The things you learn.

 We are back.

The trip was 'eventful'. 

Neither us knew that Funchal airport is frequently closed due to treacherous winds.

This video may hint at our three unsuccessful white knuckle attempts to fly from Lisbon to Madeira with Air Portugal. Yes, the locals do scream when it looks as if the plane is about to flip over and plummet into the sea. After three flights and three aborted landings we opted to head somewhere else :https://youtu.be/jAUAl587hL8?t=117

The good news was that the hotel in Lisbon was without a doubt the most tasteful and comfortable hotel we've ever stayed in.

The 1950's era artwork was stunning. In between cancelled flights we spent a lot of time in the bar 'recovering' . 'The Font' was impressed by the floral displays. Angus has discovered Portugese wines. The bar had a wall made out of a sheet of yellow marble. The floors were made of porphyry slabs. Both of these are unusual ( and expensive ) architectural features

When not in the Lisbon hotel we were at the airport trying to trace our bags . How civilized to have dog loos at the airport. At two in the morning airports are inhabited by 'characters'. 

Having failed to land in Madeira we foolishly booked into what we were told was a country hotel south of Lisbon that was 'sublime'. It wasn't. We headed back to the big city after three nights.

Excitement in the hotels local village came in the shape of two storks nesting on top of a telephone pole. This may have been the perfect way of forgetting what was going on in the wider world.