Since we had a 7:30 meet up for our group, I woke at 5:19. At 6 we went to the 24-hour restaurant for breakfast. Evidently we were in the Francophone corner, or the French speakers wake up early (not likely) because tables on both sides spoke French, one Canadian, the other Niçois and Canadian. That's how we met Marie-Paule (Quebecoise) and Michel (Niçois but 43 years in Canada for his dear Marie-Paule). Michel joined our Froggie team with a friend, along with the two Jacques.

But on to Madeira, one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen . As a volcano, very little is flat near the water, but Funchal and surroundings are built on terraces dug into the mountainous hillsides. We went up and down the mountains to various sights, each one more spectacular than the last. This is one place we hope to return to spend time in the future. Evidently TAP will begin direct flights from JFK in January 2017. It’s no longer the third most dangerous airport in the world, now that the runway has been lengthened; it’s the ninth. Photos can do the talking for me.

After five hours of sightseeing in Funchal, it was back to the ship with fifteen minutes to spare. Lucky us, Marcy had snagged a table for late lunch on the back deck in the open air—my favorite spot. And the day just kept getting more and more spectacular. We ate, relaxed, visited with more friends, watched the ship leave Funchal, watched clouds form and disappear over the city, saw a rainbow over the island of steep hillsides and terraces.

After such a late lunch, it was time to burn calories in the gym listening to This American Life, while the elliptical turned and the ship pitched up and down back and forth. Twenty minutes was all I could handle with the rocking and rolling, so into the spa, hydro-therapy pool, ceramic lounge, sauna, shower and dress. I was gone for so long but it didn’t matter because Jacques had been lulled to sleep by the waves.

That evening, as the ship pitched and rocked, I noticed fewer people in the main dining room. No people with canes, scooters, or obese people. Were they ordering room service? I had seen people holding onto walls and handrails the day before. Could it be the ship movement? If so, there was more to come.