U3A Travel Group Meeting Thursday, 22 October 2015.
Two topics before morning tea, Travelling with a disability, Cruising to Iceland and one after, Maderia, were enjoyed by all present
Lyn Gage spoke about her experiences of travelling with a disability which was most interesting. She found that planning had to be done a bit differently and said that the person who travels with you is your caregiver and quite often the disabled person may get 50% discount and the caregiver get in for free. Airports can be notoriously huge walking distances so it is wise to state that you are disabled when making bookings and get assistance and also check out the hotels on line.
If you are on a tour and you are getting tired then say so and maybe sit outside of the next cathedral viewing and chat to the locals or have a cup of coffee. When visiting large buildings ask if there is a lift as often they are tucked away.
Cruising to Iceland and the United States
Pat Osman spoke next of her cruise on the Caribbean Princess around the Shetland Islands, Norway, Iceland and the United States. The weather was fine but cold when they were in Iceland – around 7⁰C. In Halifax (USA) they visited the cemetery where people from the Titanic had washed ashore. They also visited Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island then over to San Francisco before returning home.
After morning tea Annette McLachlan spoke of her walking holiday in Madeira which is a Portuguese Island situated in the Atlantic Ocean west of Morocco. She said it had the 9th most dangerous airport in which to land.
Madeira is wet in the northwest but dry in the southeast and is very mountainous. In earlier times the Portuguese built levadas or aqueducts to carry water to the agricultural regions in the south. Madeira is very mountainous, and building the levadas was difficult. Many are cut into the sides of mountains. It was necessary to dig many tunnels, some of which are accessible.
Today the levadas not only supply water to the southern parts of the island but also provide hydro-electric power. There are over 2,170 km of levadas and they provide a network of walking paths. Some provide easy and relaxing walks through the countryside.
The land is terraced on the steep hill-sides enabling crops to be grown. The island produces bananas, sugar-cane and Madeira wine. The capital, Funchal, and surrounding area is very well developed but much of the island is very quiet with spectacular scenery.
