Dean & Ginny's excellent adventures...  Main Adventure Page

Grand Voyage--2012:  << Part 1 << Part 2 << Part 3 << Part 4 << Part 5 << Part 6 << Part 7 << Part 8
 << Part 9  << Part 10  << Part 11 << Part 12  << Part 13 << Part 14 << Part 15 << Part 16 << Part 17 << Part 18 << Part 19
<< Part 20 << Part 21 << Part 22 << Part 23 << Part 24 Part 25

This plaza fountain with a changing-hued light show welcomes us to Cadiz, Spain in the early morning. 

We walked around the city enjoying the early morning light. Cadiz is a walled city. 

  
Outside the wall is the modern part of the city and this wire bird sculpture. A restaurant with outside tables makes use of this niche in the wall.

The wall continues along the shoreline and these two cats talk to us from a jetty.

Cadiz has some of the best beaches in Europe, but no one is enjoying them at this time. 

There's a gateway out to a structure that is being restored at the end of a long jetty/causeway.  Fishermen work the shoreline.

While the seafood displays in the main market are the most interesting, many vegetables are also offered.
After the market, we went to the bus & train station to find a ride to Vejer, an ancient "white city." We bought a ticket and our bus will leave in two hours, so we continued our walk around this lovely city.

This plaza with the two large banyan trees is part of a college campus.

The arched building is a cigar wrapping factory. And so we're off on an hour-long bus ride across the countryside and a few small towns to Vejer.

We love this historic and well-preserved city right away. The town is atop a hill and all the buildings except for the old castle walls are painted white. 

This bar located in an old church feels like the 1960s.

This plaza provides a gathering point with its whimsical fountain, restaurants, and cafes.

After our final walk through an arch, we head toward the edge of the city to catch the late afternoon bus back to Cadiz.

   
We shoot a few more photos in the late afternoon sun. Now we have a day at sea on our way to Madeira, an Atlantic isle and a Portuguese possession.

~ ~ ~

 
As we sail into Funchal, on the isle of Madeira, it rises up into the hills with its houses, churches and old fortifications. Funchal is the Portuguese word for fennel, which grew wild  on hillsides when the Portuguese came here.

We walk up to the garden at the top of an old fortification. 

 
The purple of the Jacaranda tree contrasts with the white kapoc tree. And the swans create the classic garden tableau.

We've senn this arch from both sides now...

Dean consults with a local about the buses. We want to get to the botanical gardens high in the city.
To get to our bus, we walk along the waterfront for a while.

This ex-Beatles yacht is now cemented into place and is a waterfront restaurant. 

Our bus stop was next to one of the two rivers that run through the city.

The garden is lovely and well-maintained.

Above the gardens, this lovely church overlooks the city.  And nearby, the old Belmonte Hotel (which is now a school) had a tradition of sending its guests back down to the lower part of the city via wicker road sleighs that is still a tourist attraction by itself.

 
You pay to ride down and two men in boater hats guide your sleigh down the narrow roads. Many of our fellow shipmates participated in this activity. We took the bus, but our driver seemed to be a frustrated race car driver, so our ride down to sea level might have been almost as exciting as the sleigh ride.

We walked down a narrow way filled with restaurants, cafés and art on the doors...

We found a beautiful market and bought some oranges for lunch.

And best of all, in the afternoon we found the flower festival. It really starts tomorrow on Saturday, but amazing floral tapestries have already been laid out on the plazas.

In addition to all the flowers, there is music and dance. Plus the flowers in the nearby parks are at their peak.

We walk back through this lovely town, tired but happy.

Tonight is our final sail away party and we look out as a replica ship also sails out for an evening soire. We think of the sailors of old who plied the world's waters in ricketty ships to find treasures and adventure. We have found both in extreme luxury by comparison. Wow! What a trip!

Dean's Log: Days 101-112

Itinerary graphic    

Main Adventure Page

Top of page: