Madeira, Portugal

This picture is from the cement wall at the dock.

Banana trees!!

Mountain style farming.

Hello!! Greetings from the high seas. We just set sail from our last European port and have begun crossing the Atlantic. I haven't blogged for awhile, so I'll try to catch up over the next week. Here are pictures from the Portuguese island of Madeira, mostly taken from the "hop on hop off" bus. You can see the tiered agricultural system that the people developed to cope with the mountainous landscape. Grape vines and banana trees were all over the place (those are banana trees in the picture). Madeira has been known for centuries for its wine - Shakespeare even wrote about it - one of his characters wanted to die by drowning in a barrel of it. Beautiful place, sunshine and warm weather in December!!!

Gran Canarie

I am sitting at a McDonalds in Palma de Mallorca, using the speedy WiFi to post some more blog pictures from the last week. YES - don't judge - I am an American and sometimes I need my fast food fix just like you do...

Okay, so I was on the island of Gran Canarie - one of the Canary Islands - a little over a week ago. It was spectacular! The first picture is of a flock of sheep in the mountains who make excellent cheese.

The next is a statue of Alfredo Krauss, a famous opera tenor, who was from the island. He is seen as the traditional tenor pose known as "the claw". As you can see, he overlooks the beach - where surfers floated around like lobster bobbers. Behind his statue is the beautiful performing arts center named in his honor (you can't see it).

The next picture is of a gothic style Catholic church...

Next, is a shrine to "Maria of the Pine Trees" from a different church. The people of Gran Canarie believe that Mary appeared on top of a pine tree right outside of this particular church. They will come to this church to ask for Mary's blessing when they have special occasions in their lives - like buying a new car, or starting a new soccer team, or having a baby.

Then, I am standing near the top of the mountains - among the famous pine trees - with cool rock formations in the back.

Then we have a little village in the middle of the mountains... they farm figs, almonds, citrus, avocados, all the wonderful things we can't grow in Wisconsin.

Please appreciate the excellent driving skills of the bus driver on the turn. According to the knot in my stomach, there were about 1,037 of these precarious turns throughout the tour.

And finally - sand dunes! YAY!!!!!

Gibraltar

Today, I stepped off the ship, traded my dollars for pounds and headed into the British territory of Gibraltar. This is quite a developed area with great shopping and restaurants. My friends and I stopped for seafood paella and fish and chips before jumping in the cable car that took us to the top of “the Rock”. The cable car climbed quickly, swinging a bit in the wind, and we arrived at the top in 5 minutes.

As soon as we stepped out of the car, we were greeted with signs saying “don’t feed or pet the apes… they are wild animals and may bite you…” Yes, wild Barbary apes live up there! These are not very big, but boy are they clever! A little ape was actually waiting for us to get out and followed us around, posing here and there and letting us take his picture.

I nearly made a disastrous mistake when I set my backpack down to take in the breathtaking landscape of Africa and Spain in the distance. When I turned back around to my friends, I couldn’t figure out why an ape was running towards us. When he reached us he made a sudden lunge towards my backpack with his sticky little fingers, but I beat him to it by a split second. You can see me trying to turn this little guy from his sneaky ways after his valiant, yet failed attempt. Afterwards, he just sulked off to bother another tourist.

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Today, I explored the British Virgin Island of Tortola. In the morning, we packed a van cab full of cast members and headed toward Brewer Bay. The ride was an adventure all on its own as we winded up one side of the mountain and maneuvered hair pin turns down the other - all done on the "wrong" side of the road!!! As we pulled into the beach, we passed by this lazy brown cow and his friend (not pictured). After spending the last 6 months in territory inhabited by Mainers, hardy Canadians, and people of the Viking persuasion, I experienced a little piece of paradise as I floated aimlessly in the bay and re-introduced my skin to the concept of sun -leaving the water only to drink pineapple juice or play the ukulele. Sweet friends in the north, layering jogging suits under your Halloween costumes, I don't say this to make you jealous, I swear...

After the beach, we headed back over the mountain into town. I met a gentleman standing in the shade of a tree with his donkey, “Master William”, whom he adorned with flowers. I learned that the donkey was 40 years old and that it would cost $2 to get a picture with him. I felt very fortunate to meet them.

Getting a decent picture of this hen and her chicks was the most difficult thing I did today. I was a shameless tourist - trotting after them with out-stretched arms and a pink camera - but cute baby animals are always worth it.

The plate of food is ox tail stew with rice and beans and is from the restaurant called “Pussers”. This is an old British pub known for selling the same kind of rum given to sailors in the Royal Navy for the last few hundred years. - so strong that my friend couldn’t get through half of her drink.

I ended the day on the bow of the ship, watching the British Virgin Islands fade away into the sunset. Tonight, the world’s a little bigger, I’m a little smaller, God’s creation is a little grander - and what vigor this brings to my heart.

Halifax Public Gardens

I visited the Halifax Public Gardens in the middle of September. Looking at these dahlias took every word right out of my head.

Quebec City Favorites

Bonjour! Here are a few snapshots from Quebec City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that were taken over the last 6 months. Being a regular port of call, I was privileged to witness this charming city as it changed through three seasons. I saw the crocus bloom in May and kicked up crispy brown leaves just last week.

The spring visits involved lots of cool rain, but exploring was still fun - ducking in and out of cafes, art galleries, and cathedrals. I found the best spot to eat Chocolatines (chocolate croissants) and drink Lady Grey tea - "Baguette et Cie" while sparrows darted in for crumbs through the open wall of windows. I listened to "Les Violons du Roy", a wonderful chamber orchestra, perform a concert on one of our overnights.

I stopped by the farmers market whenever I could to see flowers, smell basil, or ask the vendors why this apple was better than that one. I took a tour of the city's highlights and saw the citadel, built to protect the new French colony from enemies. I learned that my country was a primary enemy, and that we fought and lost here in an attempt to convince the French they should join us in the fight for independence. I was dazzled by the chandelier in the lobby of the Chateau Frontenac - the palatial looking building with the green roof.

I fell in love (as you can see) with the city's infatuation with window boxes. I walked the cobblestone streets of "Old Quebec" under a bridge of love letters hanging on strings like socks flapping on a clothes line. And on my last visit, I caught this rainbow over the Saint Lawrence River as I rode the "Funiculaire". Goodbye Quebec City - and if I may borrow your motto, "Je me souviens"!!!!!