Failing in Funchal

We ported in Funchal, Madeira on a Sunday. Madeira is an island of Portugal situated in the Atlantic by the Canary Islands.

We didn't have much planned for Madeira but we had read about the crazy toboggan ride down Monte, a must-do attraction in Funchal. However, because it was a Sunday, the attraction was closed! We ended up taking a bus into town, and came across a huge mall. Unfortunately, that was closed due to an emergency evacuation! There was also a marathon along the waterfront, so most of the roads in town were blocked off. Just our luck! It just wasn't a great day to port.

We ended up stopping by a cafe for pastries and cappuccinos.

As we left the port, the rain clouds had arrived, and it started to rain as we sailed away.

We had a lovely dinner in the main dining room that evening. We were served a variety of popular Filipino dishes; lechon, pancit (my favourite!) and lumpia.

Next up, La Coruna, our last port before Paris!

Trapezing through Tenerife

Tenerife was another "must-visit" on my bucket-list. Yet, it disappointed me too. Maybe we should have booked an excursion, but after many excursions on the other two Grand Canary islands, we thought it'd be best to explore this one on our own.  

Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands. It is known for its many beaches, its active volcano (Mount Teide), and its many national parks.

We only made it to downtown Tenerife, and shopped among the other cruise passengers, but the atmosphere was jovial and celebratory. Street musicians were everywhere, and there was even a Chinese dragon parade! We made our way through the stores, and decided to find a marketplace.

After doing some quick research on free wifi, we made our way to La Recova de Tenerife. We love food markets, but unfortunately this one was closing as we arrived. But there were a lot of stands with fresh fruits and vegetables; there were ice cream stalls, butchers' counters, tea shops, florists, fish counters, and cheese stalls. It's always interesting to see the daily bustle and many locals shopping for their groceries.

We had a short and easy day in Tenerife. We felt recharged and ready for our next port: Madeira, Portugal.

Getting Guided through Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria, aka the island where I dropped my brand new iPhone 8 Plus down the side of a caldera... I'll get to that.

Gran Canaria is another one of the Canary Islands of Spain. Once again, we booked a tour through Royal Caribbean to see the city sights.

First, we stopped at the grand Cathedral of Arucas, one of the most iconic buildings on the island of Gran Canaria. The cathedral is known for it's neo-gothic architecture and its facade was carved by hand on black lava stone. It reminded me of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

We then enjoyed some free time in the town of Teror. Unfortunately, we were there quite early in the morning, so not many shops or restaurants were opened. We grabbed a cappuccino, and wandered around the streets for about an hour.

Next, we were driven up to the Bandama caldera, about 1, 870 feet above sea level to take in the panoramic views of the natural rocky landscape. So this is where I dropped my phone. My husband (fiance at the time) was taking a picture of me with my arms in the air (as seen below in the last photo), and I had put my phone in between my knees. Well, it fell. Down the caldera! It slid about 3 feet down a steep slope. I ended up having to crawl under the safety fence to grab it. Scary moment, but I'll take that as another lesson learned! Always put your phone away safely before posing for photos!

My small disaster aside, it was very calm, soothing and peaceful up on the caldera. There is a warm and comforting breeze. The views were awe-inspiring and well worth the visit.

Livin' La Vida Loca in Lanzarote

From here on out, I'm going to speed things up as this review is now a year and a half overdue!

We had an adventurous day planned in Arrecife, Lanzarote. Lanzarote is one of the seven Canary Islands of Spain. With its subtropical desert climate, it is known as the "Island of Eternal Spring." The island has breathtaking volcanic landscape with vast craters and uniquely shaped rock formations.

We started the tour with a short camel ride in the volcanic lands of Timanfaya, where subsurface bubbling belies the quiet landscape. I have never been on a camel before, and I was a little surprised they did it this way. I would have preferred to sit directly on the camel (with a saddle, of course).

While the camels had muzzles, the owners treated them very well. They were not whipped or kicked at any time. They were only gently pulled or nudged. You can tell they respected one another, and that makes me very happy.

We visited Timanfaya National Park and saw the geographical events of the recent volcanic eruptions in the unearthly landscapes of the beautiful park.

There were hot pockets everywhere in the park. Park employees showed us how hot the pits were by setting bushes on fire with the intense heat beneath; cold water was poured into the ground and shot back up into the surface as steam; and there was a deep pit where geothermal heat was used to cook the meat.

We also made a stop at the Bodega La Geria Winery, where lush vines flourish on barren lava fields. The winery is located in the heart of the wine country. It is also one of the oldest wineries on the island.

When we got back to the port, we stopped for a cappuccino. The harbour area was very walkable. It was small, but lively with old town charm and cobblestone.

Dinner is served late in Spain. We wanted to have dinner in a local restaurant and enjoy their seafood, so we walked around the area until sundown.

The food was delicious, and we were so so satisfied! Unfortunately, our gluttony ended up getting us in trouble.

While the ship looked like it was just around the corner, the path to the gangway was a maze. It took double the time we had expected, there was no shortcut, or direct path to the ship. We ran along the walls of the port, and through the port shops. This was the first time we were in panic mode. Thankfully, we made it back onto the ship. We ended up being the last passengers back on board, just five minutes before the gangway closed. As soon as we stepped onto the ship, they wasted no time in folding up the gangway.

Needless to say, we've learned our lesson!

Missing the Mark in Morocco

Morocco was the main reason we decided to book this cruise. The port of Agadir was only on the itinerary once a year, so it was what sealed the deal for this cruise for us.

We had a sea day in between Lisbon and Agadir, Morocco. So we were well rested for our day in Morocco. Agadir is a beach resort destination, but the port is a commercial. It was not very welcoming as there were stacks of containers in a very industrial environment greeting us.

I really desperately wanted to love Morocco - and I tried, but things just weren't in our favour. Marrakech was about a 3 hour drive away, so a 6 hour commute in total, and with a $300 price tag, we decided to choose a different tour. We chose to tour Taroudant, also known as "Little Marrakech." Taroudant was a bit closer with a 3 hour commute. We saw something interesting on our way there. In Morocco, there's an eye-catching phenomenon of goats on trees. Morocco is famous for their argan trees, which is where Moroccon oil - or argan oil comes from, and goats are attracted to the smell and taste of the tree fruit - so much so that they will climb the tree for it! We had the luxury of driving past many trees with goats, and our tour guide allowed us to stop for pictures. We also made a stop at a restaurant for a traditional Maghrebi mint tea. I'm not sure if it's made differently at other restaurants or hotels, but this restaurant did not not rinse or wash the peppermint. Our cups of tea were filled with bugs. No one on our tour actually drank the tea. I took a small sip after taking some bugs out and it tasted delicious, but there were way too many bugs in the tea. It was too bad, I really wanted to enjoy it.

Moroccan architecture is very unique and distinct. There is a lot of geometric designs, ornate tiles and bright colours influenced by Islam.

Unfortunately, the souk wasn't anything like what we had expected. We had hoped to visit a marketplace with local food, souvenirs and handmade crafts. Instead, we were at a flea market with junk and secondhand knick-knacks. Merchants were haggling the tourists and trying to trap them in their stores. It was very chaotic.

When the tour returned us to the ship, we wanted to venture out on our own. We still had half a day and we thought Agadir had more to offer. However, the shuttle service hired by Royal Caribbean had been shut down. According to the crew, the shuttle wasn't dropping the passengers off where they were supposed to so the ship stopped the service - I guess that should have been our first sign to stay on the ship. Well, we decided to take a cab. Most of the cab drivers didn't want to take two passengers into town - this was our second sign. They didn't think the trip was worthwhile for them. They also wanted us to pay in Euros. We had Moroccan dirhams and they wouldn't take it! This was because they charged double the amount in Euros, so essentially, they were trying to rip us off. We finally found a driver who was willing to drive us into town, but he didn't speak any English. We got dropped off in the city centre, and walked around the area. I'm not exactly sure which area we were in as there were no landmarks or attractions. There were a lot of hotels with little souvenir shops, so it felt like a tourist area. By the time we reached the beach a couple of hours later, the weather had done a full 180˚. The sun and blue skies were gone, the sky was grey and cloudy. It was windy, sandy and cool. We were disappointed, and decided to head back to the ship. We had a lot of trouble tracking down a cab, even in the hotel area.

We didn't feel entirely safe in the city of Agadir when we explored on our own. There were a lot of men hollering at me even though I was with my husband. With the series of disappointing events, we felt like we weren't able to experience the real Morocco. I don't know if we'll ever be back, because it's such a far trip. But I would be open to re-visiting in the future.