April 16, Funchal, Madeira
Funchal is the capital of the Madeira Islands of Portugal. Although Madeira is part of the African Plate, some 400 miles of the coast of Africa it belongs politically and culturally to Europe and is 535 miles from the mainland. Funchal means fennel, Madeira means wood. And we all know it is famous for Madeira wine. It is also known for its exquisite but expensive hand embroidered linens. We priced one table cloth at 1,500 euros, and at a rate of 1 Euro equaling $1.68 US we passed on yet another bargain.
Madeira is another volcanic island with a now extinct volcano. It is not a large island--35 miles long and 13 miles wide at its widest point.
Madeira is a city of flowers. There are steep rocky hillsides covered with all colors of bougainvillea and other vines, flowering trees and shrubs, bird of paradise flowers, plus planters everywhere.
Thanks to a English gentlemen who saw us studying the bus routes and offered advice, we took his suggestion and our usual means of transportation---- a hop on, hop off bus. No commentary on this one but we saw a great deal of the Funchal side of the island. Some folks opted for the 2 miles gondola ride up the mountain with a basket ride down. The basket ride is a wicker sleigh type vehicle controlled by two men who stand on the back runners. Supposedly it is a slow ride but as they carry little bags of grease to put under the runners we had our doubts as to the speed. Before “modern” transportation the baskets were the means of getting down the mountain.
It was a short shuttle ride back to the ship so after our bus tour we went back for lunch and a coffee out break. Returning to “downtown” we walked back and forth, up and down until we found the Old City and open market. The “open” market was in a building with only the center of it open. It sold the most beautiful produce we have seen since Hong Kong. It also contained a large fish market, and flower stalls plus the usual souvenirs.
We spied a small crowd standing opposite an imposing looking building and realized that the street was blocked off with one orange cone. There were also no more than a half dozen police on the street and a few men in dark suits wandering around the driveway to the building. Alan inquired of a policemen and was told that the President of Portugal was inside and due to come out. We didn’t wait.
Madeira once had large sugar plantations. As sugar as the main economy of the island declined, wine making began as well as an influx of people from England and other countries drawn by the climate. Today, tourism is a big thing.
Legend tells that Christopher Columbus married and moved to Madeira. As he was sitting on the beach in front of his house he observed driftwood floating in. This lead Columbus to think that perhaps there was land beyond the Atlantic. According to the story, this gave him the idea that he could sail west and reach the spice islands.
April 17, At Sea, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean
Day 104. We’ve traveled 32,715 nautical miles since leaving Ft. Lauderdale. We have 208 to sail to get to Bermuda.
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