Almeria, Spain - Apr 02, 2013

On the edge of Andalusia lies the province of Almeria. It takes its name from its capital city which lies on the southern coast of the province. The area could have remained somewhat unknown if it had not been for movie companies who discovered that the area offered ideal film sets for films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Patton. Hundreds of westerns have also been produced in the local hillsides. Almeria, despite its rugged landscape and shortage of fertile soil, has managed, with a good irrigation system, to become an important growth area and is well known for the quality of its oranges and white grapes, most of which are exported from its port. The port itself is located right next to the center of the city, so a great place to wander off the ship and do our walking tour. With our tables mates along with HAL ship’s officer wife Julie we walked pretty much the entire city starting with the Alcazaba fortress (AD 995) perched high on top of the hills of the city. We also visited the central market for some great pictures and a local bakery for a snack stop. Then a bit of retail therapy before checking back on board by about 2:30. A very nice relaxing day for us here in Almeria. Tonight we are looking forward to dining at the upscale Pinnacle Restaurant on board, Jeff and Joy wanted to thank the Guest Services Manager JoJo for the wonderful job she is doing with the front desk and have asked if we would like to tag along, sounds great to me. Some pictures of our sunny and warm day here...