Day 13, end of cruise - Monday, August 15, 2022 end in Barcelona, Spain

As I mentioned earlier, we were required to be off the ship by 9 AM.

Dianne and I do not use the transportation the cruise provides to the airport. We found it is usually 200-300% more expensive than getting our own taxi. The cruise line offered a bus to the airport for 69 Euro each (138 Euro total). We hired a taxi and it cost 39 Euro for both of us.

 

Day 12 of the cruise - Sunday, August 14, 2022 Alicante, Spain

It was pretty warm in Alicante at 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius). Dianne and I decided to take the shuttle bus to the beach which was only about a two block walk from where the bus dropped us off.

One of the things Dianne and I noticed on the beaches was there was small percentage of women, regardless of age, who would be topless. It was not a large percentage, perhaps five percent. And when I say regardless of age, it would be from small children and women from 20 years of age to women in their 70’s. And this beach was no exception.

 

The water in the Mediterranean was very comfortable. There was no shock to the system going into the water. My guess is it was about 75 degrees. After a couple of hours on the sand and going in and out of the water, we rinsed our feet and walked to a large plaza where various vendors were ending their day.

Whether it is a weekday, or a weekend, many vendors and shops close at 2 pm for a couple of hours for a siesta. The only exceptions would be café’s. This was a Sunday and Dianne found a couple of souvenirs while the vendors were packing up for the day.

The instruction from the cruise line to each passenger was to pack their suitcases, put the tags they provided on them, and leave them outside the cabin by 10 PM (22:00) the evening prior to the last day of the cruise.

That requires knowing what we will need or wear the next day, and what toiletries we will need. Everyone has to leave the ship by 9 in the morning so they can do a thorough cleaning of the staterooms. Timing wise, that works fine because we need to find transportation to the airport for our flight that leaves at 1 PM (13:00).

 

Day 11 of the cruise - Saturday, August 13, 2022 Granada and Motril, Spain

Other than the port where we docked, there is nothing special about Motril. However, this is where tourists can go to either the caves of Narja or go to the Alhambra Palace in Granada.

The main export from this area was sugar, and now that worldwide tastes have changed, they are growing mangoes and avocados. Based on a year round mild climate, with winter temperatures around 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit, they can grow vegetables for northern Europe in the winter where they are experiencing freezing temperatures.

Dianne and I purchased the tour of the caves in Narja. While we both took photos, there is no way to truly capture the grandeur, nor size, of these caves.

Discovered in 1965 by several young boys while trying to capture some bats, the caves now attract about one million visitors and has transformed the area of Narja.

On the bus trip to the caves it was also amazing to see a couple of Roman aqueducts that were built over two thousand years ago that are still standing today. What gets built today to carry water only lasts 100 years at the most before falling apart. The Romans built things that could last 100’s of centuries.

 

Day 10 of the cruise - Friday, August 12, 2022 Gibraltar, United Kingdom

I think the rock that sits on the northern straight to the Mediterranean Sea is famous to everyone. It has been the symbol of safety and security by Prudential Insurance for probably 100 years.

It was fascinating to learn about their self-governance and the number of sieges that this area had to endure over 2000 years to become what it is today. Other than World War II, the last one was from 1879 to 1973 and has remained in British hands ever since.

 It has the only Mosque that does not face Mecca, and instead of a quarter moon at the top, it has a full moon.

And it is a tiny community in size and population with only 30,000 residents. But with workers and tourists it jumps to more than 60,000. On a clear day, which this day was not, you can see Morocco on the north African continent.

 

Day 9 of the cruise - Thursday, August 11, 2022 Seville and Cadiz, Spain

From Cadiz, where we arrived today, it was a one-and-a-half-hour train or taxi ride to Seville. We did talk about going, and while it is supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. It is also in the interior while Europe is suffering through an extreme heat wave with temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit (44 Celsius), so we decided to stay in Cadiz.

 

Staying in Cadiz was a great decision. We were given free tickets to the Hop On-Hop Off bus and went around the city. Our first drop off was at a large cathedral and all around that area were charming streets lined with unique shops, restaurants and bakeries.

We found a couple of unique shops; one called Cork O Clock had many items that used cork. Dianne purchased some gifts for back home and a tote bag with the art work of Frida Kahlo.

Another shop (Herakles) had reproductions of Roman artifacts that were found in Cadiz as well as other areas that were once controlled by the Roman Empire. Dianne purchased a small charm based on an old Roman coin.

Food hint: Knowing that we would not be around for lunch, and not knowing what restaurants to choose on shore, Dianne and I while at breakfast both made sandwiches that we could have at lunch. That way we didn’t have to choose a restaurant on shore nor come back to the ship for lunch.

After getting back on the bus we saw some lovely beaches and decided that is what we wanted to do next.

Since we did not have to be back on the ship until 10:30 PM (22:30) we decided after walking the lovely streets we go back to the ship and put on our bathing suits and go to one of the beaches. The weather was beautiful at around 79 degrees Fahrenheit and we arrived around 4 PM (16:00). While some people said the water is very cold because it is on the Atlantic Ocean, we found it as warm, or warmer, than where we live near Malibu.

We stayed until 6:30 PM (18:30) and walked back to the ship.

 The food on the Oceania Nautica is excellent with a wide variety to choose from. There is the Terrace Café where you eat outdoors and choose whatever you want from a buffet style to a couple of reservation only restaurants to the main dining room where no reservations are required.

 

Day 8 of the cruise -Wednesday, August 10, 2022 Casablanca, Morocco

The city made famous by the Humphrey Bogart movie of the same name. It is the largest city in Morocco. We were, I take that back, Dianne was able to negotiate with a taxi driver/tour guide to take us to the major sites for four hours. He wanted $200 dollars and Dianne got his to accept $120. And it was a beautiful, nearly new, Mercedes.

We were able to see a huge, beautiful mosque, a gorgeous Jewish temple, and two markets; one just for tourists and the last one where the locals shop. It was on about 25 acres and designed so you could easily get lost.

Dianne had the policy of completely ignoring the shop keepers that tried to get her into stalls to see carpets, clothing, jewelry, leather goods, tea sets, and more. They would say, “Come inside, it is free to look. We charge you nothing. Just look.”

The shuttle bus was one block from the last market, and we caught it 5 minutes before it left for the ship. Otherwise, we would’ve had to wait 30 minutes for the next one.

 Day 7 of the cruise - Tuesday, August 9, 2022 Agadir, Morocco

Today we arrive in Agadir, Morocco, a major city with a population of around 924,000 as of the 2014 census growing from 346,000 in 2004. Based on the Atlantic Ocean as a beach community it boasts a great weather year round with the winter temperature average around 69 degrees Fahrenheit in December and January.

The shuttle bus took us near the city center where several taxis were available for hire. For $25 per person we could get a 3-3.5 hour tour of the city, the Kasbah atop a hill overlooking the city, camel rides, a mosque, a large market with handmade items (120 booths/stalls), a huge market (35 acres), and an old seaside town.

We had a unique tea in the first market and our tour guide/taxi driver had fair English language skills.

The taxi driver took as to a small seaside town. When we were ready to leave there was a very irate woman who demanded our taxi driver take her as a passenger. She shouted she had been waiting over an hour for a taxi and none would take her and she was there first.

Eventually a policeman had to be called to sort things out. What she didn’t understand was most of the taxi drivers she saw where carrying passengers from the ship and had been hired for hours. Until that was sorted out she stood behind our taxi and argued with our driver and the others so we could not back up and leave; fun in Morocco.