Today, we met our Grand Circle Tour director for Funchal – Maria. She took us on a walking tour of downtown. It was an enjoyable walk through a park, along the marina and the fresh market where we had a nice drink and some pastries.
The Delicious Fruit (Monstera delicious) is a long fruit with an exotic and fruity flavor, a mixture of banana, pineapple and anona. This fruit is originally from Mexico and the plant that originates it is a vine. The ideal for its production are the slightly higher temperatures in the south of the island, where it grows freely in private gardens, mainly in an ornamental way (its large green leaves are considered very beautiful). There is no large-scale production on the island.
It is a fruit that should be eaten as it ripens, since it does not ripen all at the same rate. It is very popular with visitors to the island because it is an unusual tropical fruit with a delicate flavor and peculiar shape. When ripe it is very pleasant, but when green it is toxic and therefore care is advisable. This fruit is very low in calories, has a high content of potassium and vitamin C.
The Chapel of Santa Catarina is a small but beautiful church. It is located within the pleasant Santa Catarina Park (Parque de Santa Catarina), a large green space in the city.
Founded in 1425 by Lady Constanca Rodriquez de Almeida spouse of Joao Goncalves Zarco, discoverer of the island The church dates from the 15th century and was originally constructed in wood. In the 16th century, the present stone church was built.
The stone font and bell both display elements of distinctive Manueline design.
The Madeira Honey Cake is one of the most traditional delicacies of Madeiran gastronomy. It is made with honey from local sugar cane and it can be preserved and eaten even weeks after being made.
Madeira Honey Cake is traditionally linked to Christmas. Usually it’s prepared on December 8, the day of Nossa Senhora da Conceição however, it can be found in shops all year round.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Sé, Funchal, is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Funchal, which encompasses all of the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
The caravel is a small highly-maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing windward.
The church of St. John the Evangelist, also known as Church of the College, is the 2nd most visited our island.
The most relevant in this church is the fact that its construction has been marked by the transition of a European Mannerist Baroque style to the Portuguese during the seventeenth century.
Its architecture is one of the most scattered by history because it was the responsibility of Jesuit missionaries. The church has only one nave with a chancel highlighted.
The highlight is the collection of altarpieces Mannerist hoist the blue and white tiles and paintings of secs. XVII and XVIII. The golden carving which presents one of the most valuable of the seventeenth century.
We stopped for a drink and pastry. Too many goodies to choose from here.
Okay, are you ready? Ready to see what that ugly fish looks like. Skip the next two images if you don’t want to see.
We were then down to the marina where the funicular runs. Maria left us with our plan of going up the mountain, and plans for tomorrow.
We had the choice to walk through the gardens – there are two up there, The Monte Palace Gardens and the Botanical Garden. You would need to take another cable car to get to the Botanical Garden and I looked at the stairs in the Monte Palace Gardens and we decided that we did the gardens yesterday, so we skipped and walked down towards the
There are several words synonymous to Monte and ‘toboggan ride’ is surely one of them! Originally a fast means of transport down to Funchal for people living in Monte, these toboggan sledges appeared around 1850.
Still in use today, they attract thousands of tourists every year who want to make this exciting experience of sliding at high speed on narrow, winding streets down to Funchal. These two-seater wicker sledges glide on wooden runners, pushed and steered by two men traditionally dressed in white cotton clothes and a straw hat, using their rubber-soled boots as brakes.
The downhill journey to Livramento, a little below Monte, Funchal is made in about 10 minutes on a total course of 1.5 miles, reaching at times a speed of 30 mph. Adventurous, yet safe, an ‘old-fashioned’ toboggan ride to make your way down from Monte is the perfect contrast to the high-technology cable car going up to Monte.
We completed our ride and we had a taxi driver there to take us back to our hotel. I had slipped while trying to get the photos of the other people – the road was slick and it took me a few steps to keep from falling down. Thus causing a muscle pull in my leg. So time for a bit of a rest.
After resting, Gloria and I took a walk up the hill the other direction from our hotel than we walked on Saturday and had a pleasant walk (some up hill) for about a half hour and then the walk back to the hotel where we had booked the seafood buffet for tonight.
We have a tour in the morning tomorrow and only one more full day after tomorrow. I know I am excited to see the other side of this island and I hope to have some good shots for you to enjoy. I didn’t know anything about Madeira before I signed up for this, but I am so glad that I got to see it.
With an very very early wakeup on Thursday morning for our flights home, I am going to say that I will post tomorrows and Wednesday’s adventures after I get home. This way I can maybe get some sleep Tuesday night in prep for the long Wednesday. So thanks for following along and hope to wrap it up for you in a couple of days.
Postcards from Sue and friends 