Monday, April 23rd we were in Cadiz, Spain. Many people use Cadiz as a gateway to Seville but it is a long bus or train ride so we decided to do what we did the last time we were here and the thing we like to do best - walk around town. We started by exploring the old fortress.
The day was so sunny and warm that we ran back to the ship to shed our warmer clothes before walking across the city to the Roman Amphitheater. Is there anywhere in Europe where the Roman's did not build an amphitheater?
We then continued along the seaside until we came to a spot for tapas and sangria, of course.
After that we had to visit the Botanical Garden so I could take the required photo of Linda with the cacti. Then one more garden stop to replicate a photo from 2010.
By the time we returned to the ship, the pedometer said we had walked about 9 miles - a great day.
Tuesday, we were in Lisbon and again chose to do our favorite thing - walk! We were docked right below the Alfama which is a wonderful neighborhood on a hill with old tiled buildings. After a bit of a climb we came to a coffee spot overlooking the river. Linda had her, now favorite, cortado, and a pastel de nata - a delicious little custard pastry that is popular in Lisbon.
Walking around Alfama we admired the tiled buildings and we also found that on some streets they had posted pictures of the older residents who lived there. How charming!
We finished our day by walking down to the main square, Praca do Comercio, by the river to indulge in some lunch and some shopping.
Yes, I said shopping. Normally we don't shop but today I bought a cork baseball cap and a pair of Portuguese shoes. Victor Conceciao, one of the Oceania GM's, told us that Portuguese shoes are the best in the world so I could not resist giving them a try. It was another wonderful long day of walking.
After a day at sea, we were in Funchal on Thursday. This was probably our fourth visit to Funchal. This time we decided to visit the Botanical Garden (surprise, surprise). This involved trips on 2 cable cars to get there. The garden was nice though we were a bit early for most of the spring flowers.
After coming back down, we walked through the market in Funchal with a stop for a cortado and pastry, of course. They are celebrating their 600th anniversary in Funchal so the city was lively and colorfully decorated.
Back on board Riviera, we participated in a knife skills class. It was very informative and now we know the proper way to hold and use knives. For most of the class we were still docked and only one of the students cut himself. I am now ready to slice, dice, and julienne!
Then it was off to three ports in the Canary Islands - the topic of my next blog entry.
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