Right or Left?

December 8

Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

Can you believe they drive on the left side of the road like the Brits, but all the vehicles have left side drive!

Dutch or French

December 7

St Martin

Tiny island, half Dutch, half French. We docked at Philipsburg, St Maarten (Dutch). Our adventure for the day--an Americas Cup sailing regatta. We actually crewed on Dennis Connor's Stars and Stripes that won the 1987 Americas Cup series.  We were pitted against the Canadian True North boat, and we won!!  It was a thrilling experience.  

Took a taxi to Marigot, the capitol of the French portion. Lots of traffic and not much charm--not sure we'd pick this for a destination holiday. 

The Vast Atlantic

November 29-December 6

Atlantic Ocean

Eight days upon the ocean blue--it goes by faster than you think. And we were blessed with calm seas and clear skies. We love dining out on the open rear deck, especially in the evening. We have met and talked with many interesting people. As usual, there is a nice group of about a dozen women for a daily "stitch and bitch" gathering. 

A series of 10 lectures on DNA has been fascinating, tying it to crime investigation and history, think King Tut, Jack the Ripper, the Romanovs, etc.  

And the best part of sailing east to west, we get back an hour of time (sleep) every other day. 

The Man Who Never Was

November 28
Huelva, Spain

Took a taxi to the Roman Catholic Cemetery to see the grave of Glyndwr Michael, alias William Martin, RM, a key character in WWII's Operation Mincemeat.  A fascinating true story that provided advantage to the Allies in their fight against the Nazis.

Next up, 8 days at sea before arriving at St Martin.

The Rock

November 27
Gibralter

Gibralter--so small and yet so strategic. No wonder it was conquered and re-conquered over the centuries. It is definitely British in nature, though nearly everyone also speaks Spanish.
The road from Gib into Spain goes across the airport runway so they halt traffic whenever a plane takes off or lands.
We took the cable car to the top of the Rock and could see Spain spreading out on either side and Africa across the Med.
We met some of the famous Barbary apes on top, but they were not aggressive. There are feeding stations provided. It is a crime with a hefty fine to personally feed them.
We walked through the Great Siege Tunnels--dug by the British primarily for housing of cannon during the 18rh and 19th century, then used again during WWII.
The old hilly part of Gib has been preserved and new land areas are being created to accommodate new high rise housing.
There were shoppers galore on the Main St. pedestrian mall--Black Friday discounts have spread to the rest of the world.

Bye Bye Barcelona

November 25
Barcelona

We are underway--aboard the Azamara Journey, which is essentially the same design as the Ocean Princess that we sailed on a numbers of times. Feels like home. In 16 days we will arrive in Miami.
But before leaving Barcelona we walked through the Boqueria fresh market (one of the best in the world) and flew over the Barcelona harbor on the Teleferic (cable car).  Great views if the sea and city.
The ship holds 680 people but there are only 540 passengers. Stats:  over half are Americans, followed by Brits; over half are age 65 or more; six passengers are over 100!!
We had a lively table of 8 for dinner--six Americans from around the country, all very interesting.
A nice perk of Azamara--wine and drinks are included!

Barcelona Revisited

Strolled the streets of Barcelona, stopping at various favorite spots and shops including Gispert's which is loaded with spices and delectable gourmet foods.
We found a great yarn shop (to get a project for the cruise)--All You Knit is Love--that is run by a woman from Tucson!!
The Barcelona Christmas market is being assembled but won't open til Friday. Darn!
Finished off our day with beer, sitting in the sunshine beneath the Columbus monument. Barcelona is always enjoyable.