November 10 - At Sea and Brandon's Revenge

Here I am on my second full sea day somewhere in the Atlantic and in solitary confinement in my cabin. No, I didn't commit an act of piracy or any other such dastardly deed. My offense was that I tried to get a medicine that begins with I M O and ends with D I U M. So here's my story with hopefully not TMI. Somewhere between Washington DC and London last Thursday night I developed what some people name after the last Aztec ruler. Since I haven't been to Mexico and I like QE II I'm going to call my malady "Brandon's Revenge." It seems that I had an adverse reaction to a new medication my MD had prescribed for something entirely different and it combined with the stress of traveling alone for the first time; the two caused my problem. Despite the fact that I travel with half a CVS Pharmacy, I didn't have what I needed for this (believe me that will never happen again!). Anyway, I've never felt nauseous, feverish or anything else. My error was going to the shop onboard to find what I needed. They didn't have it but told me to go to the Medical Center because they would. And there began my problem. I had to call them and that was it. If anyone has any doubts cruise lines take medical issues seriously, have no fear they absolutely do. First to appear was a nurse in PPE's with the medicine I asked for. He instructed me that I couldn't leave my cabin for any reason for at least 24 hours or until they gave me the all clear. Next came another nurse (in PPEs) to give me a PCR test. Thirty minutes later they called to tell me I didn't have Covid. That made two PCR tests and two rapid tests, all negative, since 11/04. Nonetheless, I was still confined here. Over our many cruises Al and I had spent lots of afternoons in our cabin reading, playing scrabble or online. It's somehow different when you're told you MUST stay. I had planned to go to afternoon tea so that was my first effort at getting room service. They brought a very heavy tray with the tea accoutrements, deposited it on the floor outside my door and left. It was way too heavy for me to lift so I had to drag it in. When it was time for dinner several hours later, they tried to do the same thing but I stamped my feet and told them the tray needed to be brought in and placed on my table. More people with PPEs appeared and did that. Everything was cold by then but I'll live. This morning we went through the same drill for breakfast and then to get my cabin cleaned. The good news is that it looks like at 2 PM they will turn me loose. I have learned a few things from this experience. First, I will never leave home without pills for everything I can think of. Second, if I feel confined in a beautiful cabin with a veranda and view of a gorgeous blue sky and calm sea for just 1 day, I can imagine how awful it has to be for a person confined to a cell endlessly. I apologize for whining, but I have no one else to complain to; if Al were here he would be hearing me rant, but then I wouldn't be alone either. I know, these are definitely First World problems and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and it will be better.

November 8 – Funchal, Madeira

Today is a beautiful, sunny day here in Madeira. This island is actually a part of a small archipelago consisting of three islands, Madeira being the largest. It’s approximately 320 miles west of Morocco and while it sits on the African tectonic plate, it is culturally and economically European. The population today is approximately 251,000. The island was originally uninhabited. After its discovery by Portuguese sailors in 1419 under the auspices of Prince Henry the Navigator, it was claimed by Portugal and in 1420 they began settling here. Madeira is considered to be the first territorial discovery in what we now call the Age of Discovery. Madeira lies at the same latitude as Bermuda and has a very temperate climate although in the highest mountainous areas it does get a little winter snow! This is probably more than you wanted to know about Madeira but perhaps one day in a trivia game one of these little factoids might help. A completely irrelevant thing but something some of you will understand, for the first time ever I went to breakfast in the dining room on a Seabourn ship. I had to be up early to get a rapid antigen test (everyone did in order to go ashore) and while I waited for the result I decided to check out the restaurant. There were six of us in there. My results came back negative and I have a green sticker on my card so I’m officially able to go ashore. Yeay! My driver today was Daniel, a man who has taken me around the island a couple of times before. He is a delightful septuagenarian who with just a little more padding and a beard could easily play Santa Claus. Anyway we were off for my little tour of the day. Our first stop was Cåmara de Lobos, a little picturesque fishing village whose claim to fame is that it was a place that Winston Churchill came to paint after he left office. He would reportedly drive up to the edge of the little village, set up his easel and paint away. There are bars, restaurants and a hotel named Churchill something and there are murals of him complete with bowler hat and fat cigar on several buildings.

Daniel - can you picture him with a white snowy beard and a little more padding?

Fishing boats in the little bay being unloaded and cleaned for tomorrow's trip. Next stop was Cabo Girão, one of the highest sea cliffs in the world, nearly 2000 feet above sea level. There’s a glass skywalk which you can walk out on to look down at the sea below. I walked down to it but I couldn’t bring myself to walk out to the railing; instead I clung to the wall. I did get a great view from the sides but that was as much as my heart could take.

A view from the top of Cape Giráo When we left the cliffs Daniel drove me inland toward a place called the Nun’s Valley, Curral das Freiras. Back in the 16th century a community of nuns on the coast in Funchal looked out to see and saw pirate ships approaching. They and many of the other residents hiked up the mountains into a valley created by an extinct volcano to elude the buccaneers. Many of the people who went stayed there and several little villages were born. Until about 60 years ago there were no roads going there so people walked up (and down) a huge system of staircases carved into the rocks when they needed to get supplies. The paths were too steep and narrow even for donkeys so everything was carried on the backs of the people. There were many people who were born, lived and died in the little villages who never saw the sea which is only a few miles away as the crow flies.

Valley of the Nuns... So I’m probably writing more than anyone wants or needs to know, but this helps me remember things and it was such a splendid day! When we reached the crest of the last mountain before the valley we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. I don’t normally write much about food but I must this time. I had a Madeiran specialty, black spadefish with grilled bananas. It was delicious and reminded me of our sea bass which I would never have thought of serving with bananas.

Now this is a grill, isn't it? On the way out there was a ,little bakery which sold another specialty of that area, pasteis de castana. For anyone who has been to Portugal you know about the little custard cakes found all over (and also available now at the Lidl in Newport News). Well, these are filled not with egg custard but with a chestnut cream. I couldn’t resist so I bought three, one for me and two for my very nice cabin attendants who weren’t allowed off the ship today. I thought they could have a little taste of Madeira. I could have had a siesta then (I did have a little Portuguese wine with my fish) but we were off to the second highest peak on the island, nearly 6,000 ft. high. On a cloudless day I would have been able to see forever as the song went, but today the clouds were forming just around the peak. We drove through them on a winding road which gets shut down at dark and then suddenly we were above them and I felt as if I were on the top of the world. I couldn’t believe the number of cars parked along the road. They belonged to hikers who come up to trek for the day. After a brief but chilly stop at the top we headed down toward Funchal.

Several observations about the island. There is no flat land; the hills are literally covered with terraced fields where they grow lots of bananas (they export them), all kinds of veggies which have no season because it’s temperate in most parts of the island all year. There are flowers everywhere; poinsettias growing wild, bougainville, and aloe which was blooming right now. The Madeirans must have stout hearts and strong legs because literally you have to climb up and down even in the city. I’ve never seen the airport here but I can’t imagine how they built it since there’s nothing flat here.

Okay, I’ve run on enough. The next several days I’ll be sailing west and unless I have a close encounter with a pirate ship or an alien or a giant sea monster, I won’t have much to blather on about. So até logo and obrigado for reading this. I think that I wrote see you later and thanks for reading this.

Sunday Evening, November 7 – Heading southwest 225.18 °

Sunday Evening, November 7 – Heading southwest 225.18 ° Today has been absolutely calm as we head southwest toward Madeira. At noon I went to play trivia and joined a team of three sisters from Connecticut and a friend of theirs. We had a nice time. We’re in the middle of the pack in terms of scores but we have plenty of sea days yet to come.They are my kind of players because they are playing to have fun and are not so serious as some people I’ve encountered in the past. Today would have been Al’s birthday so it has been bittersweet. I hadn’t eaten much all day so I went up to the Observation Bar for teatime. There is a very good pianist there but he played a lot of songs which were ones we used to dance to and I got a little sad. Well, that’s the way it is. Tomorrow morning we all have to report to the Grand Salon before 9:30 to get a rapid antigen test in order to be allowed ashore. Such is the world after Covid. Speaking of which, the staff wears masks all the time. We passengers wear them as we move about the ship, but when we get into a bar, lounge, or dining venue we may take them off. I don’t like it much, but it’s not as onerous as I thought it might be and it’s worth it to be back at sea. That’s my afternoon report. No excitement here, but that’s a good thing. Assuming I am able to get off in Funchal tomorrow, I should have more to write. Ciao for now.

Living room of my suite

Sunday, November 7 - At sea off the coast of Africa

Well, I’m onboard the Ovation and spent my first night at sea in two and a half years. On Friday after my arrival in Lisbon and transfer to the hotel, the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, I was completely exhausted. I lay down for a doze (I wouldn’t call it a nap) and when I got up an hour later I intended to get cleaned up and then dress and go exploring a little. That didn’t happen. By the time I showered I was so tired that I ordered room service, for the first time in my entire life, and then crashed for the night. Saturday morning I awoke to a gorgeous sunny, albeit cold day. There was a lovely breakfast buffet and then it was time to pack and get ready for my pickup to the ship. A word about the hotel. It is a beautiful old grand hotel which has been renovated recently. It’s in a great location and from the roof, where the fitness center is located with an outdoor jogging track, there are spectacular views of the city. Does it count as exercise that I walked around the track to take some photos? I think I’m going to count it. The plaza of the Marquis de Pombal, a central plaza in Lisbon.

Around 12:30 my car and driver came and we went off to the port. As we drove through the city my driver told me that things were getting back to normal. Portugal has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. Check-in was easy. They did ask to see the results of the PCR test I had done at home. Then I was on the ship and my suite was ready. It’s quite spacious and I will survive there for 23 days. At 5:00 PM we sailed away. It was spectacular! The sun was setting to the west as we headed west down the Tagus River. That river is the longest on the Iberian Peninsula rising in mideastern Spain and flowing generally westward for 625 miles before emptying in the Atlantic near Lisbon. Setting sun behind 25th of April Bridge which looks a lot like the Golden Gate Bridge in color and is also a suspension bridge

The Monument of the Discoveries with Prince Henry the Navigator leading other Portuguese explorers. We sometimes forget that at one time the Pope divided the world between the Spanish and the Portuguese.

There was a nice sailaway party on deck, a little chilly though. After that there was a gathering for solo travelers. The assistant cruise director hosted and I met three nice ladies. We went to dinner together and laughed a lot. Two of them have done two world cruises already and are booked on another for 2023. I’m not sure I could stay on a ship for that long. After dinner which lasted quite long I was off to bed. I’m still catching up to the time differenmce. We were four hours ahead of the east coast but I think we’re now five hours different for the time being since you changed last night. Anyway, today is trivia and some of my new friends and I will form a team. There are some lectures today and I’ll see if they interest me. If not, I’ll write some more in my journal. Be well everyone.

November 5 - Heathrow

I made it this far! The flight was great. I was in the first class cabin which had 8 seats, only 3 of which were occupied. The other 2 slept from takeoff to landing so I was treated royally by the cabin crew. I hate to admit it, but I played the little old lady card to get assistance from the gate I arrived at to the main terminal. It's a good thing I did because we must have parked the plane in Edinburgh. It was a long ride in one of those golf carts! Let me tell you if I have ever thought going through our TSA checkpoints was bad, I have revised my opinion. This place has it beat by a long shot. The lines to go through security (which you must do even if you're in transit) were incredible. All the traveling world must have converged on Heathrow this morning. Two and a half hours after landing I finally made it through and parked myself in the lounge here. I have a couple of hours to try to doze before I'm off to Lisbon. Ed, the 787 is a great plane. I know you'd like it. More later.

November 4, 2021 - On my way

The day has come and I’m on my way. I’m sitting in the British Airways Lounge at Dulles Airport waiting for my flight. Traveling internationally in this post-pandemic era is very different from a short two years ago and not for the faint of heart. In the last few days I have had to fill out Passenger Locator Forms for a couple of countries and get a negative PCR test despite having been jabbed twice and had a booster a little over a week ago. Everything has to be done online and for those of us who are not as tech-savvy it can be daunting. I must have crossed all my T’s and dotted all my I’s because they let me check in. Now hopefully I’ve done what I need for the next leg of my journey. About that, I’m flying to Heathrow in the UK and connecting to a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, where I’ll have a one night stay. On Saturday I board the Seabourn Ovation and head west. After one sea day we’ll arrive at the beautiful island of Madeira. Madeira is off the coast of North Africa and a Portuguese autonomous region. Europeans found it quite by accident when they were blown off course by storms when they were traveling nearer to Europe. But there are mentions of an island which was probably Madeira by the Romans as early as 79 BC. It was the jumping off place for explorers like Vasco da Gama when he went round the Cape of Good Hope many centuries ago. I’ve been there a few times before and have a tour guide who I traveled with before picking me up to take me to some favorite places for the day. When I leave Madeira we’ll head west across the Atlantic. There will be lots of sea days before we reach Miami. Some of my fellow travelers will be getting off there, but I’m staying on and spending the next 11 days island hopping in the Caribbean before the ship returns to Miami again. It will hopefully be a blissfully relaxing few weeks with a little sightseeing tucked in. Someone currently on the ship has reported that only 120 passengers will be on for the trans-atlantic cruise. If that’s true it will be like sailing on a private yacht because the Ovation can carry 600 passengers and has a crew of around four hundred. I wanted to go away to be pampered and it sounds like this will fit the bill. Well, there’s nothing exciting to say and I don’t think a photo of me sitting with my mask on would add anything. So for now that’s my report. Next check in will either be from Heathrow or Lisbon depending on how my transit is through the former. Ciao for now!

October 21, 2021 - Time to Wake Up

On June 29, 2020, my husband Al died of a pulmonary embolism.  It was sudden and unexpected. He was my husband, my lover, my best friend and my North Star.  On August 22, 2020, we would have been married for 50 years.  His loss was devastating.  I have found myself adrift and at sea in a totally different way.  I have so many wonderful memories but I would rather have him beside me.  During the months since his death I've been busy taking care of the business aspects that arise when you lose someone and adjusting to my new normal. At times things have been more complicated and lonely because of the circumstances caused by the virus pandemic. 

We had cruises booked which, of course, were canceled.  I booked others and they too didn't sail. But now I think I'm going to sail again in just a couple of weeks. While my husband won't be with me in person, I think he'll be with me in spirit.  So, I will awaken this blog and rename it Finsatsea.  I'll write more about my first solo voyage as the day of departure approaches.

Al in Sharjah, UAE, on his last cruise