Funchal, Madeira’s capital city is over 500 years old. It sits on the southern coast with its center at the base of a natural amphitheater surrounded by cliffs and steep green mountains. Although the sprawl of housing is a bit of a mess, we loved the center with its tree-lined streets paved with black and white mosaics.
Wednesday: Got a good weekly rate on a rental car, a good thing as the marina is an hour and a half by bus to the center of town, yet just a 20 minute drive by car. On our first venture into town we discovered how difficult it is to navigate the warren of one-way streets, pedestrian zones and tunnels in the center. We parked and tried to walk around, but were swept away by the herd of tourists crowding the town from three gigantic cruise ships, so in the end we opted for a leisurely lunch of garlic bread--a local speciality, gnocchi with fresh lobster and a crisp glass of portuguese white wine at a cliff top restaurant overlooking the bay--bliss!
Thursday: Breezed through through Funchal on our 1st marathon tour around the Eastern half of island (see Madeira Part 1).
Friday: Got an early start and headed straight to the Mercado dos Lavradores, the main market in Funchal: Colorful, but sadly over-priced and over-crowded with tourists. We tasted some Madeira wine at a wine cellar in town (a bit too sweet for our taste), walked through the Zona Velha, the oldest part of the city and our favorite area and then enjoyed what we were told is the best Madeiran street food--a prego. We concur. Philly cheese steak, move over, this incredible sandwich has you beat! A fresh-baked roll, yes with cheese, steak, lettuce, tomato and, here’s the clincher....smothered in garlic butter--heaven! Fully sated, we spent the afternoon driving around the eastern part of the island thus completing our circumnavigation of the island.
Thursday: Breezed through through Funchal on our 1st marathon tour around the Eastern half of island (see Madeira Part 1).
Friday: Got an early start and headed straight to the Mercado dos Lavradores, the main market in Funchal: Colorful, but sadly over-priced and over-crowded with tourists. We tasted some Madeira wine at a wine cellar in town (a bit too sweet for our taste), walked through the Zona Velha, the oldest part of the city and our favorite area and then enjoyed what we were told is the best Madeiran street food--a prego. We concur. Philly cheese steak, move over, this incredible sandwich has you beat! A fresh-baked roll, yes with cheese, steak, lettuce, tomato and, here’s the clincher....smothered in garlic butter--heaven! Fully sated, we spent the afternoon driving around the eastern part of the island thus completing our circumnavigation of the island.
Saturday: Boat chores kept us at the marina most of the day, but we treated ourselves late afternoon to a ride on the gondola up to botanical gardens. It was too late to visit them, so we headed back down, this time by toboggan--undoubtedly the most unusual form of transportation we have used on this trip. Back in town, we took advantage of the absence of cruise ship tourists and enjoyed a pleasant stroll through the town. We peeked in at the evening mass in the cathedral and ended our day at one of the cafes on the elegant tree-lined Avenida Arriaga where we continued our research for the best Poncha on the island--a sweet-sour local cocktail favorite made with fresh orange and lemon juice, local dark honey and 50 proof portuguese rum! No kidding!
Sunday: Attended the remembrance service at the Anglican Church (Madeira actually has a large population of British retirees and snowbirds), a very traditional ‘high-church’ service with Madeira wine and honey cake served in the lovely gardens afterwards--how civilized! The afternoon was sunny, so we went for a walk in the botanical gardens and finished our tour of Funchal with high tea on the veranda at Reid’s hotel--just perfect!
Next Up: Madeira Part 3: Our last 24 hours on the island and Taka Trois is hauled out of the water again!*
*I will not have the time to finish the third and final post on Madeira before leaving this afternoon. Repairs on the boat are now complete and Michel, our weather router has given us a good forecast to cross over to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, so we’re off. Please God, give us a pleasant crossing!
*I will not have the time to finish the third and final post on Madeira before leaving this afternoon. Repairs on the boat are now complete and Michel, our weather router has given us a good forecast to cross over to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, so we’re off. Please God, give us a pleasant crossing!
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