Madeira
We stepped out of the National Geographic Endeavour into a cool, fresh morning. Some opted for the short or long walk offered high in the scenic mountains along some of the famous Lavadas (man-made water troughs which bring water from the wetter region to the lower drier agricultural zones. Most, however, opted for the drive up to Funchal's famed Botanical Garden. Madeira has a mineral-rich volcanic soil and a mild climate that are perfect for vegetation, which was evident to us as we entered the beautiful gardens.
Some plants were native; others had been imported from both South America and Africa, particularly South Africa, including the island's floral symbol... the bird-of-paradise. We wandered over dark, pebble walkways among the unusual trees, blooming cacti (see photo), floating water plants and many vividly-colored flowers. The gardens were tiered and we started at the top, working our way down. Part way we found sculpted topiaries and geometric designs made entirely of complementary-colored plants. We were delighted to find an unexpected aviary at the bottom of the gardens. The collection included many varieties of squawking, brightly-hued parrots, as well as lovebirds, peafowl, starlings and others.
When we left the gardens, we again boarded the coach for a ride to the fishing village of Caniçel where we visited the Whale Museum. There was an enormous sperm whale lower jaw on display, along with models of historic whale boats and information on the industry. From a combination of a short video and a talk from Jim Kelly, we learned everything about the whaling process from the shore watch, the race in the whaling boat to the animal, the fight, which Jim referred to as "the closest thing to a fair fight" in whaling, to whale products.
We later dined on a leisurely lunch in a local restaurant that included tuna, Portuguese wines and the curious fried corn cubes to which we had been introduced at the previous evening's dinner. After lunch we stopped at the Wine Lodge to hear the history of Madeira wines, view the giant wine casks and taste some wine samples.
When we returned to the ship we repositioned closer to Ilhas Desertas, a small, uninhabited volcanic island to the South of Madeira. We took Zodiac cruises to get a closer look at the island's astonishingly rugged, colorful and striated volcanic cliffs where we saw columnar basalt, dikes and orange-colored ash deposits.
Upon returning to the ship we were treated to a Scandinavian dinner that included various fish dishes, crayfish and lamb. Then we crashed. It was a long, good day.
We stepped out of the National Geographic Endeavour into a cool, fresh morning. Some opted for the short or long walk offered high in the scenic mountains along some of the famous Lavadas (man-made water troughs which bring water from the wetter region to the lower drier agricultural zones. Most, however, opted for the drive up to Funchal's famed Botanical Garden. Madeira has a mineral-rich volcanic soil and a mild climate that are perfect for vegetation, which was evident to us as we entered the beautiful gardens.
Some plants were native; others had been imported from both South America and Africa, particularly South Africa, including the island's floral symbol... the bird-of-paradise. We wandered over dark, pebble walkways among the unusual trees, blooming cacti (see photo), floating water plants and many vividly-colored flowers. The gardens were tiered and we started at the top, working our way down. Part way we found sculpted topiaries and geometric designs made entirely of complementary-colored plants. We were delighted to find an unexpected aviary at the bottom of the gardens. The collection included many varieties of squawking, brightly-hued parrots, as well as lovebirds, peafowl, starlings and others.
When we left the gardens, we again boarded the coach for a ride to the fishing village of Caniçel where we visited the Whale Museum. There was an enormous sperm whale lower jaw on display, along with models of historic whale boats and information on the industry. From a combination of a short video and a talk from Jim Kelly, we learned everything about the whaling process from the shore watch, the race in the whaling boat to the animal, the fight, which Jim referred to as "the closest thing to a fair fight" in whaling, to whale products.
We later dined on a leisurely lunch in a local restaurant that included tuna, Portuguese wines and the curious fried corn cubes to which we had been introduced at the previous evening's dinner. After lunch we stopped at the Wine Lodge to hear the history of Madeira wines, view the giant wine casks and taste some wine samples.
When we returned to the ship we repositioned closer to Ilhas Desertas, a small, uninhabited volcanic island to the South of Madeira. We took Zodiac cruises to get a closer look at the island's astonishingly rugged, colorful and striated volcanic cliffs where we saw columnar basalt, dikes and orange-colored ash deposits.
Upon returning to the ship we were treated to a Scandinavian dinner that included various fish dishes, crayfish and lamb. Then we crashed. It was a long, good day.
