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This is Part II If you haven't read Part I perhaps you might like to click on this link to get there Link back to to Part I
Day 5 Sunday Cadiz Its time for a moan and then some wishful thinking. The moan is about ship's shore tours, not just this ship, its a general complaint. Before we sailed Fred Olsen Cruise Lines sent us a book of all the tours they run and there was one we definitely wanted to do, the coach trip to Marrakech from Casablanca and we booked that before we set sail, just to be sure we got it, I will talk about that later. For the other ports we thought that we would do our own thing. One reason is that experience has taught us the tours are expensive, not always good value and if any walking is involved you are tied into the speed/agility of the slowest. If you are going to do your own thing then you should prepare. Nowadays the internet gives you plenty of 'free' information and for each port I assembled bits and pieces and took a print out. Your cruise ship will probably give you a free port guide, perhaps as on Boudicca a single sheet of paper with a map. In part one I mentioned the port lectures, you can of course take notes, plus the tours that they offer list and describe some of the places that you can easily get to as well.
So assuming you have done your homework leaving the ship and doing it yourself is certainly an option and having done it in Belize, Ecuador and Argentina thought that Spain and Portugal wouldn't be a problem either, nor was it, the only problem was that we were seduced/misled by the port lecture for Cadiz and to be honest compared with Lisbon and Malaga I had skimped on the preparation. So after going to the lecture we booked on a trip to Jerez from Cadiz to go on a visit to the Gonzales Byass Bodega (Tio Pepe). One thing that lured us in was that 'when you arrive the first thing you do is board a train to take you through the cellars to see all the Sherry casks' or words to that effect. Well it was to be an afternoon excursion so I'll back track a bit to the early hours of the morning.
When you go from Portugal to Spain in the summer the clocks have to go forward 2 hours. So after the show on Saturday night and an exhausting day in Lisbon, we only spent a little time in the Lido bar, setting off to our cabin around midnight or two am Spanish time! With losing our two hours I only just made it on deck to see our arrival in the morning. We were adjacent to a container port which I suppose didn't look too bad in the sun
Berthed at Cadiz
Just in front of us was a larger Italian cruise ship the Costa Something or other, with some modern buildings in the background. We were assured that the town was only a short walk away but it didn't look too attractive from our vantage point so given that we had only ay most six hours of sleep we whiled away the morning on board. What we hadn't seen was a small exit for foot passengers just opposite the Costa Whatever.
When our time came for the Jerez trip we got into our coach and the first part of the trip was around the old town on the coast road our route shown with red arrows on the map below. From our coach we could see that the whole area of the old town is delightful and all within easy walking distance of Boudicca and we so easily could have spent the morning or perhaps even the whole day exploring at our leisure.
Google Map of Cadiz
From the old town we drove quickly through the new town and then crossed by the new causeway past Peurto Real where our guide came from, to the A4 and on to Jerez. It was not a pretty route, true there were some herons and some flamingos but by and large it was boring. Our guide seemed knowledgeable but my main memory of her was the argument she had with our guide at the Bodega. We have no idea what it was about but it started from the moment we met the Tio Pepe guide (an extremely plain woman she reminded me of the farmer's wife, Mrs Tweedy, in the cartoon 'Chicken Run'), from the tone and body language neither was happy, it lasted off and on until by the time we saw our video some degree of rapprochement had been achieved! There was no train instead we waited about for a while looking at some pictures of the rich and famous signing their names on the casks. Then we got to see some sherry casks then some more larger casks and we were told how the new sherry was mixed with the old then we saw a video explaining the same thing then we saw some more casks and then the casks that had been signed. We then went and had some tapas and quite a lot of sherry then we were herded into the shop. Most of what we saw could have been gleaned from their website (see link at the end) and it is clear from their tour info that we missed out quite a bit. You'll have to go to their website to read about the sozzled mouse.
The best bit of the trip apart from seeing a full blown Spanish argument was when the tour guide from the other coach took all who wanted to for an unscheduled little walk around part of Jerez next to the bodega.
We had a 'character' on the coach, an older lady with one of those wheeled zimmer frame things, who needless to say was the one we had to wait for at each cask viewing opportunity. She however had over-imbibed at the sherry tasting (well if you were quick you could easily drink a third of a bottle of sherry - I know I did) anyway she spent the whole of the return trip apologising to everyone and delivering intimate but loud confidences such as 'I've lost my husband, he was bisexual.....'. Anyway she livened up the otherwise boring return trip. I must have been a bit tipsy as well as I persuaded Doreen that I would buy her a half litre of their best brandy which cost me 38€. The people who just walked around Cadiz said how nice it was and how cheap the sherry was in the supermarket.
Time for one last moan, when you bring alcohol on board they quarantine it for you so it doesn't effect your shipboard alcohol purchasing! When two coaches come back from an organised sherry trip, you would think that they would put extra staff on duty at the top of the gangway to assist with the collection of the booze. No, upon arrival at the top of the gangway, you had to fill out a form (there was only one biro) and hand the form and the drink to the guy who was responsible for the x-raying and security.
No hours to be lost or gained tonight so after we went on our own for a fantastic indian meal in a different restaurant tonight we then re-joined our regular table people, saw the show and danced to the duo in the Lido and then went out on deck to see the lighthouse at Europa Point, Gibraltar which we passed at around 11.30 then back to the disco.
Day 6 Monday Malaga Once the formalities were over we went ashore. Malaga port is being extended, the berth was very new, and we were two shuttle buses and a security checkpoint away from the port entrance, although the first ride was only a few hundred yards, straight away I didn't feel too good, it was already very warm and humid, it could have been the late nights or the alcohol but I nearly went straight back to the ship. We waited in the shade for an open topped bus and went by a circular route up the steep gradient to the Gibralfaro castle, by the time we had wobbled and lurched back down to the town I was more than ready to get off.
After that bus ride we took things a little easier and enjoyed the remainder of our time in Malaga seeking out shade which there was lots of in the older parts of the city dropping in for a coffee, walking along narrow lanes etc.
Four Lane Junction
We had hoped to meet a friend of Doreen's who lives nearby in Fuengirola but we had to be back aboard by 4pm and she couldn't get away from her work in Marbello until 2pm so it we called it off, and went back to the ship and I was sufficiently recovered from the mornings wobbles to not bother with the 2nd shuttle. The resident band came out on deck to provide music for a 'sail away' party.
Malaga Port and Departure
We passed Gibraltar as the sun was setting around 8pm ships time. Now we had done three shore trips in three days so after the show we were going to get an early night before the big day in Morocco but the clocks were going back 2 hours tonight so we would have been getting to bed far too early. We didn't stay for the disco, though I had a couple of medicinal whiskies.
Gibraltar
I haven't mentioned this before but on board you pay with your security card and so you run up a 'bar bill' which also includes any other ship board purchases. We had registered a credit card against the account so unless there were any discrepancies that we wished to challenge we didn't have to do anything. Our copies of he bar and purchase slips we threw into a drawer. Tonight they presented us with an interim account so we spent ten minutes or so auditing it against the bar slips emptying the drawer and filling the waste bin, no mistakes. One of the charming waitresses had mentioned when I ordered my first Highland Park that they also had a 16 year old and it was now cheaper than the 12 y/o shown on the drinks menu.
I know not why, but it very quickly got around the waiters that I had the 16y/o, no ice, no water. For any malt whisky experts reading this I wasn't exactly sure that the 16 y/o was 'better' than the 12 but didn't do a comparison. Having researched it on my return, I now find that the 16 y/o is an export only version and is generally scored lower than the 12, ah well.
Day 7 Tuesday Casablanca and Marrakech This is the main event so we were disappointed to learn that we would be leaving Casablanca two hours earlier than scheduled. Our trip was supposed to take around 13 hours and now the ship was only going to be in Casablanca 12 hours. When I queried this I was told no it was always intended that the trip would be 10 hours and nothing would be 'left out'. Well Casablanca and Marrakech are about 3-3.30 hours apart so that leaves only 3-4 hours in Marrakech. Well I dislike being lied to. The trip in the official book says 13 hours and guess what the tour office handout said, 13 hours, as did the port lecturer, and I looked over the shoulder of the tour lady and guess what it said at the top of the page? We were paying £78 pounds each for this excursion so I wasn't a happy bunny.
Anyway it was a bleak morning as we approached Casablanca, the huge Mosque towers over all the other buildings some of which are probably eight or ten stories high, its minaret at 210 meters high is the tallest in the world and it cost $800 million all raised by public subscription. The docks and the ships moored up looked dirty and downtrodden huge clouds of powder (phosphate?) hung over some loading operations. We were a long time manoeuvring between moored ships whilst going astern for much of the way and in the end about an hour after we entered the harbour, we squeezed in behind another larger cruise ship to moor. This was about the time we should have been getting in to our coach. Immigration/Customs kept the ship waiting another hour before they turned up to complete the formalities. Welcome to Africa!
Hassan II Mosque
We had a female guide whose first announcement was that she was single, her second was don't take photographs of the docks or policemen. I have no way of knowing if all the facts she regaled us were accurate but she kept telling us stuff all the way to Marrakech, so she seemed good value as a guide, not sure about as a wife though. Casablanca, the little we saw of it through the coach windows, was a juxtaposed mixture of new, old and shanty the latter being distinguished by each hovel having a satellite dish, goats roamed freely in the suburbs.
Once we got out of the city we got on to a wide modern road that for a long time passed through flat fairly featureless farmland. Morocco is self sufficient in carrots we learned. We then climbed a moderate incline for a long time before reaching another plain but this time we were ringed by the High Atlas mountains. We stopped in a modern services for a mint tea (very sweet) with extra sugar available or a coffee small strong and gritty. Each glass had a paper napkin folded into a cone which I suggested was to filter the tea leaves, it performed that function well enough. When we went to pour a second glass we found the handle of the teapot too hot to touch so perhaps it was to hold the pot, I think we were on a secret camera and the TV watchers in Morocco howled with laughter at the antics of the tourists perhaps they will post the clip on YouTube
Coffee and Tea stop
Compared with our slow rise from Casablanca the descent into Marrakech was shorter and seemed steeper Marrakech is 450m above sea level, or just over two Hassan II minarets high. We had seen single story Berber villages dotted around the plains and hills for some time and had got used to the terracotta colour of their adobe walls but as we approached the city terracotta was everywhere. As well as learning about the separate races and cultures that populated the city we also learnt about male and female date palms. The erect ones are male the curvy ones are female, no change there then.
Atlas and Dates
We spent a lot of time in Marrakech getting on and off our coach and proceeding in a crocodile formation behind our guide, I think it was too rushed, although that said, when we were left just to look around I took a few snaps and was ready to be moved on. My main impression was of a lot of people bustling about in a seeming great hurry whilst an equal number sat around doing nothing. There were beggars but nothing like as many as on Waterloo or Hungerford bridges in London. It was a lot like Istanbul. Of course we were tourists and were in tourist areas. We had been prepared for danger especially in the markets but although it felt edgy I don't know how much of that was due to our pre-conditioning. Again we had been 'lumbered' with someone with restricted mobility and by the end of the day was thinking uncharitable thoughts about her. I'm not sure what the answer is but having us wait all the time for someone to catch up is not fair on either the disabled or the fit. The advance tour briefing was quite specific about the level of fitness required, but given the age of some of the people on the ship who didn't think they could manage this tour and went instead to something in Casablanca, I think a tour with less activity could have also been arranged to give everyone a chance at Marrakech.
Our major stop was lunch, (we had had a couple of earlier photo opportunities) and we were led into a typical tour restaurant. You meet them wherever cruise ships disgorge their coachloads, a set lunch with some ethnic entertainment. No ordinary people frequent these places and its all a little contrived. The food was bland and just vegetarian chicken to cater for old and fragile stomachs. No lambs brains or balls of either variety nor any other odd bits. The entertainment started with some musicians who were good then three large ladies sang and danced, I hope that what they did was authentic. I would hate to think that I had sat through it if it wasn't. I did enjoy the meal and liked the belly dancer, enough to fill her bra with a fiver's worth of the heavier coins that I had received at the rest stop. Unfortunately most others put in folding money.
Dancing singing eating and lusting
There was one little lane that we went up and down at least three times on our way to the coach, we then had to walk on the side of a small road where two way traffic horse carts and pedestrians vied for life. A two horse cart and a 4x4 came into close proximity, as one horse shied the other one neatly crossed its forelegs and gave a resounding kick to a body panel, Horse 1 Nissan 0. Later on our coach driver knocked someone off his moped as we attempted a three point turn. Nearby there was a mosque minaret and on top a stork on its nest. The good citizens of Ribes in Denmark who have been without storks for three years need to get down here for some negotiations. The three balls on the mosque represent the three monotheist, Abrahamic, religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Our coach set down, crocodile and stork
We were on our way to a mausoleum and graveyard, the main tomb was that of Ahmad al-Mansur the 6th Sultan of Morocco who died in 1603. Now I have seen Islamic art before and I thought it was OK but not a patch on the Topkapi palace in Istanbul. However, later we were taken to the grand Vizier's apartments in the Bahia palace and the ceilings were as ornate and perhaps more beautiful than Topkapi. Before the palace came a purchasing opportunity which we largely declined however when we waiting for the big spenders to come out we bought a postcard and watched a cart tyre repair carried out by lacing the tyre with iron wire we also watched some more storks.
Mausoleum and tyre repair
Ceilings in Grand Viziers Palace
Our last visit in Marrakesh was to the market Djemaa el Fna. The only problem with that is that its basically a night market so at 5pm when were getting back to our coach it was still just starting up. There were some snake charmers and water sellers and the odd story teller and the permanent stalls around the edge of the huge market area in place, but there was a lot of empty space, so all in all rather less exotic than we were expecting. We went to a cafe which had a roof terrace to take the panoramic shot.
Two last images from Morocco. The ubiquitous open topped bus (its the same firm as in London Edinburgh etc etc) and a Berber village from the coach as we climbed out of Marrakech, the setting sun makes it the first one that stood out from its surroundings. Most of us slept on the way back, it had been exhausting, but out of the 11 hours or so, how much had we actually seen? Really only the slightest of tasters but very glad we went.
Last Views of Morocco
Day 8 Wednesday at Sea The next day we were at sea all day, a chance to recharge our batteries after four shore days in a row. A lot of the people we spoke to would have preferred to give up a Spanish port and get extra time in Morocco, all the tours were a bit hectic apparently. Today the biggest excitement was slowly overhauling a tanker and a container ship. Tans were being seriously topped up, there's no point going south in October unless you come back with a tan. Tonight was the worse show we saw. What is it about cruise directors? They all seem to have come from an entertainment background but seem to think they can still do it. You have to know when to give up. It must be depressing for any mediocre young member of the show cast to see what happens to those that don't make it, big time. He was accompanied by the magician and the comedian but I've grown fed up of them as well.
Day 9 Thursday Vigo We are only in Vigo for half a day and again it seemed an irrelevance although there were some old bits it was quite a modern place chance to see a C&A again or an H&M (ladies will know what I mean) well we went ashore and walked around it seemed a nice place to shop if you were in your motorhome in this part of the world, but a cruise ship destination, no not really. Nice islands surrounding the harbour though.
Tonight was a gala event first of all there was the pre-dinner cocktail, with the skipper making another agonisingly slow joke, then off to dinner in our DJs and posh frocks and then to the show lounge, where first of all the head chef introduced twelve of his heads of sections. I noticed that the man responsible for the Indian meals and the Pastry chef got extra ovations. I found the food a bit patchy, the set pieces were good, the fish never very special, the little tarts and petit fours were excellent , the normal buffet meals unvaried, the Indian desserts outstanding. He was drumming up support for the midnight gala buffet, well we like others, went to see it and took pictures but didn't partake. Then it was time for the Crew's show, apparently a feature of Fred Olsens ships. If last night was the worse show then this was the best by far and I hope the regular show people realised it. One of the highlights was a lad from the engine department who sang a duet with himself, half dressed in coveralls half in a cabin stewardesses uniform, he had an excellent voice in both registers. Another highlight was the admin boss and the IT boss singing a very difficult duet from Miss Saigon. They got the longest applause but we had Thai and Filipino dancing and a dance off between the deck department (in the Navy) and the engine department (Sex Bomb). The clapping continued for two encores. Then we all went off to view the buffet then more dancing. Our little group was amongst the last to bed.
The Skipper
Day 10 Friday at Sea Well after your glad rags are packed away its always a bit of an anti-climax, well it was always bound to go downhill from Casablanca. We had another excellent day at sea though. So looking back at this short cruise how does it compare. Well it was cheaper in £ per day than any of our others. We had a very good time but a lot of that was down to the people we met and the energy we put into it. The couple who were on their first cruise and who after a couple of days weren't too sure about cruising had collected the Fred Olsen cruise booklet for next year, by the time we got to Vigo. So all in all I'll give it 7/10, and as I hear the Black Prince (Olsen's smallest) is going to do its farewell cruise next autumn, I might just give them another chance.
Day 11 Saturday Disembarkation Southampton When I woke up I thought the bridge camera was out of focus then I realised it was fog but there we were tied up in Southampton. The End.
Link back to to Part I
Link to Gonzales Byass website
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