Epilogue

 

Pagosa Springs, CO - U.S.A.

June 14:   Here I sit, back home for the the first time in five months, memories of my adventure swirling.  Still feeling the movement of the ship, remembering the people I met, friends made, places seen.

As the cruise neared completion, my thoughts shifted from the routine of daily adventure to my upcoming re-entry into the real world.  Our last full day was in Le Havre, France, a non-memorable place that French soldiers used as a launch point for raids on England long ago.  Officially they were tasked with conquest and plunder, but I suspect they just got bored in Le Havre.  Besides, England has always had better pubs.

Was scheduled for a Paris tour today, but decided to skip it. Toured out, didn't want to spend 9 hours on a bus.  Will save Paris for a less hurried time.  Need a day to reflect on this experience.

For the past five months, the ship has been home.  I've gotten to know lots of people here, including many staff.   Socializing onboard is effortless.  In fact just about everything onboard is effortless.  We are pampered, treated nicely.  For goodness sake, they even iron our underwear!  On the ship, after a while one forgets the day of the week.  The standard way to keep track is that on Sundays, caviar is always served during breakfast.  So if you see caviar, it must be Sunday.  Some abilities atrophy, skills such as driving, cooking, planning, and thinking on one's own.  We compensate by learning about new cultures, meeting new people.

On this cruise we stopped in 27 countries - around 66 ports.  That leaves much of the planet still to visit,  however our sampling provided a good starter kit for gauging societal diversity.  Smog-choked cities of 25 million, idyllic villages of 200.  Ultra-modern towns striving for the future, tired old cities clinging to the past.  Desperate poverty, fabulous wealth.  Five months traveling on a ship has been a wonderful experience.  And to share that experience with new friends, with adventurous, like-minded souls, has made the sweetest of memories.

The obvious question is whether or not I would do this again, take another world cruise.  After several minutes of thoughtful reflection I feel that I would indeed.  Perhaps several.  Of course I do miss some of the benefits of land travel, especially the ability to stay in an interesting or enjoyable place, to soak up that culture.  World cruising never allows that sort of immersion.   Yet it's so much fun, it's worth the compromise, at least sometimes.

Do I have any conclusions about our planet?  Just this: the world is worth seeing - go check it out. 

It's been great fun sharing my travels through this blog.  Now that the trip is finished, I say goodbye to those I've met, goodbye to pampered luxury.  Hope we'll meet again.  And for a while, goodbye to you, my blog audience.  Hope you enjoyed my posts, that maybe I sparked interest in a place or two.  Au revoir.

Bordeaux

June 3,4:   Day number 141 - We sail through the Bay of Biscay then up the Gironde estuary in southwest France.  After about 40 miles the estuary narrows and bifurcates into two rivers.  Left is the Dordogne river, right is the Garonne.  We go right.  Another 10 miles and we arrive at the bustling city of Bordeaux. 

It's a flat city, mostly on the west bank of the river, center of a very old wine industry.  Getting off the ship, we feel as though we are stepping into a Renoir painting.   No port terminal, no security, no formalities.  We dock right in the middle of the action.  This is in such sharp contrast to so many ports, a great first impression.

Time to explore, learn about this place.  Population 250,000; over 1 million if you include the surrounding metropolitan area.  It's a fun place to visit.  People are out and about, walking, biking, shopping, eating.  Some are even working.  The architecture is a mix of old and new, mostly old, while the culture is vibrant and modern. 

Around 60 B.C., thousands of Roman soldiers marched into this area.  On weekdays their work kept them busy with conquest and plunder.  On weekends however, they liked to relax, hang out with friends, and enjoy a good bottle of claret.  When they conquered Bordeaux, the resident Celtics drank only beer - no wine was available.  So the soldiers planted vineyards, opened a school of enology, and established the Bordeaux region as one of the world's premier wine-making communities.  Today this region produces nearly one billion bottles per year.

On the first day I tour some chateau/wineries in the vineyards surrounding Bordeaux.  I visit the postcard-like town of Saint-Émilion.  Very quaint, old European.  Wine production in the entire Bordeaux region is strictly regulated.  Growers are never allowed to irrigate their vineyards.  Reds must always be a blend of varieties, and so on.  Many wineries today are being bought by big corporations, especially overseas investors.  One winery has symbols of Chinese architecture outside its facility.  Insurance companies are purchasing these businesses as high inheritance taxes squeeze out small family operations.  However the families often continue their work, but in their new capacity as contract growers or vinters.

Modern Bordeaux is a thoughtful blend of old an new, perhaps in the way that Bordeaux wine is always a blend of several grape varieties.  The city retains much of its 18th century architecture and wine-making heritage, though has somewhat diversified its economy - a necessary move since many other regions in the world now make fine wines.  The river front of this city is lined with stately old limestone buildings.  Between the buildings and river is a wide space with paths, gardens and plenty of open spaces to just hang out.  The area is filled with people enjoying their weekend, watching street performers, pushing strollers.

Across from the Place de la Bourse, in the center of this wide public space, is a modern feature called the Miroir d' Eau, or Water Mirror.  It is a huge flat fountain that people can walk in, designed to reflect the image of the stately buildings across the street.  The fountain 'fills up', less than an inch deep, and every 20 minutes or so creates a dense fog that slowly dissipates, revealing a mirror-like reflection of sky and the historical buildings across the street.  Instead of being a hands-off monument, this water feature is very much for the people.  Children of all ages take off their shoes and play in the water, roll in it,  splash, even drink it.  Fun to watch, very cool.  Google it to learn more.

In the town, away from the river, there are sidewalk cafes everywhere, and many of them are crowded.  Lots of shops, most of the streets are for pedestrians only, very few cars for a large section of this city.  I walk for several hours just to read the energy of the place, then leave Bordeaux with an strong, positive impression.   A pleasant, attractive place, worth visiting again.

(top of page: Locals enjoy watching the ship as much as passengers enjoy watching the locals)

Children of all ages enjoy the Water Mirror

Street in Bordeaux

Light rail in front of opera house

Cafe outside opera house

Carousel in a wide plaza

 

The picturesque town of Saint-Émilion

Center of the port as seen from our ship

Iberian Peninsula, Atlantic Coast

May 30 - June 2.    We visit towns on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian peninsula.  The sea is rougher than the Mediterranean or Indian Ocean, which I find a welcome change - nice to feel some movement again, to remember that after all, I'm on a boat. 

First stop is Cadiz, Spain.  Population 130,000, a shrinking city due to job losses and the land limitations of a narrow peninsula.  Nearby Jerez is the place where sherry was first made and is still made there.  Cadiz is in a region called Andalucia.  It is a vast olive growing area, responsible for much of the world's supply of olive oil.  The great military leader Hannibal set up operations here around 200 B.C., tried to buy real estate, but was outbid by the Romans.  It is still an important naval center and was once an important shipping port.  It is a pleasant place to visit.  We see an authentic flamenco performance, very impressive - a dance form native to Andalucia.  Wander around the town, typical small Spanish city, quiet, pleasant, lots of old buildings, monuments, places to eat.  Some of the passengers instead take the longer bus ride to visit the larger city of Seville, the capital of the Andalucia region of Spain.

Next day we visit Lisbon, capital of Portugal.  Sailing into Lisbon, one cannot help but think of San Francisco, the starting point of our cruise.  As we leave the choppy Atlantic to sail up the Tagus river, we pass under a suspension bridge called 'The 25th of April Bridge', looks nearly identical to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.  It was in fact built by the same company, since both locations require serious earthquake engineering.  Another very similar bridge was built in Istanbul.  Like San Francisco and Rome, Lisbon is known as a city of 7 hills.  It has cable cars similar to San Francisco.  It has a history of big earthquakes, with the most famous one occurring in 1755. 

Lisbon and its surrounding metropolitan area is home to 30% of the country's 10 million people.   Of course 'Lisbon' is the English name for this town.  Locals call it 'Lisboa.'  With its red tile roofs and light colored low-rise limestone buildings, Lisbon is an attractive place.  The day before our arrival they have rain, but for our visit the weather is perfect.  Our guide claims that to protect their buildings from humidity, the people in this part of Portugal cover the outside of their structures with ceramic tile.  Portuguese like to use tile whenever possible.  In fact porcelain and ceramic tiles are two of Portugal's well-known exports, a story that goes back to the days of the Portuguese explorer, Vasco de Gama.

On tour we visit the former royal palace, a massive building with more rooms than I can count.  Every possible surface is elaborately furnished and decorated.  A sort of mini Versaille, no expense was spared in creating this abode.  It appears that while the King was busy bossing people around, his wife was busy spending all of the empire's money.  No wonder the Portugese empire collapsed.

I finish my day in Lisbon on board the ship, with friends on the deck outside the Veranda dining room.  We spend a long lazy afternoon, sipping coffee, not counting desserts, gazing at the beautiful hillsides of Lisbon and the wide Tagus river.  Weather is perfect, a most pleasant afternoon.  Finally, like life itself, it's time to leave, to sail once again for another port.

We sail through the stormy Bay of Biscay, where the warm Gulf Stream brings moderate temperatures to Europe as it flows north.  Without this ocean current, most of Europe would be an icebox.   Slowed by the strong headwinds, we miss our scheduled stop in Bilboa.  So no Guggenheim Museum.  Instead we visit Santander on the north coast of Spain.  I walk for a few hours to check out the town.  It's a compact city of about 180,000 people, set on a hillside overlooking a bay.  It has sandy beaches, attractive, cohesive architecture, lots of people out walking, lots of sidewalk cafes and restaurants.   There is a harbor with plenty of small boats, some sailboats on the bay.  More space is alloted to pedestrians than to automobiles.  Traffic is moderate.  Along the water is a wide path filled with people.  Despite the sheer drop of 15' to the water, there is no railing to prevent people from falling off the path.  This gives the appearance of a city that believes people should be responsible for their own behavior. 

I leave Santander and the Iberian peninsula, nearing the end of this 145 day adventure.

(photo at top of page is along harbor of Santander)

Flamenco dance in Cadiz

Street in Cadiz

Beach in Cadiz, sand is finer than Mediterranean

Bridge over Tagus river in Lisbon

Home Sweet Home for Portuguese Royalty

Lisbon

Cable car in Lisbon

Portuguese like their tiles

Tile covered building in Lisbon

Santander

Santander