Yesterday was my birthday, so we’re off for a night out at a country pub in Upton Magna, a Shropshire village about half an hour west of us. It’s very rural, with lots of old thatched cottages and timber framed buildings.
The church of St Lucia. There’s been a place of worship here for over 1000 years.
There’s no village shop, but there is a very nice pub with a restaurant and accommodation. We had a lovely dinner and a few cosy drinks before turning in for the night, and we drove back home this morning after a super breakfast. Happy birthday to me!
We’ve had some very good food here in Funchal, and last night’s meal of fillet steak and turkey in Cafe de Paris sauce was no exception. We finished off with fried bananas and ice cream,
Back at the hotel we can see a big cruise ship departing. A handy app identifies it as the Mein Schiff Relax. This is good news as it means the town will be relatively quiet tomorrow, at least until the next one arrives.
This morning we therefore headed into town. Funchal offers good shopping opportunities, and there’s an indoor market.
There’s a lot of fruit.
We can tell from the multilingual patter of the stall holders that tourists are an important part of the customer base. Downstairs is the fish hall.
The fish being prepared are Black Scabbardfish. You can find this fish on practically every menu on the island. Val had Scabbardfish for her dinner a few nights ago, and it was delicious. Some 3000 tons of it are landed annually in Madeira.
Some of the shops are very quaint. This one sells confectionery, and still has the old Avery scales.
And that just about wraps up our week in Madeira. The people have been as warm as the weather, prices are low and quality is high. We’d happily return.
A big fortress overlooks Funchal. We spotted it on our walk yesterday so this morning we thought we’d take a look.
We got a taxi from our hotel, but there’s still quite a bit of climbing to get up to the ramparts.
Great views down to the port.
To save me some typing…
Nice old picture.
The interior of the fortress could perhaps do with a fresh coat of paint, but the peeling decor somehow adds to the atmosphere.
We walk down towards town, and call in at the Quinta das Cruzes museum. It holds a vast collection of works of art, but that’s not all that makes it special. This estate has a strong historical connection with the city of Funchal, as it was the residence of the family of João Gonçalves Zarco, the Portuguese explorer who originally discovered Madeira in 1419.
We walk on, and arrive at the site of the former Torreão sugar factory.
The factory was founded by William Hinton & Co. in 1856. The plant was originally powered by water, but as this was scarce in summer, a steam engine was installed. As can be seen from the casting, it was made in Glasgow.
At its peak in the 1920s the factory could produce over 500 tons of sugar in 24 hours, and it was considered one of the most productive in the world. The factory closed in the 1980s and the site is now the Gardens of Santa Luzia. Hinton’s company lives on however, as a major manufacturer of rum in Madeira.
A good day out. Everything we visited today was free of charge.
500 vertical metres above Funchal is a mountaintop district called Monte. We got a taxi up there, but there is also a modern gondola.
Monte’s altitude means it’s quite a bit cooler than the port in summer, and this made it an attractive place for the wealthy to build summer residences. There is a modest church.
And a very grand one, this is the Church of Our Lady of the Mount, built by Adão Gonçalves Ferreira in 1471.
The interior is very ornate.
We had a good look around at the grand houses and the even grander views down to the port. There is a novel option for getting back down. Toboggans made from wicker are driven by 2 drivers called Carreiros. They wear rubber soled boots in order that they can slow the toboggan on its perilous descent back towards Funchal.
Almost incredibly, the toboggan run is a public road, shared with cars, buses and pedestrians. They go at quite a speed around the many hairpin bends.
The toboggans were originally devised as a method of rapid transit between Monte and Funchal in the 19th century. A recent CNN news report called the route ‘one of the world’s coolest commutes’.
We opted to walk down, stopping at a roadside Cantinho for a drink on the way. Another lovely sunny day on this beautiful island.
Our usual pub was closed last night, so we tried another one across the road. It’s called The Local.
They like football in here, and there’s an impressive display of memorabilia from around Europe.
This morning we awoke to another lovely day, so we’re off to explore Funchal’s Old Town. On the way there we pass the cruise ship terminal. There are three big liners in, which means the town is going to be busy.
The Old Town is attractive and mercifully quiet.
If you live in the Old Town, a local artist will adorn your front door with a painting. This initiative was started by the artists in 2011 and is run in coordination with the city council.
Some of the paintings are really good.
Ducks enjoying the fountain in the park.
Funchal cathedral dates back to 1493.
Another elegant building, the Portuguese National Bank.
We paused at the bakery and enjoyed ice cream for lunch. Val has a yoga class this afternoon.
A lovely dinner last night, paella followed by crepes suzette, the latter was swimming in Madeira wine and flamed with Grand Marnier. Delicious!
This morning we’re having a walk along the coast towards a village called Porto de Câmara. Madeira is an ancient volcano, so most of the rocks are black. It follows that the sand on the beach is the same colour – it’s like the surface of the moon.
Anyhow, we had a good walk of about 8 miles, followed by a nice (and well earned) lunch back here in Funchal.
Our hotel has a rooftop bar, which has great views over the city and the harbour.
The hotel organises lots of activities, so Val will be doing a Pilates class later.
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