Galomar Hotel Canico

On Sunday we got up, had breakfast and we went off on a tour organized by P&O to the top of the second highest cliff in the world, and very spectacular it was. On the way we saw all sorts of plant life, including banana trees and the very colourfull South African trees, with very large red flowers. We passed through Camara de Lobos and on to Pico da Torre where a magnificent view over the cliffs down to the sea showed how beautiful Madeira is.

... up right away so Terry was happy, but he then started to doubt whether he had remembered seeing the toiletry bag curbside--had the bag made it out of our car back in Orlando???? Luckily, a call from Carolyn confirmed she was still waiting on two of hers so not to panic--popped a bonine (preventative) then off to do mandatory drills. Met a nice couple from Copenhagen while clustered on deck for drills and oh, did I mention yet that the average age on board the ship 71.5 ...

... with Satan-again-creating stumbling blocks and God-again-intervening. Susanna is a long-standing member who has been distanced from the few other scattered brethren with little contact with the Church and members in the last 14 years, due to her physical condition, the mountainous area where she lives and the costs of traveling.   Susanna has difficulties walking about, falls easily and, as such, is basically restricted to her ...

... older other passengers) jumped straight onto the net part, bouncing around gaily with the sea passing beneath us as we set sail. It wasn't long, perhaps two miles off shore, before we spotted a pod of dolphins which the ship's crew chased, our crowd wooing as their fins sliced the wavy's sea's surface. I have only seen dolphins in the wild once before, and the experience was just as exhilarating this time as the last. We saw perhaps four or five jump before ...

... at around 10am! . . . . The day was to be spent walking the island's green pastures, so a hearty picnic was packed up and taken in an oversized basket (I hurried to look ...

... a day of diving. Ed is an avid diver and was keen to get kitted up and submerge himself in that other ...

... the salty Altalantic ocean. We landed at around 11am, after a merciless 4am start, and were met at Madeira's Funchal airport by Ed's father, ever the clown Wally. And we were off! Carrying little more than clean underwear that compromised our hand ...

... lunch we explored a bit, bought the boys some crazy European bike helmets (god knows why) and did some grocery shopping. Back to the boat and all rather tired, so decided a movie and very light dinner. Appropriately the movie chosen was Casablanca, with Humphrey and Ingrid, just to get us in the mood for the forthcoming adventure. It would be a great place to chill for a week. Maybe on our way back to the Caribbean.

... it's not often one can see the runway supported by stilts and hanging out over the sea! We should be thankful prior to 2000 this was one of the worlds most dangerous places to land. Often referred to as the "Aircraft Carrier" due to its incredibly short runway, thankfully it has now been extended, hence the stilts! Our base for the week has been a lovely 2 story villa set high on the mountain side above the pretty ...

... The views are great and this is where the ancient, now touristy, street tobbagan rides commence. Two top tips: 1) Take a local bus (?86) to Carreira du Funchal, (nuns valley). Head downhill along the road for 400m then take the clear path on the left and enjoy an exhilirating climb to a great lookout. As Madeira bus drivers are bonkers, once you have ascended this crazy peak, you will find a bus stop. Buy your ticket, close your eyes and pray. 2) Get one way tickets on the ...