Day 104–April 19–Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

I awoke with a feeling of sadness today.  Funchal is our last port of call, this marvelous voyage is just about over.  All in all it’s been a wonderful trip. 

  Early morning full moon over Funchal as we docked.

Nearly 500 years old, Madeira’s capital – Funchal is one of Europe’s prettiest ports.  This volcanic outcrop off the coast of Africa is Portugal’s own floating garden. There are flowers everywhere!  Funchal was even named after it’s most fragrant native plants – funcho (fennel) which were growing all over the place when the 16th century Portuguese mariners arrived.  You’d be hard pressed to find any fennel now, the plants were ripped out to make room for the early settlers..  Just about anything will grow and survive on this beautiful piece of land.

I debarked from the ship early to once again take advantage of the free internet in town which was an easy 1 mile walk away.    

  These Flowers were across the street from the Wi-Fi Hot Spot that I found.  After finishing, I walked back to the ship to return my laptop and then took the shuttle bus back into town.

I had a serious mission today and that was to find the perfect gifts for my very special granddaughter, Savannah.  I asked each one of my three wonderful grandchildren to pick a country that was included in my itinerary. I would then bring them gifts from that country.  Sam picked the Polynesian Islands while Jack asked for currency from each country.  Sam is 16 and he probably would have liked an island girl as a gift but alas I couldn’t do that.  He was fairly easy to shop for because we had 6 ports of call that would qualify as Polynesian Islands.  In regards to Jack, all I had to do was to make sure that I kept some of the currency (paper or coin) before we left that country.   But now Savannah ‘s choice was presenting somewhat of a challenge because we were only going to be in Portugal until 3 pm.   So shopping was my main objective here.  I also was looking forward to seeing as much of this charming town as I could.

  Fruit Stand at the Mercado de Lavradores, the old market used by the locals and the tourists.

  The Fish Stand.  A big crowd was there to take pictures of the men cutting up the huge pieces of fish.  I believe that is tuna on the cutting table.

I was very fortunate with my shopping.  In fact, I was extremely happy with my purchases.  I could now relax and do some touring.  My next stop was the Cable Car.  I wanted to get up to Monte before the rains started.  Monte, at an elevation of 2,000 feet, is 4 miles from Funchal.   It is the highest part of a national park and is usually in a blue cloud-like mist.  After seeing this mist I can now understand the myth claiming that this island is the lost continent of Atlantis.

  View of Funchal from the cable car

  The Amsterdam seen from above.

My fellow cable car passengers were a young British family on holiday.  They told me that there were hiking trails at the top.  Oh how I wished I had more time to do a longer hike. 

  Flowers along the trail

  View from the Church Steps

The Chapel of Monte is set into the hillside and can be easily seen from Funchal.  The former Emperor of Austria, Carlos I is buried near this chapel.  He sought refugee in this village after abdicating during WWI.  He must have been a very saintly man because he has been “beautified by Pope John Paul II in Rome.  The walk up the 68 steps to the top was charming even in the rain.  The steps were slippery but once again my Keens kept me from slipping. 

   An advertisement for the wicker sled ride down the mountain.  I decided against taking this ride because of the cost and also the weather conditions.

  The actual sled drivers stacking up the sleds.  In days past, they used to have to push the sleds back up the hill.  They are now brought up on a flat-backed truck.

  More flowering trees

  The Botanical Gardens

  Stacked wood.

Holy Smokes, stacked wood in a land of Palm trees.  I just had to take this picture.  I haven’t seen stacked wood, a common sight in New England,  in 4 months. 

  Older Home built into the terraced hillside.

Back on land, I am once again walking on the beautiful pavements of Funchal.  Every road has a different design on the cobblestoned sidewalks.

The delightful sidewalks and the flowering trees make walking in this city a pure delight, but challenging since the cobblestones can be sharp and uneven.

 

I stopped along this road and purchased a piece of Portuguese bread that was grilled with butter and garlic.  Yum Yum!!!  The diet will start when I return home.

  Cactus growing along a volcanic hillside

 

  Replica of one of Christopher Columbus ships, the Santa Maria.   I read that good ole Chris did reside in Funchal for some period. 

  Our last sighting of land until Fort Lauderdale in 6 days time. We cruised alongside Madeira for the next hour where we were treated to views of mountains, waterfalls and small villages.  Madeira is now on  my list of places that I would like to return to.  I could easily spend a week or more here exploring those mountains and villages and having a more substantial meal!!