… to Funchal, Madeira …

… in Portugal. Funchal is the capital of the Madeira Islands, and the largest city on the island. Founded in 1421, the city is named after the wild fennel which was found growing on the uninhabited island when it was first discovered by the Portuguese. Because of its location far from the European mainland, Funchal was important in the 16th century as a stopping place between the Indies and the New World, and became wealthy.

Our excursion began with an early-morning walk around the old part of the city. Many of the doors in this area were painted with eye-catching designs. Some were magnificent!

  

We had one of our best adventures of the trip in Funchal. We took a two-mile long cable car ride up to Monte, a village 2000 feet high in a national park. We had a sweeping panoramic view of the Funchal harbor and the entire city. In Monte, we had a few minutes to take in the scenery and views, and then queued up for the main attraction: a ten-minute basket sleigh ride down the steep and winding streets of Monte all the way to the town of Livramento at the base of the mountain. Once a popular form of transportation on Madeira, the sleigh travels on wooden runners. Two men dressed in traditional uniforms – including hats reminiscent of those worn by gondoliers in Venice – pull the sleigh at the top of the first hill to get it moving. They wear special boots which are the only brakes the sleigh has. When it has picked up speed, they jump onto the back runners and steer the sleigh around sharp curves, parked cars, and the occasional tourist standing in the street, snapping pictures of the descending sleighs. In the middle of the route there is one slow spot where they again pull the sleigh to get it moving, but the sleigh reaches speeds of 25 miles an hour for most of the ride and there was a strong smell of burning wood from the runners. Frank took video of the entire ride – it was a blast!

 

 

 

Back in Funchal, we were lucky; the annual Flower Festival was in full swing. Flower carpets were arranged in the middle of several downtown streets, and the flower market stalls were packed with tourists and buyers. It seemed like the whole city was in bloom: purple jacarandas, orange flame trees, pink hollyhocks, white and yellow daisies. And in the market, exotic varieties from Africa and Asia were breathtaking.

 

   

 

The excursion ended with a wine tasting back in Funchal of the locally-produced madeira wine. It was delicious! Lunch was lovely at a sidewalk café in the middle of the flower festival, with a guitarist providing entertainment. We spent a pleasant afternoon wandering the streets of the old city. Funchal is a beautiful city – and that basket sleigh ride needs to be experienced to be believed!

This was our last port before the transatlantic crossing. Seven days to pack and rest, and say our goodbyes to the many wonderful people we’ve met. We’ll be back in Ft. Lauderdale on April 28, and in Maryland by evening. It has been a trip of a lifetime and showed us things we will never forget. Perhaps best of all, it’s a great introduction to places we would like to see again!