Antoni Gaudí had two passions in his life – architecture and religion.  At the age of 31, in 1883 he took over as chief architect of the construction of Templo Expiotoria de la Sagrada Familia (Bascilia and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family) when the original architect Francisco de Paula del Villar resigned. He immediately put the mark of his creative genius on the project.  Work has been ongoing since 1882 and the building is not expected to be completed until about 2030.  The construction is completely funded by donations and ticket sales.  The annual budget when we were there in 2012 was $20 million (16 million Euros at the time).  25% is covered by private donations and 75% comes from the 3,000,000 tourists that visit each year.

Gaudí’s original design called for 18 spires, one for each of the Twelve Apostles, the Virgin Mary, the four Evangelists, and the tallest of all for Jesus Christ.  There are still 10 of the spires yet to be constructed.  All the carvings on the exterior facades of the building have a  theme: The Nativity, The Passion, and The Glory.  At the time of Gaudí’s death in 1926 only 20-25% of the church had been built.  He used to say, “My client is not in a hurry.”  The eight completed spires represent four of the Apostles on the Nativity side and four more Apostles on the Passion side.  The Nativity  side was finished between 1894 and 1930.

In his latter years Gaudí became completely obsessed with the building.  He designed and re-designed elements of it over and over and made copious sketches and notes because he was very aware that he would never live long enough to see the church finished.  The building inside and outside is full of imagery and symbolism.

He spent all of his personal fortune on the church and ended up living in the basement when he had nothing left for housing.  He was hit by a tram at age 74 and taken to a hospital for the homeless because no one recognized him.  Three days later he died and would have been buried in potter’s field except someone who knew him discovered his whereabouts.

Construction began on the Passion carvings in 1954 and today (2018) it is near completion.  Contrasting with the softer, smoother lines of the sculptures on the Nativity side, those on the Passion – which portray Christ’s arrest, trial, and crucifixion – are very sharp and angular, with much less detail.

With the advent of computer imaging and laser technology the construction project has sped up considerably. Remarkably, the half-way point wasn’t reached until 2010!  During construction in the 20th century all the carving had to be done by hand; on site.  Today many of the sculptures are made off-site with computer guided equipment.  Work began on the Glory facade in 2002.  It will be the principal facade offering access to the central nave.  It is scheduled to be finished about 2026.  Four additional years will be needed to add all the remaining design elements. The interior is absolutely stunning.  I loved the white branched pillars and the way the light reflected through the ‘branches’.  Here too, there is much symbolism and many interpretive design elements – by far, the majority of which, I do not know.   The church may be the size of a cathedral (the seat of a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church) but it was never intended to be one.  In 2010, on November 7, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated it and proclaimed it a minor basilica in front of a congregation of 6,500 people.  An additional 50,000 people followed the consecration Mass from outside the basilica, where more than 100 bishops and 300 priests were on hand to offer Holy Communion.  Beginning last year (2017) an International Mass is celebrated at 9 am every Sunday; open to the public, until the church is full.

Sagrada Familia is a place you could visit many, many times and see something new and wondrous every time.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Then, once again, it was back on the bus and back to the ship.

The temperature that afternoon was a nice 20° C (68° F) so we enjoyed a lazy afternoon on our deck, reading and resting.  Our tour the next day took us out of the city.

St. Raphael, a seaside resort on the Mediterranean coast in southern France has been a holiday destination since Roman times.  Tourists have come here for its history, cultural and artistic qualities, as well as its well maintained beaches, the sea, and sporting facilities.  St. Raphael is not far from St. Tropez and Cannes and the ship offered a bus transfer to each of those places if you would prefer to spend your day elsewhere than St. Raphael.

When we looked over the shore excursion booklet six or so months before we embarked on this cruise the option of a bus transfer to Monaco was also offered. This immediately was John’s choice!  He did not care about St. Raphael, St. Tropez, Nice, or Cannes.  He wanted to go to Monaco.  John is an avid Formula One racing fan.  His dream holiday would be to follow the circuit for a year.  The opportunity to visit the location of THE iconic race in Formula One was much too good to pass up. The drive from St. Raphael to Monaco took about 90 minutes through the Estoril Mountains, past Cannes and Nice.  The guide on the bus said we would all be dropped off at the Palace, given two hours to wander around, then we would be driven the heart of town near the Monaco Casino where we would have another two hours.  This plan fit in nicely with John’s desire to walk the race car circuit and Mairelle, our guide, very kindly gave him some directions to access the ‘track’ (Monaco is a street course and they were setting up for the race, which would be held in a few weeks, so many of the streets used in the race were closed to traffic while grandstands, etc. were being erected.)

At the Palace John took off  to see the race circuit and I toured the palace – no photos allowed inside unfortunately.                                    The Monaco Royal Palace 

The Changing of the Guard

Some race track pics:The very famous tunnel.  John was psyched that the bus drove through this tunnel when we were taken from the Palace grounds down to the Casino and shopping district.                  He wanted his photo taken at this famous corner. Some of these were taken when John walked the lower part of the track while I wandered around the gardens and shops near the Casino.  After I finished touring the palace John was finished the top part of the race track.  We toured the Cathedral which is located near the palace before getting on the bus for the ride down to the lower part of town.

Once we were down at the lower part of town John took off to walk some more of the race course.  He was able to complete almost all of it between the top, the bus ride, and the bottom.  He was a very happy guy!

I enjoyed wandering around town.  I did not go into the casino (too swish; and I don’t gamble) but my trek passed lots of designer shops.  Monaco is a small, but wealthy principality; definitely a playground for the rich and famous.

                                               The Monaco CasinoJohn completed his walk of the race circuit in time to join me for a stroll through the gardens and along the upper ocean-side walkway.

Princess Grace of Monaco loved art and there are statues, sculptures and art pieces everywhere you look and walk.  The Monaco Opera House – located in the same building as the casino, but with a separate entrance.

At 2:30 we were back on the bus for the drive back to St. Raphael. We were scheduled to spend the next day at Sète, France but the captain announced the stop was cancelled as the port was going to be closed for the next two days due to gale force winds.  We had a sunny day in Monaco, but the wind was quite strong all day.  Part of the same system I guess.John was proudly wearing his Monaco Grand Prix shirt at dinner.

Since we were unable to stop in Sète the ship sailed directly to Barcelona.  We already were to stay there for two nights, so this gave an extra half-day in the city, which we spent trying to get online in an internet cafe – with no success – in the hopes of uploading some photos without the exorbitant cost on board.  The fellows at the cafe were very, very helpful and friendly and even offered to drive us to the edge of the port where the ship’s shuttle picked up and let off people and thus save us a lengthy walk.  Very kind of them.

We docked in Barcelona at 11 am on April 25 (Day 1) after having our port-of-call at Sète, France cancelled due to gale force winds closing the port for two days.  Passengers were free to disembark by noon.  We went into the terminal after lunch hoping to find some free internet.  There are three terminals here and none of them had wi-fi.  We located a Seafarer’s Cafe which is for only ship’s crews but the two fellows invited us in anyway.  Unfortunately my laptop settings did not like the password combination they used (we got that fixed later though) so we were unsuccessful.  We went back aboard and enjoyed a bit of a down day.Our first tour in Barcelona was called Gaudí’s Barcelona; a tour of some of the architectural wonders by the famous Catalan architect.  Antoni Gaudí detested straight lines and sharp angles, and loved the shapes and colours of nature, so his buildings and designs are very unique.  For many it is a love or hate relationship; sometimes a bit of both. Barcelona is blessed with more avant garde architecture than any other city in the world.  Gaudí lived decades ago (he died in 1926), but was a man well ahead of his time – he even used recycled materials.  The United Nations World Trust protects much of his work and the buildings are living museums still used as offices, shops and/or residences.The Columbus Monument was built to honor the explorer’s first trip to the Americas.  It is situated just outside the passenger terminal entrance at the end of the famous promenade Las Ramblas.  Casa Batlló.  Built in 1877 this conventional house was completely restored in 1904.  When under construction there was much criticism from local residents and the city government (the building broke almost all of the city by-laws at the time).  Yet, in 1906, the city hailed it as one of the three best buildings of the year.

Casa Milà was built for the wealthy Milà family and is one of Gaudi’s main residential buildings.  It is also one of the most imaginative houses in the history of architecture.  It is called  La Padrera (The Stone Quarry) by locals. The building was designated a World Heritage by UNESCO in 1984.  It is now owned by a Savings Bank and there are only four people living in the apartments.  The colourful lobby.

The bus took us to Park Güell (pronounced, believe it or not, Way) that Gaudí designed for a wealthy friend (Count Güell) who had created an exclusive 60-lot sub-division outside the main city with the hope that other wealthy citizens would purchase them and create something like an English Garden Village.  They were so expensive and so far out of the city that only three lots were ever sold. It eventually was turned into a public park.The walkways and paths follow the terrain of the hill and were built of similar coloured stone and other materials. Gaudí lived in this house for several years.  It was not one of his designs.  Gaudí would send his assistant to the shops to purchase plates and other dishes that would be smashed to make the ceramic patterns on the terrace bench wall.Underneath the large ‘patio-like’ space are smooth columns and interesting circular designs in the ceiling. After we explored Park Güell we got back on the bus and were taken to one of the most famous buildings in Barcelona – Sagrada Familia.

We left St. Peter’s Basilica and the bus drove us back across the Tiber and to the Coliseum.A side view of the Monument to King Victor Emmanuel at the Piazza Venetia.

 The Basilica of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli (St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven), the designated church of the city council.There are sections of old Roman walls and buildings all over the city.                                        Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.The Circus Maximus with ruins of the Imperial Palace behind.  There was a re-enactment of Roman games going on.                             The ruins of the Imperial Palace.

The Coliseum of Rome was completed in AD 80and could hold 50,000 to 60,000 people. All of the entrances around the entire coliseum were numbered so there were organized sections for spectators.  The holes in the walls are where the iron has been dug out for use in armaments and other things.

 The triumphal  Arch of Constantine, erected by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine I’s victory over Maxetius at the Battle of Milvain Bridge in AD 313.

After a VERY long day we returned to the ship at 6:30; too late to go to the dining room for dinner but the Lido buffet always has a great selection of food so we did not starve by any means.  After dinner we took time to put the tons and tons of photo we had taken onto the computers and then happily went to bed.  Our whirlwind tour of Rome was fabulous.

The next day (April 23) was a sea day and one of the Canadians on board had organized a lunch for all of the Canucks on the ship.  About 46 Canadians gathered in a section at the back of the dining room and had a good visit.  There had been almost 200 Canadians on the cruise but many of them had disembarked in Venice or Rome.

That evening was Italian Night in the dining room, and, if you wished to take part, there was a Hellenic-Roman Toga Party in the Ocean Bar in the evening.   John and I had brought along some outfits for the occasion.  I even had a long, curly red wig!  It was so much fun.  The photo below that was taken of us with some of the dining room and front desk crew was posted on Holland America Line’s web page.

After we finished lunch on our tour in Rome, the bus took us to Vatican City where we visited St. Peter’s Basilica, which is the largest church in the world with the largest free standing dome in the world. Bernini’s Colonnade has 284 columns with 142 statues of all the apostles, angels and heavenly beings around the rim.

Long, long lines of people waiting to get in.  There is no charge to tour the basilica and the line moves quite quickly.                                              St. Peter’s Basilica

The massive courtyard is filled with chairs and gigantic television screens for people to attend Mass and special services.  St. Peter’s Square can hold 300,000 people.

The place is gigantic and you easily lose your sense of perspective – very similar to Hagia Sophia in Istanbul; which was the largest church in the world until St. Peter’s was built – where huge things just don’t look as big as they are or as tall as they are because the surroundings are so large. There are hundreds and hundreds of art and sculpture masterpieces.  The large artwork in the back of the photo above is a mosaic created in 1722 from an original painting by Maratta in 1698.

                 Michalangelo’s masterpiece “Pietà (The Pity)  The Altar of St. Sebastion, the mosaic was created by Pietro Paolo Christofari, a baroque artist and is a reproduction of a Domenichino painting made between 1625-1631.The central dome of the basilica is 135 meters high (443′) and 42 meters (138′) in diameter. The Altar of St. Peter’s, consecrated by Pope Clement VIII on June 5, 1594, sits atop several older altars.  Only the pope celebrates mass there.  The 95′ high baldacchio (canopy) was created by Bernini and was the first work of art in the basilica.  It took Bernini 9 years to make.  It is built over St. Peter’s the apostle’s tomb.The Altar of Transfiguration – the mosaic is a reproduction of  Raphael’s last  painting.  The mosaic on the right is from the original painting by Cristoforo Roncalli in 1604 called “The Punishment of the Couple Ananias and Saphira.”

You get a bit of sense of scale when you understand the the canopy of St. Peter is 95 feet high and the ceiling is much, much higher.Monument to Pope Alexander VII (1655-1667) by Bernini 1678.Monument to Pope Pious VIII (1829-1830) by Pietro Tenerani, 1860The Altar of St. Gregory the Great (590-604).  Mosaic from 1772 of a Sacchi painting of 1625.

                       The Papal Coat of Arms of Pope Clement VIII                                           The Presentation Chapel

These cherubs at the Font of Holy Water are each over 6′ tall.

The Basilica has five very wide Naves (aisles) with smaller chapels branching off of them, beautifully painted domes and art and gilt everywhere.  The church can accommodate 90,000 people!                                                                                The Castle of St. Angelo

After our mind-boggling tour of St. Peter’s the bus took us on a drive along the Tiber river and to the Roman Coliseum.

We were up at 5:40 am to get ready for our long – 10 1/2 hour – tour to Rome.  The ship docked at 7 and we were on the bus by 7:15.  Because it was a Sunday, there was light traffic and we made the drive in about 90 minutes – it usually takes about 2 hours.  We drove through a lot of farm land from the port of Civitavecchia to Rome.  The bus took us directly to a street near the famous Trevi Fountain.  We did the traditional thing and threw one coin into the fountain, thus ensuring our return to Rome someday. (Two coins in the fountain means you will find love (again) and three coins says you will get a divorce).  We had two hours of free time to wander wherever we wanted. Within walking distance of Trevi Fountain are the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Venetian Plaza and the rich commercial street of Via Del Corso.  We managed to see them all.Marcus Aurelius Column completed, it is estimated, by AD 193 and modeled after Trajan’s Column that was erected to commemorate that Emperors’s victory in the Dacian Wars.

 Immacola Column (1854)                               The Spanish Steps There is obviously some iron in the water.  A model shoot was taking place on the steps.  What you see from the front is very different from what is the reality – as shown by the back.                                                                                       Temple of Hadrian, a Roman temple from 145 AD and now the facade for a conference center.

The Pantheon was a former Roman temple, now a Catholic Church. It was built on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus. It was rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated around 126 AD.                                 The back of the Pantheon The Piazza Venetia (Venetian Plaza), the hub of Rome – memorial to King Victor Emmanuel, first king of Italy  and  memorial  to  WWI  soldiers. After our wandering time was concluded we were taken to a restaurant for lunch and then driven to Vatican City (the smallest ‘country’ in the world at 109 acres, population 800) for a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. Emperor Hadrian’s Mausoleum, also known as the Castle of St. Angelo is famous for the 10 Bernini  angel statues on the bridge.          Northern gateway entrance to Rome at Piazza del Popolo.  Bernini’s Colonnade – entrance to St. Peter’s Square and Vatican City.

Our original itinerary had the ship scheduled to anchor off the coast of Sorrento, Italy for the day.  However the harbour was going to be closed for two days due to gale force winds and the ship’s tenders would not have been able to safely navigate the high seas.

Instead the captain made arrangements for us to dock at Naples.  Sorrento was our access to see Pompeii and I was worried when the port was changed.  However, it worked to our benefit since it was a shorter drive from Naples to Pompeii than Sorrento to Pompeii.  Therefore, all the planned shore excursions were unchanged other than the time-line, which in the case of our trip to Pompeii was an hour shorter due to reduced driving time. The buried city of Pompeii is a half hour drive from Naples and we arrived early enough to avoid the majority of the crowds.  Pompeii is the most visited archaeological site in the world with 10,000 people per day touring the city (that is 4,200 tour groups led by 800 guides).  We were very surprised at the size of the ruined city (160 hectares or 260 acres – about 66 football fields) and yet only 2/3 of it has so far been excavated. In 1595 excavations discovered artifacts at Pompeii and centuries of pillaging followed.  Several looters died when trapped carbon monoxide was released by their digging.   Archaeological work began in the mid-nineteenth century .

It is estimated the population at the time that the volcano Vesuvius erupted was 20,000, of which about half died on August 24, 79 AD at 1 PM.  Everyone had time to escape but no one understood the danger as the last eruption of Vesuvius had occurred long before anyone alive had been born.  Pompeii was a 700-year old city when Vesuvius erupted.

When the mountain exploded and blew off about 3,000-4,000 feet of its top, it was the poisonous gas that killed the people, not the lava.   The super-hot cloud of steam and mud that came in the second stage of the eruption took less than 4 minutes to flow from Vesuvius to both Pompeii and Herculaneum, a sea port about 7 km (4 miles) away.

By the time the volcano stopped belching 19 hours later, Pompeii and Herculaneum were completely buried by volcanic ash and debris.  Pompeii was under about 3 or so meters ( 8′-10′).  Herculaneum was covered by 23 meters (75′).  We entered the city through the Sea Gate. Quadriportico dei Teatri – located behind the Grand Theater.   It was a place for people to stroll between acts and later served as a barracks for gladiators.                                     Teatro Grande – the Grand TheatreVicolo dei Menandro – basically Menandro Street.Look at the ‘ruts’ in the stone road from the iron chariot wheels.  They had three different water supply systems – one for the wealthy homes, one for the public baths and one for the fountains.  If water became in short supply they shut down the systems in order of priority:  The wealthy households lost their water first, the public baths next and the fountains last.   Interesting priorities.

                                  Casa de Menandro

                           The little alcove is for the household gods. The big stones blocked chariots from the street creating a pedestrian mall. All these centuries later and the colours are still so obvious.  The Terme Stabiane – a bath complex; now used for some displays.

Archaeologists learned to fill a discovered void with plaster as it was often caused by a body.  If they broke open the space the shape would be lost.          Via dell’ Abbondanza – ancient Pompeii’s main street.Traffic is picking up, lots more people on the site by the time we neared the end of our tour.  What do you suppose was on offer in this part of town?                              Foro – the huge rectangular main plaza.                   The Temple of Apollo.

We only saw a very small part of one corner of the city.  You would need to come back many times to walk all of the excavated streets.  Still, it gave us a sense of the city and the lifestyle of the people of the 1st century.  We had a great day. We were not very late in the afternoon returning to the ship but decided not to go wandering around Naples and rested in our cabin until dinner and sail-away.  Next stop Civtavecchia, the port nearest to Rome, two hours drive away.

At last a day at sea; a day to rest after so many consecutive days in port with bus rides and walks every day.  The sky was overcast all day and there were strong winds so no nice relaxing walks on the deck.  The night of April 19 was a formal night and the Venetian Masquerade Ball later in the evening.We had to be up a 6 am the next day for our all day tour.  Taormina, on the island of Sicily off the toe of the Italian boot, sits 700 feet above the Bay of Naxos.  It has a long-established, thriving tourist-based economy that was a famed resort area even in Roman times.  The ship was at anchor and passengers were tendered ashore.  We were the first group into the tenders to get to shore by 8 am for the start of our walking tour in Taormina.            Snow-capped Mt. Etna in the background. It was a short bus ride up to the town.  Maria Rosa, our guide for the day, took us through the main street pointing out special buildings, churches and architectural styles (Sicily has been ruled by Greeks – 350 BC – Romans, Byzantines, Arabs – three times, Normans, French, Aragonia Spanish and Berbers until 1860.)  Many of the buildings contain elements of several civilizations or architectural styles.  Taormina was like Santorini; every time you turned your head, every corner you walked around, there were interesting things, or scenes, or designs.

We loved Sicily.  The sun was shining, the ocean was a beautiful blue and the view of Mt. Etna in the distance was absolutely gorgeous.

                      There was a lovely view from the town.

Taormina is one of Italy’s prettiest towns.  It is perched on a craggy mount and has long been a favourite of the elite.  The shop windows had really lovely, colourful displays.

. The tour of the town ended at the Greco-Roman Theater and afterward we had free time to roam.  At 11:45 we all met back in the village square and took the elevator 7 levels back down to the bus.  It was an unusual way to get up and down a steep hill to town. The bus ride took over an hour to climb to the 2,000 m (6,000′) level of Etna, which tops out at  3,300 m (11,000′).  Etna, by the way is the name of the volcano, not the mountain.  The mountain that the volcano is on is Stromboli.  Etna has erupted more than 130 times in recorded history and more than a dozen times in the past 40 years.  It has minor eruptions every 10 or so years.  Etna is considered a ‘friendly’ volcano because she erupts regularly which releases the pressure.  Vesuvius, alternatively, is considered to be the most dangerous volcano in the world because it lies totally dormant for many, many years and then erupts without warning.

By the time we arrived at the restaurant where we were to have lunch it was cloudy with snow-rain and strong winds.  We ate at the Crater Restaurant that had been rebuilt on the same site after the 1983 eruption buried the original building under 45′ of lava rock.  This fox was beside the road on our way up the mountain and was still there on our way back down.  I suspect he is fed.  The clouds formed an even, dark grey mass above the valley.

We were at Crateri Silvestri, which has a path around the rim and I would have loved to walk it.  A few people were doing so, but the wind is was really strong and bitterly cold.  We walked a short distance on the way to the path and John decided he did not wish to get any colder and went back.  I wanted to go further so I went halfway around the one side.  Our friend Andrea, from the video department and her friend Leigh, the dancer, were trying to walk the rim as well.  It was all we could do to keep our feet on the ground, the wind was that strong.  We took a few photos and headed back to shelter. This postcard shows you the restaurant and the crater we could have walked around if the wind had not been so strong or so cold.  The bus took us back down the mountain, past the waiting fox and to the port.

                                             Old lava flows.

                      And now we are back to spring.  We caught the second-to-last tender at 4:20 and the ship set sail at 5 PM.

A motor launch took us from the ship to St. Mark’s Square – the heart and soul of Venice.  We had a 4 1/2 hour guided walking tour but we didn’t have to walk very far.  Our first stop, four bridges from where we were let out of the water taxi, was Doges’ Palace. The Doges were wealthy elected noblemen who were the governing body of the city of Venice for 1000 years.  The Doges also had over 200 advisers specializing in various administrative or commercial areas.  There were no photos allowed inside the Palace because of all the art masterpieces, so I only have photos outside, and I had already take some as the ship sailed by on its way to the port terminal.   All the arches and columns and staircases made for some nice images.  If you ever get to Las Vegas, check out The Venetian Casino and Hotel.  It is an excellent mini-replica of Doge’s Palace (including the artwork on the ceiling and the carpet and pillars in the entrance hall that we were not allowed to photograph in the real thing).  The Venetian also has a mini-Rialto Bridge and the Tower at St. Mark’s Square with the two pillars – plus a little stretch of canal.  When we went to Las Vegas a year or so after this cruise we were transported right back to this day in Venice.   Entrance to the palace was via the Golden Staircase, so named because of the 24 karat gold gilded ceiling.  I was a bad girl and snuck a couple of photos of it as I climbed up.  They were the only ones I took inside the building.We were taken across the Bridge of Sighs that connects the palace – which included the law courts – with the jail.  The name of the little bridge is taken from a Lord Byron poem about the feelings of a prisoner as he crosses the bridge leaving behind his freedom – and probably his life.

After we had seen all the beautiful art treasures and gorgeous woodwork in the palace we exited through a courtyard and walked around the corner to St. Mark’s square.  Our guide gave us a talk on the construction and history of the Basilica (a Venetian-Byzantine architectural masterpiece).  It was built in 830 as the tomb of St. Mark the apostle and served as the private chapel of the Doge.  The walls are adorned with priceless art, rare marble statuary and magnificent mosaics.   No photos were allowed inside and only a specific number of people are permitted entrance at a time.  The line was VERY long so we opted to wander around the square instead.  I loved the pink glass lamp shades.  It makes a lovely light at night. Mark’s symbol is a winged lion and depictions of important parts  of his life were carved all around the edge of the building.                                                                          Look at the line waiting to enter. Another depiction of the winged lion representing St. Mark. And all of these wonderful carvings and paintings were outside the church.  I can only imagine how ornate the inside must be!  We got back to the ship at 3:30.  Sail-away was at 4 and we watched from the deck as we sailed back out Giudecca Canal and past the Lido to the Adriatic Sea once more. Night or day, the crowds never slacken at St. Mark’s square and the nearby bridges.  It was Holland America Line’s 139th Birthday so there were appropriate decorations at the dining room entrance – and for dessert. The next day was a day at sea and time to rest our feet and brains.

Our ship was docked in Funchal, Madeira from 8 am until 11 pm so after our morning tour we still had plenty of time to explore.  We had some lunch then proceeded back to shore with the intention of taking the shuttle into town.  Instead we hired a cab to take us outside the city to see some of the sites.Over half of the 250,000 population of Madeira live in Funchal and tourism has always been the major employer.  The island is only 35 miles long and 13 miles wide, but is a very popular European holiday spot.  Terraced farming and fishing are also contributors to the economy.

The taxi driver took us first to the fishing village of Camara de Lobos, where Winston Churchill stayed in the 1950s.  We wandered around the little cove and amidst the racks of drying fish. We drove past many of the terraced farms on our way to the cliff top of Cabo Girao.  All of the work on the land is done by hand since machinery cannot navigate the steep staircases between fields. Cabo Girao is the second highest sea cliff in the world (after Norway) at 1,902′.  Since it was a lovely day the view was impressive indeed. Agricultural land is so precious we could even see farm plots at the base of the cliff.

On the way back to town we asked our taxi driver to drop us off at the castle that we had seen from the ship.  It is called Peak Castle. After we toured around the castle for awhile we meandered down the cobblestone streets down the hill toward the dock.One absolutely must stop and check out any motorcycles one sees. We had a nice walk in the Jardim Municipal (Municipal Garden) before heading back to the ship; conveniently just in time for dinner.