Ruminations of a Sailor: November 2024

Madeira, Portugal on a non-diving day

Amazing cheeses awaited us in both Spain and Wisconsin on our travels this fall - two distinctly cheesy places with long histories of cheesemaking in its various forms. Between the enticing displays and magical taste experiences, we enjoyed it all.

But first, the Pig Sty story for those who asked about our Portugal travels. We’d learned about Quinta do Bom Vento from our British friend in Mexico and we’re so glad it worked out. Rich and SAM are a delight, and we were warmly greeted as friends from our arrival to a welcome happy hour, to the end of the fifth day as we departed in the pouring rain south to Lisbon airport and points east.

Army of Terra Cotta soldiers

They granted us the ‘honeymoon suite’, the Mediterranean cottage complete with a personalized welcome sign, a fully stocked kitchen and a canopy bed with draped mosquito screens. Our view overlooked the surrounding valley, resplendent with farmlands and grapevines. The property is on a well-traveled winding road, narrow enough that we had to wait while a truck loaded pallets of apples and pears from the neighboring orchard.

Wandering the amazing gardens at Buddha Eden

The hosts invited us to join their family for a rousing British band gig at the local ex pat pub. There, SAM introduced us to 3 couples, transplants from Portland. It’s mostly Brits who vacation and relocate to Portugal due to their centuries-long, intertwined histories, but recently Americans have started flocking there as well. As you may have seen in various news outlets, many international locations are not so keen these days on welcoming outsiders due to the sometimes overwhelming tourism impact on their local economy. But there we were, in the belly of the beast…

Sweet view from our deck at Madeira hotel

The next day, we were invited to join their family and friends for an evening filled with international travel stories, laughter and to-die-for BBQ ribs!

Our cottage served as basecamp for four days of exploring towns along the central Portuguese coast and interesting destinations like Buddha Eden, the largest oriental garden outside of Asia. Everywhere we went on the coast was spectacular so I can’t say which place I liked best. Surfing is definitely a draw there, and we watched a beginning surfing class on one side of a bay in the ‘kiddy pool’, while experienced surfers took on the waves around the bend.

Mike at the Madrid Royal Palace

The fortress surrounding Óbidos

Pineapple at the Madeira garden

We explored the quaint town of Óbidos – founded in the Paleolithic period so it’s got a rich and storied history – and features a huge fortress. We traversed the ancient ramparts, taking in the vistas while carefully avoiding a catastrophic fall, should one ignore their footing.

One evening as we strolled along the town’s cobblestone streets, we hoped to dine at one the few, all highly rated restaurants. Ha! Without a reservation, who were we kidding. So, we walked back toward the car and found a pizza place that was quiet, so apparently not discovered or rated by tourists, I guess. Well, we enjoyed the evening on their outdoor patio with attentive staff, sipping Portuguese wine and eating pizza. A good backup destination.

View from a levada trail on Madeira

To start at the beginning, our 27-day Portugal and Spain trip was originally focused on meeting up with good friends for SCUBA diving on the island of Madeira. We hadn’t dived together since 2004, so overdue to share an adventure. The island of Madeira is a 2-hour flight from Lisbon to the SE of the mainland. It’s called the ‘botanical garden of the world’ for a very good reason.

On one of our non-diving days, we took an aerial tram up to a massive botanical garden that meandered down mountain trails and featured sculptures, live music and great views of the ocean. The coolest part was the series of huge tile murals, all hand painted, outlining the accomplishments and discoveries during the reign of each of the kings of Portugal. That was incredible for those of us who didn’t know the rich history of Portugal.

Mural at Maritime Museum, Lisbon

The Atlantic coast colors are astounding

On a side note, I did not attempt to speak Portuguese! It’s not like you can just speak Spanish, Italian or French and get by…so we just spoke English and smiled a lot…Before we left, we’d invited our Brazilian neighbor at the moorage over for dinner, hoping she could share some common phrases with us, but there are a lot of differences between the Portuguese spoken in Portugal vs. Brazil, so while we had a lot of laughs over dinner, that didn’t pan out in the real world.

Portuguese tiled roofs & incredible vistas abound

SCUBA diving at Madeira was good and our first time in the Atlantic. The water was chilly, so depending on the dive sites, we wore 5mm and 7mm wetsuits with integrated hoods. The dive shop staff was great and very international as we often find. Schools of sardines, barracuda, parrotfish and a variety of species greeted us on our dives. We explored a planned shipwreck, weaving carefully through the rusty portholes.

Yet another overwhelming church

After 9 days of exploring and diving with our friends, we parted ways then Mike and I flew to Lisbon for two quick days. Of course, not enough time but then we rented a car for the Óbidos experiences. Once back in Lisbon, we flew to Madrid for expediency and to avoid the incremental $1000 cost for a one-way car rental between Portugal and Spain.

Now THIS is a clock - Royal Palace

Daniel, our pre-arranged taxi guy in Madrid, turned out to be a gem! A transplant from Venezuela, he and his family have lived in Madrid for 5 years. Since he didn’t know English, my Spanish was instantly on 100%. When Daniel learned of our need to store our scuba gear, he volunteered his home as a storage point while we traveled to Madrid and Valencia. We didn’t want to schlepp our two 50# gear bags along cobblestone streets, up narrow staircases and on/off trains. His offer was a great blessing, and we hope to connect with him again if we are fortunate enough to revisit Madrid and need a ‘go-to guy’.

Popular rooftop bar with 360 views of Madrid

Our flat in Madrid was an excellent location (last time, I’d picked a place that was 45-minute train and bus ride to the city…lesson learned). Upon arrival, the innkeeper circled several destinations on the Madrid map and that’s how we spent the next four days. It was a perfect itinerary. Space wise, the flat was functional but tiny. Good thing Mike is used to having his feet extend beyond the bed and of all people, we are used to dancing around each other in small spaces.

Church organ in Coimbra, Portugal

In Madrid, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the opulence and incredible history at the myriads of museums and churches. So many photos…so much eye candy. Between the meandering, tourist destinations and amazing restaurants, we wandered through a variety of markets where we tasted cheese, serrano ham, port and Turrones (a sweet treat). What a fun way to shop and meet local vendors.

Carriage museum in Lisbon - stories!

We took the high-speed from Madrid to Valencia to meet up with two sets of friends, planning two days with each couple. We stayed in the beach area of Valencia, which was not devastated by late October’s heavy rain and flooding that occurred in other areas of Valencia. Our prayers go out to the Valencianos and other heavily impacted areas.

We had a great time in Valencia with friends: so many more stories, miles walked, and amazing food consumed. On departure day, we took the high-speed train from Valencia back to Madrid where Daniel arrived with our SCUBA gear loaded in his car (score!) and delivered us to Madrid airport. Great logistics!

Energizing Flamenco performances

Our return trip on October 4^th took us from Madrid via Dallas where we overnighted before returning to Portland. That provided a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my ex-step kids and some of their kids. We had a great time together! We returned to the States on October 5^th, unpacked and repacked for next week’s visit to that other cheesy place, Wisconsin. We visited a friend and two of my siblings there. It’s always so special to spend time together wherever it works out – an understatement of the importance of family.

Cheese curds and beer

We arrived in Milwaukee on National Cheese Curd Day! Who knew? Our friend took us to her local brewery where we ate fried cheese curds for the first time. A culinary experience? The four of us competed in a cheese-curd pulling contest with a lot of other contestants, all of us serious yet not, about how long before the pulled cheese broke! Mike and I finished 2^nd – no prize, but a feeling of accomplishment, for sure.

Red barns everywhere in WI - this one at our B&B

China Lights festival in Milwaukee
with friend Jane

The original mill in Hartman Creek

My brother's 20 acres-back yard view, Sullivan WI

Several lighthouses along WI lakes

My sister turned us on to her favorite area in central Wisconsin, where we stayed at Crystal River Inn, a charming B&B in Hartman Creek. The proprietors were happy to see us, as my sister is a ‘regular’ there. They made incredible breakfasts served in the sunroom. Fall colors abounded everywhere. I highly recommend that historic area, close to lakes, hiking trails and the ubiquitous supper clubs.

Goodies at Simon's Specialty Cheeses

We shopped at Simon’s Specialty Cheese where we perused aisles of cheesy treats and fun paraphernalia. My sister treated us to an array of specialty cheeses she’d carefully selected, and we enjoyed a picnic on the shores of Lake Winnebago. Life was good.

Now back in Portland for a short time, we are packing up for imminent departure to Mexico. We head out November 10^th for points south. We look forward to seeing our many friends, and of course being on board our home, currently waiting for us at Marina Mazatlan.