Rome to Florida Transatlantic

The Rock crouches over the sea like an ancient stone beast, looking Sphinx-like to Africa. Beneath the white cliffs of this natural fortress grows a profusion of palm, pine, and cypress. No fewer than 600 varieties of flowers thrive here, some not found anywhere else on Earth. Gibraltar’s stunning setting is matched by its history – five countries have battled for 13 centuries to control the passage between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The result made for a cultural melting pot. Veiled Moroccan women in caftans and vacationing Englishmen and Spaniards stroll along the narrow, steep lanes. The locals revert to a liquid Spanish when talking among themselves. And visitors to a 15th-century cathedral pass through a blue-tiled courtyard, once part of a 13th-century mosque.

Helmeted bobbies, pillar-boxes and pubs make for a bit of Britain in the Mediterranean. Gibraltar is a fascinating place, from its caves and batteries to the Barbary apes gamboling on the slopes of the Rock.

Located on the western coast of Africa, the cosmopolitan Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city with a thriving tourism trade. Blending the modern world with the ancient, Casablanca can be accurately described as a cultural melting pot with clear African, Arabic and European influences. The city’s many parks, fountains and recognisably Art Deco flourishes are all courtesy of the French Protectorate who made the city their administrative centre in the early part of the 20th Century. Highlights include the impressive Hassan Il Mosque, the ornate Mauresque architecture and gleaming white 1930’s buildings immortalised in the classic film starring Humphrey Bogart.

When you’re vacationing on a cruise of the Canaries, the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, welcomes cruisers ashore on its ramblas (wide, tree-lined avenues) that lead to the central Plaza de España where the Francoist architecture finds one of its maximum national expressions.

When you’re vacationing on a cruise to the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, welcomes cruisers ashore on its ramblas (wide, tree-lined avenues) that lead to the central Plaza de España where the Francoist architecture finds one of its maximum national expressions. If instead one comes from the old part of Santa Cruz de Tenerife you come across churches built in a variety of architectural styles, from the insular baroque of the church of St. Francis, to the colonial Canary style of the church of the Concepciòn or the 18th century Iglesia del Pilar, built on an ancient hermitage.

As you set ashore from your cruise ship, you can explore the Garcìa Sanabria park with the museum of outdoor sculptures, Esculturas al Aire Libre, where a tropical nature blends with the contemporary art of Mirò, Guinovart, Domìnguez, Moore and many others. A place not to miss is the Parque Marìtimo, designed by Canarian artist-architect Cèsar Manrique, which hosts 5000 palm trees of 300 different species, three pools dug into the lava rock, a beach, bars and restaurants.

Santa Cruz de La Palma is the capital city of the island of La Palma, in Spain’s Canary Islands. It’s known for its centuries-old architecture, cobbled streets and busy port. A former convent hosts the Museum of the Island of La Palma, with an art collection and exhibits on natural history and ethnography. The Naval Museum is in a replica of Christopher Columbus’s 15th-century Santa Maria sailing ship.

On disembarking you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight home.