Voyager of the Seas: Malaga AKA Sea Day
Using only my iPhone, I woke up at 2:30am to catch a sighting of the Rock of Gibraltar. One of the passengers had a fancy camera with a night lens and captured an incredible shot. This will have to work for me. Years ago, I was so excited to be passing the Rock mid-day… I stood out on the balcony shooting photos. Hours later, I discovered we were on the opposite side of the ship … missed the Rock of Gibraltar completely. My photos were of Morocco… this time, I knew I was on the correct side! So, I set my alarm… wiped the sleep from eyes and tried to capture a decent shot. Far off and blurry, void of any details, this was the best I could do!
With a plan to spend 11 nights in Malaga post cruise, I saw no reason to race to shore and back. This port stop was very short… not nearly long enough, in my opinion. It is such a sweet historical area, that to truly appreciate it, you must have time to meld into the feel of this very walkable town. In the coming days, after three nights in Barcelona, I will post photos of Malaga. Until then, my “first view” upon entering port, will have to do. Straight across the marina, is the brick/rock structure taking up most of the hillside, is the Alcazaba. In the days ahead, I will have full photos from inside and around this architectural beauty.
From our perch in the Viking Crown Lounge on the 14th deck, we had a view of the industrial section of the port. Also, looking out past the pool area, we could see the rural part of the area. Several times, we have taken a train into Malaga, which is very enjoyable! Once along the coast but more often on an inland route. It is definitely a relaxing way to travel. Over the tallest building, in the center of the left photo, stands the Cathedral de Malaga. We will be staying right next to this historical structure.
Our activity of choice, instead of heading to port… games, games and more games. This particular afternoon, we opted for Rumikub. The lightweight addition to my travel game collection, kept us entertained for hours! Weighing a mere one and a half pounds, this game comes with tiles and the balsa wood racks. It will go everywhere with my now! Lucky for me that my son enjoys games because we spent countless hours playing each sea day.
Back at sea, heading for Valencia. After passing through the Strait of Gibraltar the other day, we entered the Alborán Sea. The westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. The Atlantic Ocean is classified as the saltiest ocean. The Strait of Gibraltar separates the two seas… Alborán Sea is colder and far less salty. This photo was taken to show the snow capped mountains. After checking, it is common for snow to be on Though close in proximity, cities like Malaga and Seville receive very little snow. Malaga had a surprise storm in March. Lucky our cruise was in May! As a side note, the mountains here have the same name as my home area… Sierra Nevada. There was a lot of conflicting information as to whether the two ranges have a physical connection.
On our third visit to Izumi, I was approached by the waiter with “good news/bad news”. I chose the bad news first… the ship was out of seaweed salad. Due to my dietary restrictions, this has been a staple for me. We moved on… now the “good news”. Actually, we had two good news items. First, the chef made gluten free fried rice as a surprise! That IS good news! Second… a special batch of mochi was made… minus the flour sprinkles on the outside, so that I could enjoy mochi for dessert! What a special treat! After dinner, we went to see the show…
Based on The Jersey Boys, this group was awesome! The East Coast Boys each took on a character from the 1960’s group. Adopting the former singer’s names, they remained in character throughout the performance. With familiar songs, it was great for sing-along time … oldies but goodies! Glad we attended this one!
We called it a night fairly early. Tomorrow, Valencia!
