Madeira

4/22-Land ho!! We finally made landfall after 7 days at sea, arriving at Funchal, Madeira, which is part of a small group of islands, belonging to Portugal. Funchal is a very pretty and interesting place to explore. We did a lot of walking, took a gondola ride up the mountain, where we boarded a "basket on skids" and rode down halfway down the mountain road with two locals controlling the descent, an experience not to be missed. The road is steep, sometimes winding, and the "brakes" are provided by the rubber heels of the two men. (picture a dog sled with the dogs behind you). We walked the rest of the way to town and had lunch, followed by more walking through the pedestrian streets and old town. All in all, a good day, and weather was very nice (think San Diego). Today is another day at sea, with one more time change (our sixth since leaving Fort Lauderdale, and now we are 9 hours later than California). We've both decided that we prefer jet lag to boat lag!!