A lecture on what to see and do in Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona was given by Barbara H in the show lounge this morning. But first, we need to give a little info on the country of Spain.
The capital is Madrid, and the total population of the country is 47,000,000 people that speak Castilian Spanish. The total area of Spain including the Balearic Islands is 194,846 square miles. Spain's architecture is a mix of Gothic and Islamic. The countryside is dotted with jagged sierras, wild coastlines, stirring flamenco dance, art galleries, and food. Life in this country can be one long "fiesta".
The best time to visit is May and June, as well as September and October. Products that come out of the country are grains, olives, grapes, and citrus. The areas that have mines contain coal, iron, and copper.
The things to see are the Alhambra in Andalusia to appreciate the Islamic architecture. Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia Cathedral cannot be missed, and the art in Madrid is priceless.
Things to do include a tapa crawl (appetizers), hike the Pyrennes, see the dramatic coastline, or be lazy on the beaches of Menorca and Mallorca.
What is there to eat? Jamon Iberico, a delicious type of cured ham, and paella, a dish made with rice and shellfish. And the drink? Red wine white wine, or sherry.
Trademarks are the flamenco, paella, bullfighting artists, football and fiestas. And the summer invasion of tourists, mostly from the colder cities of Northern Europe.
In the next few days, we will be visiting Palma de Mallorca (a new one for us), Barcelona, and finally Cadiz. While we are in Barcelona for two days, we are required to pack our passports with us when leaving the ship. There was a notice in the daily newsletter asking us to pick them up at the front desk in the next few days. We started to do that, but got interrupted on the way…..twice. There's always tomorrow.
The Faberge egg collection is onboard. We have been reminded with two invites to a special unveiling soon. Guess this promotion ties in with Easter time, we suppose.
Meditative coloring for adults was on the list of activities again today. This simply makes us laugh, but maybe we are missing something about this hobby.
A new guest speaker has arrived by the name of Lawrence Fairman. He is doing a series on Barcelona. A second speaker is a familiar one….Revell Carr , who will lecture on the ancient Mediterranean.
The movie in the Wajang was Paterson, a drama/comedy. If it is good, we can watch it tomorrow night. Something we will not be watching is ESPN, since according to a note we received tonight, has been lost to us for weeks now. From Mumbai to Aqabah, we were out of the "footprint", so to speak. Now due to technical difficulties, we still cannot get it. They are, however, working on it, and apologize for the inconvenience. Truthfully, we have not noticed it, but the folks that like sports must be very unhappy about it. And have been making it known at the front desk.
For the last week or more, we have been told that the Amsterdam Orchestra has been playing in the Crow's Nest at 4:30pm. We always thought it was strange to have a cocktail hour with no music up there. Perhaps there have been many requests for music up there early. Otherwise, the music by the Sirius Four starts at 7pm.
There were two specialty dinners tonight. One was a Mediterranean Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill for $79 per person. The other was a Seder Dinner in half of the Lido restaurant. This affair had a sign-up list weeks ago. We have never attended one, but the folks we know that have, are always happy with it.
Barbie brought a guest to the dinner table tonight….a dance host Ray, who has already joined us once. He seemed most happy to be with our tablemates, although he listened much more than he talked. After everyone left the table, George Geary, the guest chef, joined Barb and us to chat until 10:30pm. Among other things, we discussed an upcoming private event with George before he leaves the ship in Casablanca. He has been on just about every world cruise we have been on in the last several years. If the HAL folks decide to do away with the current guest chef program, he and the other celebrities will not be back.
The entertainer this evening was a gal by the name of Andrea Amat. We are totally not sure what she does, but the description was: experience a touch of Spain – music, memories, and fun, with the sensational "Virtuoso de Valencia". Could be she is a singer? Will never know, since we missed show time.
Bill & Mary Ann
