Travelogue, December 5, 2022 to January 6, 2023

As I had a late return from Victoria, B.C. last night, I did a laundry wash-and-dry then packed and got to bed about 2:00 a.m. getting up again at 5:00 a.m. for a shower, breakfast and ordered a taxi for 6:00 a.m. There was still snow on the ground but I wore my shoes and had packed my boots in case there is snow in Liverpool. Arriving at the airport, I checked in my large bag all the way to Lisbon. The plane took off slightly late, due to the wings needing to be de-iced in Vancouver, but arrived on time in Toronto. No food was provided to Toronto, so I mostly slept and then changed planes in Toronto for my 9:00 p.m. flight to Lisbon. There was a TAP flight leaving a few minutes earlier for Lisbon only three gates away so I almost got on the wrong plane! I watched a series, The Staircase, about a murder based on the truth starring Colin Firth on the AC seatback screen but I didn't quite finish it as there are several episodes.

Tuesday, December 6, 2022: Lisbon, Portugal

On my arrival in Lisbon, I got through arrivals and found a taxi to the Holiday Inn nearby. I had been fed something mysterious on board the Air Canada flight and so was quite hungry. I was able to check in early around 7:00 a.m. then had a two-hour nap and went down to have the excellent breakfast buffet with egg tarts and delicious, fresh croissants etc. at 9:30 or so then back to bed till about 5:00 p.m. when I checked out and got a taxi back to the airport and got onto a flight also 9:00ish to Sal Island, Cape Verde via TAP airlines. The food they served was much better than the food AC had served: a ravioli dish, palmier cookies and crackers - heavy on the carbs certainly but tastier than the mystery meal on the Air Canada flight, which had not only been unidentifiable but also lacked any flavour at all. There were no seatback screens on TAP so I read and snoozed.

Wednesday, December 7, 2022: Espargos to Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cape Verde

I arrived in Cape Verde just after midnight this morning and joined the queue to get through the passport check. Luckily, as I had prepaid for my e-visa, I got through via the electronic gates quickly, which meant, however, that I did not get a stamp in my passport. A very efficient, complimentary transfer service met me at the exit, and a taxi took me quite a way southward to Santa Maria where all the resort hotels are located. I was able to check in right away to my all-inclusive RIU Palace Hotel and was accompanied to the building where my hotel room was located. There was no lift and my room was on the second floor so it was nice to have had someone carry my heavy suitcase. I gave him a tip in Euros not having any local escudos. I went straight to bed and got up 8:00 or 9:00ish and found my way to the beachside restaurant for the breakfast buffet. It was advertised as a continental breakfast at that hour but I was still offered baked beans, bacon and several styles of eggs in addition to cereals, yoghurt, fruit and local pastries, none of which were worth writing home about compared to the pastries offered at the Holiday Inn at Lisbon airport (huge chocolate croissants, famous Portuguese egg custard tarts, muffins and more.) I wandered round the complex to orient myself, down to the beach to dip my toes in the Atlantic Ocean and take some photos, looked at the contents of their shop - quite impressive, quirky art - and then found a TUI booth offering island tours. I bought an all-day round-the-island tour for tomorrow and then booked a massage and pedicure for Friday morning. I'm one of the few guests wearing a face mask. In fact mask-wearing became rarer as I moved out of Canada and they are practically non existent here - even inside. Another anomaly is that there is no desk in my room. Do people really come here and not work at all?

  

Feeling tired and still jet lagged, I went back to bed and then woke up in time for dinner at the main restaurant since the Italian resto I had wanted to go to required booking and it was fully booked for both nights of my stay. Nevertheless, as I came out of the main restaurant after dinner, I saw some people in costume and learned there was to be an “African” Show. I moved over to the auditorium at that point. It was a bit smoky, full of Brits for the most part but also Czechs, Russians, Spaniards, Portuguese, French, Dutch and Belgians. I ordered a complimentary digestive and checked my emails as internet was also available throughout the complex. I then watched the “African” show, which contained about seven young actors and singers - though I greatly suspect they were merely lip-syncing mostly English songs. It was enjoyable enough. Then back to my hotel room and bed.

Thursday, December 8, 2022: Santa Maria to Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cape Verde

This all-inclusive Riu resort is fully occupied at the moment with 1,804 guests. It is two years old. Not everything is included - spa services and the shops are extra. It also provides entertainment, and water sports for kids. I've never seen as many choices at a buffet restaurant; more than on a cruise ship! There is a humongous selection of everything from salads, cheeses, breads, main dishes from a number of different countries with meat, fish and vegetarian options. The desserts are not very sweet and I was offered complimentary still and sparkling water, red and white wine or beer with my dinner meals.

As I mentioned earlier, there is an unfortunate smell of smoke in some areas, though I believed it to be a smoke-free resort. Whenever I tried to speak Portuguese, with influences of Spanish and Italian, I was replied to in English, so the staff all need to be polyglots. There were way more kids than I expected, from babies in arms and strollers to lots of pretty little girls in dresses. But most surprising was all the complimentary alcohol. I was expecting to see more drunks. Even my room provided large complimentary bottles of rum, gin, whisky and vodka. The only thing I couldn't get at dinner was coffee - I was told they only served it at breakfast - but I could get tea, i.e. tea bags and not very hot water.

  
  
  

So today was my Tui postcards tour of Sal. After a breakfast, at which there were three cockroaches on the ground - one guest pointed them out to the waitress and she had them swept up with a broom - we met our guide and driver at the hotel entrance.

According to this guide, Tony (Antonio), (the driver was Julio), who was allergic to the sun and so wore long sleeves, Cape Verde has a population of 491,000 spread throughout the ten islands with another one million Cape Verdeans living abroad - mostly in the USA. Sal is the third smallest island and you can walk it in 3 to 4 hours. Of its regions, Palmeira has atmosphere, Buracona has a geological cave with a blue eye dependent on the position of the sun, the desert area provides mirages, and Espargos is the capital where we would have our lunch. After that we would be taken to a salt lake inside a volcano - which had a temperature of 26-27 degrees Celsius due to its salt content - on which one can float just like one does in the Dead Sea. We would end the day with a caipirinha at the beach. Our first stop was Madeira Bay, which is a nursery for dolphins, whales and turtles. The next island, Boa Vista, which was visible, is only 60 km away.

Of the ten Cape Verde islands, one is uninhabited. Fishing was discovered here by the Portuguese in 1460. It has a majority of young people, the average age being 24, descended from people the Portuguese brought in from Senegal, Guinea Bissau and Mali. Cape Verde has been independent since 1975 and no civil war was necessary to achieve independence. Many European football teams have players from Cape Verde. There are six northern islands and four southern islands and the Creole language between the north and south is different. There is a language rivalry as a result. Roman Catholicism is the main religion. The Roman Catholics set up their first mission in Africa in Cape Verde in 1543. National service is required for all men 18 years old and they serve 14 months without any pay. It is a small army at 1,500 soldiers.

  
  
  

Espargos, the capital, is the newest village on the island and was founded in the 1940s. Amilcar Cabral airport is named after the man who 'fought' for independence. He was subsequently murdered under mysterious circumstances and no one was ever convicted. It is the largest airport in Cape Verde and was built by Mussolini. Now Espargos is Sal's largest town at about 30,000 people. They are proud of their education as Cape Verde has the highest rate of literacy in Africa and 8% of its citizens have university degrees. In the 1990s, there were only three high schools in Cape Verde. Today there are high schools in every town.

The country was not very much affected by COVID. They export shoes (leather) and medicine. They also produce grogue from sugar cane, ponch, which is a creamy liqueur, and coffee, as well as wine from the island of Fogo. British, German and Portuguese are the largest tourist groups. Education, health care and house paint are free. Fresh water is manufactured - converted from sea water via desalination plants. Until the 1990s, each family used to go to the local community centre to collect 20 litres of water for the week.

Each hill seen on the island of Sal was caused by a volcanic eruption but there has been no eruption for 14,000 years.

The minimum wage is €120 per month and it has just been raised to €130 a month. The average wage is €240 per month - so about equivalent to one night at the all-inclusive resort! Well a bit less at CDN$240 (which incidentally I didn't have to pay as I made this reservation with Aeroplan points) but easily five times the cost of the 3-star Palmeira yacht club B&B at 50 euros. 110 CV escudos = 1 euro.

In the evening after dinner, I watched another show by the dancers and singers lip syncing to selections of rock music preceded by a game of cahoots.

  
   

Friday, December 9, 2022: Santa Maria to Palmeira, Sal Island, Cape Verde

This morning after breakfast, I had a massage (which was so so) and a pedicure (which was good) by a young woman called Flavia, with whom I managed to have an entire conversation in Portuguese - finally. Then I packed up and a strong, young British woman helped me carry my large suitcase down the two floors. I got a taxi to take me to the Yacht Club in Palmeira where I checked in and paid in advance using the carefully exchanged local currency, as requested on their website. I had to wait a good hour for my room to be cleaned but what a lovely place it was. It reminded me of Santorini, Greece with its white-washed walls, pinky-purple bougainvillea, butterflies and the songs of Cape Verde sparrows. My room had its own private little terrace and wifi was included. I also booked this place for the 17th for the daytime - after disembarking my small Greek sailing ship and before getting the late night flight to Lisbon and then on to London Heathrow - for only 15 Euros! At that time, I will be on the second floor with a shared terrace.

I went to a local restaurant called Capricorn for a local beer (Strela) and amberjack (esmoregal) fish for under 10 euros. I ordered in French as the locals are taught French and English at school as well as Portuguese. A young Franco-Swiss man was also at the restaurant and is staying at my B&B too, though actually as I learned on checking in there is no breakfast provided, so it is just a B. Soap and shampoo are not provided at the Yacht Club either, and the volume of toilet paper provided is minimal so I had to break into my emergency stash.

After lunch, I walked around the small town, took some photographs, read a bit, answered e-mails and then skipped dinner, eating instead some nuts I'd brought from home.

  

Saturday, December 10, 2022: Palmeira, Sal Island, Cape Verde

I skipped breakfast too as I wasn't sure where to go. Milanca, the receptionist at the B&B, sent me a video of my ship's arrival at the wharf at 6:00ish via WhatsApp. I was asked to vacate my room at noon but when I went to the port to find out when I should arrive so as to embark my ship, the two women there didn't have a clue, so I decided to go and have lunch in the meantime. Since there were only two restaurants in town and I'd tried one of them yesterday, I decided to try the other - the Rotterdam - and ordered chicken. I sat there with my suitcases around me. It was pretty busy and didn't open till 1:00 p.m. Some people must have ordered ahead of time because they arrived after me and were served before me. This time I ordered a glass of white wine as I waited. There was a table with two older Italian men ahead of me, a Spanish couple to my left opposite the Italians's table, a group of four Norwegians on a tour to my extreme left, and four Dutch or Flemish people behind me. Boys were playing in the trees in front and cats were prowling around the tables in the restaurant waiting for scraps to fall. One bold kitten jumped right onto the Italians' table. The fish market was visible in the mid distance doing good business and my ship was out of view behind a tree. I was constantly waving away the flies, just as I'd been doing at lunch yesterday. The six cats then went to wait under the Norwegians' table - you'd think they were never fed. The kitten was dropped some food and took it away from the other cats to eat it under another table, then it returned to the Norwegians' table hoping for more.

On the beach to my left, a man was leading a small white horse to water. I wondered if it would drink. No. Instead it lay down in the water and got up again. Then another white horse appeared with three older boys. A family in the other room is now being served but they too have a local guide. They are too far away for me to hear what language they are speaking. I ordered my chicken about 35 minutes before it arrived and wondered if perhaps I should have ordered fish or lobster instead!

A bigger cat with a small tumour on its face was then dropped some food by the Norwegians. By now I counted seven cats and none of them was bothering me as they were still being fed by the Norwegians. I was finally brought a copious meal so was glad I had skipped breakfast. One fly fell into my wine so I rescued it and it flew away. And then the cats came to me and one was even bold enough to reach up and place its two front paws on my lap!

The above comments were taken from notes I wrote as I was waiting for my meal. The below is from memory. I walked over to the port with my suitcases and met another passenger there with his driver. The passenger was an American in his 70s called Rick, from Oregon. We entered the port together and rolled our suitcases a bit of a ways to where we found the ship - the PAN ORAMA - yes, there is a definite space between the N and the O on the ship's hull but I never asked why. We were greeted by various people - mainly Greeks among the seamen/officers, Egyptians and Indonesians among the cooks and waiters, and Indonesians among the cabin and cleaning staff. After checking into our cabins and unpacking, we met up on the upper deck for cocktails and were introduced to the other passengers. We are 28 for a ship that has enough beds for 49 passengers. About half of us was a group of Germans with their own guide, with whom we never mixed. In our group, we were one Canadian, three Germans, a British couple, and eight Americans: Rick plus a family of Cape Verdean origin. We worked out our meal sitting arrangements throughout the week so that Rick sat with the other Americans, the two German women, Karin and Cornelia, sat with each other - though I did sit with them at one dinner - and I sat at a table of four with the British couple - Robin and Judith from Dorset, and the German man, Wolfgang. The boat sailed after we were all in bed and it was only then that we felt the rocking - from side to side in my case.

Sunday, December 11, 2022: Sal Rei, Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde

Today's tour in Boa Vista, the third largest and Eastern-most island, was very good, although when it started, they forgot to tell me they were leaving early and left me behind. However, thanks to a quick-thinking first mate (Greek) Konstantinos, the pick-up truck with our excursions manager was radioed to turn round, come back and collect me. It was uncomfortable sitting in the back of a pick-up truck, however, and consequently, I was lightly sunburned on my arms and face, though not badly. I managed to switch places with the two German women, who were well protected with long sleeves, around 11:00 a.m.

  
  
  
  
  

We first visited Santa Maria beach, site of a rotting Spanish ship skeleton from a 1968 sinking, the sand of which was filthy and full of washed-up flotsam and jetsam. Next we carried on to a coffee/toilet and clay pottery stop at Rabil, and then entered the Viana Desert with its white sand dunes and black-skinned Senegalese souvenir sellers. Next we went to beautiful Santa Monica beach and had a wonderful local fish lunch with local Strela beer and lots of vegetables rounded off with chocolate pudding for dessert. Our final stop was to the capital and main town near the harbour, Sal Rei, where were able to walk round on our own and I took some photographs. However, I hadn't finished photographing, so while the others were taken back to the ship, I said I'd stay on, as I wanted to visit the kite sailing beach, where there were four kite instruction schools in a row. The furthest one away seemed the most organized. When I asked, I was told it cost 135 euros for two hours or 470 euros for 8 hours over 4 days. I returned to the agreed meeting place in town at 4:30 and hung out with a book and photographed some local teenagers on the beach until Pietro, our ship's tour director, and Dadá, the local tour guide, came to pick me up and take back me to the ship. I had a shower and decided to buy 1 gigabyte of internet and sent some WhatsApp messages and emails. I sat with the two German ladies for a dinner of gambas and then changed cabins as the radio and, hence, announcements was not working in mine. This is why I had not heard that the tour this morning was leaving earlier than originally planned. I was offered a slightly bigger cabin with a working radio but the rocking of the ship at night was front to back instead of side to side as it had been the previous night before because the beds were configured differently. I moved all my belongings and got to bed 9:30ish.

  
  
  
  
 

Monday, December 12, 2022: Praia, Santiago Island, Cape Verde

Praia is the capital of Cape Verde and is located on Santiago island. Today we were driven in an actual van with room for 12 of us plus the driver, Pietro, the ship's tour director, and our local guide, Bruno. It was very hot and I didn't enjoy it as much as yesterday but luckily it was only a half-day tour. We were dropped off in the centre of town called Plateau for a walking tour, passing a caserne, the president's palace, the market, and a pedestrian street. The people we met were not as friendly as those I had met on previous islands. We were then driven to a reconstructed fort, São Filipe, and finally to Cidade Velha, formerly called Ribeira Grande, the first capital of Cape Verde, where we walked to Banana Street, from where Cape Verde began and which is registered as a UNESCO's World Heritage Site. Before that, however, we visited a couple of churches, the first one of which was in ruins. These were the Sé Cathedral and the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário. Lastly, we visited the main square where there were souvenir sellers, and school children sitting on the Pelourinho, (or pillory, first erected in 1520), waiting for their buses to take them back to school after lunch. Several hundreds of years ago, this would have been where the slave market took place! On our way back to the wharf, we were shown two beaches if we wanted to go back and swim in afternoon but I felt I'd had enough of Praia. We came back to a buffet lunch on the ship and I took a nap and worked on a book translation until dinner. After dinner, we were surprised by a group from Praia, who came on board to sing and dance for us while beating on some kind of home-fashioned cushions covered in duct tape and with a spike that they held between their knees. The group consisted of one young man and about eight ladies dressed in yellow t-shirts and blue skirts. The dancers wiggled their behinds for the most part, having tied a scarf with a fringe round their hips. It was interesting but rather much of a sameness among the songs and the dances. Our driver and guide from this morning's tour came with the group, as I gather Pietro had asked them to find said group for us.

  
  
  
  
  
 

Tuesday, December 13, 2022: Fogo Island, Cape Verde

We were ready by 9:00 a.m. to go on the tenders to Fogo island and the first tender came back to say yes, it was possible. All of the special German group but two were able to get into the local boat (no seats, so they had to sit on the bottom of the boat) and were able to land on the pier. But by the time the second boat came to our ship to collect our group, the waves were rougher and it was not even possible to board. Said boat went out with Konstantinos and waited for a while to see the situation but the waves did not change. Then our ship sailed (well I say sailed, but it never did put its sails up during our entire trip to my great disappointment) to another part of the island of Fogo. The vans containing the German group (minus the two Germans left on board) had travelled round to this new landing point to pick us up, but again we were told it was impossible to land. Long story short, even tendering with Panorama's own tender boat - which doubled as a life raft and was taken down from its riggings and put to sea at this point - was a no go according to the captain so we were all confined on board for the day. It took a couple hours before the German group (minus the two still on board) returned. I think it was closer to noon.

To compensate for the disappointment - made greater for the British couple as this was a volcano island and he was a bit of a volcanophile, and for the American family as Fogo was the island where they had actual living family members still - the ship offered us free Fogo wine for the next three meals. We happily accepted for today's lunch and chatted as a foursome and later Karin, one of the two German ladies joined us. We then retired to our separate cabins for naps. Anyway it passed the day and we were of course not invoiced for the tour that didn't take place.

Wednesday, December 14, 2022: Mindelo, São Vicente Island, Cape Verde

Finally, we were back on shore, docked at a wharf, and were able to visit Mindelo, known as the cultural capital of Cape Verde. We were given a walking tour that took us by the fish market, the souvenir market, an artist centre where they built and painted float structures for carnival, the fruit and vegetable market, and to Cesaria Evora's house cum museum. In addition, various municipal buildings were pointed out to us. It seemed to be a happy place and as a finale, they took us for a strong caipirinha and snacks - bruschetta and tuna rolls - at a marina and we walked back to the ship.

I should here talk to you about Cesaria Evora, the local heroine, also known as the Barefoot Diva. She was born in 1941, daughter of a musician and a cook, and grew up poor in an area of Mindelo known for its bullies, dock workers and prostitutes. She was educated up to grade two elementary school, sang at church on Sundays, and despite living on an island, never learned to swim due to her fear of the sea. After her father died when she was seven, she was sent to an orphanage, but she found it too strict so asked her grandmother to remove her. As a teenager, she would sing in bars frequented by sailors. She met many men and ended up with three children all of whom she had to raise on her own. She would sing for free or in exchange for grogue or cigarettes. Her first recording as a singer was when she was in her twenties. Her reputation grew and she was invited to sing at more venues, but she refused to wear the shoes she was given to sing on stage - hence her moniker. In her thirties she fell into a depression and hid in her house and drank alcohol. She stopped drinking for good in 1994 but still smoked cigarettes. She died in December 2011 having sold 6 million discs throughout her 20+ year career. You will note a number of gaps in this history but this was information I quickly garnished from plaques hanging in the museum dedicated to her in one of the houses she had lived in. We saw many murals of her painted by various artists and I tried to photograph as many as I could on the various islands.

  
  
  
   

Thursday, December 15, 2022: Porto Novo, São Antão, Cape Verde

Today's full-day tour was pretty good too, albeit long. After visiting their town hall with very detailed displays of the history, flora, and fauna of the island, we drove through fertile and forested hills and valleys, not to mention several sugar cane fields, and tried various flavours of their grogue at a distillery. Lunch was provided at a restaurant in a village on the north coast (Ribeira Grande), after we had been driven along the North coast through a Jewish quarter, a fishing market, a village with murals portraying Cesaria Evora. It consisted of local flavours and we were offered delicious ice creams for dessert.

  
  
  
  

I had noted some murals on the way out of Porto Novo, so as the Panorama was staying the night here, I went back into town to walk and photograph feeling fairly safe until some school boys asked me to take their photo, then wanted it, and then wanted my (cheap $15) watch, so I politely declined and headed back to the port to ask several adults where these streets with murals might be. I was advised to walk along the other side of town where it was safer. This I did and photographed along the way but I never did find the elusive mural streets and headed back so as to arrive at the ship before sundown. That night was the captain's cocktail, so we were offered drinks out on the deck after sunset accompanied by a local trio of two guitarists and a drummer - all young men, who were quite good. Their music reminded me of Brazilian music. Then we had our dinner on the ship that did not move for once, which was a nice change.

  
  
  
  
 

Friday, December 16, 2022: Porto Novo, São Antão, Cape Verde

Fewer of us went on this second tour of this island - the south-western part - through volcanic fields, and up and over hills with terraced agriculture and plantations. We had quite a number of photo stops, with the same guide and driver as yesterday. I got them to stop at a guest house so we could use the washrooms because otherwise I don't think they would have thought of it (and some of our group were elderly)! We also saw a few huge poinsettia plants displaying Christmas colours. We were back on board for a late lunch. I had asked them to stop off at a residential area in Porto Novo with mural art (a bit further on from where I had ventured last evening) but due to the many stops, some of which were too long in my opinion, there was no time left to do so.

  
  
  

The Panorama left port 3ish to make the long journey back to Palmeira in Sal and the ride was so choppy, at one point during dinner I fell right off my chair. I just hadn't been holding on to anything at that point. All concerned, they rushed over to check I was alright. Inadvertently in my fall, I knocked over my water glass, drenching Robin (the male of the British couple). Judith had not been feeling well due to the rocky sea so had not come to dinner. (At a later date, I noticed bruises on my torso as a result but as far as I could tell there was otherwise no internal damage).

Saturday, December 17, 2022: Palmeira, Sal, Cape Verde

We disembarked the Panorama after breakfast at 8:30 ish and I walked with my suitcases to the Yacht Club and checked in. I had to wait again for my room to be cleaned, and worked on my computer so as to publish a couple of interviews on a website. Next, I went out for a latish lunch to the Rotterdam again but it was very busy so they set up a table for one for me and as I was told the chicken would take too long to cook, I had the amberjack and all its trimmings with another Strela beer. Back to the Yacht club to work some more and to try sleeping for a bit, then I packed and waited for the taxi Milanca had booked for me. Sandro, the driver, arrived right on time at 10:00 p.m. but could only communicate in Portuguese. He drove me to the airport in Espargos and, to my surprise, who should I see but the family of Cape Verde-Americans from the ship and a number of the crew, who were heading to their respective homes for Christmas, including Pietro, the chief engineer, and one of the waiters from Egypt. I tried my best to find a couple of bottles of Fogo wine for my next hosts but they just didn't have any in their small duty free shop. I decided I'd have to wait and see what Lisbon airport could offer instead. I got on my flight to Lisbon with all the other above-mentioned people. It was uneventful, a meal was served but it was not as memorable as the one I had had on the way to Cape Verde. I mostly slept and read.

Sunday, December 18, 2022: Sal, Cape Verde via Lisbon, Portugal and London Heathrow to King's Langley, Hertfordshire

I arrived in Lisbon 6:00ish and before taking my flight to London, I had some time to browse the duty free shops. I picked up a white wine, a red wine and a bottle of port, all from Portugal, to give to Tony P., who was at Heathrow to meet me. He said it had taken me an hour to get through passport control - my Canadian passport wasn't recognized at the electronic gate so I had to wait in another line to have it checked by a real person. Clearly, I should have just used my British passport. There was snow on the ground when I arrived 1:00ish and was shown my room. Then I retrieved my clothing for washing, did a wash and dry, had some soup, bread and cheese at 2:00ish and then rearranged their paperback books by author surname.

We had a lovely dinner of roast duck and all the trimmings with copious servings of wine, after which I finished the book sorting with Tony. Then we had a look at some of the information Tony had on the family tree, though I forgot to photograph the pages I wanted so as to update the family website. This means I will have to wait until Tony and Carol are back from Nicaragua. Anna (unmarried) their youngest was also at home for Christmas and her partner, Mateo, was arriving from Nicaragua the next day. They are expecting a daughter in May 2023.

Monday, December 19, 2022: King's Langley, Hertfordshire to Liverpool, England

I set my alarm for 6:30 and had a shower, then went down to a delicious scrambled egg breakfast made by Anna. Tony brought down my suitcases and put them in his boot and drove me to King's Langley railway station. I bought a ticket for Liverpool Lime Street with a change at Euston station. A series of strong young men helped lift my suitcase on and off the trains. One of them, at Euston, told me he worked at White Hall. He brought me to the area where I was to wait and watch the screen to find out which platform to catch the Euston to Liverpool train. Meanwhile, I managed to find the station toilets as Anna had indicated. The train to Liverpool was pretty full but I found a seat by a window and there were five or six stops that I was able to track on my phone using the train wifi. On arrival at Liverpool, it took me a few moments to orient myself then I saw the Holiday Inn right across the street so I wheeled my suitcases over there and checked in and got a room right away on their members' floor though I was warned it was next to the lifts.

As there was no snow at all (though I had been expecting it), the temperature was mild, and it was dry, I took off my coat, put on a sweater, and took a walk round the immediate area of the hotel, according to instructions from the reception desk. First I changed my old British pounds into new British pounds (paper and coins) at Lloyd's bank, then found something to eat at Subway's and used their wifi to see what there was to see in Liverpool. Then I went to Sainsbury's round the corner to buy something for dinner to eat in my hotel room. Having returned at dusk, I worked at bit on my computer and then watched British television, had my dinner, and brewed some coffee on the hotel room coffee maker.

Tuesday, December 20, 2022: Liverpool, England

After the included breakfast - good but not as good as the Holiday Inn in Lisbon - I set off with my map and walked through the Christmas market down to the wharf, photographing street art wherever it appeared. I turned left toward the Mersey Ferry and went to enquire about times and tickets. They were just about to board and offered me a concession ticket, although they never asked me to prove my age, which in a way was disappointing (though it would have been embarrassing if they had as I had not brought my ID with me). Consequently I took a ferry cross the Mersey and back around in just under an hour for ten pounds (OK so not that cheap but it was a tour with recorded commentary and music).

After disembarking, I carried on to the Beatles statue, which was being photographed and posed in front of for various shots by a group of four young Koreans (one at a time) until I and three other Canadians (French-Canadians) felt the need to intervene and say “OK, so now give us a chance just to photograph it, will you?” Then I continued on down the waterfront past the Liverpool Museum to the Albert Dock and came across the Beatles Story (museum) for a tour with a headset. It was quite elaborate and had quite a few things to see, read, and listen to. It wasn't quite as overwhelming as the ABBA museum in Stockholm but took me a good hour to complete. I also bought a 2.50 pound book on Scouse dialect in case I ever need to use it in a translation! Then just as I came out of the Beatles Story museum, I saw a coach offering a Beatles tour so I enquired about it and found it was the last bus of the day leaving just about then at 2:30 and coming back to the same place at 4:00, given that sunset is about then.

  
  
  
  

This too was a great tour. All seven of us tourists sat on the top deck, which was covered, where our guide stood, singing Beatles songs, accompanying himself on a guitar. He told us he was taking a degree in Beatle-ology at the Liverpool community college. He had lots of stories to tell and sites to point out, including all four of the fab four's childhood homes. There were only two stops - one at Penny Lane and the other at Strawberry Field (no 's') - so of course I took the mandatory photos. There were two other tours we came across. One was also a double-decker bus called The Magical Mystery Tour, apparently the only tour where tourists were allowed to get out and stand in front of Ringo Starr's home! The other was a 3-hour Beats Tour, where one is driven around in a replica of John Lennon's Rolls Royce Phantom, but it has to be booked ahead of time. Anyway, ours was a good, amusing and informative tour, and one I would do again if I ever came back.

Having learned about Mathew (sic) Street - the area of Liverpool with all the clubs, especially the one where the Beatles' career started, the Cavern Club - I walked up there and took photos in the dusk and dark, and picked up another Subway sandwich to eat in my hotel room while watching television. I also planned what to see tomorrow getting ideas from websites.

  
  
  
  

Wednesday, December 21, 2022: Liverpool, England

Armed with a photography list, I headed out after breakfast with my camera. My first stop was the Liverpool Library. The path leading to the library was filled with names of famous books. I asked for the reading room as I had read it was reminiscent of Hogwarts with its staircases. Disappointed it was not more, I took photos nonetheless after asking permission. I also visited another room with a Dr. Who exhibition. Next, I wandered up their main staircase for some more architectural shots. I then left the library and headed in the opposite direction from yesterday to look for two floral displays, which weren't there or weren't as splendid as purported, so I did not photograph them. Finally, I reached Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and walked right round it to find its entryway. I wandered into its garden first by mistake, then followed a number of boys in school uniform and their parents into the front entry. By chance (once again), I had coincidently arrived in time for the local Anglican boys' (and a few older girls') school for their annual Christmas Carol Service. Their first for three years due to covid restrictions. As a consequence, I got to sing familiar Christmas carols along with the attendees and hear various choirs, bands, and orchestras perform Christmas music. The best performance was “The Trumpet Shall Sound” from Handel's Messiah sung by a 17-year-old, I'd guess, bass, accompanied by the organ (with the trumpet stop). He was so good, he received applause from the attendees (none of the other performers/groups raised any signs of appreciation!) So I can now boast that I've sung in the largest cathedral in the UK, the largest Anglican Cathedral in Europe, and the fifth largest in the world, containing the world's highest and widest Gothic arches, and tallest tower, and consequently the world's highest and heaviest peal of bells, accompanied by the UK's largest pipe organ - a Willis.

  
  
  
  

Coming out of there, I turned toward the brewery district to photograph murals and ended up at the waterfront again but much further down the Mersey from yesterday. I then turned back and walked through the shopping district and found my way back to my hotel through the club section I'd been through last night. I decided to splurge and have my dinner at the hotel that night, though it was not such a bargain at 40 pounds including tip! At least it had been a good day for walking.

  
  
  
  

Thursday, December 22, 2022: Liverpool, England and then on board Borealis

After breakfast, taking a covid test and final packing, I stayed in my room working on a book translation until I was kicked out of it at 1:00. I then waited in the lobby, skipping lunch, until a taxi came 3:30ish - its driver, a young fellow from Congo Kinshasa - to take me to the cruise dock. He hadn't a clue where it was so I had to show him. Then we spoke in French the rest of the journey. The Fred Olsen crew took my large bag, tagged it and then there was a longish line up to check in. Luckily I had a book to read as we shuffled forward inches at a time. I learned that another cruise that was to go roughly to the same place - a cheaper cruise line out of Tilbury (Ambassador or Saga?) - had been cancelled at the last minute and its passengers divided between the two Fred Olsen ships going to the Canaries these two weeks. These passengers had only been told on Sunday. No one was talking about the gastrointestinal problem from the week before, which was why check-in to the cruise had been postponed by four hours so the crew could do a deep cleaning of the ship.

I finally boarded 5ish and found my inside cabin (not called a stateroom) on deck 7, which is, I gather, a rather up-class deck with balcony suites all around. I gathered my travel agent rather upsold me when I learned later there were far cheaper cabins on decks 1 and 2 also for singles. Ah well, 'tis what it is. I joined a ship tour and bought 14 days of internet plus social media and, most importantly, the six land tours I had been unable to book online. My large luggage then having arrived, although minus its padlock, about which I complained but no one had found it on land and there was no use filing an insurance claim for an item worth less than ten dollars, I unpacked. Then at 6 p.m., once the informal restaurant was open, I had dinner. There was no question of us all helping ourselves at the buffet due to the recent gastrointestinal problem, so we had to wait for the kitchen staff to put on our plates the food we requested. After dinner, I went to the company show Hits from the Flix at 9:00 and the 10:15 pm quiz and bed.

Friday, December 23, 2022: On board Borealis

I'm still getting used to the Borealis. Up at 8:30 as there was no daylight in my inside cabin to wake me and up to breakfast on deck 8. The sea was a bit rough, so I was unable to walk a straight line. Then to a very poorly given lecture on the destination excursions by a Filipino manager, whose communication and presentation skills needed to be worked on! To the library to exchange my book from the Panorama for a Louise Penny mystery, then morning trivia and up to the solo travellers get-together containing masses of British woman all visibly older than me. I talked to one or two. We were introduced to the ballroom dancing teachers and male hosts - all well over 70 I'd say, including two Danes - and they were taking names for the solos' lunch but the person taking names didn't get around to me and as I've decided to skip lunches in general, I wasn't bothered. Then I went to the front desk with my IT connection problems and they made an appointment with the IT manager for 4:00. I came back to my cabin to start writing up my blog 18 days in! I then joined the afternoon trivia, met up with the IT guy who took my e-mail address and said he'd contact his company to let them know not to block it and would let me know. Then I changed for the first formal evening, i.e. a captain's cocktail, and then dinner in the formal dining room. I had been assigned to a table for six, although two people did not turn up: a Liverpudlian divorcée a year older than me still working part time as a school councillor, a clearly gay retired school drama teacher, and another single man also retired from London. I can't remember what his work had been - perhaps an accountant or a civil servant. It was a long, drawn out meal but I managed to get to the show, featuring a British chanteuse, in time.

Saturday, December 24, 2022: On board Borealis

I slept OK, despite a rocking ship. Some people are getting seasick apparently and I was told the Bay of Biscay is notoriously rough. I did some blog writing then joined the trivia at 11 and played Baggo, which consisted of tossing two bean bags at a hole in two teams of two, the winning team of which then proceeded to the next round. Our team did not win our first and only game, so I watched the rest. An entertaining fellow from Barbados, Hugo, was hosting. Needless to say, I did not join the singles lunch, which took place after Baggo, but in the afternoon I did try my hand at Name That Tune failing miserably. Next, I joined the singing class but the young man from the entertainment staff teaching us to sing Silent Night was treating us all as dummies. When I said I was a female tenor, was used to singing harmony, and should I perhaps join the men, he said no I was to join the ladies and sing the melody. A nice lady whose name I've forgotten started talking to me about tours in the Canary Islands and brought me maps which was far more interesting than the singing lesson so I decided to talk to her instead ... and not to do any more of the dummied down choral practices. After this, I joined afternoon trivia and a lecture on the history of Christmas, which I snoozed through, and then I bought a pink dress I'd had my eye on at the shop. Not bothering to wait till 8:30 for the formal dinner, I ate upstairs in the informal restaurant where the menu was pretty much the same as two nights ago. I then skipped the magic show and instead watched Home Alone on my cabin TV and then started Home Alone 2 but fell asleep near the last third of it so vowed to watch the remainder another time.

Sunday, December 25, 2022: On board Borealis

I purposely did not do any work today. It is a holiday after all! Up 9:30ish for breakfast after sending WhatsApp messages to all and sundry wishing them Merry Christmas and receiving replies from some but not all. Up to the pool deck to watch Santa arrive, took a photo with him (a fit, young Filipino in charge of printing out the “Daily Times” activity schedule every day), the Christmas sweater competition being judged by the captain and the hotel manager, and the reindeer racing - for which bets were taken and then dice spun to see which of the six reindeer advanced a line at a time. The Hotel Manager won the first race while the Executive Chef won the second. There are in fact three children (under 18) on board, two little girls, sisters, about 8 and 10 and a strapping young lad of 17, all of whom received a parcel each from Santa. This meant I missed the morning trivia game. Then I went to the lounge to read and listen to a musician with an acoustic guitar, who was fairly good, but I think would be more comfortable singing a few octaves lower. Then I had to decide among watching King Charles' III Christmas message on TV, afternoon trivia, or charades and chose charades at which there were few players and our team won. I had to act out a few dances with our team leader - a female activities hostess.

Next, I attended an excellent classical concert by a pianist and oboist Ben and Tyler respectively - no last names provided - who were clearly composers in their own right as well as excellent players. Then I went up to the top deck again to observe the ballroom dancing. Again there were few ladies and all the gentlemen hosts, and as I was not dancing - the boss host had told me from the start that thongs were not the correct footwear - I did not dance though I was asked to at least three times, which I suppose in a way was flattering being the youngest of the women there. Then after buying a cheap pair of pseudo-diamond earrings for my formal outfit - having lost one of the pair I've been wearing for a the last little while, possibly at the hotel in Lisbon, and have been wearing only one all this time - I had over two hours to kill until the formal cocktail party, so I watched the end of the movie I had fallen asleep to last night (Home Alone 2), changed to formal wear and then went downstairs thinking there would be more dancing to watch or participate in as I was now in my dancing shoes, but no, deck 5 was practically dead.

I went to check out the photo gallery and found my photos for the first formal night and waited for the photo shoot location to open to get a photo in today's formal wear. Then, once that was done, I toddled off to the cocktail party waiting in line until the doors were opened. Again we sat down, were offered drinks and canapés and I met a couple from somewhere in England whose children had all been born in Ontario - the children were not with them. Santa reappeared (we were told his sleigh had broken down and was being fixed in the ship's shop) so I got another photo taken with him and sent it to various people via WhatsApp. Then to Christmas dinner with the formal table group. I had been disappointed several years ago with the Christmas dinner on a Princess ship, where turkey was not even offered as a choice, and was counting on a British ship doing rather better. In fact, I had a pseudo cheese soufflé that wasn't, a not very good turkey and all the trimmings, and then a not very good plum pudding, and half of a too-filling mince tart. However, the conversation was pleasant enough and we were provided with Christmas crackers with hats, a snowflake Christmas tree ornament, and a small piece of paper with a joke and a fact. I took those up to my cabin before waddling off to the company show of Legends of Las Vegas, which reminded me of something I'd seen before, so wondered if these shows went from ship company to ship company!

Monday, December 26, 2022: On board Borealis

Up 8:30ish, breakfast, worked on my blog, joined the 11 am trivia, marked the winning team's sheet, came back to my cabin to work a bit more on my blog then joined the 3 p.m. trivia and listened to a lecture on Christopher Columbus. I returned to my cabin again to work on my blog again. I am looking forward to the Pantomime this evening after the dinner I plan to have upstairs. (The Panto was good. Particularly impressive was a rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas by four young men.)

Tuesday, December 27, 2022: Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

Finally the ship is still as it has berthed at the Canary Islands. However, despite the temperature being 24 degrees Celsius, there is a strong wind and compromised visibility as sand from the African desert is blowing over Gran Canaria, a weather phenomenon known locally as calima. Consequently, though I optimistically went out in a t-shirt and shorts this morning and bought a ticket for the hop-on hop-off bus and did one turn which took just under an hour and a half, I had to return to the ship because it was so cold I needed a sweater. Not meaning to gloss over the hop-on hop-off trip, it took a slightly different route from what was indicated on their map and there were a couple of places I was interested in returning to, one being the old town, but I believe I would have had to book the special tour for that, and the other being the beach within walking distance called Las Canteras. I walked to said beach when I ventured out my second time and got back in plenty of time to join the tour I had booked from the ship, which ended up being a Tui tour.

The tour guide was from Sweden and the driver, from Equatorial Guinea, thus showing how multicultural the Canaries are. Entitled “Gran Canaria - Scenic North” the tour took us to two small towns, Arucas and Firgas. Arucas had a gothic-like though modern cathedral, which we were to visit but couldn't as it was closed due to the weather, and a garden of native plants, likewise. So we walked around the village instead. I noted some of what the tour guide was telling us and hope I remembered the important bits. Las Palmas has a population of 360,000 out of an island total of 800,000 or so. Gran Canaria is located 60 km from Tenerife. December is the rainy season for the Canaries (now they tell us!) Tiede on Tenerife is Spain's highest mountain. The Southern beaches of Gran Canaria are more popular as the weather is drier and hotter. Alesias are cold trade winds that blow 1500 feet above land and create clouds. The beach of Las Canteras comes from cantera which means quarry. The top three groups of visitors to the Canaries are Germans, then UK, then Scandinavians. Historically, in order to sail to America, you have to come down to the latitude of the Canaries before sailing across the Atlantic.

The Canaries are famous for their banana crops. Canaries (birds) do exist here but they were named after the islands. The Aboriginals were of Berber origin and arrived around year 0 with sheep, goats, pigs and dogs. Then the Romans arrived and found people living here with lots of dogs so they called it Canis - or so one theory is, though it was more likely that the name of the original people were canaries.

  

There are seven canary islands in total. This island is not particularly attractive in my view as there is a lot of graffiti. It has always contained a mixture of people - first Europeans and then Latin Americans. Sugar cane was first exported to the Flemish in the 15th and 16th centuries in exchange for religious art to decorate their churches. Columbus took sugar cane to America and the people started growing it there. Arucas has a small rum factory for their sugar cane. After the islands lost the market for sugar cane, they grew grapes for wine. Shakespeare mentions it in his plays as it was exported to the UK and its colonies. However, Spain taxed its exports so the UK started buying Portuguese wine instead. This had an impact on the Canaries and due to the lack of economy, many people emigrated to America - especially to Cuba and Venezuela. Some returned later with new ideas and vocabulary. Consequently, the Spanish spoken here has influences of South/Central America, for example gua gua for bus which is from Cuba. And they say papas instead of patatas. After wine, they turned to cochineal - a beetle that eats a type of cactus found here - used for colouring i.e. for food - including Campari liquor - lipstick and textiles. At the beginning of the 19th century, cochineals were exported to the UK for the textile industry but then synthetic colours were introduced so they changed to bananas, and tomatoes in the late 19th century. Tomatoes are not doing so well as there are better and cheaper ones in southern Spain and northern Africa. The type of banana grown here is called Cavendish. It is smaller and was developed by the British. We also noted a lot of Algarve plants, which are developed for animal feed and as erosion stoppers. From algarve you can also get tequila, syrup and rope, but not from the type grown in the Canaries. The Algarve plant grows for 30 years, at the end of which it produces a flower and then the entire plant dies. Bananas are grown here either in green houses or in the open air and take a year to grow. After a flower appears, it will take another year for the flower to develop into fruit. You can get 55 kilos of bananas from one plant. The fruit are harvested when they are green and mature in plastic bags. Then the plant is cut down and one shoot is saved and replanted.

At the beginning of tourism in 1950, people gave up on agriculture and built hotels instead. Today 80% of Canarians work in the service industry and only 7% in agriculture. Other important employers here are water, power, and the harbour.

The last stop on our tour was at the far end of the beach where I hadn't quite got to on my walk this morning for views of surfers waiting for and sometimes catching a big wave. On the whole, the tour was nonetheless disappointing and I didn't go off the ship the rest of the day. It was a chore waiting for 6 pm and the dinner restaurant to open. I read as I waited for the comedian's show at 8:45. It was tolerable.

   

Wednesday, December 28, 2022: Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands

I left the ship this morning as soon as it was possible, took the free shuttle to the pedestrian bridge into town, and walked up a pedestrian shopping street taking photos with my phone camera. I also tried to get wifi at the McDonald's but again it wasn't allowing me to send. I then wandered into the old part of town and found an old church from the 17th and 18th centuries - Iglesia de la Concepción - which had a silver altar. I met some tourists with maps so asked where they had found them. They directed me to the tourist office near the artificial lake back at the start of the pedestrian street so I next wandered over there, picked up two maps, and did some more photography. I walked back to the ship this time, and so as not to have that agonizing wait for dinner like last night, I decided to have a light lunch in the informal restaurant. I found some lamb sandwiches and then went down to join my tour - another Tui-operated one with a tour guide from Tenerife called Nauzet (a local name). He was hard to hear, talked a lot about the weather, and repeated a lot of what I had heard yesterday from the Swedish tour guide about bananas, dragon fruit trees, etc. The tour group was larger than yesterday's and some of the passengers had mobility issues. Moreover, with the tour guide's voice being hard to hear, they all talked among themselves, which made it even more difficult to hear the tour guide.

   

Entitled “Introduction to Tenerife”, the tour took us to two miradors (viewpoints) and to the other big town on the island, Puerto de la Cruz, which was basically a resort town full of hotels and tourists. What a waste of my time. However, I did note the following information. Tenerife is the largest island of the archipelago and the tallest due to Mount Teide which is 3,715 metres high. It has a population of roughly a million, of which 250,000 lives in Santa Cruz, out of a possible two plus million in the Canaries. Its opera house on the wharf is new. Tourism is the main economy. Puerto de la Cruz is one of the top tourist destinations on the island and before COVID, the Canaries were visited by 10 million visitors per year, and Tenerife by 7 million. It actually snowed on Mount Teide yesterday and we could just about see it though the clouds. The latitude of Tenerife is 28 degrees North - the same as Florida in the USA. The Canaries are about equidistant between the Azores to the North and Cape Verde to the South. I did not record any more information because my phone battery was low so I had to turn it off! The couple behind me in the bus commented that they had enjoyed it and wanted to return some day but I had the opposite reaction. Tonight, the captain notified us that there was gastro-enteritis on board, just as there had been on the cruise before ours.

Thursday, December 29, 2022: Santa Cruz, La Palma, Canary Islands

Once again, I had booked a tour in the afternoon so I had the morning to explore this smaller, more likeable island, not so prone to tourism. After walking off the ship, it was a short walk into town and I picked up a map at the tourist office on the way between the terminal building and the town. It suggested three different walks parallel to the waterfront so I did those, taking photos along the way, including a statue of Casanova, a couple of churches, the market, one house mural, two shots of the town name and a walk on the black volcanic beach sand. It was a hot day finally and not too windy, therefore tolerable, but I still managed to work up a sweat and only used my big camera. I then went back on board to eat a small lunch of a sandwich, from which I had to remove the beef and the bacon! I don't know why they don't offer more vegetarian options!

Next, I went on the La Palma Sightseeing tour, which wasn't great and only went south to a volcanic area, San Antonio. According to the tour guide, there is no industry on this island but they export bananas, avocados (to the UK, Germany and France), papayas, mangos, passion fruit, pineapple and guavas. There were four cruise ships in port here: three British and one French. La Palma is a smaller island with microclimates and various landscapes. It is known as the prettiest(!) and greenest(!) island and the best for hiking. It is peaceful, clean and safe. It has 80,000 inhabitants with 10,000 in its capital, Santa Cruz.

We were heading for the south part of the island, which is its drier side while the north has fertile soil and fresh water. We passed the airport, which has direct flights to Manchester and Landon. Today there was another calima with dust from the Sahara desert. It is 46 km to La Gomera, 83 km to Tenerife and usually El Hierro is visible from the south of La Palma island.

 

Houseleek (Aeonium arboreum) is an endemic plant now flowering with yellow blossoms in the winter. Cactus fruit is used in jam and Malvasia wine is cultivated here. There are 30 varieties of grapes grown here and 16 wineries. There was a volcanic eruption at Teneguia on the west of this island for 85 days from September to December 2021. The ash is good for grape growing. Two types of banana plants are grown here: one grows up to 2 metres and the other, up to 4 metres. The latter need to be under cover in greenhouses. Many inhabitants work in the banana business (1 in 3?) or on building the greenhouses, or controlling, grading, washing, drying and packaging the bananas. The European Union provides subsidies for banana plantations and bananas are grown all year round. This is not true for avocados, however.

We first stopped for a view of the salt plant with its light house in the south but surprisingly did not go to visit the plant itself. It was volcanic land with a few green plants dotted here and there. Next we went to the volcano at San Antonio, which first erupted in 1677. Due to the past three eruptions of San Antonio (1929, 1949 and 1971), the island has become bigger. Hotel Princess is the biggest hotel on the island and is located in the midst of banana plantations. Lizards and salamanders are endemic while other animals were introduced by man. Wild mountain goats are a pest, and Tenerife now has a problem with snakes. There is a bird called a chough (pronounced chuff), which is like a crow but tufted. Military service here (I suppose Spain in general) has not been obligatory since 1992. The solar panels and 16 windmills on the island are not enough, so they have a natural gas plant.

The ship was in port until 10 pm or so, but I felt I had seen as much as I could and returned on board after the tour, had a shower, changed, and had an early dinner. I skipped the magician's show again and watched two movies on my TV.

Friday, December 30, 2022: San Sebastián, La Gomera, Canary Islands

Finally, today I had a good tour called Mountainous La Gomera and its Traditions - though, mind you, looking at the photos afterwards I didn't take many and they were all pretty much landscapes. Still, I feel I accomplished a fairly complete tour of the island, and it included some culture (its peculiar whistling language), food and drink (coffee, a mild liqueur and a biscuit, none of which were spectacular). The young tour guide was nice but he certainly spoke German better than English and peppered his Spiel with German words and German sentence structure.

To step back a bit, we were supposed to arrive early in port and so I got up at 6:30 and had an early breakfast and met in the lounge for tours by 7:30. Nevertheless, the pilot boat came an hour later than scheduled, supposedly due to rough weather - or so we were officially told, though I heard crew saying it was suspected that the pilot had actually overslept!

This meant the tour departure and return times were moved an hour later and we set sail almost an hour later than planned for Funchal this afternoon. Then the captain announced that since there was a strike at Portuguese ports starting January 1, he was cancelling our call to Lisbon on January 2, and instead we would call in at A Coruña in Galicia, Spain on January 3, 2023. It didn't bother me as I've never been there before and one of the tours offered was to Santiago de Compostela, to which I haven't yet been either.

So back to today's tour. We docked at San Sebastián, the capital of this island, which is two million years old but contains a “dead” volcano i.e. neither active nor dormant. Like La Palma it also has microclimates and like all the Canary Islands we have visited, it is volcanic. We were told by our guide Federico (driver Angel) that we would go to the North to Hermigua, but instead we only stopped at a place that overlooked Hermigua, and then into the national forest to the highest point of the island, after which we would stop in two small villages. (We only stopped in one.) There were also a number of other viewpoints at which we stopped.

On our way out of San Sebastián, we were shown the one hospital and the one high school. Young people usually get jobs in the hospital or in tourism here, otherwise they leave for jobs on other islands. For more extreme hospital cases, they go by ferry to Tenerife, which was visible from San Sebastián. They also go to Tenerife for serious shopping. There are two ferry companies that travel between La Gomera and Tenerife, Fred Olsen and Naviera Armas, each travelling back and forth six times a day. We started our tour in the south of the island, which is usually dry but was quite green today due to recent rain. For the most part, it is covered with cactus and other plants that exist with little water. Here too they have algarve imported from Mexico but not the type from which tequila can be made. Another common plant is tabaiba, which is endemic, and there are two types: one can be made into chewing gum, while the other is toxic and was used by the berber aboriginals to catch fish.

  

La Gomera is round, high and full of valleys. There are a number of tunnels and the last one connects the north to the south. Hermigua in the north has water and rivers and is mainly agricultural from grapes down to banana plants, including avocados and mangos, which are exported to the Spanish mainland. They use the drop water method as in Cape Verde with terraced farming. The North has no beaches and only small harbours for exporting bananas, which are not longer used. The name Gomera was taken from the name of the aboriginal tribe that came here to inhabit the island. They are believed to have come from the African continent. From the top of the island at 1,473 meters one can see five of the Canary Islands. Bats, mice and rats are endemic while sheep, goats and pigs were introduced. (We actually saw goats and sheep today.) There are also cockroaches and mosquitoes. Rabbits are the only dangerous animals: they are not endemic but eat up the green plants thus compromising the regeneration of the ecosystem but they taste good in a stew with white wine, garlic and cumin!

The islands' emblem is the palm tree phoenix canariensis from which they make palm honey. From ten litres of sap they get one litre of honey, though it's not really a honey but a syrup used in making biscuits, white goats cheese and liquor shots (grappa plus palm honey). The dates of these palms are only eaten by goats as they are bitter and have little flesh.

No time was provided to us for visiting San Sebastián but I bought a picture book about Gomera and architecturally the houses look similar to those in Santa Cruz de la Palma from yesterday. Nor did I get a photo with the name of the town in it, if it indeed exists. Back on board, I had lunch and listed to a talk on Funchal, though I admit I fell asleep during it at times. Then I washed my hair and wrote up today's tour. It was my last day in the Canaries and I was truly disappointed not to have seen any canaries on any of its islands. I think the bird I photographed above is an ordinary sparrow.

  

Saturday, December 31, 2022: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

The last day of 2022 and one of exercise. After breakfast, I joined a tour whereby we would be walking along 3 or 4 miles of levadas in a town next to Funchal called Camara de Lobo to Ribeiro Grande (I think). It wasn't strenuous as it was level walking beside the cemented gullies that carried water to agricultural crops and homes on the hillsides. There was a bit of flora and fauna to photograph but otherwise nothing remarkable although we did meet (and photograph) the levadeiro, the old man that looks after the levadas and checks them every day for a princely sum of 800 euros per month. It's not surprising no one wants to take over his job nor that, like the Canaries, agriculture is on the way out as it is hard work for little pay. Funchal is the capital of Madeira and the town we walked through, I believe we were told, is the second largest town on Madeira.

At the end of the walk, our driver picked us up and took us back to Camera de Lobo where we went to a café and had coffee and pastries, including pasteis de nata but not Madeira cake! Then we had a half hour to walk around this small fishing port town, which had nothing much to photograph, with its church and a large crèche displayed on the town square. Some of us asked to be dropped in Funchal on the way back to the ship instead of being taken back to the ship. A 78-year-old fit hiker called Mike, a retired industrial chemist from Chester, and I walked through the harbourfront area, along a shopping street, through the main public park, to see some young girls in costume providing music and dancing, a band playing beside an epitaph, along the fairgrounds and to a castle. We then turned back and walked all the way back to the ship.

   
   

I then had a nap, a shower, changed to formal wear, went to the cocktail party where the Scottish hotel manager recited Robbie Burns' Ode to a Haggis. It was later pointed out to me by a Scot that this poem had nothing to do with New Year's Eve and instead is related to Robbie Burns Day on January 25. Then to the formal dining room for a nothing special meal where we were provided with hats and noise-makers.

Next, I went to hear the classical English chanteuse, through whose performance I managed to stay awake this time. Back to my cabin to change and grab my cameras, and up to deck 9 where I sat on a deck chair with an 89-year-old widow to watch the New Years' Eve fireworks, which I videoed and photographed. I then got talking to a couple of lecturers and when they left, went down to deck 8 and danced with my Liverpudlian tablemate's group. That ended at 1:30 or so and I was heading to bed when I was dragged off to the disco by Hazel, a Scotswoman, whom I had met playing Baggo the other day. I sat with her group and talked to a retired policeman from East London, Andy. I finally returned to my cabin at 3 a.m..

  

Sunday, January 1, 2023: On board Borealis

I wanted to sleep in but as I had an appointment with the Future Cruise desk at 10, I couldn't. So I was up at 9:30 but this meant I missed breakfast despite it bring prolonged until 10:30. I learned that both the Borealis I am on now and the Bolette were bought from Holland America and used to bear the names Rotterdam and Amsterdam respectively.

I finished in time for the 11:00 a.m. trivia game but did not do well. Then I came back to my cabin to write up yesterday's tour and had a small lunch in the upstairs restaurant. Next, I went to a talk on photography tips at 2:00, the second concert of piano and clarinet by Ben and Tyler at 3:00, and a lecture on Vasco da Gamba at 4:00. As it is definitely showing that there is no train from Liverpool to Heathrow on January 5 (due to a train strike), I went to the future cruise girl, Adela, again to ask about the bus schedule explaining again my difficulty getting internet and not wanting to book anything through my phone. She offered to book it for me but I did not have my credit card handy and she said, come by any time. She was there until after the comedian show, which I recognised (perhaps he had given the same show on another ship!) but still I didn't have my credit card with me, so I decided to take it with me as I walk around the ship tomorrow.

Monday, January 2, 2023: On board Borealis

The clock was moved an hour forward to be on Spanish time, so I just managed to get to breakfast before it closed. I saw that Adela was at her desk but when I came out of the excellent Ask the Captain session, she was gone and when I asked at the reception desk was told her hours were from 3:00 to 6:00 this afternoon. I then went to the photo department to ask about getting some head shots for my website and they were amenable at a charge of 12 pounds per purchased digital file. If I buy two on different backgrounds that should still be equivalent to the head shots I got at the ATA in 2019. I arranged to go back at 6 p.m.

I updated my blog and then just before 3 p.m. left to listen to a lecturer talk about his adventure travel. Apparently he's written a book about it so it's a way of selling his book. When I came out of the lecture, Adela was free, so I booked the coach ticket to London Heathrow and she printed out some information for me. I met Hazel and her husband on coming out and they told me they'd seen me at the future cruise desk and was I booking something. I said I had already booked and they told me they were planning to do the round-the-world cruise on Borealis in 2024!

I sat and read in the lounge for a while then went to the cabin to collect a couple of tops and then went to have the photo shoot. Although I had previously talked to the Indonesian head photographer who seemed to know what he was doing, when I went back, I was stuck with a bit of a beginner, who had no clue about posing his subject, and refused to change the backgrounds for the shoot. Moreover, he had trouble setting up the lighting what with the reflection in my glasses, so I am really not sure what the results will be like. Nevertheless, if I understand correctly, I am under no obligation to buy and shan't unless I am totally happy with his work.

Upstairs to dinner and then to the company show. One of the female singers was missing, though they did not comment as to why. They were singing hit songs from the 1980s, half of which were unfamiliar to me. Mike and his wife Elizabeth sat next to me and I had to remind Mike who I was.

Tuesday, January 3, 2023: A Coruña, Galicia, Spain (with a tour to Santiago de Compostela)

I had set my alarm so was up for breakfast then to a lounge for the tour. We had an hour-long bus ride from A Coruña to Santiago de Compostela with a guide called Carlos, who explained about the history between the UK and Galicia, various kings etc. When we arrived in Santiago, the bus parked at the bus station, and we all got out and used the washrooms there. Then we walked along the UK entry into the Cathedral square and after various more explanations - we were wearing whisperers after exiting the toilets - we entered the cathedral via the museum shop and in the museum saw and photographed a few statues and relics. Then into the cathedral itself along the nave and to the altar. We did not see the incense container being swung because it was not a special celebration. One can have it swung privately but it costs 500 euros. We also went beneath the crypt to view the silver box in which St. James's bones are said to lie, after being secreted away for several hundred years or so, according to legend.

   
  
  
  

After exiting the cathedral, we were given free time for 45 minutes and I wandered along the streets of the old town photographing whatever caught my eye but did not buy anything though I was surprised there were not more markings of the camino in the old town. I asked one shopkeeper in Spanish where I might find one and she told me she hadn't a clue! Met back with the others on time, walked back to the bus station, returned our whisperers, used the washroom again, and it was only at that time when we were handed maps of the town and area. The tour guide was impressed by my Spanish and told me that surely I had studied it in Spain and not South or Central America, so I confirmed that fact.

We then had another hour bus ride back into A Coruña and were dropped off at the ship. I then turned back toward the town to photograph, and wandered into its old town, through a garden, and along the harbour, photographing in great light. I was unable to photograph two lovely and colourful magpies, but I did manage to get one of a cormorant though not with my long lens. It kept diving into the water and disappearing. In any case, I felt I'd done both places justice and would not need to return to either in the future.

  
  

Back on board just before 3:30, I changed into evening clothes, and had tea time up in the informal restaurant for the first time. Two pots of tea! I suppose I was dehydrated. Then I did various things such as fill out various tour critiques for the shore excursions department. Then at 6:00 I went to the photo department to view the photos that had been chosen from the dozens taken and photoshopped. There were eight so I bought all for the price of six and asked for the digital files to be both e-mailed to me and saved to my usb stick.

Next I went to the Captain's farewell cocktail, and then to the formal dining room with the usual four, and dropped my things in my cabin before going to the crew show. This consisted of dancers (the engine room eight, the deck crew eight, five Thai girls - though one may have been a boy), eight Filipino folk dancers, and three Filipino solo singers, as well as Hugo, the Caribbean man from the entertainment crew, who sang Day-Oh.

Wednesday, January 4, 2023: On board Borealis

Up for a late breakfast at 10:00 then to a lecture on 175 years of Fred Olsen shipping, which was informative. The Olsens are also owners of several wind turbine farms and Timex, and thus not short of a bob or two. Clearly they are not in great need of my hard-earned cash! I returned to my cabin to catch up on e-mails and download photos. I then worked on a translation, had tea again since I had skipped lunch and would be having a late dinner, and packed. In fact, I did not leave my cabin until the evening's entertainment, which was an excellent show of singing and dancing once again to Beatles tunes, followed by dinner in the formal dining room. The captain also announced during teatime that we would not be arriving at 6:00 a.m. in Liverpool as previously scheduled due to a British navy ship still occupying our berth. Instead, we would arrive at 8:00. The first people off (which included me with my own suitcases) wouldn't be able to leave until 9:00 instead of 7:00. However, that was better for me because it meant we had an extra hour or so of sleep and I had been planning to get off the ship at 9:00 anyway.

Thursday, January 5, 2023: Liverpool to London Heathrow, England

Up at 7:00 and after my shower, up to breakfast. I left my cabin on the dot of 8:00 and waited in the main lounge until 9:00. Then I rolled my suitcases off the boat and continued rolling them down the waterfront until I saw the Hilton Hotel and turned inland to reach the One Bus station. Leaving my bags with a fellow passenger, who had taken a taxi to the bus station, I found a toilet at a nearby Starbucks since John Lewis, the department store also in the vicinity, was not open to the public until 10:00. That taken care of, I chatted to the passenger and then we were joined by the woman on the ship who had offered me the maps of the Canaries and Lisbon near the beginning of the cruise. We were originally scheduled, we realised, to be taking the same bus to London that stopped at Birmingham, but in light of the train strike, there were now two coaches, one for Birmingham and the other for London Victoria. En route to London, there was a stop at a gas station somewhere off the highway for us to use the washrooms and buy lunch, which we were invited to eat in the coach. Not stopping at Birmingham meant that I got into London about an hour earlier than scheduled. The bus station offered to change my ticket to an earlier bus to Heathrow for an extra five pounds but I didn't mind waiting. I finally got onto the LHR bus at dusk and arrived 50 minutes later but I still had to get to the taxi stand and take a black taxi to the hotel across the street for 13 pounds(!) as I had no more patience to wait for a cheaper (and slower) bus. I am finally in my room, having bought a voucher for breakfast tomorrow morning. I washed up and went down to their restaurant for an unnecessarily expensive chicken burger (CDN$40.00+)! Then I watched some British TV.

Friday, January 6, 2023: London Heathrow to Vancouver, B.C., Canada

I did some final packing after a nice breakfast, and waited for the bus that collects from several hotels for 6 pounds. Had I known in advance it would take an hour to visit all the hotels, I may have opted for another taxi, but I wanted to use up my leftover British coins and was still able to check in for my flight in plenty of time and register my bigger suitcase, which weighed surprisingly less than the maximum allowed. Then, as I had about a two-hour wait to find my gate, I browsed some of the shops but found nothing I wanted for the two pounds and tuppence I had left in UK sterling. Once on the plane for an uneventful direct flight to Vancouver, I finished watching the series I had started on my Air Canada plane last month (last year), Staircase, which was very good. I arrived in Vancouver 4ish and took a taxi home.