Journal No. 15

Bath, breakfast, and board, and boom, we are off to Portugal". Redness on legs all gone... now just swollen and tight.  After a few hours with my feet up in the back, I was feeling better.  With a stop for the restroom,  I found a highlight....a little kids bathroom. There was a line, as always, for the women's bathroom, so Janet saw the baby on the next door that it would be a changing table, and a toilet for the mother.  Instead, it was the changing table with two miniature toilets and two miniature  sinks.  It was all decorated so cute.  I didn't have my iPad, so others took photos for me. First come, first served, at which I will use first.

Back on the bus, we went to the horse farm.   Didn't remember the dirt road being quite so long, or the other one so narrow, but our driver George moved right along.  Oh dear, his beautiful bus is a dusty mess.

When we finally arrived at the horse farm we met Maria, the widow who owns the place, for a yummy lunch of vegetable soup. green salad, chicken cooked in a tomato sauce, rice pilaf and of course bread, olives, wine and water. (In Spain and Portugal, a meal without wine  is called BREAKFAST!  And in Granada, there was even champagne with that!!  Dessert was Neopolitan ice cream with chocolate sauce).

Horse Farm in Portugal

 

Maria seres our lunch at the horse farm. This dining building used to be the cow and horse feeding area.
See the feeding troughs?

 

The dining area is on the left, the horse arena is on the right, with the big door.
We watch from the right side area.

 

People walked to see her house... and to use the bathrooms.

 

 

LEFT: This is the bunk house across from her house. She also has an aviary with many parakeets and other birds there.   RIGHT: This is Maria's house. "Big Sister", one of our fun travelers, is standing in front.
 

 

Maria shows some lovely linens her neighbors have made to sell.
 

 

This is George, our bus driver from Madrid to Lisbon. Wow! What he can do with a huge bus!
 

We visited Maria's home and took photos.  I do have some of that.  Michael realized that last time we came, we had eaten in her living room, as she hadn't turned the horse trough room into a dining area yet. 

We went above the horse training barn and Maria told us ( with Victor  translating from Portuguese to English) how they run the ranch.  She has 150 meat cows, thirty mares, and five studs.  She raises the horses just as her husband's family has for many generations.  She is quite a woman.  When her husband died of a heart attack twenty years ago, at the age of forty, she was left with a ranch and six children.  She hired people and pretty well ran it all.  She had a friend that was a Grand Circle Program director ten years ago, and they arranged for GCT to go there, through the cork forest to her house to eat lunch and learn about her horses.  She still has 60 groups come each year, and the supplement has helped her save her ranch.  These horses sell for between 15 to 45 thousand euro a year.  GCT is the only groups that go there.  The neighbors are jealous, but no other group wants to try those roads.

She told us also about when the dictator Salazar had her workers take over their ranch during the communist time. Her family had to leave with what they could put in a suitcase.  It was a disaster!  The workers sold all the animals, the furniture, and all the tack in the barns, and accessories in the house, and even burned some of the buildings.  When Salazar was booted out, they were able to get their ranch back, but without any compensation.  Gradually, they found their horses, by the brand, and bought them back. It took a long time to get them back, and be able to return to their business.  Those same workers moved to near towns, and even had the gall to ask for a job!  Her husband had been a professor in Lisbon, so at least he had a job, and apartment for them during that time, but it was very difficult for them.

 

LEFT: Here I aught the horse starting to roll.    RIGHT: They really looked good, but I could not photograph them well.
 

 

RIGHT: This horse danced like the Spanish horses we see in the parades.
 

We took a group picture there at the horse farm, and started to Lisbon.  We stopped for a lesson on cork trees, and have been on the road ever since.  Leona and I went to the back seat of the bus, so we can stretch our legs out.  It seem that writing this has been able for me to  ignore how tight my calves and ankles are.

 

 

Left: The picador's horse.  When the bull crowds him he leans toward the bull.  They had me push as hard as I could on his side, and he immediately leaned into me, so I couldn't budge him.  Right: This is what the picador's horse wears in the ring.  The horse is huge and these protect him from the bull.

 

 

Left: They gave me a matador cape to hold, and it was HEAVY!!!!!!! 
Right: One of he guys at the ranch demonstrated how the cape is used.

 

The horses manage the bulls and cows.  Who manages the horses? .....meet the dog!  
We watched him get the horse running, even changing directions when the trainer whistled. 
If the horse didn't move fast enough, he grabbed the tail with his mouth.

 

 

 

Learning About Cork

 
 

We have dinner in Lisbon, but I expect after that an early bedtime.  We will see!

Still hanging in sans the iPhone I lost in Ronda.

Grove

 

 

Journal No. 16

 

Sorry,  but I have to write what I remember for the last few days.  This day I was too tired at night, and last night I had way too much wine to write, but I was able to send photos last night. 

Now we are in Portugal's capital, Lisbon.  First, we passed a smaller copy of Christ the King and Redeemer in Brazil.   We entered the city over the River Tagus, on a bridge that looked exactly like the Golden Gate Bridge, but instead of seeing the skyscrapers of San Francisco, we saw a long, coastal city, with few or no tall buildings.  Towers and church steeples peeked above the buildings and we could see it was on many hills, just like SF, so it gave it all dimension.  The bridge was designed by the architect that built the SF Bay bridge.  Although it looks like the Golden Gate, it has two levels...underneath is the train track.

Coming In To Lisbon On The Bridge That Looks Like The Golden Gate Bridge In California

Our view from our hotel room in Lisbon. It is really nice.
The kids can play tag in that fountain area in the foreground.
 

Victor warned us that Lisbon was a relatively young city, for there had been an earthquake there.  Because of all the candles lit in the churches, the city caught fire.  People ran to the river, but because of the earthquake, there came a tsunami, and that about wiped out the rest.  New city?   Not quite, as this all happened in 1755!

It is easy to forget that our country was in it's infancy then, and two hundred years is very old to us.  It is a lovely city, but buildings are a little bit shabby......what a dictatorship can do!  The people are great, and this time I am so enjoying the food.  They have found something besides dried cod or sardines and kale to eat.

We got settled, and Victor took us on a get-acquainted-with-the-neighborhood-walk. We are right in the middle of the city, and walking distance to most big squares.  I took a picture of the park outside our seventh floor room.  Beautiful!  I love to watch the kids play tag in the fountains.  They don't even get wet! 

Fishers, Smiths,  and us decided to eat at one of the little restaurants Victor suggested.  He raved about their Italian and Portuguese food.  I chose a calzone, as I wasn't sure I wanted to jump into Portuguese fare yet.  It was fabulous!  Michael and Leona had grilled squid,; Smiths had pizza, and Vic had grilled octopus.  I think my choice was best.   We looked around at all the neat things Portugal has to offer.....mostly roosters, tiles, and things made of cork!

We hear of all the fires in Santa Rosa and Butte County.  We are so sorry to hear of friends and relatives who are losing their home and possessions.

Tonight we sleep in Portugal!  Grove and the rest

 

Journal No. 17

Today after breakfast, it was back on the bus with our local guide, Paula, for a city tour.  There were many parks and statues of important people.  Unfortunately they were not very important to me... I guess because I forgot most of them. 

We visited the cathedral with tombs of Vasco de Gama and the most famous Portuguese poet. A lot of the windows and  regalia are all about navigation. There is even a Maritime Museum. As we left the cathedral, which is alongside of the Atlantic Ocean, we found that Victor had a surprise for us.  During the time when a monastery was there, the monks made this wonderful dessert. It is said that when they left the area, one of the monks gave the neighboring baker the secret recipe. It was fabulous. Other bakers around Lisbon have tried to copy it. They look pretty good, but the Portuguese think the original is  best by far, so there is always a line. Victor went to the bakery and bought one for each of us while we were in the cathedral. Boy were they yummy!

(Pictures coming later)

From there, Paula took us to the Tower of Belen  and we took more pictures.  It used to be farther out in the Atlantic, but when the tsunami came after  the earthquake of 1755, it brought lots and lots of silt.  At one time the water was almost to the steps of the cathedral, and when the water receded there was more land.

 

(Pictures coming later)

We then went to the monument with Vasco de Gama and all the people looking out toward the Atlantic.  There is a map in tile on the ground, in front of that monument, and Paula talked a lot about Vasco de Gama's voyages, and the dates on the map. By then it was time to get back to the hotel.

For lunch we wanted something fast, but tasty.  We decided to get a bifana (a hot pork sandwich). We stopped at a place where we could eat outside and had  bifanas and french fries. I had a Coke Light and Michael, of course, had a Portuguese beer.

We went shopping on our way back to the hotel, and rested up for a great experience up the hill.  We grabbed our cameras  and  Victor managed to get us on the streetcar and up the hill to the best photo spot in the city.  We hung around there for awhile and then together, we walked down with Victor.  On the way down we saw the very oldest church in Spain and Portugal.  There is always something special about the churches we see (oldest, largest. prettiest, most unusual, etc.). All are really  impressive, but for me, Córdoba raised the bar!

 

(Pictures coming later)

We got back to the hotel and rested up for our special dinner at an old casino. It was built with the Moroccan flavor. We had to climb two sets of marble stairs, but boy, was it worth it! Lots of old paintings with nudes and chandeliers, etc.  The highlight though, was the delicious dinner of salmon, veggies with mushrooms, and potatoes. There was a yummy pumpkin soup for first course, and a unique cake and ice cream that was their specialty. The kicker though, were the bottles and bottles of wine that kept coming. Many of the Asian friends do not drink and so we felt responsible to finish them all. By the time I got to the hotel, I realized that I was in no shape to write in the journal, especially as I was two days behind. Trying to remember what we have done in order is difficult.  It all seems to blend together. I was able to send a bunch of photos, but I may have put them all in Journal Fifteen, and some might need to be moved to the sixteenth.

With that, all that is left to do was sleep!

Grove and All

 

Journal No. 17.5

 

As I start looking at our schedule I realize that I have missed one whole day......the penultimate in Lisbon.  It is days later, but I will try to remember.  At least I have photos...too many to send.

After breakfast we boarded the bus for our trip to Sinatra.  When we were in Sinatra in 2004 we visited a castle there and the roads were so narrow and houses so close that we lost one of our mirrors.  When he went back later to pick it up (couldn't even open the door there) our driver found a pile of mirrors.  I was surprised when we went to ANOTHER castle in Sinatra.  The royalty liked Sinatra as it was far enough from Lisbon and still in the mountains.

We arrived at the beautiful summer home.  It was a small Versailles.  The story is the family who lived here were the reality of Game of Thrones.  Young Landis married their uncle Clew, or their nephews, and the affairs were well known.  They were promised to wed at the age of seven, and marrying for love was rare... or by accident.  Children of source died early or at childbirth.  There were hundreds of small rooms for everything:  smoking, reading, waiting,  dancing, receiving, eating and the like.  Each room had a different motif... flowers, hunting animals, scenes, etc.

Check out the rooms I chose to include....as there were so many.

 

From there. we went out in the gardens, which were so beautiful.  Most of them were green or not in bloom, but still very pretty.  There were a lot of those wonderful blue and white tile scenes the Portuguese do so well.  Considering the number of generations living in that palace, it was quite remarkable.

From there, was traveled to Cascais.  That is where we stayed the longest on our last trip, and I hardly recognized it as so much has changed.  First, we went along the coast and watched the fishermen, bathers and surfers.  There were some pretty big waves, but it never fazed the surfers.  I guess this was their paradise as well.  Cascais has always been a huge resort Paradise for the wealthy.  We stopped in the center for a Half of chicken baked in the ovens.  That is their specialty, and no sooner had I ordered, here it came.  Michael ordered something else on the menu and it took a lot longer.  We shopped a little, had a gelato, and met at the merry go round at the park.  Joan, Michael, Sheryl, and I decided to ride the merry go round.  Victor laughed and was so surprised as I don't think anyone has tried that one yet.  He took pictures of that with my I pad and I will send those.

By then it was time to get back to Lisbon, do some last minute shopping, and be treated to a wonderful dinner in an old casino.  We had to walk up two flights of stairs, but it was worth it.  The decor was a mix of Moorish and prude pictures with enormous chandeliers.  I did get a picture of everyone, but will just show our table in case the others don't want to be in my blog.

It was one of the best dinners so far...salmon with all the fixings.  It made me change my mind about mainland Portuguese food.  Why did we get mostly salt cod (first dried then reconstituted) and kale......not a fan!!!

Well that does it.  Surprisingly, I remembered a lot, though it was a week ago.  That's what I get for missing days.

'Nuff said,                      Grove and the gang

 

Journal No. 18

The  hotel opened the hot breakfast area just for us, which was really nice.  When we went down to the bus, there was Victor, and he stayed with us at the airport all the way to the TSA Gate.  We have never had that kind of service from a program director.   He said he would be missing us, that we were such a super group, but he will be glad to get back to Malaga and see his folks and dog, and get back to his apartment to meet his cats again.  He says the dog is so forgiving and always glad to see him, but his two cats sulk for most of a day, to let him know they are not amused that he leaves them for three weeks.

Now I know why Portugal is all about sardines!  Boy, can they pack us into an airport bus and a plane!  The checkpoint for TSA was a Disneyland line on steroids.  We saw everyone had gone through, but we had been put in the hokey pokey line.  (Put one bag in, take one bag out, and turn yourself about!). When we got out, we hurried to gate 8, through the hundreds of aisles of booze, perfumes, and candy at The Duty Free Shops.  When we got to Gate 8, none of our group was there!  Ann was with us and we were  wondering what happened....maybe our Gate was changed, but after a little worry time, here they came.  The man at the gate had assured us we were in the right place.  I don't know how we beat them, unless they bought a few fifths of booze or some Chanel No. ...whatever!

We are now relaxing in the plane.  As luck would have it, only two of the three seats in our row were bought, so that this short flight should be great. We started boarding at 8:40; we just took off and it is 10:00.  The steward is talking but I can't hear a thing.  We must be where the engine noise is funneled.  I sound like a crabby one, but actually, I'm pleased to be on our way to Madeira, and a new adventure.  I'm sure if it is very important, the steward will yell it to me when he comes by.

Michael just started reading about our destination.  He says it is not a beach island, but a hilly, exploring island, where you can slide down a big mountain in a basket!  It sounds like a kick.....I hope I'll still have that devil-may-care attitude when I get in line for it!  Still, Victor says it is for relaxing.... sounds great to me.  We have been busier this trip than any other trip.  Victor always plans for an interesting walk in our free time.  He says only go if you want, but they have been really good, and we have made them all.

Last night I couldn't sleep.....all I could think about was my stupid iPhone. This morning I actually called it, but it went to message.  I said to please phone Michael's phone, but I wanted to yell, "Where in the hell are you!???"  It is my third iPhone.  I had the first one a long time, but the last year has been a disaster. Number one fell out of the car in Idaho, and we didn't realize it until Oregon.  Number two went through the wash AND the dryer; it was  a hot and tumbling death!  Number three, of course, made his disappearance in what I'm thinking was the men's bathroom at the bull farm, en route to Ronda!

After four days, I am not expecting his return to Grace Road. :-(

Our arrival in Madeira was a kick.  Just before landing, we went through some real bumping .....felt as though we were riding a bucking bronco.  Then, we made it through the clouds and could see the mountains of Madiera, and it's challenging little runway.  It is right along the cliffs of the ocean, and has been built  with pillars, so is somewhat like landing and really taking off on an aircraft carrier! The plane had to turn around and come from the other direction.  It looked very scary, but the pilot leveled out the plane at the very last minute, and we came down, landing perfectly!  Everyone on the plane clapped!

Maria was at the airport to greet us and bring us to our lovely hotel overlooking the sea.  We are 300 miles from Morocco and 600 miles from Portugal.  This island was discovered in 1412.  It was a beautiful, tropical island with the plant fennel.  That is why the capital where we are is called Funchal.

We had our meeting with Maria in the lobby and a glass of Madiera wine.  I am not a fan.  It seems kinda like prune juice with a kick to me. She suggested we have the fish of this island at the restaurant across the street, or the beef on a skewer there.  She said that is the most usual meal for those who live here.  I had the fish with flambé banana and it was delicious.  Michael had it with shrimp.  Jerry was the only one who tried the  beef on a skewer and it was quite impressive. 

Tomorrow we can sleep in.  City tour at 9:30.  Vic got sick.  He has got the meds he needs, but is missing dinner.  We hope he feels way better tomorrow!

Good night,  Grove and the gang

 

Journal No. 19

 

This morning  we woke up at 6:30 and it was pitch black........sunup did not come until 8:15, and we tour at 9:30.  I asked Maria why so dark?  She says they will go to daylight savings time next week after we leave.

We met her after breakfast and got a ride into the city center.  The weather has been perfect every day, but the internet says cold and rain in the next few days.  I am fine with the rain, but would rather skip rain until California.  We need that instead of wind to get the fires out.  We mourn all the people who are losing their possessions.

The cathedral in town was built in 1493, just one year after Columbus found America.  This evening we will go to mass there.    Maria took us around to the squares  in the city center.  We  walked through the market.....I bought a funny looking fruit that comes off a philodendron.  It looks like a green corn.  The kernels fall off and the white cob part is eaten.  She says it tastes like pineapple and banana, mixed.  We saw some wonderful new flowers that we have never seen before....from Africa.  I was told our island is directly across from Casa Blanca. We haven't tried the fruit yet. 

The most exciting part though, was our walk through the fish market.  There, we "met " the scabbard fish we ate last night in the restaurant across from the hotel. It is black, and they scrape it with a Brillo pad until it is white.  They fillet it so there are no bones.  They throw away the innards, eyes and teeth, but keep the head for soup.  It is a good thing we ate it first before we saw it.   So ugly!!  It lives deep in the sea as noted by its huge eyes.  They put down a big cable with lines and hooks with bait.  They leave it for thirty minutes then bring up the catch.  They eat everything but the teeth and bones.  They also had an enormous tuna that they were slicing into steaks and big chunks.  It was bigger around than a Butte County Fair hog!  They give the head and spine to the poor.  Janet or Leona  watched an older man with a green bag get the head and spine and figured it out.

We walked down the old town, looking at art-covered doors.  Michael has some great photos of them. Not having my phone puts me at such a disadvantage.  I hate to carry my iPad around.  I'm paranoid I'll lose that too.  We walked over to the seaside (no beaches, just rocky cliffs) and they were having an artisan faire.  For once I didn't even look. The town, in days before cars, had people slide down the mountain in basket sleds.  Two men held a rope to pull them or steer.  To get there you had to ride the funicular up the hill, and it was a really long ride. We ended up in a bubble with two Germans, and it was baking hot.  Michael stood up and stuck his head out the high window, but I wasn't going to do that, so I just sweated and tried to catch my breath.  The view was really wonderful, but by the time we got up the hill my hair was soaking wet.  We had lunch at the top and was amazed at how reasonable it was.  I had a toasted chicken salad sandwich, with fries, a salad, and a Coke Zero with ice.  Michael had a big hamburger, fries, and a big beer, and the bill was 15 euro. It was not a McDonalds or anything like that, and we were pretty surprised as there were not lots of other restaurants to compete.  Besides, I got to sit outside at a table in the shade and cool down. 

Then, we walked to the toboggans.  Two men in white were going to push us down the mountain in the basket.  I will send a fake picture, but the one they took of us down the hill was not good.  Michael has a better one before my hair was blown all over the place. It was really fun; not scary at all, and felt so pleasant . Not at all like our trip up.  It was such a unique experience.  It doesn't go all the way down the hill anymore, because of freeways and busy traffic, but half-way was a long way down.  They had us winding all around on the narrow roads...sometimes sharing with cars.  At two points we had to cross the streets, and there were people  stopping the traffic, so we could slide by.  I don't think we went faster  than 10 or fifteen miles  an hour, but it was fun.

 

This is from the old days, closer to town. It was not so steep here. On the left is that horrid picture.
We are coming around the corner and there was a man with a camera waiting for us.
He sent the image down to the photo guys to print before we got there.

 

We shopped around a bit, then headed down the hill toward town.  An old guy said we could go in his taxi to our hotel for 15 euro, and since Maria .thought 15 to go to the city center from there and hyena catch the bus was a good deal.  Better to come straight to the hotel for that. 

Michael wanted to go to mass, so we hung around the hotel for awhile and then grabbed a taxi for the cathedral.  It was built in 1493, just a year after Columbus' travel to the Americas.  It seemed surreal, sitting there in it, knowing what was happening in our part of the world while people here sat in that church.  Older church's didn't hit me quite like that!  Of course, all the altar and other stuff were put in there in the 1600's, but that was still before our independence. 

 

 

 

 

After mass we met Ann and Janet at a restaurant by the church for that fish with banana, beef kabob, or pasta.  There was music playing, but things were relatively quiet. 

 

 

 

Michael had beef on a skewer. It came on a long stick, but the guy removed them for him.

 

 

 

 

Ann had chicken with spaghetti.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We rode the bus back to the hotel where Janet 'killed' Michel and I at Five Crowns ( a card game).

Time for some shut eye!   Love, Grove and the gang

 

 

Journal No. 20 

Ross, Joan's brother gave his take on yesterday.  It is great and  since I'm still missing our Portugal trip to Cascais , I will forward his and Joan's and just send my pictures......except I will add my take on the bananas on the island.  They are everywhere.  I didn't realize the in and outs of banana farming, and when I get a good picture of the banana bunch without the bus window reflection I will add that one.    Grove

 

Fishing Village

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do you suppose the guy in the back gets his boat out? These fishermen do not fish for scabbard.
Men go far out in the ocean and stay for a week. Then the other team fishes for a week.
Scabbard fishermen must have big boats.
 

North Side of the Island

 

These windbreak fences are made of dry scotch broom from the top of the mountain.

 

 

This is called the "Stream By The Window".
Can you see the hole people can walk through between the rocks?

 

 

This is Port Montez, on the northern tip of the island.

 

 

These are beautiful swimming pools in the sea! I would have loved to swam there.

 

 

Ross is going to wade. He wanted to swim so badly.

 

 

Ross and Michael wade after lunch. The floors of the pools are basalt.

 

This part of the island is very lush.

 

 

 

Journal No. 21

This morning was another day with Carlos.  Vic wasn't feeling good, so he didn't go (but luckily he is much better tonight and went to dinner with us).

Carlos asked if anyone gets carsick and everyone voted me to ride in the front in Neilsa's spot. I did get a little wheezy in places, but Carlos' crazy driving made my eyes glued to the road which helped.  Yesterday, he was looking up stuff on his phone until Leona reminded him he shouldn't text and drive.  " Not texting, Leona, this is Google!"

I counted, and he ran five stop signs!  He parked on the left inches from the cliff, backed up one whole street, and parked with Joan and Leona in the back hanging over the cliff!  He actually kept us all safe so he must know what he is doing, but as the motor vehicle examiner, I failed him on numerous counts.  "No worry," he told me.  "They can't take away my license if I don't have one. "

Traditional Straw Thatched Houses These houses used to be around a lot, but because this type of thatch is so costly, people stopped using them, but the government now helps them. A little widow lives in this one. Tourists wanted to see what they were like inside, so they made a five-house village of them across town. This one is real. The kitchen, water tank, and bathroom are in the back.

 

 

The pink on the left is a type of dahlia. Lush foliage was where we stopped to drink Poncha,
 a homemade drink made with fresh squeezed orange juice, and was yummy.

 

 

 

LEFT: Ping and JoAnn  waiting for Poncha.   RIGHT: Carlos talking with his hand about the wonderful
value of Poncha. He says he always has three glasses before he takes a tour group out. One to keep his hands from shaking, the next to help him see better, and the third to help his throat so he can talk on the tour.
I drank one and I could feel the warmth to my belly.

 

Ross, Ann, Joan, Cheryl, Janet, Leona, and Michael waiting for Poncha.

 

FISH FARM - After the poncha, we walked up to the fish farm. They looked like German Browns to me but Michael said they lacked the red spots.

 

 

 

Babies By The Billion                                                                        Bigger...

...Biggest

 

Fake Straw Thatched Houses: These homes were built solely for tourists to visit to see how the originals were built inside.

 

 

This is the cutest tiny library, ever.

We went up the mountain today on the opposite side of the island.  I think the island is about 45 miles long and 12 miles wide.  You would think it would be easy to explore in a day, but we went from 9 to 5 for two days, and didn't see it all.  Where we were burned last year.  They can't cut down the dead trees as the roots are still holding the soil.  Maybe Oroville's DWR could have learned about that before they took all the trees and plants off the temporary spillway!

Madeira has 157 tunnels.  Many of those were done from 1996 to 2004, when they joined the European Union.  With the money they got, they really beefed up their airport runway.  It used to be the third most dangerous airport in the world, and now it has fallen to the ninth most dangerous one.  He seemed pretty pleased with that, so I didn't remind him of how many possible airports in the world there are.  I asked him what kind of airplanes are able to land on that short runway (it looks like an aircraft carrier runway). He said it can land all of them. They brought the largest of all the air busses in the world to land there.  The first time the captain flew it empty and it was successful!  So, get this......they went again a second time FULL!  ......and it was again successful.  How would you have liked to have ridden on THAT test flight.???

How do you like our runway? Doesn't it look like an aircraft carrier?
Planes can land in either directiion, but not at the same time of course.
It was hard to get a good shot with our camera in the mist, so Jerold took a picture of a placemat.

 

 

 

Left: Carlos backed up and from where Joan was sitting in the back, she thought it was all over. It really spooked her when people in the front got out.  The views of the airport above are what was below her.

 

In the two days he has been with us, he has taken us to the far, opposite ends of the island.  He has taught us about trees and flowers, of traditions and histories, of agriculture, and more.  There is really not any industry here.  Madeira relies 80% on tourism; the other 20% is bananas, Madeira wine, and embroidery!  

Our lunch today was delicious.  I had black scabbard fish for the third time in a row.  Janet and Jerold had baked chicken, and said it was good.  Dessert was a really yummy flan.  Gosh, I hope they don't weigh me to get on the plane, or I won't make it home!   

Today we watched numerous  airplanes land and take off.  We even drove UNDER the runway so we could see the 180+ pillars holding up the runway.

Tonight, we went across the street for beef on a skewer.  Michael had grilled squid.  We had  bbq'd limpets with butter and garlic for a starter. ...and they were delicious.    I even sucked on the shell.  Better than clams! Really!  Ten of us met for dinner, and the service was horrible.  I think the guy that put in the order left, and it took forever, and even got some things wrong, so we had to order again.

When we got back to the hotel we went to the game room, and Janet and Michael and I played another game of Five Crowns.  This  time I won!  That means we have each won a game.  We may be playing a rubber game tomorrow, but since wake-up time is 2:30 a.m. the next morning, maybe not!  We are just glad Vic is feeling better!

Signing off in Madeira...only one more day?....  Grove and gang

 

 

Left: A type of cherry that they grow. Right: A fruit that I bough at the market.
It comes from the philodendron plant. Check out the leaf. As you can see, the stamen in the flower becomes the fruit. The outside kernals rub off and you eat the meaty cob.
It tastes like a mix between pineapple and banana.

 

Shrine - For Those Lost In WWI & WWII... And They Were Even Neutral

 
The Blessed Mother - Proclaiming Peace

 

 

 

The water spigots work. There is a rock rosary around the statue and the fountain.

 

 

Michael taking a picture of the town below... and the resulting image.

 

 

 

Journal No. 22

This is our last full day in Madeira and everyone is feeling a little low-key.  We have been on the go so much that it is kind of nice to hang loose for a day.  We have to get our stamina for the marathon of getting home.  It is always the hardest part of the trip.

We have stuff sorta packed for tomorrow as we have wake up call at 2:30 a.m.

I was so worried that I would be over weight on my suitcase but I am under by two pounds, so I shopped again this morning.  Smiths and us walked down to the water from our hotel.  It is a long steep walk down, and all I could think of is what goes down must come up.  There were some great pools down there, and a way to get down to swim in the sea that looked pretty good.  I don't think I am going to do it though.  Michael is feeling a little puny.  He stopped and set times several times on our walk and that just isn't like him.  While Janet and I shopped he and Jerold went back to the hotel. When I got back he was fast asleep, so I haven't bothered him.  It is 12:35 and if he doesn't wake up wanting lunch by 1:30 I'll know he is really sick. 

Because the kitchen is not open yet for breakfast at 2:30, the hotel is supposed to bring a big plate of food tonight to our rooms, for us to eat when we get up at 2:30.  Heaven forbid we miss a meal!

Later.....

Slept until 11:10 then waited around for the 2:45 wake up call.  (did send a few photos). We packed up and went to the bus to go to the airport.  Who was a hug bus driver?  Carlos!

We went through the regular stuff at the airport and our criminals, the Smiths and the Fishers, had to go through lots of extra searches!  That is the trouble with traveling with shifty people!

We will be waiting for the plane, and from there it's the wait, sit, fly, wait, sit, fly etc., all the way to San Francisco.  Since we are staying overnight there anyway, we felt lucky to get our bags checked all the way through.  We will have time to go through customs before hitting the sack at the El Rancho.

I hope you have enjoyed the trip... if you stayed to the very end. 

Grove