September 30, 2025 Gibraltar
The only thing that might prompt us to get up early…the desire to beat the rush at the Future Cruises desk. So as we are booking a cruise for next summer, Remi passes by and we tell him we are booking yet another cruise … he replies “Excellent! I will get the Champagne!”…we all laugh…and guess what? …3 minutes later Remi appears with Champagne for us and orange juice for Paula Jean. No words. This is Crystal.
Anyway, afterwards we enjoyed a celebratory breakfast in Trident …
If you look over Tim’s left shoulder…you will see the ship that is docked next to us…
This behemoth is the Aida Cosma …it carries 6000+ passengers. Yikes!
That’s the “Rock” as viewed from the starboard side of the ship.
Photo credit to Timmy 😊
Looming over Symphony, that Aida ship looked like a mall that somehow learned to float.
I left Timmy to his own devices…and set out to explore the waterfront near our ship. As many times as we’ve been to Gibraltar, we’ve never gotten off the ship, mainly because I didn’t want the monkeys attacking us. (It’s a thing..look it up). Anyway, apparently the monkeys are on the mountain…not in town. So okay, let’s go.
The weather was perfick…as it’s been since we left New York..low 70 degrees, gentle breeze, no humidity.
The harbor front is beautiful, and I felt so happy walking along it.
I came upon a little village catering to the folks who dock their boats in the marina near the cruise ship port. Lots of shops and cool looking restaurants.
The marina is quite large and I walked for almost an hour.
I took this photo, because I failed to look left and nearly had a mishap with a demon on a scooter.
I had no clue what this monument referred to. Here’s the Readers Digest version: In 1940, as war with Germany intensified and Italy prepared to enter the war, the Brits decided to evacuate all civilians to turn Gibraltar into a fortress for the defense of the Mediterranean. The story is sad but inspiring …despite hardships, evacuees formed tight-knit communities, establishing schools, churches, and mutual aid systems. These people were sent to Morocco, Madeira, the UK, Northern Ireland and even Jamaica. When the war ended, it took 11 years for the repatriation to be completed.
Upon my return to the cruise ship port, I was determined to capture a photo of Symphony…my only choice was to enter a restricted area…
I had to climb over some obstacles …
The area had a strange smell…
And really, this was the best that I could do…
Back on the ship I went to the Trident Grill and ordered a Chicken Chinois salad and settled in my favorite shady spot to relax with my book.
This is my view through the pool deck windows …
Also my view…
So I was loving the peace and quiet…until…this woman, right here …initiated a face time call with her mother. Her hard of hearing mother. She asked several times…VERY LOUDLY “can you hear me?” I replied “we can all hear you”. She was undeterred, shifted her position and continued shouting to her mother. The absolute rudeness and entitlement amazes me …why didn’t she call from her cabin? Anyway, she drove me from the pool.
I joined Timmy on our veranda…he fired up our sail away playlist, we enjoyed a glass of The Ned and a beautiful sail out of port.
Can you guess what night it is? Yes! The White Party.
Tirso and Timmy
White Port Tonics…seems fitting for a White Night party
Dinner in Osteria before the party…once again our reservation fell on the night of the White Party…craziest Karma ever.😂
We love the new menu in Osteria…we also enjoyed the previous menu, but this new one is really special.
Tim’s eggplant appetizer
My shrimp app
Vladimir was our excellent server
Risotto …
Pasta
Branzino
Can you believe he’s drinking red wine? …at least he has his napkin securely attached.
Bruno and Hanna…part of the dream team
Elio, Timmy, Adem and Vladimir
Dance Duo…Mark and Bernadette…just before the party began.
Anna Alonso…Crystal vocalist extraordinaire
The Showband
Alexandre on guitar.
What a day. So perfick in every way…booked another cruise, had a lovely walk, a super dinner and capped it off at the White Party. Thanks for following along.🩵
