Day 6-7 - on Aamara boat, first port in Valencia

Day 6

Our last day in Barcelona was Tuesday morning. We hung out in the hotel room until check-out, sat around the plaza for an hour or so before we got a cab to take us to the cruise terminal. Easy-peasy getting on board. Was greeted with a glass of champagne (they call it cava in Spain), had a nice buffet lunch and waited (not very long) for our room to be ready. 

Got unpacked, showered and was going to do laundry but, of course, it was closed for maintenance until 6 pm. We bagged our laundry and gave it to Maricris, our attendant. Expect to get it back Thursday.

After was got settled in, we napped then went and partook of the seafood buffet they have on the first night new guests arrive. Jose is our cruise director on this journey; he was the assistant cruise director on our South Pacific cruise last year, and he’s a gay New Yorker so he has a LGBT get-together every afternoon at 5:30 pm (there was one on the South Pacific cruise too). We attended but, as usual, it was only gay guys. One couple, James and Stewart, are from Australia, and we hit it off with them. Jose dropped by for a few minutes then was off because he’s a very busy guy.

That was about it for our first day on the boat, although we did go listen to the band East Pearl in what they call The Living Room – it’s got a small dance floor, a tapas bar and a real bar. 

Day 7

Our first full day on the boat, and we booked an 8-hour excursion in Valencia and Sagunto, a small village north of Valencia.

I woke up with an awful head cold – stuffed nose, feelin’ pretty lousy – so I stayed on the boat to recover, and Beth went on the excursion. So here’s her account of the day:

We started with a tour of the section of Valencia called the City of Arts and Science, which has some absolutely fabulous, seriously modern buildings. The opera, the domed one with a “hat” sells out every performance, our guide told us. It was a lovely day, in terms of weather, and as we drove through the city to head up the coast, we saw multiple public squares with shady trees, and sculptures everywhere. 

We drove up the coast about thirty minutes to Sagunto, a city tucked into the hills that rise about the height of Grand Dad’s bluff.  Sagunto is a small city with steep streets.  We climbed up and up.  There was a Jewish quarter which was emptied in pogroms. Our guide told us a story.  She had led a group to this part of town, and as she was saying that there were no surviving signs of Jewish existence there, a woman came out of the house, and, in tears, told her that “Yes! There were signs.” She ran her hand over the mezuzah on the doorframe.  The mezuzah was well worn, an indentation in the frame. In tears, she told the guide that this was the evidence that her people had lived there in Sagunto.  

We climbed onward to a Roman Theatre! I did not know that was on the tour.  The theatre has been reconstructed, and they use it for many things year around. I was kind of thrilled!  I was trying to remember what I told students about ancient Roman theatre, and well, some of it came back.  But I was very happy to have that experience. 

She told us some history.  The Iberians were the earliest known people here – that is why it’s called the Iberian Peninsula.  Romans of course next.  

We descended the hill, got back on the bus, and returned to Valencia. She let us have “free time” in the old town area.  I was pooped so I just sat down and ordered lunch.  Everyone else took off shopping.  After lunch, I wandered through the market.  It’s housed in a huge open structure and is a food/farmer market.  Fish stands with sardines, salted fish, anchovies. Stands specializing in Iberian ham. Stands with liquors.  It was wonderful to wander around.

I returned to the ship. Cindy was feeling better, so we went to a presentation on Cartagena, our next stop.  

It was the Captain’s Welcome night, during which the ship’s crew is introduced, we all made a toast. 

Then we ate too much, and stayed up way too late, listening to some very good music. The entertainment tonight was a guy from Barcelona who plays the guitar. He did a Santana tribute, and it was very good. 

                                                            Valencia IMAX and planetarium

                                            Sidewalk leading to the City of Arts and Science

                                                                     Palau de les Arts

                                                    Different perspective of Palau de les Arts

Roman theatre (stage, some seating) in Segunto

The wonderful band in the Cabaret Lounge for the Captain's Welcome and Toast