A great panoramic overview of Madeira and fantastic views over the Bay of Funchal makes this tour an ideal start to the day. Pass through the quaint and picturesque fishing village of Câmara de Lobos, where Sir Winston Churchill spent much of his time painting.

At Cabo Girão — the second-highest sea cliff in the world — see the rugged coastline and spectacular, vertigo-inducing vistas, which are quite breathtaking. Stop at Pico dos Barcelos viewpoint on the way back to Funchal for a 360° panorama that includes forest, ocean, hills, bays and a marvelous cityscape.

 

The last stop is at one of the most beautiful locations on the island of Eira do Serrado. Walk to the viewpoint or enjoy some time browsing at the local craft shop.

Wow! We were we very lucky that our last stop before heading to Fort Lauderdale was Madeira. I must admit, I had not paid any attention to the map showing where Madeira was. I knew it was a part of Portugal. Since I went to grammar school in Point Loma, I knew some of my classmates or their parents were born in the “Azores.” This meant nothing to me. I assumed they were islands right off the coast of Portugal. They are not.

I was not the only person who was disappointed in Casablanca. We had what is called a “sea day” separating Casablanca from Madiera. Other passengers expressed their disappointment about various aspects of their experiences in Casablanca. The only thing I associated with the word “Madeira” was a clever song line from the 50’s or 60’s…“have some more Madiera, my dear ah.” The wine connoisseurs of our trip were looking forward to this special wine. That was fine with me. Even though I do not drink, I think the people who swirl wine around in a glass and sniff it before tasting it are more sophisticated than beer drinkers. I learned the liquid that remains on the inside of the glass after the wine is swirled is called ‘legs.’ (Yes, there is a fun competition onboard ship called “Trivia” and I am hopelessly addicted to it but will write about it later.)

In my last message I said that Casablanca is at the bottom of my excursion list. Now, Madiera is competing with Barcelona for top place. If I could only return to one port again, my choices are now between Barcelona and Madiera, I would say you would have to reflect on your preferences. For art, architecture, and history choose Barcelona. For stunning natural beauty, choose Madiera.

The only port that had terrain which resembled the volcanic peaks of Madiera was Muscat. The steep rugged mountains drop dramatically into the ocean in both places but Muscat is desert while Madiera is blessed with an ideal “micro climate” and volcanic soil. Madiera is a paradise of growing things.

At virtually every port where we stopped, there were a variety of excursions available to us. We would learn about the place we were going to visit through lectures. We would learn about the various tours available through write-ups which told what to expect to see and do, the time length, the degree of mobility and stamina required and, of course, the price. People who had been on many world cruises might opt to set off on their own but for “first-timers” it makes since to pay the somewhat high price of the Holland America organized excursions.

The reason I wrote the detailed paragraph that precedes this one is because tipping is always a question. One of the things that is said by the ship’s excursion spokesperson in relation to tipping is “Tips are never expected but are always appreciated.” I liked our Madiera tour guide so much that, at the conclusion of our excursion, I gave her the highest tip I have given.

I also hugged her. She was the only tour guide that gave me a warm verbal greeting and a welcoming hand shake at the start of the tour.

 

 

 

 

 

The guide was born in Madiera and was clearly enamored her the island, especially the vegetation. Perhaps her enthusiasm for nature had something to do with the fact that she was raised on a farm. She was the youngest of six children. It was an even gender split of siblings, three boys and three girls. Although money was scarce, they were supported by the farm. When the family needed an additional two bedrooms to their home, the father went off to France to earn the needed capital for building the addition. I learned that home ownership is important in Madiera. Our tour guide told us that her grandmother got her first pair of shoes at age 15 and those shoes were only to be worn to church on Sunday.

The tour guide shared more than others have about their personal lives. I was glad to hear what she had to say. It was clear she was happy and very proud of her island community. Her enthusiasm was contagious. She not only waxed poetic about the colors of the various flowers but raved about their aromas. This was the only excursion where I smelled plants and trees that made me wish I could smell them all the time!

 

 

 

At one stop, there was a patch of cultivated plants close to where our bus parked. The man who had been sitting behind me on the bus was from Iowa. He immediately identified the plants as potatoes. The tour guide confirmed that identification and mentioned the color of the blossoms. These little things are what made the overall experience so special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The description of this tour stated that it was an ideal way to start the day. As tours went, it did start at 8:30am which is on the early side but my first experience of Madiera started before dawn when I woke up sensing that we were coming to shore. Even in the pre-dawn darkness, I could see that Madiera was special. I am not sure how or why they do it, but most of the lights had a yellow glow to them. There was one church on the hillside that appeared to be specially outlined with white neon lights. I was busily snapping pictures before I even thought of breakfast!

Mary and I go for the “easy” excursions and everything about this particular tour fit that description. The ship easily arrived at the pier, we easily disembarked at the designated time on our tickets, and the bus was easily accessed just outside a better-than-most cruise ship terminal.

Sometimes, I try to draw a comparison between places back home and the places we visit. Believe it or not, Madiera is a cross between Disneyland and Mount Soledad! Imagine that Mount Soledad is ten times higher than it is. Imagine that Soledad Mountain Road is so narrow and winding that two buses cannot pass each other going opposite directions. Now imagine that the drop-off on one side of the road is so steep that if the bus were to go over the edge it would be the end of everybody on the bus. It was the first time my ears “popped” due to a change in altitude since I have been on the cruise.

Imagine that, when you arrived at the top of Mount Soledad, you heard wonderful music playing a melody you loved. Yes, there were two musicians regaling us with wonderful music on their flutes. There were gift shops and a snack bar. The weather is perfect. On top of all this, the view was even more stunning than one sees from the top of Mount Soledad. Far below nestled in a valley was a small village. It was real but so ideal it could have been designed by Disney.
The excursion description mentioned the second tallest sea cliff in the world. Our “easy” tour did not include this. I think that might have been just a little too thrilling. I talked to people who did visit this special place and I was told the glass walkway which people could stand on and look straight down had steel girders and opaque spots to reassure people that the walkway was there. There are some phobias that people may have their entire lives and never know that they have them. That is fine with me.

Even though this tour provided the most stunning vistas of all the excursions, there have been other incredibly scenic tours. One feature that made Madiera unique was the tunnels which cut through mountains right from the start of our journey. Many other tours worked their ways through ugly industrial areas of a city and eventually got into the visually pleasing countryside. Madiera was really pleasing right from the moment we left the pier.

So far, I have written about a great tour guide, stunning views, remarkably pleasant aromas and cliff hanging turns that thrilled us without killing us. Some readers may know about two other special features of Madiera.

Madiera has cable cars which put the ride in Barcelona to shame. While the Barcelona cable car took Mary and me over a relatively short distance that was somewhat like Balboa Park, the cable cars of Madiera were an authentic remarkably long trip over the community. Years ago, I had the pleasure of riding a hot air balloon above Temecula. The Madiera cable car ride was like a hot air balloon only better. The cable car ride was very quiet all the way. The hot air balloon ride was punctuated by the periodic roar of fiery gas being released into the balloon. Not only were the sights remarkable…homes, gardens, pets, farm animals but the sounds were special to hear too…barking dogs, birds singing, a rooster crowing.

Once I arrived at the top of the hill, I walked around for a while. There was a restaurant, hotel, gift shop, special gardens (for an entrance fee) and a little chapel. I hiked up a little further to reach the chapel. There was a gate that prevented visitors from entering the chapel but I could look around. The chapel may have been dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima who appeared in Portugal to three children. On the walls were white ceramic tiles adorned with paintings depicting religious themes.

After this, I had a fun encounter with a couple of young ladies from Denmark. They wanted a special picture of the two of them sitting opposite each other with the soles of their feet against each other and their legs in the air like they were forming an arch. I saw them approach a man with their camera and ask him to take their picture. It was apparent to me he either did not understand or was not willing to do this. I stepped right up. Snapping pictures is something I like to do! When I walk on Mission Beach, I often offer to snap pictures of families because I read that mothers are often not in pictures with their children because they are the ones taking the pictures.

After I had snapped a few shots to the young ladies’ satisfaction, I mentioned Tivoli Gardens and told them that when I was about their age I had motorcycled through Europe with my college roommate. They went on their way but a couple from Boston had overheard what I said and struck up a conversation. It turned out that the wife was born in Madeira and they had a place they came to stay during the cold season in Boston. The woman pulled a special fruit out of a bag to show me. She assured me it would be wonderful when it was ripe and talked about all the wonderful fruit that grows in Madiera. I cannot recall the name now but it was something like “nunu” and was light green. I looked something like a cross between a dragon fruit and an artichoke. Of course, I snapped a picture of her holding it.

So far, I have described a thrilling bus ride and a really nice cable car ride. The best was yet to come. I had never heard of the “wicker sleigh” rides before we got to Madiera. After arriving, I was told that this is a “must” in Madiera. Basically, two dressed in white guide your wicker sleigh down two kilometers of steep narrow street.

Of course, I took the wicker sleigh ride. It was just fast enough with bumps, twists, and turns to be tremendous fun. It brought back many childhood and adult memories. It has the element of danger yet I got to the bottom unharmed. I think I may have mentioned that I do not have a bucket list but if you do, this ought to be on it. I will savor my wicker sleigh ride on my “basket list.”

 

I have yet to write about the town of Funchal, the port in Madiera. It was clean and pleasant. I did not see litter. I was very pleased not to see graffiti. One traffic feature which I really appreciated was special pedestrian crossing lights which could be activated by pushing a button. This may not seem significant but I prefer to have a green light before I venture into a crosswalk. In many places we visited, pedestrians did not seem to have right-of-way at any time.

 

 

 

 

 

I am not a shopper but I accompanied a fellow passenger into a store. She was pleased to purchase two pairs of jeans and three tee shirts of $47.00. When another passenger came in , I told her how pleased my companions were with the bargains. Later, this woman thanked me. I may not be a shopper myself but I can be supportive of those who are.

Finally, I want to give a brief overview of my impression of Funchal as a whole. I liked the way the city is laid out. The streets are broad. There are parks full of greenery. There are houses instead of high rises. It was a nice place to visit. It will be a nice place to revisit should I ever venture forth again.

Taken as we departed, one has an idea of what Funchal looks like from the sea

Overlooking Funchal, an ancient fort, built to guard the then smaller port

Editor’s note: Helen is now crossing the Atlantic, heading home. The ship seems to be making a habit of encountering weather during the Atlantic crossing, this is no exception. They are pitching in a 5 meter swell, with winds at 25 knots. A deep depression to their north, which merged with a Tropical storm (Arlene) has made for some tough-going. They were scheduled to cross 150 miles to the north but this route would have taken them through the center of the storm; now they are passing ‘under’ it and missing the worst of the weather. The further west they travel and, all being well, they should see an improvement. They have another 4 days before Port Everglades, Florida beckons.