The Crossing-The End

We hustled our way out of Marseille making another 6PM departure for Monte Carlo just 142 nautical miles up the Mediterranean coast line. We arrived in Monaco the next morning (Wednesday April 7) at 6AM. We had traversed six time zones and 4860 nautical miles in 16 days.

Our bags had been placed outside our suite the night before and were all organized on the dock for our assorted bus departures. After 16 days of shipboard coddling we were now facing the cold reality of modern air travel! Passengers scattered to many destinations. Sixty one of us bussed to the nearby Nice airport to catch an 11AM flight for Frankfurt where we then caught a Lufthansa flight to Denver. A final connection brought us to Phoenix. Much to our astonishment all flights were on time and we arrived in Phoenix at 8PM for a two hour drive back to Tucson.



I've said it all by now other than recognizing what an opportunity it is to do such trips. If you are a reader of these posts I hope you are inspired to do your own explorations.










Lee

The Crossing-Marseille and the Pope's Palace

Our departure from Malaga came at 6PM with Marseille, France our destination some 668 nautical miles east. This is more or less another 36 hours at sea with arrival in Marseille scheduled for 9AM. During our entire crossing the clock was advancing an hour every other day or so. In total we lost 6 hours between Fort Lauderdale and Marseille. That is damaging to all of us doing the late night lounge shows. In addition to all the entertainment I outlined earlier in the trip the "World Famous Platters" joined the cruise in Funchal. If you know Sally you know music of the 60's ranks high on her priorities!

The Platters were fabulous. They preformed a standing room only show the first night out of Funchal and were very interactive throughout the cruise. We were dancing late one night to the tunes of the Private Reserve rock band in the small Horizon lounge and the Platters joined the band on the stage for a genuine jam fest. They could not be stopped until we old folks finally signaled for substitution and left the floor! Sadly I did not have the camera. They do love what they do.

Marseille is undistinguished so we opted to take a coach trip to Avignon in the Provence region. Avignon has a rich history marked by a century in the 1300's when seven popes (nine unofficially) elected to reside there rather than in Rome. During their century of residence they constructed two massive palaces joined at the hip which served as the Catholic church administrative center and residence for the Pope and the hierarchy.


Avignon during this time became a European center for the arts and literature and is still a vibrant culture today. Today the main plaza is home to fashionable shops and a host of street cafes. Ship passengers never pass up a meal so Sally and I enjoyed the local fare.

The first Pope came to Avignon due to the persuasion of the French king (his name escapes me) who feared the Knights of the Templar of Dan Brown fame. The Knights rivaled the Pope in power at that time so the Pope joined the conspiracy to eliminate all 13 Knights. All 13 Knights were murdered on the same night across Europe (might one call that a good knights work) without the aid of Western Union, telephones or the Internet. The night chosen gave rise to the angst surrounding Friday the 13th! The Pope remained in Avignon for a century because each feared harm if they returned to Rome.

The Palaces are known as the "old palace" and the "new palace" since Benedict XII built the first one followed a couple decades later when Clement VI built the second palace. Benedict came from humble origins so his structure is austere but Clement came from privilege so his half came with elegant painted frescoes and soaring architectural features. This is the entrance to the "new" Palace.Our guide for the Palace tour had a Johnny Depp look and was quite funny for a Frenchman.

On our return to Marseille we visited Les Baux a charming hilltop fortress/village from a similar time. Les Baux is perched on a rock outcropping some 800 feet above a fertile valley below. Lord Baux was a favorite of the King of the time and was given this territory to rule. Today it is authentically restored and the ancient alleys house many shops featuring local arts, crafts and foods.

The Pope's Palaces were another interesting insight into middle age history. Although life was brutal by today's standards it is clear the hierarchy enjoyed the pleasures that power and the wealth of the day could provide. The Catholic church was not all cloistered nuns and chanting monks. This photo shows the Pope's banquet hall where the Church hosted guests ranging from European monarchs to Church hierarchy.

It was another 9 hour day and we returned to the Mariner for our own elegant banquet in the Prime 7 steakhouse and to complete packing for our disembarkation the next day from Monaco.

The Crossing-Malaga Spain

We departed Cadiz, Spain at 8PM on April 3 to make the short trip (154 nautical miles) to Malaga, Spain on the Costa del Sol. Although a short trip it is noteworthy because we pass through the Strait of Gibraltar to enter the Mediterranean Sea. Unfortunately this occured at midnight in the dark so we chose to ignore it. We arrived at daybreak around 7AM. Malaga has a completely new harbor for receiving cruise ships and it is much like a new airport including pneumatic gateways that extend out to the ship.





It was Easter Sunday in Malaga and our ship's crew had not overlooked a special gesture in our cabin to commemorate the occasion. It did not match the daily processionals of Cadiz during Holy week but it shows the level of service on the Mariner:






Among the many interesting excursions available in Malaga we chose to make an 80 mile coach trip to visit Alhambra and Granada in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Perhaps ironic on an Easter Sunday to visit Granada which was the capital of Spain during the 11th Century when it was under Muslim rule. Alhambra sits on a high peak overlooking the walled city of Grenada.

Alhambra meaning "the Red One" was built over the four centuries from the 1100's to the 1400's until it was again conquered by the Christian king and queen Isabel and Fernando. (Some religious conflicts just seem to keep repeating). Alhambra served as their favorite court. The Alhambra served as the administrative center as well as the residence for the Muslim regime for their nearly 400 year reign. It is estimated nearly 4000 residents occupied the Alhambra while almost 40,000 lived in the walled city of Granada below the Alhambra.

The complex includes several castles built over the period as well as lavish landscaped gardens. A private retreat for the Sultan and his attendants (some might say harem or concubines) occupies a nearby area known as Generalife. It includes private gardens, reflecting ponds and summer like palace.

All of this sits in a walled complex which served as a fortress for the first Muslim sultan, the Nazarene dynasty, during the 9th Century. Subsequent sultans expanded the Alhambra adding castles and administrative structures. In later additions innovative heating and cooling was added via a small water sluice system and structural elements to capture either heat or cool depending on the seasons.




Carlos V, successor to Isabela and Ferdinand the Catholic rulers who overtook the Muslim Alhambra added a beautiful palace to the complex in the 15th Century but never occupied it or returned to Alhambra to witness its completion.







The structures are elaborately detailed for the time using a stucco and mold system to produce spectacular wall and cupola detailing.







Granada and the Alhambra sit in the foothills just below "White Mountain" in the Sierra Nevada range. You can see in this photo it is snow capped even in the summer and provides the water which was critical to the Muslim era yet in a hospitable year around climate.








It was a provocative sidetrip through some beautiful countryside in modern Spain today filled with olive and fruit orchards.





Our visit left several impressions: the Muslim/Christian conflict is deep rooted; the Muslim dynasties were quite advanced in technology and administration skills for the times; the powerful always live a lifestyle separate from the masses and are the Muslim dynasties of today making the same mistakes of their forbears by walling in their wealth?

Lee

The Crossing-A Pause to Celebrate

April 2 was a day at sea navigating between Funchal, Madeira and Cadiz, Spain. The distance is 574 nautical miles so we departed Funchal at 6:00PM on April Fools Day and arrived in Cadiz to a full harbor at 8:00AM on April 3.

April 2 is also auspicious because it is our anniversary...this is our 44th year of great moments...including our celebration aboard with our great traveling partners Polly and Carly Defaria. Perhaps the celebration is the reason I posted the Cadiz visit ahead of the Anniversary dinner. We dined at Signatures, a boutique restaurant on the Mariner which features a Cordon Bleu chef. Prior to that we prepared for dinner at the Observation Lounge up top:


Our "one shining moment" came during the dinner in the small Signature's dining room when Carl and Polly both stood up at the table removed a script from a pocket and proceeded to toast us with the

ditty posted below. Our neighboring table thoroughly enjoyed the tribute as did we!

Forty years of wedded bliss, how quickly flies the time,
such an auspicious occasion deserves an auspicious rhyme.

It was pottery buying when we first met, to Casas Grande we bussed,
Carl jumped on the spot, he grabbed the prized pot,
and Lee only made a small fuss.

To Tuscany thence the four of us flew, with Beth and Peter, et. al.
Pecorino was pleasing, wine flowed without ceasing,
we, all of us, had a ball!

Then to New Zealand! What a great trip. We glaciered, cratered and beached.
We celebrated Christmas and New Years Eve with reindeer eared sheep!

And now we're "at sea", the itinerary says sailing across the Atlantic,
Our dinner's divine and so is the wine and the sea breezes...oh so romantic!

So here is our wish (we promised a rhyme that would be truly auspicious),
we wish you both the happiest of days and a life that is incredibly delicious!

Now how can one do any better than that to celebrate an Anniversary?

The Crossing--Cadiz, Spain

Cadiz turns out to be another wonderful surprise among the places we have not previously visited. A major port city of Spain, it was home to the Spanish fleet when ol' Christopho Colombo was exploring the New World out of here. Founded in 1100BC they claim it is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Western world! One would not know it today, it doesn't look a day over 400!


During the 18th Century, (the 1700's to those of us who are century challenged) it was the center for European trade with the New World and therefor became the wealthiest port in Western Europe. Cadiz has a plethora of Cathedrals built from that era and is exceptionally Catholic. We arrived on Saturday in Holy Week and it has had incredible all saints "parades" daily through the small passage ways of the old city to individual cathedrals...all lined with viewing stands which carry a steep price for a seat. How Catholic is it?

We were on a walking tour of the old city and stopped in front of the City Hall and a lady asked why all the flags were at half mast? The guide replied quite matter of fact "Jesus Christ died Friday". No separation of city and church in Cadiz.

The old city is quite vibrant with modern boutiques side by side with old style fish mongers. The streets are very clean and exceptionally well maintained by city workers. It is still a residential city with apartments above all the merchants and parks sprinkled in among all the commerce.

It has an amazing central market with small individuals stalls combining to create a huge market featuring fresh (even live) fish, beautiful vegetable displays, meats, cheeses and flowers. On our Saturday morning it was teeming with shoppers. Other individual free lancing vendors crowded the perimeter of the official city market. Quite a scene.











The Seven Seas Mariner docked in the city center so we simply disembarked and immediately walked throughout the old city following one of four lines painted on the streets to mark tours with individual themes for "cathedrals", "forts and bastions", "panoramic sea front" or "historic monuments". Just follow the blue, purple, yellow or red line. Now that is a chamber of commerce at work...and the lines we followed were great! Cadiz has it all: history, charm, good food and clean streets! Click on the photos for a closer look.



Lee

The Crossing-Funchal, Madeira Islands

Funchal is a definite WOW rising dramatically out of the Atlantic to an elevation of over 6000 feet. Natural ampitheaters, deep ravines, seaside cliffs and lush vegetation are Funchal features. It is a botanical marvel. Or maybe I was awestruck by any sight of land after 5 days at sea! Funchal is the capital city of the Madeiras a chain of six islands of which only two are inhabited. The other four are protected UNESCO nature preserves visited by permit only.

Funchal was "discovered" by Capt Zarco in 1421 when he shipwrecked on what is now Porto Santo, the other inhabited island in the Madeiras. He christened it Porto Santo (the Saints Port ) because it saved his bananas. He declared the Madeiras territory of the Portugese King. Today it is an autonomous region of Portugal. (Would there be any Atlantic resort islands today if there had not been shipwrecks?)


Christopho Columob resided in Funchal while exploring the New World. He and the Santa Maria are still using the Funchal harbor as their home port alongside the assorted cruise ships. The Madeira wine has extended his longevity. "Care for some Madeira, my dear a?"




Funchal is now the capital city (since 1508) with a robust economy and 110,000 of the total 180,000 residents in the Madeiras. The economy is based on tourism and agricultural exports for the most part. It has a high level of development all along the southern coast which stretches roughly 25 miles.


The development is sprinkled precariously up the mountains from the coastal harbors and provides some of the most dramatic vistas of the city and the Atlantic one can find anywhere. The hillsides are covered with a mix of modern condominiums, private homes, small hotels and ancient homes dating back centuries. The city is a beautiful mix of historic and modern and features many wonderful botanical gardens about the city center.



The Portugese defended the original walled city with four forts with the waterfront fort shown here:









Only 5 weeks ago there was a catastrophic storm which created massive flooding and mud and rock slides down the mountain sides into downtown Funchal. There were over 500 homes destroyed and more than 50 deaths. The island has done a heroic and herculean clean up in this short time. While we saw plenty of evidence of the flood (the shops in the old town had mud and water marks at the 6 feet level) the streets were all cleared the sidewalks all cleaned the the island roads all restored to service. There is now a new land fill on the waterfront of about 5 acres where all the rocks and silt that came down into the city was deposited. There was great urgency to do so since the cruise season is now underway. In our 36 hours in Funchal we had 5 other cruise ships enter and depart the harbor.

Our time there was short but it is an enchanting island and a favorite for mountain hiking with many trails traversing the mountain sides. It is one Sally and I want to visit again on our own, much more interesting than Bermuda.

The Crossing-At Sea

Ok so how does one spend 5 consecutive days on the Atlantic traversing from Bermuda to Funchal, Madiera Islands on a dead 90 degree heading averaging 20.4 mph, 24 hours per day,2800 miles in all? Fortunately we have had moderate weather averaging 62 degrees, some overcast days, some broken cloud days; seas have been moderate averaging 6 to 10 foot swells. Even at that the ship has a slight rocking motion which produces an occasional stagger; a great cover for too much time spent in the cocktail lounges.

The cruise staff maintains excellent communications via a closed circuit telecast in the cabins previewing all the entertainment events, informative lectures, lounge acts, dancing lessons, computer lessons,shore excursions plus video tours of the bridge and engine rooms by the captain for the wrench heads. In addition there is a bulletin on ones' door each morning with an hour by hour description of all the options. No excuse for cabin fever.

Entertainment is provided via several methods. The main acts are provided by a PGT a theatrical production company who recruit and assign all talent to the cruises. We have a company of four singers and four dancers. They provide full musical review acts as well as solo productions by solo singers. I attended a "meet the cast" session and there are three from the US, three from England, and two from the Ukraine. They are all graduates of dance or music conservatories in New York or London.The two Ukrainians had attended dance academy since age 3. They work on a contract to remain aboard for 6-9 months. One fabulous artist has done this for seven year! They take 2-3 months between contracts. Injuries, sea sickness and general boredom result in a high turnover.

In addition to the production company there are performers who are direct hires of the Regent who do lounge acts or solo acts in the main theatre. We have "singing puppeteer", an assistant cruise director who does a singing act, a Polish lounge act and five Napa Valley wine producers on board for this cruise who give wine pairing lectures but also have a cover band called Private Reserve.



They have been a great hit on board for their wine pairings as well as their playing in various informal venues. One is the grandson of Louis Martini, the others are smaller vinters. There wines have also been served on board occasionally.


There are seven public decks on the Mariner reached via two stair cases or two elevator banks...one placed in the open atrium forward in the ship the other aft. Here is the atrium elevator bank:












There are four cocktail lounges, shown below are the Observation Lounge up on the bow on Deck 12 with a panorama view forward and the Horizion Lounge on Deck 6 with a panorama view off the stern. Both feature lounge music and singers at various times of the day.










There are five dining areas on board ranging from the poolside grill to elegant dining in the Compass Rose room or two intimate dining rooms by reservation only. Here is a photo of the Compass Rose for open dining and the Prime 7 steak house by reservation.









Add the fitness center, the Swedish sauna, the pool and the hot tubs to all the above and that is how you spend five days on the Atlantic ocean.

The Crossing-Bermuda

We arrived in Bermuda around 8:30AM Thursay March 25 for a stay for the day. Bermuda to my surprise is really a chain of islands or archipelago of 138 islands, some no larger than my MINI Cooper. Captain Juan Bermudez discovered Bermuda in 1503 but the action started when Capt George Somers a British mariner suffered damages on the reefs in what is now St. Georges Island and declared Bermuda a British colony. Today it is a British protectorate but fully governed through the Bermuda Parliament and nine parishes at the community level. The Parliament Building sits right on Front St where the S.S. Mariner docked:


Security for the Bermuda government officials was quite relaxed as I was able to walk the grounds and enter the Parliament building without seeing any security guards. I was even able to photograph the VW belonging to the Chief Justice sitting in his personal car port. The Opposition Leader was provided a parking spot out on the lawn! Seems the bipartisan spirit is in tatters everywhere.






If you click on either photo you can read
the parking spot placard. Seems one could leave a pipe bomb message without much effort.



We spent about 4 hours touring the city of Hamilton, St Georges Island where Bermuda was founded and the Island waterfront along 5 parishes. It is a spectacular setting with all the small bays and inlets plus the ocean waterfront.

We lunched on Bermuda chowder at this St. Georges waterfront bistro. One could adjust chowder with either a sweet rum or highly spicy vinegar. It is a beautiful quaint waterfront spot.




Bermuda has an exceptionally high living standard and at last count had the highest GDP per capita of any economy in the world. It creates its wealth by hosting over 4000 financial service and insurance firms based on a favorable tax and legal climate. Bermuda has passed through 5 phases of development since its founding in 1610: salt harvesting, farming, shipbuilding, tourism and now financial services. Our guide claimed they introduced potatoes to the US. So who introduced us to the Bermuda onion?

The two islands are scattered with spectacular homes for such celebrities as H Ross Perot, Michael Bloomberg, Italian Premier Bertolosconi and of course Michael Douglas born in Bermuda. I shot a few waterfront photos as we sailed out of Hamilton Harbor:


Again if you click on either photo you can get a closer look at your future Bermuda home.





Our next stop is Funchal, Madiera Islands. Directions are simple: turn right outside the Harbor, go directly east for 2500 miles and turn left into the Funchal Harbor! Our 90 degree heading has only varied a degree or so for the last two days. We will be at sea for five days before arriving at Funchal at 8AM on March 31.

More from Funchal.

Lee