E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

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HK phooey
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E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

#1

Post by HK phooey »

I had intended to day a daily blog on this cruise but as the P & O site went down very early in the cruise I only managed to post one short report. I think I left off just before the CC meet so I shall continue from there;
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 :D 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 :lol: 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.

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oldbluefox
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Re: E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

#2

Post by oldbluefox »

Pleased to see you back and posting again. Thanks for the report and since this is Part 1 we look forward to the next instalments.

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Romig1
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Re: E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

#3

Post by Romig1 »

Top blogging Barbara.

I'm liking the little 'un's style! :)

I've heard good reports about the taxi drivers in Madeira before...good that you got to see something different.

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Debbie W
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Re: E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

#4

Post by Debbie W »

Sounds great so far Barbara. I'm not so sure I'd have been brave enough to go on the glass platform full stop :sick:

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jacksparrow
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Re: E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

#5

Post by jacksparrow »

Have a super time..... looking forward to hearing about the Caribbean when you get there.... leave some sunshine behind for me... :crazy:
The pesky scarfaced pirate

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Romig1
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Re: E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

#6

Post by Romig1 »

Jack....Barbara returned home last week!

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HK phooey
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Re: E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

#7

Post by HK phooey »

I'm back Jacko, got home on Wednesday just doing a belated report :)

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jacksparrow
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Re: E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

#8

Post by jacksparrow »

Derrr... my brain hurts. I wondered how she was able to do it from the ship....... :-(


Sorry..... hope you had good weather.... :roll:
The pesky scarfaced pirate

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arrbee
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Re: E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

#9

Post by arrbee »

[quote="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 :D 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[/quote]

And I was there too but don't think we got a chance to chat!! Agree that Brenda was badly let down. Not sure what the CD had against us but she had emailed them and spoke to Cheryl Ann but was told they were "too busy" to help.

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Jan Rosser
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Re: E301 -Caribbean Translantic (part 1)

#10

Post by Jan Rosser »

Thanks for the report Barbara - looking forward to the next instalment.
Janis

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