Travel Snapshot: Canary Islands

Today we are in Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands, of which there are seven main islands about 100 km northwest of the African continent. Tenerife is probably the best known and there are many smaller islands in the archipelago. 

Travel Snapshot: Casablanca

Casablanca. Sounds exciting doesn’t it - particularly for those of you who remember the famed film. 

Sadly though it is far from being a destination icon - in fact it's the sort of place you get out of as quickly as possible. 

True, the city is growing - but most cruise pax like us will be taken to the Medina - a huge covered area of shops where you will find everything from very hungry looking cats to fake handbags, running shoes and clothing. When we arrived a number of dubious characters were being arrested by police and bundled into a van. We walked to the Medina - but after 30 minutes of being chased by all sorts of characters we decided to head back to the ship. Marina’s departure was delayed by the fact that one of the tour busses was caught in traffic for nearly an hour. 

We are now heading for Agadir Morocco - about 200km away - but a very heavy swell is slowing things down - and the captain is concerned about weather report that very strong winds are on the way.

Fiona writes:

The Atlantic was rough by comparison to the Med and I'm no sailor so I moved to the safety of my bed and travel pills while we rocked and rolled our way from Spain to Africa :)

I'm sad to say that Casablanca bore out my anticipation of being underwhelmed. We visited here perhaps a dozen years ago and I recall being unimpressed from the get go.  

It is a busy, commercial city. Loads of people hover at tourist set downs and United Nations square is a favourite for men pouncing to offer tours and taxis. As we alighted the shuttle bus from the port we watched police haul blokes in front of us into a van. We don't know why but we suspected it was for pickpocketing. 

We had no plan and so maybe a lacklustre visit is our own fault. One should be on a tour or have a guide. I'll say again - it makes a huge difference. That said we had a guide last time and we didn't find anything impressive. Whereas Marrakech, Rabat, Fez, offered so much historical and cultural interest. 

Today we closed our eyes, held hands and ran across zebra crossings hoping cars, motorbikes and buses would respect the universal symbol to allow pedestrians over a busy road. Amusingly, unless you do stride out into the road, and preferably on the tail of a local who knows the pack drill, no one is going to stop for you.  

The medina is not far away and we imagined an hour or so mooching around the markets but we lasted about eight minutes. To be fair, most of the older men selling were friendly and said welcome to Morocco, where are you from, etc, but in the next breath were trying to steer us into a shop with promises of best prices. Younger blokes (no women) lurk outside smoking and looking at phones. I had hoped to find the spice market, perhaps get some argan oil or a trinket to remind me of the visit but the souk, though small, is a warren. It didn't feel dangerous but it also didn't feel comfy. Also, if your gaze so much as lands and lingers for more than few seconds then someone pounces and starts reeling off the sales pitch. I cant't be rude to people so I then feel obliged to thank them and offer reasons for walking away and that just offers up the challenge of hanging onto me.

I couldn't explain that gone are the days of me finding rips-off irresistible. I gave up fakes in my mid twenties plus I don't need new sneakers, or a Louis Vuitton bag or a football shirt and that's all we could see all around us. Really had hoped to find a lovely old grungy cafe and order a mint tea, watch barrowloads of fresh mint arriving, watch people setting up their fruit stalls and buy some lovely spices to give as gifts in the UK, but my usually patient husband was done with it all within minutes and we were retracing our steps soon enough back to the ship.  

I would have gone to the mosque but you needed special tickets booked ahead. My own fault.

Casablanca is very commercial, choked by traffic and there are other Moroccan cities that can offer a glimpse of a more historical and exotic lifestyle. We didn't take a single photo - sorry, as I know some of you are enjoying a bit of armchair travelling - so I'll leave you with a picture of my before sunrise walking track around the ship. Much more fun than by day when there's a lot of flesh on deckchairs catching the sun, which remains plentiful :)

Travel Snapshot: Spain's Alhambra

 

Spain's Alhambra is a lesson to us all about the power and beauty of simplicity and the importance of blending architecture with nature. In a beautiful hilltop setting of natural gardens, this haven for Sultans that dates back to 1238 takes you into another world - where architecture joins with nature to create one of the world's wonders. 

Travel Snapshot: Tasmanian Touring

You can really spend and head for the Pump House or Stillwater. We have experienced both properties and give them a high five. However, if you are looking for a very comfortable inner city property with a great restaurant, I would recommend The Sebel Launceston. 

Scoot into Vienna: Low Cost Travel into Austria's Flamboyant Capital

Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), recently began direct flights between Singapore and the Austrian capital, Vienna. David Bowden investigates. 

Scoot is the only airline offering direct flights between these two key destinations, with three weekly services operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners between Vienna International Airport and Changi International Airport. This aircraft has a capacity for 329 passengers in two cabin classes. 

Nauru - the Country with the mostest, and the leastest

Nauru is a nation of superlatives. It’s the world’s least visited country. Once it was the world’s wealthiest country per capita. It has the highest proportion of smokers. There is no tax. How the country exists is a miracle. A limestone island in the middle of the Pacific, it has no fresh water. No crops grow on Nauru. However, there are plenty of fish. The name Nauru means ‘I go to the beach’. Perhaps it was the word uttered when a hapless boatman came ashore and asked the question ‘What is the name of this island?’ Nauru!

South Africa’s Blue Train - it’s the Ritz on Rails

It's one of the world's most famous luxury train journeys offering a combination of unsurpassed luxury travel, five star-accommodation, fine cuisine & wine, personalised butler service and breathtaking views of the countryside. All aboard!

You are on the shortest tour in Africa,” John, our megaphone-mouthed, trumpet-wielding guide informs us, “the bus will turn left, because it cannot turn right!”

Cruising New Zealand with HAL Noordam - Art Deco Napier

Cruising in New Zealand is an often-overlooked pleasure. But it is also a reminder of past events.

 It was the first day of school for little 5-year-old Gordon Vogtherr and a day he’ll never forget as long as he lived.