Day 1 Saturday 8th Nov
And so it begins……
It did begin at the unholy hour of 1am following an 8pm bedtime and 5 hours of very restless sleep lest we not hear the alarm and have to rush; no alarm needed.
The satnav said A21, M25 and M23 all of which were very dark and scant with vehicles. We made it in under an hour with cruise set to 70mph for the majority of the trip.
Car parked and the bendy bus carried us to the North Terminal for self check in and baggage drop both completed using our virtual boarding passes which had been sorted by us and saved on our phones a few days before whilst in the comfort of our own home, Easyjet charges if you don’t do this, no surprise there then.
Security check was quick and slightly different from what we were used to, laptops/tablets/phones remaining in hand luggage but nothing at all allowed left in pockets; I got sent back to empty mine and even then was frisked by security.
We made our way through to departure running the ubiquitous duty free gauntlet and waited for our Departure Gate to appear on the display. It’s 4.45am.
Coffee ahh.
We were called to Gate 53 for our flight, an airbus 320 which was due to take off at 7.10am with an expected flight time of 3hrs 15mins or was it 3hrs 50mins, “what did he say?” only time will tell. Fog had covered the airport so there was a delay of around 20 minutes prior to take off. We eventually did rev the engines and took off at 7.35am and, it seemed only seconds before we were above the fog and in bright sunshine.
The flight was very pleasant with somewhat infrequent pilot information of the particularly mumbled type. This was of little use but nevertheless we relaxed, had a drink and the time seemed to pass very quickly. Funchal or Cristiano Ronaldo airport with its tabletop runway, once very short but now having been extended sits atop numerous ’pillars’ parallel with the coast, with steep drop offs either side. Planes can sometimes encounter problems in bad weather and therefore have to land elsewhere on the island. No problems for our flight thank goodness, it was an excellent yet quite exhilarating landing for those occupying the port side window seats.
Passport control, no longer EU queues for us UK citizens, rather those reserved for Foreigners with alternative egates, with photos taken of each person and finally human passport checks completed we made our way to baggage reclaim.
From there we met with Benny our tour guide and some more members of our group. We are now 13 + Benny.
To the minibus and after a short ride we arrived at our Hotel, a different one from the one we had originally booked . This Hotel, The Ocean View, lays a fair distance from central Funchal town, taxis from now on then, on the plus side it does provide great views over the city.
We spent the afternoon recouping and met with Benny at 6.30pm where he introduced us to the group and laid out the plans for the week ahead.
We all went out for dinner in Funchal town which, I don’t want to jump to any conclusions nor make any snap decisions but, and a big but, Funchal seems a little run down and dingy. I will reserve my final judgment.
Dinner was delicious, Maggie had Scabbard fish , a deep sea fish, with tropical sauce and I opted for Tuna Belly. This was all washed down with a glass of red for Mags and a glass of Rosè and a beer for me.
We were back to the hotel and tucked up by 10.15pm. A busy and long day.
Day 2 Sunday 9th Nov
A comfy and well deserved sleep.
Breakfast at 7.30am was very welcomed and rather full on. The breakfast room was certainly busy, there are many guests in the hotel, perhaps Saturday is a change over day here.
Breakfast provided all that we could want, the variety of hot and cold options on offer was excellent.
Today, Wow! what an end to the day but more of that later.
Today we discovered a number of things:
- Portuguese is a language which sounds as if the radio constantly needs retuning, a language punctuated with many of shhh and hssssor, have a cough every now and again please.
- A perfectly smooth road surface with absolutely no potholes.
- An island of serious ups and downs.
- A place of numerous natural ecosystems.
Our tour today took us to the west and north of the island. We were introduced to rugged coastline, steep cliffs, winding roads, small villages, magnificent views and awesome sights.
First we drove to a viewpoint in the north west at Ponta de São Laurenço where we could look out over volcanic cliffs, out to the sea beyond the horizon, a desolate place except for the odd chapel and remote building. We walked around a while and simply enjoyed nature laid out before our eyes.
We then dropped in to a bakery in Porto da Cruz where each loaf was being hand made by an elderly lady and finally, after proofing, was cooked in an open fire wood fuelled bread oven by a young lady. It smelled amazing and the bread was crusty and delicious. Whilst we were there our driver for the day bought a loaf.
Next we drove to Santana to visit the market selling a wide variety of bananas and both familiar and unfamiliar fruits and vegetables of all shapes, sizes and colours, they were doing brisk business too. This area famous on the island for its cultivation, always full on due to volcanic enriched soil and a climate conducive to year round growing of crops We lost count of the varieties of bananas and potatoes on display. Across the road we visited the historical steep roofed thatched houses that were common to this rather wet area in years past, enabling farmers to store their crops safely in the roof space and keep their livestock in the space created under the house thus providing a free organic form of heating for the living space – if a little smelly! A cup of coffee and we were on the move again.
Following a short drive through interesting countryside – lauris silva – with its distinctive plants, trees and lichen, we stopped in a very busy area where cars and our coach jostled for positions on the very narrow road. We got off the coach to walk a short section of path following a Levada. This was an interesting and very enjoyable 2 mile trip with a great viewpoint at the end.
Click the link below to view the walk
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/20941630294
From here we drove what seemed forever upwards soon doubling our height to 1810m through the clouds and mist then thankfully and against all expectations into full sunshine arriving at the summit of the 3rd highest point on the island, it was simply breathtaking. The contrast between the black rock, the tops of the white fluffy clouds and the blue blue sky was amazing, what a fitting end to a day of contrasts.
This evening we descended the hill yet again and had our evening meal in a much brighter and busy part of town on the seafront. I had one of the nicest, tastiest meals i had eaten out for a long time, it was a prawn based salad dish full of excellent flavours.
Home to bed after a long but great first day.
Day 3 Monday 10th November
We are both very tired after a long but very busy day so I will keep this brief and aim to embellish it later.
After breakfast today we set off to explore the north eastern part of the island. This is a land of tunnels where once upon a time it would have taken arduous hours to complete this trip, nowadays thanks to construction of numerous tunnels it has cut the time taken to cover these distances immeasurably.
The Madeiran farmers provide the islanders and tourists with all the fruit and vegetables required and then some. For example, bananas are a weed and grow in abundance everywhere and every space seems to be cultivated, water is in good supply and the volcanic soil is extremely fertile. But the farmer’s life is not an easy one; the volcanic landscape necessitates steep terraces, difficult to access, work and transport the harvested crops from.
Our first major stop was Porto Moniz but this was preceded with stops to take photos of waterfalls and the impressive coastline along the way.
We had planned to go swimming in the numerous natural rock pools but there was a problem; the sea was was playing hard ball. It was extremely rough with waves crashing onto the shoreline. Local Lifeguards were, therefore, forced to close them to the public and we had time to relax, have a cold drink, and simply enjoy the turmoil of the sea in front of us. It was certainly a spectacle and did not disappoint.
After an hour or so we moved on to Sao Vincente, a peaceful seaside town with an abundance of good eateries and a small flock of Muscovy Ducks. The local bakery provided us with some rather good coffee and cakes.
We began to retrace our steps south and arrived at Ribeira Brava where some people chose to venture out onto the glass floor of a viewing platform high above a shear drop of 590 metres above the seashore. We would have done this but simply could not get the machines to produce tickets no matter what we tried.
From here we took a 2 mile walk alongside a levada admiring the flora, terraces of crops and fantastic views, steps and steep roads the order of the day for those who live and work here.
Click here to view the walk
Check out my hiking activity on Garmin Connect. #beatyesterday
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/20951971905
Walk finished and a short bus ride to the harbour, it was now time to sample Poncha, the drink of the locals based around sugar/honey, orange and rum (various alternative but similar concoctions were available) Fisherman’s Poncha, Regional Poncha, Passion Fruit Poncha.
All Ponchad out, we were driven back to the hotel for a quick change and freshen up.
Our meal this evening was at a very smart restaurant in the old town. I opted for Red Snapper with prawns and rice, for Maggie it was Prawn Risotto. The service and ambience were excellent, a great choice made by Benny completed our day perfectly.
Day 4 Tuesday 11th November
Today started similarly with a hearty breakfast, however, the rain clouds massed and we watched sheets of rain as they came and went across the bay passing directly over our hotel.
The rain abated.
We were on the coach for 9am and off down to Funchal to first visit a dying industry, that of embroidery. The beautifully maintained old building and its factory had been going for years and, with no new younger people keen to learn this amazing skill and with technology being able to produce a very similar if sadly a machine made product, this long standing tradition was, I’m afraid destined for the History books.
Following this we were taken to the market where we had a fruit tasting experience, some quite recognisable others less so. Madeira is the place to come if you want to see and eat fruit in all it guises.
We next walked down to the harbour and there alongside separate from other vessels was moored our reasonably sized motor yacht. We joined the queue of people already waiting and within minutes had walked down the steps and climbed aboard.
We made ourselves comfortable on the few spaces left available and were soon away out into the open under a beautiful sunny sky. We joined the slightly rougher sea which lay outside the harbour wall and motored east hoping to spot some whales or dolphins, this didn’t happen so after an hour and a half we turned about and motored against the current and tide through the ever increasing waves while forever being covered in spray as the boat swayed both from side to side and up and down: we enjoyed this experience, many did not. We watched as planes came and went on the elevated runway and enjoyed looking at the various building built into the steep hillsides. What a good few hours.
Lunch today didn’t take us far from the seafront. Today’s meal was included and offered a variety of main dishes with two sides. Pork or Scabbard fish were the main options and chips and maize cubes to accompany these, all washed down with orange, passion fruit or apple Brisas (the local flavoured carbonated drinks). It was good and all that fresh air had made us hungry.
We then were given a tour of the city of Funchal and were shown, the squares, major buildings of note, important streets, various gardens and the recommended restaurants. It was also here that we were given a tour of a Madeira wine distillery. We sampled both dry white and sweet red Madeira which was also known as Malmsy wine, you remember the same alcohol that the Duke of Clarence was drowned in a barrel of way back in history. I preferred the red Madeira wine but both of them were too much like liquor so we decided not to make an investment. During this walk about Benny explained the bus systems, cable car options, etc. so that we would be ready to make choices on our free day. If I’m honest, it was all a bit confusing and we were given too much information. Still, better to have too much rather than too little.
Door art:
It poured and the wind blew.
NOW, dinner would prove to be much more interesting than anyone would ever have expected and would certainly impact upon our visit to the Reid’s Hotel tomorrow afternoon. You see, Joanna, Benny’s partner works there and will be tomorrow when we arrive. Her job is to meet and greet at the front of house. Maggie and I were the only ones to leave our hotel and go down to Funchal to have dinner. Unknown to every member of our group we had dinner at a restaurant with Benny who had invited Joanna and their 5 year old son Gustavo to join us. We hatched a plan. Can you see where this is going………….
By the way, we had a lovely evening.
More to follow.
Day 5 Wednesday 12th November
Today the weather was a mixed bag, rain ranging from pouring to showers to light drizzle, windy then calm, sunny and cloudy the whole gambit but it didn’t matter.
Our usual 9am departure time on the coach which first took us to the Christ the Redeemer statue, looking somewhat the worse for wear, it was hit by lightning a number of years ago and the powers that be haven’t got round to repairing it quite yet.
We travelled on through the town of Canico where many of the people who work in Funchal live, luckily for us we were going against the traffic jams that, we were reliably informed, are always present when the weather is inclement. We drove past the end of the airport runway and eventually arrived at the ocean where we took a stroll along the promenade followed by a rather good and very inexpensive coffee in a beach side cafe. Another short road trip took us to yet another promenade at Santa Cruz and a visit to a rather pungent fish market and a small but perfectly formed, very interesting church. Rain began to fall in sheets so we took our best option – the mini-bus back to the hotel.
Now for this evening’s extravaganza. We were off to have tea at Reid’s Hotel, posh, very expensive or what, the place where numerous famous people had stayed the most famous being Sir Winston Churchill. We all smartened ourselves up and took the bus down to Funchal.
Last night, whilst at dinner we had hatched a plan which included Joanna (Benny’s Partner), Maggie and myself. Joanna works at the hotel and is the first person to meet and greet any visiting groups so she can welcome and then introduce them to the hotel. As soon as we walked through the door she rushed over to Myself and Mags, greeting us by name and asked if we were staying in the hotel like we had last year for 1 or 2 weeks. I asked after her how she and her son had been and told her that it had only seemed a short while since we had last seen her, we hugged. The faces of the group were a picture of disbelief whilst Benny played it very straight the whole time. We responded to none of the groups questions or comments about wealth or being ‘dark horses’ etc.
After a while when we were outside I came clean and told the group that this had all been a ruse and planned the previous night. Everyone in the group had been taken in and all actors were well pleased with their parts in our deception.
Tea was a full on English afternoon tea with sandwich fingers (no crusts) filled with all manner of goodies, scones and butter, jam and cream, 4 each of the tiniest most delicious hand made specialist cakes you could imagine and a pot of tea which was drunk black and was exquisite. Anything not eaten was put into doggy boxes and brought back for later consumption.
Mini bus back to the hotel, no one stayed in Funchal.
I suspect an early night for all.
Day 6 Thursday 13th November
This is and place of great roads, amazing bridges and fantastic tunnels seemlessly joining all parts of the island together. They all work so well and give Madeira the transport and ease of access edge on many other parts of the world.
Last night the weather had been atrocious with extremely high winds, heavy heavy rain and thunder and lightning aplenty, so much so that an orange warning had been issued by the Government and, of course, all levada trails had been closed yesterday. We were told that weather coming from the south is uncommon and that when it does it is usually bad in a big way. We therefore knew that for this morning at least umbrellas and rain jackets were the order of the day.
As usual we met at 8.45am in the foyer, boarded the minibus and were off.
Today we would be going to the southwesterly part of the island to Madalena do Mar. I expect that you didn’t know that there are 17 different varieties of banana grown on Madeira and to get to know a little more on how they grow we took a walk, for the most part in pouring rain, around a banana plantation. It was interesting and then the sun came out.
Click the link below to view our walk
Check out my hiking activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/20981824061
We drove a little further Ponto do Pargo and stopped at one of the 12 lighthouses of the Madeiran Archipelago, the views along the coast were quite dramatic, the lighthouse however…….
Next to a small town next to the sea near a sheltered harbour with an array of yachts, boats etc. It was quite chic. This was where Maggie and I grabbed a coffee.
We travelled for a bit and then stopped in Calheta at a sugar cane/rum factory. We viewed the machinery and Benny explained to us that the place was only active for part of the year so we were free to walk around. It was here we were give a sample of the rum manufacture, neat or in poncho. Molasses, treacle to us, was also produced here so we sampled cakes made from this and we bought 2 to take home.
Finall to another seaside town to visit and ethnographic museum to view examples of the machines that were used in past history of the area. This is where I bought some small angel decorations for the Christmas tree.
This evening we returned to have dinner where we had previously met with Benny’s partner and son. It was a great evening of drinking and eating and was quite raucous with a packed dining room. I had grouper with ginger and seaweed risotto while Maggie had the mushroom risotto, very delicious.
Home by 10pm
Day 7 Friday 14th November
Today was our Free day so after breakfast we took the local bus into Funchal for the princely sum of 2Euros each, a flat fare.
We had already booked our cable car tickets online some day before so walked to the cable car station and bypassed the queues and were quickly invited to board the car along with 3 other people, Canadians as it happened. The ride was smooth and gave us a different perspective on the city below us and one which disappeared behind us as we made our way upwards. At the top station we exited as the car continued its slow turn before loading up and once again making its descent.
We followed the wicker sled signs, avoiding the Tropical Gardens, paid for our ride and waited in the queue. The wicker basket ride is a highlight of any trip to Madeira and something not to be missed. It has a long history of the rich being carried down from on high in a wicker sled controlled by 2 people rather than have to walk down. In some cases people were hauled up in sledges, a far more arduous task I’m sure.
Our “slide” was interesting, we were pulled by rope to get us going at the start and on the drier areas, our spin was controlled by the men then moving to the rear of the sled and using their special footwear to slow us and guide us and our direction around corners relied on our 2 controllers shifting weight appropriately whilst all the time sharing our route with a number of cars. The whole ride was just over 3/4 mile and took approximately 9 minutes.
Click below to view a map of our slide
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/20987888223
Finally at the end we climbed out of our seats and set off to walk the 1 hour on a series of steep downward roads back to the promenade, this for me was a struggle.
Click below to view our steep walk down
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/20987891734
We found our way to the market we had previously visited and decide upon a lunch stop. The fish restaurant we chose was good and we sat outside and had cod balls and potatoes alongside a beer, it was very welcomed.
We decide to walk along the promenade to find a porcelain studio we had seen earlier but no luck so we called in to a Gelateria for dessert. We walked on and bumped into Donna, Mary and Christine. We all made our way to the bus stop, after a few minutes the bus duly arrived and delivered us safely back to our hotel.
For tonight’s meal Benny took us to another eatery in this city of wide and varied restaurants, an African, namely Ghanaian fusion and very busy and attractive one in a part of the old town we seemingly had not yet visited. I ate shrimp curry masala which was perfect. It was very noisy as the walking Explore group were also eating there this night. We eventually left and walked our way back to the minibus in yet another rain shower. Upon arrival we all said our goodbyes as we were catching a number of different flights with varied departure times. Bed was calling g for us whereas some people I’m sure opted for no sleep as they would soon be leaving for the airport.
Day 8 Saturday 15th November
Our day of departure.
After filling ourselves each day of the week with good fresh food, mainly fish and vegetables and fruit all my cells feel full to the point of bursting and are waving the white flag with gusto.
This morning for the first time in 7 days we woke at a reasonable time and when we eventually moseyed down to breakfast just past 8 am, unlike on previous days, there weren’t many people still eating and the room was fairly empty. Luckily the counters were still full of food so we partook wholesomely.
We packed our things as the weather slowly improved, it had been an horrendous night of rain and strong wind until eventually as we approached late morning the blue sky and sun appeared.
We made our way downstairs with our luggage to the lobby and settled ourselves comfortably for a 3 hr wait for the transfer minibus as we had to vacate our room by 12 midday.
The minibus eventually arrived at 3.30pm after a couple of phone calls made to Benny.
After about 25 minutes we were at the airport main doors. We quickly checked in our 2 pieces of luggage, made our way through duty free, security and passport control and to Gate 18 where we waited for a while. This airport is busy but very small, some might think too small. Eventually the doors opened and we walked across the tarmac, climbed the stairs onto the Airbus 320, found our seats, 23 D and E, and made ourselves as comfortable as you can on a small aircraft.
The captain informed us that we would be taking off at 5.50pm some 25 minutes late and the we had a flight time of 3hrs 20minutes, this was quicker than we had anticipated.
Soon the plane was readied for take off, we rolled to the end of the runway, the jet engines revved and soon we were up in the air drinking white wine.
Goodbye Madeira we had a great time enjoying you scenery, food and people.
After 2 hours of flying the pilot informed us that we were making good time flying at 38,000 feet at a speed of 520 mph so should be starting our descent in 30 minutes and arriving on the hour at 9pm – Wow!
We actually touched down at 8.54pm and were through passport check, baggage collect and customs by 9.35pm. Thence bus to car park, away to Jane’s to pick up P and home and indoors by 11.40pm, all very easy.