Portuguese Funchal , a Tour.

Posted on November 19, 2022November 19, 2022 by Pete Schloss

November 18, 2022. In the Port of Mindelo, Cape Verde, Africa.

Our original cruise itinerary included Casablanca as a port of call for November 14th. However, officials in Morocco declined shore privileges to the vessel because of a few onboard Covid infections. The 14th thus became a day at sea with Funchal, the capital of Madeira located off the coast of Africa as a substitute on the itinerary for November 15th.

Christine and I previously enjoyed a visit to this autonomous Portuguese territory in 2018. We contemplated skipping the included tour this time but ultimately decided to reprise the tour and also enjoy some free time in port.

Our bus tour lasted approximately two hours and included a remarkable performance by our bus driver as he expertly navigated the huge vehicle through hairpin turns up and down the white-knuckle steep mountain roads. In many places the road was barely more than a lane wide with blind corners. This challenges a drivers ESP to predict whether or not there is oncoming traffic.

Our tour included a stop at a mountaintop overlooking where it seemed that half the island’s population had assembled, including at least one “interesting character”.

Our pleasant and knowledgeable tour guide shared that she was 50 years old and clearly recalled in childhood that it was a rare treat to see a motor vehicle. She lamented that traffic jams are now common. She also shared that in her childhood there were only three roadway tunnels on the island. Today there are over 150.

At one time the island economy was largely fishing and agricultural. Today tourism is king. On the day of our visit there were three other cruise ships in port. There was not enough room at the pier to accommodate our ship so passengers were ferried to and from shore on the ship’s four large tenders.

This island enjoys a subtropical climate where evening, daytime, and year-round temperatures rarely vary by more than 10 degrees. It was sunny and 75° for our visit.

The climate and inexpensive standard of living explain the popularity of Funchal as both a recreational and residential venue for citizens from the UK, Portugal, Germany, and even the United States and Canada. Although our tour guide remarked on the cost of renting an apartment to emphasize the expense to locals, we were struck that $800 dollars/euros per month for a two bedroom apartment in the city was quite livable.

Funchal was a popular vacation spot for Sir Winston Churchill. He was known to take his leisure not only with a cigar and glass(es!) of whiskey, but with his paintbrush and easel.

The island is celebrated for its production of Madeira wines. Typically aged more than 10 years and fortified with additional alcohol to approximately 18% abv. The aging process includes periodic warming of the barrels. Depending on the variety of grape, the wines fall into four categories, dry, semi dry, semisweet, and sweet. We enjoyed a taste testing of each of these varieties and ultimately purchased 10 year aged bottles of dry and semi dry.

There were bottles available for purchase that indicated aging of 40 and more years. One can spend hundreds of dollars on one of these antiques. It was reported that Madeira wines will resist oxidation for over a year after the bottle is open, and unopened bottles can remain good for centuries.

A highlight of the day for me was a culinary challenge unwittingly launched by our tour guide. A fish popular among the locals is the Black Scabbardfish. This denizen of the deep lives in the lightless depths between 600 and 5,600 feet below the ocean surface. We were cautioned that this black eel-like fish which grows to length of nearly 3 feet is terrifyingly ugly. Our guide added that one should eat it before ever seeing it in the fish market or even in a photograph.

I looked it up on the Internet anyway, and then proceeded to look for a restaurant where I could partake of this bug-eyed, needle-toothed “delicacy“. With accompaniments, the lunch portion of the fish cost only €14. It was excellent, and as you can see I almost forgot to get a picture.

We departed from the island that afternoon, looking forward to two consecutive days at sea before making landfall at Cape Verde. I continue to be challenged with slow and occasionally nonexistent internet. This makes it very difficult to upload my pictures and narrative. I am doing my best, but in the meantime…

Peace Everyone! Pete

P.S. Inquiring minds want to know: Yes, Christine did try the fish, even though she saw the pictures first. Amazing!

Uncommon Courtesy

Posted on November 15, 2022November 17, 2022 by Pete Schloss

November 14, 2022. At sea off the coast of northwest Africa.

Before I delve into the titled topic here is a brief cruise report:

We spent yesterday in the port of Malaga, Spain.

Christine and I participated in a 3 hour walking tour which sounds more strenuous than it really was.

Being a member of a tour group is not my preferred way to explore a destination. However, practicality sometimes takes priority over preference… so, when on a cruise one must often do what the other cruisers do.

The upsides were the pleasant weather and beauty of the compact central city.

The downsides were that it was Sunday with most shops closed. Perhaps that also qualifies as an “upside”! The huge cathedral was open, but only for Mass and prayer.

I entered ostensibly for that purpose, so there are no pictures. I dearly wish that I could have taken one of the priest hearing confessions. Between penitents he was either net-surfing on his mobile phone, or doing video chat absolutions. It reminded me of seeing a priest, one of at least a dozen concelebrating Mass in Santiago, who periodically reached up the sleeve of his robe to surreptitiously pull out his phone to snap a shot or two of the remarkable experience unfolding before him.

Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. He spent his youth living on the perimeter of this square.

The city takes pains to highlight the association, however the artist left Spain due to the horrors of its civil war and vowed never to return until democracy was restored. That restoration began in 1975 with the death of the dictator, Francisco Franco. Picasso died two years earlier, never having returned to his homeland.

Another limitation on our visit was that it coincided with the running of a marathon that featured thousands of runners.

Our cruise itinerary had included crossing the Mediterranean last night and spending today in Casablanca, Morocco. Unfortunately that has been canceled.

Part of Viking’s proactive COVID protocol is the requirement that all passengers and crew be fully vaccinated and boosted, also submitting to daily PCR testing. Crew wear masks at all times, but masks are optional for passengers. A positive test results in a mandatory 5 day period of in-room quarantine.

The captain reported that there have been a few (less than 10) positive cases, but even that small number meant that Morocco would not grant the ship permission for passengers to disembark. Therefore, we are rerouting. Today is at-sea, and tomorrow we will spend the day in Madeira on the Portuguese island of Funchal.

In a future post I will present a pictorial tour of the ship. Currently the wifi is not able to upload all of the pictures that I have taken shipboard. What the pictures cannot express is the remarkable service and pleasant disposition of the crew.

Although we are all familiar with the term “common courtesy” I have found that courtesy in daily life can often be in short supply. Aboard this ship and during our prior sailings with Viking we found we were surrounded by service delivered with “uncommon courtesy”. That is not to say that it was rare or infrequent, but that it is so exceptional as to be “uncommon”.

I have approached a number of crew and after thanking them for their cheerful attention to our comforts asked them about this. One remarked it comes from gratitude for this employment opportunity. Another commented that the employment interview process focused significantly upon personality. Yet another said that the attitude is infectious (no pun intended) among staff. A senior staff person with over 15 years in the industry pointed out that one quickly figures out if this type of work is a good fit. At the end of one’s contract that person either continues in the industry or not.

In any case we are experiencing a level of service seldom seen by us onshore. Perhaps another factor is the smaller ship size and the circumstances which result in frequent interactions with the same crew members… which allows for the development of a kind of relationship.

There is unfortunately an “uncommon discourtesy” which we have observed. Most passengers reflect positively the service that they receive. A very few do not. Is it from a sense of privilege, narcissism, lack of gratitude/charity or just having a bad day? I don’t know. What I do know is that having witnessed discourtesy it gives me pause to be mindful in my appreciation for the good people who staff this ship. It is an appreciation which we would all do well to exercise in our daily onshore lives.

Peace Everyone. Pete

Aboard and Never Bored

Posted on November 12, 2022November 12, 2022 by Pete Schloss

November 12, 2022. In the Mediterranean Sea off the east coast of Spain.

Hello Everyone from our stateroom on the Viking Jupiter!

We boarded ship on Thursday, November 10th, spending the first of 22 days and 21 nights of this journey in the Port of Barcelona.

Excursions were offered for the 11th, but as Christine and I had been in Barcelona since the 5th we opted instead to do some light shopping and focus on acclimating to our new “digs”.

It is hard to imagine a greater contrast between my last 42 days and the 22 that lay ahead. This is opulent comfort where the service of passenger “wants” is the staff’s first priority.

It is amazing that every single staff person on the ship greets us with a genuine smile and a greeting,“How is your morning/day/evening“… Is there anything I can do for you?“ Their’s is an uncommon courtesy that I will linger on in another post.

It is also my intention to later present a pictorial “tour” of the ship.

In cruise ship terms this vessel is relatively small. There are approximately 900 passengers aboard, and what we like best about the “Viking experience“ is what it omits: There are no children, there is no casino, there are no dress up nights, and there is no “nickel and diming“ at every turn. This is a picture of Viking Sky, an identical sister ship that pulled into port on the 11th.

We were docked the night of the 10th next to a cruise ship that serves roughly 5 times as many passengers. We watched what seemed to be an endless line of humanity waiting to take buses for their excursions, and later in the day waited to process back on board. That vessel featured a number of water slides and amusement-park-like features. That’s fine for those folks, its just not for us.

I have read that Royal Caribbean is preparing to launch the largest passenger ship ever built. It will accommodate over 7,500 passengers and another 2,500 crew!

We sailed out of Barcelona harbor last night at 10 p.m..

Today is the first of 10 “at sea days” spread among our 12 “in port” days.

I have been asked what is there to do when the entire day is spent at sea, “Don’t you get bored?” The short answer is no. The longer answer may be found in these next images which are taken from the daily newsletter that is delivered nightly to our room for the following day.

There is no excuse for “nothing to do”, unless of course it is a matter of choice.

Peace Everyone. Pete and (a restful) Christine.

I’m Back! (In Barcelona)

Posted on November 8, 2022November 9, 2022 by Pete Schloss

November 5-8, 2022. At Barcelona, Spain.

Hi Everybody, and you too Christine (even though you’re here with me).

There has been so much that has occurred since my “Last Letter” from Valencia that it would be impossible to treat it with any real detail in this post. Instead, I will present the “CliffsNotes“ version. By the way, CliffsNotes was a product popular in the mid and late 20th century which gave well curated summaries of books, usually classics, that we were expected to read in high school or college. They rescued many a lazy student, such as me.

I arrived in Barcelona less than an hour ahead of Christine and Wendy. Our Norwegian “daughter“, Hege, arrived a few hours later. It was a wonderful reunion that was not captured in pictures. This picture, however, gives the flavor of my feelings about again rejoining with Christine.

Christine and Wendy had planned the next two days in an effort to accomplish as much as possible for all of us to share in this wonderful tourist destination. Our accommodations for these five days have been a 4th story 2 bedroom rooftop apartment in the heart of the city. We are 2 blocks from Las Ramblas and just a 15 minute walk from the Sagrada Familia.

Spending time together has been a gift that included long walks and evening dining out in the city.

This is my seafood paella, prepared in squid ink.

A very talented operatic street performer “singing for her supper”.

Back in Kansas City Wendy and Christine rarely go more than a week without meeting for coffee and an afternoon chat.

We first met Hege in 1994 when she spent a year living with us as an AFS foreign exchange student. She calls us mom and dad and is indeed like a daughter to us.

Over these last three days we visited The 11th century monastery, Montserrat, and Parc Guell, designed and built between 1900 and 1914 by the renowned architect Antoni Gaudi.

This is our fourth visit to Barcelona. No visit to this city would be complete without a visit to the Sagrada Familia Basilica, also a creation of Antoni Gaudi.

This is one of the top tourist attractions in all of Europe, visited by millions every year. We have been able to see progress toward completion in each visit. In 2013 there were hopes that it would be finished by the 2026 centennial anniversary of the architect’s death. COVID has pushed back the clock to 2030.

What follows is a pictorial sampling of what we have seen and done. Where appropriate I have added captions.

The Monastery at Montserrat:

This statue, The Black Madonna and Christ, draws millions of the faithful to the monastery every year. Tradition holds that it was found in a cave on the mountain and was carved by one of the apostles. Carbon dating indicates that it was created in the 11th century. The dark color is due to the aging of the varnish that was used.

Parc Guell:

The Sagrada Familia:

The basilica features 18 towers. 12 for the Apostles, 4 for the evangelists, one for Mary, and the central one still undergoing construction for Christ. When completed it will be the highest church spire in the world.

There is a balcony on both sides for the choir. It can accommodate 900 voices.

This is a view of the ceiling assisted by a tabletop mirror.

Our tour included a visit by elevator to near the top of one of the towers. Coming back down was by spiral staircase.

For those who wish to dig a little deeper, here is a link to my 2018 post: https://mediationkc.com/2018/04/12/april-12th-the-sagrada-familia-a-supplement/

We are sharing our apartment these last two nights with Leesa, a Canadian who has recently completed walking the Portuguese route of the Camino.

On November 10th Christine and I board the ship Viking Jupiter, ultimately bound 22 days later for Buenos Aires Argentina.

For now, Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. All good things must eventually come to an end. Here we say goodbye and safe journey home to Hege and Wendy.

Valencia, The Last Letter

Posted on November 5, 2022November 5, 2022 by Pete Schloss

November 4, 2022. At Valencia, Spain.

Dear Christine. As I was contemplating a title for this letter it dawned on me, this IS the last letter. 24 hours from now we will be speaking face-to-face.

It is my intention to continue publicly posting from this trip, but in writing these as “Letters to You” I found a different voice. In my heart these have really been letters written to you, just wirh our joint understanding that they were shared with others. As I continue I imagine the “voice” will change, but in what way, and with what effect? In the past have I actually been writing to “someone”, or just speaking my thoughts aloud? These are questions I would like to discuss with you when we are together.

Yesterday I would have said that hell would freeze over before I would visit another cathedral on this trip, the exception being the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Well, today I made myself a liar. I entered the Valencia Cathedral with the sole intention of climbing its tower. As I first gazed upon the interior I thought, “Oh what the hell!”. I said yes to the audio guide which was included as part of the admission and began the self-guided tour. I was not disappointed.

The Valencia Cathedral, or as it is more formally named, Iglesia Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Valencia (!!!), was consecrated in the 1200s but it’s construction continued for hundreds of years thereafter. Thus it features a mixture of architectural styles.

Excavations beneath the cathedral have revealed that it was the site of an earlier Christian church, a still earlier mosque, an earlier still Visigoth temple, and beneath that a 2nd Century BCE Roman temple to Jupiter.

Visitors are able to see a portion of the excavations which include the earthly remains of worshipers from those ancient times. So much for “rest in peace“. As you will see, unearthing the dead is a common theme.

Among the things notable in the church and its adjoining museum were:

A painting by Goya of Saint Francis de Borja attempting to save a soul from the demons of hell by spraying the blood of Christ on his body.

A crucifix statue, not of Christ, but rather of the non-penitent thief who hung on the cross to Christ’s left.

The Chapel of the Holy Grail. Valencia does not hint that this “might be“ the Holy Grail, the Cathedral asserts that it IS the Grail and defies anyone to prove otherwise.

Whether or not it’s the Grail, it is a Roman stone bowl reliably dated to the first century.

I have lived 70 years and until now the “holy grail“ was just subject matter of Monty Python movie. In the last two weeks I have seen two actual claimants to the title.

By the way, the chapel itself, especially the ceiling, was amazing.

The Cathedral Museum had many works dating to the 13th century. They included stone statues of the apostles that were originally located on the cathedral’s exterior, but have since been replaced by replicas in order to preserve them from further deterioration.

The oldest painting in the cathedral was created in 1400 by a German artist. It depicts the apostle, Thomas, resolving his doubts as to the resurrection of Christ.

There is a room full of relics, literally pieces of various saints, preserved in gold and silver reliquaries. In the medieval church it was a big deal to collect and display these things for worship.

There is a chapel dedicated to the bishop, San Luis. Above the altar is a bust in his image, and within the bust for all to see is his skull and bones.

Similarly, in a niche behind the main altar Is another reliquary containing the arm of St. Vincent, patron saint of Valencia, who was martyred around the year 304.

Immediately across from his remains is the statue of The Virgin Mary of the Chair. Tradition holds that if a pregnant woman visits the statue, lights a candle, prays, and then walks around the interior of the cathedral nine times, her pregnancy will be protected. A pregnant woman walked in front of me as I was taking my picture of the statue!

Finally, there was a huge monstrance created for the veneration of the Holy Eucharist. This one was crafted in the 20th century from donations of silver by ordinary citizens of Valencia. It was meant as reparation for the sacrileges committed by troops during Spain’s Civil War (1936-1939) and contains over 1300 pounds of the precious metal.

Of course, my original purpose in visiting was to climb the 207 foot tall Miguelete Tower.

There were over 400 steps, round-trip. If nothing else this was a good test of whether or not I should defer knee surgery for the torn meniscus. There were no problems and so taking the surgery off the calendar was a good call.

You would have hated the confining spiral staircase and it’s unnaturally (to us) tall steps. The spiral narrows as you get higher in the tower so there are traffic lights at each end to allow for one-way traffic up and one-way traffic down.

The view from the top was stunning.

My reward for the successful climb and descent was a lunch of beer and tapas on the square.

There were many tour groups in the area, hinting that this was a cruise-ship day. Furthermore, German seemed to be the predominant language among these groups.