Brenda (Sunsetsail) had arranged this meet to be held in Le Club at midday on the second sea day. I dragged Paul along with me in case there were any Degsy fans there that might try to kill me
Brenda was badly served by P & O here as firstly the seating area she had requested was already being used so we all ended up sitting at 2 sides of a long table making chatting with anyone but those directly next to you or opposite very awkward. Also, and more disturbingly, the bar wasn't open! Anyhow, we eventually got a drink and all had a bit of a chat. Also present were Mr Tipps, Wigan Warrior, Heather and Doreen, a self confessed lurker, and her husband Graham. Doreen and me got on like a house on fire and I'm hoping she will come out of hiding and start posting! Thanks to Brenda for organising it, she is a lovely lady.Our first port was Madeira, 4 days into the cruise and a beautifully sunny day. Having done the toboggans before and again arriving on a Sunday when everything is closed we decided just to hop on the shuttle bus into town and have a bit of a mooch. Fortunately for us we met a taxi driver called Josef who persuaded us to take a tour of the island. We drove way up into the hills and eventually stopped at the top of a cliff that had an 1100 metre drop. The views were breathtaking and we were lucky to get there early as once the mist rolls in around midday you can't see a thing. We also went to Cabo Girão, a sea cliff that has a fairly new glass viewing platform. It is quite something to stand on this, 560 metres above sea level and watch the birds fly beneath you. I was wary of stepping out onto the glass as it is so high but didn't want to miss it and so took the plunge. At this point our 8 year old decided to jump up and down on the glass "to see if it would hold". A dozen people ran off in search of an emergency change of undercrackers
Next stop a lovely cafe ovelooking the sea for a glass of wine and a call home to check the dog and chickens were ok. We drove back down the mountains and arrived at Camara de Lobos a delightful little fishing village that Winston Churchill used to visit for painting holidays. After a look round and a visit to the little church we had another cheeky wine and then back to the ship. This was a wonderful day and Madeira is one of the most beautiful places I've seen.
