Port Power

I did ask about during the crossing. During the sea days across the Atlantic, dishes from South America and the Caribbean will be presented. There will also be cooking demonstrations in the Venetian a lounge.

Back on board, I was just in time for the 3 o’clock S.A.L.T. Lab class. Today was chicken tangine, with flat bread and an eggplant and tomato dip. Chef made the latter, keeping it chunky for presentation. However, he usually mashes it to a hummus appearance. I don’t like eggplant, but I loved this dip! The flat bread was from the kitchen, but he put it in the oven for five minutes, dotted with chunks of butter and garlic. Browning and mainly cooking the chicken. The final product.

We walked through the old town. Schools were breaking up for lunch, and many children said hello to us. Actually, many girls said “hello, Barbie”, which is an indication of the popularity new movie. Our guide said his 10-year old daughter was a big fan. A few adults along the way said “welcome”, which made us feel very welcome indeed. Tourists of all kinds are welcome in Morocco. And what would a walk through the markets be without many, many shops selling gold. For some reason I did not take a photo of the olive market, which was amazing. They tasted good, too.

Internet on Silver Dawn fluctuates, but is slower than it was on Silver Muse around Japan. Even at 2:00 am my emails can be slow to open, and Cruise Critic threads even slower. However, my photos have finally synchronised, so it is much easier to complete posts now. 😊

Tuesday, 21 November, 2023. Casablanca, Morocco. The main place of interest in Casablanca is the new mosque. Out guide related an interview with the king by an American journalist, who questioned hi, about spending so many millions of dollars on a mosque when there was the need for hospitals and schools. He replied about similar expenses in the USA, but noted that so many visitors had already visited the mosque, that it was paying for itself. Add to that the extra jobs related to tourism. Visitors used to visit Fez and Tangier, now they come to Casablanca as a destination. Morocco is a liberal country where other religions coexist in peace. Women can do anything and are not expected socially to cover themselves. All ship guests covered knees and shoulders within the mosque. This mosque really is beautiful! The tiles, woodwork and plasterwork are just lovely. Morocco was never invaded by the Ottomans and therefore had no influence in their architecture. This is why the mosques are square. Our guide pointed out the necessary elements in a mosque. GFC: geometric, floral and calligraphy.

At Europa Point is a mosque which was a gift from the King of Saudi Arabia. This is why there is a full moon adorning the spire rather than the usual crescent moon. It is only one of perhaps three royal mosques in the world outside of Muslim countries. Our final stop was at the Gorham’s Caves Complex, a world heritage listed site. Decades ago a skull was discovered there, but put in a cupboard in the museum. After a similar skill was found in Northern Europe, it was examined more closely and found to the skull of a Neanderthal woman. (The middle two caves.) Neanderthals lived inside Gorham and Vanguard caves. Every year since 1989, scientists have been excavating inside these caves. They have found stone tools and the remains of eaten animals such as Monk seals, which no longer inhabit this area.

After lunch we drove through the Old Town to Europa Point, the southernmost point in Europe. Along the way we passed this “waterfall”. There is not enough rainfall for the needs of the inhabitants, so a desalination plant was built. The end result of very salty water comes out here and returns to the sea. Toilets are on a separate plumbing system and are flushed with saltwater. In the past, rainwater was collected with a different method. Rainwater was channeled into storage tanks from the mountainside collection areas.

We had lunch at a restaurant called “My Wines”, up on the terrace The owner’s daughter was our host, and she was very enthusiastic about their wines. We had expected some light tapas, but there were five excellent wines with five generous servings of food. The grilled, crisp and very moist chicken thigh I was given when the rest had a Moorish spring roll was delicious. I very foolishly forgot to take any photos! We were there for an hour and a half. To compensate, here is a photo of the runway with the road across it. This airport only allows visual landings and take offs. The road across is now only used by pedestrians and bicycles. A tunnel underneath the runway has just been opened, so cars and trucks have to use that to go to the airport and Spain. Hundred of workers come across each day from Spain. They work at the port, the caves, in shops and in construction. Everywhere! There are not enough locals to fill all the necessary jobs.

The Moorish castle was completed in 1333. The Tower of Homage gives a beautiful view from the top. I did not climb up there, so no additional photos from me.

On arrival at the caves, we were greeted by a local female monkey. We had seen just a few as we drove up through the nature reserve. The monkeys are free roaming in six family groups. Each year the authorities somehow manage to get hold of the infant monkeys for a health check, immunisation and microchipping. St Michael’s Caves were discovered in 843AD. They now have creative lighting, including a “show” in the main cave. Music concerts are held here. Along the way was a fallen stalactite that had been dawn across the bas3 to expose the age rings.

Monday, 20 November, 2023. Gibraltar. The ship was only here until 2:00pm, so all tours were in the morning. I had chosen “Castle, Caves and Wine Pairing”. Gibraltar is on Jurassic limestone and is considered a country. The locals are said to be more English than the English! We had a wonderful guide, a mature aged lady who knew the country very well. We were 15 passengers on a mini driver, with an excellent driver, Steven. There were five minibuses doing this tour, all with their own guides. The roads around the island are narrow. Some of the old tunnels were barely wide enough for the minibus to get through! Steven had do do more than one 3-point turn along the way. We did circle the entire isthmus and had an excellent day out. Once again Silversea excelled in their shore excursions and guides. That is Spain across the Bay of Gibraltar. Below is Morocco appearing from the clouds.

The butler was incorrect and could easily have changed the champagne. While in port in Spain, passengers have to pay VAT on any purchases made on the ship, but that doesn’t apply to any included wines, drinks or food. I wasn’t buying the bottle. The wine storage areas were definitely open because goods were was coming aboard for restocking! 😀

Sunday 19 November 2023. Malaga, Spain. Today was sunny and warm. There was a shuttle from the ship to the main street, which is where we started our walking tour of the old city and Picasso Museum. I’ll add those photos later. Being Sunday, and warm and sunny, the Portside bars and cafés were doing great business. This included locals: there were plenty of dogs on leads and children about. I am writing this at 6:00pm from the Observation Lounge, “Twinkle” by my side. I arrived back on board just in time to join another team for trivia while my team members were out for a long day. We came second, which I take no credit for. I also saw the Future Cruise Manager for a quote on Silver Ray from Fort Lauderdale to Lisbon in 2026. I might not stop cruising just yet!

Saturday and Sunday. Malaga, Spain. This was an overnight port, arriving late morning. It was a cool day, overcast but still pleasant. This was the view from the deck outside La Terrazza. I took a day off and remained aboard.

Some interesting traditions. Only stallions have their full tails, manes and forelocks. The nares have their manes and forelocks trimmed off entirely. Their tails are shaved near the rump to keep the area clean and hair free. Foals also have their tails shaved until one year of age. Then the colts can grow their hair. Just tradition, and the reason for it has been lost in history.

Carmen then danced with a partner. His performance was delightful.

After the “stampede” of mares and young horses, the guests were served coffee, Spanish omelette, farm grown olives and some other nibbles. Then the main event. A flamenco dancer entertained us. She started just walking by and playing the castanets. Well, I have never heard castanets like that before. Incredibly musical! Carmen (real name) followed up with some lovely and graceful dancing. But wait! There’s more!

Today’s excursion was to see Andalusian horses, but oh, what an underselling description that was! Four buses arrived at the orchard and farm, so about 120 passengers. There was a lovely gassed outdoor area, with plenty of chairs under the loggia and more on the grass. One of the guides was the host for the visit. The ranch, with the brand name MAIPE, was initially bought as an orchard, with a family interest in horses. That interest grew to become the main income. (They breed Jack Russels, too. A couple of mother dogs visited us.) There were two mares in the adjoining ing paddock with their colts, 5 weeks and 7 weeks old respectively. The trainer brought out one of the stallions and we were told the history of the pure Spanish breed. This is the base breed of the Lippizaner horses in Vienna, although they mixed in a couple of other breeds. The Spanish breed horses live 21-24 years. This farm has 8 stallions and 40 brood mares. Roughly 40 3-year olds are sold each year. The mares are never ridden. They have the run of the paddocks with their offspring. The stallions undergo dressage training. This is the major draw for this breed and they well represented in the Olympics and other major dressage events. If not sold, the mature horses remain on the ranch to live out their lifespan.

Friday 17 November 2023. Cartagena, Spain Another warm and sunny day, warmer than it should be at this time of year, but no one is complaining. Cartagena was founded 3,000 years ago and has the usual city walls. In my photo, the building behind the walls used to be a naval hospital. Ships dock only a short walk into the town centre. There were people strolling along the foreshore path enjoying the sunshine.

Viking Jupiter is docked behind us. Today started off sunny and cool, but reached 20C. The sky is clouding over now and it is distinctly cool. What better place to enjoy a warming coffee that the Arts Cafe.

I was looking down from my balcony and noticed movement in the water. There are dozens of huge fish at surface level. They look like carp from here. I will have to ask someone with local knowledge of Malaga.

Jumping ahead, our neighbour again today, Saturday, in Malaga. I saw it from La Terrazza last night as it sailed alongside. Too big for most of us here on Silver Dawn!

Friday 18 November 2023. Cartagena, Spain. Our neighbour at the port.

The tour ended with a visit to a small production local winery, Pago de Tharsys. We went through the cellar and then tasted their cava, a rosé type wine, and full flavoured red. The rosé was savoury and rather weird, but not horrible. The other two were very nice. Wine production started in this area 2,500 years ago with the Phoenicians. At that time the wine produced was a clear, light coloured wine.

The above was just the walk to the main event. Underneath this old city there are 1200 sq metres of caves, dug out by hand in the 14th-16th centuries. They fell into disuse in the 17th century and were only discovered by accident in the 1970s during a renovation project. These caves were all private, reached from stairs with each house. At a consistent 16 degrees centigrade, the caves were used to store wine, water and olive oil. Grain was also stored, wheat for making bread, because it was also dry down there. It was a totally unexpected and incredible excursion! There was also an ossuary, reached by stairs underneath the church. No bones remain there today.