We were not supposed to visit this city but because of the cancellation of the visit to Senegal it became today’s destination. It is the capital of Cape Verde and is located on the southern tip of Santiago Island which is located in the southern part of the Cape Verde chain. The population is about 160,000. The island was discovered in 1460, but Praia dates to about 1615, still quite old by any US standards. A bit of trivia: Praia was the first stop of Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle in 1832.
It was a Sunday so things were pretty quiet in Praia as we walked through the downtown area. It was not a quaint as Mindelo, but since it is the political capital of Cape Verde I was not surprised. There really was not much to see here.
I think we have every bus in Praia here to take us around!
Our local guide explaining the island of Santiago.
Walking down a pedestrian only street in Praia. It was very quiet as it was Sunday morning.
The main square in Praia. As is typical in all these cities, it is surrounded by a church and government buildings.
The local cathedral of Praia, located on a corner of the main square.
A door in Praia.
A unique doorknob that caught my eye.
The sidewalk designs made with pebbles is reminiscent of those in Lisbon. It is obvious this was created by the Portuguese.
One of the colonial government buildings on the square.
View of the expansive beach near the harbor.
Row of cannons that once protected the town.
Another government building in the harbor area.
We returned to the bus and proceeded to drive away from the city. The landscape became pretty barren and there seemed to be only one road leading to the northern end of the island. Our immediate goal was to visit the ruins of the Royal Fort Real de Sao Filipi which was built by the Portuguese from 1587-1593. It is located 120 meters above sea level and had a commanding view of the sea. Its purpose was to protect the town of Cidade Velha from roaming pirates like Sir Francis Drake.
The barren scenery as we left Praia.
The Royal Fort of Sao Filipi located on the hill above Cidade Velha.
The, now dry, river valley located next to the fort. Slaves used to carry water from the river up to the fort for storage.
Slaves were put in these deep pits when being punished for some infraction.
Walking around the ruins of the fort.
The view of the town, Cidade Velha, below from the fort.
The cistern inside the fort used to store water.
Closer view of the large cistern used to store water for the fort.
My attempt to make an artistic photograph.
After visiting the fort we we drove down to the village of Cidade Velha which was the first settlement in Cape Verde and its original capital. It dates back to 1462. Furthermore it is considered to be the first European colonial settlement in the tropics.
Cidade Velha’s port was a stopping place for two great navigators: Vasco da Gama in 1497, on his way to India, and Christopher Columbus in 1498, while on his third voyage to the Americas. In 1522, it was the stopping place for the later explorer Ferdinand Magellan, sailing for Spain, on his way to circumnavigate the world.
We walked along what some say is the oldest (dating back to the 1400s) street in the tropics created by the Europeans, Rue de Banana, to see the old stone homes, the cobble stone streets and the 15th century church. It was certainly nicer than the walk through downtown Praia.There are reminders of the slave trade that occurred here, including the 1495 built church where slaves were supposedly baptized before being sold as slaves in the town square. The area sure has a lot of history to share. After the walking tour of the area and church we had some free time to spend at a local outdoor restaurant/bar that offered food, drink, and recorded local music. One of the passengers even danced with the waitress.
The main square in Cidade Velha.
The Pelourinho monument, a sign of power, was installed in 1512 or 1520. It is where slaves were chained if they were being punished.
Street sign for Rue de Banana.
Houses along Rue Banana, the oldest street in colonial Africa.
Our guide stopped to talk to this elderly lady. He said it was the thing to do in their society.
Local kids coming from church services.
A door in Cidade Velha.
The church in Cidade Velha that dates back to the 15th century. Slaves were brought here to be baptized before being sold as slaves.
The original chapel of the church.
The baptismal font where slaves were baptized.
The restaurant/bar we visited in Cidade Velha during a rest stop.
It was then back to the ship for the rest of the afternoon.
We returned to our ship to find a cargo ship docked next door.
Silly golf putting competition on board the ship.
We had dinner reservations at the specialty restaurant, Prime 7, which specializes in steak dishes. We had said we would love to share a table and tonight, we were seated with a lovely couple from NYC, Marvin and Julie. Needless to say the conversation revolved a lot around what life in NYC was like.
A roasted tomato soup served as an amuse-bouche.
I chose the steak & lobster entree this evening as we ate in Prime 7, the steakhouse.
A delicious fresh fruit with crème fraiche dessert.
The entertainment this evening was a show by the Production Staff singers called Broadway in Concert. I am always impressed by the singers as most seem to be from the UK with strong English accents. However, when they sing you would swear they were from the USA. I asked one of them how they did that and was told they all listen to a lot of US singers and simply pick up the accents from them.
The lovely lady singers of the production staff.
Sophie is from the UK but when she sings you would swear she was American.
Tomorrow we will have a day at sea, on our way to Gambia.
The Cape Verde island chain.The countdown begins! Cape Verde is country #97 on my Countries Visited List.
Cape Verde is a group of 10 islands located 600-850 km off the most western point of Africa. It was uninhabited until the Portuguese landed there in the 15th century and claimed it. Because of its location it played prominently in the slave trade and later the commercial trade routes to the West. The total current population is 561,000 and 85% of the people are Christian. It achieved independence in 1975 and is considered a stable democracy. The official language is still Portuguese but Creole is commonly spoken amongst the inhabitants.
The Cape Verde island chain.
Mindelo is the port city on the island of Sao Vicente, with a population of about 70,000. It is noted for its culture, music and nightlife. It was first settled in 1793 by the Portuguese. It is known for its elaborate carnival celebrations and our local guide claimed theirs was second to the one in Brazil in size and grandeur. I find that hard to believe as there are many other big carnival celebrations in the world. Surprisingly Mindelo, even with its small size, is considered the cultural capital of Cape Verde.
Docking in Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands
Another view of the harbor.
The staff put new covers on the deck chairs each morning!
We had signed up for a 4 hour cultural tour of the city. It was basically a walking tour of the harbor area and nearby markets (fish, vegetable ), several surprisingly interesting art galleries and finally some free time in the local crafts market. The tour ended in a local bar/restaurant where we were entertained by local musicians and dancers who performed a series of local dances while we were served some snacks and drinks. I was surprised at the music, thinking it would be very African in nature. Not so, as it reminded us both of Latin America with a heavy emphasis on merengue-type melodies. I liked it! After the long tour we had taken in the Canary Islands the four hour tour proved to be just right! We were back on the ship in time for a shower and cocktails before dinner.
Our local tour guide, Humberto, explaining the meaning of their flag.
Blue on top represents the sky, white-peace, red-blood and bottom blue-the sea. The stars represent the number of islands in the chain.
Small but decent tour buses.
Artwork along the waterfront.
A famous Cape Verde singer, Caesaria Evora
Local art in a gallery.
This is actually a costume worn during festivals.
Colorful buildings in Mindelo.
The mountain in the background is called the reclining old man. Do you see him?
My “artsy” picture of the day.
Ladies selling the morning catch. 30 cents a cleaned fish.
Inside the fish market.
A vegetable market. Most things are locally grown.
Pigeons waiting for a handout while sitting on top of an eatery.
City street in Mindelo. It was a Sunday so it was pretty quiet.
Yvonne buys a local memory.
Local restaurant here.
A door in Mindelo.
The local cathedral. Pope Paul II said mass here in 1990.
Mural showing how women carry fish to/from the market.
View of the harbor from the highest point in the city.
Views from the highest point in Mindelo. The white sand beach was created by dredging sand from the sea and redepositing it on top of the original black sand beach.
We had dinner with Jose and Maria, a couple from Madrid, Spain that I had met on an earlier tour. Later on in the evening we attended the show which was a joint show, featuring pianist, Chris Hamilton, and singer, Shimi Goodman. Several years ago they collaborated and created the show we saw this evening.
Cocktails before dinner.
The lounge duo from Bulgaria.
Chris Hamilton and Shimi Goodman collaborated in a joint show tonight.
Tomorrow we were supposed to be in Senegal which got cancelled and will, instead, be visiting another city in the Cape Verde chain, Praia, the capital city of Cape Verde, located on the island of Santiago.
The day brought some bad news from the Captain. We will not be going to Senegal because the harbor is too busy with commercial traffic. Bummer! There goes one of my new countries and it is highly unlikely (no, make that never likely) to be in the area to drop in for a visit. The captain said they are actively seeking an alternative port and will tell us more when the plans are completed.
Quick breakfast can be had at Coffee Connection where you can get freshly made expresso or americanos which we favor.
There are a variety of quick breakfast items at Coffee Connection also.
Some healthy choices also!
It was another typical day at sea – sleep late, eat, read, play on board ship games, eat some more, perhaps take a nap, play trivia, dress for cocktails and dinner, watch the entertainment show and go to bed! Not a bad way to spend the day.
In the afternoon I attended a sad, sobering lecture about the history of slave trade that dominated several centuries in this part of the world. It was a sad commentary about man and his sometimes inhuman actions.
A sobering lecture on the history of the slave trade.
On a brighter side an interesting event occurred today. At yesterday’s trivia contest, held at 10 AM, many of the participants, including us, complained that trivia has ALWAYS been at 4:30 PM on Regent cruises, not at 10 AM in the morning when it often competed with the on-board lectures. John, the cruise director, who happened to be hosting the trivia event, said he would look into the situation and I, for one, was skeptical that they would change their schedules simply to accommodate us, but I was pleasantly surprised when today’s daily “Passages” newsletter showed up in our room last night with trivia positioned at 4:30 PM. Impressive! We did good once again, coming in at 2nd place.
Later in the day the captain announced we would now be visiting another island in the Cape Verde chain before spending a day at sea (flipping the earlier itinerary where we were to spend a day at sea before visiting Senegal) and then returning to the original itinerary. Available tours at the new port of call, Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, would be posted to our rooms this evening. I was amazed that they were able to do this on such short notice but I am sure this is not the first time things like this have happened. And sure enough we found a printed list of tours we could take when we visit Praia.
The show this evening was an absolute hilarious comedian/magician named John Lenahan from the UK. The humor was fabulous and really overshadowed the pretty mundane magic tricks. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and hope he does another on this cruise.
John Lanahan, a very funny comedian who also did some magic tricks as part of his act.
Tomorrow we will be visiting Mindelo on the Cape Verde island of Santa Cruz de La Palma as originally planned.
Today was the first of back-to-back sea days. This cruise is actually well paced with only one or two ports visited before having another sea day or two. I had planned to try to catch up a bit on my blogs and Yvonne has discovered a great read that is commanding her attention (Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan). I also plan to try to add to my collection of Regent Reward cards by participating in some of the wacky contests that go on regularly through the day.
We did go to the morning trivia contest and ended up joining (to our good fortune) two other couples who were looking for some Americans to join them as they were from Australia and the UK. It worked to everyone’s benefit as we collected a second place prize, missing only one more answer than the winners.
Today the ship offered a special seafood extravaganza at the pool grill for lunch and we felt we should see what it entailed. There was a variety of grilled fish, grilled skewer combos of fish, lobster, squid, and scallops, plus sushi, paella, bouillabaisse, trays of chilled shrimp, pastry wrapped salmon, clams, oysters, etc, etc. We could not resist; we will grab a hamburger another day!
The seafood extravaganza at the pool for lunch. A variety of grilled seafood items and meat.
Pastry covered salmon.
During the afternoon while Yvonne read I participated in several “competitions” like crazy golf shots and a carpet version of Bocci Ball (called Carpet Bowls). Managed to make a couple of points to add to the collection.
Playing crazy golf to win Regent points. I did poorly today.
A new game I did not know anything about. It is like bocce but played on carpets with golf sized balls.
Another couple we met suggested we meet later that afternoon and try the “Name that Tune” trivia contest which we did. Apparently none of us remembered enough about some old tunes to allow us to make a decent showing.
Our “Name That Tune” team that did poorly,
At 6 PM there was a unique Regent event called the “Block Party” where you are invited to step outside your cabin with a wine glass to meet your neighbors as ship officers and staff pass through offering wine and canapés. It is a fine event that often lasts 45 minutes or so before people start wandering off for dinner. As it turned out one of the couples (neighbors) we met joined us for dinner and conversation after the event. He is a retired physician from Australia and we learned (much to Yvonne’s dismay) a lot about things we should see/do when we are in Australia!
The evening neighborhood block party begins.
The officers hurry through the ship greeting everyone along the way.
We ended up with dinner guests as a result of the party.
Could not resist getting the prime rib that was on tonight’s menu.
The evening show featured a new performer, Chris Hamilton, a pianist from the UK who entertained us with a variety of musical tunes. An interesting thing he did was ask people for names of tunes they would like to hear which he jotted down and proceeded to play a continuous montage of about a dozen requested tunes without pausing, an impressive demonstration.
Chris Hamilton, pianist, was the featured entertainer tonight.
Going for a nighttime stroll on the top deck after dinner
We are visiting two of the islands in the Canary Island chain, which is governed by Spain. This is the first one – Santa Cruz de la Palma. Santa Cruz is the capital of the island of La Palma with a population of about 16,000. The city dates back to 1492 and is the only major seaport on the island. La Palma is one of the 8 major islands that make up the Canary Island cluster where a total of 2.1 million people live. The islands lie about 100 km west of Morocco and are owned by Spain. La Palma lies on the western edge of the island cluster. La Palma is the 5th largest island in the chain and has a population of 85,840 of which 15,716 live in the port city of Santa Cruz de La Palma where we docked.
Map of the Canary Island chain. La Palma is on the left where the star is.
Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands.
Black sand beach right in the town of Santa Cruz.
We selected a shorter four hour tour called “Volcanoes and Wine” as our tour today. By the way, Regent offers a variety of free (included in the fare) tours at each port plus sometimes a couple of special ones you would have to pay extra for. Often there are too many tours to choose from; it is hard to decide which one to pick! On the way to the volcano we stopped at several viewpoints to see the coastline below and the dozens of cloth covered structures that protect the banana plants growing inside them. It turns out growing and exporting bananas is a major business in the Canary Islands. At the stops we also got to see the results of lava flows from the 17th eruption of San Antonio.
We are required to wear masks when on the bus. No other times are they required.
Lava field along the road.
Homes are typically located on the edge of a cliff, often below the road.
Looking down at the coast line. The white structures are covers over banana plantations.
Black sand beach formed by volacano flow.
A rather unique plant growing in the lava fields.
Our stop at the Bodega Teneguia winery was a bit of a disappointment. The literature brags about the special grape that is grown on the island, the Malvasia grape, which supposedly produces a “fruit saturated aromatic wine”. Unfortunately we were not given a taste of that wine at the winery; instead we were served an inexpensive white and red wine from their list of offerings.
The winery we visited.
A visit to a local winery, Teneguia.
The wines we tasted at Teneguia winery.
A door in Fuencaliente de La Palma.
The tour got better then as we soon reached the crater of the San Antonio volcano, a classic example to behold. Its last major eruption was in 1677 but there was a minor one in 1971. The crater is well formed and trails have been made along its edge for visitors to explore. The crater is about 1 km in diameter and 100m deep. A grove of pine tress has emerged at the bottom of the crater. The major 2021 volcano eruption on this island occurred to the south of San Antonio, but has been quiet since then. After a bit of hiking and picture taking we worked our way back to the ship.
San Antonio volcano from the air. The last major eruption was in 1677 although there was a minor eruption in 1971.
Path to the rim of the crater.
View of the crater at San Antonio volcano.
Better view of the crater showing the emerging pine tree forest at the bottom of the crater.
Selfie at the San Antonio crater.
Chart in the visitor center showing how volcano eruptions are migrating south over time.
Interesting statistics about the 2021 volcano eruption on the island.
Dinner this evening was scheduled to be at one of the “fancy” restaurants, Chartreuse, which features a French inspired menu. When we made reservations we indicated that we would like to share a table so we could meet some fellow travelers. As we waited to check in the couple in front of us (who had also indicated a willingness to share) asked if the table companions would be German. When told it was unlikely, they chose to then eat alone. As it turned out when we checked in we were told they would have been our table companions. Since there were no others currently scheduled at our dining time (they limit the number/hour) we ended up at a cozy table for two! Oh well, we tried to be friendly! Dinner was excellent but I still fault them for not having French onion soup on their menu; it just does not seem right to not offer it in a French restaurant!
Beef salad at Chartreuse.
Dover sole that was excellent.
Artistic dessert described as a Velvet Champagne Mousse, that reminded Yvonne of a marshmallow.
The evening show featured the second (and last) show by Lindsay Hamilton, who presented another spectacular, entertaining show.
Another entertaining performance by Lindsay Hamilton-new dress, new hairdo and new songs!
Tomorrow we will be visiting another island in the chain-Tenerife.
Our first of quite a few “days at sea” on this voyage. Actually they are a welcome addition to the schedule as they offer an opportunity to simply relax and enjoy the amenities on the ship. Of course, the cruise lines go out of their way to fill the daily schedule with things to do that conflict with the notion of simply relaxing! And I admit I am vulnerable to their often tempting offerings. There are lectures on various topics. There are games that offer the lure of winning points that can be used to claim coveted (?) Regent gifts at the end of the cruise. There are mind games like Mensa questions and the proverbial trivia contests. There are casino tournaments and dance lessons. Supposedly there is an exercise gym! There is a daily “tea time” at 4 PM. There is the spa and, of course, a sun deck and pool to gather some quality suntan time. Time will tell what happens to distract me from simply relaxing on a sea day during this trip!
Sunrise on our first sea day. Plenty of sun and calm seas.
The day we boarded the ship we immediately went to their well stocked library to grab a couple of books to read on the trip. Sad to say I have yet to be open my choices. Perhaps today will be the day to start.
There are multiple eating establishments for breakfast. There is the obvious “buffet” but Regent has elevated its stature by providing table cloths and sit down coffee service. There is an “order your own” eggs, waffles/ pancakes section with the freshly cooked items delivered to your table. There is the main dining room if you want a more quiet, serene atmosphere with menu service. There is the coffee cafe with a limited selection of commonly liked items and there is room service if you wish. We usually rotate venues, depending on the mood of the day. Today involved a trip to the buffet area.
We discovered a major scheduling faux pax on the part of the cruise line as they scheduled trivia at the same time as the lecture on Africa! We selected trivia today because we could watch the lecture on TV afterwards. Turned out to be a mistake as our team only got 8/15 questions correct, while the winning team got 13! Sample questions: What is the biggest member of the deer family? Which mammal has no vocal cords? What bone is a baby not born with? What is Shakespeare’s longest play? Answers: moose, giraffe, knee cap, and Hamlet! We missed them all!
Yvonne decided to try bingo and I went along to bring her luck, ha! Should have stayed away as there was none for us this day. I skipped the Texas hold-em and blackjack tournaments, figuring to save my money for one on one activity with the blackjack dealer later in the cruise. By the way, table stakes have now gone up to $10 minimum- inflation has also hit the casino! Or they simply figure if you can afford to be on this ship you can afford a bit more on the gaming tables.
Later that afternoon Yvonne read and I ended up walking a mile (I think) on the top deck of the ship. The reason I said I think is that because of the ship’s size it takes 7 laps to make a mile and I often lose count of what lap I am on as I walk!
Miniature golf.
The croquet course.
The pool.
Walking my mile on the top deck of the ship.
The afternoon lecture on explorers of the area.
Tonight was the official Captain’s welcome so we dressed up a bit and joined the others in the main theater where the captain introduced his staff as we were served cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. It’s amazing at how diverse the top staff is; they are from all over the world. The various ship entertainers then did quick numbers to showcase their talents and let us know what to expect while on the ship. In addition to these people the ship brings other entertainers on board at various intervals to provide additional entertainment. Lindsay Hamilton was an example of that. She will do two shows and then disembark the ship while others will embark along the way.
Captain Gianluca D’Amely Melodia , who obviously is Italian!
Captain Gianluca introducing his staff.
One of the production cast singers.
They are called the “Natural Duo” and they play in the lounges on the ship.
We introduced ourselves to the couple sitting next to us; they happened to be from Houston, TX. As the event ended we asked if they had dinner plans; they did not and agreed to continue our conversation over dinner at the restaurant that is set up each evening in the buffet area that specializes in Italian food. He was an executive with oil companies and they lived extensively overseas, including Singapore and Oman so the conversation included a lot of questions by us about their experiences there.
The evening show featured the production cast and focused on the age of Hollywood musicals. These ten young people come from the UK, Australia and New Zealand along with a few Americans. They are super talented and the costumes were elegant. It was a very good show.
The production cast doing a quick dance number for us.
Tomorrow we will be the first of our two stops in the Canary Islands, when we dock at Santa Cruz de la Palma.
November 13, 2022: Visiting the Algarve Region of Portugal
We experienced a first time event (for us) this morning. Due into the port of Portimao by 8AM we, instead, found ourselves stranded offshore in a dense fog! It was so foggy that the pilot guide was unwilling to come to our ship to guide us into the harbor! The captain apologized and said he would keep us posted. Guests were due to meet in the lounge to get their morning tour tickets, as many tours were slated to leave around that time, including our 7 hour tour of some of the villages in the Algarve region of Portugal. Needless to say the fog would change all those plans, or so I thought. Surprisingly about 45 minutes later the fog lifted enough to be escorted into the harbor and by 9AM we were instructed to come retrieve our tickets for the morning tours.
The seas last night were a bit rough and the ship did bounce around a bit. I found it soothing and slept soundly but Yvonne had trouble sleeping because of all the creaking and groaning of the ship so she begged off our scheduled tour and decided to simply rest for the day.
My tour was slated to explore some of the small towns on the interior of the Algarve region of Portugal. The Algarve province lies in the southern portion of Portugal, boardering the Atlantic Ocean. It is noted for its numerous beautiful sandy beaches, it’s golf courses and tourism in general. Although I later learned it is famous for some other things also. As is typical in this part of the world, it was first settled by the Phoenicians and later by the Romans. In the 8th century the moors arrived and ruled until 1189 when the Portuguese took over.
Our first stop was the small town of Silves, which was the capital of the Algarve region from 1249-1910. The reason for the stop was to visit the castle/ fortress of Silves, which is considered to be one of the best preserved Moorish fortifications in the area. Thought to have been built by the Romans, it was further developed by the Moors between the 8th and 13th centuries. As was common it is located at the top of the tallest hill in the area and involves an uphill walk on cobble stoned streets. A local guide led the way, periodically stopping to give us more information (and allowing us to catch our breath)!
Rebuilt medieval bridge leading into the town of Silves.
The main street leading up to the Silves castle.
The cathedral in Silves.
Entrance to the Moorish castle/fortress.
Sancho 1, King of Portugal, defeated the Moors at Silves in 1189.
Inside the Silves 8-12th century castle/fortress.
Looking out at the city. It was obvious why they built this castle at the highest point of the area.
View of Silves from inside the castle.
Remnants of the Moorish castle that stood here.
Part of the castle ruins.
Looking down at a massive cistern built by the Arabs to help them outlive a siege.
Original part of the cathedral that dates back to 1242.
Recent art put on display in the castle courtyard.
From there we continued driving north to the highest part of the area -an elevation of 900 meters. Along the way we first passed an area where carob trees grow and then later an area dominated by cork trees, which require a certain elevation to prosper, leading me to your lesson for the day-everything you wanted (or not) to know about cork trees! Cork comes from the bark of the cork tree. The bark is periodically cut from the tree and if done correctly will not kill the tree. A cork tree must be at least 25 years old before cork can be harvested. The cork bark is then cut from the lower portion of the tree, but it cannot be harvested again from the same tree for 9 years, and every 9 years thereafter. The first cutting of cork is not the greatest and is used for lesser products. The second and third cuttings (after 18 and 27 years) produces the best cork. After the third cutting the tree is “retired”. Obviously you need to be very patient to be a cork producer. Portugal claims to be the largest producer of cork in the world. We did have an opportunity to visit a local shop that sold cork products which ranged from trivets, to handbags, hats, shoes, belts and every product imaginable. I ended up buying a cork bookmark decorated with a hand painted fish that was made by a local artist.
Storks have occupied this area as their home and since they are a protected spices they cannot be chased away. There were dozens of nests in the area.
Sunday marketplace.
Local artist made this sculpture of old steel parts, like metal washers.
Look at the detail of this sculpture. It took a lot of effort to create it.
Guys doing what old guys usually do- sit around and talk. No women allowed.
A cork tree that was harvested in 2017 ( see number in trunk). They must wait until 2026 to harvest again so they do not kill the tree.
Pile of harvested cork.
This is what a “retired” cork tree looks like.
Handbags made from cork. I wonder how durable they are?
The fields were covered by these clover like plants, creating a lovely scene.
The tour included a lunch and we stopped at a small local place that featured peri peri barbecued chicken which I learned was a popular dish in the area. And, of course, there were ample bottles of wine (red and white) to accompany the meal so naps on the bus ride back were common.
The restaurant in Monchique where we had lunch.
Salad, cured ham and bread start the meal.
Followed closely by barbequed chicken served with peri peri sauce. It is a popular dish in this part of Portugal
On the return trip we stopped and walked through a famous resort town known for its thermal baths, Caldas de Monchique. The baths date back to Roman days and still attracts people who come to “take the cure” offered by the foul smelling (because of sulfur) waters. There is even a plant that treats the water to eliminate the smell, bottles it and sells the resultant water (probably at elevated prices) to the populace. We were told a lot of it gets exported to China!
Views from the highest point in the Algarve region.
Trying their local firewater, called medronho, is made from the fruit of the arbutus tree. It is potent and an acquired taste.
A restaurant that dates back to 1692!
Even though we left an hour late we returned to the ship at the designated time for its departure.
I met Yvonne who had a relaxing day and was reinvigorated. We dressed for dinner and headed to the cocktail lounge where we met and chatted with a couple from Florida who were on the same quest as me – collecting countries. They were also at 94 countries and counting. But in some respects they were way ahead of us in seeing and experiencing the world. They have sought out and experienced 6 total solar eclipses, visited all 50 states, and visited most of the national parks! Wow!
As we left Portimao we passed an old fortress guarding the entrance of the Portimao harbor.
On the way to the dining room we ran into the young couple from Indiana we had met the evening before and we ended up sharing a table and conversation with them. In “it’s a small world category” as we were eating and talking about Indiana a couple sitting next to our table said they were also from Indiana. This led to a further conversation where Tom, at our table, ended up knowing common people from the area. This seems to happen more often than we think, as we have had similar experiences.
The evening entertainment was Lindsay Hamilton, a singer from the UK. She turned out to be a delightful entertainer; she had a great voice and interacted with the audience with humor and banter. One of the questions for the audience was finding out who was married the longest. She started at 40 years (since this is NOT a young crowd) and quickly moved up to 50 years and beyond. It turns out that the longest married couple in the audience was 63 years! There was another at 61…..and we came in third…at 59 years! Time will tell if we can someday win the competition!
Lindsay Hamilton, a talented, entertaining singer from the UK, who put on a great show.
It was a fairly busy day and we are looking forward to our first day at sea tomorrow.
We both slept a good 12 hours last night so all is well from a sleep standpoint. Sunny and cool this morning in Lisbon. A fairly elegant breakfast buffet was included in our hotel package and we started to meet some fellow passengers. In “it’s a small world” category we entered the elevator with another couple who happened to be born and raised in Indiana, went to Indiana University and currently living in Bloomington, IN.
Fresh flower arrangements in the hotel lobby.
Sitting area in lobby. Those are real orchids.
The main dining restaurant.
Massive wall etching.
Large (8 foot plus) bronze wall art in hotel lobby. It represents Lisbon.
Breakfast chatter around the table indicated fellow passengers are experienced travelers, many of whom had also signed up for the 2020 cruise that had been canceled. They also are fond of sailing with Regent.
Our morning buffet location in a private dining area.
The breakfast buffet did NOT include the famous Portuguese pastry called “pastel de nata”, an egg custard tart topped with cinnamon. These desserts were created by monks before the 18th century. It turns out the monks and nuns used egg whites to starch religious habit clothing, leaving a lot of unused egg yolks, and so the egg custard was born! I was first exposed to these marvelous pastries on earlier trips to Portugal and now I will go out of the way to make sure I get one whenever we are in Portugal. After breakfast I went to the front desk to ask if there was a nearby location where I could get my “fix”. I was in luck as there was a pastry/coffee shop about a block from the hotel. Yvonne joined me for the walk and I happily walked back to the hotel with a couple of these tasty tarts to have later as a mid-morning snack.
Pastel de nata, a favorite Portuguese dessert that dates back to the 1700s.
Flowering bougainvilleas near the hotel.
We are scheduled to leave for the ship at 1:15 PM so I am using the time to work on this blog.
Regent did a nice job of organizing the transfer to our ship. We were given color coded ribbons (to match our bus departure) to tie on our luggage. When called we pointed out our assembled bags which were promptly loaded on the bus with us. It was about a 20 minute ride to the harbor but a local guide was on the bus who told us what we were seeing along the way. At the pier we answered questions regarding Covid, then proceeded to the ship where we received our room keys. Cruise ships have eliminated the mandatory safely drill but we were asked to go to our assigned “muster stations” to learn where it was. One of the staff was there to check us off the list. Everyone is required to do so. We were then escorted to our rooms where we dropped off our hand luggage before heading to the pool deck where food was still being served to grab a quick snack. By the time we returned to our room our luggage was there and we quickly unpacked and hung clothes in our spacious closet. There were also plenty of drawers to store other clothing items.
The Voyager. It holds 784 passengers. It will be our third trip on it.
View of the area surrounding the port from the top deck of the Voyager.
By this time it was cocktail hour and we proceeded to the observation lounge where we had agreed to meet the young Indiana couple that we had met earlier. The ship left promptly at 6PM as the sun set over Lisbon. The Indiana couple agreed to have dinner with us and we chose the main dining room, the Compass Rose, for our first meal aboard. Dinner conversation revolved around discussions about our lives in Indiana and beyond. They retired to Bloomington, IN, home of Indiana University but both had been born and spent their adult lives in Indiana.
Sunset in Lisbon.
Flower arrangement on the ship.
The Compass Rose dining room with new decor since our last visit.
The Compass Rose dinner menu. Surprised at how many different entrees are available at any time. In the past only a few options were available.
Tonight’s special dishes.
An unusually fine appetizer of mussels served this evening!
We attended the 9:30 short evening performance that highlighted some of the entertainment that would be featured during this cruise. After that we were ready for bed as the bodies were still adjusting to the local time zone.
The cruise production staff who will be the main entertainment during the cruise.
Kathy Phippard is the resident lounge pianist this cruise.
Tomorrow we will be in the southern city of Portimao in the popular Algarve region of Portugal.
November 11, 2022: Lisbon, Portugal-Our Starting Point
Spoiler Alert: I just learned that our stop in Togo has been canceled (Due to a late notice change in local Visa requirements we were told), so I will only get credit for 7 new countries on this cruise rather than the original planned 8. Still waiting to hear what Regent might due in lieu of that stop. There is not much else in the area so my guess we might end up spending another day or sea or hopefully maybe spend a 2nd day in Namibia. Time will tell.
Spoiler Alert Update: Togo changed its mind and we will be allowed to land as the officials decided to grant the passengers on the Regent ship a special visa “exception”. Could it be they really would like our tourist dollars? Either way I am happy we will be able to visit the country as originally planned.
Our flights were flawless and the service and food on the Lufthansa flight from Seattle to Frankfurt was way above average! I wish US based airlines were as staff friendly and helpful! We had about a 4 hour layover in Frankfurt but it took awhile to change terminals (one bus ride involved) plus a 20 minute delay getting through passport control ate up part of the time. We also had access to the business lounge so it is an easy wait. The Lufthansa lounge in the A terminal was very unique. Instead of the usual one big room this lounge is broken up into many smaller rooms that had couches and comfortable chairs. It resulted in a quieter space with more comfortable seating. I liked the concept!
Airbus 340 business class layout.
Dinner menu on Lufthansa Seattle-Frankfurt flight.
Delightful San Francisco inspired cioppino dish.
Light breakfast with overnight oatmeal,coconut,pineapple dish. It was really tasty.
Lufthansa business class lounge with smaller, more intimate seating.
A funny thing happened on the flight to Lisbon. We were bussed to the plane which I swear took 10-15 minutes. Once on board there was a slight delay to finish loading food. However, once that happened and we were ready to leave the captain announced we had missed our departure window and would now have to wait, which he said was scheduled for one hour from now! Luckily it turned out to be only 30 minutes and we made up most of the time once in the air, arriving in Lisbon only about 10 minutes late.
Lisbon from the air.
The landing path is right over the city!
Marques de Pompal circle near hotel.
Using abandoned building as an art exhibit?
I had to laugh as the conversation in the “business class” section (3 seats in a row but middle seat left empty) of the plane seem to imply that many, if not most, of the people on board were headed to the Regent cruise. The “meet & greet” at the Lisbon airport went smoothly. There were Regent representatives with signs who helped us with luggage and took us to the waiting bus for transport to the hotel. I counted about 30 people on the bus who obviously were on the same plane as us.
As I mentioned before when you pick a concierge level room on the ship as an added perk you get a hotel room stay prior to boarding the ship, and transportation to the hotel, then to the ship. More often than not the hotel is a higher class hotel, in our case we would be staying at the Four Seasons Ritz in downtown Lisbon. It is elegant but I was not impressed with their check-in process. We started to queue up at the front desk where there was only one person. Then another person showed up to say they had arranged for us to check in in a special room which a few of us were led to. Once there we again found only one person handling the process until finally two others showed up to help. Not my idea of how a hotel that charges $800/night should be run! Luckily I was early in the line and got our room key quickly. I must say the rooms are top cabin, with real orchids, high end toiletries and more electronic light switches to control everything in the room than I have ever seen. Yes, there are robes and slippers but the latter are cheaper versions, unlike ones I have received in the past when I had the opportunity to stay at a Four Seasons hotel.
View from our balcony.
Real orchids in our room.
Funky chairs by elevators. I wonder if anyone ever sits in one?
Celebratory drink at the hotel bar.
We were not terribly hungry so simply went to the bar area for a quick salad and sandwich before calling it a day. Drinks were surprisingly priced similar to Seattle, however, meal dishes were typically higher than you would expect in an equivalent Seattle restaurant.
