I wanted to ask Barcelona after a few days where have you been all my life. While I am always thrilled to visit London, Paris, and Rome, Barcelona was already in my blood like a hip younger sister. The city has many advantages over the triumvirate, it is more affordable, the sun always seems to be shining, and I could eat paella for dinner every night. As a design aficionado, I could not help but fall in love with a city essentially created by architect Antoni Gaudi in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. His still unfinished cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, is the most visited tourist site in all of Spain. One of my favorite places of all times to people watch is Barcelona’s La Rambla, a wide pedestrian mall that extends for 1.2 kilometers. After almost a week touring Southern Spain, I would rate this part of Europe the most unheralded. UNESCO seems to agree since Spain is the country that has the most World Heritage Sites in the world.
I arrived in Barcelona via Iceland courtesy of a flight from WOW air to board one of Windstar’s 3 sailboats, the Wind Surf. Toss all the stereotypes that you have heard about cruises, Windstar correctly bills itself as the “anti-cruise” cruise. The cruise line has partnered with the James Beard Foundation and Veuve Cliquot champagne to provide food and alcohol of a higher quality than is normally available on cruise ships. For those who hate standing in long buffet lines, waiter service, with tables situated outside for breakfast and lunch, is available at all meals.
The reflecting pool of the Alhambra, built 3 centuries earlier, was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal in India.
Most of Spanish popular culture that Americans are most familiar with such as Flamenco dancers, bull fights, and Don Quixote, have their origins in Madrid which I didn’t visit on this trip. They are not native to Southern Spain although clever businessmen sometimes put on a show for tourists. Southern Spain is heavily influenced by its conquerors, primarily the Romans and Moors. Our first stop in Tarragona, which had been the most important Roman city in Spain, was at an amphitheater where a Christian bishop and his two deacons were burned at the stake in 259 A.D. The reconstructed site, which peacefully overlooks the sea, was a reminder of the voluminous amounts of blood that has been spilt in the name of religion.
Moorish sultans build the majestic Alhambra, which was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal built 3 centuries later, in Granada, Andalusia. It is perhaps the most American historical site outside the United States because this is where Queen Isabella agreed to sponsor Christopher Columbus’s exploration of the New World which lead to the discovery of America. The juxtaposition of the beauty of the Alhambra, which served as the inspiration for the Taj Mahal in India, with its rich history makes this UNESCO World Heritage Site a must see. The grand architecture of the complex features columns, fountains, and a reflecting pool as well as intricately designed tile and wood work on the floors, walls and doors. One can only marvel that all of this was built between 1238 and 1358 A.D.
Malaga in the Costa Del Sol
A trip to Spain, whose coastline is on the Mediterranean Sea, wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the beach. Our first beach break was in Ibiza, a favorite of jet-setters. Footballers (soccer players) such as David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo and Victoria Secret models vacation there. While New York is the city that never sleeps, Ibiza is the town that doesn’t wake up until dusk. The decadent//fashionista/partying vibe of the resort is copped by everyone who visits. Normal beach-goers step up their fashion game in order to blend in. Stores mostly sell clothes that no father of a teenage girl would approve his daughter wearing. The nightclubs and disco only open after most of us would normally be asleep. The beaches of Ibiza function as an open air market where everything can be bought and sold or at least tried on. Malaga, located in the further south in the Costa del Sol, offers a mellower, low key atmosphere but just as beautiful of a coastline.
All Spanish tourists spend an inordinate amount of time in churches. To paraphrase the bank robber Willie Sutton, it’s because that’s where the great artwork is. The main cathedral in a small town will have paintings and frescoes that are centuries old. One inexplicable, idiosyncratic element of Spanish churches is that quite a few have been left in a permanent state of incompleteness. Initially, they were not completed due to a lack of funds, but then some towns decided the unfinished state make their church unique.
Tetouan, Morocco, UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our stop in Tangiers, Morocco was my first visit to the African continent. The tour guide, probably on orders from the government, spent much of the tour praising the new king of Morocco, King Mohammed VI. He proudly extolled the supposed virtues of the king which include that he has instituted more democratic reforms than his father but also the dubious virtue of having only one wife that he allows to be seen in public. We made the long trek to Tetouan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was a disappointment. If you have seen one Arab market or (shuk), you have seen them all. Still, the trip ended on a high note because we stopped at a former palace that has now been turned into an art school. Even former palaces are still great places to hang out.
Windstar made effort to accommodate my interest in learning about Jewish life in Morocco. There are still 18,000 Jews living in Morocco despite most of them leaving when the state of Israel was created in 1947. Rich Jewish families, not the community or the state, own the remaining synagogues. Unfortunately, I could not visit the one in Tangiers because the current owner lives in Paris now.
Palacio Nacional de Sintra, Portugal
Having heard frequently Spain and Portugal in the same breathe, I had wrongly assumed they would be similar. Although they are both former kingdoms that share a Mediterranean coastline, the look and feel of them could not have been more different down to the dissimilar stones used to pave their streets. The rough and tumble of the La Rambla in Barcelona contrasted with the elegance of Lisbon’s Liberty Avenue which took its inspiration from the Champ de Elysees in Paris. While Portugal is proud that they stayed neutral during World War II, Spanish General Francisco Franco sided with Hitler. As for the Portuguese national dishes of sardines and cod fish with boiled potatoes, I could only wonder why after eating paella and exquisite pork in Spain. The Portuguese made up for up with ginjinha, a cherry liquor served in a chocolate cup. A Windstar excursion took us through the windy Portuguese countryside with stops in Calais and Sintra. The excursion inexplicably did not include a tour of the glittering crown jewel, Palacio Nacional de Sintra. Some of us prevailed on our tour guide to allow us time to see the palace before going home. I, for one, was not going to miss the frescoes of 27 gold-collared swans in the Swan Room or the collection of 72 shields of the leading 16th century families.
While on the cruise, I did a combination of Windstar organized excursions and self-guided tours. Frankly, I needed the kick in the pants of a tour guide to fully explore a city. With so much to do off the ship, Windstar’s nightly entertainment is different than the typical cruise line. The crew pours their heart into a show one night during an 8 day cruise. The other nights are more low-key. The two bars offer bands that play such catchy dance music that even couch potatoes like me couldn’t resist getting up and dancing. A shout out to “High Society” for keeping me up past my bedtime every night.
The Wind Surf also differentiates itself from other operators by creating a family atmosphere on board. Its 310 passenger capacity lends itself to this with the convivial environment even extending to the crew. Most of the crew call Captain Gerry Hogan’s wife “mom.” The captain hosts passengers at the captain’s table for dinner although my dinner invitation on my next cruise will probably be lost in the mail since I spilled red wine all over the captain’s white uniform. Naturally, Captain Hogan took it stride.