There has been some confusion about Charlie's injury. He did not break anything, but put a large gash in his leg which required two stitches. Andrew has a very funny picture of him in the room; perhaps I can prevail upon him to send it to all of Charlie's fans. Above is photo taken after he got out: Notfall of course is emergency room.
The hotel here in Madeira as I have said is a throw back...some Englishman Reid-started it, and Churchill among others came round in the day. There is high tea and tea dances and more than a whiff of the glory days of Empire. It is huge, with long winding hallways filled with pianos and chintz furniture. It looks like the Burlingame club upstairs, but larger with more mysterious dead ends. The cool part is, it is built on a cliff-Madeira is very cliffy and the water can be very rough. Andrew says there is a surf break here and we intend to check it out.
Our first night we rushed down past the pools and assorted tourists to the lounge chairs that hover just above the crashing waves. It is too cool...there is a pool built into the cliff that is filled with the sea water...waves crash into it. There are also three meter and five meter boards (depending on the tide...high tide, they are a lot lower). So Frederick was keen to get in and we descend the ladder or jump in depending on who you are (me and F respectively) but then once in, we discover that the swell is much bigger than it looked from above. There is also a huge current that has brought hero Thomas rather far from us. So F and I try to swim and it is simply impossible. We are kind of laughing, like people do who are debating whether or not to panic...and then we see these ropes hanging in front of us..in various lengths. When we saw them before, we thought they were toys...alas no. They are there so you can catch yourself before the water pushes you against the jagged rocks. Fun! F and I grab on and are pushed here and there with the waves, I am wondering how in the hell I will get to the ladder in a dignified manner and if not, how this will affect dinner. Eva and Claus are above us wringing hands, as is an alarmed life guard who tells us then about the red flag. He is not that psyched. So we swing swing...until thomas swims over and talks us in. And then in typical Thomas fashion ...he and Frederick jump in again because he does not want F to leave the water in a nervous state. I decline.
But it is wonderful wonderful to plop on a chair and have all this crashing around you. Born by the ocean people sleep really well to that sound and I am sleeping all the time-late in the morning and again on the lounge chair.
There are more lizards than I have ever seen in my life...Charlie would have enjoyed. And the lunch buffet, while not Sardinia level, is plenty good. Big ol dessert table...with chocolate mousse that is the most insane thing I have ever had. Thomas finds it too over the top. When a German Protestant tells you a bed is too soft, or mousse is too "chocolatey" you know you have hit pay dirt. I intend to meet the man who made it. And I will be wearing perfume.
Eva is giving Frederick German lessons every day in her room. He has to read to her, and then write a dictation. I really threw him under the bus on that one..."He would love that Eva!!!" and then I go to the spa. I am not proud of this...but she is a frustrated elementary school teacher so what the hell.
It goes without saying we miss Charlie. For one, Thomas and I are playing just a tad more ping pong than we would otherwise; Most importantly fewer people walk up to us with gifts. It is not uncommon when one sits with Charlie for people to come by, their hands filled with offerings, like he is some mafia don. Seriously...a man gave him a fist full of vouchers on the QM2 for no reason that anyone can discern. He kept calling them voy-(rhymes with Joy) chers...which was annoying to his cousin who did not get any, even though he knew how to pronounce them.
Check out the new "Photos" entry for some London ones...
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