è Report #17 – April 14 – 22, 2008 

The day after leaving Gibraltar, we arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, another new city and country for us.  To get to our dock and the city we had to sail eastward from the Atlantic Ocean into the Tejos River and then under the 25 April Bridge.  The bridge is named for the date of the Portuguese Revolution (25 April 1974) that succeeded in overthrowing a totalitarian regime and launched the country as a democracy on the world stage.  Once we passed under the bridge, in full view to port (left) was the city of Lisbon and to starboard (right) was a 752-foot Christ the Redeemer monument, a replica of the one in Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon’s sister city.

Our tour for the day first ventured to Estoril and Cascais, two coastal cities to the north that compete for Lisbon’s beach loving population and tourists.  In addition to the numerous modern timeshares, condos and hotels were some magnificent stone palace-looking estates that sprinkled the shoreline.  Turns out, since Portugal was neutral during WW II, the area became havens for rich expatriates and exiled royalty and these estates were their homes.  Some are still owned by descendants; others have been sold off to the new rich, turned into museums or are exclusive hotels.

Next, we headed north through heavily wooded mountains to the town of Sintra, the summer residence of the kings of Portugal and the Moors before them.  The last king to summer in Sintra was in 1910 when the monarchy fell.  The National Palace dominates the heart of the village and was built largely in the 14^th and 15^th centuries.  After a not-so-quiet lunch with 40 other people on the tour, we had some private time to explore the narrow nooks and crannies of Sintra, on foot.

The last few stops for the day were all back in the Lisbon area.  Lisbon is the capital and largest city in Portugal and has a mix of old and new spreading across seven hills and running down to the waters of the Tejos.  On November 1, 1755, an earthquake, followed by a tidal wave and later fires destroyed almost the entire city.  Today, Lisbon is living in a new time of economic and cultural growth and is thought of as one of Europe’s most beautiful, and – we agree.  Alfama is the picturesque medieval quarter, while the central city area is known as The Baixa (bye sha).  Four miles west of Lisbon is the suburb of Belém and the location of a spectacular monument to Portugal’s explorer past.  The monument was built in 1960 in commemoration of the 500^th anniversary death of Henry the Navigator (1399-1460).  It is in the shape of the bow of a ship, with sails filled with wind, and towers about 150 feet in the air.  On the forward part is Henry the Navigator, holding a ship, while behind him there are 32 other stone-carved figures representing those instrumental in Portuguese exploration around the world.  The pavement in front of the monument combines a design of a compass and a world map showing the dates and routes of great Portuguese voyages.  Back on the ship as we sailed away, we agreed Portugal was on our “Must-Return-To” list for the future.

April 15 was a nice day at sea sailing the Atlantic, enroute to Funchal, Madeira, with lots of things to do and, as usual, too much food to eat.  We’ve been able to keep weight gain to a minimum only by continuously moving when on shore and when at sea – taking long deck walks, never using elevators and never going to the 1130pm dessert buffet.  Still, it’s an ongoing battle.

We arrived early morning April 16^th in Funchal and fortunately were out on our verandah to witness a simply beautiful sunrise over the city.  Funchal is the capital of the Madeira archipelago and is on the south coast of the island by the same name – Madeira.  The island is 35 miles long and 13 miles wide, with a high rocky volcanic backbone running east-west through it. The tour we picked was one that would travel along the south coast, before heading up over the volcanic mountain in the center and then down the other side to Porto Moniz, on the northwest coast.

Our first stop was in the small fishing village of Câmara de Lobos, made famous by Sir Winston Churchill (he vacationed there in the 1930s & 40s) and then to Cabo Girão, the location of the second highest sea cliff in the world.  Unfortunately there were so many vendors, tourists and buses at the cliff that we barely got a glimpse over the side.  The ride over the mountain through the Encumeado Pass was exciting, with incredible views in all directions, including down the cliffs below.  We reached Porto Moniz in time for a late lunch with lots of Madeira wines, followed by a walk around the natural swimming pools rimmed in volcanic rocks.  The trip back to the ship in Funchal was via the low road and its 13 tunnels (someone was counting) that had been cut through the solid rock.  The trip back took half as long as the trip over, but was not nearly as much fun or as scary.

Departing Funchal meant we were about to begin our five day crossing of the Atlantic, enroute to Bermuda.  We were hoping for a smooth crossing and that’s exactly what we got.  Some days we had to look out to make sure we were moving – it was like looking out at an Adirondack lake in the quiet of a morning.  The five days were filled with events, lectures, entertainment, including The Osmond Brothers (three of them are still performing together), two formal nights, a great party at the Pinnacle Grill and a Gold & Black Ball.  The days flew by and we arrived on April 22^nd in our last port – Bermuda.

Dockage space was fully booked in Bermuda, so we anchored off-shore on the west end.  Arrangements had been made for a 600-passenger Bermudian ferry to transfer passengers between the ship and downtown Hamilton, the capital.  Since everyone, of course, wanted to go ashore on the first ferry, it was a mob scene.  We took the second ferry, to avoid the hassle, even though it made our time ashore shorter.  We had been to Bermuda several times, so our plan was to take a long brisk walk, followed by a long-drawn-out lunch – a real tough day.  The weather was perfect and our plan turned out better than we had hoped for.  After the walk, we discovered the restaurant we had selected in advance was closed for renovations, so we looked around for an alternative and literally fell-upon The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.  Even though the classy brass sign read MEMBERS ONLY, we proudly presented ourselves as members of the Ft. Schuyler “Yacht” Club and asked if we’d be allowed to enter for lunch.  No problem – we were seated at a lovely table on a covered verandah, next to the water and all the yachts and among the Bermudian businesspeople who were also having lunch.  Two hours later we paid the bill with a credit card and said good day, in our best English.

Some interesting facts about Bermuda – In 1609, the British vessel Sea Venture, carrying English colonists to Jamestown, Virginia, grounded near Bermuda.  The survivors established the first permanent settlement and by the end of the century, Bermuda was a Crown Colony.  While some people think Bermuda is only one island, there are 123 in total.  Bermuda enjoys a warming Gulf Stream and is only 600 miles off the coast of North Carolina.  There are no high-rises, no parking meters, no neo signs, no pollution, no slums and no income tax.  Lastly, Bermuda’s beaches really are pink – the color results from the red skeletons of single-celled coral organisms mixed with white sand.  Once back onboard, we sailed away from beautiful sparkling Bermuda while sipping champagne and sharing experiences of the day with other passengers.

After one day at sea, April 23, our next port of call will be New York City & home on April 24.  We’ll be sending one last follow-up to cover those two days and just some general information about the trip, the ship and the crew.  Thanks for reading and take care.     Georgiana & Nick