From our lovely day in St. Barts.
Friday, April 9, 2010
birthday cake and crossing in the Atlantic
Luisa's birthday cake at sea!
And crossing the middle of the Atlantic with King Neptune
Ibiza Spain
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 – IBIZA Spain, part of the Balearic Islands
There are four large islands off the coast of southern Spain – Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. With a year-round agreeable climate, they are a well-known vacation spot for many Europeans – especially the Germans and English.
Ibiza has a harsh, rocky landscape which receives little rainfall. There are over 50 beautiful beaches, the small villages offer a maze of stone streets making for great exploring and have trendy shops and cafes. The old walled town of D’alta Vila was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999 and is perched high on a hilltop. Its walls were constructed during the 16th century by Felipe II to protect against the French and Turkish invasion.
The day was cloudy and sunny and a nice 68 degrees. The ship supplied a shuttle to the town centre and we quickly rented an Avis rental car for 40 euros for the day. A diesel IBIZA car (how appropriate) and it turned out we did not have to even put any gasoline in as the tank never went down! We covered only 60 miles during the day and saw spectacular scenery.
Together with a Canadian couple from Manitoba, we headed north out of town towards Santa Eulailia and to the Hippy Market in a small village near the east coast. Gene bought me a beautiful grey and white pearl necklace – the pearls are very large and from Ibiza. The market was from the ‘60s era with all kinds of tie-died articles and handicrafts.
We continued up the coast to Cala San Vicente and then headed in land, driving many switchback roads and through the mountains seeing sheep and flowers in bloom. Whitewashed houses dotted the landscape and terraced fields. We stopped at a few churches, but again, they close for the afternoon siesta. Went to Bafalia and found a watchtower/cylindrical fortress in the field, which was built to defend against the Turks. Continued westward through the switchback roads to Sant Miguel and to a lovely church and then drove due south to Eivissa (Ibiza) and then continued south to the Salt fields. Acres and acres of water and salt and we drove between the salt fields. A bull dozer was loading trucks with the dried salt to take to the ships in the port. Another road led us to a beautiful beige soft sand beach – there was a cute Picasso-esqe pink picture of bathing beauties on a mural by the sea. Another watchtover was at the most southern tip of the island and then we found the port and ships waiting to be loaded with salt.
Found our way back in to town and then to the McDonald’s for free WIFI (where a lot of crew were already on their computers) and took the last shuttle bus back to the ship. We sailed at 4:30 and we enjoyed a nice dinner – duck was my choice tonight.
Jeff Stevenson will be the entertainer. A very good English comedian who shared his experiences of trying to meet our ship! He left the UK on Saturday and ended up in Tangiers for 3 nights (which was way too long for him) and then we told the ship could not make it to port so they told him to fly to the wrong island!! So he went to Formentera and then was told to return to Ibiza! So instead of being onboard for 3 nights, he was on for one night and will disembark tomorrow in Barcelona.
Worked on getting the Ensemble Experience tour organized for tomorrow and off to bed. Wind is at 25+ mph which is absolutely nothing compared to our last gale winds.
“I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad.” - George Bernard Shaw
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Tangier port cancelled and Almeria Spain -- wonderful!
Monday, April 5, 2010 – Tangier
At Sea! We missed our port call due to the weather. We woke up to the Captain and Cruise Director informing us the wind was at 60-75 knots!! And the waves were 18-27 feet high!! Sounds horrible but it did not feel that bad onboard. The Captain said some ships were dragging their anchors. So we received our room service and promptly went back to sleep. I woke up at 12:15 PM so I obviously needed the rest. I went to the fitness center, read my old daily newspapers and then enjoyed the sauna and steam room. Great afternoon and then headed up to formal tea. I met a nice lady from NYC and her nephew works in Newark, DE as the head of a roofing company! Her two nephews also attended the University of DE. Such a small world…
We passed Gibraltar but we missed seeing it! Still cloudy, foggy and misty and the wind strong. The ship gave everyone a complimentary glass of wine with dinner due our missing the port, which we all felt was a great gesture. I have to take a moment to tell you how friendly this crew is to everyone. They are mostly Indonesians and they are always smiling and willing to help, reserved (especially compared to Americans!) and with a great sense of humor. We cannot say enough about the crew and this is only day 13. And I love being called “Mrs. Georgov” or “Miss Luisa” every time I turn around. They remember my name, my cabin number and my likes and dislikes. Whether I see them daily in the internet center, Java Café, or sporadically in the Lido buffet or dining room…they make a point to get to know you. I wish more Americans would get to know them on a personal level also.
Fantastic clarinetist Kennye Martin. Absolutely the best -- Benny Goodman set, blues, ballads on the clarinet, ukulele and saxophone.
What we missed in Tangier, Morocco: open air bazaars, ancient fortifuled walled towns, veil covered women…The port is built on the slopes of a chalky limestone hill and was first known as a Phoenician trading post with various rulers dominating this area wellinto the 16th century. In 923, Tangiers was granted a special status, officially becoming an “international city”. All laws and administration were governed by a commission composed of 8 European countries and the USA and it developed into one of the more stylish resort towns on the Mediterranean attracting bankers and financial investors. This all changed dramatically when it was integrated into Morocco and bureaucratic control took over. Population is 700,000.
One of the many attractions is the Forbes Museum, which used to belong to Malcolm Forbes. As a great collector of lead soldiers he brought together a total of 115,000 models, who figures re-enact the major battles of history, from Waterloo to Dien Bien Phu, realistically re-created with lighting and sound effects.
There are 15th century ramparts around the Medina, the old town. The Kasbah, a palace and administrative quarter since Roman times consists of walled compounds, villas and winding streets of the once elite; it is now a museum of Moroccan art. The city offers the mysticism of the Arab world and the cosmopolitan appeal of a Mediterranean resort.
“The only source of knowledge is experience.” - Albert Einstein
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 – Almeria, Spain
This is Andalucia’s easternmost capital. The inviting shore and luminescent water is evidence of an arid land – the sea is “extra” blue. During the Moorish period, the city ranked among the Cordoba Caliphate’s most important ports, so contemporary Almeria owes much of its most magnificent architecture to the period. The Alcazaba/citadel (built in 995) and the 16th century cathedral are spectacular (begun in 1524 is a combination of Gothic and Renaissance; built as a semi-fortress to withstand attacks by Berber pirates from North Africa) and the historic quarter’s narrow streets are lined with whitewashed homes. Al – mari – yat is Arabic for “watchtower”, a reference to the citadel, the largest Arab-built fortress in Spain. Inside the triple-walled compound, several palaces and mosques still stand.
We escorted a tour for the ship to Cabo de Gata and the small white-washed village of Nijar. Cabo de Gata is a natural (not National) park in the most southeasterly point of Spain. We drove through desert landscapes and small fishing villages with old watchtowers at the water’s edge….nice scenery with their Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. There were colorful fields of small yellow flowers along the way and thousands of acres of greenhouses! Thousands and thousands. There is a move afoot to possibly move these greenhouses to Morocco but it would be devastating to the economy in this region.
We drove to the small village of Nijar and their church has a colorful wooden altar filled with fresh Easter flowers. There was a beautiful marble plaza in front of the church and windy steep streets lead up to the plaza. We explored a few cafes and shops (nice cotton carpets) and headed back to Almeria.
Took a small toy tourist train around the city, past the Cathedral (which was closed during their luncheon hours) and through narrow one way streets as we explored the Gothic and city centre. Found a wonderful hotel proprietor who let us use their WIFI in the lobby for our short available time of 45 minutes and I was able to connect to home using Skype. For most of you, this is probably easy but it is a challenge for me so I was doubly pleased to get it to work. $0.02 per minute, when it works!!! But you have to be online and that is the issue. Getting online.
Back to the ship – again at 4:10 PM. Dressed for dinner. Beautiful sailaway down the coast and the Captain reported we would again have rough seas tonight. Good dinner of chicken scallopini marsala and Sacher torte. Mr. Pingxin Xu, a dulcimer player from China was superb – we saw him last year on the Queen Victoria.
Ran around delivering shore excursion information for the Ensemble Experience on Thursday and always end up meeting people and chatting along the way. Decided to see the movie “A Prairie Home Companion” – was not in the mood for that one. Compute work and to be bed way too late again….
Young Walt Disney had been born east of Almeria just before his parents emigrated to the US. There are great beaches along the coast and the hinterland has a barren, almost lunar landscape. Many Italian moviemakers decided that landscape would provide the ideal landscape for the spaghetti westerns of the 1960s.
Granada’s Alhambra, one of Moorish Spain’s most familiar monuments is the province’s most familiar monument – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – about 90 miles from our port so you can do it in a long 12-hour day.
“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.” - Mark Twain
At Sea! We missed our port call due to the weather. We woke up to the Captain and Cruise Director informing us the wind was at 60-75 knots!! And the waves were 18-27 feet high!! Sounds horrible but it did not feel that bad onboard. The Captain said some ships were dragging their anchors. So we received our room service and promptly went back to sleep. I woke up at 12:15 PM so I obviously needed the rest. I went to the fitness center, read my old daily newspapers and then enjoyed the sauna and steam room. Great afternoon and then headed up to formal tea. I met a nice lady from NYC and her nephew works in Newark, DE as the head of a roofing company! Her two nephews also attended the University of DE. Such a small world…
We passed Gibraltar but we missed seeing it! Still cloudy, foggy and misty and the wind strong. The ship gave everyone a complimentary glass of wine with dinner due our missing the port, which we all felt was a great gesture. I have to take a moment to tell you how friendly this crew is to everyone. They are mostly Indonesians and they are always smiling and willing to help, reserved (especially compared to Americans!) and with a great sense of humor. We cannot say enough about the crew and this is only day 13. And I love being called “Mrs. Georgov” or “Miss Luisa” every time I turn around. They remember my name, my cabin number and my likes and dislikes. Whether I see them daily in the internet center, Java Café, or sporadically in the Lido buffet or dining room…they make a point to get to know you. I wish more Americans would get to know them on a personal level also.
Fantastic clarinetist Kennye Martin. Absolutely the best -- Benny Goodman set, blues, ballads on the clarinet, ukulele and saxophone.
What we missed in Tangier, Morocco: open air bazaars, ancient fortifuled walled towns, veil covered women…The port is built on the slopes of a chalky limestone hill and was first known as a Phoenician trading post with various rulers dominating this area wellinto the 16th century. In 923, Tangiers was granted a special status, officially becoming an “international city”. All laws and administration were governed by a commission composed of 8 European countries and the USA and it developed into one of the more stylish resort towns on the Mediterranean attracting bankers and financial investors. This all changed dramatically when it was integrated into Morocco and bureaucratic control took over. Population is 700,000.
One of the many attractions is the Forbes Museum, which used to belong to Malcolm Forbes. As a great collector of lead soldiers he brought together a total of 115,000 models, who figures re-enact the major battles of history, from Waterloo to Dien Bien Phu, realistically re-created with lighting and sound effects.
There are 15th century ramparts around the Medina, the old town. The Kasbah, a palace and administrative quarter since Roman times consists of walled compounds, villas and winding streets of the once elite; it is now a museum of Moroccan art. The city offers the mysticism of the Arab world and the cosmopolitan appeal of a Mediterranean resort.
“The only source of knowledge is experience.” - Albert Einstein
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 – Almeria, Spain
This is Andalucia’s easternmost capital. The inviting shore and luminescent water is evidence of an arid land – the sea is “extra” blue. During the Moorish period, the city ranked among the Cordoba Caliphate’s most important ports, so contemporary Almeria owes much of its most magnificent architecture to the period. The Alcazaba/citadel (built in 995) and the 16th century cathedral are spectacular (begun in 1524 is a combination of Gothic and Renaissance; built as a semi-fortress to withstand attacks by Berber pirates from North Africa) and the historic quarter’s narrow streets are lined with whitewashed homes. Al – mari – yat is Arabic for “watchtower”, a reference to the citadel, the largest Arab-built fortress in Spain. Inside the triple-walled compound, several palaces and mosques still stand.
We escorted a tour for the ship to Cabo de Gata and the small white-washed village of Nijar. Cabo de Gata is a natural (not National) park in the most southeasterly point of Spain. We drove through desert landscapes and small fishing villages with old watchtowers at the water’s edge….nice scenery with their Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. There were colorful fields of small yellow flowers along the way and thousands of acres of greenhouses! Thousands and thousands. There is a move afoot to possibly move these greenhouses to Morocco but it would be devastating to the economy in this region.
We drove to the small village of Nijar and their church has a colorful wooden altar filled with fresh Easter flowers. There was a beautiful marble plaza in front of the church and windy steep streets lead up to the plaza. We explored a few cafes and shops (nice cotton carpets) and headed back to Almeria.
Took a small toy tourist train around the city, past the Cathedral (which was closed during their luncheon hours) and through narrow one way streets as we explored the Gothic and city centre. Found a wonderful hotel proprietor who let us use their WIFI in the lobby for our short available time of 45 minutes and I was able to connect to home using Skype. For most of you, this is probably easy but it is a challenge for me so I was doubly pleased to get it to work. $0.02 per minute, when it works!!! But you have to be online and that is the issue. Getting online.
Back to the ship – again at 4:10 PM. Dressed for dinner. Beautiful sailaway down the coast and the Captain reported we would again have rough seas tonight. Good dinner of chicken scallopini marsala and Sacher torte. Mr. Pingxin Xu, a dulcimer player from China was superb – we saw him last year on the Queen Victoria.
Ran around delivering shore excursion information for the Ensemble Experience on Thursday and always end up meeting people and chatting along the way. Decided to see the movie “A Prairie Home Companion” – was not in the mood for that one. Compute work and to be bed way too late again….
Young Walt Disney had been born east of Almeria just before his parents emigrated to the US. There are great beaches along the coast and the hinterland has a barren, almost lunar landscape. Many Italian moviemakers decided that landscape would provide the ideal landscape for the spaghetti westerns of the 1960s.
Granada’s Alhambra, one of Moorish Spain’s most familiar monuments is the province’s most familiar monument – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – about 90 miles from our port so you can do it in a long 12-hour day.
“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.” - Mark Twain
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Easter at sea
Sunday, April 4, 2010 – EASTER SUNDAY at sea
Cloudy and big swells with 9 feet waves
We were rocking around last night and the Captain said the weather will get worse tonight. With the wind at 30+ knots and the speed of the ship at just less than 20 knots, we are feeling the results – rocking, pitching and rolling. Which, honestly, sounds horrible but it is actually not too bad. You sway when you stand up and walk, yes, but we have not heard of anyone falling or getting hurt and we have not had any items fall off our shelves!
Attended 7:15 AM sunrise service on the outer deck by the back pool. Sunrise was at 7:36 AM. It was an extremely blustery service and none of us were dressed for it but we stayed. The organ played beautifully and the sermon was preached and the sun appeared behind the clouds. We could see a wisp of clear blue sky between the clouds and it was beautiful!
Breakfast in the Lido buffet, paperwork, met with the Easter bunny (the entertainment staff do make each day special and not in a corny way – they really make it fun), had lunch with friends from FL and Roanake, VA, competed in the egg roll competition and the Easter egg hunt to win “dam” dollars and then hosted a private galley tour for the Ensemble guests. It is an extremely SMALL kitchen!! One hallway – food prep, room service, serving and cleanup. We understand there is another larger kitchen on the 4th deck (we are on 7) and we hope to see that one later during the cruise.
Met with friends and then had a nice dinner. Lamb and a Singapore chicken satay and a sugar-free berry almond torte. It was a production show about the South and then heard we may have a rough time docking tomorrow in Tangier! The wind and waves may prevent our docking so we will see. Up early to wait! All based on the Captain’s decision.
“Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend – or a meaningful day.” – Dalai Lama
Cloudy and big swells with 9 feet waves
We were rocking around last night and the Captain said the weather will get worse tonight. With the wind at 30+ knots and the speed of the ship at just less than 20 knots, we are feeling the results – rocking, pitching and rolling. Which, honestly, sounds horrible but it is actually not too bad. You sway when you stand up and walk, yes, but we have not heard of anyone falling or getting hurt and we have not had any items fall off our shelves!
Attended 7:15 AM sunrise service on the outer deck by the back pool. Sunrise was at 7:36 AM. It was an extremely blustery service and none of us were dressed for it but we stayed. The organ played beautifully and the sermon was preached and the sun appeared behind the clouds. We could see a wisp of clear blue sky between the clouds and it was beautiful!
Breakfast in the Lido buffet, paperwork, met with the Easter bunny (the entertainment staff do make each day special and not in a corny way – they really make it fun), had lunch with friends from FL and Roanake, VA, competed in the egg roll competition and the Easter egg hunt to win “dam” dollars and then hosted a private galley tour for the Ensemble guests. It is an extremely SMALL kitchen!! One hallway – food prep, room service, serving and cleanup. We understand there is another larger kitchen on the 4th deck (we are on 7) and we hope to see that one later during the cruise.
Met with friends and then had a nice dinner. Lamb and a Singapore chicken satay and a sugar-free berry almond torte. It was a production show about the South and then heard we may have a rough time docking tomorrow in Tangier! The wind and waves may prevent our docking so we will see. Up early to wait! All based on the Captain’s decision.
“Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend – or a meaningful day.” – Dalai Lama
Madeira - beautiful Portuguese island
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Beautiful spring day in Funchal, on the island of Madeira, Portugal
We docked before our scheduled time of 7:30 and after our room service we headed to the pier. As we were waiting for a bus to take us to the entrance to the port, which we later discovered was a few mere feet away, our driver from Abreu Tours arrived – Miguel Pita. We spent a wonderful day with him from 9-4:15 and really, really liked the island. The weather cooperated wonderfully and it was in brilliant sunshine that we headed west along the coast. The island is volcanic with black sand beaches, incredibly steep and narrow streets, charming villages and churches, cliffs dropping to a breathtaking blue sea below, cows roaming the pastures…much more picturesque and quaint and interesting than I had imagined.
The island’s population is approx. 250,000 and Funchal has a population of 100,526. It is the capital and largest city. Funchal has a unique location on the island: a natural "amphitheatre" surrounds the city, with gentle slopes beginning at the harbor and rising almost 3,940 feet. This provides a natural shelter and was what attracted the first settlers. Madeira is an "autonomous region" of Portugal (self-governing, but established under the Portuguese constitution) and the euro is the currency. The inhabitants are, for all intents and purposes, Portuguese. They speak Portuguese, vote in Portuguese elections and celebrate Portuguese holidays.
Madeira lies on the Gulf Stream, which makes the climate a mild, sub-tropical one. Both the water and air temperature averages between 60 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. Bananas are in season year-round and there were banana trees in every imaginable area – two in one backyard, an entire field of them on a terraced hillside…incredibly large bunches of bananas in their blue bags so the animals do not get to them. Bunches grow only once a year on each plant (?) and can weigh up to 170 pounds. That is a lot of bananas!
Miguel was our escort for the day in a Mercedes van and we headed west to Camara de Lobos, a beautiful overlook of the coastline. Coincidentally, there were various vendors there and Gene bought me a beautiful brown fossil necklace. They had fennel candies and many cotton dish towels and other handcrafted items. Medeira embroidery owes its origin to an Englishwoman, Miss Phelps, who in 1856 started a workroom where women embroidered designs after the manner of broderie anglaise. Samples reached London and with such enthusiasm that embroidery became one of Madeira’s major resources with 30,000 women in the industry today. Winston Churchill visited the island often and painted! The small museum showed him at the waterfront with his canvas and easel. And the Royal Family from Austria vacationed there in the 1930s. It is not easy to get to today so imagine back then! It must have taken weeks just to get there!!
We continued along the coast to Cabo Girao. The flowers were in full bloom with hydrangeas, geraniums, hibiscus, agapanthus, fuchsias and euphorbias. And orchids!! Lots of orchids! We stopped to take the “poncha” drink – lemon juice, honey and brandy – and found a beautiful church. With the Easter decorations, the altars were beautiful in the wooden churchs with white belfry. And the vineyards are in everyone’s backyard – Malmsey, Verdelho and Tinto are made from the grapes
Ribeira Brava was next – along with passing through some of the 172+/- tunnels on the island! The hills and roads are just too steep to describe and the European Union has built them a fabulous infrastructure. Tunnels and tunnels and tunnels. The largest is over 3.1 Kilometers long (about 2 miles) and what used to take 4+ hours one way is now a ½ hour drive.
Canhas and then the steep drive through the forest to the plain of Paul de Serra, which was above the clouds!! Trees, trees, trees, windy turns, tall trees, cool temperature and then a COLD plateau at the top with desert-like landscape. The area has “levadas” (nature walks) past waterfalls, small craters…there are different walks for each day of the week. The pathway is beside a small channel (about 1 foot wide) where the water from the clouds and mountains runs down the mountainside. The island is not at a loss for fresh water. The walks can be escorted or done on your own and are at the most 7 miles.
Porto Moniz was the highlight -- the small village at the northwest of the island with incredibly scenic volcanic pools at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Imagine black volcanic rock rising out of the clear, clear blue and green water in front of the deep blue Atlantic Ocean crashing behind you. Wow. It was spectacular. Plus there are restaurants at the water’s edge and a walking path through the volcanic rocks. Whalers used to depart from this town and it is the only sheltered harbor along the north coast.
We continued down the road through the newest tunnels to Sao Vicente and had a very hearty and delicious lunch in a typical café. Bountiful servings of chicken and barley soup, the best hot and crusty bread you can imagine and then a choice of an entrée (I had espada fish) with heaping mounds of rice, fried polenta, potatoes, cabbage, brussel sprouts and carrots! What a serving! Plus chocolate mousse or fruit salad for dessert. We couldn’t eat the ½ of it!! But we enjoyed trying.
There are three "typical" dishes in Madeira: 1) Tomato and onion soup is hearty, delicious, garlicky and should be eaten with hunks of artisan bread. 2) Espada, a long, black, really ugly, but unbelievably delicious fish native to the deep waters off the islands (I enjoyed this in the afternoon) and 3) Espetada, which is hunks of marinated beef grilled on a bay twig skewer.
I was getting nervous about getting back to the ship so we headed back and encountered a road detour due to the terrible rains they had in February. The mountain rain had widened the “contained” riverbank and, sadly, 53 people died and houses and the road were washed away. We drove through the dry riverbed today as the new road is incomplete.
Arriving back to the ship at 4:10 PM was slightly too close for my comfort but as long as we made it. I can’t imagine what a one-way ticket to Tangier Morocco would cost and the routing of the flights! We had hoped to get in to town to work on the computer and make phone calls but the ship was departing at 4:30. Beautiful sail-away in the sunshine and we could see the island is much longer than I imagined. Rocky cliffs are along the eastern half also and the airport. That landing must be interesting as you fly over gorges and then drop down straight onto the runway.
The beaches are black volcanic stones. The residents prefer the beige sand beaches on their neighboring island, Porto Santo – a 2 hour ferry ride away. The island appeared to be uninhabited and entirely covered in woodland and Joao Goncalves Zarco and Tristao Vaz Teixeira named it “a ilha da Madeira” in 1419.
THINGS TO DO OR SEE IN FUNCHAL
Wicker Toboggan Sled Run is the most popular activity starting from Monte at the bottom of stairs at Nossa Senhora do Monte Church. Monte is located north of Funchal and is about 2,300 feet above sea level. Visitors are transported 1.2 miles downhill to Livramento through the back streets at speeds up to 30 mph in large two-seater wicker baskets that glide on wooden runners. They are pushed and steered by two men traditionally dressed in white cotton clothes and a straw boater hat. They use their rubber-soled boots as brakes. The downhill ride lasts about 10 minutes.
Funchal Passenger Ropeway is a gondola lift that transports people from the lower section of Funchal to the suburb of Monte. The ropeway was inaugurated in November 2000. The time for the trip is 15 minutes with over 39 cabs with 8 seats each and they carry 800 passengers per hour. The upper station is near to the start of the Toboggan Run.
Workers market, church, museums…free wi-fi all over and very walkable streets as long as you take the hills in to account. Great port of call.
We decided against dinner and I went to the buffet and ate with friends. It is a very nice atmosphere up there with the linen tablecloths and more than sufficient staff to carry your tray, serve you and to dine in an open and airy area. Plus with our time zone changes, the sun sets very late so it is very pleasant as you look out upon the sea and sunset. And the choices are plentiful! Choose your own vegetables and create your own dish and dine less formally and quicker.
The show was Don Bryan and Noseworthy – a wonderful ventriloquist. We have seen him before and went to both shows tonight! The Final Four was on TV beginning at 11PM our time so it was a very late night.
Beautiful spring day in Funchal, on the island of Madeira, Portugal
We docked before our scheduled time of 7:30 and after our room service we headed to the pier. As we were waiting for a bus to take us to the entrance to the port, which we later discovered was a few mere feet away, our driver from Abreu Tours arrived – Miguel Pita. We spent a wonderful day with him from 9-4:15 and really, really liked the island. The weather cooperated wonderfully and it was in brilliant sunshine that we headed west along the coast. The island is volcanic with black sand beaches, incredibly steep and narrow streets, charming villages and churches, cliffs dropping to a breathtaking blue sea below, cows roaming the pastures…much more picturesque and quaint and interesting than I had imagined.
The island’s population is approx. 250,000 and Funchal has a population of 100,526. It is the capital and largest city. Funchal has a unique location on the island: a natural "amphitheatre" surrounds the city, with gentle slopes beginning at the harbor and rising almost 3,940 feet. This provides a natural shelter and was what attracted the first settlers. Madeira is an "autonomous region" of Portugal (self-governing, but established under the Portuguese constitution) and the euro is the currency. The inhabitants are, for all intents and purposes, Portuguese. They speak Portuguese, vote in Portuguese elections and celebrate Portuguese holidays.
Madeira lies on the Gulf Stream, which makes the climate a mild, sub-tropical one. Both the water and air temperature averages between 60 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. Bananas are in season year-round and there were banana trees in every imaginable area – two in one backyard, an entire field of them on a terraced hillside…incredibly large bunches of bananas in their blue bags so the animals do not get to them. Bunches grow only once a year on each plant (?) and can weigh up to 170 pounds. That is a lot of bananas!
Miguel was our escort for the day in a Mercedes van and we headed west to Camara de Lobos, a beautiful overlook of the coastline. Coincidentally, there were various vendors there and Gene bought me a beautiful brown fossil necklace. They had fennel candies and many cotton dish towels and other handcrafted items. Medeira embroidery owes its origin to an Englishwoman, Miss Phelps, who in 1856 started a workroom where women embroidered designs after the manner of broderie anglaise. Samples reached London and with such enthusiasm that embroidery became one of Madeira’s major resources with 30,000 women in the industry today. Winston Churchill visited the island often and painted! The small museum showed him at the waterfront with his canvas and easel. And the Royal Family from Austria vacationed there in the 1930s. It is not easy to get to today so imagine back then! It must have taken weeks just to get there!!
We continued along the coast to Cabo Girao. The flowers were in full bloom with hydrangeas, geraniums, hibiscus, agapanthus, fuchsias and euphorbias. And orchids!! Lots of orchids! We stopped to take the “poncha” drink – lemon juice, honey and brandy – and found a beautiful church. With the Easter decorations, the altars were beautiful in the wooden churchs with white belfry. And the vineyards are in everyone’s backyard – Malmsey, Verdelho and Tinto are made from the grapes
Ribeira Brava was next – along with passing through some of the 172+/- tunnels on the island! The hills and roads are just too steep to describe and the European Union has built them a fabulous infrastructure. Tunnels and tunnels and tunnels. The largest is over 3.1 Kilometers long (about 2 miles) and what used to take 4+ hours one way is now a ½ hour drive.
Canhas and then the steep drive through the forest to the plain of Paul de Serra, which was above the clouds!! Trees, trees, trees, windy turns, tall trees, cool temperature and then a COLD plateau at the top with desert-like landscape. The area has “levadas” (nature walks) past waterfalls, small craters…there are different walks for each day of the week. The pathway is beside a small channel (about 1 foot wide) where the water from the clouds and mountains runs down the mountainside. The island is not at a loss for fresh water. The walks can be escorted or done on your own and are at the most 7 miles.
Porto Moniz was the highlight -- the small village at the northwest of the island with incredibly scenic volcanic pools at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Imagine black volcanic rock rising out of the clear, clear blue and green water in front of the deep blue Atlantic Ocean crashing behind you. Wow. It was spectacular. Plus there are restaurants at the water’s edge and a walking path through the volcanic rocks. Whalers used to depart from this town and it is the only sheltered harbor along the north coast.
We continued down the road through the newest tunnels to Sao Vicente and had a very hearty and delicious lunch in a typical café. Bountiful servings of chicken and barley soup, the best hot and crusty bread you can imagine and then a choice of an entrée (I had espada fish) with heaping mounds of rice, fried polenta, potatoes, cabbage, brussel sprouts and carrots! What a serving! Plus chocolate mousse or fruit salad for dessert. We couldn’t eat the ½ of it!! But we enjoyed trying.
There are three "typical" dishes in Madeira: 1) Tomato and onion soup is hearty, delicious, garlicky and should be eaten with hunks of artisan bread. 2) Espada, a long, black, really ugly, but unbelievably delicious fish native to the deep waters off the islands (I enjoyed this in the afternoon) and 3) Espetada, which is hunks of marinated beef grilled on a bay twig skewer.
I was getting nervous about getting back to the ship so we headed back and encountered a road detour due to the terrible rains they had in February. The mountain rain had widened the “contained” riverbank and, sadly, 53 people died and houses and the road were washed away. We drove through the dry riverbed today as the new road is incomplete.
Arriving back to the ship at 4:10 PM was slightly too close for my comfort but as long as we made it. I can’t imagine what a one-way ticket to Tangier Morocco would cost and the routing of the flights! We had hoped to get in to town to work on the computer and make phone calls but the ship was departing at 4:30. Beautiful sail-away in the sunshine and we could see the island is much longer than I imagined. Rocky cliffs are along the eastern half also and the airport. That landing must be interesting as you fly over gorges and then drop down straight onto the runway.
The beaches are black volcanic stones. The residents prefer the beige sand beaches on their neighboring island, Porto Santo – a 2 hour ferry ride away. The island appeared to be uninhabited and entirely covered in woodland and Joao Goncalves Zarco and Tristao Vaz Teixeira named it “a ilha da Madeira” in 1419.
THINGS TO DO OR SEE IN FUNCHAL
Wicker Toboggan Sled Run is the most popular activity starting from Monte at the bottom of stairs at Nossa Senhora do Monte Church. Monte is located north of Funchal and is about 2,300 feet above sea level. Visitors are transported 1.2 miles downhill to Livramento through the back streets at speeds up to 30 mph in large two-seater wicker baskets that glide on wooden runners. They are pushed and steered by two men traditionally dressed in white cotton clothes and a straw boater hat. They use their rubber-soled boots as brakes. The downhill ride lasts about 10 minutes.
Funchal Passenger Ropeway is a gondola lift that transports people from the lower section of Funchal to the suburb of Monte. The ropeway was inaugurated in November 2000. The time for the trip is 15 minutes with over 39 cabs with 8 seats each and they carry 800 passengers per hour. The upper station is near to the start of the Toboggan Run.
Workers market, church, museums…free wi-fi all over and very walkable streets as long as you take the hills in to account. Great port of call.
We decided against dinner and I went to the buffet and ate with friends. It is a very nice atmosphere up there with the linen tablecloths and more than sufficient staff to carry your tray, serve you and to dine in an open and airy area. Plus with our time zone changes, the sun sets very late so it is very pleasant as you look out upon the sea and sunset. And the choices are plentiful! Choose your own vegetables and create your own dish and dine less formally and quicker.
The show was Don Bryan and Noseworthy – a wonderful ventriloquist. We have seen him before and went to both shows tonight! The Final Four was on TV beginning at 11PM our time so it was a very late night.
Friday, April 2, 2010
March 31 - April 1
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 – At sea – changing another hour forward – we are now four hours ahead of Delaware
From our New York Times 4-page daily newspaper, “2 States Win School Grants. Delaware and Tennessee beat out 38 other states and the District of Columbia to win a share of $4 billion in federal education grants, convincing the Obama administration that they have bold plans for overhauling their public school systems. Delaware is to be awarded about $100 million and TN about $500 million. Delaware passed a law that allows even tenured teachers rated as “ineffective” for three years to be removed from the classroom.”
Today was easy; I rested -- at least until 3:30PM. Relatively calm seas but we can feel the wind picking up. Every day at noon we hear an update from the Captain on our location and weather. Today he advised we would actually see another ship in about 20 minutes! Hard to imagine that since Sunday, we have not seen another vessel. We look out at the sea and see plenty of water; just the waves and clouds and stars. It was a cargo ship crossing west-bound.
I watched the replays of the ports of call we will soon visit, walked a mile, did an exercise class in the Ocean Bar (the ship is small so most rooms do double-duty) and then we had a great dinner. Made some new friends who have gone for many years on the QEII and other Cunard ships and we know the same people. Enjoyed a lively piano, accordion and whistle-playing concert by Count Dimas from Romania; he was excellent. Sounds very strange, I know, but he was a great entertainer.
Worked on the computer and went to see the movie “Up in the Air” and had popcorn! Talked to the front desk and did paperwork and we can feel the ship movement much more now. When walking today, you had to lean in to the wind on the starboard side of the ship and you were practically pushed forward in the bow as you rounded the turn!
“Do as much as you can for as long as you can.”
Thursday, April 1, 2010 – At sea -- April Fool’s Day – Black and White Ball!
Sea and swells are moderate – 66 degrees. Formal night!
Raining and cloudy and rough seas
The history of the day is uncertain, but the current thinking is that it began around 1582 with the reform of the calendar under Charles IX. The Gregorian calendar was introduced, and the “New Year” was moved from New Year’s Week (March 25 – April 1) to January 1st. Communication traveled slowly in those days and some people were only informed of the change several YEARS later. Still others, who were more rebellious, refused to acknowledge the change altogether. These people, labeled “fools” by the general populace, were subject to ridicule and sent on “fool errands”, sent invitations to nonexistent parties and had other practical jokes played on them. The butts of these pranks became known as a “poisson d’avril” or “April fish” because a young naive fish is easily caught. In addition, one common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke. This harassment evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continues on the first day of April.
Did not sleep well as the pounding of the waves against the side of the ship is loud and slightly scary. I know it is magnified since we are still “sharing” wet and dry ones and the one at night if very near the front of the ship. You hear a CLUMP, a BUMP and then a WHOP and then pitch forward and up and down. Exciting, huh??
Fitness Class, Tai Chi, Ping Pong Tournament, Crazy Golf, Learn Basic Indonesian, Tango class, Bocce Ball, Wii bowling!, aerobics….plus working on the computer to get the phone to work and laundry. Busy, busy day. I do have to comment that the laundry episode tonight had none of the character of the Queen Victoria. There are only five washers and dryers for 900 guests (we are actually only 600+ at the moment) but since most of the passengers have cruised so frequently with Holland America, the self-laundry room is empty as all the frequent cruisers get FREE LAUNDRY. Great perk; one of the best in the industry, in my opinion and from the guests onboard. We ran up with our dirty laundry while we were dressed in tuxedo and ball gown and to start the wash cycle and it was finished by the end of the Ball!
Entertainer was George Solomon, full of unbounded energy and enthusiasm. He was the Las Vegas Entertainment Personality of the year and won the NY Drama Critics Award. Great crooner and rock’n roll singer.
Captain Halle Thon Gundersen greeted us for the Black and White Ball with dancing to the Prinsendam Orchestra and special surprises with lots of raffle prizes! It was a very, very nice evening with the entire ship decorated in black and white and the crew were in silver sequined jackets and huge bow ties. They were the most decorated crew I have ever seen on any ship; glitzy and gaudy but appropriate for the evening’s ball.
Movie was “Beyond the Sea” but I did not have time to see it. They just started a great system onboard with over 700 DVDs in the ship’s library. We have a pamphlet of the DVDs and can order what we want and view it in the stateroom! Wonderful system…if there was time to take advantage of it!
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” - Albert Einstein
From our New York Times 4-page daily newspaper, “2 States Win School Grants. Delaware and Tennessee beat out 38 other states and the District of Columbia to win a share of $4 billion in federal education grants, convincing the Obama administration that they have bold plans for overhauling their public school systems. Delaware is to be awarded about $100 million and TN about $500 million. Delaware passed a law that allows even tenured teachers rated as “ineffective” for three years to be removed from the classroom.”
Today was easy; I rested -- at least until 3:30PM. Relatively calm seas but we can feel the wind picking up. Every day at noon we hear an update from the Captain on our location and weather. Today he advised we would actually see another ship in about 20 minutes! Hard to imagine that since Sunday, we have not seen another vessel. We look out at the sea and see plenty of water; just the waves and clouds and stars. It was a cargo ship crossing west-bound.
I watched the replays of the ports of call we will soon visit, walked a mile, did an exercise class in the Ocean Bar (the ship is small so most rooms do double-duty) and then we had a great dinner. Made some new friends who have gone for many years on the QEII and other Cunard ships and we know the same people. Enjoyed a lively piano, accordion and whistle-playing concert by Count Dimas from Romania; he was excellent. Sounds very strange, I know, but he was a great entertainer.
Worked on the computer and went to see the movie “Up in the Air” and had popcorn! Talked to the front desk and did paperwork and we can feel the ship movement much more now. When walking today, you had to lean in to the wind on the starboard side of the ship and you were practically pushed forward in the bow as you rounded the turn!
“Do as much as you can for as long as you can.”
Thursday, April 1, 2010 – At sea -- April Fool’s Day – Black and White Ball!
Sea and swells are moderate – 66 degrees. Formal night!
Raining and cloudy and rough seas
The history of the day is uncertain, but the current thinking is that it began around 1582 with the reform of the calendar under Charles IX. The Gregorian calendar was introduced, and the “New Year” was moved from New Year’s Week (March 25 – April 1) to January 1st. Communication traveled slowly in those days and some people were only informed of the change several YEARS later. Still others, who were more rebellious, refused to acknowledge the change altogether. These people, labeled “fools” by the general populace, were subject to ridicule and sent on “fool errands”, sent invitations to nonexistent parties and had other practical jokes played on them. The butts of these pranks became known as a “poisson d’avril” or “April fish” because a young naive fish is easily caught. In addition, one common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke. This harassment evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continues on the first day of April.
Did not sleep well as the pounding of the waves against the side of the ship is loud and slightly scary. I know it is magnified since we are still “sharing” wet and dry ones and the one at night if very near the front of the ship. You hear a CLUMP, a BUMP and then a WHOP and then pitch forward and up and down. Exciting, huh??
Fitness Class, Tai Chi, Ping Pong Tournament, Crazy Golf, Learn Basic Indonesian, Tango class, Bocce Ball, Wii bowling!, aerobics….plus working on the computer to get the phone to work and laundry. Busy, busy day. I do have to comment that the laundry episode tonight had none of the character of the Queen Victoria. There are only five washers and dryers for 900 guests (we are actually only 600+ at the moment) but since most of the passengers have cruised so frequently with Holland America, the self-laundry room is empty as all the frequent cruisers get FREE LAUNDRY. Great perk; one of the best in the industry, in my opinion and from the guests onboard. We ran up with our dirty laundry while we were dressed in tuxedo and ball gown and to start the wash cycle and it was finished by the end of the Ball!
Entertainer was George Solomon, full of unbounded energy and enthusiasm. He was the Las Vegas Entertainment Personality of the year and won the NY Drama Critics Award. Great crooner and rock’n roll singer.
Captain Halle Thon Gundersen greeted us for the Black and White Ball with dancing to the Prinsendam Orchestra and special surprises with lots of raffle prizes! It was a very, very nice evening with the entire ship decorated in black and white and the crew were in silver sequined jackets and huge bow ties. They were the most decorated crew I have ever seen on any ship; glitzy and gaudy but appropriate for the evening’s ball.
Movie was “Beyond the Sea” but I did not have time to see it. They just started a great system onboard with over 700 DVDs in the ship’s library. We have a pamphlet of the DVDs and can order what we want and view it in the stateroom! Wonderful system…if there was time to take advantage of it!
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” - Albert Einstein
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