P & O Cruise July 2023 to Madrid, Canary Islands, Cadiz & Lisbon
P & O Cruise July 2023 to Madrid, Canary Islands, Cadiz & Lisbon
We met again in Southampton to start our cruise to the Canary Islands with P&O on the Ventura. Our itinery included visits to Madeira followed by La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote in the Canaries and finishing with Cadiz and Lisbon before our return to Southampton.
Finally we arrived at Madeira on the 4th day where we had booked a P & O shore trip to the famous Monte Toboggan Ride which included a sightseeing tour and a wine tasting experience. We had seen a video of the toboggan ride and if I'm honest, it was a little disappointing as it was not nearly so fast and 'hairy' as I had hoped for. Never mind we got to see from the high point in Funchal across the city towards the sea (The Pico Alto Viewpoint located at an altitude of 1,129 meters above sea level, in the middle of Funchal’s Ecological Park).
From there we were taken to the centre of Funchal and visited the H.M.Borges wine producers and sampled a couple of wines before returning to the ship. If there was one statue of shop devoted to Christiano Ronaldo (who was born in Madeira) there were a hundred - he's everywhere you look!! On the whole not a bad day out.
In the event of no ship excursions that appealed to us Jane and Nick negotiated a 4 hour 7 seater taxi ride out to see the sights of La Palma. Our driver, Carlos, turned out to be a bit of a gem and we had a great trip out to see the Church of El Salvador (Santa Cruz de la Palma), Mirador de La Concepción (viewing point), location of the 2021 volcano erutpion and the Caldera de Taburiente National Park before taking us back to the sea front at Santa Cruz for drinks. The church we visited looked very ordinary on the outside but inside was lavishly decorated; a bizarrley shaped tree in the carpark outside (Dragon Tree) has an interesting story.
During the tour Carlos told us that he was an emergency firefighter but hadn't had to attend a fire for two years which is ironic as a week after we left La Palma they had a major bush fire on the west of the island and Carlos would almost certainely be fighting this fire now. I pinched a photo from his Facebook page just to prove it (Carlos in action). Carlos also took us to the Cumbre Vieja volcano that erupted between 19 September and 13 December 2021.(Map of Eruption) Apparently only one person died but the damage was extensive with the town of Todoque being completely destroyed. We saw the lava flow that had flowed down as far as the sea with the remains of a single house left in the middle.
We arrived at Santa Cruz de Tenerife with the plan to take a P&O trip to Teide National Park which is some way from the port and ensured we saw the best of it and got back safely. Our guide for this trip was Olga who was English but had lived in Tenerife most of her life and proved to be an excellent font of knowledge of the places we travelled through to get to the park.
The journey to the national park took close on an hour and up to a height of around 1800 metres with Mount Teide itself some 1400 metres higher at 3,718 metres above sea level. On the way back we looked down on the clouds above the west coast of Tenerife. Clearly we were unable to get to the top of Mount Teide so I've attached a stunning photo from the internet of Mount Teide from above. A thoroughly worthwhile trip out and worth the little extra we paid to travel with P&O.
As a general rule, in the past I have often thought the cost of the P&O trips to be a bit expensive but on reflection, especially as I get older, it is worth the extra bearing in mind a) you get picked up and dropped off at the ship, b) you get taken to places you've never seen before and c) a guide who is very knowledgable and knows the best places to show you in the limited time available. Sometimes you hear someone on the the tannoy asking if so and so has arrived back in readiness to sail which is never a problem if P&O are responsible for your safety.
We had nothing planned for Gran Canaria when we arrived in Las Palmas and decided to take the Red Bus into the Old Town area which proved a good choice. The old town or the Vegueta area of Las Palmas is centered around the Plaza de Santa Ana, location of the cathedral of the same name, where we found an alfresco gastropub (the El Monje) and had an enjoyable hour or so watching the world go by.
The ladies were serenaded by a local musician (I think) who attempted to sing Guantanamera to every female tourist who entered the square. He must have cauught around 20 tourists whilst we were in the bistro, no idea how much he made during that time, but I reckon he had his manager sitting next to him who was counting the takings.
You would probably have to go to Mars or the Moon to find anywhere that resembles Lanzarote where more than 100 volcanoes shape the island’s lunar landscapes. Our P&O organised trip took us to the impressive Timanfaya National Park with our wonderful, very funny guide George Clooney, not his real name of course but spoken with an exaggerated Spanish accent that made us laugh....George Cloooooney and Billy the Kiiiiid (our driver)
The trip was referred to as 'Fire Mountain' and involved a journey to the National Park and a demonstration of how close to the surface the molten lava can be found, where fire was visible and buckets of water placed in the holes in the ground were ejected as a plume of steam within seconds. An interesting trip made more enjoyable by our guide, however, I'm very unlikely to go back again unless it's to lay on the wonderful white beaches and soak up the sun. If you were hungry a visit to the Diablo restaurant to sample chicken cooked by volcano!
After a day at sea, our next port of call was Cadiz which last time we cruised (with P&O) we were unable to enter the port due to high winds and rough seas. We decided to take the Red Bus into the old town although this proved to be a bit of a waste of money as the walk from the ship to the Cathedral was probaby less than 15 minutes. The upside of the bus charge was that we got free entry to the cathedral included and did not have to queue up to get in. However, it was worth the effort as the Cathedral is beautiful, full of tourists of course, but inside and out it is a lovely place to visit. Cadiz had its heyday in the 18thC with a monopoly on trade to the Americas and it was during this period that the cathedral was built, although it took 116 years to complete. This is reflected in the varying styles seen in its design introduced over the years and most distinctive in the towers (two different styles).
The best part of the cathedral was probably the crypt where two figures of note are buried, firstly the composer Manuel de Falla, (me neither!) and, although not mentioned in many books, the body of a young roman Saint Victoria whose face is covered by a wax mask and who apparently was beheaded for denying his/her faith; I say his/her because the plaque by the side of the 'body' repeatedly refers to this person as both a she (5 times) and a he (4 times). With 16 different chapels walking round gets a bit monotonous although the high altar of the Presbitery is the most ornate part of the cathedral.
We missed a trick by not climbing the Clock Tower or Levante Tower which affords an impressive, panoramic view of the city-centre, the Atlantic Ocean, the Campo del Sur and the city’s harbour (next time if we go again).
Our final stop before the journey back to Southampton was Lisbon, a place we have been twice before on P&O cruises but this time instead of taking the bus we chose to hire a taxi mainly because the bus can't take you to some of the high viewing places.
Our first stop-off was at the Miradouro da Senhoro do Monte (Our Lady of the Hill) viewpoint, the highest in Lisbon, which holds a fantastic view across the Tagus river estuary and the old quarters of the city to the Castle of Saint George high up on the hill overlooking the entrance to the city. There's a small statue of the Virgin next to the Nossa Senhora do Monte Chapel which is dedicated to Saint Gens, a martyr and ancient bishop. Although the original chapel dated back to 1147 was destroyed by the 1755 earthquake and the current one was built in the late 1700s and is reputed to protect women during childbirth.
Our next stop was another viewpoint and one of the most iconic for tourists, the Miradouro das Portas do Sol (Doorways of the Sun), which was teeming with people, trams and Tuk Tuks. Some great views across the Alfama neighbourhood towards the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora on top of the hill.
The most popular part of Lisbon is the waterfront which stretches from the quaside where the cruise ships moor as far as the Belém Tower, a Unesco World Heritage site, built at the mouth of the Tagus River in the 16th century as part of the defence system. We have visited this part many times during our 3 visits to Lisbon and there's always something different to see.
On our last visit in 2019 we visited the Populi resataurant for lunch in the Praça do Comércio square where I had my photo taken with Nilda (our waitress); we went there again but unfortunately the name had changed and Nilda was no longer there.
Before our first stop at Madeira was a full 3 days at sea but in spite of many warnings about crossing the Bay of Biscay, I have yet to suffer in any way as the cruise ships of today are amazingly stable and the sea was relatively calm. Normally we cruise on adult only ships, our favourite being the Aurora, however, this was not possible on this occasion and whilst the Ventura is OK, it is quite a bit bigger and even after two weeks I was still not completely familiar with the layout. Additionally, it was also not adult only and of course this meant that the pools were always full if kids and the one adult only pool was too small to enjoy. Also the first nice day on deck was a nightmare to find a sunbed or even a free chair with empty beds filled with towels; in the end you have to get up early and join the rush for towels if you want somewhere to sit (bring back the Aurora!). There was, however, plenty to do and as well as the entertainment we had one formal evening on the second day which I enjoy, even if I had to get Jane to move the button in order to do the jacket up.
During the first week the on board activities were good with talks given by an ex pilot, whose name I have forgotten, about aircraft safety and other interesting facts and second week our favourite, Steve King, ex music and media specialist, who gave talks on popular music from the last 60 years such as
