Malaga to Lisbon

After another calm sailing overnight we reached the port of Gibraltar. Up bright and early we took a bus tour of the island town and to the top of the 'Rock'. Gibraltar is a small island and a slice of Britain stuck in between Spain and the Coast of North Africa. It is just a very large rock with a township crammed in with windy narrow roads. We were on a 20 seater bus (a large bus wouldn't get around the place) which took us up a very steep climb to the top.

There we took in another set of caves (not as spectacular as the Caves of Drach)

The highlight was seeing the number of monkeys at the top

From there back to the ship in time for lunch (MORE FOOD) and set sail mid afternoon to Casablanca.

Our trivia team was not ready to get together so Julie and I joined up with another. More Aussies (in fact there are quite a few on this trip). The team just missed out on a win and came in a creditable second (winning 3 Silversea points - wow 😅). After that, time to get ready for dinner. Still no dancing but getting to the gym and sauna helps.

Next day again an early tour of Casablanca and the City. We had been here before many years ago. We passed by the mandatory view of Ric's Cafe (although the film was never made here - the Cafe is an entrepreneur's brain child for making some money) and then onto the Hassan II Mosque. Quite a spectacular building.

Inside the Mosque

This is the washroom under the prayer room. Very fancy

After the Mosque it was another trip around the city finishing at a tourist shop (I suspect the tour guide gets his commission from here as we were forced to hang around for 30 minutes before heading back to the ship). Once again Julie was strong and came away without any dust collectors 😁. Our 4 hr tour ended up being 5hrs. Very tired upon return. Sat around the pool and enjoyed the sun and a couple of pina coladas to get ready for trivia (helps me think).

The trivia is good fun (irrespective of the final result). And what makes it enjoyable is the Cruise Director who hosts the activity. He is very witty.

Set sail to Tangiers (well not really 'sails' more like turning the screws). Tangiers is a very clean and beautiful city on the tip of the Moroccan north coast on the straight of Gibraltar. Lots of new construction is testimony to the healthy state of its economy. Instead of taking in the City we elected to take a tour of a small coastal town (Assilah) about 1hr drive (big mistake). The road system is very good and relatively new. Assilah is a small tourist town on the Atlantic coast and very popular in the summer months. 

It was pretty much deserted this time of year (except for the cats). It was a pleasant walkaround the town and finished in the small market. Julie went carpet shopping but unfortunately there was no magic specimen so came away empty handed. 

Hung around there for about 30 minutes (again the tour operator was hoping we buy something for his commission). Then onto the next stop which was the Hilton for a snack and coffee.

The hotel was beautiful, quiet due to the season but could see how popular it would be in the high season. It also has an 18 hole golf course that can be floodlit at night.

After that, another cave (Caves of Hercules)very  underwhelming compared the caves that we had already seen in previous ports. 

On the way back to Tangiers we stopped off to check out where the Atlantic met the Med.

 And then, much joy, we stopped off at a shop in Tangiers for the opportunity to shop for more souvenirs. Another opportunity for the tour guide to get commissions (I know - very cynical 😊). We came away empty handed.

Another 4 hr tour that turned into 5.5hr. A long day.

Definitely getting over the 3 Cs - caves, cathedrals and castles.

That night on board, the Ship put on a chocolate night (as if we didn't consume enough calories already). Julie was in heaven. 

Big day in the gym tomorrow 😄.

Next port of call was Cadiz. 

We awoke to another sunny day. The ship docked very close to the old town. Close to the shops but by now the allure of more shopping is fading (or so I thought - but more on that later). First, though, we went off on a tour to see more Andalusian horses. It was a 1.5 hr show and very entertaining. Beautiful horses which takes up to 4 years to train (and their handlers) for the type of show were saw.

We took in a city tour before heading back to the ship. Julie couldn't hold back any longer and headed to the shops.

Came away with a couple of items that didn't break the bank.

Found new friends and wandered the local streets.

 We had dinner in one of the smaller restaurants on board that also has entertainment (singer and pianist). They are very good. We danced 😍

After dinner we were treated to some flamingo dancing by the locals in the main theatre.

We were overnight in Cadiz but had enough of tours so decided to stay onboard for the next day. Just chilled out around the pool before an early afternoon sail away to Lisbon which is the end of the first leg of the cruise on Silver Dawn.

More calm seas for the cruise to Lisbon and arrived early the next day.

We went on another tour, this time a river cruise as well as a tour of the city.

The weather wasn't so kind to start. Cold and foggy so not much to see for the first hour.

But the back half of the trip improved once the sun cut through the fog.

And so we bid farewell to our new American friends as their trip on the Dawn comes to end while we will venture on to Fort Lauderdale. They were great fun. Lots of laughs had by all, although trivia was clearly not our greatest strength.

The first leg has gone by quickly,having a new port almost each day made it a packed agenda. We were very fortunate with the weather plus a very nice ship. Food continues to be very good (although at times repetitive), drinks a plenty and overall friendly passengers. The crew are outstanding.