Our ship arrived at the Madeira Islands which lie between the Azores and the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa
The Zuiderdam docked at 8:00am. Looking out the big windows of our breakfast table we were
looking at the scenic hillsides covered with white washed homes having red
tiled roofs.
We boarded a shuttle for a
ride into the town for 6 Euro each…a ten minute ride or a half an hour walk
along the coast. The bus dropped us at the City Center where we immediately saw
a large group of people exercising in the sunshine on the sidewalk to music
with the direction of a leader…everyone was welcome to join it…Wouldn’t it be
fun to start one of these in Virginia during the summer months?
We continued walking
down the waterfront passing manicured parks and all kinds of artworks…statues,
wall paintings, gorgeous architecture, and the fantastic Portuguese mosaic
sidewalks.
Portuguese mosaic sidewalks
We paid 20 Euro to ride to the top of the mountain to the village of
Monte on a gondola with two UK couples who were vacationing here for a week.
The views were fantastic! The aerial sights on the gondola allowed us to see the highways, large bridges, narrow streets, and individual homes and gardens with ocean views for about 15 minutes. Funchal is one gorgeous city…very clean.
At the top of the mountain, we stopped to enjoy the awesome views as well as sip some hot tea. The cool temperatures on top of the mountain caused us to put our jackets on.
Larry tried out one of the sleighs in the coffee shop.
The Zuiderdam is on the left....What a tremendous view!
The views were fantastic! The aerial sights on the gondola allowed us to see the highways, large bridges, narrow streets, and individual homes and gardens with ocean views for about 15 minutes. Funchal is one gorgeous city…very clean.
At the top of the mountain, we stopped to enjoy the awesome views as well as sip some hot tea. The cool temperatures on top of the mountain caused us to put our jackets on.
Continuing to walk a little while further up the mountain, we
passed numerous gardens and came to our destination, the Cathedral of the Lady
of Monte and the famous sleigh basket rides that are the highlight of Funchal.
Beginning in the early 19th century, the sleighs were used as a method of transportation for the local residents.
Beginning in the early 19th century, the sleighs were used as a method of transportation for the local residents.
We enjoyed a tasty lunch
while watching some folks take their ride down the mountainside. The sleighs
are guided by two runners dressed in white and wearing a hat known as a straw boater.
A thrilling ride of up to 48 kms per hour is guaranteed. Larry and I finally gathered up enough courage to take our turn on the sleigh….it was thrilling. Two gentlemen who spoke very little English tugged at our sleigh to get it going and gravity took care of the rest of the trip.
We traveled between two other sleighs and it was skillful how the guys kept us from running into each other. It was a most thrilling ride.
Larry managed a selfie....I was holding on to tight to let go!
Larry and I laughed our sides sore all the way down. We were surprised to find an 8 by 10 glossy picture waiting for us at the end of the ride. From there we walked a little over a mile down the steep, STEEP hillside, back to the city center.
Music filled the air along the way as talented Portugese provided entertainment along the way….WHAT Ambience!
We passed several flowering gardens along the way. Funchal prides itself in having so many fabulous floral gardens. We enjoyed sitting in one of the parks and just enjoying the warm sunshine while people watching and listening to music in the City Center.
The day time had just flown by as we boarded the bus at 4:00pm to arrive back at the ship by 4:30.
Larry and I jumped into our swim suits and
headed for a nice quiet hot tub soak to watch Funchal passing by as the ship
sailed away. Maderia Island is one place we both would like to come back to
visit for a longer amount of time. It was simply heavenly! A thrilling ride of up to 48 kms per hour is guaranteed. Larry and I finally gathered up enough courage to take our turn on the sleigh….it was thrilling. Two gentlemen who spoke very little English tugged at our sleigh to get it going and gravity took care of the rest of the trip.
We traveled between two other sleighs and it was skillful how the guys kept us from running into each other. It was a most thrilling ride.
Larry and I laughed our sides sore all the way down. We were surprised to find an 8 by 10 glossy picture waiting for us at the end of the ride. From there we walked a little over a mile down the steep, STEEP hillside, back to the city center.
Music filled the air along the way as talented Portugese provided entertainment along the way….WHAT Ambience!
We passed several flowering gardens along the way. Funchal prides itself in having so many fabulous floral gardens. We enjoyed sitting in one of the parks and just enjoying the warm sunshine while people watching and listening to music in the City Center.
What a tree....What a man!!!!!
The day time had just flown by as we boarded the bus at 4:00pm to arrive back at the ship by 4:30.
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