Friday, 7 April 2017
Final Sea Day, Enroute to Palma de Mallorca


This morning I enjoyed a luxurious and relaxing massage in the Riviera's Canyon Ranch Spa, which, of course, I have never visited at its home in Tucson.  Aftwerwards I spent a quiet day:  lunch on the terrace of the Terrace Cafe (the first day warm enough to eat outside), and a nap this afternoon.  Now as I contemplate the tasks before me--dinner, starting to pack for disembarkation in Barcelona on Sunday, and tomorrow's day in Palma (where I spent three lovely days in the mid 1990's), the blog returns with more pictures from Funchal, and then hopefully if wifi behaves itself, a description and pictures of a wonderful day in Tangier on Thursday.


Tuesday, 4 April 2017
Funchal, Madeira (Continued)


After lunch I walk through the streets of the older section of Funchal, which has been beautifully restored, with homes and shops occupying the two-story buildings going up the steep slope of the streets.  My destination is the Convent of Santa Clara, whose interior from the 17th century survives in varying conditions of decay and restoration.  Besides offering a peaceful escape from the streets in its monastery gardens, the church and 17 interior chapels (many in terrible condition), offer wonderful tile decoration as well as example of minor religious art from the past three centuries. 

 

 

The guided tour is quite extensive, and after the long walk up the hill and the tour itself, I take a taxi back down to the center of town, where I have time to visit the Cathedral (Se), before catching the free shuttle bus back to the ship.  The cathedral, while small, would certainly have been adequate for the local population and visiting dignitaries.  The outside is plain stucco and brick, but the inside holds some glourious golden altars and statuary.

The weather is bright and clear but soon turns windy as we leave the shelter of the harbor.

The web has been working with photos very well tonight, so I am going to post this entry now, and then try to do another posting later tonight about Tangier.