Herculaneum: A Gargoyle-Inspired Place

Herculaneum

Herculaneum, not far from the Bay of Naples, is a smaller place than Pompeii but better preserved. Having been to Pompeii a few times, I look forward to an excursion to this fascinating place. It also was destroyed by the volcanic flow of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. The people were killed by intense heat, but there is great preservation of their bones. 

Rings on the fingers at Herculaneum

More than 300 skeletons have been found. This is definitely a gargoyle-inspired place. More info on Herculaneum and its skeletons can be found here on wikipedia.

Dreaming of Kotor at Montenegro

Kotor of Montenegro

I love to travel, and I have been especially blessed by having seen so many parts of the world. I have not been to Asia, unless you count Turkey. And I have not seen much of Africa, unless you count Tunisia. But I have seen and been to many place in Europe. Give me Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland. I have been to Croatia and Slovenia. Beautiful places.

Kotor waterways

One place I have not yet been is Kotor, Montenegro. It holds such a fascination. I love rolling the name around on my tongue. Sounds so exotic and almost Dracula like. A gargoyle would definitely be at home there.

around Kotor

So here goes on my bucket list ... maybe 2016! If you want to know more about Kotor, click here.

Transatlantic Journaling Part 2

Hubby Moises and our niece Jimena

April 10th

Started on my third book today. Still not bored. I am thinking about Sunday, when we reach Horta, Portugal, not because I need to get off the ship. More just something to look forward to. Each day I think of little things to do, whether it is a dinner or just a trip to the Crow's Nest, the place where I am now writing this. After walking two miles on the deck (I am now up to 7 miles all together) ... I sit with my shoes off and look out to sea. There are windows that wrap around the front of the ship with cream leather chairs and big corduroy chocolate sofas. Jazz playa in the background.

Some of my best times are when I am alone, reading or writing.

Crow's Nest Lounge where I read my books

April 15th

Boat is making a very strange noise under the Explorer's Bar deck 3. Tried to go to the Dutch Tea, but it was so crowded with many people waiting. I am ready to get off the boat. It is our last sea day. Don't want to leave but am looking forward to excursions and getting off the boat for the days ahead. Gibraltar, Motril, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca and finally Barcelona.

I am up to 12 miles walking. 

Through a hole in the Castle in Salobreña

Transatlantic Journaling Part 1

Sunset from the evening of April 6th, 2014

April 7th

Yesterday we embarked on our journey. Line was about an hour to get on the ship. We left too early, so we had to wait. Moises said it was no problem at all. Immigrations when we arrived Friday night was a nightmare. Two hours to get through Immigrations. It bothered me more than Moises, so I decided to call this trip The Land of Waiting. But now that we are here, it all seems so worth it. There is a different rhythm to a transatlantic cruise. No one is in a hurry. I sit now on the balcony with the sound of waves in my ears. The air is fresh and cool, not cold. It is delightful. I am so happy to be here.

The ocean is the color of blue ink. There are almost no waves. The sky is a lighter shade than the sea, with a murky quality to it. I see no birds. No land. But instead of feeling panic, I feel complete peace. The only other sound is that of the ship's engine, a quiet hum that says all is well. I could sit here forever.

me and Jimena

It is now after noon, and the air smells so different. I am not sure if someone is wearing bug spray or perfume, or this is the way the ocean smells far away from shore. The rhythmic lapping of the water is hypnotic and the colors fade in to each other. The light hazy blue of the sky interacts with the inky blue of the sea in a jagged line that pleases me. I wonder if it might rain. I am still dressed in my jogging outfit, and there is no hurry to dress. Should I shower before dinner or earlier? I am thinking of attending a lecture on Ferdinand and Isabella. So far, I like the transatlantic cruise more than I could ever imagine. I am reading a book on my deck. So grateful I got a balcony cabin. I can pretend I got the balcony cabin for Jimena, but I am the one using it most. 

Graffiti at Motril

Park at Motril, Spain

One good thing about writing a blog on graffiti is that it has made me tolerate, even appreciate, more when I see graffiti. I had to ease in to it by only liking the elaborate art form of graffiti at first. But now I embrace it all. It just doesn't bother me like it used to, partly because it is inevitable and everywhere and partly because of the unique uses of it. I see it from a different light.

While in Motril, we came upon a park near the Señora de la Cabeza Cathedral. (Who names their Cathedral Lady of the Head???) It was just loaded with graffiti everywhere. I couldn't help but take some photos.

There was graffiti on the walls, there was graffiti on the signage and even graffiti on the steps. The park walkway meandered around and ended up at the back of the Cathedral.

Graffiti on signage at Motril

Graffiti on the steps of the back of the Cathedral

Motril and the Surrounding Area

Jimena and Moises at a local restaurant in Motril

We had a great time the day we docked in Motril. We didn't expect much and it was so much better than we hoped for. For one, Motril is a very industrial port. Other than the La Cabeza Cathedral, which I will post on another day, there was just a few restaurants to visit, but we had fun there. We started the day off with a great breakfast and espresso coffee near the Cathedral. We then took a taxi to Salobreña, which is a lovely white village in the mountains. We had an excellent day there at the Castle and wandering the narrow streets. 

Castle at Salobreña

More information on this charming village can be found here. It is an amazing area of the Costa Brava, Spain.

Lemon drink

Then we returned to lunch in Motril at a restaurant Moises had spotted earlier. I was in the mood for something to drink besides water so I had the lemon soda shown above. It was really good. I had a wonderful sandwich for lunch. My husband opted for a more elaborate meal. I need to ask him what it was, but it is a dish we also have in Mexico and he said it is much better here in Mexico, not Spain. Of course knowing him, it is probably just different, which he definitely doesn't like.

Moises' meal at Motril

Transatlantic Professional Photos Part 3 at Gibraltar

me at windy Gibraltar

The candid shot of me getting off the boat at Gibraltar came about as I went back on the ship to look for Lavinia, the spa receptionist we befriended. She was to meet us at the gangway, but there were two gangways getting off that day, one front and the other midship. So I popped back on to check to see if she was at the midship location. When I came back off, I had the photographer take my photo. 

Lavinia from the Spa with Jimena

Having Lavinia with us was super fun. She is not only a great receptionist at the Elemis Spa on the Nieuw Amsterdam, she is also a very sweet and wonderful person. She made our day extra fun!

It was a super windy but sunny day. In the shade, it felt quite cold, but the day warmed up as it went on. That was my second time in Gibraltar, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. So much to see and do, and the Barbary apes are so fun. We did have a little incident at the Trafalgar Cemetery. A group of Barbary apes made their way down from the Rock, and one of them grabbed my shopping bag. I forgot I had marshmellows and licorice in the bag, but a stern warning did the trick. He let go. Not only is it illegal to feed the Barbary apes, it is also just a really bad idea. If one gets something, the others come running and the adults are really large.

Jimena, Moises & Lavinia 

We took a lot of photos of Gibraltar, as witnessed above. I even took one of a Street Cleaner. I loved his attire with the flip flops.

Lavinia and a Street Cleaner

More information on the Barbary apes, which are actually a stub-tailed monkey, can be found here. I just read an article that they may try to reintroduce about half the population back in to the wild, as so many have become fearless of humans due to their being fed. Please don't feed the Barbary apes, as that leads to them becoming aggressive. I even saw a tour guide feeding them. What a shame.