I had novo virus on the first day when we were supposed to go to shore. Ron and I were both quarantined for 24 hours. I slept most of the day. In the meantime, I’d sip tea that had a rancid flavor and didn’t include much sweetener.

We couldn’t see Madeira, Portugal, until the ship had turned around to leave; then we could see the city. It looked beautiful. It looks like lots of smaller apartment buildings, probably eight- or ten-story structures in white stucco, slowly riding up the hills. There was a high antenna on top of the highest hill. I would have liked to see the city and its art museum.

On Sunday afternoon, the crew changed our cabin so that I could take a shower. Yea! But the cabin, especially the bathroom, has a rancid smell that also “perfumes” the hallway. This may be a very long trip on the ship.

[Today – Monday – I saw my first rainbow on the ship, just a fifth of a rainbow. No one else on the ship seemed to see it.]

I told the front office that the new bathroom in my cabin is great but smells like sewer gas. I noticed that smell is even outside on the 7^th deck. The captain should use a different cleaner. There’s something wrong with it.

Poor Ron is taking care of most of my food and drink. At least at dinner, I don’t have to bring your food to the table.

[Doré wants to add something about all the people who have provided wheelchairs and other assistance but is taking a nap instead. Walking in general is exhausting but walking on the boat even more so. Listening also is taxing.

[The picture of the rainbow was taken from our favorite reading room, not our cabin, although we had first seen it from the pool deck.

[No one ever said it was novo virus but they get very nervous when anyone on a ship gets at all sick. Since they released us after 24 hours, it probably wasn’t anything contagious. It was unfortunate that it happened on the one day we had a shore to go to. I read two books while Doré slept.]

This photo is leaving Madeira, which is the peak of a volcano that hasn’t erupted in 6500 years and was important to Europe because the soil and climate were conducive to growing sugar and other spices and it was much more accessible than the East or West Indies. They were put out of the business by faster ships. They did discover at some point, after shipping the local wine to the West Indies, not selling it, and shipping it back that the wine was much improved by being hot and jostled. Thus Madeira became what it is today.