Madeira: 30 degrees to start the new year

To celebrate the new year and our hangover we decided to have a quiet day. We went to Praia Formosa and walked the Promenade. Basically it's a sidewalk that connects Câmara de Lobos to Lido crossing around five beaches.We didn't want to walk the whole thing so we only did the road from Praia Formosa until Lido. Sun, sea, palm trees...Perfect, hun?

Two days after the storm, the sea was still rough. On the third day we went on a calm boat trip...

Portuguese life is hard...

Some expressed their happiness about the weather more than others.

This is a house built in a cave/rock. There are people still living here in Praia Formosa. When I was a kid I was told it was because they were poor, in the meantime they managed to have gardens, colors, vegetable gardens, banana trees etc but I'm guessing they don't have running water.

Madeira welcomes 2009

Let me tell you now: I'm not a big fan of Christmas. But one thing is for sure, I love New Year's eve and fireworks. So I guess you can say that I grew up in the right place.

Madeira usually manages to amaze you on the 31st of December. Even during this year of recession it had a show of fireworks that lasted almost 10 minutes.

To celebrate Funchal's city status (500 years in 2008) some fireworks spots were added to the city center.Did I mention that in Madeira you can buy your own fireworks and have some fun with it before midnight? Our group tried to so, all except me doing it for the first time. It wasn't bad, we didn't burn the house down but let's just say that once I saw a firecracker explode centimetres away from my neighbors window, I didn't want to play anymore. Next time I'll do it with my cousin like when we were kids.Hmm, wait... I'll do it in a safer way but mostly like when we were kids.

Madeira: SouthWest side

2008 was saying goodbye with one of its warmest days ever (in Madeira, not in the rest of Europe I was told). We went to Cabo Girão, a steep sea cliff (It's about 580 metres), in order to be awed by the view. Until recent years the vineyards and farms seen below were only accessible by boat. I think it gave it more character.
Cabo Girão belongs to the district of Câmara de Lobos, we visited the center as well as stopping to see it from above:

Câmara de Lobos is now far from its days as the poorest area in Portugal. But even it all the investment and increasing number of visitors it still maintains a certain atmosphere you can't see or feel in Funchal (Madeira's capital).

It was this small town that Churchill painted happily (back then it was a fishing village) but the duration of his stay has been greatly exagerated.


Câmara de Lobos also displayed an interesting collection of Nativity scenes.

On our way to Curral das Freiras (Nun's valley) we stopped in Pico de Barcelos for a few pictures, you can see Funchal, Câmara de Lobos, the Desertas islands and more on a clear day.

Curral das Freiras/ Nun's valley is a area that receives a lot of tourists, but most stay only to take a few pictures of the view and move on.

There are km to be discovered in this valley, I was sorry we didn't have time to invest in it.

The old road is closed and the state likes people to drive in the new and fast highways (two cars honked at us when we were doing ONLY 70km/h) but I really loved the old curvy way to go into town. I understand it costs money to clear the roads every winter (the rains makes landslide a current activity) but perhaps it could be open during summer. God knows we receive enough tourists that want this sort of adventure...

Madeira: Northeast and East side

After traumatizing the Bulgarian in our group with all the curbs and ups and downs we had enough space in the car for a comfortable road trip. We first tried to go to Pico do Areeiro, the highest point of Madeira at 1818m but the clouds were coming down fast so not only did we miss out on the view and driving was very exciting. So we went closer to the sea.

It started clearing up a bit...



Until it was clear enough to see the Desertas islands (a nature reserve with sea lions, weird birds, rabits, spiders and strange wild life).

There is a little chapel on top of that. Not sure if it was to punish the priest or to give hope to the sailors arriving.

Those two little dots are people. I think.

This is in Ponta de São Lourenço. The windiest area of the whole archipelago.

This is why I love this place. Bring a jacket if you decide to come. And prepare to drive to the nearest towns in search of a road sign that says "Ponta de São Lourenço". You'd think that with all the modern highways they would think of telling people how to get to places...

Back in Belgium - not enjoying the cold

In case you get confused with all my Madeira posts, I am back in Brussels and - sadly - back at work but I'll keep posting the rest of the Madeira photos until my computer completely freezes. Yes, it's fucking cold in Brussels. Minus eight (-8!) in a capital is rare, a collegue told me this morning that in the area where he lives, South of Brussels, it was minus fifteen (-15) this morning. I'm starting to have flashbacks of my winter in Latvia and I'm not happy.

Picture taken from here. I was afraid my camera would freeze (it happened in Lithuania) so I left it at home.

Madeira: party and hike

After partying until 3 in the morning we woke up early to go to one extreme of the island and hike for more or less 10km. Everyone was tired and sleepy. Leen was reacting to the previous dinner (it was either the mushrooms or the cheese) and vomited before the walk even started. It was a sign. Kids, if you feel sick on the morning you're supposed to walk more than 20 metres, stay at home. After not even 1km we had to go back to the car because she couldn't do it. Here are some photos of what we managed to see:

what did we do while everybody else hiked? Well, Leen vomited and I tried to sleep, I read about the walk I wasn't doing and then decided I was bored.The hike was in Portela, close to Machico in case you're wondering. Can't tell you much about it except that everyone loved it.

Madeira: after the storm

Once all my guests had arrived we went to Monte, an area outside the center of Funchal (about 8/9Km). We visited the local garden and the Monte Palace garden, it is commonly known as the Berardo garden (after the art collector that owns it). It used to be a hotel but now is a museum/garden that is worth visiting. Even if the price goes up every time I go back... It rained before and after our visit.

Traditional descent in Madeira baskets (the pictures that were possible). The old way included a full descent to Funchal (about 8km) but these days they only do 2km, apparently there is too much traffic to ensure safety. Bunch of "sissies" if you ask me.

Taken live while going down...

A small detour allowed me to photograph the other passengers.

Yes, it goes down fast. It's like a toboggan/sledge ride, lots of fun.