thefouramigosblog

It’s been quite a journey and one we thought we would miss. I had heart surgery in early March and Bruce was hospitalized for bleeding ulcers the day we were to start this venture. But as soon as we received oks from the doctors, I devised a new plan and we were off.

If you have been with me since the beginning you followed us through Zürich and Rome with a lovely train ride in between.

Then, we were on the Island Princess for 21 days. And what magnificent ports we visited: Casablanca, Corsica, Villefranche, and the Canary Islands.

And then 8 days at sea where we slept late, went to the shows, met so many people, and just enjoyed ourselves.

We had a formal night last night and ate with our friend Lynn.

We stopped by the Horizon Buffet later in the evening to get some hot water and Bruce some cookies. It was Mexican night.

The show last night was Branden & James. These two guys played every song we love from Phantom of the Opera to Les Miserable as well as Unchained Melody which was our wedding song.

Tonight was the Farewell Variety Show. It was great. Such talent. Janice Martin performed a few nights before and she is an amazing talent.

And at the end of the day, a sunset!

Tomorrow we head home to a place that people travel to for vacation. Delray Beach, Florida.

You can’t keep these two old fools down!

#islandprincess#cruise#cruising#janicemartin#branden&james#talent#europe#corsica#casablanca#travel

We arrived in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, at 8 a.m., but true to ourselves, we didn’t wake until then.

The port isn’t as pretty as Tenerife, but the city is a short walk away. Several military vessels were outside our balcony.

As we walked to town there were many welcoming signs.

Our first stop was at Cafe Regina for cappuccino and pastry. The pastry had custard and fig filling. It was delicious!

Las Palmas was not as interesting as Tenerife. The buildings were old and new. We went by three churches and none were open. Bottom line it wasn’t the best place to get the feel of a city.

The pharmacy was interesting.

Some interesting buildings and sculptures.

We walked until we found the beach. They import sand from the Sahara, which has caused controversy over the last few years.

We walked along the esplanade taking in the vibrant atmosphere, hotels, and restaurants. Then we headed back to the ship.

Next time I am in Las Palmas, I will do the hop on hop off bus. There wasn’t much to see in the city and the old city is where there are more things to look at. Unfortunately, that was a 3-mile walk and my foot is not up to that.

So we are back on the ship, reading and relaxing. Life is good!

#laspalmas#canaryislands#caferegina#cruising#vacation#hoponhopoff#spain

If you don’t know where Santa Cruz De Tenerife is, it’s one of the Canary Islands. Finally, today, it’s a bit warm and sunny, and we are enjoying coffee, smoothies, and omelets in an outdoor cafe. This light lunch was 10 Euros which included a bottle of water.

It was quite a walk from the ship. Perhaps a third mile. But it’s another charming European city.

Before we could stop for our coffee, we found the Iglesia de San Francisco.

In all these places we have visited in Europe, there are lots of hilly streets, so good walking shoes and maybe a walking stick are necessary. Since many streets, at least the side streets which are far more interesting, are brick or cobblestone, you need to watch your feet.

After our lunch, we found another church, Iglesia del Pillar.

This stained glass was interesting. What does that look like in the bottom left corner?

Time for a bathroom break. And another coffee. This time cappuccino.

We walked through Plaza Principe de Asturias which was a lovely park with a giant gazebo and many statues.

Outside the park, there were many buildings with statues one being a museum.

The other is the Circulo de Amistad which has a restaurant. We didn’t go inside.

My plantar fasciitis began to act up so we headed back to the ship so I could ice my foot. This damn foot is getting in the way of my making my daily step goal!

We had dinner with 3 other couples and it was very enjoyable. Then a production show which is always lively!

Now to bed so we can visit Las Palmas tomorrow!

#canaryislands#tenerife#islandprincess#churches#cruising#vacation

Our adventure began with our guide Majid and driver Youssef from Premium Transfer and Tours.

We were in a minivan with 12 people from the US and Australia.

Our first stop was Rick’s Cafe. A woman from the US Consulate opened the restaurant in 2004 in an old mansion. Although the movie Casablanca was actually shot in Hollywood in 1942, she thought it would be great to bring Rick’s Cafe to Casablanca.

Our next stop and the highlight of the tour was to the Hamas II Mosque.

The esplanade or outside area of the mosque holds 80,000 people.

The tower known as a minaret is 200 meters tall.

On the sides are a museum, school, and library.

The doors to the mosque are made from titanium brought in from Russia.

Christians, Jews, and Muslims all contributed to building the mosque. It began in 1986 and was completed in 1993. It is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and innovation.

There are 360 pillars and each pillar has a speaker thus there are 360 speakers.

Inside, the prayer hall is 20,000 meters in size and accommodates 25,000 people.

The roof opens in 3 minutes and closes 2-1/2. This is so worshippers can gaze at the stars.

The chandeliers are made in Murano, Italy. They have a device that lowers the chandeliers for lightbulb changes or maintenance.

The king has a special walkway through the prayer hall on which he can only walk. Then he sits in front of all the worshippers.

The mosque has approximately 10 million tourists each year and is the second largest in the world. Some of the intricate details are stunning.

The Ablution Hall is in the basement and it is where worshippers do their ritual washing 3 times starting with the hands. It is all made of marble and there is a side for men and women.

Our next stop was Sacred Heart built in the 1930’s is no longer in use. The number of Catholics have decreased since it is no longer French.

Notre Dame of Casablanca is the Catholic Church still holding services.

They were still holding services when we arrived. The women were dressed formally. It

We stopped at 1001 Nights Cafe and Restaurant for coffee, tea, and pastry.

The cafe was lovely.

There was a rooftop garden with views of city.

We did see these colorful guys out in the square.

Our last stop was a marketplace.

Many pretty carpets but nothing for today!

#casablanca#hamasII#mosque#prayer#carpets#premiertransfersandtours#muslim#morocco

If you don’t know Cadiz, it’s a little port town in southern Spain, and it’s the gateway to Seville and Andalucia. We were finally ready to get off the ship and do some exploring. Our view from our balcony was charming.

It was an easy walk off the ship and the weather was sunny but a bit windy. A huge sculpture was erected outside the port in the Plaza Hispanidad.

The Plaza De Espana was across the street. It was a monumental sculpture with a lovely park surrounding it.

We began walking through the cobblestone streets.

We walked to the waterfront. What a lovely day so sunny. Even a fisherman was enjoying the late morning fishing.

The Alameda Clara is a park on the oceanfront.

Lovely mosaics show the Moorish influence in Spain.

We saw a couple of parrots in the trees. I love any kind of wildlife so this was a great find.

We saw many churches but unfortunately, they weren’t open. This one is the Iglesia del Carmen, next to the Rectorado UCA a part of the university. And, of course, Bruce and a Canon.

It seemed as though we walked miles through alleyways eventually arriving at a place to have cappuccino and pastry.

Many fountains, wall art, and statues are found around Cadiz.

The Gran Teatro Falla was an amazing building. Unfortunately, there was no entrance. Construction of the theatre began in 1884 and was completed in 1905. The Gran Teatro was renamed Gran Teatro Falla in 1926 after local composer Manuel De Falla.

We spent more time walking the narrow streets enjoying the beauty and charm of Cadiz.

Plaza Candelaria was a lovely park with fountains.

And finally the Cathedral.

There was a very long line to buy tickets and then a long line to go into the church so we decided to skip this one and head to get ice cream.

We sat and ate our ice cream near the Edificio Amayo and I’m not sure what exactly that is besides a building.

The city was preparing for the procession later today.

It was a wonderful walk through the cobblestone alleyways in Cadiz!

#cadiz#spain#cathedral#church#cruising#port#plazadeespana#plazacandelaria#granteatrofalla#cobblestonestreets#iglesiadelcarmen#islandprincess

I hate to say it but Bruce and I are becoming those people who don’t rush off the ship as soon as it’s in port. We had planned to get off a bit yesterday in Marseille but it was raining. So we didn’t and we don’t feel bad about it.

Rain in the past wouldn’t have held us back, but it just didn’t seem necessary. And no, we’ve never been to this port.

So what did we do? Slept late of course. We spent time in the gym. I rode a bike and used weights.

It was formal night so I did have my haircut and a keratin treatment And a nice evening with fellow cruisers.

The production show was great. The stage on the Island Princess is smaller so they can’t be as creative with backdrops and changing screens. Nonetheless, they used film and it was quite effective.

We also played in the casino a bit and we hit a $500 Major. Gives us more money to play with.

We woke late yesterday in Barcelona. Bruce wasn’t feeling well but we have been here so many times we didn’t plan to get off the ship. The port is not very pretty. The cruise ship used to dock right near Las Ramblas, but the people of Barcelona are not very happy with cruisers.

We did laundry. Princess has laundry rooms on each deck, which is a great advantage on long trips.

We read books, ate lunch at the buffet and I went to the tango show at 5pm.

I’m going to dinner myself because Bruce isn’t up to it.

There was a pretty sky tonight.

Today Bruce was still not feeling great so he slept in but we did go to a talk on Cadiz, our destination tomorrow.

The casino host sent us chocolate-covered strawberries which was very nice.

We had a quick lunch at the buffet before heading back to the cabin. Me to ice my foot and Bruce to nap.

I went to a talk on cruising and then had coffee with friends, while Bruce took a long nap and rested. It’s a beautiful view out on our balcony.

And later today we sailed by the snow-covered mountains of the Sierra Nevada.

It’s always interesting meeting new people on a ship. We met a lovely woman from Ireland who has worked all over the world. She was with the Red Cross doing work in Morocco and booked this cruise home instead of flying. It is an easy way to travel!

Tomorrow we will be visiting Cadiz, Spain!

Today we are in Villefranche by the sea. It was a beautiful view from our balcony.

Villefranche is a lovely coastal town built on the mountainside.

We waited until all the tour people were through before we took the water shuttle. After days of rain and gray, the sun and blue skies looked magical.

A little church, Chapelle Saint Pierre, was accessible just outside the port. Unfortunately, it is closed on Monday and Tuesday.

We walked through the Rue Obscure, which is 130 meters of wall built in the 14th century. It was more like a cave.

We stopped at a little cafe and I had a cappuccino. Bruce drank a smoothie. We shared a crepe.

Walking on these cobblestone streets was difficult at times. There was a lot of hiking up and down. In one of the buildings, we saw a staircase that went almost straight up and down.

After our tasty snack, we headed toward Eglise Saint Michel, built in the 18th century.

We followed the walkway and came upon a colorful garden.

Our next stop was La Citadelle Saint ELME – a fortress built in the 16th century.

Of course, we found a canon.

A view from La Citadelle.

And some photos along the way!

It was a nice, relaxing day along the French Riviera.

#villefranche#france#frenchriviera#thesea#islandprincess#chapellesaintpierre#rueobscure#eglisesaintmichel#lacitadelle#crepes#vacation#ports#cruise

Is it Genoa or Genova? They are both the same but the Italians use the V.

It was another rainy day. I know this must be unusual for these ports, but it is what it is. So we had a slow start and ate our lunch on the Island Princess before venturing off.

I’m still struggling with plantar fasciitis so walking 35 minutes to town seemed a little much. The shuttle was 10 Euros roundtrip each.

The drop-off point was ho-hum. It’s actually not very pretty, although I managed to get a few good shots.

A group of school children were hanging around a statue in the square.

Alleyways everywhere.

The Palazzo San Giorgio is a historic building that houses the port authority in Genoa. It was built between the 13th and 16th centuries. In the 13th century, it housed the prison in which Marco Polo was held.

Our next stop was Chiesa di San Pietro in Banchi or Church of Saint Peter in English. It is a Roman Catholic church. It was completed in 1585.

We wandered around a bit more but it was slightly drizzling so we headed back to the ship.

Some of the old and new in Genoa.

The lanterna di Genova or Genoa Lighthouse was originally built in early 1100’s. It was damaged and repaired many times with the last time being 1956.

Sorry no pastries today! I’m out of room!

#genia#genova#lanternadigenova#italy#port#travel#islandprincess

What a morning! Cold, rainy, and dreary! I prefer to sleep late, but I’ve already booked and paid for a tour through Italian Day Tours. So, I’m up and at em at 6:30 to meet off the ship at 7:30.

We arrived in Siena after roughly a two hour drive. I did catch a little shut-eye on the way.

Our driver dropped us at the Basilica Di San Domenico and said to meet him in 3 hours.

It was a very large, cavernous basilica that echoed when you talked.

Outside was a breathtaking view of the city.

Our next stop was for coffee!

Siena is a lovely little town with churches and shops everywhere. And as we walked we came upon a huge piazza.

This building was a theatre.

We walked to the Duomo. It was beautiful built with Italian marble in the Gothic, Romanesque and classical design. It was completed in 1348.

It’s Palm Sunday and we went inside for mass!

Afterr we left the Duomo, we passed a statue of the story of Romulus and Remus! Very strange!

A view of the Basilica from another vantage point.

Before we met up with our small group, we stopped to have pastries. I had a hazelnut croissant straight out of the oven. Delicious!

Siena still has parts of the wall that surrounded the city.

Many of the other Italian cities that were walled in, no longer have the walls. Many were destroyed during WWII.

Our next stop was San Gimignano, one of the Tuscan Medieval Cities also within walls. We only spent an hour here but managed to find the best gelato!

There were lots of leather stores, cheese and bread shops as well as porcelain shops.

There were several torture museums which we did not have time to venture into. But did get a close up look at this scary dude!

Here’s a look at the area as we walked in the rain!

And an overlook of the area!

All in all, it was a great day in Tuscany!

#italy#siena#tuscany#sangimignano#basilicadisandominica#croissant#bakery#cappucino#duomo