Spain
26 April 2026
Here are some photos David and Linda have made around the ship…
Cádiz, Spain. The English pronounce it like kuh-DEEZ, but that acute accent mark over the “a” means the emphasis should be on the first syllable. The Spanish pronounce it more like KAH-deeth (deeth rhymes with teeth). Indeed, our tour guide today pronounced it kuh-DEEZ when he was speaking to us in English, but I heard him pronounce it KAH-deeth when he was speaking in Spanish to someone on the phone.
Founded on an Atlantic island just off the coast of Spain in the 7th century BC by Phoenicians from Tyre, Cádiz is often regarded as the most ancient city still standing in Western Europe. The city was an important trading hub founded to access different metals including gold, tin, and especially silver.
Last night, as we approached Spain, we had the windiest night of the voyage, with strong winds howling out on my balcony all night, and the ship rocking from the waves more than usual. I loved it. Spain has a lot of wind coming off the Atlantic Ocean. When I first visited Spain, in 1997, I was amazed at how many huge electricity-generating windmills they had. They have even more now.
Wind power is a primary, often leading, source of electricity in Spain, generating over 23% of the nation’s total electricity mix. Spain is a top five global wind energy market, frequently experiencing periods where wind and solar provide over 75% of their power.
We booked a cheese and wine tour, and our bus drove us 90 minutes through the beautiful countryside. Our guide explained that this part of Spain gets more rain than the north, and indeed everything was very green, with lots of wild flowers in bloom. We drove past Arcos de la Frontera, a beautiful white hill town that’s featured in a Rick Steves travel video. I’ll post a link below.
We had been seeing mountains in the distance for some time. Our guide explained that the southern end of that mountain range is the Rock of Gibraltar. We finally arrived at the base of the mountains, in the town of El Bosque, where we were taught the art of cheese making from local goat milk and sheep milk. We all took part in packing wads of cheese (in our case they gave us an inedible cheese substitute) into molds. The cheese maker judged all our cheese and she rated mine second best!
We then got to the highlight, sampling about 8 different cheeses they make, all delicious, and having a couple of glasses of Spanish wine. When we got back to the ship, Linda and David were off the bus and headed into the cruise terminal by the time I got off. I wasn’t too tired, so I decided to stroll across the street into the historic “old town” section of Cadiz, with the narrow streets and beautiful old buildings built long before cars called for wider streets.
I passed several little restaurants that looked good. I made a photo in one, of a painting on the wall of The Last Supper, but with a female Jesus! But none of the restaurants had a Visa/MasterCard Accepted sticker on the window, and I didn’t have any Euros, so I walked to the end of the street where I saw a Burger King! Had a Whopper with cheese and it was just like home!
I’m posting a video of our group doing the wine and cheese tasting, and a video of Churchill’s, the whisky and cigar lounge on QM2. I’d never been in there, but this morning I noticed that it was empty and the door was open, so I went in. It didn’t smell too bad, and I made the video, showing the humidor cabinet where they have assorted cigars, I assume for sale, as well as expensive wines and whiskies. There’s also a bust of Winston Churchill, who enjoyed whisky and cigars more than most of us.
Wine tasting after the cheese making.
Video inside Churchill’s, the ship’s cigar lounge.
VIDEO ARCOS DE LA FRONTERA, SPAIN: QUEEN OF ANDALUCÍA – RICK STEVES’ EUROPE TRAVEL GUIDE
This ship (see link below) just sailed past us, headed for Cadiz as we were leaving Cadiz. People living in another world! It’s a “superyacht” owned by Ritz Carlton. No cabins, just suites. about 230 of them. Cruises on the Ritz-Carlton Ilma generally start around $4,800–$6,800 per person for shorter Caribbean trips, with Mediterranean voyages often ranging from $9,000 to over $15,000 per person for 7-night sailings. Prices for premium suites can exceed $50,000–$79,000 per person on longer, high-demand itineraries. https://www.ritzcarltonyachtcollection.com/yachts/ilma
28 April 2026
We’re currently on the first of two days at sea, going up the western coast of Portugal, en route to Southampton, England, if Napoleon doesn’t send his navy against us.
I forgot to mention that the ship ended its heightened sanitation practices when we arrived at Tenerife, Spain, so we’ve returned to serving ourselves in the buffet.
After the 11 days we spent killing germs, QM2 has to be the healthiest ship afloat. Not a communicable disease to be found!
Here are some photos from a couple of evenings in the ship’s main dining room.
Ah, the Brits aboard. We arrive Southampton in the morning and the British people aboard will have completed their own world voyage and will be leaving us. QM2 departed Southampton, bound for New York and the whole world on January 11, so the Brits have been a long time away from home.
Every day, at least once, I overhear them discussing the American president. Frankly, I haven’t heard any of them with good things to say. Remember, I don’t make the news, I just report it.
I’m going to miss the Brits after these months hearing them speak. Don’t ever expect the English language to be consistent. They call math “maths” and they call sports “sport.” They love their soft “a,” for instance, they pronounce last like we pronounce lost. But they refuse to pronounce a soft a in “pasta” the way the Italians do. They pronounce it PASS-tuh (rhymes with shasta). I could go on, and on. No two of them really have the same accent. I suppose the same goes for the rest of us.
One thing I’ve noticed is that they’re apparently trying to drop the use of the word “England!” It seems every time I hear one of them use the word England, they quickly say, “um, the United Kingdom.” I hear them speak of Southampton, UK rather than Southampton, England. Apparently, United Kingdom is the name of their country, and England is just a district within it, though Google, that great source, calls both United Kingdom and England “a country.” It’s a bit confusing to me, and apparently to them also, as they keep correcting themselves when they say “England.” Oh well, it’s of no great consequence.
Fortunately, a new group of Brits will board the ship tomorrow, then we head for Le Havre, France. Or is it now called Le Havre, Europe? It’s hard to keep up.
As we enter the English Channel (they don’t call it that in France), the wind outside is now rated “gale force,” 50 mph/80 km/h, the strongest of our voyage, so they’ve closed the outside decks and told us to stay inside. I can still go on my balcony, but it’s cold and windy and loud! I’ve brought my illegal hammock inside. I’m doubtful I’ll be using it again. Just too cold outside in the North Atlantic. I’ve also packed away my sunglasses, broad brim hat, and umbrella, things I won’t need anymore on this voyage.
It’s hard to tell from this 2D video below, but I’d estimate the waves, measured from the highest peaks to the depth of the troughs is probably 12 feet/4 meters. We’ve been assured it will be even more rough once we enter the English Channel. Hope so!! Great fun. (Turn the volume up to hear the wind!)
Getting nice outside!
Readers may recall that, nearly 2 months ago, we passed the Cunard ship Queen Anne off the east coast of Australia. She was circling the world west-to-east as we were circling east-to-west. Queen Anne is now beside us in the English Channel, also headed for Southampton! Queen Anne is about the same size of Queen Mary 2, but QM2 weighs 50% more. That’s the difference between an ocean liner and a cruise ship. Thicker steel. I’ll bet their ride here in the Channel is a lot more rocky than ours, which I would consider great fun! With the wind and high waves, tonight will be fun sleeping!