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.

Peacefulness and tranquility…A small price to pay for inconsistencies…One year ago…Traffic jam on the canals of Venice

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Another gorgeous day.

Not everyone needs peace and tranquility. As we’ve traveled we’ve discovered how important it really is for us.  Soon, when we’ll spend two weeks in Paris and two more weeks in London, we realize that for those four weeks we’ll relinquish the peace and tranquility that we usually desire for the experience of visiting these two big cities.

Vegetables growing in our yard.

How could we possibly have traveled the world and not seen Paris and London? As for London, our cruise on August 31st sails out of Harwich, a two and a half-hour drive to the pier. It was necessary to travel to London anyway with no airport in Harwich.

Not much of a gardener, I believe this is cabbage. That will work!

If one does visit London, Paris offers a great starting point with relatively easy access via the Eurostar (formerly known as the Chunnel), another interesting experience. How exciting it will be to take a train in a tunnel under the English Channel from Paris to London!  How could we not?

The hills of Madeira produce a wide array of colors.

Throwing peace and tranquility out the window, we brace ourselves for the hustle and bustle of the upcoming two months from the time we leave Madeira on July 31st until we arrive in Hawaii on October 5th, where again in Oahu and Maui we’ll be among crowds when out and about, less so when we live on the Big Island and Kauai.

Cabbage, up close?

But here, in Madeira, we find ourselves entrenched in the peace and tranquility of a low-stress life in a sleepy little village, mostly occupied by homeowners, generations deep. It’s easy to lose oneself in the easy pace of tranquil living, caught up in the “small things” that bring us a sense of belonging, coupled with a profound sense of comfort.

Wildflowers growing in our side yard.

This morning, both of us up and dressed early, we’ve left the sliding glass door ajar letting in the chilly morning air, again waiting to hear the loud music of the vegetable guy whom we very much desire to see this morning, on Tuesday, his occasional day in our neighborhood.  His arrival is not consistent.

Every time I walk, I find something new.

This life of tranquility is not always consistent. That’s part of the magic of tranquility. No rush. No urgency. No stress. The local markets have a particular product one week but not the next, or the next. One doesn’t complain to the manager.

At dusk, the look of the ocean changes.

I recall in my old life that the local Cub Foods usually carried a favorite organic butter that I used. One week, they were out of stock. Rousting up the dairy manager, I kindly asked when it would be in. Nervously, he said, “Oh, I’ll get it here for you tomorrow.” The next day, I returned and it was there. 

Lots of steps with no handrail, common throughout these steep hills.

I remember thinking to myself that the poor guy was stressed when he was out of a product that a regular customer such as I, was unable to purchase. For those of us who have worked with the public, we recall the angst we’ve felt when we couldn’t quickly fulfill the expectations of a customer. I don’t miss those days…on either end.

When I was growing up in California, we called these “shrimp” trees.

The little market here in Campanario and the bigger supermarket in Ribeira Brava have unsweetened full-fat Greek yogurt one week but not the next. I don’t mention it. It’s all a part of life here. Peacefulness breeds inconsistency. It’s a small price to pay.

Overlooking the road while on my walk.

The produce guy may not show today. And when he does on another day, we may have already gone to the little market to buy the farm-fresh produce we needed. But, neither he nor us gives it a second thought when he drives by on another day and we aren’t waiting for him on the side of the road.

In Minnesota, these were called begonias, a flower that grew well in shady areas.

One thing we do know for sure. We’ll love Paris and London. We’ll see the sites, take endless photos, and dine in fabulous restaurants. Perhaps, at times, we’ll even be in awe of the crowds, their passion, and enthusiasm for these big cities and their treasures.

The temperate climate is ideal for flowers.

In our hearts, wherever we may travel, we’ll always recall the tranquility of Campanario, Madeira; Marloth Park, South Africa; the Maasai Mara, Kenya; Boveglo, Italy and Placencia, Belize where the simplicity of daily life and its curious inconsistencies, ultimately have brought us the most joy.
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Photo from one year ago today, June 17, 2013:

We’d hoped to ride in a gondola but when there were lined up like this, bumper to bumper hardly moving in the canals, we opted against getting into this “traffic jam.” Instead, we walked for several hours. For details from that date, 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.

Happy Father’s Day to all!…Trip to Funchal to renew auto rental…Seamless day…A year ago today…last night aboard ship in Venice..

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What a site along the highway on the way to the Funchal Aeroporto!

Happy Father’s Day to our sons, my husband and to all of the Dad’s and Grandpa’s all over the world!

Picking up a rental car is  usually a trying experience. The long lines, the language barrier, the shock of the total costs going on our credit card and the process of finding the car to finally get on the road is a painstaking process.

Taking photos while driving on the freeway has a tendency to prevent clear shots. Please bear with us if any of these photos aren’t clear. There wasn’t a safe spot to stop along the highway.

Having to rent a car for 30-day increments to avoid higher daily rates, makes it necessary for us to go “re-rent” twice during a two and a half month stay. Yesterday, was the first of the two occasions in Madeira to drive back to the airport in order to extend the car rental.

After seeing this view we’ve since decided that soon we’ll be taking a drive around the entire island. Stay tuned for our story and photos next week.

Since the great guy that helped us when we arrived by upgraded us to a bigger vehicle at no extra charge, we were worried that if he wasn’t in to help us, we wouldn’t be able to keep the same larger car at the best price.

The ocean always draws our attention.

Holding my breath when Tom dropped me off at the terminal so I could get in line while he dropped off the car, I was disappointed when our guy wasn’t in. However, the lovely agent at the desk agreed that we could keep the same car at the same price as the other agent had offered the night we arrived.

Double steeples on one of many churches we’ve seen on the island.

Tom was already at the Europcar lot as the agent sent over the paperwork for the new 31-day rental period.  She directed me to the lot where I’d find Tom, up one flight on an elevator, down a long corridor, and then down four flights on another elevator. I’d better not get lost, I thought. I didn’t.

Few hills are left untouched in the busy city.

As soon as I exited from the elevator building into the outdoors in the bright sunlight, I saw Tom waving his arms from afar. Walking across the long lot toward the little green office, I was relieved to discover that our paperwork was almost complete and we could be on our way in the midsized blue car.

On the opposite side of the road, homes in Funchal are tightly packed, built into the hills, to provide the best ocean views for its residents.

This easy, friendly experience couldn’t have been more pleasant. It was one more reason we’ve found Madeira to be a dream location, the people are so helpful and kind. 

Farming and gardening are prevalent in all areas of Madeira.

Happily on our way on the hottest day we’ve experienced thus far in Madeira with a high of 88F, 31C, a rarity for the island, we made our way along the highway back to Campanario feeling excited to get back to our home and the veranda on this gorgeous day. 

There’s hardly a hill without gardens, farms, or homes.

By 4:30 pm we arrived at the local market near our home where we asked the expert female butcher to cut meat for us from big slabs; tenderloin steaks and pot roast.  She spoke no English. In advance, I’d translated “steak” and “pot roast” into Portuguese leaving the translations on my phone so I could show her.

We went through many tunnels on the way to the airport.

When we asked for boneless chicken breasts (which I hadn’t translated), I used hand signals to explain what we wanted. She got it as she grabbed two whole fresh free-range chickens from the case, deftly cutting away the other meat until she had two perfectly cut boneless skinless breasts which she cut in half, leaving the remainder to be sold in pieces. It was fascinating watching her skilled hands at work.

The freeway wasn’t too busy on a Saturday afternoon.

After the market, we walked next door to the bakery where we purchased two chocolate-covered doughnuts for Tom for Father’s Day morning at a total cost of US $2.44, EU $1.80.  He was thrilled.  Back on the road, we soon arrived at the “pharmacia” where I purchased insect repellent and anti-itch cream. Yes, I have fly bites again. 

Another more modern church in Funchal.

As the weather has warmed and, with no AC and no screens, once again, I have been getting bites on my hands by what appears to be horseflies. With both hands swollen, I’m determined to avoid more fly biting nightmares as I experienced last summer in Italy and this spring in Morocco.

Madeira’s concept of a farmhouse.

The often English speaking pharmacists are often comparable to a doctor in many countries (not so much in Morocco). He suggested a low 20% dose DEET roll-on to be used only on pressure points every eight hours and an antihistamine cream for the bites I already had on my hands

She cut the steaks, which we’ll grill tonight, from huge slabs of meat she had in another case.  This is the case containing all the pork which is a popular meat item in Madeira.

Both products worked well with the swelling greatly reduced within hours and not another bite since using the roll-on. Ah, relief.  I didn’t want to have to wear hot BugAway clothing over the next six weeks.

The adept butcher cut the breasts from two whole chickens carefully trimming the fat and bone, leaving us with four good-sized portions for two night’s dinners.

Last night after dinner the fog rolled in for some amazing photos we’ll share tomorrow. Again, Happy Father’s Day to our sons and Dads and Grandpas all over the world.
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Photo from one year ago today, June 15, 2013:

There were no photos posted on June 15th but, here’s a photo of the pier as our ship was preparing to dock for the night as we neared the end of the Mediterranean cruise. We’d sleep aboard the ship one more night and disembark the next morning, pick up a rental car and drive to Boveglio, Tuscany to our home for the summer. 

As we neared the pier we wondered where and how our ship would fit.  Space was awaiting our ship and we slipped right in. Within an hour, we disembarked to tour Venice for the evening. For details of the 15th as we prepared to head to Tuscany for the summer, 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.

The progression of a moonlit night over Madeira…Scroll down to listen to a humorous Minnesota podcast where Tom’s is mentioned…A year ago trip to Ephesus, Turkey and a fashion show…

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Last night’s view of the moon and the lights from our veranda over Campanario, Madeira. 

I often walk up the steep hill that begins outside our door, snapping photos along the way, puffing and panting less and less each time. The lack of activity in Morocco greatly reduced my level of fitness, now returning with painstaking effort. 

The moon making an appearance on Wednesday which ended up clouded over after dark.

I needed to do this hard work. With no health club nearby once again I’m left to my own resources in an effort to stay fit which is easier now that we do our own day-to-day housework, laundry, and cooking. Tom, prefers not to exercise at all, except for necessary walks.

Last night, the moon began its ascent over the top of the mountain.

His exercise (besides household tasks) consists of standing up several times a day, walking to the kitchen to get two more Oreo cookies, walking back to the sofa, sitting down, and eating them. Oh, how happy I’d be if he’d give up the gluten and sugar. 

It rose so quickly, we could hardly look away for a moment.

I only want him to be healthy in order to continue this journey for years to come. He’s betting on his good genes. Recently, I read that good genes only attribute to 10% of one’s health and longevity. The rest is based on lifestyle choices. Our meals are healthy but, I can’t control what he puts in his mouth in between. We don’t argue about this nor do I nag him. He knows.

Only a minute later, we had a full view.

Yesterday, after posting here, we busied ourselves checking airfares from Funchal, Madeira to Paris, France on July 31st, a mere 48 days from today. The quickest flight left us with only a 45 minutes layover between Funchal and Lisbon, not enough time to go through customs. 

Tom insisted I point the camera in the opposite direction over the sea to capture the colors in the sky as the sun set and the moon arose.

Instead, we booked the safer bet, the flight with a two-hour layover in Lisbon, arriving in Paris at 5:15. By the time we’ll get to our hotel, it may be 7:30 pm or later, after another long day of travel. Then, we’ll quickly shower and change, heading out for our first dinner in Paris. How exciting!

The sky began to darken as a puff of clouds swept into the moon’s view.

Many travel days are ahead of us over several months after we leave Madeira on July 31st, not settling into another “home” until October 5th when we disembark the cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to Oahu, Hawaii.

Again, Tom remembered to catch one last shot of the sunset on the opposite side of the island.

Again, we won’t be cooking our meals for a combined total of 66 days while dining in restaurants during a month of cruising and several weeks in hotels in Paris, London, Boston, and Vancouver.  

As the sky cleared we knew that soon the moon would too high to get any good shots.

In the interim, we’re loving life in Madeira, especially after last night’s full moon which will be reaching its peak tonight when we’ll be dining out at a higher elevation. Hopefully, another relatively cloudless sky will bring the moon into its full glory into our sight once again.

Our last shot of the evening as it made it way to the heavens.

A full moon on Friday the 13th may bring out the superstition in some. But, for us, it’s another opportunity to revel in the beauty of the world surrounding us as we remain grateful for each and every day.

Here’s the link to the humorous podcast from Minnesota from June 12, 2014, where Tom is mentioned. 

His mention comes up in the first five minutes of the first hour in the podcast, making it unnecessary to listen to the entire podcast.

Very funny!  
                                                         __________________________

Photo from one year ago today, June 13, 2013:

Spending part of the day in Ephesus, Turkey was not as interesting as we’d hoped. Seeing ruins after ruins had finally begun to wear thin. After we left Ephesus, we were taken to a runway fashion show. What???? For details of that story, photos of Ephesus, and the fashion show, 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.

                                                       __________________________

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.

Tom’s evening photos…Fine tuning future bookings…One year ago today….Multiple photos from Mykonos, Greece…Wow!

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Tom’s getting good at taking these sunset photos.

Shopping for food is more productive when by myself than with Tom pushing the cart. No offense intended for my DH who’s intentions are always thoughtful and supportive.

Sun and shadows, typical of the island of Madeira.

I prefer to push the cart myself in my less than a methodical pattern of flitting from one spot in the store to another in a somewhat haphazard pattern only I can understand. Yesterday, I asked Tom to bring his phone in order to read his Kindle book while waiting in the car for 40 minutes while I shopped. He made no objection. He hates to shop. 

A distant view of our house which is to the left of the white house next door to us, both of which are owned by Gina’s brother Carlos.

I slipped the half Euro coin into the slot to release the red plastic shopping cart and off I went. Having learned where most items are in the medium-sized grocery store, my cart was full by the time Tom found me 40 minutes later. With only a few items left to add as shown in the grocery shopping app on my phone, we were done in no time.

White hydrangeas.

Two hours from the time we’d left the house, the groceries were put away, the vegetables were washed (in bottled water) and drying on paper towels. I had put a dent in the chopping and dicing for dinner and finally, we could get to work on the future bookings that had been nagging at us these past few weeks.

The following items were on the “to do” list:
1.  Book tickets on the Eurostar, formerly known as the Chunnel, the under-the-English-Channel-train from France to the UK. (Apparently, it’s tacky to continue to call the train, the Chunnel). On August 16th we’ll be leaving Paris after a two-week stay to then make our way via the Eurostar to London for yet another two weeks. Are we really going to be in Paris in a little over two months?
2.  Arrange a driver from London on August 31st for a two and a half-hour drive to the pier in Harwich, UK for our next cruise, UK to Boston, USA. It’s hard to believe that we’ll be cruising again in a little over two and a half months.
3.  Rent another car online for our upcoming next 30 days in Madeira. On Saturday, we’ll return the current car and if possible, extend this particular car’s rental once we arrive at the airport in Funchal, which is easy to find.  (I apologize if this sounds confusing but, we must book the next 30-day car rental online first for the better rates). If we do it this way, we save 25 to 30% as opposed to extending the booking online or phoning. This is as a result of the long term booking.

It changes so quickly, it’s easy to take several photos.

Simultaneously, we went to work researching online in the above order, booking one after the other. With Tom’s experience in reading reviews on Cruise Critic, he found a suggestion on how to save on the price of tickets on the Eurostar at this link. We ended up paying US $210.89, EU $155.56 as opposed to US $300, EU $222, a savings of 30%.

Tom enjoys taking photos of the changing sky at sunset.

Several months ago, Tom also found a suggestion at Cruise Critic for a reputable company to drive us to Harwich, UK to the cruise pier. This was a bit pricey at US $252.21, GBP $150, EU $185.65 but was our only option unless we shared with others. We’d have gladly done that had it not been difficult to find passengers coming from the same general area in London.   

Next, we got to work on the link on our site to Expedia to book a rental from June 14 to July 15th. I handled this booking and totally screwed up the booking, making the dates from June 14th to August 15th, when we’ll be long gone from Madeira. 

At the end of the day, the ever-changing sky.

Good thing I caught my error (after the fact) and was able to cancel it in order to rebook it for the correct dates. Luckily, we weren’t charged in advance for the car rental making the cancellation seamless. I clearly knew the correct dates but I’d hit the wrong key.

He captured a puff of pink from the setting sun behind us.

The only other must-do booking in the next few weeks is our flight from Madeira to Paris on August 1st which is only a little over seven weeks away. It’s amazing to see how fast the time flies, especially when we’re loving Madeira.

By the time we finished these three tasks, it was time to finish making dinner, take a Skype call from my sister in Nevada, USA. 

Easter lilies growing nearby.

After dinner, I received another Skype call from my other sister living in California, a TV producer who was recently nominated for an Emmy Award (already a past winner).  Congrats, Julie!  Win or lose, you’re a winner in our book!

The evening zoomed by. By 11:00 pm, I was ready for bed while Tom stayed up until midnight as usual.

Colorful.  What are these?

Today, is another busy day with household tasks, laundry, and cooking, all of which I’m finding pleasant these days, more based on the expenditure of energy than the accomplishment of getting things done.

No complaints here. Not a one.
                                                     _________________________

Photos from one year ago today, June 10, 2013:

Mykonos was so amazing, we couldn’t resist posting multiple photos.
We walked through narrow paths like this for a few hours in a maze-like fashion, enthralled with the beauty of this island.
Mykonos was beyond our expectations. For more photos and details from that date, please click here.

Venturing out to another village on the steep and winding roads…A year ago…A photo from Mykonos, Greece…

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This fenced garden we passed on a steep road.

Yesterday, we drove up to a few other villages to gain perspective of the views from another vantage point. At times, we were within a foot, .3 meters, of an unprotected edge that a slight wrong move could result in falling off a steep cliff.

We drove the steep, winding roads to Barreiro yesterday.

Luckily, I stayed preoccupied taking photos and not looking over the edge. There was a haze of fog in the air preventing a clear view in some of our photos, although the sky was blue and clear. We’re constantly looking for changes in the weather that can occur in a matter of minutes.

Cactus growing out of a stone wall.  With the temperate weather in Madeira, it’s surprising to see cactus growing wild. One expects cactus to grow in desert climates.

As we drove through the steep winding roads, we realized that the roads that appear risky to us is everyday driving to the locals. They zip around the curves, hairpin turns, and up and down steep inclines at full speed, never giving it a thought.

Looking out at this view, we notice the point in the upper left.

There aren’t any police cars in Campanario and few in other areas. The locals don’t worry about getting a ticket, only about getting around quickly and hopefully safely.

Zooming in we got a better view of the craggy point.

Without a doubt, Madeira feels like the safest place in which we’ve lived in our travels. Of course, we’re still cautious in locking doors at night and when leaving, more out of habit than fear.  t’s a far cry from living in Kenya with gun-toting guards everywhere. How far we’ve come.

Homeowners often have to walk up or down elaborate stairways to get to or from their homes that are built on the steep hills.

Speaking of Kenya, last night we went through many of our photos from our travels that are stored in Google+.  So far, since January 3, 2013, we have almost 10,000 photos stored. Considering that we seldom took photos in our old lives, we sure have made up for the lost time.

I have an app that allows me to remove wires such as these shown here.  But, Madeira has wires everywhere in an effort to provide great service to its residents. We have the best WiFi connection here included in the rental, that we’ve had since we were in Minnesota, 20 months ago. Who’s to complain?

Looking back, had we known we’d be traveling, I wish I’d have learned to take photos on a decent camera instead of my phone. As a person with reasonable digital skills, the camera alluded me, intimidated me and I struggled along. Now, the ease and enjoyment of taking photos remind me of how many magic moments we missed that could have been documented in photos.

There we are in the sunshine one minute and then the fluffy clouds roll in. The wonders of this gorgeous island continue to astound us.

Oh, well. One can only go forward as to wasting time with what “could have” or “should have” been. Although I love taking photos, I don’t take it seriously enough to want to let it turn into an obsession or to try to present more professional-looking photos with editing and enhancements. Most often, we take only one shot of each sighting unless it’s a classic shot of a special location or moving target. If it comes out, great. If not, we delete it.

View over the rooftops.

The only editing I ever do on a photo we present here is to remove the spots that appear in some of the photos from dirt or lint located on the lens of our camera. I haven’t removed those spots today, as we hope to head out the door soon.

Whatever the angle or the view, the beauty of the ocean is worthy of a shot.

When we arrive in Boston in three months, we’ll purchase a new camera or will pick one out online and have it shipped to Boston. Our Sony Cyber-shot is showing signs of wear and tear after 10,000 photos especially when held in my sweaty palms over many miles with hot and humid climates. 

The car was moving when we took this blurry shot. We were on a dangerous curve and couldn’t stop.

Today, we’re waiting for the produce guy’s musical truck to appear before we head to the supermarket to shop for the week. We’d rather buy produce from him as opposed to the grocery store. 

The dedication to farming and gardening is evident everywhere on the island.

He doesn’t always have everything we need making it tricky to go to the grocery store without buying produce, hoping to catch up with him later. We’ll wait for him until noon and then we’re off, having no choice but to purchase some of the items we need, filling in with him later in the week.

The blue sky makes for a blue sea.

Oh, we love the mindless drivel in our lives at times, the simple decisions, the time spent observing a flower, a passing bird, or a wafting cloud. Then, when the hard parts are imminent we know that soon they too will pass and we’re back to the joyful ease of living this pleasing life we’ve chosen.

Few homeowners miss the opportunity to grow gardens on the hills.

______________________

Photo from one year ago, June 9, 2013:

The island of Mykonos, Greece was beyond our expectations. So beautiful. Due to a poor WiFi connection, we were unable to post photos from the ship. The next day, the 10th, we were in Mykonos Greece where we took many photos of the exquisite island. Here is a photo from the 10th. For more please check back tomorrow for more. For the link to the post on the 9th, please click here.