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Today’s port was Granada (Málaga), Spain, the hometown of artist Pablo Picasso and actor Antonio Banderas. We would be here all day – from 8:00 am until 6:30 pm – and once again we overslept. Actually, Gail didn’t get much sleep at all last night due to a combination of headache and feet-ache. But we dragged ourselves out of bed shortly after 8:00, in order to grab breakfast before the closed the café.
Today we had our first actual excursion: “Málaga Overview & Walking Tour.” This is one of the free tours that Viking provides as part of the cruise. We met our group and our guide Anna at 10:30 am, and boarded the bus for a three-hour tour.
Viking gives each passenger a state-of-the-art QV (QuietVox) device, which you wear around your neck. An earplug allows you to hear the tour guide clearly, even if you are hundreds of feet away in a crowded plaza.
Our first stop was at a vista point halfway up to the mountain Castillo de Gibralfaro. Our bus Antonio was amazing; especially given the utter chaos and crowds on the narrow, winding road up the mountain.
(We didn’t get to see the more famous fortress of Alhambra. It is a popular destination that sells out early. Viking was only given 60 tickets for 930 passengers, and we deferred to the paying guests.)
The second part of our excursion was a walking tour of downtown Málaga. We saw the house where Picasso was born. At nearby Plaza de la Merced, the market included a stall full of Spanish comic books and board games, but Russell resisted buying things he doesn’t need. Our final destination was the grand Granada Cathedral with its stunning architecture.
We walked back to the ship instead of taking the tour bus. In the afternoon, Russell taught Gail a new board game: “Res Arcana.” She won against him, but she’s still not convinced this is a game for her. The evening’s entertainer was “Mel Mellers,” a comedy magician.
Russell’s first lecture is drawing nearer. We continue to promote our first topic – “Wool” – to people we meet. Gail constantly has her draft spindle out, to practice wool spinning and create more advertising. Tomorrow will be a rare “At Sea” day, where we will hopefully have more opportunities to interact with our fellow passengers.
We are supposed to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar at about 11:00 pm tonight. But it will be pitch black outside. And we will hopefully already be asleep inside.
