Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Hello again! Today I thought I would give you a brief glimpse of Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands and our home port for the first couple of cruises. Rotterdam is known for its university (Erasmus), its cutting-edge architecture, its lively cultural life and its maritime heritage.


Above: City Hall which survived the Blitz on May 14, 1940.

Starting as a dam constructed in 1270 on the Rotte River, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre. Its strategic location at the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta on the North Sea and at the heart of a massive rail, road, air and inland waterway distribution system extending throughout Europe is the reason that Rotterdam is often called the "Gateway to Europe".


Above: The original headquarters of Holland America Line! The Ryndam docked right next to it.

The largest port in Europe and still one of the busiest ports in the world, the port of Rotterdam was the world's busiest port from 1962 to 2004, at which point it was surpassed by Shanghai. Rotterdam is divided into a northern and a southern part by the river Nieuwe Maas with the city centre located on the northern bank.


Above: Dry docks (where ships are serviced) in the port of Rotterdam.

During World War II, the German army invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. Although Hitler was met by fierce resistance, the Dutch army was finally forced to surrender on May 15, 1940, following Hitler's bombing of Rotterdam on May 14 and his threat to bomb other Dutch cities. The heart of Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed by the Luftwaffe; 900 civilians were killed and 80,000 made homeless.


Above: Holland America's old Rotterdam ship which is now a floating conference centre.

The self-image of the city is that of a no-nonsense workers' city. In that sense, there is a healthy competition with Amsterdam, which is often viewed as the cultural capital of the Netherlands. There is a saying: "Amsterdam to party, Den Haag (The Hague) to live, Rotterdam to work". Another one, more popular by Rotterdammers, is "Money is earned in Rotterdam, divided in The Hague and spent in Amsterdam". Another saying that reflects both the rivalry between Rotterdam and Amsterdam is "Amsterdam has it, Rotterdam doesn't need it".


Above: The Cube Houses - crazy architecture! The building is now a Youth Hostel - nobody wanted to live in them permanently!

The city also houses the 186 metres tall Euromast, which has long been a major tourist attraction. It was built in 1960, initially reaching a height of 101 metres; in 1970, the Euromast was extended by 85 metres to its current height.


Above: The Euromast. We saw somebody abseiling off it!

Next time, we're headed off to Norway to see some of the spectacular scenery and ports of call!

Casablanca, Morocco.

Welcome back! Today, I'm excited to share my day in Casablanca, Morocco with you; it was a unique experience!


Above: Hasan II Mosque and courtyard, located on the coast of Casablanca.

Morocco is a country located in North Africa, part of the Maghreb region, in addition to Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, and Libya, with which it shares cultural, historical and linguistic ties. Morocco gained independence from France on March 2, 1956 and the city of Casablanca is now developing a tourism industry.


Above: A street (not atypical!) in Casablanca.

Casablanca is in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean and is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. Casablanca is considered the economic and business centre of Morocco, while the political capital city of Morocco is Rabat.


Above: Looking down the Boulevard de Paris in central Casablanca.

The city combines Hispano-Mauresque and Art Deco architectural styles, and is dotted with markets, street vendors and dusty streets. We explored the city in a large group which worked out well as I would have felt lost and a little intimidated on my own!


Above: A cafe in one of the market areas.

Almost all Moroccans speak either Berber or Moroccan Arabic as mother tongues. Many Moroccans master both languages at native-speaker level. Some of the locals we talked to also spoke a little French (which was useful), a legacy of the French sovereignty.


Above: One of the markets, located in the old Kasbah.

Casablanca is home to the Hassan II Mosque, designed by the French architect Michel Pinseau. Located on the ocean front, the mosque has room for 25,000 worshippers inside, and a further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's courtyard.


Above: Visiting the Hassan II Mosque.

The minaret at the Mosque is the world's tallest at 210 metres and the mosque itself is the largest in North Africa, and the third largest in the world.


Above: Hassan II Mosque's Minaret, the tallest in the world.

Work on the mosque was started in 1980, and was intended to be completed for the 60th birthday of the former Moroccan king, Hassan II, in 1989. However, the building was not inaugurated until 1993. Authorities spent an estimated $800 million on the construction of the building.


Above: The impressive entrance to the Mosque.

Sadly, we did not have time to take a tour inside the Mosque (other than catching a glimpse through a door), but one of the guides was happy to let us wear his fez (for a tip of course):


Above: Fezzes are cool.

The Parc de la Ligue Arabe (formally called Lyautey) is the city's largest public park. On its edge is the Casablanca Cathedral (Cathédrale Sacré-Coeur).


Above: The Parc de la Ligue Arabe with Casablanca Cathedral in the background.

The Cathedral is longer in use for religious purposes, but it is open for visitors and a splendid example of Mauresque architecture.


Above: Casablanca Cathedral.


Above: Looking across from the park, towards a government building.

It was an incredible experience walking around the city. Many of the streets were very dirty and unpleasant but there was a real vibrancy and life to the city. Even more so than the Caribbean, this felt like a totally new culture, watching locals walking around in robes and seeing taxi drivers, kneeling by their cars in prayer.


Above: Taxi drivers praying.

We will be visiting another city in Morocco, Tangier, in August so I will be sure to bring you photos and stories from there. One of the most impressive things about the city, was the port where we docked. The Port of Casablanca is one of the largest artificial ports in the world, and the largest port of North Africa. It is also the primary naval base for the Royal Moroccan Navy.


Above: Leaving the port where we had docked.

I'll leave you with the Moroccan sunset that bade us farewell as we headed for the Spanish coast.

Canary Islands

Welcome back to my blog. Today I am going to share some pictures I snapped whilst in three of the Canary Islands - Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. The Canary Islands are legally recognized as a nationality of Spain but geographically they are part of the African Continent, located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa. The islands' beaches, climate and volcanoes, make them a major tourist destination, with over 12 million visitors per year.


Above: Santa Cruz, Tenerife as viewed from the Ryndam.

The first port we visited was Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife and (jointly with Las Palmas) of the Canary Islands.


Above: A monument in the heart of Santa Cruz.

The city is home to the Parliament of the Canary Islands and its harbour is one of Spain's busiest, important for commercial and passenger traffic, as well as for being a major stopover for cruisers en route from Europe to the Caribbean.


Above: An impressive street performer - we could not work out how he was 'floating'!

The city is quite cosmopolitan but there are some historical sites to be found in the city such as the building below, built by the recreational society 'Circulo de Amistao XII de Enero' between 1904 and 1934.


Above: The building is one of the earliest examples of Second Empire Architecture in the Canary Islands.

The next island we visited was Gran Canaria, where we arrived at Las Palmas, the joint capital of the Canary Islands. 45% of the people of the island and nearly 20% of all inhabitants of the Canary Islands live in this city.


Above: Downtown Las Palmas, viewed from the port shopping complex.

The city was founded in June 1478 by Juan Rejón, the head of the invading Castilian army, who engaged in war with the local Guanches (aboriginal people of the Canary Islands).


Above: The Port of Las Palmas.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus anchored in the Port of Las Palmas, and spent some time on the island on his first trip to the Americas. He also stopped on the way back to Spain. The Casa Colón museum in the Vegueta area of the city is named after him.


Above: Columbus' houses.

The Casa Museo de Colón is in the Plaza de San Antonio Abad, behind the Santa Ana Cathedral. It focuses on the history of the Canary Islands and its relations with America. The complex consists of several houses, one of which was accessed by Christopher Columbus during his first trip to America in 1492; it was the residence of former Governor (now better known as home of Columbus).


Above: Parrots in Columbus' house.

As well as visiting the Casa Museo de Colón we also visited the Santa Ana Cathedral, located nearby.


Above: One of the towers at the Santa Ana Cathedral.


Above: The inside of the Santa Ana Cathedral.

We also took a ride up one of the Cathedral towers to get a great view over the Vegueta area of the city:


Above: A panoramic shot of the Vegueta area of the city.

The Cathedral faces onto the Plaza del Espíritu Santo which features statues of dogs:


Above: Dog statues are dotted about the Plaza del Espíritu Santo.


Above: The Plaza del Espíritu Santo, taken from the cathedral side.

Our final stop was Lanzarote, the easternmost island of the Canary Islands, born through fiery eruptions and featuring solidified lava streams as well as extravagant rock formations.


Above: The coastline of Lanzarote with a volcano looming in the distance.

Our ship docked at Arrecife, the largest city on the island and although I didn't have long ashore, I managed to snap a few pictures which I will leave you with now:







Stay tuned next time for Morocco!

Funchal - Madeira

Welcome back to my blog! I have been on my European cruise for over a month now but I have only just got round to sorting out some pictures for you! At the moment, we are in Norway (crossing the Arctic Circle today) but for the first two weeks of my contract, we visited some Spanish and Portuguese ports. Today I will show you a little of Funchal, the capital of Madeira, a small island off the coast of Portugal.


Above: Funchal, as viewed from a cable car.

Madeira is a Portuguese island, about 300 miles north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union. Discovered by Portuguese sailors in 1419 and settled after 1420, Madeira is considered to be the first territorial discovery of the Portuguese Age of Discovery.

Above: Blossom in Funchal.

Today, Madeira is a popular year-round resort, being visited by about one million tourists a year. The island is noted for its Madeira wine, flowers, landscapes and embroidery artisans and the main harbour in Funchal (where our ship docked) is the leading Portuguese port in cruise liner dockings.


Above: Some of the floats by our ship in downtown Funchal.

Funchal is located along the southern coast of Madeira, inside a natural amphitheatre-shaped valley, with gentle slopes - rising from the coast to 1200 meters - that provided a natural shelter for early settlers.


Above: Funchal at night.

One of the main attractions for visitors to Funchal is the cable car up to the suburb of Monte, high above sea level. Monte was originally a summer refuge for the wealthy, due to its mild climate, but today it is famous for the toboggan drivers that race tourists down to the central town with wooden runners that slide down the smoothed tarmac, and rubber boots to brake and steer!


Above: The Toboggan drivers at the start of the run in Monte.


Above: We walked down the same route that the toboggan drivers take (it is very steep!)

One of the main highlights in Monte is the Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte ('Our Lady of Monte'):


Above: The Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte

The Church was rebuilt after the earthquake of December 1818 and consecrated to the devotion of the original patron saint, whose veneration dates back to the 15th century. On 21 July 1804, The Lady of Monte became the patron saint of the Funchal diocese.


Above: On our walk back down to Funchal, we also passed through beautiful gardens.

When we had finally made it back down to Funchal, our legs were rather tired! Funchal is a great city, and I'd certainly like to visit Madeira again sometime in the future.


Above: Downtown Funchal.

Before I leave with you with a final shot of Funchal, let me tell you about this contract. I am on the Ryndam (the same ship as my first contract) for five months, and during that time we will be seeing most of western Norway, the Baltic (including Russia) and the Mediterranean (including African ports like Tunisia and Morocco). Blog posts will be happening more regularly from now on as there are lots of ports to catch up on!


Above: Funchal as viewed from the back of the Ryndam.

Thanks for reading and I'll be back soon!