Day 141: Almería, Spain

Saturday, 27 May 2017
At Sea — Mediterranean Sea

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:30p (CEST) … UTC 7:30p (27 May)
Temp: 71.1F (21.7C)
Position: 36.44.14N / 2.32.19W

The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.
~ Oprah Winfrey ~

This was a 16,093-step day.  Yes, I finally remembered to take my Fitbit with me today.  And what a great day it turned out to be.  It’s 9:30p and I am on the veranda.  The lights of Almería, Spain are still visible in the distance.  That’s because 35-knot winds from the east kept Insignia tied up at her berth an additional two hours past our scheduled departure of 7:00p.  No matter — our next port is not that far and according to Captain B, the delay leaving Almería will not adversely affect our arrival into Gibraltar.  He’s certainly putting pedal to the metal so that we arrive on time … hauling ass we surely are.

Insignia was still on her way into port when we went up to the Terrace Café for breakfast at 7:00a.  I had read that the sail in to Almería was a beautiful one.  But the sun was in the wrong position, so we didn’t worry about taking any photos or videos.

It was 9:00a when we finally got off the ship and headed into town.  A short walk from the port put us in the heart of Almería.  The streets were quiet — not only was it Saturday, but it was also still early by Spanish standards.  We strolled the streets, enjoying the shade and the breeze on what promised to be another 85F (29C) day.  It did, in fact, get quite hot in the sun, but the breeze kept us comfortable all day long.

Love the manicured trees lining the near-deserted main drag of Almería.

Our first stop was at a local neighborhood church — Iglesia Conventual de Santo Domingo — a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgen Del Mar, the patron saint of Almería.  Seeing the door open, we wandered inside to find mass was underway.  So we stood in the back for a few minutes and I snuck a few photos before we headed back out into the street again.

A mural on the street has a depiction of the Santo Domingo Church (left).

Our meandering walk next took us to the Gothic/Renaissance style Cathedral de la Encarnacion, which dates back to the 16th century.  It was built on the site where a mosque once stood.  I had read a description that questioned whether the edifice was a church or a fortress.  Having seen the tall walls and the fortress-like façade, I now understand how one might be confused.  The cathedral was, in fact, built not only to serve as a place of worship, but also as a place to protect the citizens of the city from pirate attacks.  We strolled around for a while, killing time until mass was over and the doors were opened to tourists.  We were told that would be at 8:40a … they were prompt.  We paid the €5/person admission and went inside to explore … and stayed awhile until the tour groups showed up … time to move on.

The panorama is a little skewed … but it’s the only way to photograph the full façade.

My favorite feature in the cathedral … a painted organ façade.

Continuing our stroll, we found the signs directing us to our next destination — the Alcabaza.  It was an uphill walk to get there, but it sure was worth it.  Lonely Planet describes it as “A looming fortification with great curtain-like walls rising from the cliffs.”  The description is spot on.  We wandered up to check it out and stopped at the booth to pay the admission … there was no charge.  The attendant asked our nationality … we said US … he waived us in.  Not sure if other nationalities have to pay … we didn’t question it further.

When we first arrived, we had the place practically to ourselves.  So, we took our time wandering around, enjoying the breeze … the blue sky … the sunshine.  The gardens — which would have once been the residential area inside the fortress, and one of the three recintos [compounds] within the Alcabaza — were beautifully manicured.  Small fountains, and narrow canals that ran down the center of the stairs leading up to the upper sections, added an interesting water feature, the sound of gurgling water mixing with the sound of leaves being rustled by the breeze.  The views from the ramparts clearly showed the Moorish influence on the city’s architecture and we enjoyed the colorful streetscape laid out below us.

In the second recinto are the ruins of the Muslim rulers’ palace built during the latter half of the 11th century.  Here was also a chapel, the Ermita de San Juan, that was originally a mosque.  The highest section, the third recinto, is a citadel added by Catholic monarchs.  From here, we walked up onto the ramparts from which we could see the entire city, including the Mural de Jayrán, a fortified 11th century wall that was built the defend the outlying areas of the city.  We debated hiking up to it, but decided that would be biting off too much in the mid-day heat.

Looking towards the palace from the ramparts.

It was after 12:30p when we left the Alcabaza.  Following a different route down, we made our way to the market to pick up some apples.  In all our travels, I’ve never seen such a clean and organized market.  Each stall had a number and a sign displaying the name of the vendor.  The fish vendors were all on the next floor down … none of that fishy smell one usually associates with seafood markets.  We wandered around for a while, checking out the colorful displays.  When we left, we had peaches as well as apples in Mui’s backpack.

It was while we were making our way to the market that we ran into a small procession.  Turns out it was a saint’s day … never did find out which one.  There was an ox cart on which the saint was being taken around the city, a small band with men dressed in traditional costume, and some followers … the women dressed in flamenco attire.  Very colorful.

Both my notes and the tourist rep who came aboard Insignia this morning were in agreement about where to grab a bite to eat — Puerto de Purchena, at the end of Paseo de Almería.  The rep went one step further when we asked her where she would eat and gave us the name of her favorite bar/café — La Consentida.  She didn’t have an address, but by asking the locals, we found it on a narrow side street.  It turned out to be one of those places often bypassed by tourists.  Though it wasn’t strictly a tapas place, we decided that’s what we wanted … and since each drink was accompanied by a free tapas, all we had to pay for was the ‘fake’ sangria we ordered … described as lemonade with red wine … quite tasty.

For whatever reason, each tapas was named after an actress or female dignitary.  Our tapas consisted of a Carmina Ordoñez — a wrap filled with pork slices and served with a white sauce; a Laura Pausini — jamón [ham], arugula, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese on a toasted bagel … this one had a €1 surcharge … ham is expensive.  Our third tapas was free as well since Mui ordered a second drink.  This dish was called Sharon Stone — a brochette of beef … sort of like a shish kebab served dangling on a hook … I’m sure there was some symbolic meaning behind it ;-)  The food was all good, and so was the fake sangria.

We were back on the ship shortly after 3:00p.  The veranda was in the shade and there was a lovely breeze to keep me comfortable.  Before I knew it, Mui came out to tell me that it was 5:45p … time to get ready to celebrate Boris’s 70th birthday with dinner at the Polo Grill.  Great camaraderie, good food, and excellent conversation … a perfect way to wrap up another wonderful day of exploring new-to-us places.

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