We spent the last two days visiting Portugal’s Autonomous Region of Madeira, a 250 mile detour from our journey around the Canary Islands. On our first day, we spent our time wandering around the capital city of Funchal. On the second day, we toured around much of the rest of the island. While much of the natural environment of Madeira is similar to many of the other islands we have visited, it has its own vibe (and a fun one at that!). In terms of its location, Madeira is actually closer to Africa and Spain than it is to Portugal and closer to the Canary Islands than anyplace else. It’s also part of an archipelago of a number of inhabited and uninhabited islands, the next largest being Port Santo (Columbus had a house there at one point — see, there he is again!). It is a very steep island being that it is the top of a major shield volcano. The numerous mountains and valleys result in lots of microclimates around the island, not unlike what we have seen in the Canary Islands. The combination of an excellent climate, rich soils and a well protected maritime port, attracted new settlers that focused heavily on agriculture — especially sugar cane which was their primary revenue source until Portugal’s colonies (e.g., Brazil) took over production. In the wake of sugar cane and mills came vineyards and wine production, hitting the market as wine consumption was just taking off in Europe and the New World.
Anyway, we spent our first day in Funchal. The first thing you notice is that it is mobbed with tourists, most of whom arrive by cruise ship. There were two other massive cruise ships in port the same day as us. Despite have hordes visiting at any given time, they seem to be able to absorb them between the city and the rest of the island. We took advantage of a hop-on/off bus to drive around the city to get our bearings, but then started walking around.
Walking around Funchal’s old town with it’s small, narrow streets (many of which are pedestrian only) was very charming. One of our first stops was the Cathedral, which while not particularly impressive outside, was quite ornate on the inside. Things were in a state of change in the streets, un-decorating from Christmas and New Year’s (their “illumination” is highly regarded and actually changes every year and their New Year’s Eve fireworks display is regarded as the best in Europe) and preparing for Carnavale. These guys know how to party! From there, we wandered over to the Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmers’ Market). Here you can buy a plentitude of fresh fruits and produce including multiple species of bananas and avocados, passion fruit, guavas, and Delicious Fruit. The ladies working there all dress in traditional Madeiran dress.There were also a wide variety of crafts for sale there. After all that strenuous walking, we stopped in for a Madeira wine tasting at Blandy’s. The dry, semi-sweet, and sweet Madeiras are actually made from different grapes and are aged. What is unique is that the wine is actually heated in addition to the normal maturation process. Heating actually accelerates the aging process and enhances the flavor. It also gives the wine more shelf life than other fortified wines like Port. One of the more interesting sights was wandering down Rua de Santa Maria (also known as the Street of Painted Doors). This project to a largely forgotten street and revitalized it in 2010 through the “Art of Open Doors” project. Today, over 200 of the doors have been painted by local and international artists — basically, an open air art gallery. That has attracted numerous restaurants that keep the visitors coming. The only two things we didn’t get to enjoy was the cable car ride from the city up to the little suburb of Monte near the top of the mountain (it was broken) and the traditional toboggan ride which essentially is a traditional wicker sled, guided by two drivers, through the winding streets back into Funchal (2 hour+ wait). After a long day of walking around, we enjoyed a dinner in the city and then headed back to the ship.
On our second day, we took a bus tour around a good portion of the island. We actually drove up to Monte to take in the panoramas of the city below, as well as visiting the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Peace. This monument was erected after World War I after the people’s prayer for peace was answered at the end of the war. Most noteworthy was the rosary, the chains of which came from ships that were torpedoed by the Germans in the port of Funchal and the stones from the river of Santo Antonio. These were carried by hand up the mountainside. From there, we continued up into the mountains, entering the Laurissilva (the Laurel forest) on the northern slopes of the island. With an age of at least 1.8 million years, this forest is now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As we continued on, we stopped at Pico do Areeiro, the third highest mountain on Madeira. The wind was really roaring, making it hard to stand, much less take photos. There were great 360 degree views from up here and it was exciting to see the clouds zoom by. Getting in and out of here, however, is another matter. We probably spent 30 minutes trying to get around other buses and cars (there’s a lot of backing and arm waving involved). After all that sitting, it was time for a little exercise, walking on the trail from Ribeiro Frio to the Belvedere of Balcoes. This trail is in the middle of the Laurissilva forest which has the highest density of laurel trees in the region. Before setting off, we had to fortify ourselves with a glass of poncha (a traditional Madeiran alcoholic drink made with sugarcane brandy, honey and citrus like lemon or passionfruit). The trail itself was largely flat and wide, made so for the easy maintenance of the levadas (small irrigation channels/aquaducts) that carry water from the very wet northwest of the island to the drier areas in the southeast. Arriving in Balcoes, the views of the the valleys and rock formations were amazing. We were also surrounded by Eurasian Blackcaps, small warblers that migrate to this area from northern Europe in the winter. We stopped for lunch at a beautiful hotel (Quinta do Furão) along the north coast by the Rocha de Navio preserve. The views from there were stunning with the steep cliffs and waterfalls. For lunch we had a regional specialty — the Black Scabbardfish. It was very tasty, but if you saw it before it was filleted, you might just pass on it. After lunch, we headed down to Porto de Cruz, a small village tucked into the base of the surrounding cliffs and roaring seas. It’s history is tied to sugar and rum production (the latter still going on today). You’re supposed to look at the nearby cliff and see an eagle with spread wings. I guess you have to drink a lot of rum before that comes into focus. As we started back to Funchal, we passed through the town of Santana to look at some of the traditional Madeiran houses there. They are triangular in form with thatched reed roofs on top. The outside walls are painted red at the base, along with the doors. Windows are trimmed in blue. They typically only had two rooms — a living room and a bedroom (no kitchen or bathroom. I can certainly understand no kitchen because of the fire hazard, but nobody could answer where people “did their business.” Our last stop of the day was a suburb of Santa Cruz called Canico. The nature reserve there was beautiful and the are a number of caves in the cliffs at the water’s edge. We were stopping to see the statue of the Cristo Red (the Sacred Heart of Jesus). While not the largest (I think Rio has that bragging right), I believe it was the first, built in 1927. The wind was howling and the rain starting to come in, so it was a short stop.
It’s hard to compare all the islands we have been to so far and even harder to pick a favorite, but if I was to choose which one I would like to come back to, I think Madeira is the winner.
This entry was posted in Cruising, Europe, Portugal, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
