06.12.2020
68 km Funchal – Santo António Da Serra – Funchal
Sunset was awesome today and while watching I decided – now that I had slept off all that Poncha – I was ready to go look at the Christmas lights of Funchal city centre and surrounding area, which were switched on 1st December this year.
The stunning decorations and lights will remain throughout the city until the 10th of January. The city is famous for some of the most extravagant lights in the world and usual this is a very busy tourist season on the island. I had planned to go into the city one evening to have a look – tonight was the night! Before I could change my mind, I was decked out with my cameras and had checked on the public bus connections. There was a bus stop right by the road next to the hotel’s driveway. According to the timetable displayed there, the bus #1 should pass once an hour and that was anytime soon … but it did not … maybe it was late … or maybe the timetable was wrong? … I just waited … and then all of a sudden bus #96 came around the corner … I just stuck my arm out and flagged it down. It could only go to the city … the road was not leading anywhereelse … For € 2.20 I got a ticket from the driver and found a seat in the back of the bus. It turned out to be one of the overland busses that connect the communities on the island, not a city bus.
The bus was literally empty – only 2 other passengers were on it. It was a less than 15 min ride to the city center. I got off near the marina at the waterfront. The lights were already stunning from afar.
In Funchal they go all out when it comes to the Christmas lights – Christmas without bling-bling is impossible on Madeira! Much of the Christmas fun may be off this year. But the famous dazzling Christmas light displays were on and offered some much-needed festive sparkle and reverie. Madeira had just been named the safest European Christmas destination 2020 … probably the only one as well … Usually there would be also some Christmas Market, shows, concerts and parades … not this year though …
This year were – perfectly regulations conform – only the lights on display at the moment. And it was busy! OK, it was Sunday evening as well. But it seemed at 19:30 everybody was out and about. Facemask was mandatory in the city and in this – for the times – unusual crowds I wore mine all the time. I think I was just not used to crowds anymore … they all sort of adhered to social distancing rules, but still … maybe my head was just messed up from months and months of being told to distance …
They had an interesting Christmas tree near the marina. It was – same as the Christmas ball before – hollow and accessible through several openings. A lot of people – especially families with children – were making good use of it.
Besides the more traditional lights, the new attraction on the waterfront was the light tunnel. It was visible – and audible – already from afar. A sound & lights show lasted approx 10 min and started every half hour. It looked really cool, but there was a very very long line up … So I just watched from the outside. But it was really cool.
I left the waterfront and walked up to the Cathedral of Funchal and the Avenida Arriaga. Those were all beautifully lit up as well. There were huge angles in front of the Cathedral, that I had seen the other day when I visited during the day. But lit up is looked much more spectacular.
After about 40 min walking around slaloming through the crowds, I had enough and checked for a bus stop on goggle. I walked to the end of Avenida Arriaga – there should be one for city bus #1 which would bring me to my hotel again. Again the timetable was hopelessly wrong. But other city busses passed by as well somewhat off schedule and I saw #1 go in the opposite direction … eventually it would return … hopefully … if not there was always Uber … In the meantime I enjoyed the view of the lights. The light chains along the hillsides showed the streets – it looked like pearl necklaces were spread along the slopes.
I was so immersed in the lights that I almost missed the bus speeding around the corner. In the last minute I stuck my arm out and waved frantically. The bus screeched to a halt next to me. The city bus ticket from the driver was only € 1.95 and again there was only one other person on the bus. By now I knew the way already and 15 min later I got off near the Orca Praia driveway.
Approx 20:30 I was back in my room and pretty much ready for bed … but not before posting some Christmas light photos for the family at home.
07.12.2020
127 km Funchal – Pico Areeiro – Santana – Ribeiro Frio – Funchal
Early bed last night meant I was early awake this morning! It was still dark. I fiddled with the laptop … I had not given up on Pico do Areeiro! I did what I should have done more often … I checked the webcam up there … but it was still dark … While catching up on my journal I every now and then had a look again … Just before 07:30 it slowly started to get lighter up there … SUN on Pico do Areeiro! The road was open – I had seen it yesterday … I checked the local weather forecast – it stated sun and 7°C … This was my last chance! I was going!
Very quickly I got ready and almost ran for breakfast. I boldly asked for a window seat today and I got it. So while I had a fast breakfast I could enjoy the sunrise! However, I was there less than 15 min … yes yes … I eat too fast … and breakfast is the most important meal of the day … but usually I do not even eat breakfast … just on vacation when it is included … I never know when I have the time to eat again … I need to explore!
Considering the 7°C temperature forecast I put on my warm hiking trousers and took all my warm clothes – by 07:50 I was on the road to the mountains! I took the shortest possible way – the expressway for a bit and then via Monte up to Poiso – watching the sunrise as I went.
As soon as the sun was up there was brilliant blue sky. I had driven this road up to Poiso several times so far, but this was the bluest sky ever. Just yesterday it had been rainy here and the snow-slush on my first attempt had not been too much fun either. But today … Damn, I was lucky!
When I reached Poiso I was dreading the look around the corner up the road … yesterday it was open … but I had seen it closed so many times in the last couple of weeks … would it be open? … The sun was out now … it should be open … and … and … YES! … The road was open! Happily I turned up towards Pico do Areeiro! It was not long until I left the forest … some mist was hanging over the road … NO! … But it turned out to be just a little cloud!
The road to the Pico is one of the highest roads of Portugal. If the weather is good it is actually an easy – but very steep – asphalted road to the summit. Starting from Funchal, the ascent is approx 20 km. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 1813 m – making it an average percentage of 9.3 %. As soon as I navigated this one misty cloud I was back with brilliant blue sky ahead and could soon see the summit ahead! The clouds were below me now to the Northern side. I only met one other car …
Around 08:30 I reached the large car park near the summit. There were only 5 other car parked there. It was gleamingly sunny, but windy this early up here. I put my wooly hat and both my jackets on, grabbed the camera bag and off I went. The first outlooks were already breathtaking!
Pico do Areeiro is at 1818 m Madeira Island’s 3rd highest peak. It is said that on most days, visitors can stand and look down on the clouds, enjoy the fresh air, clear sky and bright sun – this probably did not happen during the time I spent on the island, though … On a clear day it is supposed to be possible to see the neighbouring island of Porto Santo approx 60 km to the Northeast – not today, however. In 2011, an Air Defence Radar Station was built at the top of the mountain near the summit. The viewing platform of the summit was right next to it.
On the summit was an Earth Cache marker and I collected some answers for it. Photos I was taking anyway constantly … I might have been a Japanese in my former life … I took so many selfies again …
As the sun was slowly rising higher the light kept constantly changing, the shadows moved and the clouds, too. I did not know where to look first. It was so beautiful.
I went for a little walk down the path leading to Pico Ruivo. A Visual Cache was located just below the summit of Pico do Areeiro … well, actually it was a Webcam Cache … I had to take a screenshot of me in the webcam … Loading the page was not the problem, but the webcam only took a photo every 5 or 10 minutes or so … and the correct spot was long still in shadow from that radar ball … I spent the time taking more selfies … But then I got lucky … at least I could recognize me on the webcam screen, anythingelse does not count anyway. The good thing was that there was not really anybodyelse but me around … I think 2 other people passed me when I was figuring this webcam thing out.
For a 2nd Earth Cache I had to take photos in this very spot as well, but also there was a 2nd stage with a question to answer and photo to take. That marker pointed down the hiking path for almost a kilometer. Oh well, let’s go then! I had come to Madeira to hike, did I not?
The footpath North towards Pico Ruivo is an important tourist attraction – in a regular season a daily average of 1000 tourists would be trekking on it … Today there were a few – in the end I probably had met 20 people in total. With the sun climbing up it got warmer and I had to take my wooly hat off.
It was the same style paved path I had encountered the other day when hiking Madeira’s highest peak Pico Ruivo. Well, here I was at the other end of the most famous hiking path of the island. Route PR1 leads approx 7 km to Pico Ruivo – the island’s tallest peak at 1862 m altitude which I had climbed a few days ago! – on route passing around Pico das Torres, the island’s 2nd tallest peak at 1851 m altitude, through some of Madeira’s most stunning mountain scenery and several tunnels as well.
There were a lot of ups and downs. The path was narrow, sometimes there were a lot of stairs and under rock overhangs piles of snow were still left from last week’s snow storm. Othertimes the path was fully in the sun today and despite being at over 1800 m I worked up a sweat. I had taken off my wolly hat already a while ago … The vistas were ever changing as the clouds were moving in the valleys below.
After approx 30 min I reached the first viewpoint – the Miradouro Ninho da Manta. This viewpoint is not called Buzzard’s Nest for nothing – set on an adventurous cliff it was overlooking the deep valley of the Ribeira da Fajã da Nogueira and the surrounding peaks, such as Pico das Torres and Pico Areeiro. The platform was secured by a wooden fence – I had no problems with the height and enjoyed the breathtaking views.
For the Earth Cache I had to collect some information here, but the information board had been removed. So I could only take the required photo and make the answer up. I tremendously enjoyed the views. The surrounding mountains were very rugged, differently colored and the structures seemed also very different.
I could have spent all day up here looking at the magnificent scenery. But I started the trek back to collect some more answers for that Earth Cache. I had to feel and describe some part of the rocks sort of half way back to the Pico do Areeiro.
While I noted down my observations I let my gaze wander back to that Miradouro Ninho da Manta in the distance … and I started thinking … I could not imagine that there would not be a secret box hidden there! That would be impossible …
Checking my geo app I indeed found that there were several secret boxes hidden along the hiking trail … I had been so focused on that Visual and Earth Cache, that I had complete forgotten to check for just regular boxes … Stupid me! … There was one box hidden right at the Miradouro Ninho da Manta! Believe it! Well … the weather was beautiful and I had no other plans for the day … I might as well go for some more hiking! So I trekked back to the viewpoint to find it. It was quite well hidden in a crack in the rock and it took me quite some time to locate it, but in the end I was successful!
Now I was in the swing! There was another box hidden on the next viewpoint – Miradouro Pedra Rija. It was less than a kilometer further on along the PR 1 towards Pico Ruivo. No, I was definitely not going all the way, but the next viewpoint was definitely possible. The paved trail was good. First it was leading up around some rocky outcrops. The vistas were just breathtaking all along.
Reaching a high point I had a magnificient view of Miradouro Ninho da Manta – the viewpoint platform seemed to be floating over the clouds that were hanging over the North coast below. It looked … mesmerizing …
The trail was lined by a railing and soon enough I was happy it was there since the trail was closely clinging to the side of the mountain and soon the Miradouro came into view. It looked breathtaking – the trail was balancing on a narrow edge of the mountain – steep cliffs fell down deep on each side of the trail.
I made it to Miradouro Pedra Rija and the view to the West was awesome. I took a break – eventhough it was quite windy now. The view was just leaving me speechless … I almost forgot to look for that geocache … but I found and signed it in no time!
Nevertheless I decided to turn around and head back to Pico do Areeiro. From this side the return trail looked … steep … and scary with the cliff on both sides … I was excited …
This part was the trickiest of the short hike I did. But I could do it. I was not really chicken-hearted, but with those steep cliffs on both sides I could get a little bit weak in the knees … the views had been worth it … and hey … it was an fantastic experience. I shall come back and do the complete trail!
That accomplished it was going downhill for a bit, but not far behind the Ninho da Manta viewpoint the trail started to climb again. Just right there another secret box was hidden – which I had missed before. There were few hikers on the trail, but more than I had expected. Remembering the other day – my hike to Pico Ruivo – Madeira’s highest mountain – there were definitely more people on the go today. But then again … the weather is better today, than it was before … and … it is rellatively early in the morning. Pico Ruivo I had done in the afternoon.
I found the box quickly, but it was a little off the trail and the hint in the listing stated – take care not to step over the edge … oh well … I managed … not to step over that edge … but the cache had a guardian of substantial size and I really hope it would not jump me!
Geocaching does not only take you to new places, it is also educational more often than not. From this cache I learnt that this trail here was not just built for tourists’ entertainment, but that the workers who constructed the Levadas, built it to have a quicker access from Funchal to Pico Ruivo. Imagine – they carried bags of 30 kg sand and cement on their backs, a spade in hand and then did this walk. Somewhat like the Sherpas in Nepal …
Happily I reached Pico de Areeiro again and tried out for a better webcam photo for the Visual Cache … But my mobile data and battery were dying … so I was not successful. Nevertheless, I found the bit of snow still there and took a photo.
What can I say … there was also a secret box hidden below the summit of Pico Areeiro! I had to leave the main path below the radar tower, though. But there was some sort of path close to the cache location. The last bit I had to clamper over some rocks. I left my backpack on the small path and then surprisingly quickly found the box! Just as the battery of my mobile died and the GPS signal therefore disappeared … I had take too many selfies with the mobile this morning …
So since I was at the summit already, I went to the car and picked up my powerbank. I had left it in the suitcase … There were a self-service restaurant, a souvenir shop and facilities near the carpark. The terrace looked surely inviting! I treated myself to a beer and a Maracuja Poncha with a view!
I sat there and soaked up the sun and the view for almost 45 min. It was so beautiful! It was just about 12:00 when I sat down – that meant I had been hiking for a good 3.5 hrs. It had been wonderful! Now I just enjoyed the view and the peanuts that were traditionally served with Poncha.
The clouds below were ever changing and I could even see the ocean in the very far distance. It was a mesmerizing view towards the East. I could see the snaking road that let me up clearly.
Since I needed to walk off the Poncha, I went for another little hike. I walked past the radar ball to a viewpoint overlooking the North to find a Multi Cache. It was a beautiful hike once more. Not far, though. But the views with the clouds below were just outstanding.
Above the clouds freedom must be limitless … is a famous German song. That was my impression of the Miradouro do Juncal viewpoint here at Pico do Arieiro! It sure felt like that. The view of the peaks of Madeira’s highest mountains rising from the clouds was spectacular. I could even see the wind generators at the high plateau of Paul da Serra!
Watching the clouds change all the time, I eventually tore myself away from the view and went in search of that Multi Cache. But I could hardly take my eyes off the view …
The cache had only one stage before the final – only that I had read already in the logs that that stage was lost … But with the spoiler photo and some cacher instinct it was possible to find the final anyway. It was hidden in a pipe and there were not many such pipes around here … actually only 2 … and in one of them some wasps were having a party. Quickly I moved away … I did not have to make aquaintance with those …
Close by there was another pipe and there the container was. Signing was a quick affair and off I went again.
The view towards the north and west was magnificent with the clouds below in the valleys. While walking back towards the car park I watched the everchanging scenery and took so many photos.
In the distance – like an island in the clouds I could make out Achada do Teixeira where I had parked the car the other day when climbing Madeira’s highest peak Pico Ruivo. That had been an awesome day as well.
Before I went to the car there was another secret box hidden around the next bend of the road. It was in the bushes, but fortunately I found it without problems.
The sun was climbing in the sky and it was getting really hot now. Once I reached my funny little car, I changed quickly from the warm trousers to the other ones … it was not as if there were many people around … between the cars it was quickly done … Luckily I had brought them with me – the car carried it.
Reluctantly I started the drive back down the mountain on the narrow road. The views left and right were stunning all the time. Only a few hundred meters down I stopped by the road side to quickly dash in the bushes for another geocache. I had to beat through the thicket for a bit, but then located the rocks under which the container was hidden in a spot with a great view towards the summit and the radar dome.
As I reached the car a hiker approached me coming from the summit. The young man asked if I could give him a lift down to the junction at Poiso. A hitch hiker! Sure thing, I can – only you have to sit in the half crowded backseat, because the front seat is occupied by my camera gear. No problem, he said, and he even put his mask on without me asking. I had my window open and the mountain breeze blowing in my face.
It turned out he was a student from Germany and had come for a week of hiking. He stayed in a hostel in Funchal and used public busses and hitchhiked some as well. He stayed a week and would be flying home on the same flight as me tomorrow. Since he travelled without checked-in luggage the most expensive part of his vacation was probably the C-test required for entry to the island.
We chatted as I navigated the narrow road in the clouds, which we dove into shortly below the summit. At the Poiso junction he got off to take the public bus and I turned left North towards Santana. I had decided to see if I could take the famous cable car down to Rocha do Navio. It was supposed to be a spectacular ride. The drive there was unspectacular since I had already been down this road a few times. I passed Ribeiro Frio and the further North I came slowly the sun came back. In Santana I followed the signs towards the teleférico. At the end of the road I managed to squeeze the car in a parking space – hoping it was OK to park there – and walked down colourful stairs the rest of the way.
Located on the North coast of the island in Santana, the Rocha do Navio Cable Car offers visitors a journey with supposedly breathtaking panoramic views over the ocean, the North coast and the farmlands – the Fajãs – below. I could see all the way to Ponta de São Lourenço, the Easternmost tip of Madaeira, which I visited last week.
The cable car was built in 1997 to provide assistance to the local farmers in better accessing their farmlands. A trip lasts about 5 min. It also allows visitors to access the Nature Reserve with the same name – which aim is to preserve the marine fauna specifically and nature at large. It is otherwise only accessible by a trail carved in the rock. The name Rocha do Navio – Ship Rock – is for once due to a Dutch shipwreck that occurred there in the 19th century and second, the little island in front of the coast apparently resembling the front of a ship.
The upper cable car station was located next to the Miraduouro Rocha do Navio and of course there was a geocache hidden. Nobody was around and I found the box in no time. Then I admired the view down towards the coast.
Unfortunately the cable car station looked deserted … on closer inspection it had a sign which stated that – due to the circumstances – it was only open certain times but today it was closed completely. What a shame. Also the hiking trail that started next to the viewpoint was closed off. Most probably the rough weather of the last weeks had forced this closure. Oh well …
So what was I going to do now? My last full day on the island had started so fabulously and it called for a great lunch as well. I contemplated Porto da Cruz with the Rum Factory and Octopus by the sea or Ribeiro Frio and Trout. My friends had highly recommended trying the fresh Trout in Ribeiro Frio and therefore the decision was made without much thinking.
On the way I took a tiny detour in Santana – instead of getting directly onto the VE1 I drove up through the village a scenic sideroad towards Faial. There was a secret box by the roadside at a water fountain. It had started drizzling now, but I hopped out of the car to grap the box. It was a swift find, but unfortunately the logbook was despite triple protection totally wet. My fancy geopen just about managed to write in it.
Driving back up the road into the mountains again my car knew the way all by itself when the low hanging clouds dipped the forest in fog again. It was getting quite cold now.
Apart from being the launch pad for some great Levada walks, Ribeiro Frio’s other attraction was what must be the world’s most visited trout farm with huge tanks fed with icy cold Levada water. But I did not visit the Trout farm, though. I was quite peckish by now already – it was well after lunch time by now around 15:00. I thought I might go for a walk after food. Parking was no problem and the restaurant was open.
However, there were no other customers around – I walked into an empty restaurant. I was greeted friendly and had a choice of tables along the long window front facing the Laurel forest and the mountain creek. Next to the restaurant is the Trout farm – so any choice of food other than a Trout would have been foolish. I ordered a Coral Beer, local fish soup with some Bolo do Caco – garlic flatbread – and a grilled Trout with salad. Since I had to use the facilities I also ran back to the car to pick up my jumper – it was as fresh inside the restaurant as it was outside. My soup came in no time and it was very good. It was hot and fishy and warmed me right through.
Then the Trout arrived! It looked delicious. It was spot on grilled and seasoned with herbs. Unfortunately they forgot the salad I ordered and instead brought me boiled vegetables – potatoes, carots and brokkoli … which I did not like and did not touch. The Trout was very yummy and it was enough, I did not need any sides with it. And anyway, I had some of the garlic bread left.
Indulging in a espresso I paid my bill and the checked the map again to figure out which way to go back to the hotel. A new route would be good … Leaving I took the road I had driven several times already to Poiso and then turned down towards Ribeiro João Gonçalves. Eventhough it was foggy the road was dry today and the further down I came the more the fog receded. I met the sheep again I had seen on my first attempt going up here. They even crossed the road at almost the same spot. Lucky there was not much traffic … but they sure could run …
As I reached Ribeiro João Gonçalves I turned right on the ER 110 for a few kilometers until Aguas Manas. That was only a tiny hamlet with a few houses and I almost missed the turn off to the coast. The Estrada Padre Alfredo Vieira de Freitas led right down the mountain to the coast passing several settlements and offering stunning views. What was even better, there was a series of geocaches hidden along the road – all very near water fountains. The first one was a very easy find and for once a dry logbook.
The 2nd box I had to pass because just then some people took a seat on the bench next to it … What a shame … but since I was there I logged it anyway … Psst, do not tell anybody! The 3rd one I could not find even with looking at spoiler photos … So photolog … I had the right spot, but well …
At the next one I was determined to be successful. I had to search a long time and I had to look at all the photos that other cachers had posted with their logs. It turned out the GPS marker was on the wrong side of the road … I could have looked for it forever over there … But once I had the right location it was a piece of cake.
The closer to the coast I got the better the weather became. The views along the road were stunning. I could see below the clouds all the way to Ponta de São Lourenço, the Easternmost point of Madeira, which was laying there in brilliant sunshine. Today would have been the day to hike there, but I had been a few days ago in the rain …
However, I was still on a geocache hunt even though I kept being distracted by the view … box #5 was in a bus stop under the bench and it was uneventful to find it. But #6 was behind a beautiful fountain which had those historic ceramic tile ornaments. And the view here was great as well.
There was another box at a fountain which I did not find despite searching for a long time. I gave up and did not log it either, because I had no idea where it could have been. But from this point there was a marked detour due to road constructions ahead. It had been a rather narrow and very steep road all the time, but now the short cut took me down a really steep residential side road. I was not sure, but I think it might have been a one-way street. At least it did not seem as if it could possibly have oncoming traffic … I sure hoped not … because it was really steep as well …
Luckily it was only a short detour probably just cutting off one or 2 sharp serpentine bends, then I reached the main road again. Only a bit further down there was another fountain with a secret box. The fountain was under construction and actually fenced off, but that little thing could not get between me and a geocache. I parked the car by the roadside and quickly sprinted across the road, climbed the low barrier and with one quick grip I had the container in hand. As quickly as I signed it I hid it again and was back in the car and off.
Near the coast I reached the VR 1 expressway and drove back to the hotel. There was a little traffic jam around Funchal city again – after work rush hour – but nothing major. Getting off the expressway I tried to find a supermarket to buy some juice and I even took a detour around the neighbourhood for it, but was not successful. Oh well … By now I was quite naggered and just wanted to get back to the hotel. I arrived just in time for sunset on the balcony. With a sundowner in hand I sorted the photos of this awesome morning on the mountains. Then I had to start packing. Tomorrow I would be flying back home. I also had to think about how to get home from Frankfurt Airport … actually I had no choice but take a rental car in the current situation. I had not booked it yet, because I had been hoping for last minute prices. But I should not be so lucky. The price had not changed other than going slightly up. I was supposed to land 22:45 in Frankfurt and that was already after hours for Europcar eventhough they claim to be open 24 hrs. I took the smallest available category and it was a steep € 158 for 24 hrs! Blimey! I should stay another 2 weeks on the island – the rental car would be cheaper here!
While I packed I weighed my suitcase – yes, I have the habit of carrying a luggage scale. I had been tallying my shopping and was pretty sure I would need the 25 kg again for the return flight as well. And I was right. So I booked the excess 5 kg online at the same time as checking in, because it was cheaper than doing it at the airport.
All that took time so I slept very late. But I did not have any plans for tomorrow – I just had to be at the airport by 15:30 …
08.12.2020
63 km Funchal – Porto Cruz – Santa Cruz – Airport
Although I could take it easy and slow today, I was up early. Fiddling about I went for breakfast at my designated spot at 07:30 sharp. This time I got a window seat again – I asked for it! And could almost see the sunrise … I looked to the West today, however.
Today it was all blue skies and sun and after breakfast I sat on my balcony catching up on the journal and generally just enjoying the view and life. Tomorrow I would be back in Germany’s misery – since I had not been watching any news, my sister had already messaged me that another lockdown was looming over our heads and I actually should stay put and enjoy as long as I could. There was no job in sight anyway … so I had been seriously contemplating extending my stay on Madeira for a week or 2 … I mean … this was the time to travel … low hotel rates, cheap rental cars, no crowds whatsoever, restaurants open, wetaher improving … but with Christmas ahead it was probably better to go home …
By 09:00 I started to pack the car – once more it took me a couple of runs to get all my bags out. But it was less, now that I was already organized for flying. Check-out was painless and off I was.
With no real plan I decided to go see the Cristo Rei statue in Garajau near Cançio. On the VR 1 expressway it was a quick drive. I got off in Quinta and followed residential roads through Garajau to the parking lot near the top station of the cable car. Opened in 2007 it provides access to the beach of Garajau, a recreational area equipped with a small coffee shop and a diving centre next to Garajau Marine Reserve. I was too early, though, the cable car was not open yet. I had not planned on going down to the beach anyway.
I was here to see the Christ the King Statue – also known as the Sacred Heart statue – which is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ and gazes across the Atlantic ocean. A secret box and an Earth Cache were hidden there and I wanted to find them. From the parking lot it was only a short walk to the viewpoint at Ponta do Garajau. The panoramic vistas were magnificent. To the West there was an excellent partial view of Funchal bay. To the East I could look along the coast and even make out Sentido Galo Resort – where I stayed the first few night on the island – in Caniço de Baixo.
History has it that it was here that non-catholic Christians were thrown from the cliffs as only Catholics were allowed to be buried on the island until 1770 when the British Cemetery of Funchal was established for non-catholic Christians. The Jewish Cemetery of Funchal was established in 1851. The statue was built in remembrance of the function of the area’s history and was built in 1927. Financed by the local counsellor Aires de Ornelas and created by French artists Georges Serraz and Pierre Charles Lenoir, the majestic statue stands on top of the cliff which drops into a ravine towards the sea.
An Earth Cache was dealing with the material of the statue and I collected some information for that before take the manadatory photo. When I posted it, a friend commented if I had missed a turn in the road and ended up in Rio de Janeiro …
In fact, the statue here was completed 4 years before Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil! I had visited there twice already. It was in 1997 when I was on my first cruise ship stint and then again when travelling South America visiting Rio for carnival 2014. Both were memorable visits.
Except me there was only one other person around at this time of the morning and I could look for the secret box without being watched. It was supposed to be hidden in the boundary wall. But despite looking everywhere – and almost climbing over to check – I could not find anything. What I did spot were a bunch of small lizards basking in the sunshine on the rocks.
I gave up and instead enjoyed the view for a while. Garajau is a small coastal village close to Caniço, east of Funchal. Opuntia and Madeira’s seemingly trademark red Sword Aloe flowered everywhere around the area and made as usual for stunning photos.
Back at the car I notice the cable car was open now, but since nothing was happening on the beach at the moment and it was too early for lunch, I did not take it. Instead I drove back to the expressway and then East towards Santa Cruz close to the airport. But it was still too early for food and the village did not look too big to walk around for hours. So – on a whim – I kept driving and took the fast route to Porto da Cruz on the North coast. Today I had a beautiful view of the Desertas Islands in the distance while driving along the South coast.
Past the airport the expressway passed under the runway. I had driven here before, but today I actually paid attention to the architectural wonder of it. Madeira Airport was opened in 1964 and was infamous for its short 1600 m runway which – surrounded by high mountains and the ocean – made it a difficult and technically demanding landing for even the most experienced pilots.
At the end of runway 05, there are hills and cliffs which make a direct approach and landing unavailable. Instead aircraft have to do a visual approach which involves flying around the airport requiring an approx 150° right-hand turn before landing. For that the airport has acquired the nickname of Kai Tak Airport of Europe – a reference to the former airport of Hong Kong that also needed a right-hand turn to line up for a landing very low and close to the runway. Between 1982 and 1986, Madeira’s runway was extended by 200 m to a total of 1800 m and again in 2000 to the current 2781m. At that time – as landfill up from the shoreline had not been a realistic option, the runway was built on a platform partly extending over the ocean. It is supported by 180 huge pillars – each up to 70 m tall and easily 5 m in diameter. The runway extension was conducted by the Brazilian construction company Andrade Gutierrez and is recognized worldwide as one of the most difficult to achieve due to the type of terrain and orography.
Its innovative solution allowed Funchal to receive the Outstanding Structure Award in 2004 by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, which aims at recognizing the most remarkable, innovative, creative or otherwise stimulating structure completed. It is considered to be the most demanding and expensive engineering project ever realized in Portugal. The expressway led right under the runway extension and being there gave me a sense of the scale of this outstanding structure. A sports park of sorts was located underneath – complete with a karting track and a few tennis courts, football fields etc.
Reaching Porto da Cruz quickly, the weather was still great with blue sky and sunshine even on the North coast … OK, there were some clouds, too … I parked the car again near the church in the center and first went to the minimarket to buy a last Brisa Maracuja.
Strolling around I made my way to the Rum Factory. I figured a Farewell Rum Cocktail was in order. Unfortunately it was still closed. I overheard some other tourist asking and being told they would open at 11:00. Oh good, in 20 min! So I kept wandering about.
I remembered I had not found the 2 geocaches the first time I had been here almost 2 weeks ago. Now I had the time to attempt them once more. The path up to the one on the hill was still too slippery … No, that would not work. If I landed in the mud I would have to fly in those pants … Instead I contemplated the final of that Multi cache. Judging by the hint in the listing, maybe my calculation had been close to correct and I might be able to use cacher instict to make it to the final location. Therefore I walked along the shore through the village and up some stairs through gardens.
At the main road above was a viewpoint – last time I had driven there. Today I walked. The view was as wonderful as expected. I marveled at it for quite a while before looking at a possibility to navigate the hillside to the next viewpoint where I expected the secret box being hidden. But a potential foot path was all overgrown and muddy. Therefore I quickly discarded the hope to log this cache as well and made my way back towards the Rum Factory.
On the way down I passed some bushes with a large spider web and a huge spider in it. Apparently it was a Argiope Bruennichi – a Wasp Spider – a species of orb-web spider distributed throughout Central Europe, Northern Europe, North Africa, parts of Asia and the Azores and Madeira archipelagos. It shows striking yellow and black markings on its abdomen. The spider builds a spiral orb web at dawn or dusk – commonly a little above ground level, taking it approximately an hour. The prominent zigzag shape called the stabilimentum or web decoration featured at the centre of the orb is of uncertain function, though it may be to attract insects. I was happy it was so high up in the bushes and not anywhere near me, but it still looked cool.
When I arrived at the Rum Factory it was open and I treated myself to a Rumcomel Cocktail enjoying it outside. It was as yummy as the first time. I looked around some and of course bought a small souvenir set of a small white Branca Rum Agrícola da Madeira, a tiny glass of Mel da Madeira and a small Poncha caralhinho. This is a mixing tool created in Madeira officially called a mexelote but more commonly known as a caralhinho – little cock – a type of muddler. Now I could mix my own Poncha at home! You wait for it!
It was time to walk back to the car and make my way to Santa Cruz. Just out of town I had spotted a gas station and stopped to fill up the car so it would be proper when dropping it off later at the airport. Then it was a quick drive along the expressway to Santa Cruz and I parked at the same parking lot – at the end of the airport runway – like the other day. While it had been fresh at the North coast it was really hot now here at the East coast.
Santa Cruz is a small city known for the pebbly Praia das Palmeiras beach and its seafront promenade, lined with palm trees and restaurants. “…passing a turn in the land, they entered a cover in the beach, in which they saw a deliteful valley covered in the trees in order, where they found on land a few older fallen columns, from whom the captain ordered the construction a cross, which they raised to the heights of a tree, giving the place the name of Santa Cruz, where later that founded the noble village.” was written in the 15th century. To commemorate the construction of this cross, a second – marble – cross was raised, but was later destroyed sometime around 1889.
The market hall on the eastern edge of the beach was worth a visit, as this market seemed to have not yet been discovered by tourists. The secret box that was hidden there I did not find … but I took a look around. The market was small – fruits, vegetables and fish that really come from Madeira were sold here.
I even found Tamarillo – Tree Tomatoes – at one stall. I had to buy some! I had weighed my luggage this morning and had still a couple of kilos spare. So with the rum souvenir and some Tamarillos it would be OK. And they were cheap … € 1.95 per kilo … At the big supermarkets at home they charge € 1.75 per one fruit of Tamarillo! Believe it! I bought a bag full for € 1.16 here instead. At home I mixed a mean Poncha Tamarillo with them! It was sooo good!
As early as the 15th century, Santa Cruz rivaled the neighboring Machico for importance in sugar exports, size and beauty of the buildings. In this competition, the largest church outside Funchal – Igreja São Salvador – was built in Santa Cruz.
At the top of the old town of Santa Cruz extends the spacious church square, shaded by mighty trees. A mass just ended and many people were there. I made a wide detour to successfully find a secret box at the other end of the square.
I walked back to the beach promenade at Parque da Almadea. At the Western end of it above on the street was another geocache hidden – next to the Forte de São Fernando. It sounded easy to find in a tree … but despite all efforts I was not lucky. Since I had the exact spot of the spoiler photo, I did a photolog, though.
The view from up there towards the airport in the distance was magnificent, though. In regular times the airport is the 4th busiest airport in Portugal … It mostly hosts flights to European metropolitan destinations due to Madeira’s importance as a leisure destination and is pivotal in the movement of cargo in and out of the archipelago. I only saw a single plan landing while I visited Santa Cruz today …
For now I had enough of searching secret boxes and went down to the beach promenade. Walking through the Forte de São Fernando – it was built in the 18th century to use for observation and coastal defense and was restored by Paulo Dias de Almeida during the Liberal Wars in mid-19th century. The name São Fernando indicates an ancient chapel that existed in the area, which gave its name to the place but no longer existed by 1820. On the other side, at that time, the guardhouse was up against another old chapel, also no longer existing, dedicated to St. Lazarus.
I found a spot with a view on the beachwall to sit and enjoy the sun and sea – no I was not going to swim … but it was the perfect spot to finish off my last mini Coral beer. Soon enough I would be back in German winter … so I might as well soak up some sun as long as I could!
To escape and sit quietly on the beach – that’s my idea of paradise.
Emilia Wickstead
The pebbled beach was beautiful and it was so summery hot. I loved it. I could have sat there forever. But I started walking along the beach promenade towards some restaurants I had spotted before. I was ready for a last Madeiran lunch before a long flight and an even longer drive home!
I found a seaview table and ordered another beer … yes yes yes … but it was only a very short drive to the airport with the terminal being towards this end of the runway … and I was not going to drive right this minute! I intended to splurge in some great food and then take another walk to find yet another secret box! And of course – with the beer Grilled Limpets went best! And they were delicious!
For main course – and of course I had to have a last main course as well – I ordered an Madeiran specialty. Scabbad fish with Banana! You read that right – Fish with Banana! It is a specialty of Madeira. Fish and Banana were fried and I ordered mixed salad with it skipping potatoes, vegetable and even Bolo do Caco garlic bread. It was not the best food I ever had, but it was a great last lunch on Madeira!
After a stretched out lunch I went for another walk through the old town. Pretty colourful houses lined the alleys and a river channel leading into the ocean was covered by flowering Bougainvillea.
The city’s 16th-century buildings include the beautiful PSP – Esquadra de Santa Cruz Police Building. It was surrounded by a garden with Strelitzia blooming. I walked around it admiring its charm.
Close to there was one more geocache hidden and I did grab it quickly before walking back to the car. Yet, it was too early to go to the airport. Therefore I consulted my map again to see if there was a secret box or viewpoint close to the airport. I did not want to hang around the airport too long, so I had another half hour or so to spare. It was not far past the airport when I left the expressway and took a sideroad up to a beautiful viewpoint overlooking Machico.
“We saw a land covered in trees until the sea and from that band the fog never descended from the range…We saw a great bay…” - 15th century chronicler Francisco Alcoforado wrote. In 1419 João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira disembarked on the beach of Machico, beginning the era of Portuguese discoveries. Many hypotheses have developed as to the origin of the name of the municipality. The most remembered – and not the least disputed – comes from the romanticized legend of the English lovers Robert Machim and Anne d’Arfet. As the legend explains, the 2 lovers escaped from England – where their love was forbidden and condemned by the Church – suffered the tragedy of a shipwreck and died on the island that became Madeira, where later the first Portuguese explorers encountered 2 crosses which they attributed to the lovers – the name appears to be a corruption of the surname Machim. In 1440 the Infante Henry the Navigator awarded Tristão Vaz and his descendants the Captaincy of Machico and by right the first Captaincy in the archipelago of Madeira.
The cache was conveniently hidden next to the parking lot of the viewpoint. I just had to wait for one other car to leave before I could quickly grab and sign it. The view – framed by red Sword Aloe – was stunning. I could easily see Ponta do São Lourenço in the distance.
Since the airport was so close it took me only a few minutes to drive there. When I arrived at the rental car parking I first had to fiddle to find the access card … where had I put it on the first day? … in a safe place … but where … ahhh … in the glove compartment under all the other rental papers … I parked the car at 15:00 and unpacked. No sooner the Europcar guy came to check it. He was very impressed that I clocked up 1318 km in my 2 weeks on the island! He said, most tourists rent a car and do not drive much at all. But I had been literally everywhere possible!
My funny little car had sure earned its rental price – it was really dirty now, but no new scratched had appeared … phew! Happily I handed over the key and lugged my baggage to the elevator leading up to the terminal.
In 2016, it was announced that the airport would be renamed Madeira International Airport Cristiano Ronaldo – Aeroporto Internacional da Madeira Cristiano Ronaldo – in honour of Madeira native football player Cristiano Ronaldo. The rebranded terminal was unveiled in 2017 with a bust of Ronaldo also being presented – a bust of him that was widely mocked and left football fans scratching their heads. The bronze bust of the Real Madrid and Portugal forward went viral with people questioning its resemblance to the player. The airport has since replaced its original effort with a bust that boasts a greater likeness to Ronaldo. In the new normailty also the bust was wearing a facemask – so the details in questions would not have been visible anyway. A Visual Cache was attached to the CR bust and I had to take a photo of it. Unfortunately it was all fenced off at the arrival level for the arrival procedures. I had to beg a security guy if I could step over the line and move 2 m in to take a quick click from the distance at least to log the cache.
That done I took the elevator to the departures level. The TUI check-in was open already. I just had to do a little re-shuffling, because they had this rule of only a single cabin bag. Hopefully they would not weigh it … My suitcase was 25.5 kg – Perfect! said the lady behind the desk and handed me my boarding pass. This time I did not have a window seat. I could not change it without paying extra, though. But it was going to be dark soon anyway …
There was another Visual Cache located here at the airport – it required photos of “Madeira is …” – so I found some details for that to log.
That was the last geocache I found on the island! The tally was at 162 found geocaches on the island during my 2 weeks! Now, that I call success!
It was too early to pass security and I still had a bottle of Brisa and a bottle of Vodka spiked Brisa left … So I found a seat with a view of the ocean, surfed the free Airport WIFI and finished my drinks. My flight was only at 17:45.
I passed security around 16:30 without problems and then spent too much money at the duty free … I bought more Poncha, Bolo de Mel – the traditional Madeiran honey cake – and chocolate. Then I went to the viewing platform outside to see a plane land. There were actually 2 departures to Germany at the same time and both planes arrived now. Actually they had only 6 flight departures at all per day at the moment. The sun was out and it was hot on the terrace.
Then it was time to go to the gate and wait for boarding. Everything was on time and the plane was full. I wished people would listen to announcements on which entry to take – back or front – according to their seat number. It would be much easier that way. At least I had an aisle seat … I settled in for the 4 hr flight and treated myself to a last farewell Madeira wine.
My ticket included a snack & drink – it was Apfelschorle and a Pretzel stick again. I tried to sleep some, but could not really. The flight was uneventuful and we landed on time 22:45 in Frankfurt, where it was really really cold compared to Madeira … exiting the plane was slow, but then at least the luggage came quickly. The airport was literally empty. It was a long walk to find the Europcar desk to pick up my car. It was an even longer way to get to the parking … Then I could not find that stupid car … The guy at the desk had forgotten to give me the space number … I looked at every car and used the key beep … nothing … So I headed back to the desk, hoping the guy was not asleep yet. He was not and gave me the space number … The car was parked in the 3rd row … I had only checked the first 2 … I found the car and was en route by 23:58 with -3°C when exiting the parking garage …
09.12.2020
536 km Frankfurt to home
The temperature stayed that through most of the night. Traffic was heavy around Frankfurt … all trucks and more trucks. I hoped for a service station … I needed coffee. Everything had been closed at the airport. When I found one, they told me they had no coffee … REALLY? … WTF! … So I kept driving. All parking areas and rest areas were full with parked trucks. Around 02:00 I found a gas station that was open and they had a spot to park and they had coffee! I kept driving, but I was not driving fast. By around 04:00 I had to find a parking spot and slept with locked doors for almost an hour before continuing.
I kept listening to the traffic news and reports indicated that the Autobahn was closed due to a truck accident ahead of me just before Dresden and would not open anytime soon … Blimey … Well, I kept driving because different radio stations made different reports. But when I reached the area, traffic was already being diverted to the country roads. I consulted google and it gave me an alternative route to circle the closed section of the Autobahn. But all trucks went the same way … Damn … Then google said to turn left into a very narrow sideroad … OK … I trusted it and went in … Good thing I had been driving narrow roads for the past 2 weeks on Madeira … At least this road was not allowed for trucks, but a string of 3 cars followed me. By now the traffic reports already suggested a traffic jam at the main detour … but the side road was clear. After maybe 10 km I reached the main road ahead of the traffic jam and in no time I was back on the Autobahn and heading home without further problems. I reached there at 06:46 and was dead on my feet. I did not even take my bags out of the car. I did nothing but fall straight into bed as I was …
No one needs a vacation so much as the one who has just had one …
Elbert Hubbard
