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Global Travel Destinations BLog
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A Journal with 8 chapters. Last posting on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 by RandyIberian Adventure, 11 nights onboard the Crystal Serenity from Barcelona, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal. A chapter in the journal: Crystal Iberain AdventurePosted on Sunday, November 27, 2011 by Randy tagged as barcelona, crystal cruises, crystal serenity Barcelona Sagrada Familia |
We've arrived in Barcelona after spending a very quick 2 nights in London. We'll be staying 1 night at the Hotel Art's in Barcelona's marina district before boarding the Crystal Serenity for our 11 night Iberian Adventure. We've been to Barcelona several years ago, but stayed much further from the marina and port. Much of this area is newly developed as the number of cruise ships visiting Barcelona increase. Located just at the foot of Los Rambles, the port provides a easy gateway into the city. There are tour buses, plenty of taxies and the public subway or metro. The metro is " Read full story >> A chapter in the journal: Crystal Iberain AdventurePosted on Monday, November 28, 2011 by Randy tagged as crystal cruises, crystal serenity, valencia City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia |
Our dinner in Prego last night was excellent! Since onboard gratuities only cover the wait staff in the main dining room, Prego suggests a $7 per person tip. And, the tip is well worth it - from excellent menu suggestions, great humor and the non-intrusive service these waiters are among the best onboard.
By 8am this morning we've arrived at the pier in Valencia. As is typical, this isn't a picturesque marina – it's full of cranes, freight carriers and a few large vehicle ferries. It appears that the Crystal Serenity is the only cruise ship in port. We've signed up for the "City of " Read full story >> A chapter in the journal: Crystal Iberain AdventurePosted on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 by Randy tagged as crystal cruises, crystal serenity, malaga From the Port of Malaga, Spain |
After a very relaxing day at sea, we've arrived in Malaga, our last port before leaving the Mediterranean Sea on our way westward. Malaga is on the Costa del Sol, about 60 miles east of Gibraltar and only 80 miles from the north coast of Africa. We're alongside and the ship has been cleared shortly after 8am. We work for a few hours and enjoy a quick lunch onboard before disembarking. The port is undergoing major renovations and we're glad to use the Crystal provided shuttle that takes us through the construction zones to the main entrance from the port. From here, all of the major sites are easily Read full story >>A chapter in the journal: Crystal Iberain AdventurePosted on Thursday, December 1, 2011 by Randy tagged as cadiz, crystal cruises, crystal serenity, seville Plaza de Espana |
Instead of spending the day in Cadiz, we're headed for Seville, the 4th largest city in Spain, and about 80 miles north of Cadiz. We're hoping to catch the 8:55AM train that will arrive in Seville around 10:45AM. Leaving the ship almost immediately after we're cleared, we have about 30 minutes to locate the station and purchase our tickets. It's about a 10 minute walk around the port, again through construction, and into the train station. With about 10 minutes spare, we've purchased our return tickets at the service desk, located the departure platform, and found our seats onboard the comfortable Read full story >>A chapter in the journal: Crystal Iberain AdventurePosted on Friday, December 2, 2011 by Randy tagged as casablanca, crystal cruises, crystal serenity Grand Mosque Hassan II |
This morning we've docked in Casablanca, Morocco. The port is very busy with cranes and containers nearly as far as you can see. Since this is our first time to Casablanca, we've signed up for the "Casablanca Kaleidoscope" tour that departs the ship at about 8:30. Our first stop is the huge Hassan II Grand Mosque. This mosque is said to be the 2nd largest in the world, after the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The building accommodates up to 2,500 worshippers with another 80,000 on the outdoor courtyard. The 650 foot high minaret is the tallest in the world. After the mosque we're back on the bus " Read full story >>A chapter in the journal: Crystal Iberain AdventureToday we're at sea enroute to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. Last night we enjoyed the 2nd of 4 production shows onboard. Last Tuesday we saw Curtain Call. Last night was Standing Room Only, based on popular Broadway and West-End shows, the show highlights songs and dance numbers from everyone's favorite Broadway and West-End shows such as Wicked, The Producers, Jesus Christ Superstar and others. Two further shows are planned, My Favorite Things featuring over 45 songs from Rogers and Hammerstein. The last and newest show, Across the Pond bursts with hits from British shows.
For these " Read full story >> A chapter in the journal: Crystal Iberain Adventure Tenerife Auditorium |
We've arrived at Gran Canaria island in the port of Las Palmas. The Canaries are about 60 miles off the African coast and about 600 miles southwest of our last top in Casablanca, Morocco. The 7 islands that make up the Canary Islands form an autonomous region of Spain and the outermost area of the European Union. We'll spend the day on Gran Canaria today and on the largest island of Tenerife tomorrow. Without a ship's excursion booked, we'll just grab a map from the Shore Excursions desk and set off on our own. Even though this is a typical "shared-use" port (container ships and cruise ships) Read full story >>A chapter in the journal: Crystal Iberain AdventurePosted on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 by Randy tagged as crystal cruises, crystal serenity, funchal Funchal, Madeira |
Located about 250 miles due north of the Canaries lies the Madeira Archipelago claimed by the Portuguese in 1419. The islands were so heavily wooded, timber was slashed and burned by the early settlers. Some fires are claimed to have burned out of control for up to seven years. Leaving behind a fertile layer of ash, these lands are still today farmed in the amazing terraces that seem to cover nearly every square meter of the open land. The crops of miniature bananas, sugar cane and wine grapes have given way to tourist development around Funchal, but continue to be farmed by back-breaking methods Read full story >>
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