Western part of Madeira (3)

Lunchtime in Porto Moniz, only 75 kms from Funchal ... but it seems a world away.

A tongue of lava flowed into the Atlantic thousands of years ago;  it cooled and was carved by the sea into a series of protected natural pools.

A last view on the north coast be fore going to São Vicente.

There are quite a few houses for sale.

Some in better state than others.

Slim guy looking at slim house - and not convinced of the choice.

The village graveyard is small and sad.... 

After such a day, it is nice to go across the road for a skewer and a crème catalane as desert.  

Crème catalane is like crème brûlée but with ice cream and caramel on top - yammie !

Western part of Madeira (2)

After the impressive view at Cabo Girâo, we follow the coastline to Ribiera (River) Brava, an orderly and peaceful little settlement in the middle of banana plantations.

 Sâo Bento’s church from 16th century with splendid carved woodworks.

And then the road cuts north through the island up to Paúl da Serra, an extended high moorland, which at this time of the year was covered with blooming, yellow, broom.

The heather, not yet blooming, was way taller than me.

After driving down through the clouds ...

Imagine the work it takes to create the terraces, to plant and to harvest the grapes on this most northern coast of Madeira. 

We are to take the road in the gap between the two mountains after the vinyards.

Western part of Madeira (1)

We were a bit too squeezed in the minibus.  Between two sour Brits, who claimed themselves happy to be out of the EU and a Polish mother and her pretty daughter, both very outgoing.

First stop was Camâra de Lobos, where we were some days ago and where Churchill painted in 1970.

 Colorful fishing boats

View from the seafront

Fishermen playing cards and drinking Poncho  after this morning’s catch.

The seal on the wall of the Aquarium is made of all kinds of rubbish - even its sad eyes.

From Cabo Girâo - view from a glass platform with glass railing.  Like standing in the open, 690 m above sea level.  Indeed one of the highest cliffs in the world.  Blue agapanthus cling to the top of the promontory and pine and eucalyptus creep right to the edge.

Saturday evening’s earthquake - a real one, at 22 hrs, was scary.   

It lasted for 29 seconds - and that felt like minutes.

The bed was tremling and we thought, the windows were to break.

And then it was all over.  Nothing broke and nobody got hurt.

5,2 on Richters scale - with the Epicenter some 20 kms away, deep in the Ocean.

We were - or I was - a bit shaken, but after a good Madeira wine and a game of Casino in the sunshine, we are ready for tomorrow’s excursion with bus 155 - to Cámara do Lobos,
a fishermans’ village 16 kms west of Funchal.

Monday’s excursion took us by bus 155 first to closeby Funchal.

The morning was crisp, but temperatures rose by the time we reached the city.

A quick walk to catch bus 3, direction Ribeira Brava, and after 15 minutes ride we are at the harbour.

Hans goes for a walk as I get to meet some German people from Dresden at the ‘Cáffe’

The fishing boats are colorfull and well maintained.

Churchill spent time here between his period between ‘after’ and ‘before’

... painting, mostly aquarelles.

Today others are painting walls ... absolutely no rush

Excursion boar leaving the harbour.

In a month, maybe two, there will be figs along this roadside.

Last night we had supper just down the road - sardines on toast with mixed salad.
A very humble place and, for once, not expensive.

Carnaval is over, but there is still music in the streets.

Still performing at every street corner ....

... until one dancing girl must take off her shoes.

Miserable - or maybe just tired enough for a nap in the sun ?

After visiting his museum in nearby Caniço, we went to his grave.

World famous photographer, Jose do Só, was born in Caniço and used black and white clichés till 1972, when he started using colors.  

His main subject is village life and villagers in their daily duties.

But he also succeeds in showing the development, that Caniço went through as of 1960, 

when foreign tourists started to arrive in this small village.  

It rapidly grew from 6.000 to today’s 22.000 inhabitants.

Saturday’s excursion in minibus to “Curral des Freiras” = “Refuge of the Nuns”,
- in popular terms called “Nuns’valley”.

The village has been isolated from the outside world for the majority of its history, in a perfect crater surrounded by extinct vulcanoes.  The nuns in question fled here from the Santa Clara Convent in the 16th century to excape raiding pirates.

Hidden by inacceccible mountains, supported by rich volcanic soil and abundant sunshine, the nuns’ settlement became permanent and they cultivated cherries and produced “licor de castanha”.

The village continued in perfect isolation until the 20th century, when a tunnel was bored through the mountains to bring the first road.  

Television arrived only in 1984.

The trip back, through the mountains, was spectacular.

Climbing, by foot, up to “Pico dos Barcelos” some 1200 m above sea level.

Flowering mimosas assure the first scent of Spring.

“”Ilha de Madeira” means  “Island of Timber” 

Madeira is only 57 x 22 km.

Madeira was Portugal’s first colony.

First Portuguese inhabitants in 1420 report forest fires for 7 years. 

In 1478 sugar trader Christopher Columbus married Doña Filipa and fathered a son prior to his great voyage in 1492.

The mountains and hills are covered with trees -

- mostly the quick growing Eucalyptus.

“Eira do Serrado with view on Funchal. 

Funchal is the size of Esbjerg, 110.000 inhabitants, but as houses are only one or two floors, the city takes up a lot of space, way up the mountain side.

Strange birthday

Yesterday, 25 February, Hans turned 81 and we were prepared to celebrate throughout the day - but it ended in a complety different way.

We didn’t like the room, we got and asked to change from parking view to sea view.

We spent roughly 5 hours waiting the lobby before we could move - but it was worth it.

Not only do we have view on Christus Rey overlooking the ocean (like he does in Rio de Janeiro)

We also have sunset - and a bit of sunrise around the left corner of the balcony.

Time is flying ... already one week on Madeira

View from our room - the mornings are misty and fresh, but when the sun breaks through, we can clearly see the ‘Deserted Islands’, that can be reached by boat from Santa Cruz in half an hour.

Yesterday we  went to Santa Cruz, a small and cozy town some 15 kms from our hotel.  

There is only one airport on Madeira - on top of the flat mountain at the horizon.  The airstrip is  very, very short and makes landing quite scary.

Almost summertime - in February.

Amazing pavements throughout the whole town - the black parts are cut from lava.

Communal lady workers cleaning the stony beach from weeds.

There are two ‘‘canals’ leading water from town into the sea.

They are of hidden by Bourgainvillas in all shades of red.