An outing in Dubai…Short and pleasant…Still sick…

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The smog and sand are evident in this photo we took from our rental of Atlantis at Palm Jumeriah.  Again today, the air is thick and the sky overcast.
Venturing out onto the street we wondered if the huge number of towering buildings are actually occupied. New construction continues in Dubai in light of the world’s tough economic conditions.

In a perfect world, we’d already be buzzing around Dubai checking out the sights and sounds of this unique city. 

In my “old life” I squirmed in elevators.  No more!  We can’t wait to go to Burj Khalifa to the observation deck on the 124th floor.  Our current “home” is on the 47th floor, taking about 30 seconds.  The entire elevator is mirrored.  Our building is newer, conveniently located with the finest décor and amenities.  We’re content here for yet another 11 days until we fly back to Barcelona (our first flight since departing Minnesota 7 months ago).

Alas, the virus I contracted on the ship has left me too weak to get out much as I recover a little each day. It finally has turned the corner after an entire week of uncomfortable symptoms. So we ventured out for a short time taking these few photos. More will follow in the days to come.

Can’t wait to feel well enough to use the well equipped gym in our building.
This is one of several pools at our building.  There’s a full-sized private pool in each of the locker rooms with lifeguards on duty at all time.  The guy in this photo is the outdoor pool lifeguard.
The pool in the ladies locker room with yet another in the men’s.
Walking through the construction zone, we found this restaurant located in the Tamani Hotel where we had an elegant breakfast and reasonably good coffee.
Tom busily perused the menu, doing the math in his head to convert prices from dirhams to US.  Yes, it was pricier than Denny’s but well worth the $35 we spent for our breakfast.
US $1 is $.37 AED, thus a $30 appetizer is US $8.17.  With an app on our phone, it’s convenient to calculate the difference.
We both had the same breakfast, omelet with cheese (mine also with veggies), beef bacon, turkey sausages, sautéed mushroom and roasted tomatoes.  Those little green sticks are the tiniest baby asparagus I’ve ever seen.  I ate Tom’s, of course.
Le Meridian Hotel across the road from our building.

Hopefully, the sun comes out today encouraging us to spend an hour at the pool. Perhaps, the warm air, cool pool water and some power lounging will return me to my usual energetic self. 

We made it to Dubai…Few comments about disembarking Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas…Final cruise bill…

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The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world which we’ll visit soon.  Our cab driver showed us a video on his phone of the 40 second elevator ride to the observation deck on the 124th floor. 

Our final bill for this last cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, a comprehensive 15 day cruise touring the Middle East, over and above the basic fare for a balcony cabin was $1284.95. This included $300 for Internet while out to sea, $780 in excursions, $42 in cough medicine and sun screen, with the balance for Tom’s cocktails. Actually, we were under budget.

Waiting until the last passengers disembarked the ship, made way for a quick exit by us, leaving us to wait at the ship terminal air conditioned waiting area while we watched the outdoor cab line grow smaller and smaller (while departing passengers stood in the 97 degree sun). 

At the perfect moment, Tom lugged out two rolling carts outside, one at a time, while I, still sick, held up the rear. No more than one minute after hitting the sunlight, a well dressed dapper Arab man, Umer approached us offering a cab ride in his new upscale SUV. We couldn’t say “yes” quickly enough.

Off we went on the 20-minute educational ride to our condo hotel which ended up at 40 minutes when we couldn’t find a way to get to the front entrance to the property. The cost of the cab was US $50 including a 30% tip we added.

We could see the entrance to our 91 story building, Elite Residence, but couldn’t seem to get to it due to construction on all sides.

Road construction for a new high speed train system, blocked access to the building preventing Umer (who will officially be our Dubai cab driver) from depositing us and our luggage at the front entry. Luckily, we had printed the email message from the property manager, enabling Umer to call to find out how we’d get in. 

A short time later we were in the underground garage while our bags were loaded onto a cart by the property manager’s assistant who brought the bags up to our suite.

Waiting in the lobby proved to be for only 20 minutes as our condo at Elite Residence was being cleaned for our early arrival. The marble and granite lobby with its new contemporary furnishings was scattered with a number of well dressed staff members moving about attending to guests. We felt relatively at ease even after the confusing arrival at the property.

It’s now 6:00 pm Dubai time, a full 9 hours later than Minneapolis, 11 hours later than LA. It’s hard to believe that we are almost half way around the world after leaving Minnesota nearly seven months ago.

Whizzing by in busy traffic, it was challenging to get good photos.  Our cab driver, Umer, offered us a 8 hour outing to take us to see many of Dubai’s best attractions at a cost of $250 for both of us.  Guess we’ll be taking him up on his offer!

The simple, contemporary décor is suited to our needs with ample amenities, excellent air conditioning, great views, free WiFi and a reasonably stocked kitchen. It’s impeccable condition has nary a scratch, dent or fleck of dust. The veranda in our bedroom has a good view of the Dubai Marina although not as expansive as we’d hoped of Palm Island. We’ll have to walk around the corner for a better view which we hope to do very soon.

In many ways a regular hotel would have been easier, dining out for all meals, daily maid service, its own restaurants, coffee shops and services.  But for us, cooking our own meals is vital to staying on our budget as well as our goal of eating healthy homemade meal.  We had begun to long for some quiet time “at home” much needed after cruising for six weeks, less one night in Barcelona.

Normally, big cities don’t appeal to us.  This city is unique with its opulence, its wealth, its excess, and its clean safe streets.

After getting a few items unpacked, emptying a wheeling duffel bag, we took off for the local grocery store.  And, much to our delight, the full service grocery is next door, a mere 300 foot walk!  We hadn’t been in a “regular” grocery store in five months!!!

What a store it is!  I was in heaven, shopping the freshest organic vegetables, fresh caught local fish and shellfish, the biggest tiger shrimp I’ve ever laid eyes on.  Of course, there was no bacon, sausage or any pork related items.  We knew better than to ask. 

The prices were excellent!  We purchased enough food for three nights dinner and breakfasts for a week for US $45!  (We exchanged US money at the terminal for AED, taking a bit of a hit for the convenience).  At the grocery store we used a “no exchange fee” credit card, hoping to hang onto the cash for now.

Look at that cleaned calamari and those mussels!  Love these in a stir fry! Dinner is sounding better every minute with such fine fresh ingredients at the grocery store next to our building.

I’m still under the weather, not feeling up to making a big meal or, in going out to dine. After wiping my nose no less than 100 times in the past few hours, resulting in my Rudolph-like appearance along with constant sniffling leave me spent and exhausted, totally uninterested in going out. There are dozens of restaurants within walking distance. 

Umer explained that walking at night in Dubai is totally safe plus a feast for the eyes with the lights “1000 times brighter than Las Vegas minus the gambling” as Tom explains after talking to a former sailor with whom we shared our table in Scottsdale last November. I think he’s correct. Tonight we shall see!

In a few days, we’ll purchased a number of these fresh seafood items to make a buttery seafood platter with steamed veggies and Caesar Salad (minus the croutons).

Our first batch of laundry is spinning in the tiny front loading washer. But, there’s no dryer, which we found more common than not, outside the US.  Thank goodness for the balcony!

No dryer? No problem!  This portable clothesline was in the broom closet.  That works for us!  When this batch dries, we’ll wash the rest of our  accumulated laundry from 15 days at sea.

Our goofy dinner is simple tonight; our long-missed low carb, sugar free coleslaw along with free range organic egg salad.  Easy.  Chilling at the moment, soon to be devoured.

Photos will be coming soon as we venture out to the sights of this amazing city, visiting its many attractions, all of which we’ll share here over the next few weeks.

Wrapping it up…Tom’s packing…

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The final “towel, pet” in our cabin aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas.  Tomorrow morning we disembark.
The Gulf of Aden behind us as we head full speed toDubai, we are grateful for the incident free transit through these dangerous waters. 

Impressed with the manner in which the security of the ship and the safety of its passengers was handled, overall, we’ve been pleased with Royal Caribbean.

Without a doubt, we’d consider cruising with them in the future. Our favorite remains Celebrity which many passengers have also freely expressed in our endless discussions about the quality of various cruise lines. 

On CruiseCritic, there were a number of comments that this ship, Mariner of the Seas, is old and worn. We saw little evidence of that other than peeling paint on a metal brace on our balcony and a few signs of wear and tear in the Windjammer Cafe. Nothing major.

The service in the Windjammer Cafe each morning was exemplary, the dining room at night, a mish mash, sometimes great, sometimes not, depending upon the annoyance by the waiter of my “special order.” 

It appeared they were all overworked and overwhelmed by the number of guests that they had to serve each night, rushing our food to the table, attempting to clear our plates too soon and failing to take our drink orders.

I’d order two glasses of iced tea each night, knowing it would be impossible to get refills during dinner. Going to dinner at 7:00 pm most nights, we seldom stopped at the bar before dinner.

Tom hoped to order a cocktail during dinner. All in all, he was able to order a drink only 4 of the past 14 nights, unable to get a bar server to the table which is an offered service. 

Our cabin steward, Jing, was always friendly, warm and quick to respond to our requests, however few we had: ice twice a day, extra hangers when we moved in, handling our two bags of laundry.  Twice each day our cabin was cleaned and restocked with fresh towels.

Oddly, the only toiletries supplied by RC were the small bar soaps and body wash in a dispenser in the shower. Carnival had toothpaste, shavers, nail and sewing kits. Norwegian had few amenities, other than body wash in the shower plus we had to ask for bar soap. Celebrity supplied shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, plus all of the above. It speaks for itself.

None the less, sickness, service and food inconsistencies aside, we had a great time on this cruise, meeting many interesting travelers from all over the world, picking up some valuable tips and now, as we become more travel savvy (with much more to learn!), offering a few tips of our own. 

Tom is totally free of the illness. I’m still lingering, coughing, sore throat, hopefully turning the corner soon. Tom is currently packing with no help from me as I sit here hacking away.

Everyone at our table of six at dinner last night had been sick during this cruise with either Norovirus or this same respiratory illness.  I warned everyone that I was still ill. After five days, I doubt I am still contagious. No one at the table seemed concerned, they’d catch anything. After all, maybe as many as 40% of the passengers had some type of bug while on this cruise.

There’s nothing particular about cruising in itself that brings on illness. It’s the simple fact of lots of people in the same confined space, day after day, breathing the same recycled air conditioned air, touching handrails, elevator buttons, salt and pepper shakers, serving pieces, arm rests on seats in the theatre and on and on that creates a fertile breeding ground for contagions.

During each of our periods of illness, we’ve made every effort to be mindful of others, touching no common areas and washing our hands with soap and hot water many times each day. But as we ate our breakfast, the servers cleared our plates and with their bare hands clearing off our flatware and plates. Minutes later they were handing a guest a cup of coffee. No matter how hard one tries,there is no way to avoid transmitting illnesses.

The most annoying aspect of other sick passengers has been those coughing and sneezing into the air sending their toxins to everyone nearby. Certainly, carrying tissue, readily available in the cabin, is an easy alternative in addition to immediately washing one’s hands when coughing and sneezing into them or tissues.

Whatever precautions we may have implemented;  taking probiotics, vitamin C, staying healthy and active, and eating well, doesn’t seem to offer much insurance against our vulnerability. It’s the nature of the beast, much like being on an airplane, only to end up with a cold a day or two later.

Most likely in two days, I’ll feel well again, following the same course as Tom. In the interim, I’ve had little interest in taking photos, spending most of the past few days resting in our cabin, only leaving for breakfast to sit in our favorite comfy booth to eat and write our ongoing story and, for the few hours for dinner in the main dining room in the evenings.

Tonight, our bags will be placed outside our door for pickup between 7:00 and 11:00 pm. Breakfast will be served from 6:00 am to 9:00 am. Disembarking, a laborious process, will begin around 7:00 am. Again, we hope to be the last to disembark, resulting in less waiting time in Dubai to get into our condo at 2:00 pm.

Most likely, we won’t be writing tomorrow as we get situated in Dubai. But we’ll be back on
Wednesday with photos of our “home” for the next 13 nights, our trip to the market, views of the city and whatever other morsels we discover in our first 24 hours in the amazing city of Dubai.
Stay tuned, folks. 

Inside the Gulf of Aden..All is well so far…Making final plans to arrive in Dubai in three days…

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Due to poor internet connection we are unable to post photos today.

After another uneventful night at sea in the Gulf of Aden, we’re looking forward to nearing Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Its hard to believe that our seventh cruise is almost over, with the eight to begin on June 4th.

In three days, we’ll be in Dubai, settling into our condo, unpacking everything with the intent of further trimming our load and, much to our delight, doing our laundry.

As we get close to arriving at our next location, we find a fair amount of communication is necessary with the property manager or owner of the property to fine tune the details such as:

  1. How do we get a key?
  2. What time can we get in?
  3. If we arrive early, where can we wait, if waiting is necessary?
  4. What’s the situation with maid service, if, available.
  5. How will the security deposit of US $300, to be paid in cash be refunded to us?

In the case of Dubai, there is a glitch that we knew would transpire with little we can do about it.  The property, being a condo hotel, has a check-in time of 3:00 pm.  Our ship arrives in the port of Dubai at 6:00 am. 

We’ve found that we can take our time in order to disembark the ship approximately four hours after arriving in port eventually grabbing a cab to the property. At most, this will take us to 10:30 am. The property manager agreed to meet us at the Elite Residence Hotel at 2:00 pm, leaving us approximately 3 1/2 hours to kill.

At the moment, we’re awaiting a response from him as to the availability of a lobby at the property. Waiting there would be an ideal situation as long as we have access to a restroom and a place to sit.  We can easily entertain ourselves using our MiFi or reading books on our phones.

We’ll have breakfast on the ship before we disembark, so food during the waiting period is no issue for us since we only have two meals per day at most, breakfast and dinner.

As for the maid service for the 13 nights, we’ve asked the property manager to arrange a cleaning one week after we arrive at a cost of US $20 including tip. What a bargain! 

Yes, we certainly could have cleaned the condo ourselves, but we’ve decided that if maid service is available at our vacation homes for a reasonable cost, we will take advantage of it.  This avoids the necessity of purchasing cleaning supplies only to leave them behind and spending time cleaning and thinking about cleaning.  Of course, we clean up after ourselves daily, doing laundry, cooking and dishes.

This particular rental requires a US cash deposit of $300.  Most often, they prefer to snail mail a refund check after vacating the property, at times not until two weeks later.  This isn’t the easiest solution for us,  although our mailing service in Nevada will send the check to our bank at our request, using the addressed envelopes we left with them.

Last night, we attended a huge disco party on the Royal Promenade, the well designed “street” mid ship, lined with shops, bars and restaurants.  On the bridge over our heads, the ship’s professional singers and dancers performed many familiar songs of the 70’s while the crowd danced in the “street.”  Having arrived early for seats in the “outdoor café” we couldn’t have found a better spot.

The people watching was stupendous, the conversation loud and animated and we had a blast, reminiscing of earlier days in our lives.  Watching “old timers” many 10 to 20 years our senior, dancing along to the music warmed our hearts.  We couldn’t wipe the smile off our faces, staying until the music ended.

Actually, a smile on our faces has become a normal state of being for us.  No matter the hassles, the luggage, the comings and goings, every day we meet new people, experiencing new adventures as we learn more and more about our world, its cultures and its people.  We’re very grateful.

A night in Barcelona….Hotel Grums…

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With our camera packed away, we won’t have photos until tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

Last night was our first night in a hotel since arriving in Scottsdale, Arizona over six months ago.  Booking the hotel on Expedia with four star reviews put our minds at ease that it would not only be close to the Port of Barcelona but also acceptable by our relatively picky standards.

At $169 a night for a “standard deluxe” room for last night chose to select this hotel for last night and again on June 3, 2013.  We wanted to ensure we’d like the hotel to avoid the need of cancelling an prepaid reservation.  Thus, we were willing to pay a little more for that luxury.  For this, we weren’t disappointed.

The room was modern, clean and comfortable with plush king bed with comfy covers, a spacious seating area with sofa, lots of storage (which we didn’t need since we didn’t unpack), a flat screen TV with one English speaking channel, (BBC news) and alas, our first experience with 220 electrical outlets, with which neither our computers or smart phones could be charged.

We did bring a litany of adapters and converters befitting travel anywhere in the world.  Unfortunately, they were tightly packed away in our “not to be opened” luggage, now consisting of two large suitcases, two carry on bags, two duffel bags, two computer bags and a couple of peripheral hand carry bags. 

As mentioned earlier, our goal is to ditch all but the two large suitcases, two carry on bags, two computer bags and my handbag by the time we leave Dubai to fly back to Barcelona for the remaining one night at the same Hotel Grums. The next day, on June 4th, we’ll be boarding yet another cruise on the Norwegian Spirit through the Mediterranean Sea for 15 nights.  (We’ll post the itinerary for that cruise at that time).

Back to the electrical issues.  Without easy access to our adapters and converters, (we try to remember every detail but some do fall through the cracks), we asked the front desk if they had the necessary adapters/converters for recharging our US 110 equipment. 

“No, problemo,” stated the handsome young man at the desk, as he began rummaging through a box of 50 various plug-ins.  After a few minutes, he enthusiastically pulled out what he believed to be the correct adapter.

Wary of plugging our digital equipment directly into the plug into which could potentially “blow out” our phones or laptops, we tried it using the only other electrical item we’d be willing to part with if something went wrong…the oldest of three surge protectors we had in our possession.

Poof!  Yes, poof!  It blew the power out in our room and fried our surge protector. We tossed it in the garbage. For some odd reason, we both had suspected it wouldn’t work although it was indicated as a US converter. 

Getting back on the elevator, I went back to the desk requesting an adapter that would work.  Again, the cutie dug through the box finally pulling out a much more elaborated plug.  I told him our power in the room was out asking if he’d send someone to flip the circuit breaker. 

No one in the hotel seemed to know where the breaker box was located in our room, after six attempts to find it by one person and then three attempts by a second person.  Finally, a third person appeared and found the box hidden behind a false wall.  Once the power was back on, Tom held up the new adapter again asking, “Will this work for US plugs?”

The employee emphatically stated it would work.  Finally an hour later, Tom spending much time as the power continued going out, he managed to get everything working to ensure we wouldn’t fry our laptops or smart phones.  At this point, all of our equipment was deader than a doornail.

By the time everything was charging, we were anxious to find a great restaurant to head out for dinner.  Oh, no such luck.  All the nearby restaurants in Barcelona are closed on Sunday except, the fine dining restaurant in the hotel.

With little English spoken in the hotel, I went online and found this gluten free chef card in Spanish to which I added, handwritten in Spanish, after researching Google Translate:  sugar free, low carb, starch free, grain free, no beans, rice,  or soy.

Handing this to the waiter at dinner resulted in his giving it to the chef for a perfect meal of salad with fresh greens, blue cheese, tomatoes, onions, olives and no less than eight giant prawns sautéed in olive oil  (with heads, guts, brains included) with a freshly made olive oil dressing that was absolutely delicious.  I will continue to print these Chef Cards in various languages to use as we travel from country to country.

I hadn’t had that good of a meal since the night we dined in the specialty restaurant on the Carnival Liberty almost three weeks ago.  Tom opted for a bun-less veal burger topped with veggies, cheese and a fried egg.

Exhausted, we slept through the night bolting out of bed at 6 am this morning  to get ready for the day and down to the restaurant for coffee.  As typical “cruisers” we decided to wait to eat until we were aboard Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas for the “free food.”

So now at 2:00 PM, Barcelona time, we’re sitting at a comfy table in the Windjammer (buffet) Restaurant having had a rather perfect GF lunch with tender roast beef, grilled fish, egg salad and green beans. 

Our ship sails at 5:00 PM inspiring us to go online now while taking advantage of our MiFi working, although slowly, while we’re still in port.  Before the muster drill at 4:15, we’ll meander to the Internet Café to sign up for the ship’s WiFi, a necessity with many upcoming days out to sea.

Tomorrow, we’ll post our current itinerary for this cruise to Dubai along with photos of our “new home” for the next 15 days as we commence our journey through the Suez Canal along our way to the Middle East. 

Barcelona, we’re on our way!…

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Last night’s “towel pet,” an adorable bunny.  WiFi too slow to add more photos today.
Staying awake until 3:30 am another night, partly from the excitement of sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar and the remainder of our seven hour time difference. We can’t seem to shake this time difference, no matter how hard we try.

Continuing to go further and further east on our trip to Dubai, the difference will only become more pronounced. Prior to this cruise, we’d assumed that adding time slowly, as we crossed the ocean would make the time changes less obvious. How wrong we were!

We now realize that a fast time changes one experiences when flying makes adjustment easier when one is in control of their waking, eating and sleeping. 

On a ship, time is scheduled, leaving us feeling as if we must try to stay in sync with the ship’s time in order to get into the restaurants and events on time. There are a few dining spots open 24 hours, but they serve fried foods, burgers and pizza, none of which meets my dietary criteria.

Last night, left us in awe in a similar manner as when we traveled through the Panama Canal.  When we entered the area, Tom commented that it would have been especially enjoyable to see the Strait (I’ve since learned it’s “strait” not “straits”, my error) during the day.

Much to our surprise, the nighttime crossing was breathtaking with a twinkling light show, varying in size and color as we passed by Morocco and then finally to the Strait of Gibraltar.

At the moment, as we sit in our favorite booth in the Garden Cafe, we can see the shores of Cartagena, Spain.  Tomorrow, morning we’ll arrive in Barcelona where we’ll spend the day exploring and taking photos.  Later in the day we’ll return to this ship, the Norwegian Epic, for the four remaining days of our back-to-back cruise.

With five and a half hours sleep, I’m feeling a little more rested today. Missing five days without working out after the three days of rough seas plus sheer exhaustion, today I’ll force myself to get to the health club. We’re losing our tans, but hopefully I can maintain my level of fitness, vital to our continuing travels.

By the way, I’ve yet to take the time to open the box with the new camera, charge it and learn to use it. Over the next few days, while out to sea, I plan to get it taken care of.  There will be some serious shooting as we begin the 15 day journey to the Middle East.  Perhaps, committing this to writing, will force me to follow through.

Look for us late afternoon tomorrow, with photos of Barcelona when we return to the ship for the remaining four days of this cruise.

It’s 11:25 pm…At this moment we’re cruising through the Strait of Gibraltar…

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Turning off all the lights in our cabin, we’re enthralled as our ship sails through the 13 miles wide channels of the Strait of Gibraltar with Casablanca, Morocco on the starboard side and the Rock of Gibraltar to the port side.

Bright lights are flickering on the African continent as our hearts beat wildly with excitement knowing that on March 1, 2014, a mere 10 months away we’ll be living in Morocco for almost three months after similar periods after living in Kenya and South Africa.

We wish we could take photos but the shore is too far away to get a decent shot at night.Tomorrow, we’ll write again with updates as we sail to Barcelona.

Hopefully, soon, we’ll temper our enthusiasm and get some sleep. In Belize right now, it would have been 3:15 pm. I can’t imagine falling asleep soon!

Sleep well, my friends! .

Obrigada, Gina, for a memorable day, seeing next year’s vacation home!…What a pleasure!

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View from the Garden Café this morning as we waited to disembark in Madeira, Portugal.
Gina and I in the kitchen. We can’t wait to sit on the barstools drinking coffee and enjoying the view of the sea from almost every room.
Another view of the wraparound veranda.
The drive as we left the house in the Riberia Brava area.
We entered one narrow tunnel after another on our drive around the island.

Today, reminded us why we chose to travel the world. Enmeshed in another culture while driving through the winding mountainous roads of the quaint villages of Madeira with expansive views of the ocean around us, we felt enriched and in awe.

Gina, owner of the home we’re renting next year was excited to show us the house.The 20 minute drive on the winding mountainous road was breathtaking.
The winding barely traveled road from the house was easy to navigate.
Gina said we are welcome to pick the fresh organic vegetables daily from the garden her fathers tends to each day. He’ll also deliver free range chickens to our door.

Our future home for almost three months beginning May 15, 2014, we looked at this port of call with different eyes than one would look on an excursion from the ship.

Another view of the garden from our future home.

Comfortable living room with leather sofa, WiFi, TV with some US stations, sound system and extraordinary view will make us feel right at home.

Cozy working fireplace in living room.  Unlikely, that we’ll use it during the spring and warm summer.

Gina, owner of our future home, albeit short term, met us promptly at the pier welcoming us in broken English with universal hugs while giddy with enthusiasm.  Warmth and charm exuded from Gina in a manner that captured our hearts as we all chatted on endlessly while listening intently to decipher the meaning of her words.

The well appointed kitchen had everything we need, including a bottle of fine red wine Gina will save for us.
The kitchen was well equipped with dinnerware, pots and pans, serving pieces, wine and beverage glasses along with many utensils.  Gina lives across the street and offered to bring us anything else we may need.  Of course, we’ll invite her and her husband Carlos for dinner. Carlos speaks no English, but perhaps by then, we’ll speak a little Portuguese.
Nook area off the dining room.

Somehow, we managed to communicate well enough to enjoy the hours we spent together in and out of her Citroen, touring the 35 mile long island, crossing its many bridges, traveling through its multiple narrow tunnels, all the while reveling in the unique design of its homes and buildings, entrenched in rich history and tradition.

Didn’t see too many of these in the US, although quite common in other countries. The home has three full bathrooms. Perhaps, I will select one exclusively for me, the one with the Jacuzzi!
Oversized bath with Jacuzzi. 
With three bedrooms, either of two could be the master with two en suite bathrooms as well as a third guest bathroom.
All areas are modern and well equipped.

As we maneuvered through the narrow winding roads on a 20 minutes drive, Gina took us to see “your house” as she frequently referred to the awe inspiring home we’ll be renting next year. 

Plenty of room for guests!
View from the veranda.
Third bedroom with king bed, private veranda and Jacuzzi bath.

Pulling into the tiny driveway, she steered us to the wooden front door to reveal the home exactly as it had been pictured on the rental website, that in person, illustrated a warmth commensurate with her charming demeanor. 

Intriguing stairway to second level.
Every turn presented an interesting view, The opposite side of the island was less desirable with cloudy and rainy weather.
The colorful narrow roads held one interesting view after another.
We’ll never tire of the quaint neighborhoods.
An outdoor restaurant in Funchal, known for its fresh local seafood was recommended by Gina.
We walked along the boardwalk in the town of Capanario, near “our house” as described by Gina.
More narrow roads, lined with upscale homes on the road to Funchal.
Many of the road were one-way and driving was on the US standard on the right side of the road.  There were many round-abouts, tunnels and bridges throughout the island.
The road, as we neared the Port of Funchal.
Our future home.  Perfect for us. I wanted to move in today, but we cheerfully tucked it away for yet a year to come with so much to anticipate in the interim;  a cruise to Dubai including a 13 night stay, a Mediterranean cruise, two to three month stays in homes in Tuscany, Kenya, South Africa and Morocco, all before we return to Madeira.
Colorful buses and tourist vehicles busily moved through traffic.

Ah, please pinch me.  Tom, on the other hand, easily settles into the reality of our lives on the move, while I engage in childlike wonder at the prospect of it all.  Together, we make a good pair of world travelers, filling in the blanks for one another while tempering the excitement to a manageable level.

View of our awaiting ship, the Norwegian Epic. 

Yes, obrigada, Madiera, for welcoming us to your little piece of the world.  Next year, we’ll share our stories with our loyal readers from all over the world. Obrigada dear readers, for sharing this journey with us.

Back to our current home, the Norwegian Epic, for seven more nights.Then, one night in a hotel in Barcelona. Then on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
For more information on this wonderful vacation home, please visit Gina at her Facebook page.  She’s quick to respond to email inquiries and uses Google Translate for English translations.

Oh, Madeira!…We can’t wait to see you…

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The ship’s morning arrival to the island of Madeira, Portugal was cloudy and cool, later to clear and warm up.

This morning at 9:00 am our ship, the Norwegian Epic, entered the port of Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, situated 350 miles from the coast of Morocco (where we’ll be living one year from now) offering us one of the most breathtaking views of our lives.

Birds flutter around our ship, searching for a meal as the thrusters stir up the ocean floor, bringing fresh schools of fish to the surface.

The vistas of this mountainous island with peaks at high at 6100 feet is a mere 35 miles long and 13 miles wide.  The hillside is liberally ensconced in one architecturally interesting white building after another.

As the ship, the Norwegian Epic, approached the pier in Funchal, Madeira.

On May 15, 2014, we’ll return to Madeira to a nearby coastal village, Ribiera Brava, where a magnificent home awaits us to enjoy until July 31, 2014, a full two and a half months.  We’ll be arriving to Madeira after spending nearly three months in Marrakesh, Morocco.  At this point we haven’t planned our mode of transportation for this short journey, preferably a ferry or ship but most likely by air.

Our bellies full of a good breakfast in the Garden Café, we are currently situated in our favorite booth, to ensure our most advantageous views while we wait to disembark the ship to meet Gina, the owner of the house we’re renting here next year, to give us a tour of the house and the island. We couldn’t be more excited!

What awaits us today is a similar feeling of adventure we felt upon entering Belize the months ago, almost to the day. Neophytes when we left the US only four months ago, we now have a little experience under our belts with mounting opinions and ideas as to our present and future as world travelers.   

It would have taken eight years of two-week vacations to experience what we’ve done thus far in these four months. With five cruises behind us, we begin to get a “lay of the land” in cruising as well as the experience of living among the locals in a remote underdeveloped country. Our feet are “officially wet” with so much more awaiting us in the future, especially today as we explore this magnificent island.

Our MiFi is working here allowing us to upload photos we’ll take when with Gina today as we explore this tiny island and our future home for 2½ months.

We’ll be back later this afternoon with photos before the ship sails at 6:00 PM while our connection stay in tact. 

Another time change…We’re now 8 hours later than Los Angeles, 6 hours later than Minneapolis…

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This morning, we awoke at 10:10 am, new time, after yet another time change during the night.  By the time we showered and dressed and sauntered to the Garden Cafe it was after 11:00 am. We decided on lunch as opposed to breakfast requiring we only wait until 11:30 am when lunch is served at the buffet.

Once again, our favorite booth was awaiting us while all booths around us were filled. In October 2014, we’ve booked this same ship back-to-back to return to the US to work our way toward Hawaii to be with our family at Christmas. At this point, we’re considering canceling both cruises and booking another line for this long journey. As soon as we can use our MiFi, we’ll be contacting our cruise guy Joaquin, at Vacations-to-Go, to make the changes.  This far out, we won’t be charged cancellation fees.
Without a doubt, this is a beautiful ship mostly appealing to the older population, but with many amenities most passengers don’t use: a rock climbing wall, giant slides, two bowling alleys and a wave pool.

Also, there’s the Ice Bar, with a temperature of 27 degrees requiring one to wear a coat provided (who wants to wear a coat someone else wore???) paying a $20 cover charge per person. We’ve yet to see anyone enter. Most passengers aboard this ship are from cold climates. Why would they want to sit in a freezing bar sipping a frozen drink, the only options available?

When booking a cruise, all of these amenities are appealing. Once on board, we find little interest by us or others to partake of many of these “attractions.”

With lifeboats consuming all of the deck space, there is no deck on which to walk, read and relax. With our romantic expectation of lounging in a chaise, covered with a blanket, reading an enticing novel as we cross the ocean, we  are sorely disappointed.

Then, there’s the food. Today, after a full week aboard the Norwegian Epic, we’ve come to a conclusion: the food aboard this ship is by far the least desirable we’ve had after cruising on three cruise (five cruises) lines: Celebrity, Carnival and now Norwegian since January 3, 2013.

However, the overall service although good, leaves much to be desired in their communication with one another. When the same mundane tasteless plate of food is placed in front of me each night, I’ve become bored with eating: a salad, a piece of unseasoned fish, a plethora of bland steamed vegetables. 

Last night it was tilapia, the prior night a 3 oz steak and a few unseasoned small shrimp and the prior night, a small chunk of bland snapper riddled with bones. (A properly prepared snapper shouldn’t have any bones).

To avoid liability, they require that I order my meals the prior night, so the cooks can ensure the pan is free of corn oil, flours and sugar. I’ve asked for seasoning other than salt and pepper but have yet to have a bit of flavor in the food. 

Pre-ordering is awkward with other guests at the table curious as to the special attention paid to me by a man dressed in formal attire waiting while I select something from the next night’s menu. Inevitably, I’m asked by the rightfully curious table mates as to why I require this special diet leaving me no choice but to graciously explain. 

If I didn’t explain, assumptions may be made that I’m a prima donna, on an Atkins diet trying to lose weight, inconveniencing the staff and the table while I rattle off all of my restrictions.

Little do most know that I have to eat huge amounts of fat along with the foods I can have, to
avoid losing weight. I don’t want to lose weight. Is it any wonder that Tom lost 45 pounds
following along with me? Neither of us can afford to have clothing that doesn’t fit us!

On the Celebrity Century, their regular menu included several exquisitely prepared gluten-free options using natural juices, seasoned to perfection. The side dished were varied options, such as mashed garlic cauliflower or pureed carrot soufflé. Although the Carnival Liberty didn’t have an
exclusive GF menu, they provided me with some good options, varying the menu each night.

Here on the Epic, most night, my order arrives with an item on the plate that contaminates the entire plate, requiring I send it back. Last night, while dining with two delightful world traveling couples, I sat there without a main course while the others were into their dessert. 

They’d brought gluten free bread (no GF flours allowed except nut flours) with the tilapia covered
in a flour-like red sauce sitting atop a pile of white rice (no starch allowed for me). They knew this.

There is a file under each passenger’s cabin number that appears when they check into the restaurants each night. The kitchen, the chef and the servers receive a printout of what each passenger may and may not consume along with a list of what was pre-ordered for the night.Not rocket science.

The conscientious assistant maitre d, Steven, seems equally frustrated that my food continually goes back to the kitchen to begin anew. He has carefully outlined my diet: any meat and sauce without sugar, flour or starch, steamed or olive oil or butter sautéed non-starchy vegetables, cheese plate (no fruit, no bread, no crackers) for dessert. It’s not that hard.

Tom is equally frustrated, almost having had the same dinner and dessert night after night, bland and uninteresting. Presentation lacks originality and appears comparable to what an inexperienced cook would throw on a plate. 

Tonight, we’re booked a reservation for dinner in the Moderno Restaurant, a Brazilian barbecue with a variety of seasoned meats, none with starch, sugar or flour coatings. Last night, we spoke to Clive, the Moderno chef and he assured us there won’t be an item served by skewers that I won’t be able to enjoy. The salad bar literally made me jump for joy with most options suitable for me. 

At $20 per person for this specialty restaurant, plus drinks and additional tips, most likely our bill for tonight won’t exceed $65. Should we dine in specialty restaurants the remainder of this leg of the cruise, ending on May 1st, we’ll still be well within our budget of $900 for the 11 day ocean crossing.

Currently, our bill is around $575, $300 of which was for the Internet connection, the remainder for drinks and mandatory daily added tips of $12 each. We’ll post the actual amount of our bill once this leg ends. 

The second leg of this back to back cruise is only four days for which we’ve budgeted an additional $400. Our Internet bill will be considerably less since we’ll spend two of the four days in port, making it possible for us to use the MiFi to post our photos. Plus, in each case, we’ll be getting off the ship to explore Majorca Spain and Marseilles, France.

Tomorrow, we’ll be in port for the first time in eight days, spending the day in Madeira Portugal.
As mentioned earlier, Gina, the owner of the house, we’ll be renting from 5/15/2014 to 7/30/2014, is meeting us at the pier to show us the house and to tour the island. How exciting! 

Photos will follow tomorrow afternoon as soon as we return from our tour with Gina. With the
MiFi working again, we won’t have difficulty uploaded photos.

So, please look for us tomorrow with photos and story of the island of Madeira, Portugal, 1200 miles off the coast of Lisbon, Portugal and our experience with Portuguese speaking Gina.