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.