The Island of Madeira, Portugal

 

We flew from Sevilla to Lisbon, then to the Island of Madeira. With the wind currents it is not uncommon for the pilots to have to attempt the landing more than once. It used to be infamous because the ocean is on one side and the island on the other with the runway being very short and ending in the ocean. It’s the 9th most dangerous airport in the world and the pilots undergo special training to land here. However the flight and landing went smoothly even though Lluvia was hoping something more exciting would happen. We got our car and drove to the far end of the island to the natural pools. Along the way we went through at least 20 tunnels. Also the roads here are soooo nice. Not a pothole to be found. The main roads are wide. The back roads and city roads are extremely narrow though with places only 1 care can fit through at a time. They have kept the pools as natural as possible with a sea wall to keep the waves from crashing in. The black volcanic rocks stand out of the water as the dark blue water comes crashing in turning it into a foamy sky blue. The water was COLD but such a good swim with little silver fish gliding about. We then drove to our Airbnb. A small white stucco studio apartment. It is nestled against a towering green mountain face. It is on the second story. Our windows look out to the ocean that is just across the road and sea wall. Below is a courtyard full of tables with a cafe nearby. There are a few houses, hotels, and restaurants scattered here along the road. The mountains tower high on one side while the ocean is directly on the other. We enjoyed seafood for dinner at a local restaurant with a native garlic bread that reminds me of pita or naan. We ended the day sitting across the road on the sea wall and listening to the crashing waves. 

  The next morning we convinced ourselves it was pouring rain outside. We never checked. It just sounded like it on our roof. We realized after sleeping in for a long time that actually it was the sound of the waves that were echoing back off the mountain. We had brunch at the cafe below. About $4 for a cappuccino  and two pieces of artisan bread toasted with tomatoes, herbs, and mozzarella melted on top. We made our way up and down the winding roads stopping at beautiful lookouts along the way. We would get to one then look on maps to see where we would go next. We stopped at more beautiful places than I can count. Looking down at the blue water that is so clear you can see the rocks under the water from 100s of feet up.  The mountains are so green. And hydrangeas grow wild in all brilliant colors and some of the blooms are a foot across. There is every color of flowers growing wild. Monsteras and elephant ears are everywhere. We stopped at the cutest white coffee shop with blue trim. The lady told us we needed to walk into the town where the local market would be open this morning. We walked up and found fruit stands and handmade items. We got some amazing fresh fruits grown locally. We made our way to some ruins called St George. It had been  the entrance to the sugar cane mills in the 1500s. We then headed to a hike. It was only a 1.5km hike so we thought it would be easy. Well, we definitely took the wrong trail. But it was definitely worth it. It ended up being made entirely of  stair steps that switchbacked down an almost straight up 500 foot mountain face. It was crazy to me that the steps had been carefully built, and the sides of the mountain terraced and held with stone walls all along the trail. It must have taken a long time to build all that, let alone keep it up. It didn’t look like it was traveled often and we only saw a couple people. The views were worth it. At the bottom was a short hike to a beautiful waterfall and a natural swimming hole that reminded me of the cenotes in Mexico. Then the hike back up. There was a sign at the bottom that said you just needed to pick up a wooden barrel and carry it up with you then you would be doing what the local farmers would have done back in the day.  We drove on to another look out with little picnic tables overlooking what I’m sure was a beautiful view, but we were up in the clouds at that point and could not see anything. Imagine seeing clouds in front of you. Like you could see the mist hanging in the air in front of your face. We drove on and stopped for supper at a little place by the road. Like everything is like 1 foot off the road. We had a Carne platter that had grilled steak, pork, chicken, and sausage with rice and beans and fried potatoes. It reminded me a lot of Brazilian food. We then drove up the mountain to a place we wanted to watch the sunset. Where we parked was a big green open meadow with a couple picnic tables here and there. I love that about this island. Benches and picnic tables scattered along the roads all over. Just inviting people to stop and just enjoy the beauty. We were an hour early but we hiked up the trail to the top point. The sun was shining and we looked down at the cloud cover below us. We sat on the rocks and just enjoyed the views until the sun set. We could here children playing and people singing and playing instruments on the mountain we were facing, but we couldn’t see a thing. Sound carries so far on these mountains. We left and drove through forests, stopping now and then to just enjoy the views. As we came down the mountain into Funchal, the biggest town on the island, the roads switched to little narrow switchbacks in the residential area, with roads so narrow only one vehicle pass at a time and no way to tell if another car would come racing around the corner. It kept it fun. The lights of the city glittered up the hillsides. We made it back to our Airbnb where we found a wine fest going on in the courtyard below. A Portuguese band was singing and playing music. It was around 9. It’s after midnight now and they still are playing and singing. Everyone is having a good time. We sat on the steps and listened. This island is the prettiest place I have ever been to. It is stunning. Imagine Hawaii, Santorini, and the PNW altogether with hardly any tourists, everything is cheap, and people are friendly.