Week 70 27July -2 Aug CRD57 Wk4 Europe

Sunday 27

Today we visited Ghent in Belgium. They were on the last day of a 10 day festival. Things were getting pretty messy. Sure the city is usually cleaner than we saw it. We did a river boat ride. Lots of history and stories. Belguim used to be a Spanish colony as such it attempted the kill all the properties many fled to Netherlands. Belguim is pretty flat and has a network of canals used to transport trade. Ghent grew as a hub of this trade. Now it is a really tourist place. We found thank you Kate a little back street restaurant for breakfast. It was empty when we arrived but quickly filled. After boat ride and wandering around we headed for Brussels airport to return the car. From here we caught the train into Brussels from there to a tram which was really a suburban train and then a walk to our accomdation. A unit on third floor in street in North part of inner city. The host where abrupt and efficient. Might be that they had to come in Sunday evening but probably just that they are European. Unit is OK with kitchen and balcony. So it provides interesting aspect to the street scape below. We walked into city to fond dinner. Without Kate we would have really struggled today. 

Monday 28

Today was our wander around Brussels day. We had a great Belguim Waffel with all the toppings. Kate took us to see the little boy and the little girl peeing. Story we got was tanners collected urine from kids to use in the tanning process. We went back to our unit for an afternoon rest before heading out again to find dinner and have another waffle. We went to a shop and I brought a pair of jeans that were on sale for 15 Euros. Weather is very changeable. Sunny on minute drizzling the next. 

Tuesday 29

Today we leave Brussels and flight to Madrid Spain to return Kate and the last phase of our trip. Their has been a snag with our belguim hire car we did not get all the deposit back. Working it through with the travel is proving to be a challenge. Thought we might be able to see AVIS at the airport where we returned the car but the airport was not the efficient. It too about 45minutes to drop our bags or drama just a long queue and 3 people. Then security was the same. We arrived at the airport about 8.30 and basically walked on to our flight. Really we queued and got on a bus and took a long ride to the plane which was pretty much as far away from the terminal as possible. We landed in Madrid no security or customs. Picked up our bags and walk to hire car. Each time we hire a car it is getting better. This time we got a VW Taigo. It has a bit less tech and in a bit smaller but has the best drivers seat and space we have had yet. Drive here reminds me of the US. We went to Merida 3hrs away. Drove through farm land all the way. Some big hill none of it is flat. And it is hot like home in summer. Temp was about 35. Unit in Merida was right in town with a very narrow carpark to get into. It was second floor. You entered through a door off the street. It has AC. We went out and found a place to eat. Good spot. 

Wednesday 30

Today stated with me attempting to sort out travel gent again about car hire deposit we did not get paid. It was close to 11 when we left. Merida is an old Roman Empire town and had a Roman Theatre and an Amphitheatre. We went for a look. Seriously old stuff. Amazing construction and detailed design. Was an experience to look into a space that had seen brutal death and bloodshed some 2000 years ago and next to it a place of music and plays. Theatre was much the same size and design as a modern football field. Tunnels to the dressing room for player to enter and everything. From here we headed back to the highway for the last bit of the trip to Cadiz and the ship. Went to our accomdation first about 20min from the ship. A cabin in a youth camp-site. Interesting. Then we drop Kare at the Harbour where ship was. We went in the shopping area of Cadiz where we had a very good milk shake while we waited for Kate who was not long. In fact by the time we parked and ordered she was there to. We wandered again and made plans for the next few days and ran into some of her ship friends. 

Thursday 31

Today we went to visit the ship. Their was a bit of a mix-up at the start about being on the right list etc which covered for us ring a bit late cause we had breakfast at our accomdation. Which was not till 9.30am. It was great to see the spaces Kate has been living and working in. We met some of the people. It was great to meet Beccy who we have heard a lot about. I was a little amazed how many people are currently on the ship. They are set to sail Sunday night. So our plans have worked out well. After are tour and a bit of chilling in Kate's cabin we headed out to a shopping centre one of the other crew members had found. It was huge. We have Spanish churros for afternoon tea. Kate brought a heap of bits and pieces she needed for the year ahead. We brought a little travel kettle and a theme flask because it is become clear that Spanish accommodation does not have tea making stuff. In many ways this is like the US. We went over the the Atlantic side of Cadiz for dinner and watched the sun set over the ocean. Then found are way home in the dark. Good day. 

Friday 1

Today Kate had some meetings on the ship so we went to the laundromat on the beach side of where we are staying on Valdelagrana. We had breakfast while our clothes washed and then after they had dried we went to the beach to walk in the East Alantic Ocean. We thought we would buy some sandwiches from a supermarket for lunch but really got lost in some very narrow streets of the old town El Puerto de Santa Maria. So we dropped our clothes back at our room and went into Kate to take her and Beccy shopping. We went back to the huge shopping centre with the top floor food court we big glass windows facing south east with a great view of this specular bridge. From there we visited a Aldi and a Carefour supermarket up the road. From there we went back over to the beach side we went to yesterday it was about 6.30 and we got some dinner. It was nice to spend time with Beccy too. After icecream we dropped them back.  It was about 8.30pm and went home for what was an early night. 

Saturday 2

Away earlier today ro have breakfast at a great place Robyn and I discovered when we first got to Cadiz. Cafe de Ana. I left at before 10 to go to Circuit of Jerez for a tour I had booked for. It was great we went into the media centre and the odium and race control a trip around the track would have been the only thing to make it better. I met a Spanish couple who spoke some English there were great. Offered to be their guide if they ever came to Australia. Went back to Robyn and Kate we had some lunch and wondered around shoos looking for bits Kate wanted. We headed to San Fernando to a big shopping centre on the other side of the narrow stretch (Isthmus) that joins Cadiz to the main land. We had dinner there. This was our last day with Kate. She sails tomorrow.  Finished our day with icecream back at Cadiz before we said out farewells. It has been good to spend time with Kate.