December 1, 2011 Cadiz, Spain
After a day at sea on Tuesday cruising south along the coastline of Spain, we sailed into the sunny port city of Malaga. Though a few of us stayed in Malaga for the day, most took one of the ship’s excursions either to Grenada, to see the famed Alhambra, or to the historic city of Cordoba.
We’ve often felt that the Alhambra remains one of Europe’s most beautiful palaces. Perched in the hills overlooking Grenada, the Moors constructed the palace in classic North African style, with tranquil fountains and graceful reflecting pools. The palace’s Courtyard of the Lions remains one of the most beautiful spots in the country.
Thanks to Spain’s high-speed trains, another destination has recently been opened to cruise visitors, Cordoba. Early Wednesday morning we boarded a sleek new train that raced between Malaga and Seville at speeds approaching 250 km/hour (about 150 mph). Settled into comfortable seats we traveled quietly through the olive-tree covered countryside for about 70 minutes. The only indication of our speed was the occasional swaying of the car and, of course, watching automobiles creep (relatively speaking) along the highway.
The modern city of Cordoba does not seem to offer much to the visitor; rather most of its treasures are situated in the old historic section. To reach this area, we walked across a stone bridge built by the Romans. Once across the bridge we made our way through a warren of narrow streets, the old Jewish Quarter, to visit an historic synagogue. Filled with shops and restaurants, we spent the better part of our morning in this quarter. However we saved the best for last, the famed “Mesquita” of Cordoba.
Beginning in the 6th Century, a basilica was built on the site of an ancient place of worship constructed by the Visagoths. During the Islamic period in Spain this church was destroyed in order to build a mosque on the site in 785 AD. No ordinary mosque, this was to be the most important Islamic place of worship in all in the West. Two subsequent additions enlarged the mosque to a truly impressive structure. In 1236, when the Christians reconquered Cordoba, the mosque was ‘purified’ and then converted back into a Christian cathedral. (www.catedraldecordobe.es) Today, in the center of the mosque’s hundreds of pillars and colorful arches, an impressive cathedral has been constructed. It’s one of the most amazing sights in Europe. Don’t miss it if you have an opportunity.
Last night, about midnight, we crossed through the Straits of Gibraltar to land, this morning, in Cadiz. Many guests headed for the marvelous cultural capitol of Spain, Seville; others explored the old city of Cadiz, where many explorers of the New World began their voyage.
Elaine Durst has caught a bug in her chest (but she’s doing better already); otherwise we’re all enjoying the Crystal Serenity and visiting Spain in the late fall sunshine.
Wish you were here!
Paul and Christine
cruise ships (1070 guests), over 600 crew members assure a top quality, personalized experience.
it’s spoiled.
came up to me and asked, in English, “Where are you from?” She continued, “What is your name?” “How many brothers and sisters do you have?” “How long will you stay?” These are, of course, fairly easy phrases to memorize but the little girl went beyond those. When we asked her name, she said it was “Monika”. Of course, that was her English name; after all, her Cambodian name would be very difficult to remember.
Not everyone speaks English; not everyone is as helpful or friendly. But our sense is that this is a great place to visit.
Unlike the temperatures in the north of the country, the air is quite warm and more humid. On Sunday we reach our final destination, Saigon, where we’ll spend the evening. There our group of travelers will dine in the former home of US Ambassador to South Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge. The next day, Monday, we begin our journey home.
There we boarded a vessel described as a ‘luxury junk’ – the term made us a little nervous. (Of course we checked it out long before we traveled and felt very comfortable with it.) When we boarded the comforts and the warm hospitality soon erased any concerns; it was a great experience. Shortly after boarding the captain began navigating through the picturesque limestone islands called ‘karsts’. Even though it was colder than we expected and, unfortunately, overcast, the experience was magical, worth every moment of our journey.
capped mountains of Turkey’s Kurdish region.
magnificent fortress situated high astride the ridge of the mountain, the interest began to grow. At the entrance to the road leading up to the fort, we saw a long line of elephants waiting to take us up the mountain. This was getting interesting. While we waited to board our elephants, a local Rajastani man tied turbans on many of us. Properly equipped with regional headgear, we boarded the elephants and set off on our climb up the mountain. Touristy but fun.
After a busy morning it was time for lunch. And what a lunch… We had planned a “Royal Welcome” at a beautiful hotel, once a residence owned by the Maharaja of Jaipur. When we approached the hotel a band played music the maharaja’s armies might have used a couple of centuries ago. A huge elephant, two camels, two horses and a curious monkey flanked the entrance to welcome us.
Tuesday morning, Varanasi, India
sidewalks.
During the next two days we visited the handsome government buildings built by the British in the early 1900s, a magnificent structure (Humayans’s tomb) many call the precursor of the Taj Mahal and took off our shoes to visit the largest mosque in India. We boarded rickshaws to drive through the 
narrow lanes of Old Delhi while noisy commerce and tooting horns surrounded us. However the highlight of our stay in Delhi was our visit one evening to an Indian family. Our bus took us through Delhi’s dark neighborhoods to a newish 5-story building. We walked up four flights and rang the doorbell. There we met our charming hostess, Mrs. Prabeen Singh, along with her pretty daughter who recently began her practice as a child psychologist. During the next 45 minutes a series of fascinating local people arrived. Among them was the head of the Wall Street Journal in India, a Sikh gentlemen who publishes a prestigious journal on Indian affairs, a well-known physicist, an affable woman (who would host the King of Bhutan the following day at her accommodations at a noted tiger reserve), a woman who headed the department of comparative religions at a Delhi university, a coin expert and several others.
