So, excursions from the ship. P&O cruises do there own excursions of course when you get to a port. And I have put the link there for those who might be interested. We had booked with Planet Cruise, and they had a link for excursions to cruising excursions.
The first post of call was Madeira, a pretty little island. We were met by a driver and mini bus for the tour which was meant to last four hours. It turned out that these trips were not that well booked as most of the time no more than six were on the bus at any time in any of the tours. But we had a run around and stopped for a bit of shopping etc which is part of all of these trips. So what did I think of Madeira? Well it was nice enough, but I would not bother going back for a holiday. As with all these trips the islands were volcanic and all would go up into the mountains. Below are a couple of photos from the trip.
The next stop was La Palma. On this one it seems that we were not offered an excursion, and as the ship was quite close to the main town we just walked in and had a look around. As you can see from the photos below, it is pretty enough, but just a small town. Would I go back? No thanks, it was not that special.
After that we stopped in Tenerife.I have been there before on the other side of the island, near Los Christianos but this time most of the trip would be into the volcanic area and Mt Teidi. I found this fascinating and enjoyed the whole trip. I had been to the area before the last time I was here, and this time I had a better view coming from a different part of the island. Would I come back? Definitely, I like Tenerife and enjoyed the whole trip around it.
After that the next stop was Gran Canaria, another very pretty island but not with quite so many hills and mountains. We were taken to a botanical gardens and given forty five minutes to look around. It would have taken most of the day for a true look at this very pretty little place, but it was very nice anyway. And then onto a small village called Teror which was well worth going to and I could happily go back again. So all in all, a very enjoyable trip, and would I go back? Definitely, it is well worth seeing.
For the next one it was Lanzarote. The trip was to the 'Fire mountains'
Denise did not want to come on this one as she had seen quite enough of mountains by this time, and had been up there on a previous holiday. For me it was a very enjoyable day. We had a guide who spoke excellent English and had in fact lived for a time in my home city of Cardiff. The tour included a trip around the extraordinary area of volcanic lava and after that to a vineyard. You can see from the photo below that they grow the vine in a very unusual way, protected from the wind by small curved walls. With no natural water on the island, they have to get theirs from desalination. All in all a great and very interesting trip. Would I go back? Maybe, but I am sure that Denise would not want to.
And for the last for anyone that has had the fortitude to read this far, Lisbon was the last stop on this trip before heading home. This was a day and a half sail from the last stop. Lisbon is of course the capital of Portugal and once again we had a very informative guide who really knew her stuff. A VERY busy city, and as someone who has driven in many parts of the world, I would not want to drive in that city! They have many churches and this trip took in quite a few of them. To be fair the churches are in the main very beautiful and worth the visit. We were also taken to a shop that specializes in the small custard tarts they make there, and believe me they were fantastic! Also a few of the other well known sights, and once again a very worthwhile trip. Would I go back? Probably not, but I did enjoy the time there.
So to end. All in all a very enjoyable cruise. I have seen places that I had not been before, and met some lovely people. Would I do it again? Well no, as I said in an earlier post. Just because I prefer to get somewhere quicker and get on with the holiday. But for those who like the relaxation and the excellent service, this would be a great holiday. But I am glad that I tried it.
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