Seven Seas Voyager - November 29, 2025

Barcelona is the cultural heartland of Spain, yet its first language is Catalan, the native tongue of the proudly independent Catalonia region. Stroll down the shady, tree-lined Ramblas between street musicians and elegant bistros. Then perhaps visit the venerable Gothic cathedral, Picasso Museum or enjoy the architectural genius of Antonio Gaudi's Church of the Holy Family.

Funchal is a busy port exporting wines, fish, and fruit, it is best known for its beautiful setting and balmy climate, which make it a much-frequented resort. It has a late-15th-century cathedral and a convent church containing the tomb of Jose Goncalves Zarco, who founded the city in 1421.

La Palma is a stratovolcano, and is the largest of the western Canary Islands. At the island's east-coast is located the picturesque port-town of Santa Cruz. Behind it, like a colossal amphitheater, there is a mighty volcanic crater. This town, with its characteristical steeply inclined alleys, offers a really lively ambience.

The capital of Gran Canaria is a delight for strollers with areas such as Ciudad Jardin, where beautiful gardens surround the Canarians' homes, and the old quarter of Vegueta, where Christopher Columbus stopped in 1492. Explore the island's beautiful landscape; the highlight is a visit to the Guanches' caves, where the island's primitive inhabitants once dwelled.

The island of Lanzarote has the most active volcanoes and the most bizarre landscape you'll see anywhere. In the National Park of Timanfaya, weird formations of cooled lava thrust cave-pocked formations into the sky like pieces of Swiss cheese. Right on the steep sided crater, circles of volcanic rock enclose vineyards producing the island's distinctive Malvasia wine. In contrast are the inviting, gently sloping beaches of the South side of the island.

In Portimao, a fishing port since Roman times, you can sample fresh local seafood in harborside cafes, climb among huge, oddly-shaped rocks carved by waves or journey to Sagres, where Prince Henry's school of navigation still stands on a rocky promontory pointing toward the beckoning Atlantic.

Lisbon is many cities, from the cobbled alleys of the Alfama district to the broad Parisian style avenues at its heart. View it all from the heights of St. George's Castle. Belem's Monument to the Discoveries recalls the seafaring past, while nearby Sintra's storybook palaces, and the seaside resort of Caiscais, have different tales to tell.