Our
Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar Cruise, 2019
On August
9th 2019, 45 of
our members set out on a damp morning to begin the first leg of our
much anticipated Cruise visiting Spain, Portugal and the Rock of
Gibraltar. Organised by McGinleys travel of Donegal, the fact that
this cruise was leaving directly from Dublin ,eliminating the hassle
of Airports, was a big attraction.
McGinleys
coach collected us in Ballinasloe to take us to Dublin Port. This was
the last time we saw our luggage until it was delivered safely to our
staterooms on the ship” Magellan”.
We quickly
familiarised ourselves with the vessel which was to be our home for
the next 10 days. As the ship set sail with its 1250 passengers on
board, unfortunately there was a storm brewing. As we travelled South
on the Bay of Biscay, the weather deteriorated. The next few days
proved a scary experience. However, with the aid of sea-sickness
pills and with the help of the wonderful staff we weathered the storm
.
Gladly
leaving the choppy Bay of Biscay behind us, we quickly regained our
balance as we sailed into our first port of call, La
Coruna in lovely sunshine. La Coruna is the
gateway to the pilgrimage town of Santiago de Compostela . We all
went our different ways to explore this busy, spacious city.
Cadiz
was our next port of call. There were many
shore excursions to choose from including a trip to Seville. After a
panoramic tour through the city we enjoyed a wonderful Flamenco show
in a small venue followed by traditional tapas and drinks.
The Rock
Apes spring to mind at the mention of the Rock
of Gibraltar and this is where our next stop
took us. While the more adventurous took the cable car or walked to
the top of 1400 ft. high Rock, more of us took the coach tour where
we enjoyed panoramic views of the busiest shipping lane in the
world, the mingling of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean
and two Continents. We visited St. Michael’s Cave to view a mass of
strangely shaped stalagmites and stalactites
Next port
of call was Lisbon,
the capital city of Portugal. There were many tours to choose from
here. Some of us decided to take the scenic tour driving over the
river Tagus by means of the second largest suspension bridge in
Europe. We saw the colossal statue of Christ the King which was
erected as a thanksgiving by the women of Portugal that their men
folk were not actively involved in World War 11.
After a
few pleasant days at sea soaking up the lovely sunshine and mingling
with our fellow passengers we had a long day to explore our last
port of call,Liverpool, the maritime city in northwest England.
Here,we found an unsurpassed range of attractions along the majestic
waterfront.There was the Walker Art Gallery , the Beatles Museum and
many more which were well worth a visit. The hop- on, hop- off bus
took you through the many places of interest. There were some who
couldn’t resist shopping in the many large stores while the
men-folk sought out the pubs to watch Tipperary beat Kilkenny in the
All-Ireland hurling final. Good news !!!
The
temperature was gradually dropping as we went on board and headed
north for Dublin. Even though we got off to a bad start, our Cruise
was most enjoyable. The food and entertainment on board was first
class and so also was the company of our fellow passengers. However
it was nice to see our coach waiting for us in Dublin port to take
us home.
Tired but
happy we arrived home safely . Our Cruise was a wonderful experience
and will be added to our list of nice memories.
Many
thanks to all who helped to organise it.
Chris O’Flynn (P.R.O)
August 2019
