We docked in Lisbon last Sunday. We had already visited Lisbon, but we hadn’t seen the Penna Palace, so we got a Viator tour. The difference in the quality of the tour was astounding. When we were in Tangier, we took a Holland America tour with about 50 people in our bus. The guide pointed to something in a museum and said “This is old.” Literally. The Viator tour had 7 people. The guide knew everything. Even with a great guide, I missed the symbology of the decorations. Here’s a picture of the main gate. The decorations bring out the best of Christianity and Muslims. Here’s the pic. Decide for yourself if you see the symbology.

The other port we stopped at was Alicante, which we also visited on August 4. We decided to visit the archeology museum. The museum is very modern and slick. The explanatory text is available in two languages, neither of which is English. They had a temporary exhibit which was available in English, about pre-Columbian native Americans. The message was clear. Native people = good, White people = bad. We had a good time anyway.

Today, the height of the cruise, is another sea day. Today we get to see the solar eclipse. Viewing conditions should be good. Depending on the local winds, there’s an excellent chance that we will be able to view the eclipse from our balcony.

I hope this finds everyone doing well.