Nov 11

It was cold and raining as we docked at 1:00pm in Cartagena, Spain.  It was Sunday when everything is shut down but we had booked an excursion to Murcia, the Provincial Capital.  After a long drive we arrived and took a walking tour, umbrellas in hand.  First we toured the outside of the very old cathedral (it is only open for mass on Sunday) and had a description of the architecture and sculptures.  We next walked along the narrow streets to the Casino.  The Casino is not a gambling place but is a private gentleman's club built in the 1840s.  It is very ornate and each room is in a different style.  The entry hall is designed after Alhambra, the ballroom is very ornate with huge crystal chandeliers from Emperor Maximilien's palace, the library is all exotic woods and the ladies room has an interesting fresco painted ceiling.  It was a worthwhile stop on the tour.  We headed back out to the rain and walked around another church and were given free time (because that was on the tour agenda.)  Since all shops and most cafes were closed, we all got back to the bus early and headed out.  Our final stop was up in the hills to the Fuensanta Sanctuary, an extremely elaborate church with excessive amounts of gild work and a beautiful statue of the female saint in an alcove behind the altar.  We returned to the ship in time for the 6:30pm sailing.  That evening our travel agent hosted a party where a lucky couple's name was drawn for a free cruise next year.  Our name was in the pot but not drawn this evening.