This place is a very well-kept secret in the Atlantic Ocean. Five hundred miles off the coast of Portugal, Madeira is a Portuguese territory. It reminded us of St. Thomas/the Swiss Alps/Glacier National Park. We started the day on a tour called Eire Do Serrado and Monte Basket Sleigh Ride. I have been feeling very “toured out” but Pete and Sharon had also booked it, so we decided we would endure one last structured tour together. And it turned out to be a very good one. The city of Funchal, which means fennel in Portuguese, is very charming and picturesque. The usual blend of narrow cobblestoned streets, mosaic sidewalks, multi-colored buildings, tropical flowers and sculptured parks that I’ve been talking about all around the world. But each place has its own personality and this one was outstanding. The weather was perfect; around 65 degrees and sunny.
Our tour took us up to the top of the island, 3500 feet above the sea, along skinny, winding hairpin turns with sheer drop-offs on one side and rock cliffs on the other. The views as we went up were increasingly spectacular. Clusters of small houses with red tiled roofs were nestled in the valleys of the mountains and the atmosphere was one of peace and quiet and stunning beauty. At the top of the mountain was Eire Do Serrado, a small resort which overlooked another small village and riverbed. From above we could see the one road into and out of the village and wondered what life would be like there. The main source of income for Madeira is tourism, with a few side industries of Madeira wine (ugh!) and absolutely beautiful hand embroidered linens. The people are very friendly and the town of Funchal has an air of youth and energy.
The highlight of our day was the famous Basket Sleigh ride at Monte. Monte is a small village about halfway down the mountain from Eire Do Serrado. We were dropped at a small village square with a few vendors and one café. We had about a half hour to walk around and take some pictures before we were to meet as a group for the basket ride down the hill. Our table mate, Velma, told us that we MUST do this because it is so much fun, so how could we resist? We walked up a hill to a church where we could overlook the beginning of the basket ride and it did look like fun. The basket had been invented by the English and had started out as a means of transportation for the Madeirans in the 18th Century. The basket holds two people and has two drivers, men who stand at the back and steer, and push or pull the basket as needed to get it down the very steep, curvy hill safely. It really was a thrilling ride. Not only is the basket speeding down the hill on greased runners with only two men steering, but car and truck traffic is also in the mix, so we were dodging vehicles as we sped down the incline, probably not going as fast as it felt, but at a pretty good clip nonetheless. At the bottom we were all laughing with exhilaration and talking about our experience.
From there we were free for the day and Ed and I and Pete and Sharon continued our day in Funchal. We found a little outdoor café and had a glass of wine. The excitement of the ride and wine made us a little tipsy and we walked around the streets laughing and acting silly. Sharon had bought a crazy Madeiran hat and wore it all day and she looked young and adorable. We stopped at a beautiful park and bought an ice cream cone and strolled back to the ship saying “it doesn’t get any better than this.”
So, except for 5 sea days and a stop in Bermuda, this basically ended our World Cruise, and we have loved every minute of it. It was my dream come true and it has far exceeded my expectations. Not only have we seen much of the world, but we have formed a close-knit little family as well. We are all aware that this is a winding down period and that our time together is growing short. It is a bittersweet feeling; the lure of home gets greater but the thought of missing each other is something we aren’t yet ready to deal with. The bright side is that we have made two lifelong friends in Pete and Sharon. They live in the Detroit area so we will see them on a regular basis and are already planning another trip with them.
I’m hoping to do a couple of “people” blogs over the next 5 days, with stories and pictures of the friends we’ve met. So, until then, that’s all, folks!
Our tour took us up to the top of the island, 3500 feet above the sea, along skinny, winding hairpin turns with sheer drop-offs on one side and rock cliffs on the other. The views as we went up were increasingly spectacular. Clusters of small houses with red tiled roofs were nestled in the valleys of the mountains and the atmosphere was one of peace and quiet and stunning beauty. At the top of the mountain was Eire Do Serrado, a small resort which overlooked another small village and riverbed. From above we could see the one road into and out of the village and wondered what life would be like there. The main source of income for Madeira is tourism, with a few side industries of Madeira wine (ugh!) and absolutely beautiful hand embroidered linens. The people are very friendly and the town of Funchal has an air of youth and energy.
The highlight of our day was the famous Basket Sleigh ride at Monte. Monte is a small village about halfway down the mountain from Eire Do Serrado. We were dropped at a small village square with a few vendors and one café. We had about a half hour to walk around and take some pictures before we were to meet as a group for the basket ride down the hill. Our table mate, Velma, told us that we MUST do this because it is so much fun, so how could we resist? We walked up a hill to a church where we could overlook the beginning of the basket ride and it did look like fun. The basket had been invented by the English and had started out as a means of transportation for the Madeirans in the 18th Century. The basket holds two people and has two drivers, men who stand at the back and steer, and push or pull the basket as needed to get it down the very steep, curvy hill safely. It really was a thrilling ride. Not only is the basket speeding down the hill on greased runners with only two men steering, but car and truck traffic is also in the mix, so we were dodging vehicles as we sped down the incline, probably not going as fast as it felt, but at a pretty good clip nonetheless. At the bottom we were all laughing with exhilaration and talking about our experience.
From there we were free for the day and Ed and I and Pete and Sharon continued our day in Funchal. We found a little outdoor café and had a glass of wine. The excitement of the ride and wine made us a little tipsy and we walked around the streets laughing and acting silly. Sharon had bought a crazy Madeiran hat and wore it all day and she looked young and adorable. We stopped at a beautiful park and bought an ice cream cone and strolled back to the ship saying “it doesn’t get any better than this.”
So, except for 5 sea days and a stop in Bermuda, this basically ended our World Cruise, and we have loved every minute of it. It was my dream come true and it has far exceeded my expectations. Not only have we seen much of the world, but we have formed a close-knit little family as well. We are all aware that this is a winding down period and that our time together is growing short. It is a bittersweet feeling; the lure of home gets greater but the thought of missing each other is something we aren’t yet ready to deal with. The bright side is that we have made two lifelong friends in Pete and Sharon. They live in the Detroit area so we will see them on a regular basis and are already planning another trip with them.
I’m hoping to do a couple of “people” blogs over the next 5 days, with stories and pictures of the friends we’ve met. So, until then, that’s all, folks!
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