Harmonious cohabitation…Sharing the load…

This is our house in Campanario, high on a hill, as are most homes here. We took this photo as we walked down the steep road in front of it.  Here’s the link to the listing on HomeAway.com: http://www.homeaway.co.uk/p6596390

Every Thursday morning Judite, Gina’s sister-in-law, arrives to clean the house for three hours at a rate of US $20.40, EU $15. This rate is comparable to what we’ve paid in other countries. In the US, the cost was three to four times more for the same amount of work and hours.

This rose is growing in front of our house on a narrow stone planter box.

We’ve had cleaning help since the beginning of our travels, as we did back in the US. For me, having the weekly help keeps me from feeling as if I have to be cleaning constantly. Instead, we are able to enjoy our lives as we maintain a relatively tidy household each day.

A neighborhood walk resulted in seeing many gorgeous flowers including this pink rose in full bloom.

The odd part of having a weekly cleaner is the necessity to prepare for their visit. What? Clean for the cleaning help? Yes, it’s true. Each Thursday morning before Judite arrives, we take the sheets and pillowcases off of the bed to be replaced by last week’s clean and folded batch which we’d prepared.

There are four goats living on the hill next door appearing to be a mom, dad, and two babies. Every morning we step outside and do a loud “baa” to which she responds in a louder “baa” as she looks our way. 

Then, we run around the house gathering dirty towels to be washed, empty trashes, and clear away all of our computer and equipment clutter that accumulated over the week. In essence, we clean in preparation for the arrival of the cleaning lady.

The look at it like this: If we do these smaller tasks, it frees up her time to do the heavy work such as the scrubbing and cleaning floors and bathrooms (there are three here, all of which we use) window washing, etc. It has always made sense to me.

Even imperfection has a certain beauty.

Tom laughed at me years ago, when he watched me run around preparing for the arrival of the weekly helper for many years, our dear Teresa in Minnesota. Now, he gets it. Then again, don’t newly retired people come to many new understandings once they are home together all day in the throes of daily household upkeep?

I practically had to get on my knees and shoot upward when this flower was drooping toward the ground.

A few days ago, I complimented Tom on handling 50% of the daily household tasks. I suppose I shouldn’t be complimenting him on a task that is to be expected in a household of two who “should” be sharing equally in the responsibilities.

Although we’re quite a distance from the ocean, its fun to watch the boats from afar.

He compliments me on the work that I do including the cooking of the meals after which he cleans up and does all of the dishes. The rest we share, never a part of any spoken “to do” list but more as we’ve fallen into step in a natural way over these almost 20 months since he retired. 

Do our bird enthusiasts from Jersey, UK know what type of bird this is? 

I do the laundry hanging the small stuff.  He hangs the big items with me. He handles the trash,  the recyclables, and makes the bed while I do the restocking of toilet paper, paper towels, and putting laundry away. The natural separation of tasks took this spontaneous evolution that literally never requires one of us to ask the other to “do their part.” 

The end result of never having to ask or remind is simple: harmony. Without it, life could be frustrating ultimately resulting in resentment and anger which we avoid like the plague.

Red is a predominant color in flowers on the island of Madeira.

Recently, someone mentioned we should write a book about our travels. Perhaps, someday, we may. My retort to that comment was that instead of writing a book about traveling, we could write a book entitled, “How a retired couple can harmoniously and happily travel the world.”

There are many topics upon which we could disagree. We don’t. We choose harmony. We may not always agree. We’ve learned to listen and hear out each other’s objections, rationalizations and valid arguments on a point.  We reconsider. We coalesce. We unite.

Water flows down this hill but not every day.

The only way in which the complexity of traveling the world can work lies in the willingness to let go of one’s ego always striving for the best solution for the couple and for the ultimate happiness and joy in all of our experiences. 

We are excited to share tomorrow’s post when as we writing today, a situation occurred in our area that sent us reeling with delight! Please stop back!
______________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, June 5, 2013:

This is the outdoor spot on the Norwegian Spirit where we sat every morning after breakfast as we posted for the day. We were on our way on a Mediterranean cruise. The ship wasn’t our favorite but we met a lot of wonderful people and had a great time. For the ship’s itinerary and our boarding procedures, please click here.

What’s happened to our package?…Its stuck in customs!…

Last night, this view at sunset took our breath away. 

The package. Oh, goodness. What a pain! We received packages in Kenya and South Africa without too much trouble. I guess that in Portugal, it’s a bigger deal. Yesterday, we went to the post office in Ribeira Brava with the tracking number for the package. 

After a 30 minute wait, while the rep went back and forth on the phone with the main post office in Funchal, we were told we have to find all the receipts for all of the items in the box and take them to the main post office in Funchal, the capital city of Madeira.

Last night as the sun began to set around 9:00 pm, it casts these beautiful lights and sky over the valley as shown from our veranda.

Luckily, reasonably good record keepers that we are, we had all the receipts in a folder in my email. Recently, our portable printer quit working. Printing the receipts is impossible.

Another view at sunset as the light quickly changed over the valley.

Instead, we’ll bring my laptop to the post office to show them all of the receipts which I placed, page by page, on a single long Word document to avoid searching through my email at the post office.

Today, Tom went alone to the ATM by the supermarket to get cash to pay the fees. (It’s the first time we’ve been apart in over three months when I went to a girl’s only lunch with Kathy and Linda in South Africa). 

The total value of the items in the package is US $593.64, EU $436.12. We’d better bring at least US $300, EU $220.39 to pay for the fees. With the 21% VAT (value-added tax) plus other taxes and fees, this could total the entire US $300.

Although we can’t see the sun as it sets we can enjoy the colorful sky at sunset each night.

Who knew? The most we had to pay for a package of which we’ve received a about four since we’ve left the US, was approximately US $25, EU $18.37 in South Africa when a prescription arrived through customs. I suppose we should have thought of this before ordering the products we needed. Most likely, we may have placed the order anyway. These types of expenses “go with the territory.”

The challenge when we go on Friday morning will be finding the post office in Funchal. With little to no help from any online map apps or working GPS finding anything in Madeira is tricky and time-consuming. It’s that part alone that will make the trip more annoying than the time we’ll end up spending at the post office. 

With strong winds off of the Atlantic Ocean, the sky changes before our eyes as the sun sets each night.

We’ll report back as to the outcome and subsequent costs of the duty fees we’ll be required to pay. 

Also, we haven’t been able to find the two restaurants located in our area. No one seems to be able to do more than point “up” in the general direction. With the winding, hilly, roads with multiple one-way streets and hairpin turns, there’s no easy way to explain where anything is located. Certainly, it’s no fault of the locals when even they can’t explain how to get to a specific location. 

A view at the top of a hill while we were in Ribeira Brava for the trip to the post office and dinner at Muralha.

The drive to Funchal is mostly highway making the trip easy until we get close to the busy city and confusing central road system. We shall see how it goes.

Last night, after the trip to the post office we returned to Muralha  Restaurant for the second time which is located across the street, for yet another fine dinner with extraordinary service, heading home well before dark.

Tom was ready for his large mug of beer on the far left bottom.

We’ll be relieved once this package thing is resolved and our stuff is in our hands. By the next time we need supplies, we’ll be living in Hawaii, USA, making the receipt of items easy and uncomplicated although with costly shipping. 

Our waiter brought this fresh fish platter to the table so I could choose my meal. I choose the seafood skewer with squid and prawns. It was amazing with the chunks of squid cooked to perfection and not as chewy as usual in most restaurants.

Ah, the trials of travel are frustrating at times, some of which could be avoided if our requirements were less.  But, in order to fulfill some of our creature comforts, medical, clothing, and supply needs from time to time, we ultimately make our own lives a little more complicated. 

There’s my gluten-free, starch-free, grain-free, sugar-free dinner. I had a side of steamed vegetables and a part of Tom’s salad (mainly the veggies he won’t eat). Once again it was a fabulous meal!

We always try to remember that in our old lives, for example, we drove to Costco on a snowy day, purchased a huge cart of stuff, loaded it into the car while our hands were freezing, drove it home, unloaded the car with freezing hands, hauled it into the house and then put it all away. This included a huge expenditure and a tremendous amount of time and effort.

Tom gave me the chicken legs off of his plate. He doesn’t eat the dark meat which makes whole chickens ideal for us. Check out those chips! I don’t make these at home. Ever!

I suppose in a way, our lives are easier now, even with the annoyance and cost of dealing with the receipt of a package three or four times a year, after placing the orders online. Life is always a series of trade-offs, wherever one may live or travel. 

At this point, there’s nothing I would trade for the life we currently live.
______________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, June 4, 2013:

We were on our way to Barcelona, Spain from Dubai, UAE to sail on a cruise from Barcelona to Venice, Italy through the Mediterranean Sea. Our flight to Barcelona was on Emirates Airline, a first for us. We were fascinated with the handheld remote we had at our seats for viewing movies and for the first-class amenities at a coach seat. For details of that travel day when we ended up staying at the same hotel we’d stayed in Barcelona before the cruise to Dubai on May 5, 2013, please click here.

Plans for the future revealed!…A new continent…From Hawaii May, 2015 to ????

Yesterday, we’d planned for dinner in Ribeira Brava, a 20-minute drive through tunnels and mountains. With my equilibrium still whacked from the recent illness, I had to back out of our dinner plans and head back home, to dine in.  However, we managed to make it to this beautiful garden in Campanario. 

In the past year, we’ve spent many hours looking at the world map trying to decide where we’d ideally like to travel after our last booking in Kauai, Hawaii ending on May 15, 2015. 

After tiring of long flights and thinking back to our original plans of cruising to destinations, first, we picked a country or continent we’d like to visit. Then, we began the search for possible cruises that could take us to our chosen continent/country, even if it meant a fight in between.

How handy that a Honey Bee stopped by.

We worked on this premise for a while as we contemplated our options. The problem needed to be revolved due to the fact that we had more than one possible preferred location. Over these past months we had three options:

Our choices included:
1. Alaska
2. South America
3. Australia/New Zealand

The beauty of the terraced hills and garden in Madeira. Astounding!

A huge factor in the location we’d ultimately choose is the cost of living including the rent for vacation homes.  As it turned out, as hard as we tried, we couldn’t make Alaska work in the summer and there was no way we’d consider Alaska during at any other time of the year.

For a decent house, condo, apartment, resort, or lodge, the lowest rent for a property we’d find suitable started at US $5000, EU $3668.91 a month. Let’s face it, living in a less expensive run down the basic cabin for months in Alaska was not our cup of tea. Plus, Internet accessibility is an issue in many areas of Alaska.

We were unable to get a clear shot of the worn verbiage on this sign which we’d hoped to later translate.

With the size of Alaska, we’d have to move no less than three times to get a fair sampling of the huge state. With only three months of good weather, we’d feel rushed.

Through our travels, we’ve determined that our goal is to rent a house with a lake or an ocean view if possible.  Doing so in Alaska made it all the more unaffordable. 

Love these!

Based on our lengthy research these past few years, so far Alaska and Switzerland were the two locations in the world that we found to be the most expensive in which to live.

A month ago, we decided to let go of our hopes for Alaska at this time, which continues to have much appeal for us with its considerable wildlife. We’ve decided to save Alaska for the future when we hope to eventually tour the US and Canada.

It is surprising that cactus can grow in this cool climate that rarely tops 78F, 25C at the hottest point of summer in August and September.

Next, we went to work on South America, starting in Ecuador in order to visit the Galapagos Islands to see the wildlife, eventually settling in Ecuador for three months after discovering that many US ex-pats live in certain areas. 

We were able to find affordable housing in Ecuador on the ocean that fit our criteria. At one point, we’d also considered a trip to Machu Picchu in Peru but with the masses of tourists now traipsing through the lengthy trek, we lost interest.

Oh, that I wish I knew names of flowers to share here. Never the gardener, always the admirer, we’ve never learned the names of many flowers. To research each of these and to post them here, is not a task I care to undertake with “other fish to fry.”

After Ecuador, we’d move to another South American country, staying up to three months in each of several locations over perhaps a period of a year. Of course, a cruise on the Amazon River has definitely been on our list of desired future experiences. 

No matter how hard we’ve tried, we couldn’t get excited about South America at this time in our travels. At some point, we will. Also, we hope to return to Africa to visit Victoria Falls, go on another safari, see the gorillas in Rwanda and return to Marloth/Kruger Park, South Africa. (My heart sings as I write about returning to South Africa).

We do know this is a rose.  Wow!

In reality, we only have so much time. I’m 66 years old, Tom is 61. Will our health hold out? We can reasonably envision another 10 years of traveling Beyond that, who knows?

So folks, with much enthusiasm, we’ve decided on Australia and then later, off to New Zealand! Last night, we booked an 18-day cruise from Honolulu, Hawaii on May 24, 2015, heading to Sydney, Australia arriving on June 11, 2015, where we’ll stay for a few days (very pricey big city) and then move to the first of several homes we plan to rent on the continent. 

Could this be a poinsettia?

We’ll have an extra nine days “to kill” in Oahu, Hawaii, most likely in a hotel while we wait for the cruise to depart from Honolulu.

Now, we’re excited! Wildlife, the outback, the ocean, the friendly Aussies, and with many affordable houses by the sea in the smaller communities, we couldn’t be more thrilled.

Tom, overlooking the sea. Nice shot of him wearing the same shirt he often wears in an attempt to wear it out.  No such luck!

Checking out the weather, possible safaris, and vacation rentals, we’ll soon continue our search for where we’ll live, locking them up with deposits as we make our selections. 

We’ve already found several excellent options. However, this is a time-consuming process that will take months to accomplish. As we book each property, we’ll list them here with details and photos.

The warmth of the sun made it possible to take off my jacket as we perused the garden. I’ve been wearing my warmest long-sleeved BugAway shirts while feeling cold since we arrived.

Traveling the world is comparable to having a “job” requiring diligent research and planning. As anyone with a “job” we have free time to enjoy spending time where we are living at the moment. Mix it all together and we love all the parts; the research, the planning, and most of all, the living.

Having this decision resolved for the moment, we can sit back and “love the one we’re with,” the beautiful island of Madeira!

Tomorrow, we’ll post the details of the cruise to Australia, the ports of call, the cost for our balcony cabin, and the details as to how and why we chose our cabin. With eight cruises under our belts since January 3, 2013, we now have three more cruises to anticipate over the next 12 months.  Stay tuned.
______________________________________________________

Photo from approximately one year ago today, May 28, 2013:

A side view of AIDer HQ, an office building in Dubai, UAE. This photo was posted on May 30, 2013, when we toured Dubai and Abu Dhabi the prior day. For the story for that day, please click here

Anxious to go out…Troubles preventing it…

Tom, standing outside the Pharmacia, where I’d purchased a few OTC items. I listed all the items in Portuguese on my phone. There were several patrons in the store, a few who spoke a little English while I  fumbled with Portuguese, who welcomed us to Campanario. Wow, friendly!

During the long and arduous trip from Morocco to Portugal, I began to feel horrible assuming it was due to a lack of sleep the night the previous night. Once we arrived in Madeira and after a fairly good first night’s sleep, I wondered why I still felt exhausted and lethargic.  

Inside the tunnel on the way to the Pharmacia.

As the days passed, the tiredness and exhaustion have continued and now almost a week later, I am sick with flu-like symptoms that I can’t seem to kick. No longer can I blame being tired after many good long night’s sleep.

The scenery is breathtaking with all the homes on the hills in varying shades of white and beige.

Yesterday, on our way to the Pharmacia, which is nearby requiring only one tunnel, we discussed how many times we’ve been sick; two for Tom, one a respiratory infection on the Middle Eastern cruise we took one year ago to date and the most recent flu in Morocco about one month ago. 

The closest church in our neighborhood.  Bells ring every 15 minutes, music to our ears.

I‘ve been sick three times; once on that same cruise where we ended up in Dubai, one year ago yesterday making me horribly ill with a raging sinus infection and respiratory thing lasting during the entire two weeks we were in Dubai finally succumbing to taking antibiotics, a Z-Pack. 

The second time was the intestinal thing I picked up eating salad the first few days in Morocco, again requiring the antibiotic Cipro after suffering it out for 10 days in an attempt to avoid another antibiotic.

The view down to the “rapido” known as the freeway. The roads here are in excellent condition although finding one’s way around is challenging.

Now, I’m sick again. Back in the US each of us could go for a few years without a single cold or flu. We ask ourselves how we could have prevented these illnesses. The food thing was easily prevented. The rest, not so much. We do everything we can to maintain good health. We still fall prey.

A neighbor standing on the roof of his house with laundry blowing in the breeze.

In each case of illnesses, we had been around massive numbers of people. Both of us are fanatics about washing our hands both out and about and at home. 

It appears that many residents plant terraced gardens on the hills.

We share this information with our readers not to elicit sympathy, although we do get tons of that (thanks to everyone for their good wishes during our illnesses). Instead, we do it more so to explain that at the moment, we aren’t out and about exploring the sights and posting amazing photos while we’re sick. Of course, we’re chomping at the bit to get out more than we have so far.

Tom asked me yesterday if I’d ever tire of the view. “Never!” I answered. When would one ever tire of a view of the hills and the sea?

At the moment, only short trips are possible while I’m still under the weather, preferring to be lying down as opposed to sitting in the car on the hilly winding roads. 

Notice how close the clouds are at the top of the hills.

In the interim, we have plenty of food. Somehow, we managed to make the pizzas yesterday with a fresh one left to bake for tonight’s dinner with a salad on the side.

A cloudy day in the nearby hills.

I wish I could say I’m on the mend. At this point, I feel as if I’m in the throes of the worst of whatever it is.  Hopefully soon, I’ll turn the corner, anxious to explore this gorgeous island sharing photos and details of our discoveries.  In the interim, we’ll continue to post new photos each day from our immediate surroundings and from any short trips.

Patience my friends…for the patient.

                                                  _____________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 22, 2013:

Coincidentally, it was one year ago today, that I wrote about being stricken with the illness that plagued Tom and other passengers while on the Middle Eastern cruise. Also on this date,  we posted a story about an article about how my health had changed from the change of diet. Unfortunately, no diet prevents one from catching viruses. This was the only photo we posted on that date, the photo I’d used for the article. For details and a link to that story,
please click here.

Finding our way around the steep mountainous roads of Madeira…Photos of us…

“Nemo” was headed my way as I leaned into the aquarium inside the restaurant, his cute little mouth, sucking in the shape of an “O.”

Online maps in Madeira, Portugal don’t easily provide directions from our home to where we’d like to go. The paper maps we have, don’t show the smaller streets. Many roads are one way with no seeming way to get back to where we started.

Although the weather was warm, we’ve been cold while attempting to acclimate after the extreme heat we’d experienced in Morocco, South Africa, Kenya. Thus, Tom’s long sleeves. We both had jackets with us which we will again today with it cool and windy.

With a dinner reservation last night and a red spot on Google Maps, showing that the restaurant was on the ocean in Ribeira Brava we figured we could find it. Gina explained there was a parking ramp below the restaurant. After a 15 minute drive from Campanario to Ribeira Brava, we were excited to find the parking ramp with the restaurant above.

Taking this photo of us by the boat reminded us of a similar photo in Hopkins Belize over a year ago.

Parking the car in the ramp after taking a ticket (how modern!) the guard motioned us to the elevator to go two floors up to the restaurant. Meandering out the elevator, we searched for a sign with the name of the restaurant. Alas, it wasn’t the restaurant where we had a reservation.

When we spotted this sign, we knew we found the “wrong” restaurant deciding to stay for dinner anyway.

We looked at one another, shrugging our shoulders, deciding this looked like a great place to dine as we moseyed to the huge chalkboard menu in both English and Portuguese. We decided to stay.

As soon as we perused this boarded menu we knew we’d be staying for dinner, although we weren’t in the restaurant for which we had a reservation.

The day had been perfect at 72F, 22C and the thought of sitting outdoors along the ocean was appealing. I felt like a kid in a candy store with a pocket filled with money, flitting about taking photos, practically squealing with delight over the 6:00 pm sunshine, the sound of the surf, the dogs running about, and the birdcage and aquarium in the restaurant. 

Dining in the interior of the restaurant may be necessary on rainy or windy days. 

Tom had one of those ” _ _ it” eating grins on his face that wouldn’t stop. We sat at a comfortable table for four with a crisp linen tablecloth. 

The restaurant view from the sidewalk. More photos will follow tomorrow with too many to post in one day.

As it turned out, the restaurant, Restaurant and Grill Muralha was listed as #2 on TripAdvisor’s rated dining establishments in Ribeira Brava. What a stroke of luck! The restaurant where we’d intended to dine was listed as #4. We’ll find it next time.

The cozy bar on the interior of the restaurant.

Not only was the menu filled with numerous suitable options for me but also for Tom. We weren’t certain as to spices used in Portuguese cooking, wondering if we’d be disappointed with overwhelming flavors for which we’d soon tire. Alas, we were in luck. Portuguese food is lightly seasoned with spices we found to be not only palatable but familiar, enjoyable over the long haul.

Portugal is known for its fine wine worldwide some of which the restaurant proudly displayed.

Tom ordered a beer while I ordered the usual bottle of bubbly water. The food was beautifully presented, promptly served, and hot, mouth-watering, and delicious. The portions were huge as shown in these photos.  We devoured every morsel on our plates. The service was impeccable, friendly, and English speaking, to our surprise.

A decorative shelf on the interior of the restaurant.

It was so good that we commented that the others may be a hard act to follow. With only nine major restaurants in the area with many smaller café and eateries, we’ll return in the future.

Tom ordered the Mixed Grill which he thoroughly enjoyed.  They had swapped the lamb for more steak. He’d had his fill of lamb in Morocco. Of course, more “chips.”

Our bill plus tip was close to the highest we’ve paid since the onset of our travels, US $62.27, EU $45.47. We didn’t flinch. Able to cook our own meals, most likely we’ll dine out twice a week.  If all of our restaurant meals were of a similar price, we’ll spend approximately US $1200, EU $876 during our time in Madeira, for both homecooked and restaurant meals, an amount we’ve budgeted knowing that prices would be higher on this island than in many other countries we’ve lived thus far. 

This was the most delicious and sizable salmon steak I’ve ever had in a restaurant. 

Based on our research there are only a few restaurants on the island where one could spend more, most of which are in Funchal, a long drive from Campanario. We’ve always preferred to dine within 15 to 20 minutes of home when, here, for example, the mountainous drive is not suitable after Tom after consuming a beer or two. 

My salad and cooked vegetables we fabulous. I know, I shouldn’t eat raw vegetables but we’re hearing the water is fine here, although we continue to consume bottled water. There were no comments in the TripAdvisor reviews indicating anyone became ill after eating at this restaurant.

(Since I haven’t driven a car in 16 months, let alone a stick shift which I do know how to drive, we didn’t add me to the contract leaving Tom as the only driver. In an emergency, I could drive a stick shift if I had to).

This yellow parakeet at the restaurant was checking me out as I attempted to whistle.

After I finish writing today, we’re heading back to the supermarket, the largest in the area, to search for the items we either couldn’t find or forgot to buy in our exhausted state on Friday afternoon. This time, we’ll translate all the items we couldn’t find into Portuguese hopefully aiding in our search for certain items.

While dining, this fluffy dog came by staring at me, hoping for a morsel. The waiter scooted her away. She reminded us of a bigger scruffier version of Jessie of Gucci and Jessie, the two dogs we loved in Kenya.

So far, so good. We love Madeira, the scenery, the house, the food, and the friendly people. A few days ago, we saw Gina’s dad gardening on the steep hill across the street. I yelled out to him, “Olá, como você está?” which translates to “Hello, how are you?” Later, he told Gina, “She speaks Portuguese!” Ha! We shall see!
                                               ______________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 20, 2013:

Our last night on Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Sea left us feeling a little sad as the end of the most extraordinary cruise we could ever have imagined.  The Pyramids, The Suez Canal, The Lost City of Petra, and the Treasury where Indiana Jones was filmed, the excitement of The Gulf of Aden and so much more, added to our wealth of growing experiences. For details of that final night as the ship made its way to Dubai where we’d stay in a condo for two weeks, please click here.

Portuguese grocery shopping…Trying to read labels…Making mistakes…Learning as we go…

This little bird stops by each day for a walk on the railing on the veranda and to show off her catch of the day.

Although some Europeans speak English it doesn’t appear to be the case in Portugal and certainly not in Madeira, a small island that appears to be inhabited by traditional old world citizens and tourists, usually staying in hotels that often accommodate many languages.

For us, living in a neighborhood of local citizens and a few tourists, the language barrier presents a number of issues. How arrogant of us English speaking people from various parts of the world to assume a country’s people would know our language. Why don’t we know their language?

One of the several tunnels we took to get to the grocery store.

Luckily, our delightful landlady Gina speaks a bit of English peppered with a few Portuguese words that make her all the more charming and adorable. On Saturday, Gina stopped in to introduce us to our cleaning lady Judita who doesn’t speak a word of English.

Judita will work for us on Thursdays each week washing floors, windows, changing bedding, cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms which we’ll keep tidy in between her visits. 

The temperature is rarely higher than 77F, 25C in Madeira and yet the parking lot at the supermarket has covered parking which we’ve never seen at a market.

Meeting Judita reminded us of the upcoming challenges in communicating with the local people from whom we seek services or assistance. As always, we’ll figure it out as we did when grocery shopping on Friday afternoon, the day we arrived.

Gina had left a map, making the 15 minute trip to the supermarket relatively easy. As we approached the main door, we noticed that the carts were similar to those in Italy, requiring a coin a Euro $.50, US $.70 to unlock the handle as shown in this photo below.

Tom putting the EU $.50, US $.70 into the slot to release the grocery cart.

At this point, we’d yet to acquire any Euros luckily finding an ATM inside the store. Tom pushed the cart, as usual, while I attempted to read labels. With the handy grocery app on my phone, I easily referenced my shopping list. 

There were several items we couldn’t find; baking soda, baking powder, coconut oil (although we did find unsweetened coconut flour), real cream (for me), Cremora (for Tom), Hydrogen Peroxide (for teeth), avocados, and sour cream.

Since we usually purchase a few packaged items, the label reading is kept to a minimum. Mostly, I check to ensure there are none of the items I can’t eat; sugar, gluten, starch. 

A goat lives next door on a hill with a few other goats which we can hear baaing during the day.  The sounds are music to our years, reminiscent of the goats in our backyard in Kenya.

Needing to fully stock the cupboards with basics such as spices, olive oil, and paper products, we shopped in two batches, per Tom’s suggestion. We loaded the cart to the brim with the non-perishables and checked out. Tom loaded them all into the car, returning with an empty cart ready to tackle the perishables. This is only necessary the first time we shop in a new location when we purchase the most items.

I screwed up on only one purchase, the shampoo, and conditioner, assuring Tom that the one bottle that said “Hydrante” was shampoo and the other saying “Crème” was conditioner. I thought this was a logical translation when, as it turned out, I discovered when washing my hair, that they were both shampoos. Today, we’ll buy a conditioner at the pharmacy. 

A good-sized Gecko stopped by for a visit, an obviously different variety from those we’d seen in Africa. There are few insects here, none of which are a concern, other than the occasional bee or hornet.

The total bill for our two full carts of groceries was US $309.76, EU $225.94, slightly less than we’ve paid for our first load in other countries. I don’t believe the prices were less but we’ve fine-tuned our shopping. Prices seem comparable to Italy although much higher than South Africa.

Overall, the supermarket was satisfactory with a fabulous fresh seafood counter which had a long line preventing us to attempt it in our exhausted state with only three hours of sleep. Also, the deli was filled with gluten-free and nitrate-free meats along with a vast array of cheeses comparable to Italy. 

We love this huge roll of quality paper towels that we purchased for only US $2.74, EU $2 when we grocery shopped.

The produce appeared organic although they don’t label it as such. It’s always easy to detect chemical-free produce when leaves have numerous holes from insects chowing down, an inconsistency in the shape and size of the various items, and a degree of wilting with an occasional spot of mold or slime. 

We’ve learned that this is the reality of chemical-free produce in other countries. In the US, prices are exceedingly high for organic produce when they often dispose of the less attractive items. In other countries, they put most of the harvest out for sale, letting customers pick and choose what they’d like, keeping the cost down. 

This morning’s view from the kitchen window.  Washing dishes is not so bad with a view such as this.

All in all, this is appealing to us. We certainly don’t mind finding worms or bugs in our produce, knowing that pesticides weren’t used. Of course, we wash all of our produce in purified water, placing a few cups of the water in a large bowl and rinsing each piece, changing the water as needed. 

Yesterday, Gina popped in making a reservation for us at a restaurant she recommended located in Ribeira Brava, a 10 to 15-minute drive. She suggested we ask the owner where the health club is located nearby.  Hopefully, we’ll find it.

We’ll never tire of this view which seems to call to us several times a day. I took this photo a few minutes ago as the sky began to clear from the morning’s haze.

She used a phone located in the house that we hadn’t realized was working. As a result, it won’t be necessary for us to purchase a SIM card for our smartphone. She explained that the phone was included in our rent as long as the calls were local. 

We use Skype for long-distance calls which we discovered works well from here after both of my sisters called yesterday for very clear conversations. The WiFi in the house has the strongest signal we’ve had in 19 months, showing five bars. We can both listen to podcasts simultaneously, a rare treat. 

We’ll be back tomorrow with photos from out and about today as we explore the area, find another grocery store, tackle a few of our errands, and dine out for the first time. Ah, life is good.
                                          _____________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 19, 2013:
No photo was available on this date.  Lack of photos on certain dates will soon cease as we move further into the year when we soon started using the new camera.

As it turned out, we both became ill aboard the ship from other passengers coughing and sneezing around us all day and night. 

Many cruises result in either a respiratory or intestinal illness. As often as we washed our hands, we’ve since learned a few lessons: Don’t handle spoons or forks in the buffet without a napkin covering our hand which we immediately toss when done filling our plates or by asking the food be placed on our plates by the servers. 

Also, we will not, in the future, use the public restrooms instead, going back to our cabin as needed. We never eat dinner at the buffet, only breakfast. For our upcoming two cruises, we’re contemplating having breakfast in the main dining room instead of the buffet, where the food is served. For details of the story from that date, please click here.

Contentment in our new home…One year ago today…Adventures at high seas….

The view of the Atlantic Ocean from our veranda. (Borrowed photo. Hazy today).
In our last post, I’d planned to tell the rental car story. Not enough for a full post, I’ll include the story in tomorrow’s post with photos of the car, all the fees, and more house photos. 

Where do we begin? We’re living in a beautiful house in the Campanario area of Ribeira Brava, Madeira, Portugal about 30 minutes from the pier and the airport. The house is overlooking the Atlantic ocean with every modern convenience; a microwave, high-speed Internet, a soaking tub (heavenly), a dishwasher, and oh my, a newer front loading washer (our first load is on now).

This is where we’re sitting now as I write this. We covered the glass coffee table with a black throw enabling us to put our feet up with our shoes on.  The sofa and pillows are very comfortable much to our delight.

There’s no clothes dryer, but instead one of those racks we used in Dubai and Italy. I can’t wait to hang the clothes outside on the veranda using colorful clothespins. Ah, how we’ve come to appreciate the simple things in life. 

Still tired today after yesterday’s exhausting unpacking, grocery shopping and totally settling in, today, I’m still a bit sluggish and slow-moving even after sleeping seven hours last night, not quite enough. 

Last night’s dinner wasn’t the feast we’d anticipated when we were too pooped to make anything other than cheese and sautéed onion scrambled eggs topped with Greek yogurt with a side of Portuguese sausage. That’s all we could muster. Tonight will be better.

Our new clothes dryer. At 70F, 21C it was pleasant hanging our first load of wash outdoors. The darks are in the washer now. I left room on the rack for the second load soon to be hung. 

Later in the evening, I had a plate of small bites of some of the finest cheeses Portugal has to offer, reminiscent of the cheeses in Italy. What a treat! Tom had microwave popcorn and this morning donuts with his coffee. (Darn, my guy won’t give up the junk food)! He hasn’t had a donut in a year. 

The view from the floor to ceiling glass windows and doors is breathtaking. Unfortunately, it’s been a bit hazy these past two mornings and I haven’t been able to get any clear shots of the ocean. As soon as it clears, you’ll see them here. 

See Tom’s donuts on the right in our new kitchen. Ugh!

I borrowed the above veranda photo from Gina, who visited this morning and will answer all of our questions via email. We met her a year ago when our ship docked at the pier in Funchal for the day. She picked us up from the pier showing us the island and the house. We adored her, the house, and the island.

Granite countertops, microwave, dishwasher, great gas stove and oven, and views of the mountains and the ocean when washing dishes. Once the haze lifts we’ll include more photos of views from inside the house.

Yesterday’s grocery shopping was a challenge which we’ll explain further in the days to come. Surely, in time, we’ll figure it all out. It’s all about the layout of the store, the unfamiliarity of products, reading labels, and the fact that they don’t carry some items we use. We did find unsweetened coconut flour, but not coconut oil or avocados. We’ll keep looking.

My view into the dining room while sitting on the sofa in the living room.

The bed isn’t as comfortable as the bed at Dar Aicha. It’s a reality we must accept living in other people’s houses. In time, we’ll adapt to the thinner harder mattress. 

The wood-burning fireplace in the living room. Its cool here now and warming up each day I doubt we’ll use it.

Otherwise, the house is comfortable including the leather sofa in the living room with plenty of soft and fluffy throw pillows and a coffee table which we moved closer to the sofa for our feet when lounging. 

The second living room upstairs holds less appeal for us when we love the views on the main floor. There are TVs in each living room with a few English speaking channels, mostly news. That’s fine.

The dining room where we’ll have all of our meals. Tom reset the table this morning after emptying the dishwasher.

Last night we dined at the dining room table; placemats, nice flatware, and plates. For the first time in two and a half months, we watched the show Shark Tank on my laptop while we dined. It was delightful to be back to some of our familiar routines.

We’ve made a list of errands we’ll tackle next week; a trip to a computer store (Tom needs a special screw for his laptop), a store where we can purchase a needle and thread, (Tom ripped his Travel Smith shirt pocket when we were at the airport. With the right color of thread, I can easily sew it).  

Also, we need to find a health food store and a health club for me. It appears all of this may be possible in Madeira. There are numerous shopping malls.

In time, we’ll visit some of the popular tourist spots; the farmer’s market, the shops along the sea, the mountains, mainly revolving around amazing scenery. 

The view from the opposite side of the dining room toward the sea.

The island is breathtaking with us situated at a prime location to enjoy the views. Although not isolated, we are within 30 minutes of anything we’d like to see, restaurants and shopping. The people are friendly and oddly, the communication is not as difficult as I’d thought it might be. The Portuguese language has similarities to Spanish which I understand well enough to manage. 

The problem I experienced at the grocery store yesterday as tired as I was, I kept saying “grazie” (Italian), “merci” (French) and “obrigada” (for thank you, one of few words I know so far in Portuguese) with a little English throw in.  It was confusing when my brain wasn’t working well anyway due to the exhaustion. 

Tom’s view from his spot on the sectional sofa. Once it warms up a little, we’ll surely spend time sitting on these lawn chairs.

It takes time to fully embrace a new country and find our way around especially when Gina told us not to bother to use “navigation.” It doesn’t work well on the island of Madeira as we’ve already observed when Google maps aren’t able to readily pinpoint locations. We’ll figure it out. We always do with Tom’s amazing sense of direction.

Over the upcoming 75 days, we’ll continue to post daily with more house photos (today we’ve included the main floor only) and many photos of our exploration of this lovely island. Stay tuned.
__________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 17, 2013:

As the mercenaries boarded the ship one year ago today carrying the “package” in order to protect us in the event that pirates attempted to board.  Over a period of days, we had several “pirate drills” to prepare passengers in case of an “event.” Last year a movie with Tom Hanks, Captain Philips, was a true story of just such an incident in the Gulf of Aden.  Pirating in this area has continued as recently as January 2014. Many passengers said they wouldn’t have gone on the cruise had they known of the risk. For us, it added to the experience and we felt safe. Miles out at sea, we were surrounded and protected by several military ships escorting us through the dangerous Gulf of Aden.For details of the story, please click here.

Two days ago, on May 15, 2014, the US State Department issued a warning to US citizens and others not to travel to Kenya, mentioning Diani Beach, the area in which we lived for three months, from September 2, 2013 to November 30, 2013. We chose to live in Kenya for the opportunity to go to the Maasai Mara on safari which was number one on my bucket list. 

Thank God, mission accomplished, as the most treasured experience in our travels, along with the next three months we spent living in Marloth Park, South Africa. 

Thursday, we left Africa after living in three countries for almost nine months: Kenya, South Africa, and Morocco. We are grateful for the experiences and for our continued safety during the entire period. When traveling to high-risk countries, one must seriously weigh the benefits and the risks and carefully consider and ensure that security measures will be implemented during the entire visit. 

We are grateful for the opportunities we’ve had and wouldn’t change a thing, even our most recent time in Marrakech, all of which round out our continually growing collection of amazing experiences.

Flying is for the birds…Travel report…Delayed in Lisbon for hours…

Tom and Samir wheeling our bags to the Marrakech Airport.
Today, we’re posting the story we wrote last night from the airport in Lisbon, Portugal. With Internet issues at the airport we were unable to post it before leaving on the flight to Madeira. We arrived at our amazing new home at 3:00 am, only sleeping a few hours.  Tomorrow, we’ll begin to share details of our new home, new country and the new more modern environment. 
 

Flying is for the birds.  They flap their wings and take off.  But, for us two legged wingless human types, perhaps its just not meant to be easy.

I should speak in defense of airplanes themselves.  Generally, the flying in them is tolerable although a tight squeeze.  It’s the airport procedures, configuration and systems that are sorely lacking in providing us humans with a seamless means of transportation. The Marrakech International Airport is now #1 on our list of the most intolerable transit point in all of our travels to date.  It’s almost impossible to describe.

Mind you, we knew flying was going to be our least desirable mode of transportation in our worldwide travels, preferring to cruise from location to location. At the moment, we rethinking our future plans to revert back to our original intent of using ships as our primary mode of transportation. The challenges include the financial aspect with the increased cost of cruising and the obvious geographical issues.

The 30 hours of travel time from South Africa to Morocco was less stressful than the traveling the supposed six hours of travel time from Marrakech to Madeira which should have been an easy undertaking. 

After a tearful goodbye to Madame Zahra and Oumaima, the walk in the Medina to Mohamed’s awaiting SUV out on the street was better than expected.  A deep cloud cover rolled in allowing us to avoid the scorching heat of the sun.  The drive to the airport was uneventful. 

Upon arrival at the airport, Samir dashed off to get a free cart while Tom loaded the carry on bags onto our wheeling cart.  We headed inside the airport to the TAP check in desk.  That’s when the “fun” began.  The bags.  The overweight bags.  The too many bags.

TAP’s website raved about their liberal baggage policy.  We thought based on our research that there was a two bag allowance for coach.  Both of us verified this.  Alas, not the case. Only one bag is allowed per person.  Now, if they operated as do many other airlines, they’d charge US $25 or $50 for each additional bags.  That blow wouldn’t have hurt much.  But, the MAD 1800, US $220.24, to be paid in cash only threw us for a loop. 
 
Of course, this wasn’t nearly as much as the US $1300 (approximately) we’d paid in Venice, Italy when we had more bags.  In essence, we should be grateful.  Then again, is one more grateful when one gets slugged in the face once instead of three times?  Hardly.

I would more than willingly palmed a US $100 bill into the agent’s hand had he been alone at the desk.  Alas, his cohort sitting inches away, with whom he was constantly conferring with in regard to our dilemma, made it impossible. 

All the fluff and diplomacy wasn’t getting us out of this one.  Although, I must add, he didn’t charge extra for my overweight large bag after I did somewhat of a diplomatic dance.


View of the outskirts of Marrakech.

With had no choice but to go to a special desk to pay the penalty we were told the amount and that only cash is accepted. I could see the stress on Tom’s face.  Suddenly, both of us had to run to the toilette with a bout of intestinal distress.  Gee…why weren’t we more prepared for this?  Why, after all of our travels do we not have a laissez faire attitude of experience and sophistication?  Apparently, we do not.

Returning to the original agent, we showed him the receipt, picked up our boarding passes and headed to the gate.  He told us the airport had only “one gate” for all outbound flights.  OK. We proceeded in the direction he pointed.  Where was the “one gate?”  Checking at an information desk, we received the same “one gate” answer. 

Deciding to sit down and recover from the stress, unsure of where “one gate” was located, we plopped into chairs, each of us taking turns running to the toilette.  Two chatting non-stop toilette attendants blocked the doorway in an attempt to acquire a tip each of the four times I visited the toilette, including once to dump the iced tea from our mugs.  No tip was paid.

We proceeded toward the “one gate” but first had to go through security. Of course, we’d already dumped the iced tea in our mugs but the bottled water we’d just purchased for our parched mouths had to be tossed.   

Then, they didn’t like the small bottles of shampoo and conditioner still in the duffel bag that we hadn’t check after all, due to the cost.  OK, all of this was normal so far.  They didn’t like the tiny bottle of insect repellent.  Tossed that. They didn’t like the metal designer label on the outside of my laptop bag.  Couldn’t toss that. They squawked about all of our power cords.  

Our hearts pounded with both of us easily remembering that our power cords were confiscated in Dubai and taken from our possession on a few cruises. I walked through the scanner without a beep when a female security guard literally grabbed and frisked me, even grabbing me by my Victoria’s Secret bra. 


View of a peninsula on along the coast of Portugal.

Finally, we were on our way to the “one gate.”  Entering a huge area, we quickly observed that their “one gate” theory was a fallacy.  There were no less than eight gates, each of which had two lines.  Their interpretation of “one gate” was that not one of the gates was named or numbered.  Only a small sign indicated an upcoming destination which was impossible to read unless
standing directly in front of it.

As a result, we had to maneuver through crowded lines to find the sign marked Lisbonne (Lisbon). Tom suggested we sit in chair rather than stand in the long line.  I agreed.  To lighten the electrically charged air around us, I asked Tom how many dirhams we had left. Once we’d leave Morocco, they’d be useless to us.  When he handed me the remaining 90 dirhams, chewing gum came to mind.  Surely 90 dirhams, US $11.01 would buy one or two packs of gum.

Nope, five stores later I was still in the gum-free zone.  Finally,  entering a fancy chocolate shop I purchased exactly 12 caramels for the 90 dirhams.  Tom was needing a treat.  A wide smile washed across his face when I handed him the tiny bag.  Oh, would that food soothes us in times of trouble?  I was so badly needing soothing that I could have sucked on my sock for comfort.  Alas, I did not.

As we waited in the long line, it finally began to move outdoors and we noticed passengers were being doled out from the line to walk the tarmac to an awaiting plane.  It wasn’t marked TAP airline.  It was something else.  Of course, thoughts flashed through our minds of boarding the wrong plane.  Grabbing a agent’s attention, I asked three times, “Is this the plane for flight 263 to Lisbon?”  Each time I was reassured that it was.

A short time later we board the incorrectly marked plane via the steep outdoor stairway.  Why do all these airports have the telescopic tubes which they don’t use?  We’ve noticed this at most airports outside the US.


Casablanca, Morocco as shown below Spain is not far from Portugal.

Our load was quite heavy and bulky.  I was carrying the pill bag and my oversized handbag both extremely heavy, stuffed with numerous peripheral items.  Tom had to carry the wheeling cart which he had to break down to board, two laptop bags and the duffel bag, all heavy.

Once onboard, we curiously looked for our seats.  I was 5C, Tom 5A.  They were two seats, next to each other, me on the window, him on the aisle.  What happened to 5B?  It didn’t exist.  Go figure.

The flight was short, only 90 minutes and it too, was uneventful.  We were served Subway type sandwiched and juice.  Having not eaten anything other than a handful of cashews I cared not.  I gave Tom my sandwich.  He nibbled on each one, finishing neither.  I’d have something to eat later in Lisbonne.

Arriving in Lisbonne, all paths led to immigration.  There was no less than 200 passengers in line with one immigration officer in a booth.  We had 60 minutes remaining to make our 8:40 pm flight to Madeira.  It looked hopeless.  After 20 minutes another immigration officer entered a booth and a third managed the line.  For some goofy reason we were grabbed from the line to start the new line for the opening of the second booth.

The next challenge…would we be able to get a 90 day visa for Portugal?  If not, we could easily go to an immigration office on the island after 30 days.  Luckily, as we’ve experienced in most countries so far, except Belize, we are easily given the 90 day stamp.  We’ve been told that getting a 90 day visa is somehow easier to obtain for US citizens.  Why?  We don’t know.


Lisboa as noted on this map is Lisbon.  We’re heading to Funchal on the island of Madeira, a 90 plus minute flight from Lisbon.

Visas in hand, we made our way through the beautiful modern airport where I saw one US store after another, even the above mentioned Victoria’s Secret.  With no time or desire to shop, we made our way to the food court so I could eat something. First, we checked the electronic flight and departure board.

Our flight to Madeira was listed as departing three hours late! No gate was specified. Oh, oh. Here we go!  Finding a trendy restaurant we decided to get comfortable, go online using the free 30 minutes offered by Boingo.  I ordered a delicious grilled chicken salad with little concern of getting sick from the lettuce.  I hadn’t had lettuce in 2.5 months. 

Surprisingly, the time flew by and at 10:00 pm, we headed to the “numbered” gate.  Yeah for numbers! The flight on a newer Airbus was comfortable.  Tom ate two more of the same sandwiches as on the first flight.  We arrived in Madeira at 1:00 am, waited for our luggage and headed to the Alamo counter for our car, arriving to a slow moving line around 1:15 am.

Tomorrow, we’ll share our first wonderful experience in Portugal, at the Alamo counter inside the Madeira airport.  More will follow with many new photos.

Today, after only three hours of sleep for me and four for Tom, we’re both pooped.  We’ve yet to unpack or grocery shop. But, we don’t want to miss out on cooking our first meal in two and a half months, here on the beautiful island of Madeira.
________________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 16, 2013:

The Treasury of the Lost City of Petra discovered in the 1800’s.  Here’s our link for details of our day in Petra.

It’s been how long since we’ve done what???…Three days until departure…A museum visit a year ago,,

 The prices on the jewelry was very reasonable.

Last night during Madame Zahra’s delicious homemade dinner we talked and giggled over things we hadn’t done in a long time as we’ve continued to travel the world, living in other people’s houses. 

The earrings at MAD 20, were only US $2.45.

As we continued into our discussion, we laughed over the many items that we had taken for granted in our old lives, some of which include:

  • 16.5 months since we’ve used a dishwasher
  • 2.5 months since we’ve cooked a meal, grocery shopped for meals
  • 13 months since we’ve watched US TV programming
  • 8.5 months since we’ve done our own laundry
  • 2.5 months since we’ve made the bed
  • 24 months since we’ve been to a movie theatre
  • 19.5 months since we’ve seen most of our family, 17 months since we’ve seen others in our family
  • 11 months since we’ve been on a cruise
  • 17.5 months since either of us have been to a doctor
  • 17.5 months since either of us have been to a dentist (continued below)
Many of the items were very appealing, again priced at whatever a shopper may be willing to pay.
  • In the past 16.5 months, we’ve only had a car for 3.5 months
  • 11 months since we’ve had access to American type meals
  • 2.5 months since we’ve raided the refrigerator at night to look for a snack
  • 8.5 months since we’ve been able to drink and brush our teeth using tap water
  • 2.5 months since we’ve had an ongoing relationship with English speaking people. (We did have one short conversation six weeks ago at Le Jardin restaurant with a couple at the next table )
  • 2.5 months since Tom had a beer or cocktail at home (only twice in restaurants)
  • 2.5 months since eating: our favorite coleslaw, LC homemade pizza, our bread-less sandwich wraps, a veggies stuffed omelet, ketchup with Tom’s fries, lettuce, a slice of raw onion, a steak cooked properly, a pork chop, Italian sausage and most of all, bacon (No pork is available in Islamic countries)
  • 1.5 months since I’ve been able to wear a tee shirt and shorts (once the sand flies arrived as the temperature warmed, now in the 100F’s)
This shop had all types of souvenirs and trinkets.

What do we miss the most (obviously, besides family and friends)? Tom misses knowing that there’s a car in the driveway giving us the freedom to come and go as we please. I suppose I miss doing laundry the most. The feel, the smell and the sense of accomplishment of washing, drying and folding our clothes is a ritual that I’ve always found pleasing. For both of us, we miss eating our favorite foods.

Photo taken while walking when I noticed the vendor was not inside his tiny shop.

The thought that in only three day, we’ll arrive at a new home where will be able to begin some of the above, is exciting. Long ago, I would never have given a second thought to any of the above items. How freely we adapt, ultimately changing our expectations and subsequently, changing our needs.

A well fed cat at ease living in the souk.

The plans are set for the 2:00 pm pickup on Thursday here at Dar Aicha. The man with the little cart will arrive with Adil or Samir to wheel our luggage to Mohamed’s awaiting SUV. Tomorrow, the final loads of our laundry will be handled by Madame Zahra and Oumainma, neatly folded, ready to pack. Wednesday morning we’ll pack, sucking the air out of the Space Bags as always.

Without a doubt, we’ll be ready for the next leg of our many year’s long journey.
                                                  _____________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 12, 2013:
Today is the last day we’re catching up from my posting error resulting in photos being posted from the incorrect dates one year ago. I apologize for the inconvenience. But, here is one more photo from May 12, 2013 and once again, the link for our readers who many have missed it over the past few days. Some of our most exciting year ago photos are coming up in the remaining days in May. Please stay tuned.

At the Cairo Museum, on May 12, 2013 we saw this statue of King Ramses II that was lying down inside a specially constructed building. Apparently, it was too heavy to stand.  For detail of that date, please click here.

To all the Mums…Happy Mother’s Day…100 year anniversary of Mother’s Day today…

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms all over the world. This flower was blooming on the rooftop restaurant where we dined.

For me, a Skype call, email or Facebook message will fill my heart with all it needs. As world travelers we can’t receive cards and gifts, leaving us content with a simple acknowledgement. How we’ve changed.

Years ago, I’d await the arrival of the loved ones to make the day special. Even Tom fell prey to the expectation of purchasing flowers along with a well written card with lacy pink decorations to be sitting on the kitchen counter when I awoke, espousing the perfect phrase, magically applying to us. Yeah, for Hallmark!

Since he’d already been responsible for doing the dishes, I’d busy myself making a special meal ensuring whatever it was he’d also like. Tricky. Over many years the kids and grandkids would come to call. But in later years, as they created their own traditions, a card and or gift arrived another day. But the phone call always came. That’s how life is. We all make our own place in this world, doing what works best for us, for our family.

So, today, another Mother’s Day arrives and I have no regrets, no sorrow, just contentment. My son and daughter-in-law posted adorable photos for us on Facebook from grandson Miles’ 6th birthday party yesterday, a darling Lego theme that was so befitting his recent passion. Also, included was a video of our first of two granddaughters Maisie, singing and dancing on her first YouTube video. So sweet.

As the day awakens in that side of the world, I’m sure we’ll see more photos and wishes from my two stepchildren and three more grandchildren. That’s all I want or need. My  eldest son in Las Vegas, Nevada never fails to observe a special day with a Skype call or email. Expectations are minimal in this life we live. We appreciate the simplest acknowledgement.

Perhaps, it’s easier this way. Father’s Day will be no different as are all of the celebratory days of the year. A few words of acknowledgement, a token of love is all that is required for us in this vagabond life we live.

This morning after settling in on my seat on the uncomfortable sofa in the salon, onto which we’d added bed pillows long ago to soften the load, I looked at Tom and said, “Well, we’re waiting.” (A favorite line of my sons from their favorite movie as kids, Caddy Shack).

He looked at me in amazement wondering what I could possibly be “expecting.” Several minutes passed and finally I saved him from his bewilderment, “Say, Happy Mother’s Day,” I muttered. We both chuckled.

Roses grown in Morocco are beautiful in the spring. (Previously posted).

He said, “Oh, yeah, Happy Mother’s Day, Sweetie!” I know every year he’d think that I’m not his mother (rest her dear soul) and such wishes were unnecessary. In our old lives, he fell prey to my expectations. Not so much now. It no longer bothers me.

Why would it bother me? In a mere four days I’m going to the resort island of Madeira for two and a half months and then off for two weeks in Paris, then two weeks in London, then two weeks on a cruise to see the Northern Lights in Iceland.  Who’s complaining? Not I.

Yes, life s good. The itchy bites, the annoyances, the 5:00 am chirping birds, cooing pigeons, crowing rooster and the Islam Call-to-Prayer have been a part of our daily lives these past two months. As we move along, other such unique morsels will step in their place, like the ringing of the clock tower next door to the house in Italy last summer and the baahs of the goats in Kenya.

We continue on with love, hope and prayers for the future for all our loved ones, friends and readers from all over the world.  Happy Mother’s Day but more so, Happy Every Day!
                                                   ____________________________________

Photo from one year ago today, May 11, 2013:

OK, over the past few day I mistakenly posted the wrong dates photos and links from one year ago. Sorry for the inconvenience. So today is catch up day. The following photo is in its place from May 11, 2013.

For some odd reason, Mohammed, our security guy in black in this photo, with the UZI in his back pocket, took a liking to us and stayed at our side the entire time we visited the site of the Great Pyramids. For details of that date, please click here.