TRANSATLANTIC CROSSING - Buenos Aires - Rio - Casablanca - Barcelona. Empanadas to Sangria: Olé!
- Mandy Watson
- Aug 6
- 25 min read
Updated: Aug 10
Following on directly from my previous blog, and cruise, we are currently in the exciting city of Buenos Aires, getting ready for our Transatlantic crossing,
which will include stops in Uruguay, Brazil, Cape Verde and Morocco
before arriving in sunny Spain just in time for Easter!
We are cruising on the Viking Jupiter, after first boarding her two and a half weeks ago
in Valparaiso, Chile,
sailing around the Horn, and eventuating here in the tango capital of the world,
the incredibly cosmopolitan Buenos Aires.
🇦🇷
After already having spent our last day of the last cruise yesterday,
enjoying some well known sights around town,
including my favourite place of La Boca...
...Today we cracked on by ourselves whilst the ship was in 'turnaround',
which means letting passengers disembark before the next lot arrive -
so we made ourselves scarce and jumped on the Hop On/Hop Off bus
for an easy tour around this enormous city.
And I DO mean enormous!
But first things first - let's grab some authentic Argentine breakfast!
Empanadas!
And we had saved ourselves to have them here, and boy, did we choose wisely!
SOOOO GOOD!
Perfect for an 'on the go' snack.
The different pastry crimping lets you know what filling is inside. 👍
NOW we are ready for the On/Off bus.
Satisfied bellies!
*
One place that I really wanted to revisit, as I loved it last time,
was the very famous 'La Recoleta' Cemetery.
This is not only a stunning and interesting place of rest as their tombs are all above ground - but it is also where Eva Perón, (Evita) lies in peace.
It is a photographers dream, with all the varying marble sculptures on various tombs,
and edited in black and white makes them even more special.
It really looks like a city for the dead.
Unfortunately for us today, the cemetery is the very last stop on the long bus circuit,
and as we are starting at the beginning,
we weren't sure if we'd have enough time to get there
with the bus tour being nearly two hours in total, even if you don't get off.
You see, we have a special booking in the afternoon, which we have to allow time for,
and its going to be really cool.
All good, we always make room for new sights, before revisiting old favourites.
Some things you have to just 'let go'.
When we finally hopped off, it was to actually kill two birds with the one stone, basically.
(Awful old analogy really...)
We realised if we stayed on any longer, we'd never make it back to our 'lighthouse' on time, so we bailed at the famous 'Woman Bridge', a perfect stop for a couple of quick pics,
and to flag a taxi to get back downtown.
Possibly poorly planned for a change, but hey,
at least we were aware of our time running out.
Look what we have planned - going to the top of this bad boy, in the middle of town.
Worthy of a full sized photos, that's for certain.
It was our two Mancunian friends, Martin and Phil, that we met on the last cruise,
that recommended we do this tour, to the very top of the building.
Who would ever expect a lighthouse to be in the centre of a major city?
And if you know my blogs by now, you know I'm all about lighthouses!
THIS was awesome!
The whole building is designed to reflect Dante's 'Divine Comedy',
so art historians would love this.
Personally, it was the 115 steps to get to the summit, in a very confined space,
that tested my ever growing anxiety of claustrophobia!
However, I managed, and once at the top,
whilst still in a tiny space shared with a giant light and a few other guests,
it was perhaps a little unsettling - but still very much worth the effort.
The viewing platform 115 steps below was a lot more comfortable and fabulous for photos!
And no, that pretty stairwell above, is not the climb to the top.
This was...
😰
A REALLY cool building, and definitely worth your time!
Back to the ship for dinner, as we had late tickets booked for what they describe as the
Best Tango Show in town;
Tango Porteño!
And guess what?
I think they could be right!
It most definitely was well hyped, and if the entrance was anything to go by,
we were in for a wonderful production.
You could buy tickets which included dinner/drinks and the show,
or choose the later version with just drinks and snacks - more empanadas!
That's what we did.
We didn't need dinner, not as cruise ship passengers!
What a fabulous way to end the day.
The auditorium was enormous, and packed to the hilt when we were there.
Still one more day in town tomorrow before we sail away,
and we have a Argentinian cooking class to enjoy.
Guess what we're baking?
Yup.
Empanadas.
🥹
---
Following morning - we are still in port for most of the day,
so we were going off by ourselves again -
taking a taxi about 40 minutes away from our ship to a kitchen run by professional chefs, who delight in giving lessons in Argentine cuisine.
Pacha Mama is what I found in an online search for 'things to do' in Buenos Aires,
and this ticked all the boxes for something we have never experienced before,
and it was so much fun.
Our chef was very informative, letting us know quite a bit about the history of what we were cooking, as well as techniques.
It was a kitchen full of world travellers all coming together as one, as we were assigned various tasks to do, and it came together nicely in the end,
where we enjoyed the meal we had created in a wonderful team effort!
There really is nothing quite like getting stuck into a local activity to get a true sense of inclusion, immersion and fulfilment!
I put together a fun little reel - check out when Trev tries to hide his munted creation
under a napkin!
When it was time for dessert, we all had to toss the crepes like proper chefs!
First time's a charm apparently - We all succeeded without any casualties!
I'm thinking though, we are probably about done with empanadas, don't you reckon?
But well worth it!
A wonderful experience.
*
From here, we were hoping to add one last stop that has been on my wish list since our dear friends and Travel Family Tree members; Bonnie and Kev, told us about it.
A classic 'Speak Easy' bar, which is located inside a florist shop.
Once inside, which is a legitimate florist/wine shop, you need to ask about the secret bar...where you are then guided to a fridge door - and that's your entrance!
Floreria Atlantico is listed in the World's top 50 bars,
and I really wanted to see it, but we honestly had run a little short of time, and besides,
mid afternoon is probably not really the best time to experience such a place.
We did have a ship to catch, and did not want to be 'pier runners',
by being late and missing our ride.
So back to the ship it was for these two time poor but well fed little travellers!
But if YOU make it to Buenos Aires and get to this legendary location,
maybe you could have a cocktail for us!
---
MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY
🇺🇾
After a relatively short overnight sail, our
first port of call for this cruise, is Montevideo, Uruguay.
Whilst for most onboard, this is a new stop, however its a repeat visit for us,
having called in here a few days back.
Today instead, we chose to just enjoy an easy day after a very hectic,
yet amazing three day stay in Buenos Aires.
(If you wish to read a little more about this place, jump back onto my previous blog for some more info and images.)
For us, it was simply back to the famous Mercado Ferrando markets,
for our last Uruguayan feast of meat.
It was funny when we were recently chatting with a local tour guide in Argentina,
and she was 'kind of' explaining a bit about the rivalry between her country,
and their northern neighbour of Brazil, which is where we are headed next, by the way...
Besides the fiercely obvious football rivalry, she made us laugh by simply stating the fact that her country eats much better than they do.
In her words:
"There IS no competition. We eat meat. And they just eat beans."
Classic!
To be fair, I looked it up, just to confirm it wasn't empanadas! 😆
And yes, Argentina's National dish is Asado :
Roast meats, ribs and sausages cooked over open coals:
Brazil's National dish is Black Bean Stew.
(Which btw, when cooked correctly, IS quite delicious.)
But I see her point.
Uruguay is also a meat loving nation.
Who are we to order chicken?
And when it's served up with love like this...What's not to adore?
Bless.
🥰 🫶
With a couple sea days ahead of us now, its time to say goodbye to land for a while,
as we watch the pilot easily step aboard his pilot boat after seeing us out of the massive funnel shaped estuary known as the Rio del la Plata and pointing us towards the Atlantic Ocean once again.
---
Time now for us to settle back into life at sea,
and find activities to enjoy around the ship.
Never a problem for us.
Whether its indulging in the sensational Nordic Spa,
smashing team trivia with our really hilarious new British friends;
Angela, Victor and Tina -
or chatting with the ever bubbly Charmaine;
the 'Future Cruise Consultant' about all things travel,
and the possibility of booking our next Viking adventure...
Whilst all you action adventurers might find this a snooze,
we did book free and very interesting 'behind the scenes tours'
of both the laundry facility, the galley as well as the ship's bridge.
Plus a full 'Back of Ship tour' which was actually quite hysterical, due to the master himself, Ronald, the Hotel Manager, with his razor sharp wit and great stories.
It is super impressive how ships are run, and particularly this ship.
Talk about attention to detail.
The galley was immaculate, and the staff super friendly too!
Can you notice even the ceiling is stainless steel? Wow!
Up to the bridge now, to check out the best view of the ship.
Apparently known as the 'Vast Blue Desert'.
Time now for Captain Trev to get behind the ship's helm.
Check out the size of this bad boy...
Lucky for us, this afternoon we were in the right place and the very right time.
Whilst we were enjoying the atrium, our wonderful Assistant Cruise Director, Harry,
popped out with a cardboard box of pretty much loaded with scrap, tape and scissors,
and announced we were having a boat building competition.
NOW...
For our friends at home that know Trev, they have already decided he's going to win this.
He'll hate me for saying this, but my husband is THE most creative person I know,
and he can honestly build anything, out of whatever is at hand.
This was right up his alley.
The challenge was to build a boat out of rubbish and/or recyclable materials.
It must float.
It must carry the weight of 6 full cans of drink.
And bonus points (I believe) for style.
C'mon, Trev! We've got this.
We have 9 days till launch...
What fun!
THIS is what we started with.
Stay tuned as the creation evolves!
Dumping this stash in our room, it was time for an afternoon spent well -
in the hot tub and infinity pool, now that the weather is warming up so nicely.
And good service is never far away...🥤
Our favourite spot on the ship.
Best part?
Whilst we were in the pool, we had the whole place to ourselves,
as we watched the chefs and catering staff set up a cooking station right by the pool,
for Lobster and Beef Wellington night!
YUM!
Oh, and the sunset. Oh my giddy-aunt!
❤️🌅
It got better...
And even better, wowsas!
Oh my, then the food.
For those who haven't read my previous blog,
you'll see just a small portion of lobster for me here, as I overloaded last trip and ended up down in medical with an anaphylactic shock.
All good now, everything in moderation, right? 🤪
Mind you, the Beef Wellington was insanely good and my favourite,
even over the lobster, and that's really saying something!
With full and satisfied bellies, we go to sleep tonight with the excitement
for what tomorrow brings:
A true bucket list item for us - Rio De Janeiro, and the famous Christ the Redeemer statue.
We have tickets, but we have to race off the ship the moment it docks.
We have a tight schedule for a full day, but I have faith we'll make all I have planned!
As long as the ship docks on time...
And we really need good weather for this one.
We'd be devo'd if it was raining.
🤞
---
RIO DE JANEIRO,
BRAZIL!
🇧🇷
Sailing into this 'Wonder of the World' harbour,
the low clouds barely shielding our eyes from this fabulous view,
we couldn't believe the luck we have with such glorious weather for this very
important (to us) stop.
Trev and I have always regarded this as a Bucket List location.
Being over 14,000km's from where we live, you can understand why.
Today I had a full day planned, and we needed to be literally first off the ship to make sure we had enough time to achieve it all.
You see, we were winging it this morning, by making our own way to see the
Christ the Redeemer Statue,
as we wanted to enjoy that experience independently,
rather than joining a ship shore excursion.
Much cheaper too!
I had done my research at home, figuring out exactly what we had to do, as we needed to be back at the ship (ideally) by a certain time to enjoy our four hour free panoramic tour,
which included the famous Copacabana Beach.
With the city of Rio being very long in distance, often suffering very heavy traffic,
we needed our game faces on.
So, as soon as we were cleared to leave the ship, off we raced to the nearest taxi rank,
and one driver 'found us' and proceeded to walk us past the whole line of taxis,
a couple of blocks to his car...
Red flag to us immediately, but, he seemed legit, 🤔
so we went with the flow and trusted him.
And guess what?
He turned out to be an absolute legend, but I'll get to that in a sec.
I knew how much money the fare should be, and once that was sorted,
off we headed in yes, very slow traffic.
Upon arriving at the train station that takes you on the scenic ride up the mountain,
we were greeted with an enormous crowd.
And I mean - HUGE.
Our driver asked what time we needed to be picked up, and I hesitated a guess and said 11.45am, thinking we only needed an hour up there at the most.
'Great' he gestured, and with very broken english we realised he was going to pick us up.
SO COOL!
However, we honestly didn't truly know what time we'd be back down,
but knowing we needed to be back at the ship by about 1pm, I just took a guess.
Fortunately for us, I had read about how crowded this place gets, so I had pre purchased our 'Skip the Line' tickets before we left Australia,
therefore we were directed straight to a vacant ticket booth,
where they issued you the train boarding pass required.
Still probably a 30 minute wait to get jammed onto the cog train, but all good - we had time!
Once at the top, well, almost the top - you still had to ascend 220 steps!
(There is an elevator for those who needed it, but the line was really long.) All good, and off we hustled and bustled to get to the vantage point.
Still couldn't believe we were actually here!
And this is what it really looks like when you aren't angling your camera up -
with the hordes of tourists all jostling for their 'insta' moment of glory!
⬇️
But then turn around for this sensational view, and its no wonder this harbour is listed as a world wonder, along with this statue.
The famous landmark, Sugarloaf Mountain, standing sentinel in front of us.
The Cable Car over to it would've been fun if we had the time...
Time to bail to try to get down in time to meet our cab driver,
and this could be trickier than we thought.
The winding line to catch the scenic train maybe took us about 45 mins before we actually boarded, finally delivering us down to the roadside, amongst the scores of tour groups,
literally into the open door of our taxi driver!
And on time!
What a sweety. 🫶
He probably parked somewhere and put his feet up, knowing he had a fare back to the port.
Either way, we were extremely grateful, as not only were we back on time for our afternoon tour, we actually had time for lunch first!
Win - win.
Time now to jump on the tour coach for our Panoramic Rio experience!
First stop on our little tour around the city centre,
included the strangest shape church we've ever seen!
A true 70's display of retro architecture.
It's actually the main Cathedral for the city.
Time now to hit the Copa, Copacabaaaaana!
And yes, I took this photo at our Brisbane Airport hotel
before we left Australia.
How random, yet perfect!
We're here Baby!!!
So this is what you see on the internet...
🤩
When you're on a moving bus, this is what you experience...
⬇️
This is the best I could manage.
Disappointed that we didn't even get to stop.
Argh.
That's why we like to do our own thing, but we honestly couldn't have fit in both today
on our own, so we just made sure the morning was what we wanted, and it was!
Driving back to the ship it was one last look at the Redeemer Statue in the distance -
"Hey Trev..!!!"
Bless, all tuckered out.
'When' we revisit this continent, we'd love to spend more time here in Rio,
and really experience it properly.
Maybe even for Carnival?
Who knows?
We understand cruising just gives a taste, and that's fine.
We'll be back, we have more stuff to see here!
Once onboard that evening, a lot of people were complaining that due to the traffic and crowds, they never had the chance to get up to see the statue. So glad I did my research at home first.
Another majestic sail away - what more could you ask for?
---
Another two full days at sea before we arrive at our next Brazilian destination of Recife.
Time to crack on with our ship build,
and Trev's now earnt a nickname from me of 'Geppetto'.
"I'm a real boat".
Get it? 🤣
Swizzle sticks made the perfect oars.
And yes, more time relaxing in the Nordic Spa!
---
RECIFE, BRAZIL.
With only a walking tour of the Old Town on our itinerary for the day, we made the most of it.
Recife is actually utterly enormous.
We must have sailed past high rise buildings this morning for over an hour
as we cruised up the coast before pulling into the Port.
Recife is also known for its beach culture and surf, but today is was the Old Town for us,
and that's fine by me.
Living on the coast in Australia
we would much rather experience historical buildings than beaches!
*
They are certainly busy here, knee deep in the exhausting and expensive process
of renovating many of their heritage buildings,
and with that comes a good lick of paint.
Look at these examples of a few buildings, only a couple of blocks apart:
The contrast from street to street was extreme!
The main street here, is where they celebrate their 'Carnival Parade' and the shops all reflected the incredible colour with fanciful costumes and knick knack souvenirs.
We enjoyed entry into a museum along the main strip,
known for their huge and very heavy costumes
that are worn every year for the parade.
I popped them into a short reel.
They were really awesome, truth be told!
Loved Ozzie the most.
❤️
And there's always time for me to ham it up for a photo before heading back to the ship.
Never one to be shy!
Sailing away in the evening for a change, it was a stark contrast to see the modern city all
lit up, compared to the Old Town we wandered through today.
We did share the port today with about 5000 Costa passengers!
I think we only have about 700 on board our ship.
---
We now have a bit of a trek ahead of us, nautically speaking, as we leave South America now and sail across the Atlantic towards Northern Africa.
We will be stopping at the tiny archipelago nation of Cape Verde mid way,
where I'm sure a top up of fuel, fresh food and beverages will be the order of the day!
Time for the usual fun on board with our buddies -
And...we finally won at trivia!
Best part was getting our adorable Assistant Cruise Director, Harry,
to come and check our score sheet,
and have to read out our team name.
Winners winners chicken dinners!
That's Angela, Victor and Tina in between us.
Team 'Norfolk and Chance.'
That was their fabulous choice of name, and we absolutely loved it.
Gotta love the British sense of humour.
🤣
And check out how our Viking Long Boat is shaping up!
Pretty much finished, just needs to be named.
Cute hey?
(The bottles under the hull are for buoyancy.)
Not a bad effort from that box of scraps we started with!
Being now on 'back to back' cruises, we have really developed fun and familiar friendships with many of the ship's crew.
Be it in entertainment, management, food, beverage, even our room stewards
are the sweetest and kindest folk.
Soooo, one day around the World Cafe Buffet, Trev found the Executive Pastry Chef and just asked a random question about whether his favourite pastry, a Portuguese Tart,
would be making a reappearance.
Don't think we've seen them for a couple of weeks at least.
Heaven forbid...
Well, out comes the chef's notepad, and our details, including our room number was noted, and check out what was waiting for us THAT evening, after we returned from the show.
I think they may have been still warm.
Bless!
I tell ya, Viking Cruise Lines look after you VERY WELL!
One more sea day before arriving at Cape Verde, and aside from the usual rest, gym, sauna and shenanigans, looks like we're in for yet another feast.
Oh my word.
Dunno about the Sunday Roast, I'm all about this fabulous seafood!
But I do believe they had the whole nine yards when it comes to a proper English Roast, complete with Yorkshire puddings.
My best moment was coming across Martin, The HEAD CHEF, chowing down on wait,
is that...Pizza?
Yup! 'Quality control' he reckoned!
Brilliant.
---
CAPE VERDE (CABO VERDE)
🇨🇻
Positioned about 600 kilometres off the West Coast of Africa, lies this tiny nation of only half a million citizens, who, now I'm happy to say, have become very famous in the sporting world.
The recent 2026 FIFA World Cup saw this virtually unknown nation
make it all the way to the round of 32,
and after drawing 0-0 with the eventual winners - Spain, in their very first match!
Cape Verde could later lay claim that they were the only nation that Spain could not score a goal against during the entire tournament.
Talk about David vs Goliath.
We loved following their progress.
⚽️
Back to the regular program...😉
We ended up having a surprisingly full day, that truly had its ups and downs.
You'll see...
Once again, sharing the port with thousands of other cruise ship passengers,
made it quite a happening place -
Speaking of David vs Goliath, with our wee ship being dwarfed by the
enormous Costa Favolosa.
Otherwise, life around here I imagine, is a simple existence,
relying heavily on the bounty from the sea.
Clearly, a massive industry for them, and when these cruise ships come in, the chefs have a wonderful time perusing the fresh fish markets for their next few days' menus!
The locals were also lining up, selecting their fish, then waiting patiently for the extremely efficient cleaning team to scale, gut and fillet it them before handing the bag of goodies back.
We had a free morning to wander the local town, admiring the colourful art and craft shops, as well as the markets.
Some colourful characters, as you'd imagine.
Not surprising to see some decaying buildings, it is considered quite a poor nation.
What we may regard as poor, they may say quiet and simple.
Everyone just doing their best. That's all you can do.
And now, their hearts are full of pride from their National Football team.
The afternoon saw us taken on a Panoramic tour of the island, which was to include a drive way up to the top of the nearest mountain, for the fabulous vistas to the coast.
We were served a local spirit, known simply as 'grog' 🤣 which I think may have taken a layer of enamel off my teeth, but it was all served in good faith,
and the local family had their kids all assisting.
I always take these little clip on koalas when we travel,
and they are loved by kids and adults alike.
This little guy wasn't too sure about me, but I think he was happy for the reward for washing the dishes!
With his mum's permission:
From here is where the 'fun' began.
Driving up the crazy bumpy cobblestoned road to the viewpoint at the top of the highest mountain on the island, Monte Verde, we were greeted with some pretty spectacular views.
From here, we were looking forward to navigating back down the mountain,
to drive around this spectacularly rugged, volcanic coastline.
That was the fun part.
The 'not so fun part' was when our mini bus started making some seriously bad noises,
so much so our driver had to stop and call for help.
It was a perilously steep and winding road down the mountainside,
and we could not afford to lose control.
Two problems now presented themselves:
1: There were no spare buses, as every form of transport was out on tour,
due to the sheer amount of passengers in Port -
So we waited for an hour, in the howling wind,
watching people happily waving as they drove past, offering no assistance at all.
2: Check out the location we had broken down. Right bang inside a landslide zone.
And there were boulders around much bigger than this bus.
A few of us made the unconscious decision NOT to wait in the warmth of the bus. It had an awful feel about it.
A real 'Final Destination' moment it seemed, if you get the reference.
But all was good in the end, and we were picked up and continued on with a shortened version of the tour, getting down to the beach at last.
...Finally arriving back to the ship as the bollards and welcome carpets
were literally being packed away.
This fortunately, was a shore excusion organised by Viking,
so they would have waited for us, no matter what.
Made for some interesting footage, and a story to tell onboard.
So many people were talking about 'those people' stranded on the side of the mountain...
YUP, that was us!
Bye-bye Cape Verde, you were an adventure!
And sailing past one last lighthouse was my bonus.
---
With a couple more days at sea before we reach our next destination of the exotic Morocco, it must be time to finish off our long boat creation, and head to the pool deck for the
main event.
It ended up a LOT bigger than we thought!
We were very proud of our 'Viking Australis' and we had a huge following in the crowd.
You can see our competitors, and then decide.
Even our Trivia teammates made a 'Team Watson' sign for support! 👏🏼
Well, not to be a sore loser, haha, but this was the victor.
⬇️
We came second.
🥹
But the most fun was had by Graham and Harry in the pool at the end,
trying to sink them all!
Have a look how well our baby went,
even getting 'smashed against the rocks' so to speak.
Oh well, we had an absolute blast, and Harry particularly loved our boat,
and was so sad when I showed him where it ended up that night!
Not to mind, the party was on deck that night, with another dancing under the stars evening, with copious drinks being served free by Viking.
The lovely Elana would make our coffees in the morning,
and still being serving bubbles at night.
They rarely stop, and are always smiling.
She was another one of our faves.
---
CASABLANCA, MOROCCO!
🇲🇦
Woohoo, another new country for us, and yes, another bucket list item ticked. ✔️
But looks like we'll definitely be coming back...out of all the stops on this 39 day back to back cruise, this one was so short, departing at 1pm!
We were so disappointed, but it always has a lot to do with where and how they are sailing to the next port.
We get that. That's cruising.
We know we'll be back to explore this country properly, and partly on the back of a camel - 🐪 sorry Trev! 🐪
No surprises with the time limitation, as it's all laid out well before boarding -
and I live (and occasionally die) by these itineraries, deciding whether to wing it alone,
or choose to join a ship shore excursion.
It's a ship tour today, and besides, it's included, so just a sneak peak to this heavily romanticised city.
Thanks to one particular movie, which is still heavily featured here...
But first, and the feature stop was the Hassan ll Mosque,
the second largest Mosque in all of Africa, and in fact, one of the largest in the world,
with an enormous capacity of 105,000 worshippers!
😱
Only time for a wander around the open square and into a couple of highly ornate rooms.
It deserved more of our time.
Pity.
A wander through the old town and markets,
is a challenge to the senses and imagination of times long ago.
But if you're on a tour, you'll inevitably end up at a carpet shop,
with a history lesson , carpet display and a hope of purchase...
Now some free time for shopping...
... but instead we found our guide, who shared his sweet Moroccan tea and biscuits with us.
Doesn't he look like Will I Am a little?
And check out his expert style of pouring tea!
And sadly, that's a quick wrap on Casablanca.
Looking forward to a more in depth visit another time.
And the toast that we started this particular day, and still do:
---
MÁLAGA, ESPANOLA.
(SPAIN, Baby!)
🇪🇸
What a gorgeous sail in, and welcome to Málaga, Spain. 🧡💛
We knew nothing of this town, but boy, if you come to Spain, you should definitely stay here for a few days, and use it as a base.
The beachfront is very cosmopolitan, but it's the old town and its plazas that really makes it so special.
So special that Hollywood's Antonio Banderos still owns a home here,
right in the heart of the Old Town.
In fact, he was here the same day as us,
as he is very religious, and he actually led one of the many Processions to mark the beginning of Holy Week.
What timing for us!
(Not my images, unfortunately!)
Trev and I aren't Catholic, so it was all a huge delight for us to witness how incredibly sacred this day is to Spain, and to watch these age old 'Processions' from various Brotherhoods, slowly shuffle through the streets, was a true delight.
They start around 9am, and honestly go continuously until around 2am the next morning.
Wow.
It was such an eye opener for us, particularly all the headpieces with the robes.
Always seems so sinister, but in this case - not.
We did watch this one below first appear, and I must say, whoa...Some of these floats weigh in excess of 4 tons, and require hundreds of members to carry this burden on their shoulders, as they shuffle through the streets to the sounds of drums and trumpets keeping the beat.
And just to give an over view and a sense of scale!
⬇️ 😱
Aside from this spectacular event, there was another side to this ancient city to discover.
Málaga Roman Theatre,
This was built in the 1st century BC, during the reign of Emperor Augustus!
Like, he was the Founder of the Roman Empire!
Being an Aussie, I'm always gobsmacked at the remains ancient civilisations.
And can you believe it was accidentally rediscovered only in 1951??
After enjoying all of this, (and like I said, what a great place it would be to stay at),
we jumped on our tour coach to get us through the crazy traffic, and up to the fortress at the very top of the hill that looks down on the realm below.
A fabulous set up, but sadly, yes, being on a tour schedule, it was literally a race in,
grab some shots, and race back out again.
Argh.
But we made the most of it - as we usually do!
And yes, the Bull Ring is still in use for that heinous sport of bull fighting.
Some places in Spain it is banned, but some places it still flourishes.
Boooo.
My blog - my view, 'nuff said.
ASIDE from that, we truly thought Málaga was a charming ancient seaside city to visit,
and its also a stepping stone to a little further inland to the smaller city of Granada,
with their historical fortress like palace, Alhambra.
Definitely worth putting in your sights should you visit Spain.
And this marks that we are almost at the end of our cruise
But we do have ONE MORE SEA DAY,
yippee, before arriving in sensational Barcelona,
where we a blessed with an overnight stay onboard before we have to disembark.
Love this in a cruise itinerary.
Must be time to finish this lobster, and wait, is that tomahawk steak Oh my.
But first, some fun with our head chef, enjoying the end of the cruise!
And when it comes time to be served...?
🥩🦞
Sufficiently destroyed.
Gawd we're going to miss being spoilt this much.
Last full day onboard.
Trev doing what he does so well.
He deserves it.
Best wingman ever.
"Please wake me for high tea..."
And now we are in Spain, welcome to the world of Paella!
Did I say we are going to miss this?
Yeah, I think I did.
Arriving back to our room fairly late, and possibly slightly inebriated...
we decided to fill out the room service order for breakfast in our room.
Now, fair reason here.
Firstly, we have never had room service on board yet... and secondly and more importantly - I had only ever had two breakfasts on the ship in the entire 39 days, as I was a very good girl and brought my own protein powder/green shake and creatine.
So to celebrate this milestone, we literally ordered everything on the menu.
Literally e v e r y t h i n g.
We went to bed laughing at the thought of the feast that will be arriving in the morning!
---
Check out this poor devil having to serve this - for just two people!
Didn't blink an eye!
Bless.
Not that bad?
What?
We had a big day ahead.
😉
BARCELONA, SPAIN!
🇪🇸
We are overnighting here in Barcelona, which is wonderful.
We can get out and about to enjoy this wonderful city, and not have to worry about what time we have to get back to the ship.
That said, we haven't packed a thing, so we best not be too late.
It's how we roll.
So preoccupied, I forgot to take a photograph of our 'Viking Daily', but never mind.
The reason I take those pics as it gives the port location and time needed to be back.
Good to show local taxi drivers!
Anyhoo, we knew what we wanted to see here today, and that is the granddaddy of all Cathedrals, La Sagrada Familia.
THE craziest building we have ever seen, and bless, after 100 years since the death of it's creator, the extremely original and flamboyant Antonio Gaudi, it is almost finished.
We first visited here in 2019, so this time we 'tried to' recreate the photo,
to show how far they have come along.
You have to realise that this is fully funded by philanthropy and admission tickets.
No government financial assistance whatsoever.
So, you can see why its taken so long.
And the years during the pandamic must have slowed things down dramatically as well.
But here we are, thrilled to be back!
2019
2026
This time we only could enjoy a wander around the exterior.
But wow, that is extraordinary in it's own right.
We had been inside last visit, and we are coming back here in a couple of weeks anyway, after our little Spanish holiday, post cruise!
Might get a look in then.
Note to self: Buy tickets online...
Later, a little wandering around the very expensive waterfront, crammed with mega yachts, bars, restaurants and a few pop up markets which caught our eye.
And we finally found a place that sold Trev's fave, apple cider.
So we parked it here before heading back to the boat for packing, and farewells.
I cover Barcelona extensively when we pop back here in a couple of weeks. (Next blog, keep an eye out.)
A collage of goodbyes
We have 12 wonderful days ahead of us once we disembark tomorrow.
7 days with dear friends, staying at their holiday villa,
where we'll also be celebrating my birthday! 🎁
Following that, we have a further 5 days staying at a few towns as we make our way back for our last two nights in Barcelona, before flying home to Australia.
I will make that its own little 'Spanish Blog' next.
---
Last morning.
Last breakfast.
Last cruise sunrise.
Last day sad faces.
Stay tuned for our next adventure,
A Spanish Escapade!
There's SO much to see in Spain, we loved it and look forward to sharing it with you.
Thanks for joining our ride,
until the next one,
its
ADIOS,
Just for now.
M x
Marvellous to see so many places that one hears about , I feel like I was there with you both. Thanks for sharing all your good and not so good travel experiences. Really enjoyed your fun reel about your cooking adventure.