The overnight trip from Cartagena, Spain, to Madeira, Portugal, was a wild one. By the time we went to bed, the seas were really rolling, and we thought we were going to roll right out of bed! Happily, by the time Madeira came into view we could actually stand out on the balcony without our hair blowing out of our heads and across the Atlantic to Africa. :)
We had signed up for a four hour bus tour of the island, and our first stop was an overlook down to the town of Funchal, the capitol of Madeira.
This is a volcanic island, and about the only direction to go is up. Just about all of the roofs on the buildings are made from terra cotta, and the island is known for it’s picturesque, red roofed fishing villages. Winston Churchill used to come here often to paint scenes of these red roofed homes.
Because of the mountainous terrain, all the fruit and vegetables are grown in terraces. All the green you see in the picture above is banana plantations. They are not banana trees, but banana plants. Each plant produces only one long bunch of bananas, and then it is cut down. A new plant is started, so bananas are produced year round.
After a few more miles up the skinny switchback road, we stopped at a small bar for a taste of a local favorite known as Poncha. This drink is made of rum, honey, lemon, and cane sugar. Personally, I didn’t care for it. While there, I took a few pics of a gorgeous bougenvielia (sp) plant growing over the orange roof tile with the port in the background.
Madeira is also home to Cabo Girao, the second highest sea cliff in the world. What a view of the southern coast of the island!
Our last stop on today’s tour was the town of Ribiera Brava.
It was here that I finally saw some birds in the stream. I don’t know what the one on the left is, but the one on the right sure looks like a gadwall to me. I also saw a couple of coots. I didn’t realize they would be here.
There were also Bird of Paradise plants in full bloom. After our stop there, it was back to the ship. Considering we only had a little over four hours in port, I think we got to see quite a lot of this beautiful area. Tomorrow, it’s on to the Canary Islands!
Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later, Judy
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