something interesting to take a picture of, from beautiful monuments to interesting forms of “art.” I’m learning more and more how that term is subjective. I also really like their shuttle buses; they remind me of ants because the side view mirrors poke out in the front, resembling antennas.
We walked around the center, hoping to find an exchange place but everything was closed for Easter holiday. Again, I wonder how Spain can survive if everyone takes a week or more off each holiday! We get the day off if we are lucky, never an Easter holiday week!
Bilbao is home of one of the famous Guggenheim Museums, like the one in New York. I did a bit of history research on Meyer Guggenheim, originally from Switzerland, who became an industrialist in the US in around the 1850’s. Together with his seven sons, he established several mining and metal processing companies. His son Solomon set up several foundations that supported the arts, including the museum in New York.
The Guggenheim of Spain was built in 1997. On the walk towards the museum, you can see a red suspension bridge peeking out in the middle of the city. “Puppy”, a giant collection of flowers shaped into a dog, sits waiting to greet visitors in the front of the museum. The architecture of the museum itself is art; its unique shape an extreme polar to the common building form. Not to mention the various works of art surrounding the museum; bubbles rising above a pool of water, and a giant spider that of course, I played on.
Just opposite the museum, we headed into the city center and waited in a long line for the shuttle. At one point, Holly, Jessica and I snuck off to grab some pastries from a shop. :D I tend to end the day with some sort of desert but hey, why not finish on a sugar note!?!