Friday, May 19, 2006
04/2006: Madeira: 'timeshare and linguistic observations'
There seems to be a lot more timeshare here than I remember. Nearly all of the larger properties I’ve visited have a timeshare element, and there are numbers of oleaginous men in sharp suits attempting to bilk unsuspecting pensioners of their life savings. I’m sure they’re perfectly legal and respectable but after living on two of the Canary Islands, I can’t help but view timeshare salesmen with a very cynical eye.
One of the joys of eating alone is that you get shoved into dark corners if the restaurant is busy. Tonight I was wedged in next to the flambé table. Every time someone ordered crepes suzettes, a hot burst of flame singed the back of my neck. The restaurant has an outrageous compulsory ‘cover charge’ of 5 euros for a couple of inferior slices of ham and cheese and a basket of bread that I didn’t want anyway. Won’t be returning.
I’m finding the Portuguese language interesting. Written down it looks like a cross between Spanish and Italian – ‘good night’ is ‘boa noite’ but it has a harsher pronunciation and sounds more like an Eastern European language when you listen to it.
# posted by hotelreviewer @ 1:54 pm 
