So, 3 hours.....

... to fly from Lisbon to  Frankfurt, then another 12 hours for the long slog to LAX.  I'm beat - I'll have a few other things to post over the next few days, but give me at least 24 hours to decompress and un-jet lag.

Of course, at dinnertime, there are other options, too.

 

Mmmmmm

 

We took a wonderful walking tour of an emerging neighborhood in Lisbon - mostly about local markets, produce, meats, and local cooking.

Our guide Fillippa, standing in front of a bakery which is perhaps immodestly named "the Best Chocolate Cake in the World".  (It was really good)

 

 

 

 

It's cold and windy out there, so some roasted chestnuts from the street vendors hit the spot.

 

The explorer Vasco da Gama's tomb is within the Monastery.

 

(The Monastery)

 

 

 

The Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery are Lisbon highlights.

 

 

 

We dined pretty well on the ship, so on our first night in Lisbon we thought we'd look around for funky rather than elegant. We found a very popular Portuguese "gourmet hamburger" joint. Under the fried egg and the bacon is a Portuguese sausage burger. And under that photo, is a picture of your basic, average canned eel store.

 

 

We sail out of Portimao, our last night. Tomorrow morning we'll disembark the ship in Lisbon. I'm not happy about this.

 

The most depressing possible photo aboard ship.

Luggage in the hallway will be picked and available on the dock, for those who are disembarking tomorrow. Like us. They will have to drag me, kicking and screaming, from the room.

Even before the Captain makes a P.A. announcement, the discreetly placed barf bags around the ship let everyone know that we're in for a bumpy ride. 😬😁

Churchill I used to sit on the balcony a Reid's Palace and paint, although I suspect the current high rise hotels never made it to his canvasses.

 

The high tea was nice, and the sliced avocado finger sandwiches were tasty, but the whole thing seemed a bit precious to me.

 

Funchal, Madeira.

We went to a High Tea at the Reid's Palace Hotel, a grand old lady from the 19th century, and a favorite haunt of Winston Churchill, 

George Bernard Shaw, et. al.  Beautifully manicured grounds and gardens.

 

 

 

The local botanical garden (immense banyan tree), the local old fort for pirate-fighting, and the local opera house. No comment on the latter

 

 

 

On Tenerife, famous for being the island where Admiral Nelson lost his right arm, in battle with the Spanish

We drove upwards of 7000 feet up the slope of Pico de Teide, the third highest volcano in the world....behind only Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, someplace called the Big Island of Hawai'i.  Vegetation lessened and lessened and became almost nonexistent, as the landscape became more and more otherworldly..  It seemed colder than last year in Antarctica, although we weren't outfitted in that specific Antarctica gear, either.

 

 

 

Rockin' & rollin'

Rougher than the Drake Passage last year. But kinda fun to be thrown around a little bit.

Continuing to have (daily) tech problems. Stand by. 😡

Various views from our morning breakfast tables over the last few weeks

Tobacco is an important crop. We visited a cigar rolling factory.

Well, "factory" might not be the right word, a total of four workers. But they can roll between 2,000 & 3,000 cigars a day.

I have no idea.

Santa Cruz de la Palma is shirt in drama, but long in charm. Beautiful carved wood balconies.

Overlooking the town of San Sebastián de la Gomera...

...toward the volcano in the center of Tenerife. (We'll sail there tomorrow)

Sunrise in the Canary Islands 🇮🇨

La Gomera

We explored the island today, including the Hermigua Valley and the thick rainforest in Garajonay National Park.