Terra Firma at last!

We have a lot to talk about since my last posting. We landed in Funchal on the island of Madeira on Saturday. What an incredible sight. Madeira is very mountainous and every square foot of ground has been put to good use. Houses are built on the side of mountains and terraced gardens surround every house that you can see.

Sunset as we pull into Funchal

Clear to Land.....can't wait!

We took a side trip up to Cabo Girau which is the second highest cliff in the world and the tallest in Europe. The views are spectacular. We jumped back on the bus and went to a very scenic little town around the Island named Ribero Brava and had a terrific lunch. Since we now have a good internet connection, we will post more pictures.

Note the Terraced Gardens

View from Cabo Girau

My namesake.....I do get around!

Madeira is actually an archipelago with Madeira at one end of the chain. First discovered in 1190, it was settled by the Portuguese in 1414. Apparently, this is quite a popular destination for Europeans as the climate is subtropical for a good part of the year. Agriculture and tourism are the major industries here. It is also home of the famous Madeira wine (which packs a punch)…..we managed to smuggle some back on board. It’s legal to bring spirits back to the US but the cruise lines don’t like it and will confiscate whatever you buy until you disembark……keeps you running your bar tab if you know what I mean.

I am going to break this up into a few more short posts so that I can upload more pictures. Malaga and Alicante are already in the rear view mirror and we are currently in Barcelona. Yesterday was a great day for a run on the beach. Today we head for Montserrat northwest of Barcelona.

See you soon.

Pat and Chris