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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Apr 19, 2024 12:00 AM Again in sunny Barcelona...
Bye, bye "Grandiosa"! I was ashore already at 9 am. Imagine 5 big passenger ships docking one by one. And imagine crowd of disembarking tourists trying to find the transport to the city, long lines of the people waiting for buses and taxis... My decision eas very quick: I will walk with all my luggage. And I did! I crossed Europa Bridge, then turned to Columbus column and then went along Avenida Paralel to Plaza Espana. It is a distance - I was walking with some stops 1,5 hours... Good exercise! On exit from Plaza Espana there is stop of city bus 46 going th the airport. Is is rare bird, so allow enough time for waiting. Driver do not accept cash payment, but you can use your credit card to pay 2,55 euros fare. Many stops on the route, many traffic lights. Then, after some 40 minutes bus is reaching Terminal 2 (check in advance your terminal number - it is important!) the distance to T1 needs another 10 minutes of driving. Security check was very smooth Bravo! I was on time at the gate. After 3 hours in the air I landed on Warsaw. Uuuu... Rain and only 8 deg Celsius. I am waiting for connection to Gdansk. The big voyage (more than 2 months!) is almost over...
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Apr 18, 2024 12:00 AM Walking Valencia
Valencia - the third largest city in Spain has a big port. We are docking far from any terminal. People from the ship offer a shuttle bus to the center for 12 dollars round trip but it is too much for budget traveller. Nobody on the ship will tell you that from the pier there is free shuttle bus to the ferry terminal and from there you can use city bus no. 4 to get for just 1.5 euro to the central square (Ajuntamiento). But I decided to walk, to see on the way Science & Art Center - the group of the buildings of fantastic, modern architecture housing also famous oceanoghaphic museum. Since my last visit they add here new objects - lt looks very impressive but be ready to pay 34 euro for the last expensive entry tickets. Then I was walking palm- fringed avenidas to Plaza del Toros (today there was police show with motocycles and horses instead of bulls) going onward I reached old town and central square with nice fountain
Only here I round tourist info office and got a city map. Nothing like that at the cruise ships! Shame on you, beautiful Valencia! Bells ringing at 12 found me on the cathedral square. Imagine long line of the tourists, waiting for the entrance to the cathedral... But I like Valencia anyway. Tomorrow in the morning I waill be disembarking the ship in Barcelona... See you soon!
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Apr 16, 2024 12:00 AM Malaga to Mijas for just 10 dollars!
At the breakfast table I enjoyed a great sunrise over the mountains surrounding Spanish Malaga. I like this port - it is tourist - friendly and offers nice views including cathedral and Gibralfaro fortress. Some 35 kms from Malaga there is nice township of Mijas famous of its beauty, donkey carts and colorful ceramic... Guys from the ship offers bus tour to Mojas for 70 euro. I decided to go there using local transport. I was already on the land when my phone was ringing. What a pleasant surprise! My old friend Sveta living here recognized from my travellog that I am here was ready to meet me and to be my guide to Mihas!. I met her later at railway station and we took a train to Fuengirola (3,5 euro one way) and then a bus 122 to Mijas (1,5 euro - 25 min in the nice landscape).
Mijas lies 400 m plus above sea and offers great panoramas, chapel cut in the rock, remains of castillo and hundreds white houses decorated with flowers and ceramic. Patient burros (donkeys) carts are waiting to drive you around for 15 eu (1 pax) or 20 euros (2 pax) There are also horse carts. You van visit also other old churches and small Plaza del Toros. Mijas - the white town offers great atmosphere. What a wonderful day!. Thank you Sveta and Oleg for beeing there with me! As you can see you can have an interesting excursion for just 10 USD!
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Apr 14, 2024 12:00 AM Casablanca - by train to Jadida
Lovely morning under the blue sky in Casablanca. I have been here many times so I plan to see something new - a coastal town of Jadida - south of Casablanca. Round trip train ticket from Casa Port station costs just 70 dirhams - like 7 dollars. I spent in the crowded train 1, 5 hours. Just let you know that Gare Jadida is 5 kms from the old city. It is for me walking distance but due to shortage of time I decided to share the taxi. It cost 10 dirhams od 1 dollar.
They dropped me at the gate of Mazagan - Portuguese fortres built in 16 century. What a surprise! The fortress is now on the UNESCO world heritage list! Nice place! Great views! It was a good idea to go there. An excursion for just 9 dollars - entry is free!
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Apr 12, 2024 12:00 AM Welcome back to Europe!
After 8 days in the empty Atlantic Ocean I am back in Europe. Exactly on the Tenerife Island, sometimes considered to be a part of Africa. The ground is still rocking under my feets... The internet server in the tourist office is down so I went to the huge public library (opposite the mercado NS de Africa) to use the free internet. The ship departs to Casablanca at 5 pm so I will have also a time for the lovely afternoon walk around Santa Cruz, where the temperature is 28 deg. Celsius. I have new friends met on the ship - interesting travellers from Canada, USA and... Poland - I invited them to visit my Wojtkówka in the summer. On Monday we will be passing Gibraltar again... I still have a great time!
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Apr 10, 2024 12:00 AM Captain Raffaele
Aha, they announced the cocktail for the frequent MSC passengers for today. I have been invited too! They offered drinks, music and the performance of our professional dancers. Also image screening on the huge celling of the galleria. After the celebration I had a chance to meet our captain Raffaele. When I introduced myself he was surprised that there is a passenger aboard who visited 234 countries and territories (all of them). He congratulated me and we had an informal picture taken. He is probably my 40th captain!
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Apr 07, 2024 12:00 AM Crossing equator again...
It was 11.30 am when the Neptune arrived aboard to give the captain the key to the north seas and the permit to sail the Northern Hemisphere. The volunteers were baptized. There were a lot of fun and for the first time during such a ceremony I saw the real ostopuses from ship's kitchen used to baptize the passengers... Dances in the evening... One more show. Two more glaces of rum... We are loosing one hour every second day...
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Apr 03, 2024 12:00 AM Rio - out of the beaches!
I woke up early to see the panorama of Rio once the ship will be entering Guanabara Bay. But sorry... too much fogg today in the morning! 29 deg. Celsius! Rio de Janeiro is famous for its beaches. Every time arriving here I was walking along Ipanema, Leblon, Copacobana. But today... On the shore, in the terminal (red-painted old harbour depots) local agents requested 40 USD for the minibus tour to Corcovado and Copa. Last time it was 30... And you have to pay extra for entry ticket...
So I decided to save the money and to walk first to "Museum of Tomorrow" beautiful sample of the contemporary architecture (pay 6 USD if you want to be also inside) and later to the colonial Monastery San Bento. I was here 6 or 7 times, but I didn't know about this jewel of the colonial architecture. It is on the hill, close to the port. The lighting inside is poor but you will be enchanted by the number of ornate altars... Entry is free.
Then I walked to Candelaria church (doors closed) and on this main street of Rio I watched the life: street kitchens and vendors, homeless sleeping on the ground and pretty Cariocas going to offices.
Back in the terminal there was strong anti- drug dog control.
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Apr 02, 2024 12:00 AM Buzios of Brigitte Bardot
Buzios, where I landed today lies on the hilly peninsula. It is well-known resort in Brazil. Bo you remember sexy actress Brigitte Bardot? Old generation remember! She was living here with her Brazilion boy. It promoted Buzios a lot. Today she has a momument on the coastal promenade. She is sitting on her suitcase, keeping a hat in her hand. The Brazilian boy is missing, but there is another man - can you recognize him?
Local agency organizes for 70 reais pp = 14 USD tour around peninsula in safari-bus. I went with them to the beaches and view points. Panoramas are beautiful but Buzios is crowded and bit noisy. Anyway I was happy to see one more new place.
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Apr 01, 2024 12:00 AM Through the jungle to Lopez Mendes
Ilha Grande, where I landed today is quite different. It is wild, has no roads and only limited amount of cars...instead it has green mountains on the interior and many nice, pristine beaches in the different bays. The bays are reacheable by water taxis ,- noisy speeedboats jumping on the waves. I had a backbone problem so I found other solution: at 10.30 am a slowboat (like old schooner) is feparting to isolated Praia Pouso. Round trip ticket costs 50 reais or 10 USD. After 1 hour sailing I disembarked in Pouso. There is clear path through the lush jungle, under the enormous bamboo trees to great beach Lopez Mendes. It took me 5 quarters each way to reach this paradise without any commerce or beach umbrellas. There were only a dozen people spread out on 1 km of wide beach. Real paradise. But bring enouch water!
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