We took a tour of the island yesterday. I did too much
walking and decided to spend some time in the hot tub when we got back. I
talked to a couple who said that two people on their bus fell today but they
both seemed to be okay. One woman fell off the back steps of the bus when the
driver started moving the bus, not realizing that she was on the steps. Another
woman fell at the overlook where we stopped to take pictures. Neither of them
was badly hurt.
This was our second trip to Funchal. It’s a volcanic island
not too far from the Canary Islands but it belongs to Portugal. The group of
islands produces a famous wine called Madeira which means “green woods”. Funchal shipped wood to Portugal and it was
used to make the famous caravel style ships that the Portuguese used to explore
the world. English is the second language and 60% of jobs are connected to
tourism. Our guide said she is earning a degree in tourism.
Funchal was discovered accidentally in 1419 by a man named
Zarcho who was searching the coast of Africa on assignment from a well known
prince whose name currently escapes me. Zarcho was surprised to find it uninhabited.
There were no large mammals but rabbits were later introduced. They have become
a problem so they are legally hunted in the fall. There no snakes but plenty of
lizards. There were a large number of monk seals on the beaches. Zarcho called
them sea wolves.
He named the island Funchal after the aromatic herb, fennel.
On our last visit, I brought home some hard candy flavored with fennel and some
flavored with eucalyptus. Neither one was popular with my friends or family.
Eucalyptus is an import from Australia that grows well in Funchal. It has a
strong odor that repels insects. For that reason, birds are not attracted to it.
In Australia, eucalyptus forests are called the silent woods because of no bird
song.
Funchal has black rock beaches so the residents here like to
vacation on a nearby island called Puerto Santo that has six miles of golden
sand beaches. Columbus had a house in Puerto Santo that is preserved as a
tourist attraction. He married the daughter of the governor and traded sugar cane
that grows there. The islands are closer to Africa than to Europe but there is
no direct transportation to Africa. They can fly to Lisbon in 90 minutes.
Flowers grow wild here and bloom in all seasons. We saw bougainvillea
blooming in several colors. Poinsettia grows so well here that it is more like
a tree than a plant. The residents have to order their Christmas plants from
Holland just like everyone else. I saw bottle brush and an aloe that they call red
rockets. They grow and export bananas. The whole island is great for plants
because of the volcanic soil. However, the gardens have to be terraced as there
is little flat land available. We traveled to several high points to take pictures.
One of the places had a see though acrylic deck hanging over the cliffs. It was
pretty cool.
This is a view from the cafe where we stopped to sample the local wares.
This is also a view from the cafe but to the left of the top pic.
Here is the view from the acrylic overlook.
This picture was taken from our last stop way up in the hills. There is a small village. Lots of flowers, bees and butterflies even in December.
This is a view from the cafe where we stopped to sample the local wares.
This is also a view from the cafe but to the left of the top pic.
Here is the view from the acrylic overlook.
You can see through the acrylic. Some people were really freaked out by that and wouldn't step on it.
These orange flowers are actually redder than they look here and are called red rockets.
The whole island is terraced for planting.
This picture was taken from our last stop way up in the hills. There is a small village. Lots of flowers, bees and butterflies even in December.
