The atmosphere on board the ship has changed!
After dinner last night mum and I played Scrabble then retired fairly early. This morning was our first tour outing, a coach trip round a small section of the island, with a few stops to look at various viewpoints. The island is incredibly rocky and steep, and mainly exists on tourism.
The wind was quite strong, so mum stayed on board for a couple of the stops. One of our stops was close to a large statue of Jesus, with a walkway down to a craggy rock. A steep walk back up, but some much welcomed exercise
The boat is a replica of Christophe Columbus's ship, and it now gives an alternative way of seeing the island.
Our final stop was in Funchal itself, where we had the chance to walk around and get some souvenirs. One stall was selling fresh fruit, and mum tried her first ever custard apple. Must have liked it as she has bought one to eat on board. I bought some Bird of Paradise seeds, and a bottle of 10 year old dry Maderia.
Back on board we discovered that our sailing has been delayed again, due this time to a problem with one of the life boats. Apparently they ran a trial deployment but then encountered a problem reattaching the boat. The change in atmosphere is due to two factors; the sun is out, and there is a party on the aft deck. This was meant to be ongoing as we left port but we are not expecting to leave until 6 pm. There is live music, as much rum punch as you can drink (but I'm not sure I can actually taste the rum!) and dancing by the pool.
It's actually lovely and warm in the sun, and a few people are already sunbathing. Our tour guide said this is a cold spell, it was 24 degrees on Xmas eve! It seems very strange to see Santa Claus's decorating some of the private houses on the island.
Second source of income here is the wine, then comes bananas. Most of the houses are surrounded by banana trees, the only gardens with lots of flowers are the Brits. Those born here grow fruit and veg, and just admire the abundant flowers which grow in every conceivable cranny. The houses are balanced on the steep slopes, and are very densly packed together!
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