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Sept. 14 – Exploring the Southern Coast of Madeira

By on September 23, 2024 in The Pearl

“If you never go, you’ll never know.” –Unknown


Today we drove west along the southern shore of Madeira. We decided to drive all the way to the end on the main road (freeway) and slowly make our way back to Funchal using the smaller more local roads stopping at places that looked interesting. The faster road goes through a series of tunnels, some of these tunnels are miles long. All the roads in Madeira are well maintained and well marked. It would be hard to get lost even without a GPS.
Do you see the cloud in this photo?

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Sept. 14 – Exploring the Southern Coast of Madeira

By on September 23, 2024 in The Pearl

“If you never go, you’ll never know.” –Unknown


Today we drove west along the southern shore of Madeira. We decided to drive all the way to the end on the main road (freeway) and slowly make our way back to Funchal using the smaller more local roads stopping at places that looked interesting. The faster road goes through a series of tunnels, some of these tunnels are miles long. All the roads in Madeira are well maintained and well marked. It would be hard to get lost even without a GPS.
Do you see the cloud in this photo?
Our first stop was at the Ponta do Pargo Lighthouse. It’s an active lighthouse that was built in 1922 on top of Ponta Vigia, a rocky cliff escarpment and is 1023′ above the sea. The views were unbelievable.

The color of the water was so blue and it was so clear. Amazing!

Our next stop was an out of the way short hike to the Gorge Funda Viewpoint. We love waterfalls and wanted to check this tall fall out. We read it was 460′ high. I’m sure it would have been impressive, but unfortunately it’s the dry season and there wasn’t any water. But the view was fantastic.
We could see this little house on the cliff from the trail.

What we saw and how it looks during the rainier season.

We could see the lighthouse from this little hike.

From here we started back towards Funchal. We took small roads and found several rocky beaches and found a wonderful spot for lunch in Ponta do Sol overlooking the ocean. It became increasingly cloudy all day. So the pictures don’t show the true beauty of what we say. Every turn brought another unbelievable view.
The rocks are so large it was hard to walk on this beach.
Cascata dos Anjos (Waterfall of Angels) – we drove under this waterfall.

Ponta do Sol. The beach is so rocky they had a boardwalk to walk on and wooden pallets to sit on.   

What a view. We had our first Prego sandwich. A Madeirian traditional steak sandwich. So good. 

This is the Sol Poente Restaurant where we had lunch. If you look close you can see the blue deck we were sitting on that hung over the water.

Even with little sunshine the water looked inviting…so clear and blue.

After lunch we stopped at the Cabo Girão Skywalk. It’s the highest promontory in Europe, that juts out the side of the mountain 1,900 feet above sea level. The suspended glass platform offered incredible views of the coastline, Funchal and the town of Câmara de Lobos.  
I found this photo online to show what the area looks like.
I was a little afraid to put my phone over the side to take a picture. I thought I might drop my phone.

Looking down through the glass floor.

Looking towards Funchal.

Our last stop of the day was Câmara de Lobos. A beautiful little harbor town known as the Land of Fishermen. The town’s name means Chamber of Wolves and was given its unusual name due to the large influx of monk seals, known on the island as sea lions (literally ‘sea wolves’ in Portuguese), which used to inhabit the cove and the local caves. 

Stan and his buddy Winston Churchill. He liked visiting Madeira and spent his days painting. He would set up his easel and canvas and paint the bay of Câmara de Lobos in oil.

The boats were beautiful.

The streets in Câmara de Lobos are filled with art.

We went to dinner at a little place on Rua da Santa Maria called Galeria. Stan had Tropical scabbard fillet with passion fruit and banana and I had the  Risotto with mushrooms and truffle oil. The food in Madeira is very good and very reasonably priced. Most dinners were under $50 including cocktails.

We went to a roof top bar for a nightcap. Another wonderful view.

We ended our long day by sitting on our little patio listening to a concert in the park across the street.

Tunnels in Madeira

By on September 23, 2024 in The Pearl
“Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” — Drake
We were very impressed with the roads in Madeira. They’re well maintained, well marked and easy to navigate. We noticed two main differences between Madeira and the USA…lots of roundabouts and lots of tunnels. Without the tunnels travel would be almost impossible.

Madeira’s mountainous terrain led to the construction of a network of expressways with over 150 tunnels and more than 135 bridges and viaducts. The tunnels are part of a free expressway road network that circles the island. The tunnels are not straight and flat, and can have steep climbs, tight turns and turn offs. The longest tunnel is almost 2 miles long. The tunnels may look modern, but in fact they were built between the 16th century and the 1940s.  

See how much mountain is above some of the tunnels.

Most of the tunnels were lite well and always very clean.
Just a few pictures of the roadway. (photos from the internet.)
One of the pretty roundabouts.

Sept. 20 – Levada do Caldeirão Verde Hike

By on September 20, 2024 in The Pearl
“When was the last time you did something for the first time?” ~Anonymous
Today we finally made it to one of Madeira’s levadas. Levadas are man-made aqueducts and irrigation channels that date back to the early colonization of the island in the 15th century. They were built to supply water to sugar cane plantations. Today they are used for walking and are often surrounded by greenery and pass through different types of terrain. Madeira has around 200 levadas, totaling over 1,800 miles of channels that wind through the island’s landscapes. We chose the Levada do Caldeirão Verde which translates to Levada of the Green Cauldron. The green cauldron refers to the waterfall and pool at the end of the hike. Unfortunately we didn’t make it that far. The hike is beautiful and fairly flat since it follows the levada.

We started the hike at the Queimadas house. The beginning of the trail is lined with hydrangeas and we followed the levada into the forest of cedars, beeches and laurels trees that make up Madeira’s laurissilva forest. We were in a green paradise. Water is always present along the trail. It seeps out of the walls and feeds the levada. We saw a few waterfalls along the way, some even covered the trail.

The trail wasn’t very crowded for the first mile or so. Then the tour buses must have shown up. It really isn’t much fun to hike when the trail is packed. Especially a trail that is narrow making it impossible for two people to go by each other. We literally had to wait for people to come one way so we could go the other. Two miles in…we gave up and worked our way back to the car. The hikes here are breathtaking, but just not worth being in such a crowd. We were lucky and found a parking space in the lot near the trailhead. Some people had to park miles down the road, adding that much more to the long hike.    
The Queimadas House.
Beautiful hydrangeas everywhere. They grow like weeds in Madeira.
Even though it wasn’t raining…water was dripping from everywhere and the path was very wet.

This was the only incline on the hike.

Looking down on São Jorge.
The narrow path along the levada. In most places the mountain drops off sharply on the other side of the trail.
Waterfall on one side and a deep gorge on the other.

It’s are to tell but the bottom of this gorge is WAY down there.

Beautiful scenery.

We were a bit surprised that we didn’t see many birds or animals in Madeira. This was the only bird we saw. We did see sheep, dogs and cats.

Another waterfall.

Just a few of the many, many hikers we saw. This was not at the most crowded spot. 

The view with our dinner. We sat looking down on São Jorge and the Atlantic Ocean.
One of our favorite things while we were in Madeira was meeting the people and hearing their stories. The couple who ran the Bolo do Caco Restaurant in São Jorge moved to Madeira from South Africa. The wife works the bar and waits on the tables and the husband develops the menu each day. He also does all the cooking. He personally came out and spoke to us to explain each item on the menu. It was very good, plentiful and inexpensive. The servings are so large we actually shared a meal. We had their version of a smash burger…close to a pound of angus beef, three cheeses, lettuce and tomato on bolo do caco. Better than any hamburger I’ve ever had. 

Sept. 19 – Porto Moniz, Portugal

By on September 19, 2024 in The Pearl

“Life is better when it’s more important to know the tide than the time.” –Unknown

After our long day exploring yesterday we decided to spend today relaxing at the natural pools in Porto Moniz. The natural pools in Madeira are amongst the wonders of the island. They were formed over thousands of years when lava from volcanic eruptions solidified when hitting the cold water of the Atlantic Ocean. The natural saltwater pools are one of the most attractive and symbolic spots on the north coast. Since Madeira is  essentially the tip of an ancient volcano in the middle of the Atlantic the strong currents and high waves make it unsafe for swimming. The natural pools give visitors and locals alike a great spot to relax after a long day of hiking or sightseeing.

A little spot where we enjoyed more ponchas and bolo do caco. Everywhere you go in Madeira has a view.
The Natural Pools of the Aquarium. This was our favorite spot.
It was very protected from the ocean swells.
Looking west to the Porto Moniz Natural Swimming Pools. The sea was very rough the day we were there.
Our peaceful pools to swim in.
Stan is sitting on the step (bottom left). He stayed with our stuff while I  swam.
It was incredibly beautiful. The water felt wonderful. Not as cold as the lake in Ithaca.
Looking down at Stan from one of the bridges.
Doesn’t it look like the best place to swim?
What a wonderful place to relax for the day.
Beautiful coastline.
Looking east from the Porto Moniz Natural Swimming Pools.
Waves were coming over the pool walls on this day. Way too rough for any swimming here.
A blow hole close to the pools.
Another view of the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima in São Vicente where we were yesterday.
The road to São Vicente.
We ate dinner at this same little café two nights in a row. Last night both of our phones were dead and didn’t get pictures. Braseiro Grill is a wonderful waterfront cafe in São Vicente. The service was exceptional and the food was very good.
Stan took a short video of me swimming in the pools. The water was very salty.

Sept. 18 – Exploring the Northern Coast of Madeira

By on September 18, 2024 in The Pearl

“If you find yourself having to tiptoe around others, you’re not walking amongst your tribe.” -Tanya Markul 


We started our morning with breakfast in the yard of our Inn. The view, the service and the food was fantastic. It is so peaceful here. Today we drove west along the north side of Madeira. Our first stop of the day was at the lighthouse in São Jorge. It was very close to where we had dinner last night. From there we took in the sights wherever we could find a look out. The closer we got to the west end of the island the clearer the skies became. People have told us if we don’t like the weather where we are…just drive somewhere else in Madeira and you can find a little sunshine. It seems to be true. The clouds roll in and out very quickly.

It was a little chilly this morning. I took this picture when I came up to the room to get a jacket.
Ponta de São Jorge Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located on the north coast of the island of Madeira. The lighthouse was built in 1959. 
Looking down on part of São Jorge.
Views in Boaventura valley. No tunnels here. You drive up and around the valley. It was so pretty.
The town of Boaventura.
Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima in São Vicente is one of the most scenic churches in Europe. It was built in 1948 to celebrate the end of World War II. We climbed 200 and were rewarded with stunning views. 
Views from the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima in São Vicente.
Just past São Vicente was this amazing waterfall called Cascata Água d’Alto. It drops from the mountain and runs under the road to the sea. It’s one of the highest on the island at 494′. Can you see the tunnel?
Less than two miles from the first waterfall we stopped at there was a lookout that was the perfect spot to see the coastline and the Córrego da Furna Waterfall. It has a drop of 192′
From the same overlook we could see the little beach town of Seixal. It has Madeira’s only black sand beach and several natural pools.
Seixal Black sand beach…can you see the waterfall. Madeira only has a few sand beaches. Most are rocky and not good for swimming.
We stopped at a little café for lunch that overlooked the natural public swimming pool. We only had a few ponchas and bolo do coca (wonderful garlic bread). I put my feet in the pool and it felt nice.
After lunch we headed further west. By now the day was beautiful.
We took a small local road instead of the tunnel and found this beautiful spot and another waterfall. 
Our next stop was at Ilheus da Ribeira da Janela. This is one of the most iconic viewpoints on the island, looking onto several uniquely shaped rocks that protrude from the ocean floor. There were hundreds of cairns along the beach. I don’t know how they got some of them to balance.
From Ribeira da Janela we could see our next stop…Porto Moniz.

These are just a few of the natural pools in Porto Moniz. I will have more about these pools in the next post. On the high in the background is Ilhéu Mole Lighthouse.
Our last stop of the day was on the far west side at Achadas da Cruz Cable Car. The car that took us to one of the most unique spots in Madeira, Fajã da Quebrada Nova. It’s a tiny place on the northwestern coast of the island that is isolated from the rest of the world by the tall mountain cliffs on one side and the ocean on the other. The cable car serves tourists and local farmers. In fact a cable car was installed to help the farmers transport their harvests.

This cable car goes down almost 1,500′ at a 98% slope. It’s the Europe’s Steepest Cable Car

This was by far the hottest place we went on the island. Very dry and very warm. It was interesting but we definitely wouldn’t wait in line to do this again. By the time we got to the bottom we didn’t have a lot of time to look around before we had to get in line to come back up.

We read while doing research that you could actually spend the night in the little village at the bottom. You have to bring everything with you.

Sept. 16 – Monte in Funchal, Portugal

By on September 16, 2024 in The Pearl
“The goal is to die with memories, not dreams.” –Unknown

Today was Stan’s birthday and it was probably our best day yet on the island. We took the Funchal Cable Car to Monte to visit the Monte Palace Tropical Garden. At the beginning of the 20th century, tourists reached the mountain by steam train. Nowadays, they make the same journey from a cable car. The ride from Funchal old town to Monte takes 15-20 minutes one way, which gave us plenty of time to enjoy beautiful views of the city and its surroundings. It covers a distance of 2 miles and makes an impressive ascent of 1,902 ft.
Views from the cable car.

This small parish of Monte is located at the highest point in the city of Funchal and was previously a health resort. It’s known as the parish of basket cars, is one of the most distinctive areas of Funchal with a spectacular panoramic view over the bay of Funchal.

View from the top.
Babosas Chapel – the original was built in 1906 but was destroyed by a flood in 2010. It was rebuilt to look the same. Seems like all the churches we saw in Madeira looked a lot alike.
The Monte Palace Tropical Garden covers an area of approximately 17 acres. It’s located at the Quinta Monte Palace. It looks like the gardens of a fairytale castle with its beautiful mansion, pond, little waterfall and various other structures. The gardens feature over 100,000 plant species with a separate section devoted solely to Madeira’s flora. The estate was first developed in the 18th-century. It became the Monte Palace Hotel in 1897. It was opened to the public as a garden in 1987.

Scenes from around the lake.

The Palace

View from the Oriental Garden.

A few of the beautiful flowers we saw.

A little snack bar in the garden.
We could see the Monte Toboggan coming down the hill from the garden.
Some of the beautiful flamingos we saw. Did you know flamingos are what they eat. Many plants produce natural red, yellow or orange pigments, called carotenoids. Carotenoids give carrots their orange color or turn ripe tomatoes red. They’re also found in the microscopic algae that brine shrimp eat. As a flamingo dines on algae and brine shrimp, its body metabolizes the pigments — turning its feathers pink.
Another lunch with a view at the Pátio das Babosas.
The Carreiros do Monte (hill racers) were invented in 1850 when local residents wanted a quick way to travel from the parish of Monte to the city of Funchal. Now the Monte basket cars (toboggans) are used to transport thousands of tourists who are looking for a ride full of emotions, adrenaline and an unforgettable experience with splendid views over the city of Funchal.
The route is about 1.25 miles long and runs through the streets of the city. The vehicle reaches a speed of approximately 24 MPH and arrives at the bottom station in about 10 minutes. The carts are driven by men called Carreiros, dressed in white and wearing straw hats. They also use rubber-soled shoes that allow them to break the carts.
The Church of Our Lady of Monte was originally built in 1741. It was damaged by an earthquake a few years later and rebuilt in 1818. We climbed all these steps and then up to the bell tower.

The view from the bell tower of the church.

Watching the toboggan action from the church.

We decided against doing the toboggan since the lines were so long. But it was fun watching them.

Funchal has so many little cafés along the narrow streets…so many good cafés. To celebrate Stan’s birthday we ate at O Visconde (The Viscount). The service and good was wonderful.

We tried a few different things. Seafood is a big thing in Madeira and it is very fresh. We started with the octopus salad, which was very good. Stan had sardines and I had the carbonara. We also had a bottle of wine and the bill only came to $44.50.

Sept. 13 – Funchal, Portugal

By on September 15, 2024 in The Pearl

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them”. – Unknown

Today was our first full day in Madeira. Actually it was our first day since we didn’t land until 4:30 this morning. By the time we got in bed it was after six. After a few hours of sleep we started the day by having coffee and a pastry at a place located across the street from our apartment. This afternoon we wandered around town a bit and then we had to go back to the airport to pick up our rental car. Unfortunately they were closed when we arrived. 

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Sept. 13 – Funchal, Portugal

By on September 15, 2024 in The Pearl

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them”. – Unknown

Today was our first full day in Madeira. Actually it was our first day since we didn’t land until 4:30 this morning. By the time we got in bed it was after six. After a few hours of sleep we started the day by having coffee and a pastry at a place located across the street from our apartment. This afternoon we wandered around town a bit and then we had to go back to the airport to pick up our rental car. Unfortunately they were closed when we arrived. 

The view from our apartment. Looking towards the water a little restaurant in the park.

Funchal is the capital city, laid out like an amphitheater around the bay. It’s a magnificent city, with cobbled streets, splendid parks and gardens, little squares with restaurants, Portuguese colonial architecture and a cable car for a bird’s eye view of the city. The city began in 1424 when the Zarco family settled there. Its strategic location between Europe, Africa and South America has led to its importance as a port of call for the European trade routes. We’re staying in The Old Town, known as Zona Velha. It’s a lively place and we plan to explore as much of it as we can while we’re here. 
The harbor looking towards town.

The Mercado dos Lavradores, literally translated as “farmers market”, it’s a fruit, vegetable, flower and fish market in old town that opened in 1940. The building houses 3 floors of stalls with exotic fruits, vegetables, plants of all kinds and lots of fish and shellfish. The stalls are decorated in vibrant colors and the salesmen dressed in typical costumes.  

Rua de Santa Maria is one of oldest and most colorful streets in Old Town. The narrow cobbled street dates back to 1430 as a thoroughfare up to the church of Santa Maria Maior. It’s just wide enough for pedestrians and is lined with restaurants, cafes and an art gallery or two. In 2014 the “Art of Open Doors” project turned this old shabby area of Funchal into a colorful outdoor art gallery with more than 200 works of art.

Part of Rue de Santa Maria.

Just a few of the doors we saw. We went back to this little street the next night for dinner.

Sept. 15 – Porto da Cruz, Portugal

By on September 15, 2024 in The Pearl
“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start getting excited about what could go right.” -Tony Robbins
While we were in the planning and research stage of our trip to Madeira we watched several YouTube videos. One talked about the Santo da Serra Farmers Market held every Sunday. It looked like a great local place to check out. In reality it was packed with tourists. I guess everyone watches the same videos. The road was jammed with at least 20 large buses and 100s of cars. It’s a very small market with some great food booths and a few vegetables and fruit vendors. There was also a flea market across the street. Neat to see but definitely not worth being tied up in traffic. 
We didn’t stay at the market long and thought while we were in the area we’d do a little hiking at one of the levadas. Levadas are irrigation canals that were built in the 15th century to carry water to agricultural crops around the villages. There is a whole network on Madeira Island most of which are used by hikers to access the many springs and waterfalls on the island. The roads in the mountains are very windy and not as wide as those along the coast. The traffic was even worse at the Levada dos Balcões than at the market. Cars and buses parked along the road miles from the trail head. That would be crazy, hike a couple of miles in traffic to start a four mile hike…no thanks. When cars park like that it turns a two lane road into a one lane road. Traffic was only moving north. So we kept moving and ended up on the north shore. 
We looked at our map and decided to check out Porto da Cruz. A cute little fishing village on the northeastern shore. Popular with surfers, sunbathers and hikers. It has lots of little cafés along its harbor, a huge saltwater pool, a seafront promenade and a rum factory. What an amazing place we found. Sometimes it’s the unexpected things you find that are the best. 
The market

They serve ponchas at several stands. Poncha is the local rum punch…it has a lot of punch.

Hydrangeas grow everywhere here on the island. So pretty.

Once you get up into the mountains the scenery looks a lot like that in NY and PA.

Volcanic peaks are everywhere.

Looking east along the beach in Porto da Cruz. A popular surfing spot in Madeira.

Looking west at some of the little cafés along the harbor.

Lunch at The Wave.

Porto da Cruz Swimming Pool

Looking back to town from the seafront promenade.

The seafront promenade.

Companhia dos Engenhos do Norte (Northern Mills Company) is a working rum refinery. It’s the only working steam powered rum distillery left in Europe. It is located on the west side of the promenade.

You can tour their facility and do tasting in their little store.

One of the best meals we had all week was at India Gate. Stan had the Chicken Tikka Masala – Boneless chicken tikka cooked in yogurt, ginger, garlic, tomato, and a touch of garam masala. I had Chicken Curry – Chicken stewed in an onion and tomato based sauce, flavored with ginger, garlic, chili peppers and a variety of spices.