Porto, Portugal

We docked in Leixoes and drove a few miles into Porto for our included excursion. Porto is a hilly city in northern Portugal along the Duoro River.  On our bus tour, we saw the Clerigos tower, the stock exchange palace, a quick glance of the Porto Cathedral, the railway station (with 20,000 ceramic tiles on the walls), and the Sao Francisco (Saint Francis) Catholic Church.  We were given free time along the river in an area called Ribiera, so we walked to the Sao Francisco church for a tour of the catacombs and sanctuary.  It is Gothic on the outside, but ornate Baroque style inside.  The catacombs contained tombs from hundreds of years ago.  After seeing the church, we returned to the riverside to have a Super Bock beer and try the Pasteis de Nata, the famous custard tarts.  Both were delicious!  Our next stop was to sample port wine at Calem.  We bought 2 bottles, one white and one ruby, after enjoying the port.  I also bought a cork purse and earrings that look like the painted tiles you see all over Porto.

fishing boats in the Duoro River in Porto

Welcome to Porto!

Painted tiles, especially blue, are found on many of the exteriors
and interiors of the buildings in Porto

Cathedral of Porto

Stock Exchange Palace, near the Sao Francisco Church

Gothic exterior of the Sao Francisco Church

Catacombs under the Sao Francisco Church

One of the chapels at Sao Francisco Church

Looking at the Ribiera (riverfront) area of Porta

Ribiera from the other side of the Duoro River

The Cask Room at Calem Port Wine Store in Porto

Malaga, Spain

Our second stop in Spain is the coastal city of Malaga, in the Costa del Sol (sun coast) region of Andalusia.  Malaga is the southernmost large city in Europe, famous for its warm climate and beautiful beaches.  It was settled by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC, but was ruled by the Muslim Moors from 711-1492.  The remains of the Moorish Alcazaba fortress and Gibralfaro Castle can be seen in the old town of the city, along with a Roman theatre. 

We visited the Renaissance Cathedral of Malaga, known as "La Manquita" or one-armed lady, because it only has one tower.  Got a private tour of the Pablo Picasso museum, which is located in a 16th century palace that is built over ruins of previous civilizations. Picasso was born in Malaga in 1881, began painting at 13, and is best known for his abstract "cubism" style.  After walking through the narrow, winding pedestrian streets of the old town, we drove up to a lookout point to get a panoramic view of the city.  You could see the harbor, the bull fighting arena, the ferris wheel, the Alcazaba and the mountains in the distance. 

Front of The Cathedral of Malaga

The Bishop's Palace next to the Malaga Cathedral

Side of the Malaga Cathedral

The back of the Malaga Cathedral

Moorish Alcazaba and Roman theatre below

Looking down toward the old city from the Gibralfaro Castle overlook

Circular structure is the bull fighting arena

The white dots in the water are sailboats having a regatta

Cartagena/Murcia, Spain

We docked in Cartagena on the southeast coast of Spain.  Cartagena was founded by the Carthaginians (from modern day Tunisia) in 227 BC and originally named "new Carthage".  The city has a Roman amphitheatre and some Islamic architecture from its centuries of rule by the North African Moors.  The capital of this region is Murcia, which was founded by the Moors in the 9th century, which has the patron saint St Patrick, because the Moors were defeated on March 17, 1243.

We traveled to Murcia for our included tour of 2 churches and the "casino"in the heart of the city.  The land between Cartagena and Murcia is a fertile agricultural area, growing tomatoes, artichokes, oranges, lemons, olives, melons, almonds, wheat and rice.

The Cathedral of Murcia was built over an old Arab mosque between 1394 an 1465. It has a beautiful Baroque exterior and Gothic interior with many ornate side altars. Next we toured the "Casino", a gentlemen's private club with Arabic and European decor and artwork, including several statues of Icarus, whose wings of wax melted when he flew too close to the warm sun. Last, we visited the church of the Virgin of Fuensanta (sacred fountain), which sits on a hill overlooking Murcia.  After returning to Cartagena, we toured the old town and had lunch (with Estrella beer) before returning to the ship.

Cathedral of Murcia

Entrance to the "casino", a private
gentlemen's club in Murcia

the library at the gentlemen's casino

ornate ballroom at the casino

one of several statues at the casino

ceiling painting in the "women's" room at the casino

Gothic interior of the Cathedral of Murcia

Cathedral of Murcia

altar of the Church the Virgin of Fuensanta

The Virgin of Fuensanta, the patron of this church in Murcia

Church of the Virgin of Fuensanta on the hillside overlooking Murcia

A street scene in Cartagena

Roman theatre that is being excavated in the heart of  Cartagena

Algiers, Algeria

Algiers is the coastal capital of Algeria, a north African country of 41 million people. Most of the population lives in the northern region along the Mediterranean Sea. 60% of the country is desert ("Sahara" means desert in Arabic), 98% of the people are Muslim and Arabic and French are the main languages spoken.  Most of the wealth in Algeria comes from natural gas and oil, but the people appear to be poor and housing is in poor condition.

Algeria has a rather violent history.  They were ruled by the Arab Ottomans for 300 years, then by the French for 132 years, earning their independence in 1962.  From 1991-1999, the country had a civil war between the government and various Islamic rebel groups which resulted in 150,000 deaths. A 300 foot tall martyrs memorial sits atop a hill commemorating the war for independence from France.  Other notable places to visit in Algiers include the Casbah, the old part of town that sits on a hillside, the grand post office, various mosques, botanical garden and the Notre Dame D'Afrique Catholic Church.

Housing near the Martyrs Memorial 

Martyrs Memorial commemorating the fight for
independence from France after 132 years of colonization

A view of Algiers from Martyrs Memorial hill

The Grand Post Office

French colonial architecture -- balconies like you see in the
French Quarter of New Orlans

Notre Dame D'Afrique Catholic Cathedral

A park near the Bab el Oued, the entrance to the Casbah part of town

View of Algiers as the ship entered the harbor

Cagliari, Sardinia

We spent 6 hours in this charming south coast city (and capital) of Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean. Cagliari became part of Italy in 1861 after centuries of rule by Phoenicians, Romans Byzantines, and Aragonese Spaniards. The topography is hilly, and there are several beautiful overlook points high in the city.  Our included tour took us to Molentargius Natural Park, where flamingos live, and the "old town" area of Castello. We visited the beautiful Cathedral of Santa Maria del Castello, which has a neo Gothic facade but gorgeous Baroque interior.  In addition to the main altar, there are several beautiful side chapels in the main sanctuary and a chapel underneath the altar which is decorated with images of 179 Catholic martyrs.

We walked down the hill from the cathedral to the main shopping area on Via Garibaldi.  After buying a Sardinian-made basket, we enjoyed a local Ichnusa beer at the White Stone cafe/bar.  Cagliari has a relaxed vibe with friendly people.  The only negative we saw was a lot of graffiti on the historic buildings.

They have flamingos in Cagliari!

Looking down into the city from a lookout point

interior of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Castello

Sanctuary of Martyrs underneath the cathedral altar

one of the side chapels at the cathedral

ceiling of the Cathedral of Santa Maria

inside a cute market near the cathedral in Cagliari

another beautiful view of the city from high in the hills

narrow streets, so we walked through the old town

Having a local beer in the plaza near Via Garibaldi

The facade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Castello