FOLLOW THE BIG YELLOW BUS

October 9, 2017

We were very pleased when we walked off the ship this morning and found that there were free shuttles to downtown Funchal.  Otherwise it was a mile plus hike or a 7.50 euro taxi ride.

Pleasant surprise number two: Funchal now has hop on hop off buses.  Actually they have two companies and we chose the Big Yellow Bus.  For 14 euros you could ride one of their routes and for 16 euros you could ride two routes.  We, of course, picked two and saw a lot of the island from the upper level of the bus.  Nice day.  Nice weather.  Gentle breeze.

In between buses we went slumming at McDonalds.  We went in to get milkshakes and got hamburgers in addition.  As unappetizing here, as back home, but a quick lunch.

And after the second ride we wandered around downtown, purchased gelattos and walked back to the shuttle.  We started to get on and the driver frowned at us and shook his finger, “No. No.”  How rude.  So we sat on a bench, finished our gelattos and waited for another shuttle. 

We are overnight here, so tomorrow we will go back into town for a little more exploring.

I’m tired tonight, so I will let Bonnie tell you about this evening’s show on the World Stage.

TTFN

HiDeHo!!

Up at 5 am and back to bed at 6:30!  We docked later than expected because the port wasn’t ready for us. Finally in dock at 8:30. We didn’t get off till 10. There were 4 cruise ships in dock. Two as big or bigger than us and one slightly smaller. That means anywhere from 8,000-10,000 people. Oh wow. Had a good time riding the buses seeing a lot of the island.

The show tonight was outstanding. It is called “Frozen Planet Live” and is produced by the BBC. The ships band and its orchestra played the musical score for the film. It was incredible. It was all about the Arctic and the Antarctic. The scenery and wild life were unbelievable. If it is every on TV you need to watch it.

After the show we went up to the top on the ship in the Crow’s Nest lounge on deck 12 and played cards. The view was amazing. You could see the island and all the lights of the night. There is no curfew tonight, though the shuttles stop running at midnight. We will visit a park that is way up and overlooks the harbor tomorrow. Then, I saw a shop on up the street from there where they show how the embroidery that Madeira is famous for is hand made. I would like to see it being made. I have seen many example of it in the shops. They have beautiful hankies and sachets, and dresser scarves and much more.

Only walked 1.7 miles today have made 3 miles every other day.

Well, goodnight to you all.

Love Mom, Granny and Bonnie