Madeira, Portugal

The overnight trip from Cartagena, Spain, to Madeira, Portugal, was a wild one.  By the time we went to bed, the seas were really rolling, and we thought we were going to roll right out of bed!  Happily, by the time Madeira came into view we could actually stand out on the balcony without our hair blowing out of our heads and across the Atlantic to Africa.  :)

We had signed up for a four hour bus tour of the island, and our first stop was an overlook down to the town of Funchal, the capitol of Madeira.

This is a volcanic island, and about the only direction to go is up.  Just about all of the roofs on the buildings are made from terra cotta, and the island is known for it’s picturesque, red roofed fishing villages.  Winston Churchill used to come here often to paint scenes of these red roofed homes.

Because of the mountainous terrain, all the fruit and vegetables are grown in terraces.  All the green you see in the picture above is banana plantations.  They are not banana trees, but banana plants.  Each plant produces only one long bunch of bananas, and then it is cut down.  A new plant is started, so bananas are produced year round.

After a few more miles up the skinny switchback road, we stopped at a small bar for a taste of a local favorite known as Poncha.   This drink is made of rum, honey, lemon, and cane sugar.  Personally, I didn’t care for it.  While there, I took a few pics of a gorgeous bougenvielia (sp) plant growing over the orange roof tile with the port in the background.

Madeira is also home to Cabo Girao, the second highest sea cliff in the world.  What a view of the southern coast of the island!

 

Our last stop on today’s tour was the town of Ribiera Brava. 

It was here that I finally saw some birds in the stream.  I don’t know what the one on the left is, but the one on the right sure looks like a gadwall to me.  I also saw a couple of coots.  I didn’t realize they would be here. 

There were also Bird of Paradise plants in full bloom.  After our stop there, it was back to the ship.  Considering we only had a little over four hours in port, I think we got to see quite a lot of this beautiful area.  Tomorrow, it’s on to the Canary Islands!

 

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

A little history

In the spring of 218 BC, the great Carthaginian general Hannibal lead his 60,000 man army off of the Iberian Peninsula and over the Alps to Italy.  Meanwhile, Cartagena fell to the Romans.  It remained under Roman control until the early 400s AD when the Germanic tribes took over.  Then, in the early 700s, the Muslims began their rule of Spain for more than seven centuries.  In 1492, Islamic rule in Spain was completely overthrown.  So, you can see that this area has had a very long and tumultuous history. 
While the Romans were in power, they built a Theater.
The Roman Theater was long forgotten and buried under nearly 2,000 years of construction until finally discovered in 1987. 
Cut into the hillside in one of the city’s old neighborhoods, the 6,000 seat theater is undergoing careful archeological excavation.  You can see that it is within walking distance of the port, and was one of the sites we visited on our walking tour yesterday.

Not too far from the theater was the remains of a much more modern structure…the Plaza de Toros.
This bull ring was built in the 1850s upon the foundation of a Roman gladiatorial arena.  You can only look at it from the outside, but it is still interesting.  Bull fights are a traditional sport in some parts of Spain.  When we were in Barcelona we learned that the Province of Catalonia has voted to outlaw bull fights beginning in 2012.  I’m glad they did.  I think bull fighting is a cruel sport.
The Palacio Consistorial (the old town hall) is near the waterfront, and has recently been restored.  Construction began on this building in 1900.  Notice the wide marble pedestrian avenue that leads past the building.  It is very inviting for visitors and residents alike, to stroll into the city.

Today has been spent entirely on ship coursing through very rough seas.  I’m sure glad I brought some Dramamine along!  :)  Each floor seems like a giant pinball machine with people careening from side to side while trying to walk down the passageways.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Cartagena, Spain

After leaving Barcelona Sunday evening, we sailed all night and arrived in Cartagena just before ten this morning.  This port city is surrounded by hills, and is another city with a very long history.  It is hard for me to get my mind around buildings and structures that are 2000 years old!

 

I think I’ll save some of the history of this place for tomorrow’s post.  Tonight, I will just include some scenes that we saw as we took the three hour walking tour of Cartagena.

After the tour, we still had a few hours left before we had to board the ship, so we walked along the bay front.  There were quite a few green parrots flying between the huge palm trees that lined the boulevard, but try as I might, they eluded my camera.  :(

There was a very striking monument honoring the victims of terrorism.

I did find two bracelets that I couldn’t live without made by a local woman.  At least I know they weren’t made in China.  :)

 

We are having quite a ride tonight.  The seas are not smooth at all, and the winds are gusting to 50 mph!  The captain closed the upper deck and any outside decks, and has prohibited women from wearing high heels.  Oh darn, now what will I wear on feet with my jeans?  This is worse than a Texas wind storm in my RV!  Someone said the passage through the Straits of Gibraltar are always tricky, so I guess they’re right since that is what we are doing tonight.

 

I tried to publish yesterday’s post last night, but it wouldn’t work.  I tried a different wifi hotspot this morning on the 14th deck, and it went right through.  So, even though I’ll write my posts in the evening, I will wait until morning to publish them until I get back to Terra Firma.

 

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

A Mediterranean Love Story

When I left you last, we had arrived in Barcelona, after a sleepless night of travel.  As I told you, we waited to go to bed until nightfall in Barcelona.  Since that was several hours away, we decided to take a little walk to see the sites that we could.  That little walk turned into a five mile traipse around town. 
After relaxing for a few minutes in our room at the Hotel Continental Palacete, we headed down La Rambla Market Street.  This famous street is in the middle of old Barcelona, and the hotel, which has been in existence since 1826, was located on La Rambla.
There is a tree lined walkway between the two lanes of the road, and all sorts of vendors sell their wares.  Many outdoor cafes are located along the way, and a few statues. 
There are many Human Statues/Performers along the way that can take you by surprise.  They are as still as statues until someone drops a coin into the container in front of them.  When that happens, the chosen one will burst into animation.  It is incredible how frozen they can remain.  It’s a little shocking the first time this happens, if like me, you don’t know they are live people.  :)  I liked the golden statue the most (could it be because of the feathers?)
I’m having trouble posting so will try to divide this into two parts.

La Rambla terminates at the Port of Barcelona if you walk far enough, and we did.  :)

In 1892, this statue commemorating Columbus’ discovery of America was erected at the edge of the bay.  Columbus looks out across the Mediterranean, and points his finger in the wrong direction toward America.  :)

One of the first things that Pam and I noticed about this city is the tiny old streets, and the lack of street signs.  I guess everyone knows where they are going here.  We, however, did not.
As we tried to find a certain cathedral, the streets got skinnier and skinnier.  We ran into several dead ends, and it seemed like we were going around in circles for quite some time.  Some people might say we were lost, but we choose to think of it as being on a slightly stressful adventure.  The first thing we were told about by the guide on our way to the hotel was to watch out for pickpockets, so that was on my mind as our path became more convoluted and dark.  :(  We were able to eventually find our way out of the maze, and after four hours, made it back to the hotel.

As we stopped for lunch yesterday, at an outside cafe, you just had to look around to notice that love was in the air on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Couples all over were kissing and nuzzling each other.  :)
                       But only one couple had the audacity to “go all the way!” in public.

Today, we made it to the Voyager of the Seas, and have embarked from Barcelona and are on our way to Cartagena, Spain.  It will take me a few posts to catch up with where we are now, so please stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy 

Quick post from Barcelona, Spain.

What a long two days this has been!  This post will be very short, and have no pictures.  Both my sister and I have been up for 32 hours straight as the overnight flight to Barcelona was not conducive to either one of us getting any sleep.  :(  Because of the difference of six hours from the time zone in Texas, we arrived here this morning at 8:00 a.m., and had to go through customs, etc., before we could head to our hotel.  After we got settled in the room, and got a bite to eat for lunch, we headed straight out on a five mile hike around the city to see what sights we could.  It was a great day (once we got here), but we are beat!

 

I also only have one hour of battery time left on the computer.  So even though wifi comes with the room, I can’t take advantage of it for long because of the European electrical hookups.  That’s something that never entered my mind when getting ready for this trip.  I’m hoping to have regular hookups once we get on the ship this Sunday.  :)

 

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

I think I’m almost ready

Tomorrow is the blast off for the much awaited cruise.  I’ve packed the suitcases and have them in the car trunk.  All that’s left for the morning is packing up the computer, and putting my meds and stuff in the carry on bag.

 

I tried to do my boarding pass this evening, but ran into two problems.  First, I can’t print boarding passes at home because it will end up being an International flight and they need to check my documents in person.  Second, the d#$%! printer, once again, only printed the first four lines, and then quit.  Ack!  I at least wanted to print a receipt for my luggage check in.  :(

 

This morning was taken up exchanging the jumbo underwear for something more suitable, and getting a back up battery and memory card for the camera in Beaumont.  I don’t want to run out of power or space for picture taking!  :)  As I tried to get a last minute load of laundry done this afternoon, I was sucked into another Environmental Education meeting.  (I thought they’d be done by the time I returned from Beaumont.)

 

No pics tonight, and I don’t know when I’ll post next.  Tomorrow will be a long day with a final result of ending up in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday morning.  I’m excited and almost feeling ready for this adventure!  Thanks for all of your encouraging words!  :)

 

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Prepping for take off

I don’t leave for my cruising adventure until Wednesday, but the prep work started today.  I took Emma to the kennel she’ll be staying at for three weeks.  I think she was a little intimidated by all the German shepherds that were around!  I don’t know if all their barking was a welcome or not.  I’ve never left her for that amount of time, so things could be interesting when I pick her up.  :(

 

Then it was on to Kohl's to get a couple of new pairs of slacks.  From there I went to Wal-mart and ran into my first issue of the day.  My debit card was refused three times!  Okay, so after I paid the bill by other means, I headed for the Wells Fargo Bank across the street.  I wanted to find out what was up with the refusal, and to let them know I could possibly be using the card out of the country for the next few weeks.  Turns out the fraud/theft department put a stop on my card.  I’ve traveled this country for 4 1/2 years and never had my card refused!  They finally decided I was making some suspicious purchases, so put a stop on it.  Is it because I finally bought some new clothes?  :)  Anyway, I was able to get things straightened out and let them know about my upcoming travels so it wouldn’t happen again while I’m on the cruise.

 

As I went through my purchases back at the rig (including a new suitcase) I decided to open the new packages of underwear that I had bought.  What was I thinking?  I guess I misread the label that said ‘Just My Size.’  I ended up with 16 pairs of briefs that are big enough to fit three of me inside of them!!   At that point, I just had to sit down and laugh.  I guess I’ll be making a trip into Beaumont tomorrow to exchange them for something a bit smaller.  :)

 

I talked to my sister tonight, and we are both scurrying around trying to figure out what to pack to take with us.  Neither of us have ever been on a cruise.  I just can’t wait to see what mishaps the two of us will get into.  :)

 

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy