This is my first post for over a month, as I have been relaxing on a 28 day cruise to the Carribean!
We set sail from Southampton on Sunday 11th November on board the MV Oriana which is a cruise ship and ocean liner of the P&O Cruises fleet. She is the smallest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises, with a tonnage of 69,840 tons holding 1,880 passengers and 760 crew. Oriana holds the Golden Cockerel as the fastest ship in the fleet, replacing SS Canberra. She is the oldest, and longest-serving, ship in the fleet but is being sold next year, making her last voyage for P&O in August 2019.
Our first port of call was Funchal, the capital of Madeira and Portugal's 6th largest city. Madeira is a sub-tropical island in the Atlantic Ocean around 960 kilometers southwest of Lisbon and has been an autonomous region of Portugal since 1976.
The Oriana moored at Funchal.
A view of Funchal showing the dramatic mountains that surround the city.
A cityscape showing
Saint Anthony Church which was built in 1789, where a chapel from the 16th century was built with Saint Anthony as its patron. This Rococo-style church is flanked by two tall bell towers completed in 1883. Between 1922 and 1928 it underwent several renovations, including the placement of a large clock in one of the two church towers.The Church of St Martin (Igreja de São Martinho) is the main church in the Parish of São Martinho, Funchal, Madeira. Dedicated to St. Martin of Tours. Although construction of this beautiful church began in the 18th century, it took over 150 years to complete the work and its size had to be adjusted to accommodate the growing population of Funchal. It was finally inaugurated in 1918. The Cemetry at St. Martin's Chirch in Funchal, Madeira.
After we had finished our tour of Funchal, we walked to the small Municipal Garden, one of many gardens in the town. In addition to the many flowers, I was pleased to capture the following two images of Monarch butterflies.
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| Monarch Butterfly on Flowers |
We left Madeira in the evening and set sail across the Atlantic, heading for the Caribbean, and our first stop, Barbados, which we reached a week later on 22nd November. Watch out for my next post for images of Barbados!
