After crossing back to the western side of the Mediterranean, we had three stops, in three different countries, before ending the European portion of our cruise. All of these were countries we had been to before, but new cities in each country.
Gibraltar, United Kingdom
Gibraltar was not one of the original stops on our cruise, and is an oddity. It has an area of only 2.6 square miles (6.7 square kilometers) and is located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, near the exit of the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean. It is a British Overseas Territory, but that is an ongoing point of contention with Spain which asserts a claim to the territory (it is bordered on the north by Spain). Gibraltar has close cultural ties with Spain, and most Gibraltarians speak English and Spanish.
Gibraltar is very densely populated, with approximately 33,000 people packed into its small borders, mostly in apartments or condos as far as we could tell.
We started our time ashore with a visit to the Botanical Garden. It had been a while since we had been to one, and we enjoy our nature time! We had a little trouble finding it, but we asked several people along the way (some in English, some in Spanish) and eventually got there.
After enjoying our nature time, we walked into town for some sightseeing, shopping, and to find lunch.
We initially thought we might eat tapas because it is more our taste than British food, but after looking at the menus at a few places we decided against it; it didn’t seem very authentic despite the proximity to Spain. Instead, we started looking for a traditional pub. There were many but most were already full. However, we found one on a side street that was very small and very local, The Aragon. It might not be evident from the pictures, but the day was fairly cool. A few beers and a shepherd’s pie (the daily special) were exactly what the doctor ordered!
After visiting the local grocery store for a few items, we went back to the ship for a nap. Later, we headed back out for a final beverage on shore at The Ivy, a sports bar near the marina. We were looking for a different pub we had read about, and did eventually see it, but couldn’t figure out how to get to it (sounds odd, but much of the marina area was fenced off). We later saw how we could have gotten there, but we had already been to The Ivy, and it was time to return to the ship.
Málaga, Spain
Another port that was not on our original itinerary, Málaga is our favorite place that we have visited on mainland Spain! This is a big statement because we have liked everywhere we have been in Spain (some in 2010 via train, and some on this cruise). It had the feel of somewhere that would be enjoyable to live; beautiful parks, lots of restaurants, and lots of people who seemed to be out enjoying life. And it wasn’t only us; many people we talked to on the ship loved Málaga for the same reasons. Also, apparently, it has a nice beach that we didn’t have or take the time to visit. Next time ….
It is a city of nearly 600,000 people, founded in approximately 770 BC by the Phoenicians. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe.
Our exploration of the city started by walking through a very enjoyable waterfront park, Parque de Málaga, on our way to the historic center.
We next wandered around looking at various buildings and sights, including a Roman Theater, before starting our tapas crawl.
We were a little early for most places to be open, but we found one with some people in it, El Gallo Ronco. According to our waitress, the name means “the hoarse rooster,” a reference to the style of singing of Flamenco singers (think the vocal style of the Gipsy Kings if you are familiar with that band).
Next stop was a place we had seen earlier, Cerveceria Los Gatos. We ate based on some recommendations from our waiter. The sangria wasn’t the best, but that seems like a lesson for the future; when you are at a Cerveceria (brewery), maybe you should drink beer.
We enjoyed our walk back through the city and the park on our return to the ship.
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Our final European stop was after exiting the Mediterranean, Funchal on the island of Madeira, part of an autonomous region of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean. This is another part of Macaronesia (explained in my blog entry from earlier on the cruise). Funchal is a city of just over 100,000 people, making it the 6th largest city in Portugal. It is, to our surprise, the most popular cruise port in Portugal (we assumed it is Lisbon, where we have been twice on cruise ships).
The city was founded in 1424 and became an important maritime port for voyages between Europe and the Americas.
We started our visit at the Jardim Municipal do Funchal, a small botanical garden in the heart of the city.
We next wandered the streets of the city until it was time for lunch at the Restaurante Londres, a very traditional place busy with mostly locals and a few tourists in the know. What we came for was two of the only local foods (most food is imported), scabbard fish with banana. It was good and we were glad we tried it.
After lunch we wandered the streets enjoying the atmosphere and our last shore stop for several days, before finishing with another local specialty, limpets, and a few beers at Beerhouse Madeira.
