Harmony of the Seas

Judy. After three months of living in France and Spain, Ted and I hopped a repositioning cruise back to the States. This is a great way to return—the time changes gradually, so jet lag isn’t as much of an issue. Besides, for little more than the cost of a plane ticket home, we get two weeks of room, board, entertainment, and the vastness of the Atlantic. 

This is Harmony of the Seas' first crossing in nineteen months, and there were a few glitches, but most were eventually ironed out. The ship holds 6500 passengers, but only 1500 were on board, so it was a quieter trip than three years ago.

 

Seville

Our cabin steward, Seville (appropriate, don't you think?) and Roger and Puji, our waiters, made life easy. Seville surprised us with six different towel animals on our bed during the trip. My favorite was the rhino, but the alligator was a close second. 

Our bedtime rhino

Puji & Roger

Paul, the restaurant manager, opens our champagne

Safety is of primary importance, so we had to show our proof of vaccination and take a Covid antigen test before we could board. We had to be tested again before each stop. Masks are worn indoors all over the ship, except when eating or drinking, and hand washing and sanitizing stations are everywhere.

 

Handwashing station outside Park Cafe
and hand sanitizer dispensers EVERYWHERE

Terry and Sue, our dear friends who’ve moved to Washington, decided to join us. We’ve been friends long enough to spend as much time on the ship away from each other as with each other. We met up in Barcelona, where Monica, one of the medical students with whom we hiked Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica, picked us up and took us to dinner at her favorite tapas bar, regaling us with stories of being a medical student. She’s finished med school, but wants to go into psychiatry so spends each day studying and taking practice tests on Saturdays to try to get into the next phase. 

With Monica

Our first stop on the cruise was Málaga, so we enjoyed playing tour guide to Terry and Sue as we showed them around the city we’ve come to love. Then we were off for ten days of nothing but ocean till we reach Nassau. 

Morning in Málaga and the view of the ship from the Alcazaba

There are lots of places to go on a ship this big, like Central Park and The Boardwalk.

Central Park on the ship.  Great place to relax.

The Abyss

They survived, and so did I!

We celebrated Ted’s birthday by sliding down the Ultimate Abyss, and went to shows (some amazing, some just fine). 

Pretty amazing water show

We  celebrated Terry and Sue’s fiftieth anniversary (only a year and a half late) with champagne. 

Happy 50th!

Mostly we marveled at sunrises and sunsets and let the world go away.

Good morning and good night.

Leaving Málaga

 

Judy. Lest you think that our decision to stay close to Màlaga means we did nothing for the last two weeks, let me fill you in! 

The week after Alex and Inmita visited us here, we took the train to Seville to spend the weekend with them. Having time to sit and talk at home, and to visit Inmita’s parents Inma and Pepe for a seafood feast makes all the difference! We even managed to stay up for the typical eleven o’clock dinner at a tasty tapas bar. Just to get you drooling, Pepe and Inma and their friends Luz and Manolo whipped up a paella, Iberian ham, two types of mussels, homemade ice cream, beer, wine, after-dinner drinks, and coffee. It’s a good thing I don’t eat that much often! The next day before we caught the train home, Alex’s mom Maria José came by with more food and a chance to get caught up. 

Inma (left) and Luz serve up paella

We had hit it off with an American couple we met at church, Susan and Mark. They have worked in Europe for years, and invited us to their magnificent home for a tapas dinner and some conversation about life in Spain. The food was just right (I’ve decided tapas are the best way for someone my age to eat), the view unbelievable, and their gift of pomegranates from their tree more than welcome. We look forward to more visits when we return. 

View from Susan & Mark's home at sunset

Cheers to new friends!

Màlaga is getting ready for their big Christmas lights display. They’re not turned on till early December, but the display is so large that they begin setting up in October. I wish I could see the finished product. 

Lights along Calle Marqués de Larios

Christmas tree in Plaza de Constitution

There are dozens of interesting museums here, and we finally made it to the Picasso Museum. Ted will tell you more about that later, but a quote of his really struck home. 

In the last few days, Ted and I have begun to explore more of the city here. We took a bus up the beach to the next little town and explored the narrow passageways of the Old Town. 

View of Málaga from Pedregalejo

The only thing that keeps me from regretting leaving now is knowing that we can come back and explore more in February. The longer I’m here, the more it tugs at me.

Nice spot for an afternoon drink

Picasso's birthplace

Farewell breakfast of churros & chocolate

Our Spanish family

Ted. Way back in 1997, ours was one of several Servas host families in the US to be contacted by a Servas host in Seville, Spain with an unusual request. Maria José was seeking a way for her older son to spend a year at an American high school without incurring the prohibitively expensive costs of a traditional foreign exchange program. Judy, always a “yes person,” jumped at the opportunity. Alex (short for Alejandro) lived with us for 10 months and both of our families were changed forever. 

1997, Alex visits the N Ga mountains

1998, prom night for Alex

Over the years we have remained close. He still calls us Mom & Dad and our kids are his American siblings. He has returned to the US to see us and we often swing through Seville on trips to Europe. 

Back in Georgia in 2007

2012 with Alex and wife, Inma

2012 with son, little Alex

2018, daughter Lucilla

2018, Alex & Inma, a happy couple

Saying yes to Maria José almost a quarter century ago has given us a window into the lives of typical Spaniards. And even more importantly, we have an extended family here in Spain with a lovely Spanish daughter-in-law and two wonderful Spanish grandchildren.

2021, Lucilla (now 8) painting Judy's nails

2021, 11 yr old Alex (R) with friend

2021, the old married couple!

Málaga

Judy. I have to admit that when we left France, I wasn’t quite ready. I was becoming familiar with Vincennes and how to get around on the Metro, my French was getting better, and we were enjoying working with the Sandwich Ministry at the American Cathedral. HOWEVER, it was turning cool—the day we left it was rainy and in the fifties. 

When we arrived in Málaga, a car picked us up at the airport and drove us right to our front door on a pedestrian mall, and the weather was in the eighties. This was just fine! Our apartment, although right in the middle of the touristy Old Town, is in the center of the building, so, just as in Vincennes, the noise stops as you get inside. There are lots of windows opening to the two courtyards below, and marble floors keep it cool. 

Our living room

Many of you have told me that you visited Málaga either to stay or on a cruise stop, so you know how beautiful it is. We have found ourselves really settling in and just living in this beautiful place, since we almost wore ourselves out with all our little side trips in France. We have explored the city, though. 

Málaga is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, having been established as a port by the Phoenicians in about 770 BC. They called it Malaka, but when the Romans invaded in 218 BC, they called it Malaca. When the Moors invaded, they called it Mālaqua for the next 800 years, when Castille took over and named it Málaga. So the spelling has changed but the name remained the same. 

First-Century Roman Theater

A short walk from our apartment in the center of the old town are the remains of the first-century Roman Theatre. This is butted up against the well-maintained ruins of the Alcazaba, the Moorish palace next to the Castle of Gibrafaro, their fort, built in the eleventh century. It’s also a great place to get an overview of the city and the harbor. 

View of the Alcazaba 

From the Mirador, looking down

Patio at the Alcazaba

Across from our apartment is the massive Catedral de la Encarnación, with construction begun in the sixteenth century. Unfortunately, the money dried up, and the second tower was never finished, so she has gained the nickname “The One-Armed Lady”. 

We attend church at St. George’s Anglican Church, in the middle of the Anglican Cemetery, established in 1831. 

Ted at St. George

The beaches here really became popular in the 1950’s, and Torremolinos, a nearby town, opened the first gay bar in 1964. 

The cruise stops have really put it on the map in this century, and it remains a vibrant community, as it has through the centuries. 

The streets are narrow and crooked, just as they are in Cádiz, and fun to explore, unless you’re Ted trying to follow the blue dot on GPS. 

Street sculpture

We were here for the National Day of Spain

Restaurants and bodegas are plentiful and good, and across from one of our favorite tapas places is the Picasso Museum. Since he was born here, you can also visit the Picasso Birthplace Museum. 

Walk through the park to the beach

Quiet morning at the beach

Beaches are fifteen minutes away, as is the church. A five-minute walk in the other direction takes you to the enormous Mercado, where fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheese, and fish are on display at a reasonable price. 

We spend lots of time there. Ten minutes further takes you to El Corte Inglés, a department store that carries anything (including food) that you could possibly want, and a few blocks past that is the Renfe train station, that can take us to visit our family in Seville. 

Speaking of which, they drove the two hours to see us last week. We were supposed to have a reunion last year, but we all know how that went. There were lots and lots of hugs. 

Inmita, Lucia, Alex & Alex. Fishbug Fans! (That's our grandson's band.)

Have we done all the traveling we’d intended? Nah. But do we like it here? Just booked an apartment further down the beach for next spring.