World Cruise: April 2026 South Africa to Portugal
Day 103: 04/01/26 Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa
Port Elizabeth is known as the "windy city". There was so much fog that we were delayed almost 2 hours to get into the port. The area was settled by the British in 1820 mainly to strengthen the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa tribe. This lady had her baby strapped on her back.
We took a bus tour around the city stopping at Fort Frederick, Donkin Park, and Hobie Beach. It was very cold and windy, and I didn't have a jacket.
Jim's vlog: Learned a lot about Port Elizabeth today. Chefs Table main course was springbok venison that was delicious. Entertainment was Cornelia David, our multi-talented cruise director.
Day 104: 04/02/2026 Sailing the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean
Today we crossed from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean at the Cape of Good Hope. We had a beautiful brunch today with Daniel singing and our friend Greg Boyer.
Jim's Vlog: Theme for attire for today's brunch was elephants while for dance mob was colorful. Had a small gift waiting for us when we returned to our room to go to bed. Early morning excursion tomorrow.
Day 105: 04/03/26 Cape Town, South Africa
Arriving into Cape Town! Table Mountain in the distance is the oldest mountain in the world at 500million years old. Lion's Head. Tons of seals playing in the harbor.
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his fight against apartheid. Interestingly, apartheid started gradually in 1948 but became fully in place in 1963, when the oppressed group became the oppressor. Apartheid ended with the country becoming a democratic state in 1994 with Nelson Mandela elected as the first black president. The statue of Mandela is exactly where he gave his speech at city hall after being released from prison. We walked through the "Company Garden" from 1652 which has a still producing pear tree and several albino squirrels. The incidence of an albino squirrel is 1 in 100,000. The selfie was taken at Maiden's Cove where the women were allowed to enjoy the seaside without males.
Jim's vlog: 105 Seals in the harbor, world's oldest mountain, 370-year-old pear tree, albino squirrels and African musicians.
Day 106: 04/04/26 Cape Town, South Africa
Today was a beautiful day! We walked around the wharf and watched the seals playing, browsed through some local artists creations and enjoyed the day! We saw orcas playing along side our ship as we left port!
Jim's vlog: Free day in Cape Town. Only penguin we saw was metal and wearing a water bottle on his back. Orcas wave goodbye as we leave the port.
Day 107 4/5/26 Sailing the Atlantic Ocean
Jim's vlog: Happy Easter everyone!!! New dance routine is to ABBA music. More chocolate than you can shake a stick at (whatever that means). Supposed to be rough seas tonight although we're not feeling it. The crew has proactively secured many items around the ship so that we don't have any breakage of items like last time.
Day 108: 04/06/26 Luderitz, Namibia seen from afar
Unfortunately, the high winds prevented us from reaching the port today. We anchored for a few hours then we were unable to get our anchor loose. We rotated around to try to dislodge and in the process got hit by a couple of large waves during lunchtime. Lots of breakage and a few people hurt although not seriously. We were not in our room so we lost our water carafe but everything else was OK. Captain sent the tender boats out and with their help we were able to retract our anchor and head to our next port of call.
Jim's vlog: High winds and large waves equals a lot of broken glassware! Happy birthday to my sister, Grace! Forgot to mention that it was South African night in the restaurant, so we ate kudu, antelope and wildebeest tonight. Tasty!
Day 109: 04/07/26 Walvis Bay, Namibia
Country #22 (Namibia)
We had a late arrival into Namibia as the port pilot was delayed. We arrived into Walvis Bay "Whale Bay" in Afrikaans. We decided to take a walk on the pier and then the shuttle bus to the mall. Namibia was formerly a province of South Africa called West South Africa and only gained it's independence in 1990. The British occupied the area in 1884 but the German settlers established the coastal city in 1892 with the support of the Kaiser.
Viking hosted a fabulous dinner under the stars in the desert. We boarded a bus before sunset and drove for about 45 minutes into the desert to this beautiful venue. Jim walked to the top of the sand dune to get a sunset pictures.
There were traditionally dressed women, traditional music, and a barbecue of Namibian food. During dinner, we had fire dancers. I forgot my sambal sauce, but Putuh was there to save the day!
Jim's vlog: Delayed getting into Walvis Bay. We suspect it was an MSC Cruise Ship that was late leaving. Climbing the dune to get pictures of the sunset was tiring! Amazing food and amazing Viking crew. An experience to remember!
Day 110: 04/08/26 Swakopmund, Namibia
Today we took an early morning trip to Swakopmund (means mouth of the Swakop river). This colonial town was full of German architecture from the early 1900s. The whole area was clean and tidy in the middle of the desert! There is a 6 month jail sentence for littering! We toured their museum and took a walk along the seashore. They have just discovered oil off this coast and are in the process of starting to produce it. Another interesting fact is that their main export is salt. They take seawater and through a process extract the salt.
Jim's vlog: Namibian history lesson at Swakopmund Museum. Singer sang "Memories" from Cats in Dutch, French, German and English.
Day 111: 04/09/26 Sailing the South Atlantic Ocean
We watched many seals playing and traveling today.
Jim's vlog: Seals splashing in the ocean everywhere. Late night jam session in the Torshaven lounge with the Viking Band.
Day 112: 04/10/26 Sailing the South Atlantic Ocean
Jim's vlog: No Baggo again but won movie trivia. Jessica Sims sang her heart out. Yesterday's overtime trivia question about dimples on a golf ball, we originally had 372 but changed it to 272. Everyone else had less. I don't remember the correct answer but it was around 360.
Day 113: 04/11/26 Luanda, Angola
Country #23 Angola
We arrived into the port this morning to a welcome performance by locals. We are told that this port carries a "very high" risk for safety and that we should not go out without an organized tour by Viking. Luanda is the most populous Portuguese speaking capital city in the world. It was founded in 1576 and is one of the oldest in Africa. Independence was achieved in 1975.
The highlight was the Fortress of São Miguel built in 1576 for defense. Inside the fort, elaborate ceramic tiles tell the story of Angola from early years. It housed weapons going back to the 1500s. I thought this "Flecha" arrow was interesting since it means arrow in Portuguese. You can see the entire bay and city from the top of the fort.
We also stopped at the Church of Our Lady of Nazareth built in 1664. However, it was undergoing renovation so we could not enter. We also saw the memorial and Mausoleum dedicated to Angola's first president, Dr. Antonio Agostinho Neto.
The resident vocalist performed tonight. We posed with Emily...our dance teacher on the ship.
Jim's vlog: Learned a lot about the history of Angola and their recent civil wars. Then dinner, show and dancing as usual.
Day 114: 04/12/26 Sailing the South Atlantic Ocean
Jim's vlog: Art class watercolor horror! It's jazz for the entertainment!
Day 115: 04/13/26 Sailing the South Atlantic Ocean
Jim's vlog: Some improvement in art class. Tonight's entertainer sang songs from musicals she's been in. She played Killer Queen in "We Will Rock You" and Ursula in the "Little Mermaid". Ina's thoughts on the show were "meh".
Day 116: 04/14/26 Null Island, Gulf of Guinea
We arrived to Null Island at ~6:30am. Null Island is one of the most interesting "places" on modern maps, even though it does not exist. The captain stopped the ship for us to take pictures and enjoy!
The name refers to the geographic point where 0" latitude and 0" longitude intersect crossing of the Equator and Prime Meridian in the Gulf of Guinea, off the west coast of Africa.
Jim's vlog: Gyros for lunch then watched a bird make lunch out of flying fish. Art turtle needs work.
Day 117: 04/15/26 Sailing the North Atlantic Ocean
Jim's vlog: Moroccan tile coasters in art class., UFO rainbow, and Ina finally gets her scallops for dinner (Jim had to settle for lobster and cherries jubilee + ice cream for dessert).
Day 118: 04/16/26 Sailing the North Atlantic
Jim's vlog: Tiny flying fish. African owl in art class. Sam sings show tunes. Can you name the songs and the shows?
Day 119: 04/17/26 Sailing the North Atlantic
Fun day at sea! Jim doing artwork, an interesting rainbow and our favorite waiter, Made, posing for us!
Jim's vlog: No comet in sight. Ina loves her art class bracelet. Dinner was Renaissance-style lamb filet with sweet potato mash, glazed carrot medley and quintessential jus. Dessert was 21st century nut brownie with pistachio ice cream.
Day 120: 04/18/26 Praia, Ilha de Santiago, Cape Verde
Country #24 Cape Verde
We arrived into the city of Praia on the island of Santiago. Cape Verde was discovered by the Portuguese Navigator, Diogo Gomes in 1615. There are 10 volcanic islands that make up Cape Verde with Santiago the largest and the capital. They gained their independence from Portugal in 1975.
It is still used today as a military post. We visited the "plateau" in old town. This area is a thriving marketplace for the residents.
The overlook at the Sao Filipe Royal Fortress built in 16th Century.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, Cidade Veha, is the first city built by the Europeans in the tropics. The first road, Rua De Banana" was built over 500 years ago.
Jim's vlog: Statue of Diego Gomez who discovered Ape Verde, mural of Amile Cabral who led the opposition party that led to the country's independence from Portugal, Fort Felip and Rue de Banana or Banana Road which is over 500 years old and the oldest road in the country.
Day 121: 04/19/26 Sao Vicente Island (Mindelo), Cape Verde
Today we took a walk into the town of Mindelo. It is Sunday, so everything was closed. It was a beautiful day and nice walk to start our day.
The mountain in the background is thought to look like a lying man's face. We saw the Belem Tower Replica which is now a "Museum of the Sea" which was closed today.
We did a tour that drove us about 45 minutes to Praia Grande. We sampled their local rum made from sugarcane.
Another stop at a sand dune. This is sand from the Saharan desert.
We took the bus up a winding road starting at sea level and ending 2,441 feet to the top of Mount Verde. The wind was so strong that it almost blew me over the edge. We were given another sample of 2 more types of their local rums made from sugarcane. One was made from fennel.
Jim's vlog: Cesaria Evora is a national treasure that inspired many people singing in creole in a style of music called Morna. Her image is everywhere. Had great views from the top of Mount Verde.
Day 122: 04/20/26 Sailing the North Atlantic Ocean
Jim's vlog: Egyptian hieroglyphics in art class. Example followed by mine and compared to Ina's Egyptian pendant. Had to freehand draw because the stencils were, in my opinion, too small.
Day 123: 04/21/26 Sailing the North Atlantic Ocean
Jim's Vlog: In art class made a faux crocodile pelt to be made into a pouch later on.
Day 124: 04/22/26 Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands), Spain
Country #25 (Spain), Continent #5 (Europe)
The Canary Islands is an archipelago and the southernmost autonomous community of Spain. It is located about 60 miles off the NW coast of Africa and has a population of ~2.27million people.
Our tour took us to an overlook of the Orotava Valley. The volcano, Mount Teide, in the background is the highest peak on the Island and last erupted in 1909. The coastline was beautiful.
We traveled to Puerto de la Cruz and visited the Jardin de Aclimatacion de la Orotava Botanical Gardens. home to a plethora of exotic tropical and subtropical plants including the South American Coussapoa dealbata, or liana tree with a mass of intertwining trunks.
Puerto de la Cruz was a fishing village but now a resort town. It has narrow cobblestone streets, traditional colonial-style cafes and bars, charming plazas and a quaint harbor.
The Ermita de San Telmo was originally built in 1626 but was destroyed and rebuilt in 1778. It is named after a Spanish Catholic Priest who was beatified in 1741 by Pope Benedict XIV. Mass is held here since 1945 usually in German.
After our tour, Jim decided to go on a walk into town.
Jim's vlog: Mount Orotava, Alexander Humboldt, botanical garden, Port of de la Cruz, and Monument to the fallen (a tribute to the Nationalist victors in the Spanish Civil War) in Santa Cruz Tenerife. Peter Grant jazzed up Van Halen, Robert Palmer, Simple Minds, and The Man from La Mancha.
Day 125: 04/23/26 Sailing the North Atlantic to Agadir, Morocco
Country #26 (Morocco)
We arrived in Agadir at 6:30pm today but did not clear immigration until ~9:30pm. Needless to say, we did not go off ship tonight as most everything is closed anyway.
Jim's vlog: Ina likes her crocodile pouch. Violinist (Inna Tolstova) starts with Vivaldi and ends with Coldplay. How she is able to play while jumping around is beyond me.
Day 126: 02/24/26 Agadir, Morocco
Agadir is located between the Atlantic Ocean and Atlas Mountains. The city was totally destroyed in 1960 by an earthquake, so everything is "new". The city is very nice, clean, lots of green spaces, and lots of flowers and trees. We passed 2 mosques, the one on the right is the Lebanon Mosque and the one on the left is the Talborjt Mosque.
Our tour took us for a drive through the city then to the Talborjt market. Fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, and spices were abundant.
We rode the cable car up to the top of Agadir's Kasbah hill, more than a mile above sea level. I did not know that kasbah meant fort in Arabic. One selfie going up and one selfie going down on the cable car.
From the kasbah, we could see the beautiful beaches, had sweeping views of the city and the turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Some people posed with the dromedaries and/or took rides. Our friend Jody posed to get her picture taken with the camel for $2.00 and it bit her twice!
Our bus then took us to a Women's Cooperative market where the produce and manufacture organic Argan oil and Prickly Pear Seed oil. Both oils are supposed to have anti-aging effects. The government supports the women by not charging them any taxes, but it must be done by women in the rural areas. The served us a traditional mint tea that was really nice. The Argan tree is native to only a few areas of the world. Goats climb the trees to get the nuts, so efforts are made to keep them out of the trees until they fall to the ground. This picture of the goat was taken by another passenger who took a taxi out of town to see the goats.
Jim's vlog: The airplanes on the top of the mountain are restaurants (A300 and A340). Most of Agadir was destroyed in a massive earthquake in Feb 1960.
Day 127: 04/25/26 Casablanca, Morocco
We could see the Hassan II Mosque a long way away from shore as we arrived this morning into Casablanca.
The movie Casablanca was shot entirely in Hollywood, CA. That did not stop an enterprising American who worked at the embassy to open a "replica in name only" in Casablanca. It really is a tourist trap and some friends were overbilled by ~300 at dinner. When they challenged the restaurant...they offered to give them the overcharge back in cash. Hmmm...money laundering scam?
On our tour, we stopped at a cafe on the ocean. We had a Moroccan coffee and tea for about $7 total.
The Hassan II Mosque is the largest Mosque outside of Mecca. It has a 60-story minaret and can hold up to 100,000 worshippers. It cost $4 billion dollars to build, and everyone was taxed $30 each household to cover the cost.
The Habous Quarter (new Medina) is an authentic Moroccan cultural experience. In 1917, the area was established to maintain their cultural heritage. We will come back tomorrow for an in-depth experience. The Clock tower at the Jamaa Souk Plaza. This is a reproduction of the clock tower in the Habous quarter. The Notre-Dame de Lourdes Church was the 2nd church in Casablanca. It was built in 1934 in the modernist style.
Jim's vlog: It's Rick's Cafe in the name only since the movie was filmed in Hollywood. It's basically nothing more than a tourist trap. The art deco houses were pretty cool and we're planning on going to the large souk (market) next to the clock tower tomorrow.
Day 128: 04/26/26 Casablanca, Morocco
We took the shuttle bus into the city to do some shopping in the souk (market). This area is all made by the local artisans. Found a few tokens!
We met a few fellow travelers for a traditional Moroccan meal. The restaurant, Dar El Kaid, is located in the previous synagogue and was beautiful. We ate family style and it was delicious. I admit that we did also eat pigeon.
Jim's vlog: Would you buy and drink water from a goatskin bag served in a communal brass cup? Pigeon is actually tasty. Last day in Africa.
Day 129: 04/27/26 Cadiz, Spain
Cadiz is a part of Andalusia in Spain and was founded by the Phoenicians. It is one of the oldest continually inhabited places in Southern Europe. It is surrounded by water on 3 sides. City Hall is the main focal point of the square.
Roman ruins, Teatro Romano, were found in 1980 dating back to the 1st century BC is one of the largest Roman theaters in Spain. It could hold 10,000 people and highlighted the Roman's role as a port and cultural center. They are unable to excavate the entire site without collapsing the building built over it. You can see the mosque in the background.
Many plazas and narrow streets with lots of places to dine and shop.
The Cadiz Cathedral was known as the "Cathedral of the Americas" because it was built with money from the trade between Spain and America. It took 116 years to complete (1722 to 1838) and demonstrates 2 distinct architectural styles, Baroque and Neoclassical.
Jim's vlog: Cadiz Cathedral took 116 years to build. As a result, it is the last baroque and first neoclassical cathedral ever built as different architects designed the church. Seagulls had a feeding frenzy as the ship's wake stirred up fish.
Day 130: 04/28/26 Lisbon Portugal
Country #26 (Portugal)
Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was civilized by the Phoenicians. The city is at the mouth of the Tagus River and is the most westernmost capital on mainland Europe.
Jeronimos Monastery a UNESCO World Heritage site built in the early 1500s. We were not able to go inside today due to time. However, we were able to stroll the gardens
Belém Tower, officially the Tower of Saint Vincent is a 16th-century fortification located in Lisbon that served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. This tower symbolizes Portugal's maritime and colonial power in early modern Europe. The airplane is a stainless-steel replica monument to the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic. Note the bird sitting in the cockpit.
Monument to the Discoveries inaugurated on the 5th centennial anniversary of explorer Henry the Navigator's death. Mom wanted me to make sure and see this when we came to Portugal in 2021. However, I didn't get to see it as we didn't have any time in Lisbon.
Things we saw around town. Andalusian horses and typical buildings with decorative tile.
Pastel de Nata. Although it does not look tasty in the picture...it is probably the best pastry I have ever had. Our tour guide gave us one each and Jim went back for a second. The Pasteis de Belem is the original recipe for the pastry that was found in the Jeronimos Monastery and only 2 people know the secret recipe.
The Avenida da Liberdade was inspired by Paris' Champs-Elysees. It is a tree lined avenue connecting 2 squares (Praca dos Restauradores and Praca Marques de Pombal). The monument obelisk commemorates the restoration of the Portuguese crown after 60 years of the Iberian Union rule in 1640.
Jim's vlog: Roman aqueduct, Golden Gate Bridge clone, monument to the first flight from Europe to South America, and Fado music.
Day 131: 04/29/26 Lisbon, Portugal
The train station is at the end of the line. The Santa Maria Maior Church is known as the Lisbon Cathedral. It is the oldest church in Lisbon dating back to 1147.
The Church of St. Engratia was built in 1682 and became the National Pantheon in 1916. The dome was completed in 1966 making the monument that took the longest to complete in Portugal. The construction took a long time as it stands on the site of a previous church that was desecrated by a robbery in 1630. A Jew was blamed and executed, only to be exonerated later. Before dying, he said that a new church would never be completed, due to the conviction of an innocent man. He seemed to have prophesied, when the new church collapsed during the first months of construction in 1681.
Church and Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, meaning "Monastery of St. Vincent Outside the Walls", from the 17th century. It was founded ~1147 by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques. The church of the monastery was built between 1582 and 1629. We climbed to the top for a 360-degree view!
I loved the >150 ceramic tiles depicting scenes. They were created and painted in 2 different periods between 1700 and 1755. These ceramic tiles are call azulejo. I thought this one about the nanny goats was quite good.
Lisbon is very hilly and after all the walking/climbing, we were hungry. We stopped at the Restaurante De Sa and had some traditional Portuguese food. Jim had the bream and Ina had the sardines! I should have taken a picture of my perfectly filleted sardines.
We spent much of the time trying not to get run over by cable cars and tuk tuks. The sidewalks were very narrow and slippery.
Departing Lisbon Rua Augusta Arch with the statue of King Jose I, Monastery of São Vincente de Flora, Monument of the Discoveries and Belem Tower.
Jim's vlog: Train station, monasteries, cathedrals and fish for lunch.
Day 132: 04/30/26 Porto, Portugal
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal situated along the Douro River. The town receives the port wine from the vineyards upriver. There are 58 wineries in the region. This is our second visit to Porto. It seems that everything is uphill both ways!
Clerigos Tower and church were built between 1732 and 1750. It is the focal point and town center.
The Jardim da Cordoaria Park (Rope Makers Garden) built in 1865 is across the street from Clergios Tower. The platano trees in this park became diseased and began to grow bigger around but not up. Eventually they overcame their blight and began to grow taller.
Igreja de Sao Nicolau Church dates from 1671 when it replaced a small medieval chapel. It was updated to a mix of neo-classical and baroque styles in 1762 after a fire.
McDonald's was quite the surprise. The golden arches are in the windows, they were not allowed to change the outside facade in any way. Inside, it is run by 2 people only...kiosks to order, outside seating only and a fully automated food prep machine. They just bagged the food and handed the food to the customers. They also sell beer!
Jim's vlog: Concrete arch bridge, a couple of monuments to Prince Henry the Navigator, the Clerigos Clock Tower and church, St Nicklaus church, and the most beautiful and fully automated McDonalds that has only 2 employees (working)!