Cost of fuel at US $8.68 a gallon, EU $2.29 a liter! An exquisite vegetation find…A year ago, arrival at our booked 300 year old stone house in Tuscany…

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Yesterday, we climbed high into the mountain on this drive.

When we rented the medium blue car over a month ago at the airport in Funchal, the gas/petrol tank was full.  We were told to return the car with an empty tank at the end of the rental period.

Overlooking rooftops to the ocean is always a special view.

Once we arrived in Campanario, we hadn’t gone out much with my illness. Once I returned to health, we’ve been going out every few days to explore, shop, and occasionally dine out. We didn’t need to refill the tank until yesterday. 

The view is always a complex mix of homes, gardens, and farms of varying shapes and sizes.

Luckily, the medium blue car is a fuel miser, using very little petrol on these hills. Although we were stunned by the cost of filling the tank, the relief of using so little to get around softened the blow. At most, we’ll refill, once or twice until we eventually return the car at the end of our time here

What a wonderful time of year to be in Madeira as we see the terraced hills planted for the season.

When we recall our transportation costs when living in the US with insurance, fuel, maintenance, and repairs, the cost of a rental car and fuel in other countries is less than half the former monthly expenses. It is this reality that keeps us from fussing over these prices. Everything is relative

Once we arrived at the top of a mountain, we spotted these cattails like plants.

Yesterday around noon, when the produce guy never showed, we decided to go out to fill the tank, visit the little market and go for a drive higher up the mountain to a park where we took these photos. 

Of course, I had to get out of the car to inspect these as Tom managed to find a safe spot to park on the steep narrow road.

It’s amazing how our perspective of the island changes from each vantage point as we take off on one maze-like road after another, never knowing where we’ll come out or if we’ll come out, requiring we find a place to turn around. 

This was the highlight of our outing. It’s a close up of the cattail like plants as shown above in the two photos. Who knew these would be so beautiful up close?

As I’ve mentioned, the winding mountain roads on this island don’t make it easy to find one’s way around unless the destination is an easy exit off the freeway.

The locals, familiar with their complex road system, take the difficulty of finding one’s way around in their stride when they’re off the main highway. They tend to point in the direction we should go rather than suggest step by step directions. 

The vegetation changed dramatically the higher we climbed.

Most tourists visiting Madeira stay in hotels where English is spoken, tour guides are available and taxis are a chosen mode of transportation. If we’d had easy access to taxis and the language barrier wasn’t as profound, it may have been wise to use taxis for all of our transportation.

But, this isn’t Kenya or South Africa (we miss Okee Dokee!) where we can easily build a relationship with a driver to take us everywhere we’d like to go with no concern as to how to find our destination. 

Another beautiful view of a village below.

Oh. don’t get me wrong! We’re not complaining. The complexity of the roads in these hills is enchanting, let alone the majestic views! And, most assuredly, we’ll continue to explore each time we go out finding wonders we’ve never seen in the past, as shown in today’s photos.

No, there’s not much wildlife in Madeira other than the goats next door and a few birds we’ve seen on occasion.  But, we recall our original and continuing interests as we travel the world in addition to wildlife; that of exquisite scenery and vegetation of which Madeira has in abundance.

As always, a breathtaking view awaits us as we drive higher into the mountains.

If we find only one new-to-us plant, flower, or special scene on an outing, we’re fulfilled. Mother Nature continues to offer her brilliant treasures almost every time we’re out as we continue on a search of our surroundings of her beauty and riches.

In essence, one doesn’t need to travel to do this. A simple walk in one’s neighborhood or a local park can provide wonders we may never have noticed in the past.

Partway down the mountain after our drive, spotted the back view of our house which we hadn’t seen from this perspective.

For us, our acuity for finding these special sightings has become more intense now than ever in the past, a fact we never anticipated as we planned to travel the world.  When we began the planning process, we thought the renowned locations, historical buildings, and familiar tourist points of interest would highlight our travels. Little did we know how wrong our expectations would be.

When in fact, its been the simple things that have truly brought us the most joy; the kindness of a stranger, the song of a bird, an exquisite flower, or even the blaring music of the produce guy when he makes his way up the hills toward us. Where the heck is he?
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Photo from one year ago today, June 18, 2013:

Up the steep winding road with numerous hairpin turns we made it to our new home in Boveglio, Tuscany, Italy, a 300-year-old stone house. For details of our arrival in Boveglio, please click here.

Mother Nature comes to call…The magic of Madeira…A year ago…Venice, Italy…

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This short video illustrates how quickly the fog rolled over our area.

Saturday, we looked forward to taking photos of the full moon when it was cloudy on Friday night, the 13th.  The full moon would not reappear on another Friday the 13th until the year 2049. We put our hopes into taking photos on Saturday night’s photos when the moon would still be in its almost full glory.

As we stepped outside onto the veranda, we were amazed by this view. We’d seen fog roll in during the day, but not to this degree in the evening.

With our camera charged and ready, we busied ourselves after dinner, comfortably ensconced on the sofa in the living room with a clear shot of the sky through the glass doors to the veranda.

This area was soon hidden by the fog.

Mindlessly lost in searching for vacation rentals in Australia and New Zealand, I jumped when Tom suddenly spoke, “Hurry, let’s go outside!”

It all happened so quickly that we were glad Tom spotted it when he did.

Startled, I looked outside to see a massive wave of bright white fog wafting toward us. No moon photos tonight, I thought. But, I was hardly disappointed as we stepped outside to the veranda for more awe-inspiring views on the island of Madeira.

 Looking out beyond the homes, we could no longer see the ocean.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, in our old lives, Tom spent hours each weekend fussing over his homemade lake water pumping system used for watering our huge lawn. After he’d rigged his creation, he enjoyed watching it at work and repositioning the sprinklers as he tinkered in the yard on his days off work

The fog rolled up the mountain as well.

With no such household tasks, while we live in vacation homes around the world, a conscientious person such as Tom has managed to find other ways to pique his interest in our day to day lives.

To the higher far right of us, we saw the pink sky of the sun setting behind the mountain.

Here in Madeira, he’s adopted a number of new passionate observatory habits: watching the changing weather, the clouds, the sky, and the ocean from the veranda. Several times each day he asks me to join him to see his latest “find” and I happily oblige as I grab the camera.

On the hairpin turn road below our house, a cat looked lost in the approaching fog.

At times, his sightings are astounding. At other times, they’re as simple as a passing freighter or a puffy cloud resembling an animal. In any case, I always stop whatever I’m doing to check out his most recent point of interest.

To the left, we watched as the house below us became shrouded in the fog.

On Saturday night around 9:00 pm, he suddenly blurted out that we’d better hurry and go outside. I took his suggestion with my usual enthusiasm, jumping up from my seat to follow him outside to the veranda.

The street lights illuminated as we watched.

As shown in these photos and video, we had the opportunity to watch the low hanging fog and clouds, so typical for Madeira, as they rolled in from the ocean. The longer we watched the foggier it became. In no time at all, we were in a full “fog out.” We were glad we’d dined in rather than driving through the fog on our return.

Soon, we could hardly see a thing.

Over the remainder of the evening, up until midnight when Tom came to bed, the sky never cleared. The moon never made another appearance that night or on Sunday night when there was a normal cloud cover, not more fog.

Tom on the veranda during the “white-out.”

With limited knowledge of meteorology we assumed that the high heat and humidity, unusual for Madeira, when it reached 88F, 31C attributed to the fog rolling in from the sea. 

Again, to the left, this area became fog covered.

As we stood on the veranda watching the fog approach us I heard a strange crackling sound. With Tom’s hearing loss due to years of working on the railroad, he wasn’t able to hear the peculiar sounds. If any of our readers have especially good hearing, they may also be able to hear these unusual sounds in the video. 

Wow!

When playing the video, it’s easy to hear the sounds of the goats next door “baaing.” For whatever reason, they continued to “baa” more frequently than usual as the fog rolled in. 

During this occurrence, the temperature dropped dramatically, more than it usually drops at night. In this case, it dropped to a considerably lower temperature and higher humidity than we’ve previously observed.

Sunday, at noon, the sky had cleared and I ventured out for my usual walk up the steep hill discovering this gorgeous lily begging for a photo.

On Sunday morning, when I awoke a 6:00 am I peered outside wondering if the fog remained overnight. In part, it had when the hills were shrouded in fog, later clearing for a perfectly sunny and cooler day at 75F, 23C, the average temperature for this time of year.

In a funny way, this reminded us of those snowy days in Minnesota, with a total “white out” when we were safely at home reveling in the beauty of the falling snow as it covered everything in its path.

Mother Nature, what a gal!  She never fails to offer us opportunities to become enthralled with her ways. The question is…will we take the time and effort to stop whatever we may be doing to notice the treasures she so proudly bestows upon us?
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Photo from one year ago today, June 16, 2013:

For hours we walked the streets of Venice crossing over the canals on many occasions. It was actually more beautiful than we’d expected. With the outrageous cost of riding on the gondolas, most of which were “stuck in traffic” we opted to walk instead. For details of the day in Venice, please click here.

Running as fast as we can… One year ago today, Dubrovnik, Croatia…

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The sky continues to captivate us. The billowing smoke is from a fire burning next door.

Hardly a day passes that we don’t hear or see something, including on the days we stay home, that makes us laugh or smile. We are grateful for the time we’re spending in Madeira which is moving too quickly for our liking.

This morning, checking today’s weather from the veranda, I see the four goats next door, the mom, dad, and two kids. I holler out a loud “baa” to which they all turn, looking at me, all “baaing” back in response. This happens each day.

Blue sky, blue ocean.  Beautiful.

Moments later, the rooster crowed for the first time today to begin his day-long litany of crowing to his heart’s content until sunset. A few minutes later, we hear the quarter-hour church bells ringing as the sounds bounce back and forth in the hills surrounding us. We love these sounds.

But, the musical sounds of the various vendors of fresh foods echoing through the hills is a sound unlike any we’ve experienced in the past. Anticipating it with the same fervor as a child awaiting the ice cream truck’s musical foray into the neighborhood, both Tom and I await in wonder.

Mom goat, sitting and hugging a branch.

On Thursday morning as Judite ran about the house cleaning, we heard the approaching music, hoping it was the produce guy. When able to clearly hear the sounds, we have to hustle. He zips through the neighborhood with a fervor barely giving a prospective customer time to get out their door. With our shoes on, the door unlocked and Tom’s wallet on hand, we’re always ready to run.

In a matter of seconds, not minutes, he was on the street while our fast response enabled us to flag him down after he’d actually passed our house. Backing up, he got ready for us. Unlike the fish guy, he turns off his music when he has a customer, making taking a video less interesting.

Mom goat hanging out with the two kids.

We’re never certain when he is coming when his timing doesn’t appear to be consistent. Thus, we tend to purchase small amounts of the produce we’ll need for several days at the nearby little market which is also farm fresh. All we needed on Thursday was lettuce and carrots.

It was the same 20’s something produce guy from whom we’d purchased in these past four weeks. We always try to shop from the local vendors when possible. After all, they’ve welcomed us with open arms, especially in this quaint village of Campanario which is less of a tourist area and mostly occupied with locals.

The produce guy coming toward our street with music blaring.

I couldn’t have been more thrilled when we saw he had avocados which I’ve been unable to find at either the supermarket or local market. We purchased four avocados, two heads of Bibb lettuce, and a kilo of carrots. 

The produce from the truck is not as much of a bargain as it’s been in other countries in which we’ve lived. The total was US $8.12, EU $6, a none-the-less great price by US standards. 

We didn’t recognize some of the produce and didn’t ask when the driver speaks no English.

As I later cleaned the lettuce, I picked off worms and bugs, smiling all the while as I was reminded that no pesticides were used in growing this produce. And the carrots of peculiar shapes and sizes, also illustrated that the growing process was as natural as it would be if I’d grown them in the yard.

As a matter of fact, produce is growing in our yard, planted and cared for by Gina’s dad, Antonio. I’m sure as it matures, we’ll be the recipients of some of his gardening expertise.

The first avocados we’d seen in Madeira.

Last night we made pizza, one for each of us based on our topping preferences. Tom had his usual mushrooms, olives, onions, sausage, and cheese while I made mine with anchovies, a small amount of sausage, piled high with cubes of carrots and zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, and cheese. 

Of course, for the base, we made our usual cheese and egg crusts, made in earlier in the day in order to harden into perfect crusts. As always, the pizza was fabulous with enough leftovers for another round tonight with a huge side salad using those farm carrots and Bibb lettuce.

These green summer squash are similar to zucchini.

Today, we’re scheduled to return the blue car which we plan to return in plenty of time by 3:00 pm.  On July 15th, we’ll return the second rental car to pick up the third and final rent. We have an outing booked that morning on a 70-foot catamaran for whale and dolphin watching. That way, we’ll be at the pier in Funchal for the booking at 10:30 am, returning the car later in the day after the boat trip. 

Last night, the full moon alluded us with a cloudy sky. We’d decided not to dine out last night as we’d mentioned when we realized we needed to use the produce we had on hand including fresh mushrooms we’d purchased on Monday. 

Although I can’t eat fruit (due to sugar content) and Tom doesn’t like it, we both were amazed by the size of these grapes.

We’ve so enjoyed the fresh food and cooking again after our reprieve in Morocco that we’ve hardly dined out, only three times since our arrival. With the average cost of dining out at US $65, EU $48 range, we’ve found that doing so holds less interest for us while we’re here. 

We’ll be dining out for over two months, beginning on July 31st when we leave for Paris until we end up in Oahu, Hawaii on October 5, 2014, after the two booked cruises and four hotel stays. 

What are these green things? Does anyone know?

By then, we’ll have had our fill of dining out especially when dinner for two on any of the four islands on which we’ll live in Hawaii, typically costs over US $100, EU $74, without wine or cocktails. 

That’s all for today folks. See you tomorrow with photos from today’s trip to Funchal, the capital city of the island of Madeira.
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Photos from one year ago today, June 14, 2013:

We took a tender from the ship to the small pier in the walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia. Our ship was scheduled to go to Athens but political unrest prevented it. Instead, they chose Dubrovnik which I believe we loved all the more. (I had added the date feature for the camera that day but changed it later).
Once again, walking the narrow alleyways between buildings in Dubrovnik held tons of charm. For details of that date, please click here.

Exploring the island with a change in terrain…Making errors, a fact of our lives…A year ago…Unrest in Izmir Turkey…Did we go in light of this risk

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We finally arrived at Boa Morte, a small neighboring village.

Last night Gina stopped by with some documents she had to complete with our travel and passport information as a regulation for property owners and managers when renting properties to foreigners on the island of Madeira.

When doing so, her records indicated that we were leaving on July 31st as opposed to August 1st our intended date of departure. Thank goodness, we’d had yet to book our flight out of here. 
We headed out on the good roads through the heavily treed area. With no place to stop, I had no choice but to take this photo through the windshield glass.
Now, we’ll have no choice but to arrive in Paris one day early. Shucks! One extra day in Paris.  It will cost us another night, but one must pay for such errors. Once again this was my error, the second this week. 
No, I’m not suffering from dementia. I make errors from time to time, two coming to light this week with a total of three (two for me, one for Tom) since leaving the US. Actually, we’ve probably made many more errors than we take credit for!
As beautiful as the trees were, we wanted to get a peek to see the villages at a distance.
Booking and documenting every single aspect of travel month after month, year after year is challenging.  Making errors is inevitable, as I say this to myself to justify my error, once again.

Any error we made sure is fixable, no matter the complexity. However, fixing an error always requires time and most often, money. Tom made an error while we were in Kenya, paying in full for the hotel in Paris when all we needed to do was reserve our room. The two weeks (to become 15 days after we’ll book July 31st later today) booking was US $3124, EU $2308, and it made no sense paying in full 10 months in advance.

On occasion, we’d find an opening enabling us to take a photo.

I wasn’t upset or even annoyed when he’d made the error. It easily could have been me. Unfortunately, Tom made himself crazy worrying needlessly for days with frequent reminders from me that it was no big deal. 

As the time nears, we’re thrilled to have paid in advance, lessening the outlay for the combined total month we’ll spend in Paris and London, from July 31st to August 31st. Our added expenditures will be for the London hotel which is comparable to the rates for the Paris hotel, meals, entrance to tourist sites, cab fare, and tips. 

With towering trees cast shadows on the roads.

My error will result in our paying for one more night in the Paris hotel which will be US $223, EU $164. Today, as I researched at the rental agreement for this house in Madeira, I see that the rental did in fact end on July 31st.  If this was a “job” and I had a “boss” this would have kept me awake at night.

Tom doesn’t so much as squeak, as I didn’t when he prepaid for the hotel. We only have to deal with self-recriminations for our occasional incompetency which I’ve done and will let go.

The dense forest reminded us of Boveglio in Tuscany, Italy.

Yesterday, we drove through a long tunnel we’d yet to enter to see where it would take us. The further we drove, the more it reminded us of Boveglio, Italy where we spent last summer from June 16 to September 1, 2013. 

The winding roads, hairpin turns, dense forests with towering trees, and drive up higher and higher into the mountains was interesting and a lot less unnerving than in the past. From the scary four hour drive in Belize to the winding roads here in Madeira, we’re becoming more comfortable on these less than ideal roads.

The billowing clouds are ever-present on Madeira.

It wasn’t easy taking photos with narrow roads without a shoulder. Plus, the dense forest made it difficult to see through the trees. We drove a long distance to find a turn around spot with no road returning to Campanario, other than the road in which we drove into the village.

After our few hour drive, we returned to Campanario for a stop at the local grocer where we purchased two free-range chickens that had been delivered that morning. As we noticed in our travels chickens aren’t as meaty as they were in the US. 

We spotted a lush green valley in an opening on the road.

Without the use of chemicals and grain-based feed, chickens don’t grow as meaty and plump. The two chickens we purchased for US $10.83, EU $8, were well cleaned with little fat when not fed grains and are allowed to roam freely to peck at the ground for food sources.

Finally, we spotted an expansive view.

I guess it further proves that we were created to take advantage of unprocessed foods readily available in our environment for our hunting and gathering or in the modern age, for others to hunt, breed, and gather. 

Oops! We hear music coming our way. Tom is on the veranda saying that he can see and hear the music of the produce guy coming down the road. Gotta go!

These tall flowers grow wild in Madeira, are often blue and occasionally white.

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

The night before our ship was scheduled to enter the port of Izmir, Turkey, the following letter was on our bed when we returned from dinner causing us to question if we should go on the excursion. Determined to see the ancient city of Ephesus we decided to continue with our plans.  We returned safely after a full day’s outing and a number of unusual experiences. For details on that date, please click here.  More on the tour tomorrow.
This letter was in our cabin the night before we docked in Izmir, Turkey where we were scheduled to go on an excursion to the ancient city of Ephesus. For the story and photos of Ephesus please click here. Photos of the tour will follow in this section tomorrow.

Reflections on this pair of vagabonds…One year ago…Istanbul, Turkey…Political unrest…

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Christmas holly grows wild on a hillside.

On many occasions, deep in thought, our eyes locked, knowing that we’re thinking the same thoughts. How did we get here? How were we able to leave our family to live this dream that we didn’t know we had until 11 months before Tom retired?

At the end of this month it will be 20 months since we left Minnesota; for Tom, a lifelong resident; for me, 42 years. For both of us, we loved our state with it’s long frozen snowy winters and fleeting stormy summers. 

It’s not easy to explain. We grasp for answers from time to time; the cold winters, the growing traffic rates, the unstable politics (where isn’t that an issue?), high state taxes zapping our retirement income. These seem to be logical answers. 

Two baby goats that live next door. Look at those cute white ears! 

Many retired Minnesotans leave for warmer climates heading to Florida, Arizona or Texas, buying a condo in a retirement community, making new friends and finding a degree of contentment that fulfills their goals for their golden years. We appreciate this perspective.  It just couldn’t have been us.

Perhaps, this wanderlust has something to do with the fact that we each had our first child when we were still children ourselves, Tom at 17, me at 19. Our 20’s zoomed past us with rampant responsibility. I was divorced at 26.  Tom, at 36. 

Mom of the two above kids.

When we met in 1991, Tom was 38, I was 43. Where did the years go? Four years later we were married, so happy that we rarely took a vacation over the next 22 years, with only a desire for the “staycation” to be close to family and friends when we had time off. 

We loved our home, our neighbors, our friends and visits from our kids, grandkids and other family members.  And then, in January 2012, as we sat in our comfy chairs on a crisp sunny Sunday morning drinking coffee, I asked Tom, who’s retirement was 11 months away at that point, “What do you want us to do when you retire?”

A vine covered wall near our house.

He paused thinking of an answer, suddenly blurting out, “Let’s travel the world!”

I laughed. “You don’t mean that,” I replied looking at him quizzically, wondering what had gotten into him. Did he, who seldom drinks alcohol at home, spike his morning coffee with Courvoisier?

At dusk the lights illuminate the island.

“I do,” he replied. “Let’s do it!”

“Let me research this for a week. Do the math. See if we can make it work.” I responded tempering my enthusiasm, thinking it was more of a whim than a possibility. I’d retired a few years earlier. I had all the time in the world.

Tom got excited about this 1947 Chevy parked at the local market.

The following weekend my well prepared spreadsheet was completed with the assumption that if we sold and unloaded everything that we owned; house, cars, furnishings and all household goods leaving no monthly storage bill behind, we could do it. We decided that day. For how long? We didn’t know.

The remaining months of putting our plan into action is now a blur of the sorrowful letting go of those we love and of all the “things” we so treasured and held close to our hearts. (If you’re interested in reading about the disposition of all of our world goods during that painful process, you can go the “PREVIOUS POSTS” and scroll down and click on 2012 to begin reading there).

What a view!

Our grown kids and their families had built their own traditions and lifestyles. They would do fine without us. With face time on Skype, daily photos and interactions on Facebook it wouldn’t feel as if we were so far away. And yes, of course we would miss them all. 

But, somehow, we wanted to do this, we needed to do this for ourselves, whom we’d pampered so little over the years while wrapped around the concept of “doing for others” as opposed to ourselves. The time had come.

Although we can’t see the sun when its setting, we always get a glimpse of the colors over the ocean.

Selfish? Sure. Could a lifetime of responsibility beginning at such an early age, have contributed to our decision? Sure. Is selfishness dishonorable when the clock seems to be ticking faster than ever and one merely want to “live life to its fullest?” 

We bear no guilt or regret. In a mere six months, our children and grandchildren will be in Hawaii with us. It will have been 26 months since we’ve seen them but only a few days since we’ve been in touch. 

Tom’s photos as dusk.

It will be all be OK. In fact, we expect it will be wonderful as it always was when we were all together, our blended family, all laughing and talking at the same time with fun kid noises wafting through the air.

And for us, we’re happy. A few nights ago, my sister asked if we were lonely with no English speaking people with whom to interact. We’re not. Not at all. We laugh, we talk, we tease and we’re playful. We finish each others thoughts and statements as long time couples often do.

Unusual plant we found while driving in the hills.

At times, we’re even romantic, standing on the veranda arms wrapped around each other, gazing at the sea, the colors in the sky at sunset, the developing moon and the breathtaking beauty surrounding us. 

Most of all, wherever we may be, on this journey with no end in mind, we are home. And that, dear readers, is exactly where we want to be.

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

Our ship docked in Istanbul ,Turkey for the day. At that time there were riots and political unrest in Istanbul so we decided to stay on the ship, taking photo from afar. The next day we were headed to Izmir, Turkey for an excursion to Ephasus leaving us content to stay onboard for the day, as many other cruisers chose to do as well.  For details of that date, please click here.

Harmonious cohabitation…Sharing the load…

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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!
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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!…

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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.
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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.

Fabulous day out and about…Unreal photos from one year ago…Burj Khalifa, tallest building in the world…A building anomoly…

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The view of the ocean as we explored the area and dined.

It was definitely time to get out after two weeks with a few outings due to my recent illness. Although not yet 100%, the fresh sea air, and sunshine were exactly what we both needed to freshen our enthusiasm and usually joyful spirits.

As summer approaches, we expect this area to be jammed with tourists.

Starting the day with our first walk in the neighborhood, we were enthralled with the sights and sounds as we made our way up the very steep hill. I was surprised how easily we tackled it after weeks of laying low. For me, this will become a daily occurrence as I rebuild my health stamina. Let’s see if I can get Tom to join me most days.

The Don Luis Restaurant is located on the right with many tables outdoors and inside. 

Later in the day we easily found our way to the boardwalk in Ribeira Brava and after parking the car in the modern ramp, we were enthused to stroll along the shops and narrow streets lined with a variety of vendors selling local wares.

The outdoor area of the restaurant, a popular tourist spot.

We felt liberated when it suddenly dawned on us how this beautiful island and lovely home made us feel comfortable and free of constraints and unfamiliar customs. We freely held hands and took photos with nary a vendor’s opposition. Our perusing presented no pressure to purchase.

We chose a table closest to the ocean under a bright red umbrella, casting a red glow on all of our photos.

It was interesting to see new merchandise as opposed to the common items we walked passed day after day in Morocco. Without a doubt, Morocco had its charm and unique persona. Madeira is more relaxed, moves at a slower pace, and provides the expanse of fresh cool ocean air, so appealing to our senses. 

Tom was more relaxed than I’d seen him in months.
It felts so wonderful to be out in the fresh ocean air.

During the later fabulous dinner at Don Luis which we easily found in the area, we discussed the possibility of returning to Madeira someday. Similar to South Africa, in the warmth of its people and magical surroundings we’ve easily embraced our surroundings in no time at all, feeling as if we belong.

My prawn and squid skewer.  Delicious! I haven’t had squid since we were in Kenya

Our house overlooking the sea feels like home with its views, spaciousness, and clean lines. Everything is comfortable from the L shaped leather sectional to the leather-bound dining rooms chairs to the fluffy down comforter on the bed (to which we’ve adjusted, sleeping well), to the easy to use modern kitchen, to the huge soaking tub, I use every morning. 

Tom’s mixed grill with a side of chips (they call fries “chips” here, too).

Dining last night was divine as shown in these photos. The price for our meal including one large beer for Tom, two bottles of sparkling water for me, a side salad, and our entrees came to a total of US $63.39, EU $46.50, similar to the cost of our dinner out a week ago at Muralha. 

A side dish of steamed veggies was seasoned to perfection with garlic butter and spices.

Based on our budget of US $1200, EU $880, for restaurant dining, we plan to dine out no more than twice every 10 days or so, choosing the nicer establishments. Most less expensive restaurants have few suitable options for my way of eating when many items include gluten and starch.

Had I realized the extra cost for this small salad I would have passed on it.  It was US $6.82, EU $5, not worth it. From what we’ve observed, salads aren’t served with salad dressings outside the US unless specifically requested which I don’t bother.

The service at Don Luis was superb and to our delight both of our wait staff spoke excellent English.  At the end of dinner, they poured us each a shot of banana liqueur. I handed mine over to Tom as usual.  He chugged them both down with a scowl of his face.  He’s not a “shot” kind of guy.
Ice cream cones and other ice cream bars are often seen in these freezer carts outside of restaurants and shops.

Last night when Gina stopped by she suggested we try two of the local less expensive restaurants here in Campanario.  She pointed us in the direction of the restaurants. The trick is finding them on these maze-like mountains.

GPS doesn’t help  in these mountains and turn by turn directions are confusing when many streets aren’t clearly marked.  Today, we may try to find them when we head out to the nearby local market.

View as we were leaving Ribeira Brava at 7:00 pm.

We had a wonderful afternoon and evening, settling in for the evening after dark with a few new shows to watch, hunkering down on the comfy sofa with a blanket on our laps and content to be “home.”  Life is good.

More photos of our trip to the village will follow tomorrow. 

Yes, even a pigeon holds our interest fluffed up and standing on one foot, in this relatively wildlife sparse area.
Hummm…the pigeon pair that hung around us as we dined managed a little action of their own while they too, enjoyed the romantic setting.

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Photo from one year ago today, May 31, 2013:

 Tom took this photo from the 124th floor observation deck of the tallest building
in the world, the Burj Khalifa, with a total 163 stories.

Oh. Here’s the most intentionally crooked skyscraper in the world in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the Capital Gate, built at a full 18 degree angle.

Memorial Day for all of you…A year ago…An unusual photo of us…See below…

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Wild flowers growing in our garden

As most Americans celebrate Memorial Day today remembering our fallen heroes, families and friends gather together to enjoy the outdoors, cook on the grill and perhaps celebrate their first outdoor spring activity. 

The remembrance of those lost in defending our country is forefront in the hearts and minds of those who not only lost a loved one and for all the men and women who gave their lives with honor and dignity. 

Today’s view welcoming us to another glorious day in Madeira.

Once again, it feels peculiar for us to be so far removed from the observation of yet another holiday. However, with US news (English speaking) playing on the TV all day today, we can observe the holiday in our own way, watching stories and noting various gatherings throughout the country.

In our old lives, we too would have gathered with family and friends, cooking up an array of delectable foods to hopefully be enjoyed outdoors on a lovely day. 

More wildflowers in our yard.

Instead, it’s another lovely Monday here in Campanario, Madeira. We have laundry going in the front-loading washer and we’re showered and dressed for the day, looking forward to dining out tonight.  

Still under the weather, having decided not to use any antibiotics, I’m unable to do any serious walking yet leaving us staying close to home for now. 

Colors in nature never cease to amaze us.

It’s always surprising to us that we don’t get bored with a few household tasks to keep us busy each day other than laundry, cooking, dishes, making the bed, and picking up after ourselves. 

The garden in our yard has a way to go. It will be fun to watch it progress and to partake of its treasures.

Now that we’re doing all of these household tasks again after the two and a half month reprieve in Marrakech, Morocco, we’ve found that we actually enjoy being in charge of running our household, each of us sharing an equal load. 

Several times each day we walk out onto the veranda to breathe in the fresh ocean air, swoon over the view of the sea and the hills, and to embrace the ease and comfort we feel here on this beautiful island.

Terraces in the hills planted and ready for the season.

Have a safe, enjoyable, and meaningful day together with family and friends!
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Photo from one year ago today, May 26, 2013:
With a story without photos posted on this date a year ago, we have included a photo from the next day, May 27, 2013. Coincidentally, I was ill then with the same illness I have now and we had no choice but to cancel our plans to go sightseeing. However, a few days later, we did go sightseeing in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Here is a photo taken at that time with more to follow in the days to come.

OK, have a chuckle on me. My sister Julie and I laughed so hard on Skype over how goofy I looked in my abaya.  Tom looked rather handsome in his thobe.  It was 108F, 42.2C. I was still sick from the virus I got on the ship and was miserable wearing the hot silky black fabric while we toured the largest mosque in the world Sheikh Zayed Mosque located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the richest city in the world. See this article for a list of the richest cities on earth. For the story from one year ago today, please click here.  Some amazing photos will follow over the next several days from our tour of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Local shopping…Only one tunnel…A year ago in Dubai….

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This is the gorgeous rose that Gina picked for me from her Mother’s garden. Her thoughtfulness warmed my heart.

Yesterday morning, anxious to get out for a few minutes, we made our way through a local tunnel to a quaint local grocer. Saturday morning, a flurry of activity surrounded the store with locals and tourists sipping coffee and eating at the outdoor café.

The local bakery and market are next door to one another, a short distance from our home.

The bakery next door to the grocer was packed with tourists who’d arrived on a small bus, most of which were drooling over one of the most delicious looking bakery displays I’ve ever seen. Wanting to ogle the myriad forbidden-to-me delights, we opted to hit the grocery store first to avoid the crowd swarming the bakery.

Would that I could. Oh, how we find comfort and pleasure in such treats!  It’s funny that eggs are also sold in this case.

Upon entering the small market, we didn’t expect much. At first, it reminded us of the tiny markets we frequented in Belize with limited options meeting our needs. The further we entered the store, we realized it was “L” shaped with a reasonably complete produce area and fresh meat counter. 

The smells in the bakery were heavenly as well as the sights!

Always preferring to support local businesses we quickly realized we could easily get many of the items we use in this little market with an occasional trip to the larger supermarket in Ribeira Brava. Other than bottled water, paper, and cleaning supplies (which we provide) prices at the little store were comparable to the supermarket.

All we needed were tomatoes, lettuce, and cabbage. The ripe red tomatoes proved to be the most flavorful we’ve ever had, all locally grown. The tomatoes we’d purchased in the US were mostly imported from Mexico, pale and flavorless. These were a rare treat.

The chocolate muffins and those below looked particularly appealing.

Tom grabbed some not-so-healthy snacks for himself (I kept my mouth shut) and shortly we were on our way to check out the bakery, now cleared of the tourists. 

After our “no photos” rules in Morocco, I hesitated when approached the bakery counter tentatively asking if I could take a few photos of the gorgeous confections. The baker spoke English. Smiling warmly he invited me to take all the photos I wanted. I explained that I was “gluten and sugar-free” but, if I hadn’t had these restrictions, I’d have been a good regular customer.

Looks as if the tourists arriving before us partook of these delights.

Over and again, much to my surprise, Tom prefers “junk” processed and packaged treats to a chemical free freshly baked confection. He says, “It’s what I’m used to.”

I don’t get that. I didn’t buy that “junk” in our old lives. I’d baked all the treats that I packed into his lunch each day or served on his days off. In later years, he confessed to stopping at the SuperAmerica (food and fuel) to purchase donuts and bismarcks when I wasn’t around, eating them in the car on the way to work. 

Close up of one of the muffins in the above photo.  Yes, I do miss this stuff although my health is a greater priority than my taste buds.

Our family members always called me “the food police.” Why did I do this? I only wanted them to live long and healthy lives free of the ravages of a poor diet.  In time, I did lighten up.  But, as our children well know, from time to time, I toss out a stern but loving warning about eating “junk.” 

Gina stopped to visit after picking spinach from the garden located on our property. She reminded us to take what we’d like. Her father tends to it, requiring no time from us at all. We won’t take advantage of this, leaving the bulk of it for his family and of course, offering to pay for anything we take. In any case, it’s enjoyable to watch the produce grow over these next months.

Look at the cream-filled items on the left.  I couldn’t believe Tom didn’t want any of these as opposed to processed packaged “junk.”

Later in the day, Gina appeared at the door with this beautiful rose she’d plucked from her Mother’s garden.  Once again, we’ve been fortunate to have found yet another kind and generous landlord, overseeing our comfort and pleasure for our entire stay in their properties.

As we sit here now, writing for today, we can hear the Sunday morning mass which is broadcast through loudspeakers through the entire village. Perhaps next weekend, we’ll be able to attend the mass.

Tom got a kick of the names of some of the alcohol offered for sale in the well-stocked market.

Later in the day, we’ll hear the loud music blaring from the speakers on the little white vans that drive through the area selling produce and fresh fish caught early in the morning. Gina suggested we stand on the road when we hear the sound and the driver will stop when he sees us. 

The spinach that Gina plucked out of the garden in our yard.

I can hardly wait to purchase freshly caught fish! She explained that negotiating was not typical in Madeira and that prices are reasonable avoiding the necessity of haggling, which neither of us enjoys.

This was everything we purchased after a visit to the local market.  I purchase vanilla and baking soda to make a coconut flour flan for me. Coconut, almond flour, and other nut flours are acceptable for my way of eating, only in moderation.

Still recovering we’ll spend another day at home, jumping up every hour or so to enjoy the views, the sights, and the sounds of this exquisite island. 
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Photo from one year ago today, May 25, 2013:

This photo was from the prior date due to a lack of photos on that date.

The tan building toward the right was the building in which we’d rented a unit for the 13 days we spent in Dubai. It was beautiful, the unit was located on the 47th floor of a 91 story building and was modern with all possible amenities including a pool. Dubai was interesting to see but, we’re not city people. On a few occasions, we put on our swimsuits heading to the pool, only to last a short time due to the extreme heat. For details of the story we posted on May 25, 2013, please click here.