Madeira (Funchal), Portugal - Feb. 28
Excitement mounts as we sail closer to Europe and all the exciting, beautiful ports we will visit.
First stop, Madeira Island, city of Funchal.
Wow, wow, wow!!
Everyone's favorite so far, Madeira, the volcanic Portuguese island that we all want to return to.
Funchal is the capital city of this island off the northwest corner of Africa. It is one of the cleanest, most colorful, most scenic and lush islands we've ever seen.
We had a full day of fun, from climbing the narrow, well maintained, mountainous roads to the Cabo Girao, world's 2nd highest sea cliff, an overlook with stunning views, (part of overlook had a glass platform floor!!) to beautiful parks and cathedral visits.
There are no flat areas on this island, so the fertile soil is filled with terraced gardens of bananas, fruits, grape vines, ingenious irrigation aqueducts (levadas), and well-kept homes.
During a sightseeing trip, we stopped at a hilltop cafe in the village of Camara de Lobos, or sea wolves lair, for a local tasty rum and honey drink called Poncha, along with snack of lupine beans and peanuts. Later, back to sea level at Blandy's, we sampled two kinds of very good local Madeira wine.
The exhilarating thrills of the day were the Funchal cable car ride to the top, followed by a woven basket toboggan ride back down the mountain in narrow, windy neighborhood streets from the hilltop village of Monte. Each tobaggan is manned by 2 men, using their ropes for steering and their rubber soled shoes for breaking!!! When the ride is finished, the drivers are bussed back up to the top. The tobaggans are loaded on a truck to be taken up for the next riders. Such a thrill and a lot of fun.
Flowers blooming, parks everywhere, mosaic artwork sidewalks, doors painted with artwork, beautiful beaches and architecture-- we can't say enough good things about Madeira, Portugal.
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