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?