April 3 - “2”

Pretty good breakfast at this hotel. Staff made omelets and fried eggs to order. They even made Chris one fresh, scrambled egg. They didn’t understand exactly why she wanted it that way, but they made it nevertheless. The breakfast buffet also included plenty of fresh fruit and lots of stuff I couldn’t pronounce and didn’t recognize. They had one machine that provided fresh-squeezed orange juice. Another machine had about eight different options of ways to prepare coffee. I picked Americano. Better safe than sorry. It was way better than the instant coffee packet in the room. 

Our guide for the day was Alberto. Once he started talking, he couldn’t stop. For instance, I asked him about the preponderance of graffiti art all around the city. In spite of how it looks, though, he insisted there are no gangs in the city. Sounds like the taggers are all individuals competing against each other for who has the most and best tags. And they only tag the pull-down doors. No tags on buildings - that will get you thrown in jail. 

There are two cathedrals in town. One was built by the very rich. They hired the best architects and the best craftsmen. They also included bars on the windows and spikes on the second story to keep out thieves. 

The other one was built by poor fishermen. It took them 45 years. They brought stones from mountain - one on their back in morning, one in the evening. 

My favorite site of the morning was the Roman walls. Some were very old. Then the Romans added on top of them years later to strengthen them. In several other places they have been repaired using modern materials. Fascinating to see the history unfold. This one was adorned with gargoyles in many shapes, but none particularly scary - goats and dogs and horses. Water runoff from roof was expelled through their mouths. There was also a unicorn up there. Guess it spit out skittles. 

Chris made a discovery walking through the old streets of Barcelona. They are … uneven. Yep. She did it again. Fall number two. This one was a pretty hard one, too. No gorgeous Spaniards to help her. Just me and one other old guy on the tour. Banged up and scraped up her knee. She will be sore for this flight home, that’s for sure. 

But the tour wasn’t over yet, so she had to buck it up and keep going. And she didn’t want to miss  seeing what was next. Well, we actually had to stop and eat lunch at a local spot first. We had a salad with goat cheese in it, and the proverbial plateful of paella (Spain’s word for yellow rice). I liked the salad. The rice? Eh. Take it or leave it. 

But the all-time highlight of the tour - and probably of the entire trip - was our visit to Sagrada Família. It is the tallest church structure anywhere in Spain. In fact no new construction anywhere in Barcelona can be taller. But the size is not its appeal. That place is so intricately carved on the outside that every time you look away, then look back, you see something entirely different. And then on the inside, the stained glass is so ornate that it almost hurts your eyes to take a picture. The colors are bright and riveting (always wanted to use that word).  The stations of the cross are carved outside the back door. Oh! And there is a mysterious statue hanging at about the third story that could only be described as … Batman. I know. So very random. 

Our last stop was a place called Parc Güell. The same artist that created the stained glass in the church did a lot of the artwork in the park. But the most famous piece was his depiction of the dragon that Saint George slew. The statue is very colorful, in his renowned style, but it looks more like a large lizard than anything else. We did get a lot of steps in. Many of them were uphill. We made a wrong turn, but it wasn’t a total loss. The grounds we passed through were beautiful - lots of plants were blooming and stinking the joint up (in a good way).  

When we finally got back to our hotel, we were beat. But there was still work to be done. We had to get the suitcases and backpacks airplane-ready. Chris is a whiz at that. We were pretty much ready to go by 7 pm. Good thing. Our driver arrives at 6:30 this morning to take us to the airport. Comin’ home!

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ says, I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.

Father, please grease the airport wheels so we can get off the ground and back home soon. Amen. 

April 2 - “A million steps and The Hot Room”

The morning started out lots of fun … for me. We both woke up around 5 am and realized we were pulling into Barcelona. We took a picture, then crawled back into bed. I turned on the tv station that had the cruise info feed. Chris tried to go back to sleep. 

As she arose from one of her catnaps, I commented, “Well, it looks like something has happened and we can’t dock in Barcelona. I don’t know where they are sending us.” Without her glasses, I couldn’t see all that sharp. She sat up and tried to make sense out of what we could see out our balcony window. She was hooked. I finally said the requisite, “April Fools.” For some reason she wasn’t that thrilled. Poked me in the ribs. Of course it was with her sore arm. It hurt … her, not me. Inadvertent April Fools double play on her. 

 Total miles traveled on cruise ship: 5571 nautical miles. 

We pretty much flew through the ship security. Spain’s was a little different. Not that it was hard, or even time-consuming. But we had to show our passport and have our photo and fingerprints taken. I guess that means we are officially in Spain’s criminal database. 

Our driver arrived about 20 minutes after we gathered our luggage, so that was not a long wait. He was driving a brand new Mercedes Benz limo-type SUV. Gorgeous. Inside we each had a bottle of water waiting. Luxury, for sure. He helped with our luggage and filled us in on some of the areas as we passed through. 

We got to the hotel too early to get our room, but the front desk guy upgraded us for free to “a room with a view.”  He wasn’t kidding. A beautiful plaza lay beneath us. WOW. 

We got our room key and loaded into the elevator. But the elevator wouldn’t operate. Strange. Finally another hotel patron got on and explained that you had to insert your room key  to activate it 

The room itself was really small. It took us a while to figure 

 out where to put everything. There was a stocked mini-fridge and a pot to make tea or instant coffee. Even a free heavy glass jar of water. But maybe not free. Overall it felt very luxurious. Tiny, but luxurious. 

In the midst of all that plush-ness we had some cheese and peanut butter crackers. No. Not together. Yuk. I had cheese. She had peanut butter. Great lunch. 

Next we took a walk. No place in particular to start with. I just wanted to see what our route to the Flamenco place would look like if we walked. Seemed simple enough. 

Before we went back to the hotel we had to check out the bullfighting arena next door. Actually, bull fighting has been banned in Barcelona. Animal rights and all that. So what to do with the massive stadium now sitting idle? Sound familiar, Houston? They have turned it into a massive shopping complex. Just like a mall on steroids. There is a food court (Even had a Subway. The 6 inch translates into 15 centimeters).  One whole floor (there are at least seven) was a mass of movie theaters. And you could also ride a glass elevator on the outside of the structure all the way to the top … and then get out and walk around. I could definitely see that the astrodome could easily be made to rival this place. All it would take is a couple billion dollars. 

Back in the hotel room we both collapsed. Yes. Onto the bed. It was definitely naptime. 

Time for another hike when we woke up. We had tickets last night for dinner and a performance by flamenco dancers. We decided to walk over. How hard could it be? Not hard at all … as long as you didn’t mind 3 towering staircases. Don’t get me wrong. The view, especially of the first phase, was breathtaking. We passed the Magical Fountain and the massive man-made waterfall in front of the equally massive edifice that was the Museum of the Arts. 

Come to find out, our map app took us all the way around the back side. Basically, we took the scenic route. 

The flamenco place was inside an old village that has been turned into a marketplace for tourists. Everything was … quaint. Perfect description. 

The actual dance and dinner was definitely worth all those steps. Well, the dancing and guitarists and singers were worth it, anyway. The food just wasn’t that good. Well, except for the chocolate pudding. That was great. 

It was also fun to share the experience witt try our friends Lynn and Stephanie. They listened to our horror story about all those steps and our 40 minute hike. Then we listened to the tale of their incredibly hot room (no AC at their hotel). Two comments. 1) Our walk home was much shorter and involved exactly zero steps. 2) They got moved from the Sauna room to the “Cold Room.” You can’t make this stuff up. 

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ says, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

Father, thank you for helping us up all those steps. I was worried about Chris. Amen. 

April 1 - “Roberto the Bull”

On the way to our excursion our guide pointed out a huge black cutout figure of a bull. He said it was the symbol of one of the strongest families in the area. That, combined with the actual bull fighting ring we saw, forced me to make a purchase. I found a tiny blue bull just begging to go home with us. And when I agreed, he grinned a big ol’ happy grin. So Roberto will be joining us for the rest of our journey. 

Now, the excursion itself was way up in the mountains to a place called Guadalest. Tiny little village of 200 people that hosts a million visitors every year. Yep. Pretty crowded. But we were actually lucky. The Holy Week visitors start arriving today and on into the weekend. 

The city center consisted of a statue of Saint Gregory. Looked like the pope. Numerous shops off of a cobblestone street surrounded it. In fact, after the “grand hike” was over (you’ll understand the reference in a second), Chris managed to locate one of the extra little rises that jutted up just a few inches from the street to just before the actual stairs began. 

And by “locate” I mean she tripped on it and fell headlong into one of the shops. Quite the entrance. She said she was worried that she would crash into some of the products on sale. I thought maybe she wanted to get the attention of the two sharp-looking Spaniard guys standing nearby. Intended or not, it did get their attention. They were over her in a flash, reaching to help her up and query as to her condition. She was a little wounded in the hip and arm and pride, but she was a real trooper. Even insisted we check out the store she had so rudely forced herself into. 

The main attractions were the 15 random museums scattered throughout the town. My favorite was the Microgigantic Museum. It consisted of amazing things that were all very tiny. Another was the Museum of Medieval Torture. You get the picture. We didn’t get to go into any of those. 

Instead we went through what had been the home of the wealthiest family in the area. They had it set up to show what life there would have been like. Kind of interesting, I suppose. 

The high point, however, came as we climbed higher and higher. The house was connected to a castle, and the trail led to its highest peak. Long way up there. Very long way. 

Another highlight of the hike was the church bell tower. We heard it sound the hour at 11 and at 12. The castle was taller than the tower, so we were able to get pictures looking down on the tower as well as up at it. 

So after a grand hike like that, I guess it’s understandable that Chris’ foot was a little too tired to make it over that hump. 

The ride back to the terminal seemed really long. At least the part where I was awake seemed long. The nap made the rest of the time go a lot faster.  And the race with one of the other buses made it kind of fun, too. We beat you, Lynn and Stephanie. 

The rest of the afternoon we spent packing. Not nearly as fun as it was a couple of weeks ago. Plus, we still had to figure out what we are wearing in Barcelona so it could go near the top. And we had to have our two big suitcases out in the hall for pickup by 10 pm. We made it. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭28‬ says, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life — a ransom for many.

Father, thank you for that guide we had yesterday. He certainly gave out a lot of info in a fun way. Bless him. And thanks for those two kind guys who helped Chris up after her fall. Bless them, too. Amen. 

March 31 - “Cold in Cartagena”

Wellllll … it was cold again. I mean, really cold. When I stepped out on the balcony to take some sunrise pictures, it was 49 with a wind chill of 36. The anticipated high for the day? 59. Skies were beautiful blue (as was the water). Meanwhile, in Galveston, how about a high of 75? Stay cool, my Island friends!

Our excursion was a walking tour of Cartagena. Our guide was a young guy very well-versed in all things Cartagena. He was born and raised there. The other part of the tour was the opportunity to sample 5 different tapas. Best I can tell, that means something along the lines of snack foods. The things we ate ranged from tuna fish on a breadstick to fried chicken salad (my favorite) to a bowl of rice with some kind of mystery meat to  pork in a tomato sauce to some diced French fries with spicy mayo. Weird. Fortunately, we could get a Coke or sparkling water with each one. The cokes there tasted like Pepsi. 

Our guide Dani (who, by the way is a big fan of Real Madrid in soccer) explained lots of historical and cultural fun facts. Remember that parade? Did I mention a bunch of the people walking by were wearing really tall, KKK-like hats that covered their faces? Dani explained that the hats’ point represent the prayers of the people going to heaven. The covered faces indicate that the human is nothing before God. Now that makes sense. 

He also took us to the local Roman amphitheater. It was discovered only recently, so it was really in a shambles. Completely covered in dirt. Even had a neighborhood perched upon it. Now the neighborhood is gone. Kaput. Razed. That’s when they discovered the amphitheater within.  It was dedicated to Lucius and Tiberius, sons of Caesar Augustus, grandsons of the Divine (Julius Caesar) that was a pretty big deal. 

From there he (Dani, not Lucius) dropped us off at a local artisans’ souvenir shop. We bought a really cool nativity set, and Chris actually found a thimble. 

Finally we made our way back to the boat on our own. Not that hard. Cartagena is a nice little town. Reminds me of Galveston. 

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭29‬ says, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Father, thank you for our guide Dani. Bless him and his family. Amen. 

March 30 - “Palm Sunday … in a big way”

Late night update: Stayed up until really late, shivering in the cold, all to be able to say we saw the Straits of Gibraltar with Spain/Gibraltar on one side and Africa on the other. Of course it was ten o’clock at night, so all we saw were city lights, but hey … that counts. 

And when we got back to the room, we set our watches ahead yet another hour. This time it was to account for all of Europe moving to Daylight Savings Time. Easy enough. Except … 

Apparently, this time the phone automatically moved itself forward, adding to the previous reset we had done. That put us two hours ahead. And that meant our alarm went off at 5:15 instead of 6:15. I think. At least that’s what the ship time on the TV said. Oh, well …

We gave away palm crosses. I took a baggie full of them on the chance they might be conversation starters. And they really worked. I gave some to our regular dinner companions. I also gave one to our room steward Maali, to our waiter Vivian, to an elevator full of people heading to breakfast, and to a very nice couple who were upset that they would have to miss mass. Chris gave one to a waitress from San Lucia who was sad to miss church  as well. She put the cross in her hair clip. I saved back two for our pickleball friends, Marcos and Kinny, hoping to see them at some point during the day. The only ones who refused it were two Jewish ladies. They were quite kind in their refusal though. They thanked us for the thought.

Our excursion was for a city tour of the town of Malaga, with emphasis on archaeological sites. We only saw one - a Roman theater - and we saw none of the advertised castles. Nevertheless, my favorite “site” was the bullfighting ring. It holds 30,000 people, but they only sell 10,000 at a time. They make more money that way. 

But by far, the Palm Sunday procession through town was something I’m so glad I didn’t miss. Hundreds of kids and adults as well as two different bands led the procession. The highlight, of course came when about a hundred men carried a massive full-sized statue of Jesus on a donkey. But that was not all. There was a full diorama of people, plants and even a full sized palm tree. Amazing and impressive. And to think, there were festivals and parades just like that one going on all over Spain. 

On the negative side, because of the massive religious and cultural implications of Palm Sunday, there were literally thousands of people massing in the town square. It was very difficult to stay near enough to our guide so as not to get lost. Still … well worth the experience. 

And speaking of experience … we finally got to see a complete performance of the high diving/ water show. We had tried three times before and it was canceled each time. Either weather or technical difficulties. This time only one part of the show had to be dropped because of those dreaded technical difficulties. But they continued with the rest, and it was amazing. Lots of acrobatics. Numerous very high dives. Even some tightrope walking. And the synchronized dancing looked and sounded like they had been taught by a Pacific Islander. Well done. 

Oh, and as I was walking up to our seats, a young boy maybe nine or ten years old approached me with eyes wide as saucers. He pointed to my t-shirt (that I got for Christmas) and said in a very heavy accent, “Mee-Kee Mon-Tell?” Yep. I was wearing my Mickey Mantle baseball card shirt. I assured him that he was correct. He beamed and skipped away. Gotta love those budding baseball fans of all ages and nationalities. 

After everything was over we stopped off and picked out the two photographs we wanted to get as our 50th anniversary portrait. One is serious and about as dressed up as we got. The other one is really relaxed and  fun. 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭38‬ says, The King who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!

Father, thank you for that Palm Sunday experience. Made me appreciate you even more. Amen. 

March 29 - “The Great Collapse”

We made it! After 4835 nautical miles we arrived in Cadiz, Spain, to a beautiful sunrise. We couldn’t depart the ship until 11:30, though. Had to wait for our excursion time to come up. So while we were waiting, we took a walk up to the top deck to establish where we needed to be come 11:00 pm. That’s when the captain estimated that we would be sliding through the Strait of Gibraltar, with Spain on one side and Africa on the other. Chris was really excited about that one. 

Our excursion in Cádiz was a walking tour of the city. More specifically, the historical points of interest. For some reason it was billed as a National Geographic tour. Well, walk we did. 11,000 plus steps on my counter. And remember how we have been miserable with the rainy, cold weather? Those days are gone. It was bright and sunshiny. And it was hot. The temperature gauge read 64. I think it was a little crazy. 

And thus begins the saga of … The Great Collapse. 

Our tour guide really knew her stuff. And she was nothing short of passionate about it. Her accent made it particularly difficult to follow everything she said, but we definitely got a mega-dose of Spanish history (from the Phoenician perspective - she had Phoenician roots). 

She explained that the three flags flying over the city were the Spanish flag, the Andalusian flag (a region or state), and the Hercules flag. Yep. It has an actual image of Hercules. That one is the Phoenician flag. Again … a nod to heritage. 

Now that passion proved to be a bit of a problem. As she strolled down one of the city’s cobblestone streets, intent on explaining something or other about one of the basilicas, it happened. No warning at all. In fact the vast majority of the group followed happily along behind her. All, that is, except for one. 

Yep. There was one who just couldn’t quite make it around the corner. And as if in slow motion, the cobblestone streets became a cobblestone cot. A flurry of motion broke out. Something sweet to eat. Some water. A wet cloth. Three nurses to check a pulse. Decisions. Ambulance? Taxi back to the ship? Stand up? Sit down? Continue? Has it happened before?

Phew! The decision was finally made to call a cab and return the one who passed out to the ship. 

Oh. Did I fail to mention? 

It was not me. And … it was not Chris. It was one of the other old dudes. 

Now there was one place where we were waiting to look at some ruins under the city when Chris did have a pressing need to have a seat in the street. Scared our tour guide to death. Not two collapses in one tour! Chris had a power bar and a minute or two to rest, and she was ready to go. 

We were dead tired when we got back to the ship. At least I was. I could barely keep my eyes open. And that 11 p.m. date with Africa (aka the Straits of Gibraltar) was still looming …

To help us stay awake, we went to the evening show. It was called “Columbus the Musical.” Pretty much a comedy with Monty Python vibes. They had some 

Technical issues. Apparently they couldn’t get the huge Columbus-era ship (pretty much the only set) to spin around. And when it finally started spinning, they couldn’t get it to stop on the right place.  Weird. It finally righted itself, with the help of the tech crew, of course. And the grand finale was worth the wait. Goofy show. Great talent. 

After the show we went up to the deck as far at the front of the ship as we could. The captain announced that our ETA for heading through the Straits of Gibraltar had been moved up to around 9:30. We grabbed a window and held our ground. Oh. Remember that cold that was missing all morning in Cádiz? It came back. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ says, But You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head.

Father, thank you for some dry land. Sure have missed it. Amen.