We
arrived in the port city of Funchal at about 8 AM. This was our last port of call before
crossing the Atlantic and returning to Ft. Lauderdale.
Our
tour was scheduled for 10 AM. We went to
the Horizon court and had breakfast before going to the Princess Theater to
start the tour. We boarded the bus and
our first stop was not far away in downtown Funchal. Funchal is the capital city of the islands
that make up the autonomous region of Madeira.
The islands are part of Portugal.
There are four islands, only two are inhabited. The islands are known for producing a
fortified wine bearing the same name at the islands, Madeira. We walked through an outdoor market with arts
and crafts. No competition for Montyne
and John's, Still Flowers.
Back
on the bus we drove to three high points of the island. The islands make up a volcanic archipelago
and rise sharply from the sea with very little beach area. Agriculture is predominate with terraced farm
land once outside the city. The island
is tropical along the sea but rises sharply with distinct temperate zones. Originally sugar cane was the main crop. Now there are extensive areas growing Bananas,
Avocado and many other crops including sugar cane.
The
tour went through the hotel area of Funchal and then into the higher country
side. We stopped at a viewpoint that
overlooked the town and ocean. There was
a cache listed nearby but if the container was where we thought it was we
couldn't retrieve it. I forgot to write
down the cache name or GC number, so I couldn't write the owner about it.
Our
next stop was at a point above the ocean with a 2000' drop almost vertical to
the sea. This stop had a sky walk with a
glass walkway looking directly down the cliff to the sea. The guide said it was the second highest sea
cliff in the world. The highest being in
China. The guide was doubtful of the
Chinese measurement. The view was quite
impressive. From this viewpoint there
was also imposing views of the surrounding area and the terraced farm land.
At
our third and last stop along the coastal cliffs there was another cache nearby
but we had no luck finding it. The view
from this point was of the terraced farms plus a fishing village far below.
The
bus drivers skill on the narrow winding roads was impressive. He also exhibited a lot of patients with
other drivers who had a propensity to stop in the narrower portions of the road
to talk to neighbors or unload items from their cars.
Our
tour returned to the ship at about 3 PM.
We took our purchases to our room and then had a sandwich and clam
chowder at the International Cafe on deck 5.
There
was a cache about a quarter mile away. I
left Gerri on board and walked to it. As
I was signing the log another couple came up.
They were also cachers from the ship.
We talked for awhile and walked back to the ship together, they were
from New York. This was my last cache on
this trip. I managed to find eleven
caches in six countries. I thought I
added two continents, but it turns out the cache I thought was in Asia was in
the European part of Istanbul. Our other
stop in Turkey, Kusadasi, was cancelled because high winds prevented the
docking. I have now found caches on four
continents.
We
went to dinner again at our regular seating.
And afterwards went to a show in the Princess Theater featuring a
mentalist. Back at our cabin I stayed up
and watched the latest Superman movie.
Tomorrow
is the first of the seven sea days before landing in Ft. Lauderdale.
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