Another Cruise: Back to British Soil, sort of.

Our final stop on the cruise had us spending the day at Guernsey. If you have never heard of this place, it's because it is small with very little to see and do. The main draw would be to go there to shop (no VAT).  

An old watch tower to keep the French out. I presume. 

This was probably the best find while walking the town. We did get our salad in Guernsey. 

As you can see, it is not very busy. This is a main street.

The mailboxes are blue instead of red. 

 I think the highlight of Guernsey was the tender ride from the ship to shore.  It was our first time riding in these tiny little boats.  We also got to see parts of the ship that are not usually accessible.

Tender boat.

A hall.

We also decided to use this opportunity to take a selfie with the future queen. 

Guernsey is a bit more interesting from afar. 

 Our last formal night had us eating like gluttons. The options were the lobster or the steak. We all did both. We also ordered another serving of lobster. It was so yummy!

All of our various plates. 

Then it was time to dance!

I highly recommend Cunard Cruise lines.  There were plenty of activities to keep busy with, the food was fab, the service was wonderful, beds were comfy...

I also recommend travelling with Ben and Rea!  They were fun, played trivia, were great at locating bars, didn't complain while on my "walking tours," and enjoyed using bad table manners in order to annoy Shea!

Another Cruise: Santiago de Compostela

Rather than explore Vigo, Spain, Shea and I made it up to Santiago de Compostela to watch pilgrims finish their journeys , and to admire Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque buildings from the 11th century. It is a small town where tourism is it's focus (in fact, the city claims to be the world's first major tourist destination). It is also believed to be the final burial place of St. James.

One of the many churches in the town.

The legend of Apostle James the Greater asserts that he came to Spain to convert the country to Christianity and preached for seven years before returning to Judea where he was martyred by Herod. His disciples smuggled his body back to Spain.  His burial place was unknown (forgotten,) for many years until a star revealed the location to Theodomir, Bishop of Ira Flavia in 813.  However, scholars have cast doubt on the legend (he never went to Spain alive, the record of this death in the Acts of the Apostles does not mention his body going to Spain). Whatever the truth is, the cathedral, the main attraction of the city, certainly is devoted to St. James.

The Cathedral. The more impressive front side was covered in scaffolding. 

Here in the courtyard outside the church, pilgrims collapse at the end of their 100 km journey from France. They are required to collect stamps at various checkpoints to prove they have completed the route. 

The weather was fabulous. It made the sangria taste wonderful!

This is part of the alter. It was too shiny and gold for my camera to pick up decent pictures in the dark church. It was truly impressive. The bit attraction was a huge statue of St. James that you can climb stairs to get behind. The crown St. James is worn from all the people rubbing it for good luck.

Under the alter, is the burial place of St. James. 

It's quite blurry, but in the centre is the Statue of St. James. 

A view of the alter from the far side of the church.  Nice chandelier! 

Though the town is quite small and there is not much to do, it was a fantastic spot to walk for a few hours, then move on to sangria and tapas!

Another Cruise: Lisbon, Portugal

Portugal was the highlight destination when we first decided to go on this cruise. We had heard so many wonderful things about the city and the food.  We had also been warned about how hot it can get there. Lisbon did not disappoint on any fronts.

I woke up early as we sailed into the city in order to snap a few pictures of Lisbon's copy-cat attractions: the Salazar Bridge and Christ of Majesty. 

Hmm, where have I seen these before?

This 330 feet concrete statue of Christ is either blessing the city of Lisbon or readying to dive into the river (as the locals say). 

One of the longest suspension bridges in the world, the Salazar Bridge was built by the same company who made the San Francisco Bridge. When sailing under, it hums with the sounds of the vehicles travelling along above. 

Once we finally docked, this was our view from our suite. Very nice!

Rick Steves had three walks planned out for us. I was determined to complete them all. In hindsight, this was a huge mistake as we rushed from one attraction to the next, resulting in me getting whinny.

Our first neighbourhood to explore was Bairro Alto (high town) which had us hiking up hills for unbeatable views of the city.

Our first viewpoint.

I went into a church (Shea was on a conference call while I toured around) where walls of relics were on display.

Some of the relics in Sao Roque Church

Then it was time for more views.  Do you see that cluster of trees at the highest point in the picture (between the two clouds at the top right)? We eventually make our way all the way over there.  That is where I got cranky. Too much walking in the hot, hot heat. 

Much of Lisbon's history is based from an earthquake in 1755 which destroyed most of the area. This was once a convent but only the Gothic arches remain. 

This iron elevator was designed by one of Gustav Eiffel's students (hence why it looks so similar in design to the Eiffel Tower). 

 Our second neighbourhood to explore was Baixa (the lower town). It is mostly a shopping area with grid streets (a result of the area being decimated in the earthquake).  It also has a lot of monuments along the waterfront.  By this time, it was getting really hot so pulling out the camera to take a picture was only happening when I saw something exceptionally brilliant.

Our final neighbourhood was Alfama, where you can find medieval streets and Sao Jorge Castle. We decided to skip the castle, quickly walk the streets and get back to the ship with all its air conditioned glory.

Some of those medieval streets. Many of the homes had budgie cages affixed to the outside of their homes. It made the walk a bit more pleasant, listening to the tunes of these little birds. 

Selfie with the Queen Victoria. So close to air con!

The Alfama area was probably the most beautiful. There isn't a lot to see and do but the streets are unique with sharp turns and stairwells to get lost on. 

We made it back to the ship and I thoroughly enjoyed Lisbon from the sea in a/c. I managed to get quite a few great pictures as we sailed away. 

This is Trade Square (in Baixa). It was the site of Portugal's royal palaces. Now it seems to be a large space with nothing to do or see. 

 Dinner that night was interesting. Our table had one side where the sun was shinning onto. There was only one spot out of three that could be used without going blind. So I got to sit across from these lovely people and judge their table manners.

They look lovely now, but their etiquette was shocking when the food arrived!

Rea and Shea "hugging." 

Another Cruise! First Stop: Porto, Portugal

With the warm weather taking it's time to appear in London, Shea and I decided it was time to leave this damp city and search for warmer climates.  The search didn't take too long as some friends had done all the research and were willing to put up with us while travelling to Spain and Portugal, via Cunard's Queen Victoria. 

Our first day of travel had us training to Southampton in order to catch the cruise. You would think this would be a simple process but nope, someone (or maybe it was all of us) got it in their head to walk from the station to the port.

Interesting fact: Southampton is hot! It's also quite a walk to the port when you are carrying luggage. The best part was we still had to go through check-in and have our pictures taken!

Rea and I dying! Purses suck to carry. We also used this time to air our grievances so there wouldn't be any issues on board.   

Thankfully, all it took was a shower and a late lunch and I was ready to enjoy the rest of the cruise!

Ben and Rea took full advantage of the mustering drill to model their life vests.

  The newest world's largest cruise ship (Harmony of the Seas) was beginning it's inaugural voyage from Southampton while we were there. This ship is huge!

Harmony of the Seas

 It didn't take us long to find our local on the ship.  The Golden Lion afforded us hours of entertainment (and not just with drinks). There were board games, cards, an elusive bottle of champagne was up for grabs at every trivia game. We never did get to taste those bubbles of victory...

Shea teaching Ben how to play Crib.

You're not supposed to show your cards Ben!

 There was plenty to do while spending a day at sea. Shea tried his luck at fencing. There were also a plethora of dance lessons, afternoon tea time, a lecture series about the Royals, nightly entertainment, and discos.  

Stabby Stabby!

Shea concluded that he would be ready if pirates attacked.

The Queen Victoria is a bit more fancy of a ship than Shea and I were used to. Mostly because they have strict dress codes and formal nights.  At first, we were a bit reluctant because of all the extra clothes you have to pack. That quickly changed!

Getting read for a fancy night out.

Ben and Rea owning formal night.

 With so much to see and do on board, it was a wonder that we actually left the ship at our first destination: Porto, Portugal.

Taking the shuttle into Porto. We were so happy to have Internet again!

When Shea and I first moved to London, we each picked out top destination that we wanted to see.  Mine was Switzerland. Shea picked Portugal. After three years in London we were finally making it to one of these countries. Porto did not disappoint.

We followed the Rick Steves walking tour for the city. 

Our first Portuguese church. It's in the baroque style.

Us in the Avenue of the Allies. 

The Imperial McDonald's. The fanciest McDonald's in Europe. 

The Sao Bento Train Station is decorated in painted tiles that tell history of this region in Portugal. 

A tiled rock.

Porto's Cathedral. 

The views of the city for the Cathedral were more impressive than the Cathedral. 

 After a few hours of walking, it was time to sample the Portuguese beer and take in some sun. Sightseeing is hard.

Ben being serious. 

Shea soaking up as much sun while in the shade as possible. 

Rea posing. I think. 

 My favorite bit of Porto was the Ribeira, the waterfront where you can find various restaurants amongst skinny, colorful houses.

Some of those beautiful homes along the waterway. 

The balcony railings really added some personality. 

 I think the only thing we missed while there was sampling port (which I am not a fan of). The city is quite charming to stroll through and was a great introduction to Portugal. It really was a teaser for our next stop: Lisbon.