Greetings from the island of Madiera

We just pulled into the port of Madiera, an island belonging to Portugal, 600 miles away from the mother country. It is beautiful here with houses climbing up the hillsides and mild weather. We left Spain without too much hassle; just a crowded airport. We flew to Madrid from Malaga and had a five-hour layover so...we checked all the luggage in and took the Metro into the city of Madrid and had a good walk about there. Notice how hanging around with too many Brits effects one´s language. Madrid is a modern, bustling city, with very well-dressed people who seemingly have lots of money to spend. It is just bustling and it made me realize just how much our country is in trouble! We don´t have that spark anymore. It´s all in Europe now. The current administration has really screwed us all! It is really an eye-opener being in Europe and seeing the stark difference. It makes me very sad and angry at the same time.

Anyway, when we arrived at Gatwick in London the trains to everywhere were all screwed up due to signal problems but we waited it out and schlepped all the luggage on to the train going to Brighton, our destination for the night. After a short ride we got a huge cab to take us to the hotel, a lovely beachside hotel overlooking the water with a huge balcony room and all the modern conveniences. We schmoozed the clerk and he upgraded us. I was so happy. Next morning we got up early to walk the seaside promedade to the famous Brighton Pier and then to the summer palace, which was built like an Indian palace. Quite extraordinary. I will send photos later since I can´t do it now. After wandering around the city of Brighton all morning we resumed our trip by train to Southampton to meet the ship. We were quite a sight with all our bags, trying to get everything in before the train pulled out. It was hysterical! We made it with plenty of time to spare and boarded this beautiful ship. We had VIP boarding and it was so easy. Of course, we dumped our stuff and ran to the buffet! The food is really good, our dining companions are fun, talkative, lively, and we have a really good table. We also met the large group from Cruise Critic, which we met online prior to the cruise. So far, everything is excellent other than the fact that Jerry gave me his cold.

Our first stop was a trip to Normandy, stopping at several D-Day beaches, including Omaha Beach. It was very emotion. I was sobbing! Just imagine walking on those beaches where so many young men perished. I felt like I was steppin in their blood. I took some pebbles from Omaha Beach as a remembrance. We then went to the American Cemetery, where I cried some more. Believe me, I was not the only one blubbering. We then stopped at a small Normandy town called Arromanches where we had crepes for a snack. It was an adorable town and it was fun to visit. There were signs in all the store windows thanking the Americans, Canadians and English for rescuing them from the Germans in WW II. Good that they don´t forget. After that emotionally-draining morning we proceeded to the town of Honfleur, where Claude Monet painted many of his famouse Impressionist paintings. It is easy to see why...the light is so phenomenal and the subject is just begging to be painted. It brought me back to the time of the Impressionists and I felt as though I was part of their paintings. Photos will follow so you can see what I mean. I was absolutely enchanted by this little city and can understand why it is a favorite spot of the Parisiens on weekends. We reluctantly left Honfleur for the next port stop.

La Coruna, in northwest Spain, was our next port stop. It is the port from which the Spanish Armada left for England in 1588. Needless to say, they are a pretty stodgy group, not very friendly and very serious, but not rude. We were the first cruise ship to ever dock there, so they had some kind of ceremony to welcome us. This city is filled with well-dressed, economically comfortable people who go about their business. They have a very strange regional accent which was hard to understand, and their spelling differs slightly from other Spanish. I think it is a touch of Basque, but will research that when I get home. We took the public bus and I did have a nice conversation with a local woman and that was fun. That´s what I like about travel. We explored this small port city mostly on foot and were left with the impression that they would rather not see too many tourists and that´s fine. One observation which really stands out in my mind about Spain, be it in the north or south of the country, is that all the ladies get dressed up in their finest, with high heels, full makeup and lots of jewelry, just to go shopping. I mean the supermarket! They do this all over the country and they look positively elegant. I looked like a slob! They were all staring at my sneakers and I felt like a fashion reject! Anyway, this port city is hilly so we got some good exercise. There is a large main plaza dedicated to a lady named Maria Pita, who warned the city that Sir Francis Drake was coming and thereby saved them from complete destruction. So they named the main square after her and she revered. The shops have the finest quality of everything and prices to match. The children are mostly blonde here in northern Spain, and even the little girls are dressed to kill. They still use those fancy baby carriages like the old English perambulators, and parade around the pedestrian streets wheeling their beautifully-dressed infants around. It is quite impressive. I did not ask how the other passengers made out, but if we didn´t speak Spanish we would have been completely lost in La Coruna. Other facts about the city: they have the second oldest lighthouse in the world, dating from Roman times, they have a huge beach, which is very crowded in the summer. There actually were people in the water and the beach actually has sand, unlike the beaches of the Med which are pebbly.

Anyway, here we are in Madiera and I haven´t gotten off the pier yet. We stumbled upon this internet cafe and decided to do this first and I am glad because the line to use the computers is now out the door. They are all giving me dirty looks. The weather is mild and we are about to walk around the city and see what there is to do and to spend the last of our Euros before heading out into the Atlantic. I wonder if there are any shoe stores....

To sum up, I love the Jewel of the Seas. It is a magnificent ship; not too big, not too small; just right, as Goldilocks would say. The crew is wonderful, the food is great, the cabin is wonderful and the second in command is a woman! The officers are very friendly and keep asking us if we are happy and if there is anything they can do for us. I could stay on this ship forever. In fact, they will have to drag me off kicking and screaming.

Will write again from the ship in mid-Atlantic. Bye for now.