Tricia’s Travelogue

We docked at Funchal on the island of Madeira very early Wednesday morning. Charlie took this photo about 6:20, as we were approaching the city. Unfortunately, the ship rotated just before. docking, so our view was of empty water and sky! Our small-group excursion through Royal Caribbean was called the Foodie and Cultural Walking Tour of Funchal. We reported to the theater at 9:00 and were seated by group. About 9:20, our group of eight was walked out to a van, where we waited and waited, until 9;45, when a driver showed up, got in, and drove away without a word. Usually there is a guide!  As it turned out, our lovely guide met us in town, a short drive away. If you ever visit Funchal, be warned that the port is a 45-minute walk from town, so do pay for the shuttle tickets ($15). I didn't catch our guide's name, alas, but she was excellent. As we walked, she gave us a lot of background information and also identified some of the gorgeous trees and plants we passed. Kapok tree i...

We left the ship shortly after 10:00 for our 11:00 food tour, because the meeting point was a 50-minute walk away. Needless to say, we did NOT walk! We'd planned to get a taxi, but there were none right at the terminal. We walked a block or so and finally settled on taking one of the many tuk-tuks.  Our driver didn't seem thrilled to be taking us so far, but Charlie's generous tip cheered him up.  Here are a couple of pics: Can you see us in the mirror? He dropped us off at the entrance to Estrella Park, across from the Basilica. The park itself is quite large, with nicely labeled specimens of plants from everywhere Portugal once had colonies. Here are a few that caught our eye: Silk Floss Tree (or Kapok, as our guide called it) Hibiscus Moreton Bay Fig Dragon Tree The other tour guests arrived -- a couple from San Francisco, and a mother and teenaged sons from Geneva. Our guide, Kika, told us she was 45 and had taught kindergarten for 14 years before changing careers. Here...