June 7 - Europe Here we Come

 June 7 Europe here we come

June 7   Seaday

June 8

Our next port is Funchal, the capital city, on the island of Madeira, part of Portugal and the EEC.  It is located 600 miles west of the Moroccan coast in the Atlantic Ocean.   The island has a population of 250,000.  Funchal is the capital city of 106,000 people.

The island is a quietly classy tourist destination.  In its history, sugar cane gave way to wine, and Madeira wine is now famous.  We have been here before and taken the famous gondola ride to the church at the top.  That is where many take a wicker sled down the very steep and twisty hill again, controlled by two expert drivers.  We passed on that.

  

Our tour involved six two-seater tuk-tuks, which allowed us to zip around the city, dogging traffic and passing down very narrow, quaint streets.  We waved to our fellow shipmates as they walked through the city.

 

Our first stop as a group was at a market.  We toured as a group and ended at a café stall, where we were given a description of the unique fruits that grow on the island, then given a chance to taste many of them.  Delicious.

 

After we got back into our tuk-tuks, we headed over to a tea house that was expecting us.  We sat in the plaza outside under shaded umbrellas, and we were given a choice of their exclusive teas, accompanied by a slice of cheesecake with strawberry jam.  A very relaxing break in a lovely setting.

 

Next, we set off across the city to a fishing village.  It was full of tourists [like us], but a café provided a small but very strong alcoholic drink, Poncha, or soda.  This is a place made famous by Winston Churchill, who vacationed and painted in the village.

 

Our last stop took us back to the city.  A hotel high up with a patio facing the city and bay.  Here, we were given tastes of local foods and a glass of the famous Madeira wine. 

  

After soaking up the local atmosphere, we headed back towards the ship.  I asked our driver to drop us off at the shopping area nearest the ship, where Merry enjoyed meandering through the shops.

We were told it was a 15-minute walk back to the ship, and we could see it right there, but we had to go a long 1/2 mile to the right to reach the pier entrance, then another long 1/2 mile to the ship entrance.  We got our steps in today, and using the Tuk-Tuks was a wonderful way to see the city with our own private tour guide driver.

 

June 10

We arrived in Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, on the Iberian Peninsula.  A very smart 12-seater van picked us up for today's tour.  The van took us on a small trip around the city, with our guide pointing out the important buildings.  No buses or vans are permitted in the downtown area, so the van dropped us off and we started a walking tour.

     

We learned about the street tiles, their history, and how they are laid.

Today is a national holiday celebration all countries that Speke Portuguese.  This means traffic was light, but downtown was very busy with tourists and local people enjoying the day off.  Two other ships were at the port, so there were many groups being guided around.  For a change, we were each given a receiver and earpiece to hear the guide.  This worked very well, and we wished all other previous tours had done this.

We started in Restoration Square.  We saw the castle up high and the small remnants of the city walls.  The Romans built the infrastructure, but in 1735, massive earthquakes destroyed much of downtown, so what we see today is mostly rebuilt.  It is a very modern European city that still captures the historic elements. 

The city buildings are mostly clad with decorative ceramic tiles, creating a unique flavor and style.   We visited Rossio Square, the Rúa Augusta Arch, and Commerce Square, where we had free time to shop.  

We ended our tour visiting a beer museum.  We saw exhibits of old beer-brewing equipment and an explanation of the old way of making beer.  It all started many years ago.  While making bread, the cook added too much water.  The mix was set aside and started to ferment, and beer was invented. They added hops to make it last, and the result were well received.  At the end of the tour, we were given samples of three of the more famous beers.  Delicious.

   

After the beer tasting, we walked back to the ship.  We discovered that quite a few new guests were arriving; apparently, 150 travel agents will take the free four-day marketing trip to Southampton, using the empty rooms. 

June 11 and 12 Seadays

Our travels have taken us over five months so far, with less than one month left.  Merry will complete the trip, but I [Rod] will be flying home from Southampton.  I play in the symphony back in Kansas.  I had marked myself unavailable for the duration of our cruise, but my symphony was unable to find a replacement for me as principal Double Bassist, so they asked if there was any way I could attend.  I love playing in the orchestra, and it only meant missing the last three weeks, mostly crossing the Atlantic, so I agreed to leave early.  Turns out Merry is looking forward to a little freedom – who knew?

In the evening, Merry was the star of the show.  During the segment, on seadays, guests volunteered to practice singing together.  Tonight they performed on the mainstage for the whole ship, about ten numbers.  Some naughtical and some humorous, but it brought the house down, and Merry and her next-door singer stole the show with her exaggerated gestures, bringing the music to life.  Well done, Merry.

June 13

We arrived in Le Havre, France.  Some passengers are heading to Paris for a long day.  Others are going to the Normandy Beaches or the quiet town of Honfleur.  We have been to each, and opted for a lazy day visiting the local town on our own.  Flattened during World War II, the city center was rebuilt between 1945 and 1964.  It is one of the largest commercial ports in Europe and the second-largest port in France, famous for its sweeping maritime views and industrial scale.

Le Havre is where Claude Monet painted his iconic 1872 work, Impression, Sunrise, which officially gave the Impressionist movement its name.  We both made our own version of this painting in the art class.  As we opened our curtains, we saw dozens of giant windmill parts waiting for export.  They are massive.

 

We headed to the pier, but being an industrial port, we needed to take the shuttle.  We picked the one that dropped us off downtown.  Unfortunately, we just missed that bus and had to wait 30 minutes for the next one, with no seats in sight.

It only took 15 minutes to get to what they called downtown, but it was rather underwhelming.  We did go to the Gothic church [called Notre Dame Cathedral, Le Havre], but for some unknown reason, the ceilings were covered with netting, making it hard to enjoy the Gothic arches.  There were plenty of little restaurants and coffee shops, but not much more.  Merry found a thrift shop and bought a nice necklace. 

   

After a couple of hours, we headed back on the shuttle and back to the ship, and I finished up my packing.

In the evening, we were invited by Paul and Carolyn, the ship's social hosts, to a farewell dinner.  A lovely time, topped off by a world-famous concert pianist, Tian Jiang, in the theater.