Wednesday, November 29 – Funchal Again

Today was at least the fourth time we have been in Funchal.  We usually take a ship’s shuttle to town and just walk around although we did take a ship’s tour in 2001.  The local market, filled with local produce and handicrafts, is a must for us as is a visit to the fish market behind it.  Last year, there was no shuttle offered and the nearest stop for the HoHo bus was almost a mile away, so we stayed on the ship.

This year, there was no need for a shuttle as we were docked at a new facility [new to us, at least] near downtown.  The problem for us was that the gangway was at water level and the terminal, such as it was, was at street level.  There did not appear to be an elevator available and the incline from sea to street was quite steep.  To compound our difficulties, MA twisted her back last night and was unsure if she would be able to walk the incline in either direction.  Our plan to go ashore for lunch in one of the cafes was shot; we could see the cafes but could not take the chance on getting to them and back.

As a result, today became another sea day full of reading and resting.  We will be doing a lot of that in the next week since we will not see land until next Thursday when the ship arrives at HAL’s island in the Bahamas.
After dinner tonight we returned to the room to find that lovely note telling us to turn our clocks and watches back an hour.  By morning, we will be only four hours ahead of the East Coast.


TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW – Sea Days Full of Nothing

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