We arrived in Funchal, Madeira on
time at 7AM to a lovely day. Madeira is
a Portuguese archipelago just west of Morocco, Africa, in the Atlantic
Ocean. Madeira belongs to Portugal,
approximately 560 miles to the northeast but sits closer to Morocco, 370 miles
east. Funchal is the largest city, the
municipal seat and capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The name is a combination of fennel and
plantation of fennel, derived from the Portuguese word "funcho" and
"-al".
One of the most fun things to do in
Funchal is to take the cable car ride, approximately 15 minutes. It is 12,000 feet long and rises 1,837 feet
with incredible views. Now to return
down, most people select the toboggan ride.
This sled ride started around 1850 and attracts lots of tourists. For about 25 euros, you can travel down
narrow, winding streets, returning to Funchal traveling up to speeds of 48 MPH!
Madeira is famous for some of the
world's great wines, especially the renowned Madeira wine. Madeira wine was used to toast the
Declaration of Independence. But most people don't know that Madeira is also
famous for its rum. The island is well
known for a beverage known as poncha, made with rum and honey.
And of course, Funchal has a well
known Mercado dos Lavradores, open market, built in the 1930's and is of
art-deco design. It is a lively place
where you can buy fresh produce, meat, fish, flowers, spices and
handicrafts. Madeira is well known for
their lovely hand-stitched embroidery, very intricate, but oh, the price it
commands! Today the city had the Spring
Flower Festival and parade, lovely and very well attended by the locals.
Just as we were ready to drop the
gangway at 4:30PM, we were treated to a show by the Falconer and his hawk. The port hires him to keep the seagulls off
the pier. He (the hawk) really put on a
show and even kept landing on the balcony railings. We think he wanted a cruise!
Captain Stringer has advised we may
have some rock and rolling during the next 6 days as we cross the Atlantic
Ocean on our way to Bermuda.
