After Lanzarote and a sea day we were in Funchal. We planned to take a local bus to the village of Camara de Lobos.
Day 6: Wednesday 8th November 2023: Funchal, Madeira
Back out on our balcony we watched as this ferry arrived in Funchal.
And shortly afterwards this Viking ship arrived.
After our breakfast in the buffet we left the ship and walked into the centre of Funchal past the cliffs and then past Ronaldo’s museum.
Camara de Lobos
We caught the bus to Camara dos Lobos. This past through Funchal and out along the coast road. We left the bus at the top of the hill above the cement works. This did mean a long walk to be above the village’s bay.
We then walked down stairs and followed the path as it wound past houses above the village.
Once down in the village we stopped for a welcome break for a coffee and then we walked around the bay towards the seal art.
Winston Churchill was a regular visitor to the village and this statue celebrates his occupation when he was here.
Lunch…
And in the restroom!
This visit I did not spend a lot of time with the boats hauled up in the harbour.
Looking up above the village
This is the inside of the fisherman’s church.
Then we had to make our way back to the bus stop.
As we crossed the bridge we could look down on the cement works…
At the bus stop…
Funchal in the afternoon
Another arrival, this time Fred Olsen’s Balmoral.
We shared our dinner table with the guest speaker, Dr Chris Martin, who I discovered had been at the University of Essex too!
Some Kinda Wonderful
We enjoyed their versions of songs from The Drifters, The Four Tops, , The Temptations etc.
Then we were back in our cabin watching the seas as we headed out for another sea day.
Day 7: Thursday 9th November 2023: At sea
Breakfast was in the empty buffet – timing is everything! We then attended Dr Martin’s talk on Medical Law and Ethics.
Our education continued at 11 am with an art talk about “Why do people spend millions on art?”
Lunch in the Glass House
Then it was back to the Malabar for another art talk. This one was about (street) art from Banksy to Mr Brainwash.
We learnt that the mural that we had seen in the main hall at Battersea Power Station was by Mr Brainwash. Plus Mr Brainwash used some of Banksy’s stencils for his art.
It was a formal evening and after a drink in the Blue Bar we had an enjoyable dinner on a table for eight.
Asa Elliott in the Manhattan Bar
Now after the first 7 days we would be back in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for two more days.