R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 126

54 Days at Sea — April 8, Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey

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Abbey of Montserrat

MS Prinsendam left the island of Ibiza on April 7 and docked the next morning in Barcelona. I’ve done many blogs on Barcelona, as Ursula and I have been there several times. This time we had a different destination in mind, so with two friends from Canada whom we met on this cruise, we took a train northwest out of the city and headed toward the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range and the small town of Monistrol de Montserrat. Here we disembarked from the train and climbed aboard th...

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea, Ibiza Favorites

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Balcony Colors

Below are today’s Fun Photo Friday favorites of Ibiza. Click on any image below to enlarge and bring up today’s slide show:

54 Days at Sea — Photographing Ibiza

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Lucky One at an Angle

Photographic subjects may abound, but so too do both colors and textures:

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Fruits and Flowers

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Roman Statue

There are lots of whimsical opportunities here, as well:

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Meeting of the Mannequins

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Confessions in Bronze

If you find these photographs fun, remember that I’ve saved the best for Fun Photo Friday. Until then I’ll leave you with these two:

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Communing with the Local Birds

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Botafoch Lighthouse

54 Days at Sea — April 7, Ibiza

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Botafoch Lighthouse

MS Prinsendam left Málaga on April 6, and the next morning we were docked at the Balearic Island of Ibiza. Ibiza is a wonderfully picturesque destination some 93 miles/150 kilometers west of Valencia, Spain.

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MS Prinsendam in Ibiza

Ibiza is just an incredibly fun place to walk around and take photographs. Subjects range from the classical to the colorful yet mundane.

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Ibiza Balconies

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Laundry Day

You’ll find everything from open-air markets to bottle cap-covered doors:

 

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Bot...

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea, Alhambra Favorites

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Young Lady with Book

Today’s photo gallery and slide show of Alhambra favorites. Click on any image below to enlarge and engage the slide show:

54 Days at Sea — Touring Alhambra

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Fortification of Alcazaba

The original fortification at Alhambra is the Alcazaba, which faces west and overlooks the city of Granada. Indeed, high up on this hill, views are stunning in all directions:

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View from Alhambra

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Overlooking Granada from Alhambra

The exteriors of Alhambra offer some really great photo opportunities:

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Alhambra, Spain

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Alhambra, Spain

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Alhambra, Spain

So, too, do the interiors:

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Alhambra, Spain

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Alhambra Arabesque

A word about the equipment I used on this 54-day cruise:  Don...

54 Days at Sea — Alhambra, Spain

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Alhambra, Spain

MS Prinsendam left Madeira on April 3 heading for a scheduled docking in Tangier, Morocco two days later. We didn’t make it. Approaching the Strait of Gibraltar, we encountered near-hurricane force winds and high seas. When we turned south toward Tangier the ship immediately rolled probably 20 degrees or more from the sudden broadside of wind, and everything not nailed down slide off tables and shelves, crashing onto  floors throughout the ship. The captain ordered MS Prinsend...

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea, Madeira favorites

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MA Prinsendam in Funchal

Here are today’s Fun Photo Friday favorites of Madeira photographs:

54 Days at Sea — Continuing our tour of Madeira

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Funchal, Madeira

Funchal, Madeira looks very, very crowded from port. The buildings seem to spread upward along the hills like a field of brightly colored mushrooms

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Funchal, Madeira

Closer to port is Marina Funchal, and directly behind this small craft marina towers the Cathedral of Funchal.

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Boat harbor, Funchal, Madeira

High above the port is the Fort of São João Baptista do Pico dating back to the early 17th Century.

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São João do Pico Fortress, Funchal

On Monday I touched upon the Madeira Bo...

54 Days at Sea — April 3, Reaching Funchal, Madeira

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Funchal, Madeira (Portuguese island)

We left St. Barts on March 27, traversed the Atlantic Ocean, and arrived a week later at the Portuguese island of Madeira, port of Funchal, some 550 miles/885 kilometers southwest of Portugal. That’s about 3,000 miles/4,800 kilometers east northeast of St. Barts. Our approach was in the early morning hours, and Funchal was still enshrouded in darkness.

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Early Morning in Funchal

Ursula had us set up for a group tour, so we spent our day touring the sights. A...