Today we visited the city of Funchal, on the island of Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal. The island region is located in the Atlantic Ocean about 320 miles west of Morocco. You can use the links to learn more of the history of Funchal and Madeira,
Our pilot and tug met us at 7AM guided us into port on this clear chilly Saturday morning. We were made fast to the dock just before 8AM. As is our tradition when arriving at “new to us” areas, we toasted the event with a glass of champaign (another area checked off the list). Today’s activities was another Hop on Hop Off tour to get the lay of the land, so we bundled up and headed out to explore. The route took us along the coastal promenade, through the historic city center, past open gardens, and up to the hill to viewpoints overlooking the city. The entire loop was just over an hour. There is also an arial tram available, but we did not take it today.
As Sue was still feeling under the weather, she returned to the ship while Dan stayed aboard the bus to return to the top of the hill and then walk his way back down through the various parks and gardens. As Madeira is a Portuguese region, he set out to find that famous cultural delicacy, pastel de nata. He found a shop selling these delicious custard treats in the middle of downtown shopping area, scored a 1/2 dozen and made is way back to the ship. We made a late afternoon departure from Funchal and set course for Gibraltar
Random photos from today may be truncated util you click on them to see full view.
What a beautiful land.
It is indeed!