Sept 25 Funchal Portugal

 After a pleasant and restful day at sea, we arrived at a new place for us. Funchal is the capital city of the Madeira Islands, just north of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic west of Morocco.

The days are getting shorter -- it's still dark as we approach the town. Everything looks better at night.

A shuttle bus was available for "mobility impaired" so we took the pleasant 20-minute walk into town. Apparently access was controlled through this gate.

Moving from painters to players, Funchal's most famous son is Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best soccer players of his time. Several waiters in the buffet were eager to visit the CR7 museum just across the harbor from our docked ship. I told them it was a one-kilometer walk or 200 meter swim to the museum.

In a world of motorbikes, this is a limousine

This hotel is ....

Street art made from artificial vegetables.

The cathedral

Ceiling of the cathedral

Yet another church at the town square

Town hall

A captive river runs through the town

Many building walls are decorated with Portuguese tiles

Although not mobility impaired, we took a taxi from the town to the pier. The last kilometer from CR7 to the ship was without any shade. Later that afternoon, here's what the place looks like in daylight.

Sept 23 Malaga Spain

 I wonder if the Malaga airport could handle all of the last minute arrival and departures that Oceania created when the changeover day shifted from Lisbon (harbor pilot strike) to Malaga. Lots of flights had to get changed. The easiest were the people who flew into Lisbon a day early -- they could then fly to Malaga (space available) today. The itinerary change was published about two weeks ago so there should have been time to fix things. I didn't hear much complaining at the dinner tables around us.

We had not scheduled an excursion so we did our two hour stroll through town that turned into more than 3 hours. There was supposed to be a shuttle bus from the pier to the town. We boarded that bus and 10 minutes later, after a high volume phone call in Spanish, the driver sent us all off. A tour company rep on the pier said the bus was broken and a new one would arrive in 20 minutes (which I immediately converted to 30+ real minutes). She also said the walk into town was about 20 minutes so we took off on foot -- after I had gotten her to show me exactly on the map where the shuttle bus return would originate (you already know how this is going to end up, don't you?).

The cube house, after a pleasant 15 minute walk along the pier.

Town Hall

University

Roman ruins from the first century that we discovered in 1951 (or rediscovered, I guess).

Pablo Picaso the most famous native of Malaga. He's sitting on a bench near his family home.

Pablo's view

The Picaso Museum, head of the line. The end of the line was 200+ people down the road.

The Basilica

As you guessed, we waited at the pickup point for the shuttle bus for 45-minutes (supposedly running every 30 minutes) so we walked back. We could have taken a taxi but we were still OK with walking. Unfortunately the shade went away for the second half of the walk along the pier, leaving us feeling like this street art.

Sept 22 Tangier Morocco

 A late addition to the cruise itinerary because of Lisbon, we were unprepared for anything on our own. So we selected a Highlights tour to get the flavor. And this is our first visit to Morocco, but our second and third will come along in about a week.

Tangier in morning "golden hour."

Our excursion is two parts: driving to some distant places, then a walking tour through the city. This is the waterfront just opposite our boat.

Cap Spartel, the northwest corner of Africa where the Atlantic and Mediterranean meet.

Plage Sol, an Atlantic beach

For the total tourist experience, take a camel ride.

We stop at Hercules Grotto, part of the myth of Hercules separating Europe from Africa by spreading them apart. It's famous because of one feature -- a hole in the wall...

... that overlooks the Atlantic. And, if you have the necessary imagination, the hole looks like a map of Africa. It's about 20 feet high and 10 feet wide.

After a drive back to the city, we transition into the walking part of the excursion.  As we walk to the city gate we pass a building where the DISH TV salesperson was dominant.

We enter the city through the Kasba gate.

Narrow winding streets. You need a guide (or a GPS) to find your way through these streets.

Excellent place for lunch or a drink.

Angel's Trumpet

There was a lot of elevation change, but our guide had selected a route that was almost entirely downhill.

We enter the bazaar area. People had their wares displayed along the street/path.

Time for us to "exit through the gift shop." We stopped at a store for local artisans. Although there were two other Highlights buses taking the same tour, we were the only group in this store. I wonder where those groups went. There were certainly enough stores to spread the wealth.

Also, we were encouraged to haggle/bargain/bluster for the best price. Cynthia spoke to a fellow tour member who was quoted a price of $30 for a miniature teapot. They joined forces, and after some negotiation got 2 for $10. And I'm sure the shop made a profit.

Next stop a spice shop -- prices not negotiable. Which was fine with us because the smell, pleasant but overpowering, forced us into the street to wait for the rest of the group.

Final stop, Hotel Continental for mint tea and cookies. The cookies were good, but I had Diet Coke to drink.