Warm and sunny at last and great to see Madeira again. I have been before and like the island very much. Disembarked and got on the coach and felt a strong sense of deja vu. Feels like a commuter train. Most people were on their phones:
“What? It’s me. Yes Me. Yes I am in Madeira. I am on the coach.
What’s the weather like there?
Oh it is that cold is it. Well lovely and sunny here ha ha”
This coversation with slight amendments carried on for some time.
We finally got going and climbed higher and higher and round and round until we were 2,000 feet above sea level. Madeira is really one big mountain and all the houses cling to its side as you get higher and higher. It is such a pretty place, agapanthas and swathes of bougainvilla cascading down the side of the road, the houses and the land and, because of the temperate climate, are on show practically the entire year round. When we got out to stretch our legs and look at the wonderful views, the air was crisp and clear and so fresh after breathing in the air conditioning on the ship. I had put my head outside a door one day to get a gulp of the briny but immediately shot back in as the cold and wind hit me.
The tour ended with a wine tasting in which neither of us was interested so we got off the coach and told the guide we would make our own way back. Then off for a stroll through Funchal. Last time I was hear the entire front walkway was dug up and alterations were being made. It was noisy and dirty. Well now they are finished and it looks terrific. Wide walks to stroll along with gardens along the way.
Now back at the ship, had a shower and feet up in the cabin with a cuppa. We have a stretch at sea before we reach the next stop, Barbados. It is warming up nicely and I am fully expecting the Battle of the Sunbeds to start soon...
A few pics of a lovely day