ATW 92 - All 7 Continents

Monday we were in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.  We had made it to Europe.  Why was that significant?  It meant that this year, in the past 5 months, we have been on all 7 continents! (5 on this world cruise and 2 when we went to Antarctica)

Cruising in we saw how nice the weather was.

We've lost count of the number of times we've been to Funchal - it's a common port when you go transatlantic.  With such perfect weather, we decided that it was a good day for a long walk and to explore parts of the city we might not have seen before.  After a bit of a walk from the pier, we came to the Christiano Ronaldo Museum with its pretty awful statue of him.

The walk then became more scenic as we made our way along the waterfront.

It was then time for our first pastel de nata.  I had done some research and we headed into the city to find the Nata 7.  Along the way, we passed an interesting art exhibit.

When we arrived at Nata 7, the sign on the door indicated that it was closed that morning and did point out that there was another location.  So I looked again and saw another highly rated place for pastel de nata nearby only to find that it was closed for vacation!  So we settled for a coffee shop where the service was slow and the pastel de nata was just okay.  But even okay pastel de nata are good!

We then continued our walk on streets we did not recall walking before until we arrived at the Mercado Dos Lavradores - the farmer's market.

You know that it's Monday when the fish market is empty.  The fishermen don't fish on Sunday!

The rest of the market was open.

And you know that you are in Portugal when you see elaborate tile work.

Leaving the market, we walked down to the waterfront to get more steps in and to get us ready for lunch.

On our way to the market, we had passed a shop that offered sandwiches made with traditional Madeiran bread.  We couldn't resist stopping for a vegetarian sandwich.

It turned out that there was a Nata 7 just a few doors down from the sandwich shop so we had to stop and have pastel de natas (including an unusual pistachio one) and a glass of Madeira wine.

From there, we walked back to the ship along the waterfront.  

Yes, that is the original Santa Maria, so well preserved.

Today is a sea day as we sail up to Lisbon.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry

ATW Day 90 - Return To Cape Verde

Today, ATW Day 91, we are once again at sea heading north to Europe.  Yesterday, we were in Mindelo, Cape Verde.  It marked our return to a place we saw very little of the last time we were there.  I'll explain later.  

Sailing in, the port did not look familiar.  That might be because the terminal was only completed last year.

We had originally booked an Oceania excursion but, after looking at the details and the 7:15 am start time, we decided to just explore Mindelo on our own.   We started by checking out the murals on the warehouses by the port.

Up on top of the hill was an old building that had originally been a fort, then a prison, and now abandoned.  The groundwork being done on the hillside is in preparation for the construction of a hotel and casino!

We then walked into Mindelo along the waterfront.

We eventually got to the Mercado de Paixe, the fish market.  We were hoping that the ship would be getting some fresh fish and bringing it on board but, after watching how the fish were being handled and sold, we're glad that they didn't!

There was one interesting fish that ChatGPT identified as a type of Triggerfish, specifically a Black Durgon.

The market was near the copy of the Torre de Belem in Lisbon.

We then came up on the Quintal des Artes with its interesting art and artist's studios.

We continued our wander and headed up into the city where we stumbled upon the Mercado da Praca Estrela.

We could see the Portuguese influence in the tile work on some of the walls.

We then walked along a street passing the church and a small park before stumbling upon the Mercado Municipal.

We passed by the closed People's Palace.

We continued on along this quiet, non-tourist street enjoying the buildings and eventually coming to a park where we sat for a bit before heading back to the ship.

It was a 2 hour walk that we really enjoyed.  We love to wander and explore these "new" places.  We have found that not everyone does.  As we were leaving the ship, a couple was returning and the man grumbled that all they saw was a couple of open bars.  To them I say, "Open your eyes!"

Docked near the ship was an interesting "yacht" - the Bad Company Support yacht.  It apparently serves as a support vessel for a fleet of expedition and sport fishing boats.

So, you may be wondering why we saw so little of Cape Verde the first time we were here in 2018.  Well, due to a not very serious medical issue, Oceania Medical required me to see a doctor in a local clinic to get clearance to continue on that cruise.  After the port agent picked us up and took us to the clinic, we spent most of the day there, waiting to see a specialist.  The one I finally saw turned out to be the wrong type of specialist who nevertheless ran a couple of tests and signed off on the form.  What a memorable introduction to Cape Verde!  Thankfully, there was no clinic required this time.

Peace and blessings and good health,

Linda and Larry