Author: Billie Hyde

After retiring from a career in sales and marketing, I decided to do what I really love: Travel. Photography. But I like to write, too. Well, I really like to do a lot of things, and I'm sure they'll all show up at one time or another in my blog. Happy reading!

Madeira, Portugal

Funchal, Madeira
Polly and Prosecco.
The market is fascinating.
A work of art.
They tell me fish are tasty, but after seeing them: no.
I love how they decorate their doors.

This was my third time in Funchal, on one of the Islands of Madeira. It was a little bittersweet for me, since this was one of the ports my husband and I loved.

I again took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, and then returned to the city center to go to their wonderful market and have lunch. I love visiting markets around the world. They have such interesting foods and products, and they are a photographers playground.

The one thing I wanted to do was have lunch at the sidewalk restaurant Richard and I visited when we were there. I tramped up and down several streets, realizing that it had been ten years since my last visit and the area had changed a lot. But I found it! I recreated the photo I took back then with my glass of Prosecco, but adding in my travel companion Polly the porcupine. She liked the Prosecco too.

Madeira remains one of my favorite ports.

Vigo, Spain

I just thought this was pretty.
Pretty fancy home for pigeons!
OMG, the sweets were incredible.
Remnants of the fort overlooking the city.

I’m a bit late in posting, but I was busy helping row across the Atlantic Ocean. Not really, but doesn’t that bring up visions of Vikings heading to the New World?

Anyway, I took a ship tour of Vigo and got to check out the city. It was a nice overview with stops at an old fort and some gardens. We stopped at a 5-star hotel for lunch before returning to the dock, and I got to try some local wine.

What I didn’t realize when I booked the tour was that the Old Town section was just a stroll from the ship. Of course I had to take advantage of that! I learned that their Old Town is quite modern, with lots of shops. As you can see by my photos, my favorite was the bakery! I ended up with the yummiest raspberry tea cake, and I enjoyed every guilty bite.

A Day In Bilbao, Spain

Today was a rather warm port day in Bilbao. I did a Hop On Hop Off bus tour and got off at the Guggenheim Museum. I decided to walk back to the place where the ship shuttle dropped us off. I think that was a mistake-I ended up with sweat in my eyes. I guess I need to remember we’re no longer above the Arctic Circle.

The museum was interesting; there were some installations that gave an idea of how the rest of the world sees us. It’s not flattering.

Polly enjoyed the museum too!

Honfleur France

Weather and rough seas forced an unscheduled port stop in La Havre ( I’m going back in two days) so I took a tour to Honfleur. A lovely old village, and of course I partook of the required French pastry and chocolates. The pastry didn’t last long enough for a portrait, but Polly helped me decide which chocolates to eat first. The woman in the chocolate shop was exceptionally nice, chatting with me in her limited English (as opposed to my non-existent French) to make sure I got just what I wanted.

Finally, A Visit To My Ancestry

My mother’s side of the family was Norwegian, and I grew up with the lefse and lutefisk as part of my world. Oh, and the usual “Ya, you betcha” as the answer to most questions. I knew my ancestors came from the fjord country, but haven’t ever visited until now. My month-long cruise is starting with several stops in Norway and a (mostly unsuccessful) hunt for the Northern Lights. The weather has been chilly but not cold, and the people have been delightful. We had a couple of days of rough seas, resulting in a port change, but everyone seems to be taking it in stride. Even the good people of Narvik, who had to prepare to welcome a big cruise ship with only a day’s notice.

By the way, if anyone ever offers you lutefisk, I recommend saying “No thanks.” Whenever my mother made it I left the house. For several days.

Oxford and the Cotswolds

I took another tour to a place I’ve long wanted to visit: The Cotswolds. This was a smaller tour, limited to 14. If you’re wondering, it was a Rabbies tour and I highly recommend them. Oxford wasn’t my real destination, but I enjoyed it a lot. It happened to be graduation day for some of the colleges (I think there are 39) so the streets were filled with family members with flowers and graduates in their colorful robes. What an exciting day for a young person starting out with an Oxford degree!

Then on to the Cotswolds, which has beautiful countryside. All the houses are made of Cotswold limestone, giving even the new buildings a timeless feel. In Burford I learned that the are two ways to have your scones: Devon, with the clotted cream on the bottom and then the jam, or Cornwall, which is just the opposite. Apparently it’s quite a rivalry. I’ll leave it to you, dear reader, to decide which you prefer.

I also learned that even a small quaint village in the English countryside can have a traffic problem. The cars were backed up as far as you could see in both directions.

Stonehenge

I tend to avoid the big tourist destinations (for the most part), but…Stonehenge! I remember reading about it in our National Geographic or some similar publication when I was a child, and I was fascinated. Who built it? Why? What were those people like, and how did they live? Since I had a few days in London I decided I had to see it in person. I took a day tour-crowded bus, lots of tourists-but I’m glad I did. The site is magnificent, and it’s so large it didn’t feel crowded. When you stand on the hill and realize you are in the presence of 4000 years of history, you can’t help but feel awed.

The Official Mascot Name

Polly is at Stonehenge

So my traveling companion has a name. I had suggestions to use a place I loved, and I wanted something that started with a “P” ( for porcupine). There’s a mountain in Denali National Park called Polychrome, noted both for its many colors and the fact that it decided to get rid of the road that went past it. So…say hello to Polly Porcupine.