Tag Archives: cruise

January 6, 2014 · 5:35 am

The End of the World is Today

Lisbon Panorama

Today I’m going to take you to the End of the World. Oh, and we’re going to Lisbon as well. Both spots being in Portugal, of course.

The Western-most Extension of Europe — Beyond this Point There Be Dragons!

What? You didn’t know that this cape in western Portugal is the End of the World? Well, it was before the end of the 15th Century! Sailors were admonished to stray not far beyond Cabo da Roca, for beyond that point, “. . . there be dragons.” Cabo da Roca is the westernmost extension of continental Europe, extending further west than even most of the British Isles. Only the western edge of Ireland extends farther into the Atlantic than Cabo da Roca.

Cabo da Roca Lighthouse

Ursula and I had been to Lisbon twice previously, thus once again we opted to head out from beyond the MS Ryndam’s latest port of call. So, planning far in advance of our initial sail date, Ursula put together via online a group of fellow passengers for a tour that would take us quickly through Lisbon and beyond to Sintra and Cabo da Roca. We’ll look at Sintra on Wednesday, and enjoy my favorite photos of all three locations on Fun Photo Friday.

Our Tour Group led by Guide Rodrigo Bastos (kneeling at right)

But first a plug for our very gracious and fun tour guide — Mr. Rodrigo Bastos of We Hate Tourism Tours. After putting together online our little group, Ursula contacted We Hate Tourism. They put us with one of the most charming guides we had the pleasure of meeting on our month-long cruise, Rodrigo Bastos whom you see in the picture above.

Lisbon Fortress

We Hate Tourism is as unconventional as its name: The guides don’t dress up in coats and ties. The vehicles are reliable, but they’re certainly not new. The chatter between the guide and the guided is not only informative, but also informal and filled with lighthearted fun. Rodrigo gave us a whirlwind tour of Lisbon, then proceeded into the Portuguese countryside, but before leaving Lisbon behind we stopped for some dramatic sights along the way.

Lisbon

Lisbon Fountain

Then it was off to Sintra first (more on that Wednesday), followed by Cabo da Roca. If you’ve been following our progress during this voyage then you know that we had exceptional weather throughout. The only overcast day we had prior to arriving to Lisbon was in on the morning we arrived to Cadiz and the first part of our trip from there into Seville. Unfortunately our luck was way past its expiration date, and our expedition through Lisbon and beyond was beneath a solid overcast the entire day. Still, I’m not complaining. We were way overdue for some weather, and I managed to compensate for the skies by highlighting points of interest that were not dependent upon a cerulean background.

Cabo da Roca

At Cabo da Roca we strolled along the high cliffs overlooking the Atlantic (a photo of which I’m saving for Fun Photo Friday). Arriving back at the van, Rodrigo surprised us with a charming picnic lunch complete with wine service.

Rodrigo Bastos present lunch and wine at The End of the World

It was a delightful meal that included Portuguese cheeses and meats, bright red fully ripened tomatoes, fresh bread with which to make sandwiches, Portuguese olives, and even potato chips (we were all American, after all). One trick Rodrigo showed us was to slice the bread, layer in some cheeses and meats, carefully place on top of those layers a small tomato or two, put into place the top slice of bread, and then squeeze the sandwich together to pop the tomato and let its juices act as a condiment. It was quite a novelty that worked very well.

Lunch is Served!

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as Cabo da Roca, cruise, End of the World, Holland America, Lisbon, MS Ryndam, photography, Portugual, R. Doug Wicker, Rodrigo Bastos, travel, We Hate Tourism

February 8, 2013 · 5:35 am

Dzibanché — Part 3

While we went into the Yucatán Peninsula, we did so under fair, mostly blue skies and cotton balls of smaller cumulus. Farther in the skies grew increasingly overcast until, arriving in Dzibanché, there was little blue to be seen.

But in landscapes even colorless skies can serve a purpose. As they’re taken in monochromatic conditions, sometimes they make ideal candidates for monochromatic conversions to black and white.

Fortunately, the overcast abated somewhat and blue Caribbean sky made a nice backdrop to some of my later Dzibanché photographs.

As our time in this photographically exciting place was coming to an end, we had to get back into our van or risk waving “Bye-bye” to our shipmates as they set sail for Belize.

Too bad that weather didn’t hold. Shortly after leaving the Yucatán jungle behind, the clouds returned. By the time we reached the outskirts of Costa Maya the skies opened up and cast ran down upon us. The trek to the Norwegian Star left us both cool and damp, yet with spirits undampened.

Our next stop would bring us to another set of Mayan ruins, but in weather conditions not nearly as conducive to photography as those we had experienced this day.

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as cruise, Dzibanché, Norwegian Star, photography, travel

February 4, 2013 · 5:35 am

Dzibanché — Part 1

A Sign that You have Arrived — Additional Clues Forthcoming

Dzibanché is a rather recent discovery into the distant Mayan past. Indeed, many structures are still undergoing excavation, and there are very probably several more still awaiting discovery.

Getting there is an adventure in itself. If you’re arriving into Costa Maya by cruise ship, make sure you leave yourself plenty of time for this journey. Despite assurances that Dzibanché is only about one hour, forty-five minutes from the port, it is in fact much closer to half an hour beyond that. And, as we know, unless you’re on a cruise-sponsored tour, you’re on your own come sailing time. One does not want to be waving goodbye from the pier as their ship is steaming off to the next port on the itinerary. Doing so gives one a real sinking feeling, so to speak.

The trip is definitely worth the time and expense, however. For our excursion, Ursula set us up with Native Choice. Price per person was $65 U.S.D. Our particular duo were tour guide Enrique and driver Edgar. You can read Ursula’s impressions of both at this article on Travel Advisor.

I indicated above that some of the structures here are still undergoing excavation. As you’ll see in some of these photographs, trees still grow in the soil that partially encases the ruins. Not all of these will be removed, as some vegetation will be left in place to both control erosion and to protect delicate details.

You’ll see some of those details on Wednesday, including images carved into stone and paintings on the surface of ancient stucco.

As for today, we’ll concentrate our views some of the more impressive structures and their surrounding jungle environs. Once you get past the vegetation, prepare to behold: