Thursday, November 21, 2019

our 22nd country (give or take a few)

Like a slightly tipsy pig wallowing in the atlantic we left the city lights of Lisbon behind. I was in the theatre watching an entertaining show and feeling like I was in another universe. The green lights on the stage accentuated the otherworldly feeling. Day after day of being disconnected from reality is starting to take its toll. Each day is remarkably the same yet absolutely different. 

Every morning starts with flinging open the curtains to reveal a new landscape. The day is spent walking and driving around seeing new places that are nothing like home. A return to the ship is not a return to reality, but instead a step into another bubble disconnected from the real world. 

But I’m having a great time.



Lisbon is a city that we’ve added to our ‘visit again’ list. It’s a beautiful city full of history. Our day started with grey skies and ended in a glorious blue. It was the warmest day that we’ve had since leaving Canada.

Our bus took us on a circular tour of the old city, passing through large squares and traversing countless round-a-bouts. Lining the street were old buildings with shops on the ground level and apartments above. Some were clad in colourful tiles. There were many areas that I would have loved to jump off the bus to walk around.




Eventually we ended at the Monument to the Discoveries statue, a giant monolith jutting towards the water.


From there is was a short bus ride to the Maritime Museum. It was housed in a beautiful old building that had been a monastery, a tall tower jutting into the sky. From there we had a few minutes for a quick espresso - we’ve had one in almost every town we’ve been in.



It was a short walk to the adjacent church with it’s amazing architecture. I haven’t counted the churches and cathedrals we’ve been but it’s been a few. They are starting to meld into one large building with a dome. Except Sagrada Familia - it stands out. I guess St. Peters too.




Back at the ship we quickly got ready for supper starting with a stop at the excursion desk - I realized that our tour in Madeira didn’t have a stop at a Madeira winery! Such an oversight!

We had supper with Bonnie and Mike again tonight. They are Republicans, but okay regardless 😉
The show tonight featured two Scottish guys that played the fiddle, accordion, piano, and guitar. They excelled at Celtic music. After that we stopped at ‘Take 5’, the Jazz bar, for some cranberry juice. I’ve discovered that I prefer Celtic over Jazz. 




Tomorrow is a sea day 😊 

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