26 Night Cruise sailing from Barcelona to Amsterdam onboard Seabourn Sojourn.

In spring, the green Iberian and Moroccan coasts are dusted with crimson poppies, and snowdrifts of almond and olive blossoms drape the slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

Highlights of this cruise:

Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, is said to have been founded by the Phoenicians, and was once the rival of the powerful states of Venice and Genoa for control of the Mediterranean trade. Today, it is Spain's second largest city and has long rivaled, even surpassed Madrid in industry and commerce. The medieval atmosphere of the Gothic Quarter and the elegant boulevards combine to make the city one of Europe's most beautiful. Barcelona's active cultural life and heritage brought forth such greats as the architect Antonio Gaudi, the painter Joan Miro, and Pablo Picasso, who spent his formative years here. Other famous native Catalan artists include cellist Pau Casals, surrealist Salvador Dali, and opera singers Montserrat Caballe and Josep Carreras. Barcelona accomplished a long-cherished goal with the opportunity to host the Olympics in 1992. This big event prompted a massive building program and created a focal point of the world's attention.

Sete, France
The port town of Sete hugs the tiny Mont St. Clair, and is caught between the Mediterranean and the Bassin de Thau, a salt lake directly behind it. It is crisscrossed by numerous canals which link the lake to the sea, and connected by 12 bridges. Along the quay, renovated buildings provide a multitude of architectural details from the 18th and 19th centuries. The life of the town is found in its squares: Place Leon Blum, with its fountain and Wednesday morning flower market; Place Aristide, with its old fashioned bandstand; and Place de la Republique, with its huge retaining walls and vaulted loggias. Sete retains its historic purpose as a fishing boat haven for North African trade; the old harbor dates from the time of Louis XIV.

Le Lavandou, France
This pretty little town in the Var department of the Provence-Alps-Cote d’Azur region of France has spawned two interesting apocryphal stories. Everyone agrees that this is where the popular song A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square was written and first performed in 1939. It was sung in a bar by its composer, with saxophone accompaniment. But nobody can agree in which bar it happened. The other is the fact that the mayor of the town passed an unusual bylaw making it illegal for anyone to die in the town, after a court in Nice denied them a permit to create a new cemetery to augment the one that was already full. It’s that sort of place. The town’s name is even subject to some dispute. Some contend it refers to the lavender that blooms in the Provencal countryside. Others claim it springs from the old Provencal world for laundry. If you get the chance, a short journey to nearby Bormes-les-Mimosas is recommended. It has been adjudged one of France’s loveliest towns.

Melilla, Spanish Morocco, Spain
Melilla is one of Spain’s two enclaves on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco, a remnant of the colonial past. As a pocket of Europe on the African continent, its border is rather heavily watched. But the town exists as a resort community and serves visitors well. Overlooking the harbor is Melilla La Vieja, a 15th century fortress converted to a holiday destination. Among its restored fortifications, the site hosts a number of museums, churches, memorials and a multi-storey complex of manmade caves that lead down to the beach. The town also holds the second largest trove of architecture in the modernist style, after only Barcelona, many by the prominent architect Enrique Nieto. It is a fascinating city much praised for its tradition of multiculturalism.

Cadiz (Seville), Spain
To taste the true flavor of this ancient port city, one should stroll its seaside promenade, pausing to rest beneath the huge banyan trees. The narrow, winding streets of the old town fan out from the port, leading you to sunny, palm-lined plazas. Visit the Catedral Nueva (New Cathedral), begun in the early 1800s but not completed for 116 years. Its dramatic, golden dome rises over a striking interior. For those who enjoy people-watching as much as sightseeing, the seafood restaurants along the eastern edge of the port provide the ideal setting.

Casablanca, Morocco
Casablanca, located on the Atlantic coast, is with 4 million inhabitants Morocco's largest city, and at the same time the largest port in Africa. Built on the site of ancient Phoenician Anfa, it remained a small fishing village for many centuries until the French arrived in 1912. Since then Casablanca has become a vast modern city, ever on the increase since Morocco's independence from France in 1956. A successful blend of oriental-style, white cubic dwellings with modern Moroccan quarters gives the city an interesting flair. Lovely beaches and attractive hotels make for a popular year-round holiday resort. To help understand Moroccan culture a visit to the Medina, the quaint old Moorish quarter, is a must for all visitors.

Leixoes (Porto), Portugal
The commercial center of northern Portugal and hub of the port wine trade, Porto is a gracious, cosmopolitan city noted for its 12th century cathedral and medieval churches, picturesque narrow streets and wine lodges at Vila Nova de Gaia. It is clustered on hills overlooking a river, and is a northern European style city with granite church towers, narrow streets and hidden Baroque treasures.

Lisbon, Portugal
The great period of "the Discoveries" accounted for phenomenal wealth brought back from India, Africa and Brazil by the great Portuguese navigators. Gold, jewels, ivory, porcelain and spices helped finance grand new buildings and impressive monuments in Lisbon, the country's capital city. As you sail up the Tagus River, be on deck to admire Lisbon's panorama and see some of the great monuments lining the river. Lisbon is one of Europe's smallest capital cities but considered by many visitors to be one of the most likeable. Spread over a string of seven hills, the city offers a variety of faces, including a refreshing no-frills simplicity reflected in the people as they go unhurriedly through their day enjoying a hearty and delicious cuisine accompanied by the country's excellent wines.

Hendaye (Biarritz), France
Smaller than its neighbors St-Jean-de-Luz or Biarritz, Hendaye forms the political border between France and Spain on the Cote Basque, where the Pyrenees come down to meet the Atlantic. Politics aside, the whole area is culturally Basque, and the Basque language and flag are frequently heard and seen. Biarritz benefitted from the presence of the Empress Eugenie of France, who built a palace on the beach there in 1854 that survives as the Hotel du Palais. That attracted Europe’s crowned heads and secured its reputation as a seaside resort.

Bordeaux, France
Bordeaux is the starting point for many exciting excursions into the surrounding wine country. The patricians of Bordeaux have always been merchants and shipbuilders. Under the Romans the city had a flourishing trade with Spain and Britain. In 1154, as a part of the dowry of Eleanor of Aquitaine, it became English and remained so until 1453. In the 18th century, Bordeaux prospered from the slave trade, and later in commerce with French colonies in Africa. Since Roman times the quality of the region's vines and wines has been zealously maintained.

Cherbourg (Normandy), France
The seaport and naval station of Cherbourg is situated along the English Channel northwest of Paris at the mouth of the Divette River. Believed to rest on the site of an ancient Roman station, Cherbourg has been occupied since ancient times and was frequently contested by the French and English in the Middle Ages because of its strategic location. Most recently passed to France in the late 18th century, the town was extensively fortified by Louis XVI. During WWII the Germans held Cherbourg until it was captured by the American forces shortly after the Normandy landings. Following a vast rehabilitation program that returned it to working condition, Cherbourg became an important Allied supply port. Today, Cherbourg is important for transatlantic shipping, shipbuilding, electronics and telephone equipment manufacturing, yachting and commercial fishing.

Zeebrugge (Brussels), Belgium
This coastal port is our portal to the fairytale charms of Bruges, and almost unbearably romantic medieval town laced with canals. The central square confronts the visitor with four solid walls of fretted towers, elaborate edifices and soaring spires. One of the best ways to enjoy the town is to ride the swan-dotted canals on a boat tour. Or sroll around and pop into any of the open buildings to absorb the confectionary decoration. Speaking of confections, the town is justly famous for its fine Belgian chocolate. They even have a museum dedicated the Flemish invention of thinly cut, crisply fried potatoes that earned the inaccurate misnomer “French Fries!”

Greenwich (London), England, United Kingdom
A clever floating mooring near the Greenwich Naval Observatory provides your Seabourn ship its proximityGreenwich is a Royal Borough of London, located on a broad meander of the River Thames south-east of central London. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for its maritime history as well as its connection to the Royal Family. The Palace of Placentia has stood on a hill here since the 15th Century. It was the birthplace of both Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. The buildings were later incorporated into the Old Royal Naval College. Visitors are invited to explore the College, the Royal Observatory (site of the Prime Meridian) and the National Maritime Museum. On the riverfront, the 19th century clipper Cutty Sark, Sir Francis Chichester’s yacht Gypsy Moth IVand a Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender are museum ships. The modern structures of the O2 entertainment complex stand on the peninsula nearby. A floating mooring pier provides a berth for your Seabourn ship, offering easy access to both Greenwich and the city of London visible in the distance. to London. One of the world's premier cities.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The delightfully attractive city of Amsterdam is home to many of the world's great art treasures, and is a major center of the glamorous diamond trade as well. Unique architectural styles of the past blend with superb modern structures, and the web of curved and straight canals makes the city as easy to traverse by water as by land. The hospitality of the local people has been remarked upon by generations of travelers, and the Dutch's respect for and tolerance of the beliefs of others has attracted refugees from around the world for centuries.