Rough Seas!!!

The lights you see are of the shoeline of the Rock of Gilbraltar. The ship you see in the other photo is the tanker that tied along side of us to fuel us up! I do not know what the price was per ton, I imagine a TON!!!

Seems we left rough seas after finally getting gas in the mile of the opening of the Meidterranean! We sat there getting gas for over 4 hours. The problem was it was 12 midnight when they started so my pictures are not good. I could see the Rock of Gilbraltar from my room but the pictures are not clear. We were over 4 hours there so we are 4 hours behind schedule. We hit a really bad storm yesterday that lasted a good 24 hours. The ship is still rocking some but not really as badas yesterday. The waves were over 20 feet high all day ysterday in the rain. Not a good day!

Happy Anniversary Hank and Sondra Davis!

The evening to celbrate Hank and Sondra's anniversary started with dancing. Kathleen found her old dancing partner, Richard.Hank and Sondra cut the cake!
Strawberry shortcake as well!
Kathleen and mom!
Nicky enjoying his dessert! Not hard to get a smile out of him.

Hank and Sondra we on the world cruise last year with us. They are from California and have said they will make a trip to Alabama soon to see us! They said Labor Day, I don't think they understand humidity!!

Malaga, Spain and Mijas, Spain 4-18-08

SPAIN....... To day dream about a trip to Spain would have to include Malaga. The city is filled with beauty. Everything from the old buildings to the bright pink topiaries of petunias that are dotted all over the city. Malaga puts on a nice show for their visitors when it comes to curb appeal, that is for sure. Malaga full of history. Malaga was already established when the Phoenicians arrive in Spain. According to historians, they ventured to Iberia from Asia Minor some fifty years after the destruction of Troy in 1184 B.C. The Moors took Andalusia in 711. For the next 7 centuries, it was under Moorish rule. Many buildings today still show the evidence of the Moors. The Castillians attacked Andalusia and ran the Moors out in 1492. There was a King installed and the process of changing the Islamic mosques to Christian churches began. Unfortunately, the process got out of hand and by the 15th century, the Spanish Inquisition tribunal convened, beginning a very regrettable period in Spain's history. Spain endured periods of take overs from the French and that bad guy, Napoleon came through here to get that done. Spain was under devastation for a long period of time and took many years to rebuild. The rebuild although took time was worth it all. Spain today is alive and well. A place everyone should visit at some point in their lives. The people are friendly, the streets are clean, the weather is sunny, the tapas are full in the early afternoon, siestas still are all the rage in the afternoon, the vistas are remarkable, the bullfighting still goes on on Sundays and the bulls rarely win, Falmenco dancing is as exciting as the sounds they make, Spain is truly a wonderful spot on the globe.
Mijas, a small whitewashed village up the mountain from Malga is where we spent our day. The Blessed Virgin was said to have appeared to some small children here. There are pictures here of a statue of the Blessed Virgin that the local people carry up the mountain at Easter to a chapel at the very top of the mountain. If you are doing penance, you crawl on your hands and feet! Quite a penance!


The streets of Mijas are narrow and beautiful. Small shops adorn both sides of each road. The climb to the top of the city centre was easier than the climb in Sardinia! At the top we found the smallest bullfighting ring in all of Spain! We had a quick lesson in what actually goes on at a bullfight and that the tickets cost more to sit in the shade than in the sun, as the fights normally last about 4 hours.

The bullfighting ring! You can read the sign, Plaza de Toros. The pictures of Kathleen and Nicky as Matadors!!!!


Matadors are very superstitious and never wear black. They prefer bright colors, blue, green and pink! Bulls are color blind so the cloak that the matadors uses is just for looks and tradition. The bull could not care less what the color is!


Having your name on a real poster from the bull ring as the matador of the day is a must do!

No day is complete without a visit to a local tapa for snacks before siesta! Charles took his siesta on the bus ride back to the ship. The kids and I managed to play "20 questions" with other people on the bus. Of course, looking at the last picture, going down the mountain is a lot easier than going up! A great day in Mijas was had by all. One exception were the burros! Seems that Burro taxis are all the rage. Not for Nicky. He could barely pass the taxi stand without having issue! Kathleen found them to be cute and decied to have a photo op with one of them! No surprise that the city symbol of Mijas is indeed the burro!!

Surprise stop...Cagliari, Sardinia 4-17-08

The pizza was good. Kathleen got a Calzone!

The cut in the finger! She learned a lesson I hope!!

The palace at the top of the hill. There was no changing of the guard, darn it!

Look at all the steps. This was just one tiny section...it was quite the climb!

The Cagliari town station.
A view from the top of the hill looking to the north.
This picture is Kathleen and Nicky, sweaty after a game of pale tennis saying goodbye to a wonderful stop in Malta!
You never know when traveling what might be around the next bend! Two things happened to us. One, we were supposed to have a stop in Tunis, Tunisia. That is where we were to pick up fuel for the trip and for us explorers, to go see Carthage. Well, it seems that with gas prices as high as they are, a higher bidder came through the port an purchased the fuel that had been prearranged at a cheaper price for us! We then had to "skip" that port and look for another "gas station". While we were all sleeping, a guest on the ship had an unfortunate fall in his bathroom and broke 2 bones in his neck! He would require emergency surgery. The captain found the nearest hospital that was not Tunisia or Libya! That spot was Cagliari, Sardinia. It is an island off the coast of Italy. This port city was founded in the seventh century BC. by the Phoenicians. There is no better way to see this city than the way we did it! We walked, hiked, climbed all over it! We left the ship with an Italian map and just head up the huge mountain. It didn't seem like we were going up so high as we were always on guard to passing vehicles. You see, the streets here are about as wide as if you take a six foot man's arms an stretch them out! That's it. We were up against walls and cars all the way to the top of the mountain! We made it though! At the very top were spectacular views an the palace the once upon a time ago King/Prince lived. That was worth the hike for sure. We ran into some kids playing ball, a school of ballet, lots of dogs again. This time though they were with owners and on leashes! Charles was happy about that! After we mad the summit, looked around a bit, it was time to find a pharmacy! Kathleen ha been swinging on every pole in Sardinia, and finally one cut her finger pretty deep. All the stores unfortunately were on siesta! We found a pizzeria and a lady poured water on it and cleaned it out and she was fine. Although, Nicky though she should get a shot! We ended up making friends with the lady who did not speak English, had a pizza and then made our way own the mountain.

Valletta, Malta April 15, 2008

At 7:00a.m. we were arriving into the port at Valletta. after attending a very interesting lecture yesterday on what we were about to see at this place, I was curious to see if it was true. At the lecture, the gal told us that the entire island is surrounded with tall thick fortresslike walls made completely of limestone that takes on a golden hue when the suns hits it.
True or false?? TRUE! When I opened the drapes to this site, it took my breath away! A gasp, that woke up Kathleen and she too was excited to see this beautiful port. We got ready to take the country by storm on our tour of Valletta.
Some history for you. Malta can trace it's human habitation back 7,000 years. Malta has been stormed over by many the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Normans, the Swabians, the Angevins, the Aragonese, the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the French, the British, and that's where it stops. They finally were given their independence by the British!! The history they maintained with the Knight's gives them their everlasting character with their Maltese Cross. The Italians and the Germans raided the island during WWII but were sent packing. Actually a bomb was dropped into the Cathedral but it did not detonate, so only a hole was made in the ceiling and the church survived! The walls that the Knights built certainly protected them and give this country a special appeal. One great story about their history was when the Turks were trying to run the Christians out of Malta, they killed some Christian prisoners they had and crucified their dead bodies, decapitated them and floated them across the harbor to intimidate the Christians into surrendering to them. The Christians then took some of their Turkish prisoners and decapitated them and put their heads into their cannons and shot those Turkish heads across the harbor into their laps! The Turks left, and the Christians held on.

Quick comments on last posting

For some reason, I can't get the copy to post and I am having to move photos that seem to want to overlap!

I'll figure it out.

Until then, some things you need to know:

The red bud trees you see at the original Olympic site are just like at home!  Beautiful too!  The stones where the cheaters get their names carved are MANY!  It was a good idea.  They should have kept that up!  There is a river that runs right near the site.  The bridge is just outside the grounds.

The wildfires that swept through Greece last year came within 100 yards of this site!  It was amazing that the watering system they have there kept the fires at bay!  Wonderful!  It was a good way for UNESCO to spend their money for sure!  Fire would not have burned the stones but would have scorched them as we saw when we were at the Acropolis.  However, all those beautiful old trees would have been destroyed and the grounds would never have been restored.

Olive trees are every where!  All different types too.  Even wild olive trees.  As the story goes, Athena and Poseidon were having a battle over who the city would be named.  Athena gave the people the gift of olives.  Poseidon gave them the sea.  Seems they like olives better, as Athena won and the city is named Athens!

Katakolon, Greece 4-14-08

We had an early tour to see the site of the first Olympics! What a site it was! The road sign let us know we were headed in the right direction! The site 2500BC, was amazing to walk though. The picture of Nicky and Kathleen lined up for a race IS the original stadium. Sand is what the events were held on and there were no seats, everyone that came to watch the games sat in the grass along the sides.
When the Romans took over Greece they added their influence which can be seen in the archway here to get into the stadium. No mortar holding these rocks up. The weight of the rocks on each other have kept them there for centuries, was it safe to walk under? We made it! Those Romans sure liked arches an they knew how to build them for sure! Maybe McDonald's was first conceived by the Romans!!
The flame! Who knew that the flame was lighted on an altar?? This is the altar where they light the flame every four years and the flame is then carried across the globe to the current Olympic site. It is now making it's way to Bejing. They used to leave the flame buring 24/7 but now they only light it every four years for the ceremony. I thought it was always burning. I was a little disappointed! I guess they would have to hire someone to watch the flame if it was always there??
Gymnasium. From the Greek word Gymnos. Meaning nude! This is the beautiful site where the first gym was! The first athletes competed nude. The gym is where the disrobed and ran out! Now when you pass a gym you'll know why there are always showers and changing rooms there. This is one of the seven Ancient wonders of the world. A UNESCO site. We have been fortunate in our travels to add this to our list. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are in Iraq! I don't think we will be completing our list anytime soon!!
CHEATERS!!!! If you were caught cheating in the Olympics, your name was engraved in the stones at the entrance of the stadium for all to see FOREVER. They should still do this!