Madeira - 29, 30, 31 July

We are writing this blog at the end of our 4 full days on Madeira Island.

On Saturday morning we took the shuttle bus the hotel provides and went into the township of Funchal. There was a craft market to peruse (& shop at) with some of the specialities of the island including embroidery, jewellery, crocheting and quite a bit of trash and treasure. 

Next we boarded the cable car which is a bit like the Arthur's Seat Eagle but twice as long and in part travels over steep ravines - unfortunately it didn't have as much ventilation as the Eagle and it was pretty hot inside with us and 4 Germans. We tend to spend afternoons by the pool or near the pool depending on where we can get a seat! On Saturday we chatted with a retired couple who have an apartment in the resort and who often travel to Australia to visit relatives. They have a nephew who lives is Hillside Crescent Blackburn where Rach & Will saw a house in March that they were interested in!  His house has apparently been very tastefully modernised and expanded by his twin brother who is a builder - surname Burridge. 

On Sunday morning we went to the English church (Anglican) and stayed for sandwiches, tea & coffee and Pimms (if you wish - which we didn't) on the lawns. We met the church archivist who directed us in our enquiries about relatives of the Grant family buried on the island.

Om Monday we set off to visit the British Cemetery and talked to Carlos (the caretaker) who finally found the William Grant and Innes family graves for us. After a wander through the old city we once again returned to the pool and another refreshing swim! 

This has been a very relaxing stay for the five days between tours and tomorrow we fly out via Zurich to Stockholm. The others will have been there for a day already and on Wed we board our small ship for a  Baltic cruise.

We are not sure how much wifi we will have, but will do our best to keep in touch & to blog occasionally.

Cable car ride - from the top

Funchal from the cable car - on the way down

Sunday Service at the English church

At the gate to the British Cemetery

The grave and memorial of "William Grant, many years Merchant in this Island - who died here 8 August, 1866 in the 78th year of his age. Also his son, William Alexander Grant 12 January, 1843 aged nine months."

Gravestone of Robert Innes - we think related to the Grants

The pirates are coming to invade!!

Madrid to Madeira Island - 26, 27 & 28 July

On our last full day in Madrid, we walked from the hotel with a local guide to the Prado Museum (Gallery) home of an amazing art collection, including El Greco's and Goya's. (Two ladies thought we were going to the Prada museum!) After a guided tour through the museum getting a very good overview of Spanish art from 15th to 19th centuries we had free time for the rest of the afternoon. So while we were in art gallery mode, we headed to the Thyssen Gallery which had paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. We sought out our favourite artists from the Impressionist era with a quick look at a Picasso and a Renoir.

To finish off the afternoon, we took another bus ride around the city.

This evening we had a farewell dinner in a function room of the hotel. We were entertained by 5 musicians who wore a special costume related to the fact that when they were Uni students 20 years earlier, they sang in the streets to earn money for their food etc. - a bit like busking but these are recognised groups who wear a particular outfit to identify them. Two are now lawyers, 1 works in hospital emergency, 1 is a cartographer (map maker) and the 5th is an actor with a great voice who has played the lead in Phantom of the Opera. They were great fun and, as you know, had me up dancing at one stage. It was a happy evening and there was a bit of sadness as we said goodbye. One couple (particularly the wife, who is Jewish) who had their 2 sons with them (the elder had Aspergers) made us promise to try & see them when we are in New York next year! 

Thursday morning, 7am we were off to the airport and flew via Lisbon to Madeira arriving at our hotel by about 3pm.  The resort and area where we are staying is a lot like Port Douglas - but much bigger - without the sandy beach (and crocodile!). The beaches which are on the Atlantic coast are concrete paving and rocky outcrops, so the pool is more inviting. We have a studio room with a little kitchette and nice outdoor seating area. Madeira is popular with Brits and Germans for summer holidays.

We have done some good walks, seen quite a bit of the island on a bus trip and enjoyed some nice light meals in some of the many eating places around us. This is a lovely interlude in a fairly nice climate before our next tour.

Rembrandt - Self Portrait

Renoir

Madrid street - on our bus ride

Our resort at Madeira

And again

Cordoba, Madrid and Toledo - 23, 24 & 25 July

On Sunday morning we drove to Córdoba which was in a very hot part of Spain. Last week they had temperatures up to 47 degrees. This day was looming to be very hot also. We firstly saw a huge 1,200 year old Christian church that became a mosque during the centuries of the Muslim invasion, then back to a Cathedral when the Christians took over again. Each group enlarged the building further and added to the decoration. There wasn't much relief from the heat even in this huge structure with its vaulted ceilings. Next we went out into the sun to do a walk through the old town. Although everyone managed the walk it was clearly taking a toll on our tour group.

After our tour and lunch we boarded a fast train (up to 240 km a hour) for the 1 3/4 hour journey to Madrid.  This is our last stop on the tour. We are staying at a luxurious Westin Palace Hotel located central to lots of sites.  For most of Monday a throng of teenage girls waited excitedly outside the front door of the Hotel hoping to see some young TV star staying here. Dad enjoyed walking through the crowd then standing on the steps and waving to them like he was the one they had come to see - and many waived back!

On Monday morning we did a bus tour of the city then we were taken on a guided tour of the Royal Palace which is the official residence of the royal family although they don't live there anymore but use it for meeting dignatories and holding elaborate dinners and other functions. Several years ago King Carlos abdicated in favour of his 39 year old son, King Felipe. Felipe only has two daughters so the rules are going to be changed to allow one of them to sit on the throne.

Unfortunately, we couldn't take any pictures in the palace but it was very lavish. It had a dining table that seated 121 people. What interested us was the fact that one of the many China settings was Cappadimonte - of which we have two pieces and want to sell them! Of the 3.400 rooms we were only able to see 21 of them

After visiting the palace we had another sumptuous lunch and then a free afternoon.  We chose to have a siesta and then do a short walk before our group dinner at a nearby restaurant. It would be hard to find fault with the accommodation or restaurants on this tour and for those who drink, there is wine in abundance. However, when we get to Madeira we might not eat for 5 days!!

Today, Tuesday, we went by bus to Toledo, about an hour drive away. This is another ancient walled city with a reputation for Lladro porcelain (which I have also and was looking to sell), swords & armoury, pearls and marzipan. Here we once again toured a huge cathedral - the second biggest in Spain and 13th largest in the world. We also saw in a smaller church, a massive El Greco painting and did a walk through the old Jewish Quarter to see a Synagogue that is over 1,000 years old. When the Jews were banished from Spain in 1492 it became a church. About 30 years ago King Carlos invited the Israeli Prime Minister & 60 Rabbis with him to the Synagogue. There, he publicly tore up the decree from 1492 which said Jews must either convert to Christianity or leave the country and apologised and asked them to return to Toledo. There are still only two Jewish families living there.

After the morning tour and another 3 course lunch, which goes for a couple of hours, we came back to Madrid. 

Inside the church/mosque/cathedral in Córdoba

Our hotel in Madrid - The Westin Palace

The Royal Palace in Madrid

Toledo

Us and Toledo

The Toledo Cathedral

Marzipan was originally made by the nuns!!

Ronda & Granada - 21 & 22 July

Leaving Marbella, we drove up the mountains to the cliff top town of Ronda where we were met by local tour guides who took us on a walking tour of this ancient town. Ronda is set high on a plateau and has spectacular views of cultivated fields in the valley below and mountain ranges in the distance.

Among the buildings we saw was Spain's oldest bullfighting ring. In Portugal it is illegal to kill the bull in the ring but it is still done in Spain despite protests. Matadors are revered almost as much as royalty but they do risk their lives every time they enter a ring.

We enjoyed a lunch in Ronda then boarded the bus for the drive to Granada. They have a system on the bus where each day we move 2 seats back and so everyone gets a turn of the front seats. This seems to work well. 

Our Hotel in Granada is the Alhambra Palace Hotel which is a short walk from the world famous Alhambra Palace which dates back to the 13th century.  Before dinner we were treated to another flamenco show with 3 dancers, a singer and a guitarist. It was very well done and fortunately we were seated further away from the stage this time! 

Today at 8.30am we walked up to the Alhambra Palace with our local guide and did a 21/2 hour tour of this 'Moorish' palace and gardens. It was really good to be there as it opened to visitors as the numbers swelled considerably over the next few hours. Apparently about 7,000 people visit the Palace each day.  It was originally built by a Muslim sultan to be a "paradise on earth" but within a century the Muslims were banished by the Spanish Christian King Charles never to return. The whole of Granada was a walled city with the huge palace on the hill overlooking the town.

We enjoyed lunch today (trying Spanish Paella) at a nearby restaurant again with spectacular views. Since it was then the hottest part of the day, we did what the Spanish do and had a siesta,  Around 5pm we did our own sightseeing in the town seeing the burial sites of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who in the 15th century commissioned Christopher Colombus to find an ocean route to India and China - instead he found America. 

The Spanish day apparently goes like this: wake up at 8am, have coffee & toast for breakfast ; start work between 9 and 10; at 12 stop for morning tea; at 2 have lunch and siesta; start work again at 6 until 10; have dinner at 11 and go to bed by 1am. Concerts held in the outdoors here start at 10pm after the sun goes down and would probably run til midnight. Not sure how the school day goes but they are on summer holidays at the moment so that they don't have to cope with the heat at school.

Gorge in the cliff top village of Ronda

Lookout in Ronda

Watch out for the bull!

Bob gets ready for his first bull fight!!

Inside our hotel - The Alhambra Palace Hotel - in Granada

Private Flamenco show at our hotel, just for our tour group

Inside the actual Alhambra palace

Decoration inside the Alhambra palace

Alhambra palace from San Nicolas Square

Bob in San Nicolas Square

Seville, Gibraltar & Marbella - July 18, 19 & 20

Seville is a very pretty town with beautiful buildings and gardens and our hotel was very central. It was situated next to a palace in a building that was only 90 years old but looked like a palace. Despite its lusciousness, Seville is about 70 kms from the coast and gets very hot so we had temperatures approaching 40 degrees. 

On the first night there we (the 2 of us) wandered through the city & found a nice Tapas place for dinner. On Tuesday morning we were taken for a guided bus tour of Seville which finished with a horse and carriage ride. After this we did a walking tour taking in the main areas of the city & especially the huge cathedral where the remains of Christopher Columbus are buried. This church was built over a former mosque as are many churches in Spain, as centuries ago the country went from Christianity to Islam (after invasion by the Moors) then back to Christianity after the Moors were overthrown. 

In the evening we visited a Flamenco (Spanish dancing) show with seats in the front row - a great view of the incredible foot work but a little too close for occasional drops of sweat!!  However it was amazing dancing which must demand a lot of energy - unfortunately they didn't allow us to take any pictures. 

The highlight of Wednesday was a visit to the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art.  The school takes in 40 students a year from all over the world, to study a course in either dressage, carriage driving or Vet Assistant. The school has its own horses (many are Arab) which are especially bred for them. We saw some beautiful horses & could pat them and watched some training. They actually call some of what they do, horse ballet. There's something for you to take on, Tammy!

Next on the agenda was a trip to Gibraltar which is a huge limestone rock that has been a British Territory for nearly 300 years. We drove across a strip of land which is a runway (built in WW11) to enter Gibraltar. (On the return trip we had to wait for a plane to land before we could cross back to Spain.)

We were taken on a scary small bus ride up Gibraltar and from the high points we could see across the Mediterranean to Northern Africa. The Rock is also known for its population of monkeys. Apparently in WW11 Churchill was worried about the monkeys being harmed and so had them evacuated for the duration. The Rock was a crucial British military base & has lots of tunnels & caves used for supplies and defence. 

Finally, we drove on to Marbella which is a resort town on the Mediterranean and where we are enjoying a free day by the pool.

The tour has been great so far and we are enjoying the company of the people on the tour. There are 2 family groups with 2 late teen, early 20's children each, 2 single ladies (at least 1 is a widow)  and of the rest there are lots of happy pleasant people and a couple who are loud and grumpy (not us). 

After our lovely day of rest we move on tomorrow to Granada.

Our horse and buggy ride

Lovely white horse

Gold coated alter piece in the Cathedral 

Christopher Columbus tomb

The Royal Andelusian School of Equestrian Art

Our group at the Royal Andelusian School of Equestrian Art

Horse and rider in training

Gibraltar - through the bus window

Crossing the airport runway

Morocco from Gibraltar 

Coming down from the scary ride (see the airport runway again)

Stalectite cave on Gibraltar - one part of a series of caves

Where's my friends Bob and Jan gone?

View from our fifth floor hotel room in Marbella

The beach - but McCrae is better!

Portugal to Spain - 16 & 17 July

On Sunday morning we left Lisbon, crossed the long Vasco De Gama bridge & headed for the hill top UNESCO World Heritage town of Evora (still in Portugal) which has a history going back 2,000 years. Along the way we passed forests of cork trees. Cork is harvested by removing the bark (which is the cork) once every nine years. Portugal is the largest producer of cork in the world and it is not only used for corks in bottles but can be made into handbags and a myriad of other things. A local tour guide took us on a walking tour of Evora over cobbled streets & past ancient buildings going back to Roman times. We ended the walk at a former convent which is now a lovely restaurant & hotel, where we had lunch. 

After this we drove on to our hotel for the night - another former 15th century convent. These old monastic buildings are incredibly solid & built around an inner courtyard (cloisters).. The reason there are so many empty convents & monasteries is that all monks & nuns were banished from Portugal in the 1800s then in the 1900s they were invited back but few returned. Bob had swims in both the hotel's indoor and outdoor pools.

Today, we headed into Spain & the temperature hit 40 degrees as we were travelling. We stopped to explore the town of Merida which has many Roman ruins including a Theatre built in 15BC seating 5,000 people & also an amphitheatre built in 8BC which can seat 15,000 people. There was also a 'circus' for chariot & horse races.

After lunch at another converted convent, we arrived at our hotel in Seville, perfectly located in the centre of the town. Apparently Seville is one of the prettiest cities in Spain. We will be exploring it tomorrow and also will go to a flamenco (Spanish Dancing) show.

Vasco de Gama Bridge o one of the longest suspension bridges in Europe

Our lunch convent - Sunday

Town Square in Evora

The Roman Theatre in Merida

View of the theatre seats - some modernised and still used for concerts today.

Our hotel in Seville

The hotel foyer

Huge Cathedral and local transport in Seville

Cathedral door