Cruise Day #11, En Route to Gibraltar

Well, last night didn’t hold too much actually. We had a drink on the balcony, went to the buffet for dinner around 7PM, and basically spent the remainder of the evening in the cabin reading (turning in to bed fairly early). After a number of busy port days in a row on this lengthy vacation, the respite was actually very nice.

This morning we awake to a rather strange sunrise. The sun was visible but veiled in a mist of low cloud and haze. I took some pictures of the sight, which I found alluring. We returned to our usual pattern of coffee and a continental breakfast on the balcony. As we’re well over halfway through the cruise, we chatted about the experience of seeing Europe in this way, comparing it to both organized tours and independent travel. On our last day at sea (Thursday), I plan to write up some reflections on the cruise experience.

We are now approaching Gibraltar. This morning, we’ve seen a marked increase in the amount of ship traffic approaching the Strait of Gibraltar, which connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. We’ve also witnessed scores of dolphins frolicking in the water. Yes, yes... I know. I’m anthropomorphizing them, as they’re doubtlessly just swimming as dolphins do and not “frolicking” in some sort of aquatic delight for our pleasure. But, they seem such happy creatures leaping out of the water to and fro. So, if you were here, I bet you’d say “frolic” too.

I also glimpsed my first sight of the continent of Africa this morning. It was tantalizingly, even frustratingly, close at hand. We have a goal to eventually visit all seven continents (heretofore we’ve mostly explored Europe and North America, albeit in depth). Therefore, it was exciting to see Africa so close, yet so far, away. Perhaps a brief gaze at a future destinations? Let us hope so.