Subject: Report #113 Funchal, Madeira , Portugal April 22 ,2016 Friday Partly cloudy & 67 degrees Part #1 of 3 87 Pictures
Our final country in Europe is Portugal, with 35,547 square miles and a population of 10,707,924 people. Their capital is Lisbon, and they speak Portuguese and Mirandese. It is basically a slow-paced, siesta-fueled place that lazes in the Iberian sun with palm tree lined plazas. Their houses are brightly-colored, with ivory covered domes on cobblestone streets, stylish boutiques, and edgy bars and numerous dining spots. More phrases to describe the country are medieval castles, white-washed villages, wine estates, and cork groves. Granite peaks can be found in the north, with deep river valleys surrounded with virgin forests. Two things you will find the Portuguese are passionate about…..food and family.
When is the best time to visit? March to June, and September. If you wish to "bake" on the beaches, come in July and August.
What is there to see and do? Lisbon's sights and the Belem quarter, world-class art, Moorish architecture, palaces in Sintra, walled 14th century Evora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit boutiques, bars, restaurants, and clubs in super cool Lisbon. Dramatic cliffs, golden sandy beaches, and bays on the Algarve come to mind. Tour a port wine lodge or hike the rugged peaks of Parque de Peneda-Geres.
What about the food? Try caldeirada…a seafood stew or cataplana….a seafood and rice stew cooked in a copper pot. What about drink? Sogrape Barca Velha vinho, wine and port from the Douro Valley.
Trademarks: Fado? Not sure what that is? Football, salted cod, the Algarve cork, and wine.
Random fact: Old Portuguese saying: Porto works, Coimbra studies, Braga prays, and Lisbon plays.
Although we did not actually visit the country of Portugal, we docked in Funchal, Madeira, belonging to Portugal. Madeira is an island off of the coast of Northern Africa, near Morocco. It is a year round resort island, settled by the Portuguese in the 15th century. During World War 1, three ships were sunk by torpedoes in 1916 in the waters of Funchal, our port of call today.
Many cruise ships stop here, more than stop in other Portuguese ports, making tourism the number one industry. A volcanic island, Madeira has not had a massive eruption for 6000 years. Hope they are not due……..
Tours here today from the ship were all 3 ½ to 4 hours. Botanic Beauty was $80, Scenic Madeira was $90, while easy Madeira (a basic bus ride) was $55. Cabo Girao, Fishing Village, & Reid's Restaurant for snacks was $130. Wine tasting cost $130, while Eira do Serrado & Monte Basket Sleigh Ride was $110. The Cable Car to Monte with a Sleigh Ride was $115. We have done these tours with the highlight for us being the basket ride down the slippery streets, the gondola ride over the city, and lunch at Reid's.
Even though there was a free shuttle bus, we chose to walk to town, since the weather was fairly nice and it is a pretty walk. The ship had docked by 7am, with the P&O Aurora docking right behind us. She is rated with 4 stars, built in 2000, with 1975 passengers. It is a bit larger than the Amsterdam with 76,152 gross tons and it mainly for the British crowd.
We left the ship before 10am, well after the tour groups went off. We were halfway to town by the time the shuttle left the pier. We walked the waterfront promenade all the way to the Fort of Santiago at the far end. Following maps from the ship, we hit just about every spot marked on it. Not sure where the best place to stop for lunch, we checked out menus at every café and restaurant all the way back to town.
The major sites we visited include the Fortress Sao Tiago located at the far end of the Avenida do Mar on the Marina. It is an old fort that can't be missed, because it is a bright gold color, typically Portuguese. Walking into the courtyard, we found that a restaurant was here, which was a destination of a tour group for wine tasting.
Following a narrow cobblestone street towards the Farmers Market, we discovered the town was just waking up. Café owners were setting up tables and chairs on the outside of their small restaurants, enticing folks with a display of their menus. As you might expect, the main entrees were fish-based, although salads, sandwiches, and soups were offered. We would have many places to choose from. But first, the food market, located in a two story open-air building was so crowded with tourist and locals, we had a difficult time gaining entrance. It is a "foodie's" paradise with local produce displayed on both levels. Going towards the back, we went down a flight of stairs to find the fish market, which was in full swing. Locals come out quite early in the morning to buy their fresh catch of the day. Most of the fish were already sold, but there were still piles of what appeared to be eels, eel heads (for soup), and tuna. Butchers were swinging gigantic butcher cleavers to chop through flesh and bone, then bagging up the chunks for stew. The aroma was fishy, so we headed up to the second level to check out what was selling up there.
The items were a mix of more produce, salted fish, and dried fruit. They dry and roll all sliced fruit, including citrus, in sugar. One gal was giving samples of a candied lime, which was really intensely tasty. Someone handed us a taste of anona fruit, a local treat, which tasted like an over ripe melon. He cautioned us not to eat the skin or the seeds, telling us it was a natural food with miraculous properties. Not sure if this is the same as noni fruit, but it may be an acquired taste. Many stalls were selling island souvenirs which included the Funchal caps, aprons, lacy linens, and knick-knacks. Have to admit, we already own many of these unique items, including a wooden cutting board with a Portuguese tile in the center. Really nice and totally useful.
Making our way to a patio upstairs, we relaxed for two minutes, before using the restroom facilities. ( Always good to remember the few restroom stops in town.) Making our way to the downstairs, we went through the flower section where seeds and bulbs are sold. As much as we would have liked to purchase some bulbs and tubers, we knew that these would not be allowed back in the states.
Crossing the road that went over the Ribeira de Joao Gomes (river), we wound our way through the streets lined with shops, boutiques, bakeries, and cafes. So many shoe shops, but so little time. Not only not enough time, but long lines with people buying things. And even if you were able to inquire about shoe sizes, we doubt English was spoken or understood. So we came back " new-shoeless". Chances are the larger sizes do not exist, or are all sold out anyway.
We ran into Greg and Heo who were having fun going into every bakery to check out the cakes and cookies. The bakeries sure smelled great when we walked by. We asked the fellows where the shuttle dropped them off, and they said down the street, around the corner. Not that we intended to take it back, just for us to know just in case.
There is a central courtyard called Municipal Camara Plaza. In the middle is a large fountain, surrounded by the College Church, a former Jesuit Monastery, the Arte Sacred Museum, that used to be the Bishop's Palace. Within sight, is the Funchal Cathedral. Near this square is a street with many popular restaurants. And it seems that this is where a ton of tourists go for tapas, wine, and beer. Coffee too. Street artists played guitars and sang for the diners in this area, inviting even more people to seek the remaining tables and chairs. Since we were searching for something different and less crowded, we journeyed onward.
We did see pizza on a few sidewalk cafes, but it appeared to be "fast food" style. Up the street, we found the small park, the Municipal Gardens. It is surrounded by the oldest department store on the island and a modern shopping mall called the Galerias de Sao Louernco. The garden has meandering paths with bedding plants, mature trees, ponds, and ducks and geese. Even some swans call it home. One of us chose to sit and take in the scenery, while the other took photos.
From this park, we could see another park tiered off of the steep, rocky hillside across from the harbor. It has been many years since we toured this park while on a tour, so we had to check it out. The name of the grounds is Parque Santo Catarina with a small old chapel built on the top. These gardens are full of benches around ponds with ducks and old mature trees. The views are the best in the downtown area. As we went up each tier, we came upon the official residence of the President. Walking through a guarded gate, we came across his vehicle and his driver. The President was obviously either leaving or coming back, since the car was still warm. There is a private garden surrounding his palace, which we were free to tour.
His gardens had bird cages full of peacocks, parrots, macaws, and parakeets. Ponds were full of koi carp with gardens overlooking the harbor and marina below. Nice spot for a palace.
The Funchal Casino is situated near the palace. It sits on top of a steep granite cliff above the harbor with killer views. We did not attempt to enter this massive complex, because it was more than likely closed this early. And there may have been a dress code.
Continuing up the road, we came upon a narrow cobbled street off of the main drag. Don't know what made us go down this street, but we happened to run into a charming small restaurant that seemed like a good choice for today's lunch. No pizza, but good Italian cuisine. The waiter led us through a portal covered with potted plants to a patio and an intimate restaurant with window seating. Thinking it might rain, we chose to sit inside. Lunch was a serving of Bolognese spaghetti with freshly-grated parmesan cheese, and a ham and cheese sandwich with two beers. To be able to sit and relax for an hour was priceless. And it was by far better than staying in the downtown area, which by 1pm, was crowded to the gills with tourists. After a dessert of chocolate mousse with sliced strawberries and cream, and a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, we took our time walking down an extremely steep hill and finally back to the ship. Back by 3:30pm, we had made the all aboard time with an hour to spare. And the only little treasure we came back with was a little Madeira pillbox, using the last of the euro coins we had left.
At 4pm, there was the last of the sail away parties in the Lido pool area. But this time, it was all complimentary drinks (house selection only). We heard they served grilled lamb chops as well as thinly sliced jamon ham from Spain. We took photos from deck nine, but chose not to get in the middle of the growing crowd. Give people enough free drinks, and they will act crazy. Not really our thing, we went out the aft on deck eight and waited for the ship to pull away from the pier, back up, and turn around to head out into the Atlantic.
We were soon joined by Barb, Martha, and Bill & Leta. They knew where to find us. We had more fun waving to the folks on the Aurora as we sailed by them. Stoic at first, we wore them down and soon they were waving back. Even the officers in the navigation deck waved to us. Even better, as we got further away from the harbor, we spotted dolphins in the wake. Could have sworn one of us saw a blow from a whale, but it happened only once. And everyone said…yeah, sure. Actually while we were in the info center, we picked up a brochure that offered catamaran trips to see dolphins and whales. So, yes, they are here.
Before we knew it, the time had come for dinner. Tonight was the Seder dinner in the Lido, port side. Heo and Greg went to that dinner, and Maureen had said she was going with Paul and Bonnie to the Canaletto. But when they showed up at the table, we found out that the Canaletto was closed due to the Seder dinner. So we still had nine at dinner, almost full house.
Choices for dinner were limited, so we had one sirloin steak entrée and one African chicken dinner. Both were fine, as were the desserts of a light fluffy orange cake and jello with fruit. Everyone seemed tired, but we would get one more hour back on the clock tonight. In fact, we will be doing that almost every night now as we head directly west towards Florida.
As of this morning, we had sailed 34,527 miles since January 5th. We will be adding a few more thousand to that number before we get back. The seas may be rough, and the weather may be wet.
Bill & Mary Ann
Docked in the harbor of Funchal
Going to be a nice day in downtown
View of downtown from the ship
Old fortress on the mountainside
Backside of the Casino
The Amsterdam pulling alongside
We will be docked portside today
The typical cobbled walkways in Funchal
Tunnel to town
A smaller ferry ship docked near us
Four lifeboats in total
A unique café – Ilheu de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao – big name for tiny rock
A roundabout and another tunnel
The granite cliffs soar from the harbor
The ferry
Steep and rugged
Amsterdam docked
The flag means the President is home
A lookout
Small boats in the foreground, big boats docked
Many pleasure craft
The Hop On, Hop Off (from 15 to 23 Euro)
Marina fountain
Flower tower of geraniums
Huge marina plaza
Newly-planted harborfront
Job well-done
Two ships in town
The Praca da Autonomia – start of the gondola ride to Monte
The ride was advertised as 16 euro one way
Landscaped greens
Lighthouse on the waterfront
A lone palm
Taking in the sun
Walk to the fortress
A tower of The Fortress Santiago (Sao Tiago)
Golden-color of the fortress walls
There is a restaurant in the courtyard
Very rugged shoreline
Fortress restaurant
Pigeons are everywhere
Fortress sign
Many lookouts
A very antique car
Fortress courtyard
Breaks in the walls
Well-preserved
Restaurant building
The Socorro area of Funchal
A door in Socorro
What the houses used to look like
A blooming flame tree
More cafes
Grounds surrounding the Teleferico Station
There goes a cablecar
Street vendors
The Marketplace
Flower vendor of Funchal
Outside of the market
Very crowded today
Portuguese tiled wall
Very traditional
Funchal flowers
Some native varieties
Veggie courtyard of the market
Healthy produce as all locally-grown
Eels
Tuna
Dried fish (hold your breath)
Fish portion of the market
Catch of the day was mostly gone
WE were told these were eels, but not sure
Fish butchers
Getting ready to part them
Tuna steak
Courtyard of the market
All fresh produce
Dried peppers and veggies
All types of chilies
Sure looked good
Ready for the rain
Dried candied fruit
Anona fruit
Samples to taste
Flowers, bulbs, and seeds
View from the roof patio
Funchal souvenirs
