A Four Day Update

Four days  - Saturday, at sea; Sunday, in Funchal, Madeira; Monday, at sea; and Tuesday, Motril, Spain.

The days at sea were largely uneventful.  Saturday, they put on a brunch which is always nice.

The brunch was followed by the Country Fair, fun games put on by the various departments around the pool deck.  That was followed by massages - aah!

Sunday in Funchal we did a ship's excursion.  I believe that this was the fourth time we'd been in Funchal so we opted for a full day excursion that took us to parts of Madeira that we haven't been to.  It started with a bus ride to Pico do Arieiro - a mountain top at about 6000 feet.  It was windy and cold but the views were worth it.

And, of course, no stop in Portugal would be complete without coffee and pastel da nata!

The next stop was at Ribiero Frio for a look at the trout farm and a sampling of poncha.

Then it was off to Santana to see the small houses and for a lunch of black scabbard.

Next was a photo stop at Portela.  By the time we reached there, the low clouds were rolling in, obscuring the view.

The last stop on the tour was for a view of the fishing village of Machico.

It was a long tour - over 7 hours.  When we booked it, we were a bit concerned that it would be too much time on the bus.  However, it turned out fine since the scenery was so nice and varied.  And our guide was good.

Monday at sea was very windy.  They had to move the Officers' Challenge inside.  The event, where you compete against the ship's officers in games such as bean bag toss for those very valuable Big O points, was fun as usual.

Today, Tuesday, in Motril, Spain we did another ship's excursion - the Alpujarras Mountain drive.  The first stop was part way up the mountain overlooking the Guadalfeo Reservoir.

Along the way, we saw many bike riders - sort of a mini Tour d'Espagna.

The next stop was at the high village of Pampaneria.  We wandered around the village and somehow found time for a cortado.

The last stop was at Lanjaron, a city famous for its water.  We did a quick walk around and sampled the water.

The drive back to the ship took us past another reservoir, canyons, and farms.

It was another good excursion though I'd have to say that our guide was not the best.

Tomorrow we are in Alicante, Spain, our last port of call before disembarking in Barcelona for the next phase of our adventure.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry