Two days ago our boat stopped in Safi where we enjoyed some local dishes in the old town. Today we arrived in Tenerife and spent a lovely afternoon at a reclaimed rubbish dump which is now a beautiful botanical garden. We are just about to leave Tenerife and start our 12 days non-stop crossing of the sea.
We had a disappointing start with not enough wind and had to use the engines with only a small amount of assistance from the triangular sails. But we are very happy to report that we've now been under full sail only for over 24 hours. We've even had a chance to climb the rigging. We're now docked in Safi, Morocco for the day. To answer a question that we've been asked, there is a picture on our last blogpost showing Steve next to the boat, for scale. The top of the masts come to below the bridge of the cruise ship behind. Finally there is also a picture from our cabin port hole.
Although very fancy inside, the Royal Clipper is a lot smaller than most other cruise ships. We continue to explore the ship and particularly its environmental impact.
We are currently in Portimao (Southern Portugal). Next stop Morocco, in two days.
Our transatlantic transport - The Royal Clipper. Don't forget you can track our progress on the links above.
Lisbon is set over 7 steep hills. Many narrow streets wind their way up them and there are trams and lifts between levels. On the flat bits, we used our favourite mode of transport to cycle along the coast.
In Madrid we made a new friend when we were hosted by Jesus (no relation) who we met through an international peace activist network. He kindly showed us around his home town of Getafe and Madrid city.
In Lisbon, we met with our old, good friend Marta who, as luck would have it, was visiting her parents in Lisbon. We went on an 'alternative Lisbon' tour where we saw lots of urban art.
We did enjoy a visit to an art gallery and museum in Santander but as you can see from Steve's face, the highlight of our cultural tour was this boardgames cafe also serving vegan options! 🤣 Now heading by train to Madrid
We're relaxing in Santander following a comfortable crossing. Sadly, the ferry still produces lots of greenhouse gases (though significantly less per person than flying). Meanwhile Mel keeps healthy with yoga on the deck.
Boarding the Pont Aven. Next stop Spain in just over 24 hours.
Don't forget you can track us on the link above.
For those who didn't see it, here is an article from the Leicester Mercury
After farewells with other friends yesterday, we were seen off at Leicester station this morning by our friends Shelagh, Pete and Paul. Back in 6 months (hopefully more interesting posts from here on in!)
