This is the conclusion of Janet Landfried’s series on cruises in Europe.
By Janet Landfried
On our first seven days on Royal Caribbean International’s Harmony of Seas — on the new ship’s two preview cruises — we enjoyed the entertainment, food venues, pools and activities and marveled at the beauty of the ship.
Now it was time to see what the ship’s inaugural cruise, from Southampton to Barcelona, was all about. We could seek out repeat performances of the shows we liked, see new ones and take our time to soak it all in.
During our first cruise, my friend Jeff Abuhl and I were assigned seating at a window table in the main dining room, and we were able to request being seated in the same area for the following two cruises.
It was seldom crowded and we enjoyed our dinner companions each night. Freestyle dining is more popular now on many ships across the industry, but we enjoy sharing with the same companions.
One of the most beautiful aspects of this ship, that I have experienced on only one other, was the magnificent flowers.
It started with the floral bouquets and plants in the boarding approach to the ship. Once on board, everywhere you turned there was another more beautiful arrangement. There were cymbidium, dendrobium, phalaenopsis and vanda orchids, birds of paradise, anthurium, ginger, protea, gladiolus, heliconia, carnations, chrysanthemum, agapanthus, hydrangea, alstroemeria, delphinium and others at peak perfection.
Smaller arrangements dotted the ship in dining areas, restrooms and staterooms. I’m not sure this will be carried on or if it was just for this inaugural cruise.
Unlike on the two preview cruises, the group of passengers on the inaugural cruise was very multi-ethnic — from every European country and many Asians. There were tour groups of Chinese, along with Indians, Indonesians, Vietnamese, Filipinos and others. There were some Muslims with women in full head dress and lots more children, but still very few Americans.
This is a very American ship, although it is registered in the Bahamas. It must comply with U.S. regulations for labor, food preparation, safety and security. Monetary transactions are in U.S. dollars no matter where in the world Royal Caribbean operates.
One afternoon there was a question-and-answer session hosted by the cruise director and including the captain, the hotel manager and head chef. There were many questions about the running of the ship and other operations.
There was one question that was special to me. Someone asked the captain what his favorite port was, after 30 years at sea. His answer was the beauty of Nawiliwili on my home island of Kauai. He mentioned its approach and the tight S turn a ship must make to enter the breakwater.
I’ve been into that harbor on more than one occasion and so when the weather prevented the Pacific Princess from entering the harbor on my cruise last year, I was disappointed but not surprised. It was a nice reminder of home while far away.
There was so much to do, but since we were already familiar with the ship, we could be selective. We saw performances of “Grease” and the ice show. We went down the Ultimate Abyss, a slide tube of more than 100 feet. That was fun, even though the first time I went down I screamed the entire 45 seconds. I also tried the water slides in a tube.
There is no upper age limit and you don’t have to sign a waiver, so this little old person enjoyed the rides with confidence. Jeff went ice skating and enjoyed the Flow Riders.
As we sailed south, the skies cleared and the seas remained calm. We got to the see the first-ever performance of the aqua show. It was spectacular, but also almost psychedelic — long and intricate with intense performances.
After the show, at midnight pizza, Jeff recognized two of the performers, young Brazilians who did slack line tricks and one who walked a tightrope 100 feet above us — on a moving ship, at night, with a safety harness but no net. We visited with them for a while and they gave us some inside information of what it was like to do a show on a ship.
One of the performers, Jacobi, danced like a whirling dervish, spinning around and around for at least 25 minutes. When I talked with him after a rehearsal, he said he meditates to focus on the moves and not get dizzy.
Our first stop on this trip was Vigo in the province of Galicia. It is in northwestern Spain, near the border with Portugal. Our shore excursion would take us to visit Santiago de Compostela. We would take a bus, not walk the hundreds of miles those who make the pilgrimage to the site would do.
The Way of St. James starts in many places in Europe, maybe your own front door, but all ways converge at the cathedral.
This pilgrimage is one of the three holiest for Catholics, the others being to Rome and Jerusalem. You do not need to be Catholic and you can walk or bike the Way for religious reasons or just to seek self-fulfillment. One walks with other pilgrims, stopping along the way to camp or stay in hostels or hotels.
A pilgrim carries a document to be stamped at stops along the way, validating his or her journey.
The cathedral is believed to contain the partial remains of St. James (Santiago), one of the 12 apostles of Christ. The symbol of the road to Santiago (Camino de Santiago) is the scallop shell and we saw them affixed to the backpacks and shirts of the walkers. The scallop shell is also used to mark the Way.
The countryside here is lush and green and receives lots of rain, although the day we were there it was bright and sunny. It is a major tourist attraction and walking over the cobblestones and through the quaint streets puts one back into history.
The cathedral is massive and it was packed that day for Mass. But visitors are still allowed to walk around the periphery of the interior and climb to see the crypt holding the remains, by tradition, of St. James.
We cruised south, past Portugal, and around the corner of Spain into the Straits of Gibraltar. It was 2 a.m., but that did not deter Jeff and me from going to the top decks to watch the lights of Africa on our right and Europe on the left. It would have been nice to have experienced the transit in the daylight but I wasn’t going to miss it.
We had a stop in Malaga on Spain’s Costa del Sol, the Coast of the Sun. It is aptly named, as the weather there is sunny and warm and attracts people from around the world to this pleasure spot.
Jeff walked to a car museum and enjoyed the sights. I took a city tour that started with a hilltop visit to view the city from a good vantage point. There was our ship in the harbor, dwarfing everything else. It was good to get out and walk after the days at sea.
Malaga is a very old city with its origins with Phoenician settlements around 2,800 years ago, followed by the Carthaginians and the Romans. The Arabic (Moorish) and Christian eras provide most recent history and those influences are very obvious in the historical development of the city, its architecture, its culture and its food.
This is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. His birthplace is preserved and there is a museum of his work. With some new friends, I enjoyed coffee and churros at a sidewalk cafe.
We disembarked at Barcelona. As long as we were there, we decided to spend the day in Barcelona at a hostel. As with most, it was very clean and well located.
It was only eight blocks to the Basilica de Sagrada Familia (Holy Family), the magnum opus of architect Antoni Gaudí. Although the city has many structures and parks designed by Gaudí, all very distinctive in his organic style, it is this church that dominates the skyline of the city. It was started in 1882 and is not yet complete. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is not a cathedral, the seat of a bishop, as there is already one in Barcelona. Pope Benedict came to the city and consecrated the Sagrada Familia as a basilica in 2010. The estimated completion is still 10 years away. It is being funded by private contributions and entrance fees.
Gaudí died in 1926 and his crypt is in the parish church on the grounds of the basilica.
When I first saw the church in 1965, I really didn’t understand or appreciate it. I thought it looked just plain odd and the towers appeared like twisted honeycombs. But a lecture on the ship, and now seeing it with older eyes, gave me a new appreciation of the structure.
I was mesmerized by the architecture and intricate details. The interior space, not complete when last I saw it, filled me with awe. My first steps into the enclosed space took my breath away. What magnificence to come from the mind of one person.
We took the time to wander through the basement, full of displays showing the history of the concept and building of the church. There were explanations of Gaudí’s use of the natural world in his designs and models that he built to test some of the architectural elements of his buildings.
The Christian iconography of the sculptures and exterior embellishments were detailed and as grand as on any cathedral in the rest of Europe.
On this journey I was able to see important Christian sites the spanned centuries like Mont-Saint-Michel, Santiago de Compostela and the Sagrada Familia; visit the cites of London, Rotterdam, Cherbourg, Vigo, Malaga and Barcelona; revel in several West End productions; enjoy the wonders of the Harmony of the Seas; and travel with a good friend who has showed me the world.
The Harmony of the Seas will cross the Atlantic to Florida in October to begin its winter season in the Caribbean. Wouldn’t it be fun to sail with her?
Janet Landfried taught social studies at Redlands High School and Redlands East Valley High School for many years and retired in 2001.