Med Cruise Vacation II

Gibraltar

The rock of Gibraltar came into view sometime after 11 AM. The rock is in fact not an island but is attached to the Iberian coast through a narrow isthmus on which the airport runway is set (with a roadway across). We had booked a half day excursion in Gibraltar and met our guide Vincent (a retired school teacher born during WWIII) on the pier for our coach tour. The first stop on the tour was the funicular (cable car) but we passed the Moorish Castle and Alameda Gardens en route. The lineup was rather long at the cable car and the car was packed to capacity. We were greeted by families of playful Barbary apes on the railings as we disembarked at the observatory at the top. From this lookout we enjoyed panoramic views of the coast of Africa, the strait of Gibraltar and the border with Spain. From the observatory we walked down to the entrance to St. Michael’s Caves (actually two caves… one which is set up as a theatre (and has attracted many prominent musicians on account of the excellent acoustics). After a brief break at a café and gift shop, we proceeded on by coach to the Great siege tunnels… a military installation constructed between 1793 and 1783 used to mount cannons on the cliff-top to defend the island, given its military significance. (the tunnel system was later enlarged by the Allied forces during WWII but we did not tour that section of the tunnels).

Following our tour of Gibraltar and prior to dinner we returned to our ship for the sailaway through the straight of Gibraltar with Africa on our port side and Spain on the starboard.

Casablanca and Marrakesh Morocco

We ported in Casablanca which is the largest city in Morocco and the commercial capital of the kingdom. We had booked a fully day (13 hour) tour to Marrakesh on this day. We met our tour director Saed on the pier and then embarked on a 3 & 1/2 hour trip by coach through the desert to Marrakesh. The highway heading South from Casablanca through Marrakesh passes through dessert and mountainous regions. It is a modern toll freeway with two lanes in either direction and speed limit of 120 KPH with signposts in both Arabic script and French. There are clean modern services stations with stores, cafes and washroom facilities enroute. We entered Marrakesh through the palm grove which is an upscale tourist area on the outskirts of the medina (old city). Once in the medina, traffic chaos ensues as tour coaches meet with cars, donkeys, camels, motor-scooters and pedestrians all traversing narrow winding streets the the souks (markets) with merchants selling various wares (leather, straw, jewellery and metal good shops mingle e with spice, fruit and vegatable and meat shop vendors). Our coach driver (a Berber, the main native ethnic group of non-Arab origin) did as excellent job negotiating the narrow streets after the long highway journey.

Following a visit to one of the few mosques (Medersa Ben Youseff) that allow non Islam visitors, we stopped at a local banquet centre for a traditional Moroccan lunch featuring cous-cous. There were native musicians and a woman dancing around the tables with lit candles on a tray balanced on her head. Unfortunately because the local authorities were late clearing our ship upon arrival and slow service at the restaurant, we were running extremely behind schedule by the time lunch was complete.

In the afternoon, we headed back to our coach for a tour of a Bahia Palace, then back into the souk for a trip to a carpet merchants. Finally we emerged in the Djeema El Fnaa, (where we encountered snake charmers and many more merchants) and then boarded our bus for the long return trip to the ship.. We arrived back at the ship at 8:45 (in time for a 9:30 sail-away), missing our late dinner seating in the Grand restaurant so we headed to the Oasis Buffet in time to sample the pasta bar from the aft service counter. We were exhausted.

Tangier, Morocco

Our final Port of Call was Tangier Morocco which is located on the northern coast of Morocco at the western end of the Strait of Gibraltar about 30 miles from Spain.. The port is much more picturesque than Casablanca and the city is much less densely populated (half a million vs 3 million). We had booked a half day coach and walking tour in Tangier. After meeting our guide Abdul Malik, we proceeded to our first stop on the tour-- a circus tent-- to attend a “fantasia” cultural event (a performance by local performers, including a fire-breather, belly dancer, glass walker, child acrobats and Arabian horse-riders). There we also sampled traditional refreshments (mint tea and biscuits). Camel rides were also available for an extra fee. Next we visited the caves of Hercules (with an opening that peaks through to the ocean and the two coasts of Africa and Europe, separated by Hercules according to Greek mythology). Following that, we drove along the coastal beaches to Cap Spartel where the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea intersect. Then we drove up into the hills and down into the city, passing by the upscale residential neighbourhoods where all of Michael Schumacher, Malcolm Forbes, Barbara Hutton, and both of the Moroccan and Saudi royal families keep (or have kept) homes. Thereafter, we visited the Kabash Museum and walked around the twisted streets of the medina, with its souk market vendors. (The Tangier medina and souk are much calmer (traffic wise) than in Marrakesh, but the strolling merchants are even more persistent in soliciting sales)

We returned to the ship mid-afternoon and grazed at the Oasis restaurant salad bar for a light lunch. We had reservations in the evening (@ 6:30) for the Murano specialty restaurant. The restaurant offers two different menus—the first allows you to sample a 7 course meal (each course with two options) paired with various glasses of wines designed to compliment the meal (for an extra $100) and another where you order al la carte. We went with the second option and enjoyed a delicious meal (featuring such entrees as veal, Chilean sea bass and a special new york centre cut steak with truffles). The plate presentation was impressive and the service impeccable.

After dinner we attended two shows in the Celebrity theatre—the first featuring the Celebrity singers and dancers in a 50s/60s themed tribute to rock and roll (the best received of their three shows) and the second “Starring You” which opened with another performance by the Russian adage pair, followed by performances by and award presentations to passengers who excelled at trivia, karaoke and dance.

Still to come…

We are now enroute (over rough seas) to Barcelona for disembarkation tomorrow morning. I will publish too more summaries of our trip after this-- one focused on our final two days in Barcelona and the other focused on the overall Celebrity Century cruiseship experience.