01.12.2020
Funchal on foot
Early this morning I woke up to a thunderstorm … Oh well … So I just stayed in bed for a bit longer and wrote some. Then I went down to the lobby to use the WIFI. I finally booked a hotel for my last 3 nights on the island. I chose Orca Praia Hotel between Funchal and Câmara de Lobos right on the coast. I took a chance and booked the cheapest option – room option selected by the property. Of course I had researched first – that hotel had only oceanview rooms. So I got 3 nights for € 108 including breakfast. That was more than 30% less than when I had booked oceanview directly. Now just let’s hope that room will be OK …
At 08:30 I went for breakfast. It seemed I was the only one there. The breakfast room had a nice gardenview. There was no buffet, but they served me a tray with bread rolls, fruits, yoghurt, cheese, coldcuts, juice and coffee. That was good enough anyway.
Deciding to leave the car in the garage today, I would walk the city of Funchal instead. The weather cleared up and around 09:30 I started my exploration. It was mostly downhill from the hotel and a pleasant walk.
Funchal has several interesting bronze sculptures. Yesterday I had already passed the sculpture of the Fallen Angel and the first one I found today was the sculpture Paz e Liberdade – Peace and Freedom – by the sculptor Manuela Aranha. It was inaugurated in 1988 and placed at Largo da Paz. It does look interesting.
Near the Casino da Madeira I found the first geocache of today. It was a fast find hidden in a tree. More intriguing was the bronze statue of Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie Empress of Austria and Duchess of Bavaria – affectionately called Sissi – in the park. The statue was created by Lagoa Henriques and placed in the gardens of Pestana Casino Park Resort.
It is well known that Sissi loved to travel. Her first trip was due to health reasons. A lung specialist recommended that she stay by the sea. In the winter of 1860 she traveled to Madeira to cure her cough. She stayed twice for several months on the island – in winter 1860/1861 and more than 20 years later again in winter 1893/1894. The first time Elisabeth resided in the Quinta Vigia, where the Casino Park Hotel today stands – therefore here a life-size Sissi statue commemorates the legendary Empress.
The sun was coming out now and it got pleasantly warm. From the Casino I walked down to the port. The Port of Funchal was the only major port in Madeira until 2007, when all remaining fishing activity and cargo trade was moved to the newly developed port of Caniçal and Funchal became fully dedicated to passenger transport only – cruise ships and ferries – and other tourist-related boats and yachts. Funchal is the leading Portuguese port on cruise liner dockings … at the moment the cruise ship port was eerily empty … eventhough it has been reopend for cruise ships a few weeks back … But there were not many sailing at the moment …
I had been raking my mind and tried to remember if I had ever been to Madeira before … I even dug out the old photo album from the very first cruise ship I ever worked on in 1996. It had been MV Gripsholm – I had been Assistant Chief Housekeeper – and we did stop here not only once but twice!
Why I could not remember … I think I had been on duty working … I had photos of all shore leaves we did, but none from Madeira … So I can say … practically I had not been here before … technically I had, because I had been on the ship in the port … I had probably volunteered to work in Funchal so I could get time off in one of the next ports … You have to set priorities …
Walking along the deserted pier to find a couple of secret boxes, I checked out the many mural reminders of visiting cruise ships. The entire seawall of the port was covered in them.
One geocache was hidden next to that wall and the hint stated – Va Bene – … Well, it was spray painted on the wall and the box was below it in the ditch. It was totally broken und wet … not signable … so photolog …
Amongst the murals was also one of MV Albatros and I had to the the mandatory selfie with it. It looked nice and I did have great cruises on it.
At the very end of the pier was another box hidden under a lamppost. It was also all wet, but I could still sign it. The view from the pier over the city and the mountains was wonderful. It was sunny on the coast, but clouds hung over the mountain peaks.
Funchal is the largest city and the capital of Portugal’s Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has approx 112000 inhabitants and has been the capital of Madeira for more than 5 centuries. The settlement began around 1424 – the zones that would become the urbanized core of Funchal were founded by João Gonçalves Zarco who settled here with members of his family. As part of its administrative role, the settlement received its primary lighthouse between 1452 and 1454, when it was elevated to the status of municipal seat.
The first settlers named their settlement Funchal after the abundant wild Fennel that grew there. The name is formed from the Portuguese word for Fennell – funcho – and the suffix -al, to denote “a plantation of Fennel”.
… Funchal, to whom the captain gave this name, because it was founded in a beautiful forested valley,
full of Fennel up to the sea…
Gaspar Frutuoso, 1873
Funchal became an important transfer point for European commercial interests – many sailors and merchants located in Funchal in order to take advantage of the transient conditions of port. Christopher Columbus was one of the early settlers, but later many of the merchant families established commercial interests on the island. Funchal was also an important stop-over for caravels travelling between the Indies and the New World.
In the 15th century, the sugar industry expanded significantly along the southern coast making Funchal the most important industrial centre of the industry. In 1508, it was elevated to the status of city by King Manuel I. of Portugal. The island, and Funchal specifically, were vulnerable to privateer and pirate attacks and suffered a heavy attack in 1566. In 1567 the military architect Mateus Fernandes III therefore was sent to Funchal in order to completely modify the defensive system of the city.
The wine culture appeared during early settlement, through the incentives from Henry the Navigator. The growth of viticulture in Madeira expanded when the sugar industry was attacked by cheaper exports from the New World and Africa. In the 17th century, commercial treaties with England brought increased investments to the business. Many commercial wine-makers from England moved to the island, establishing a change in the commerce, the economy, the architectural morphology and the lifestyle of the community. This incremental growth expanded the city with new estates and a new merchant class that populated the urban quarters. A few of the notable visitors to the island were Elisabeth, Empress of Austria-Hungary, who travelled to the island for leisure and health, Charles I of Austria, Emperor of Austria and king of Hungary, who was exiled, and Winston Churchill who travelled here on holidays and was known to have created a few paintings during his visits. The presence of these notable visitors marked a period when Funchal became a center of tourism and therapeutic health. With the formal creation of the Port of Funchal and later the establishment of the Airport, Funchal turned into a major international tourist destination supported by a series of hotels and ocean-front residences.
I strolled back along the pier and around the port towards the city center. Near the CR7 Museum there was a Visual Cache marker. The CR7 Museum is dedicated to Cristiano Ronaldo’s trophies. Cristiano Ronaldo – born and raised in Madeira – is a Portuguese professional footballer who captains the Portugal national team and is allegedly the highest paid footballer in the world. CR7 – his initials and the player number – is the most famous Madeiran and for most islanders a figure of identification. By the way, Ronaldo is his middle name, after the actor and US President Ronald Reagan, whom his parents Dolores and Dinis Aveiro raved. The fact that her youngest son scored his first goals at the age of three was nothing special on the football-crazy island. English merchants had already introduced the sport on the island in 1875. Due to a lack of players, the islanders competed against the crews of merchant ships. Today there are apparently more than 10 clubs on this small island and the best football player in the world comes from here. Indeed he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo has won 5 Ballon d’Or awards and 4 European Golden Shoes, both of which are records for a European player. I am not at all into football, but even I have heard of him.
In front of the museum, there is a bronze statue of him, created by Brazilian-born Madeiran contemporary sculptor Ricardo Velosa in 2014. The statue of the footballer is a popular photo spot. And obviously a certain part of his body is apparently particularly popular … The piquant detail immediately catches the eye … His trousers are clearly curved where his best piece sits … A detail that is almost impossible to miss … especially the crotch of the Ronaldo statue gleams suspiciously golden in the sun … while the rest looks rather dull brown … OK … his hands are well worn shiny golden as well … Since the statue was set, a courageous grip on Cristiano’s best piece has apparently developed into a lucky ritual among tourists.
You can observe similar phenomenon around the world – it is said in Verona, there is the statue of Shakespeare’s Juliet with a shiny right breast. I have not see that, but I sure touched the shiny nose of the dog statue in the metro station Ploschad Revolutii in Moscow whenever I passed it – and I have been there a few time while working on the cruises on the River Volga in 2012 and when on my Transsibirian Train Adventure in 2018. It is all for good luck!
Today I did not touch Ronaldo’s best piece … or his hands … The new normality as excuse for not touching things works well …
On the promenade before the CR7 Museum was another of the trash art sculptures by Bordalo II. I had already visited the mural of a seal in Câmara de Lobos the other day. In September 2019 Funchal received a work by him as well – Plastic Mero. The work intends, through the material used – plastic – and the representation of one of the emblematic protectiv species – Mero – to alert and raise awareness to the reduction of waste and the use of plastic harmful to marine biodiversity. Done with lots of collected plastic from the sea side he created a fish here which looked very cool.
I walked along the promenade. It was hot now, the sun was strong and I took the jacket off walking in t-shirt. Near the Marina do Funchal – the small boat harbour – I saw the Beerhouse. I am all for outdoor seating with a view in the sun and sipping cocktails … It was too early for lunch … but I think it was the perfect time for a cocktail right now!
The Beerhouse was not busy at all and I had a large choice of outdoor tables. I took one in the sun and ordered a Maracuja Mojito for a reasonably € 5,50. Yeah yeah, I know in the Beerhouse – I should have had a beer … but I prefer cocktails every now and then. And mine came quickly. The friendly waitress also brought me a tasting cup of housemade cider. It was nice. But the Mojito was better. Truly enjoying the sun and the view I lazily sipped it … this was vacation!
A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing and a Mojito in your hand.
Bar Refaeli
I wondered where all the boats were from … Funchal is used as a stop-over by transatlantic ships en route from Europe to the Caribbean as it is the northernmost Atlantic island that lies in the path of the Westerlies. I supposed, owed to the circumstances there were much less boats here than in a regular year … maybe … or maybe not …
Continuing my exploration of the city I left the promenade and walked up to Avenida Arriaga, which is the main boulevard in Funchal. Numerous sights are located there or in its vicinity. In addition to the historical buildings and monuments, there are also cafés and restaurants on Avenida Arriaga. An Earth Cache was marked right on the boulevard dealing with the different pebbles and rocks in the traditional mosaic pavement.
Portuguese pavement – Calçada Portuguesa – is the traditional-style pavement used for many pedestrian areas in Portugal. It consists of small flat pieces of stones arranged in a pattern or image like a mosaic. Usually used in sidewalks, it is also in town squares and atriums that this art finds its deepest expression.
Strolling along the boulevard I came by the the statue in honor of João Gonçalves Zarco, a Portuguese explorer, who – along with Tristão Vaz Teixeira and Bartolomeu Perestrelo is considered the discoverer of Madeira in 1419. After Perestrelo was appointed Governor of Porto Santo, Teixeira was awarded Machico on Madeira and Zarco was appointed first captain of Funchal by Henry the Navigator. The Statue was inaugurated in 1940. I took some photos and counted the stones on the base of the statue to be able to log a Visual Cache.
Behind the statue on the opposite side of the road the historical buildings of the Banco de Portugal and the Palacio do Governo Regional were located. The prominent buildings were all errected in 1940, yet they were built in traditional style and colours which makes them very appealing.
The city was more busy than the rest of the island. That might be, because half the island’s inhabitants live in Funchal and most tourists stay in or around it due to its central location. Everything was pretty much normal. However, I assume that is regular times it would be much busier here. Facemasks were mandatory apparently, but only worn inside shops and restaurants or when it got too busy. I had during the last months – also during my assignments on the river cruises this summer and fall – perfected the new-normal-1.5 m-slalom-walk … so most of the time I had my mask in hand only …
At the end of the Avenida Arriaga was the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption – Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Assunção. The late 15th century cathedral is one of the few structures that survived virtually intact since the early period of colonization of Madeira. It is designed in Gothic style and was constructed using thousands of blocks of volcanic rocks carried from the cliffs at Cabo Girão. The facades are predominantly plastered and painted white, with stonework corners. During the 1490s, Manuel I. sent architects to work on the design of the Cathedral of Funchal. The cathedral was structurally completed in 1514.
I did not go inside … it did not look as if it was open anyway … I took some photos and thought about answers to the Earth Cache that was concerning the rocks used in the facade and then moved on.
I wanted visit the famous Mercado dos Lavradores – farmers’ market. It is one of the main tourist attractions of the city. I found it easily, but unfortunately it was closed … Why? … What? … Closed on Dec 1 … I had to google it … It is Independence Restoration Day, a Portuguese holiday to remember the day in 1640 when Portugal revolted against the Spanish rule and regained its independence. It is not much celebrated these days, but it is of great historical importance. It basically was a bank holiday and a lot was closed today. Oh well … I will have to come back maybe tomorrow …
In front of the closed markethall a little old lady was selling flower seeds and saplings. I suppose she usually sells inside the market, but with it closed today, she thought she might grab some business from the few tourists around. And she was lucky with me … I think seeds and saplings are a nice souvenir. So I bought some Strelitzia seeds and Frangipani saplings. She was so happy I bought something off her, she gave me 2 for 1. It was not that expensive in the first place. I think I payid € 14 for 3 large saplings and 4 sachets of Strelitzia seeds. Now I just hopped it would last the week until I went home … And I can report – the Frangipani saplings seem to be still alive and growing. The seeds I have not put in yet.
Just as I stuffed my shopping carefully in my bag, it started to rain! It had been sunny and warm all morning and now all of a sudden a dark cloud appeared and a heavy downpour nearly flooded the streets. I stood under the entrance of the closed markethall and waited it out. Fortunately, it lasted only a few minutes.
The Mercado dos Lavradores is situated at the edge of Old Town Funchal – Zona Velha – which is considered an area of great historic and architectural value and is characterized by narrow cobblestone streets. History has it that this is where the first settlement was founded almost 600 years ago. One of Funchal’s oldest streets is Rua de Santa Maria – set back from the sea it runs right through the historic core of the city.
Rua de Santa Maria is one of the most colourful streets here. The narrow pedestrian alley dates back to 1430 and is lined with restaurants, cafés and the odd art gallery. Most of the shops and restaurants seemed closed, though. But that also meant, the doors were closed and I could admire them in their full glory.
In the last decade or so this has become one of Funchal’s most popular tourist attractions. The local council had come up with an ingenious initiative in an attempt to revamp the slightly run down and dilapidated area. In 2011 the Projecto artE pORtas abErtas – Art of Open Doors Project – was started and the street was turned into a public art space as local artists were invited to get to work on over 200 of the street’s doors. In several ways, it has achieved its goal to revitalize the old town – there is more colour, more energy and visitors tend to stop and spend more time looking around, tempted by the fascinating doors which then leads them into the resident cafés and restaurants.
The idea of filling the neglected house entrances of the Old Town with life came from José Maria Montero Zyberchema. The artist understands the Projecto artE pORtas abErtas as a call – The doors of the city of Funchal should open to art and culture. – he said. He found support for his plan from the city administration, which donates paints and materials to the artists. The model for the urban art project was the Italian village of Valloria in Liguria, where the first art doors were created in 1994.
The street is has become a destination in its own right. I am a sucker for street art and murals and this was right up my alley. Some of the best I had seen in Lodhi Art Distric in Delhi – which is awesome by the way – and there there were also stunning murals in Reykjavik we saw last year. I strolled along Rua de Santa Maria and I could not get enough of all the cool doors.
Since the first door was painted in spring of 2011, artists have been transforming the historic city center of Funchal into an open-air museum with the project. So far, more than 200 works of art have been created on old house entrances with peeling paint and rusty nails.
Some of the houses in the Old Town are 300 years old. Paintings and collages make each door unmistakably unique. In some cases, residents supplement the works of art with personal or socially critical texts and poems.
It was truly a blessing being able to walk around here with so little tourists or people at all. I could hardly imagine coming here in a regular high season – with a couple of cruise ships in port – and thousands of tourists … It would be as tight as in a sardine can … But today I really enjoyed it and walked all the way to the end of the quarter.
There was a nice view over the ocean. But over the city very dark rain clouds rolled in … It had been warm and sunny for the last little while, but now … it looked dark … But I was hoping it would move past … However … the dark was right were I was heading back to …
I walked the parallel street back. It was Rua Portão de São Tiago. At the coast was the historical Fort of São Tiago – an urban fortress with a military architecture which was originally built to protect the coast from piracy during the 16th and 17th century. The Fort has been used for many purposes including housing British troops during the Peninsular War, the military police and the Funchal Lancers Squad at different times. It also sheltered victims of the 1803 floods that occurred on the island. In 1901 King Carlos I. of Portugal and his wife Amélie of Orléans visited the Fort and had lunch in a tent set up within the fort. Improvements were made prior to his visit. From 1992 to 2014 it housed the contemporary Art Museum of Funchal.
Today the Fort accommodates a museum with permanent as well as temporary expositions and the Restaurante Do Forte with a terrace in a prime location. From a Romantic Dinner for two to a Dream Wedding Reception, there are no limits to the imagination and versatility of how this place can be used. They even offer Classic Car tours. The oldtimers were parked in the courtyard and look beautiful.
There were more arty doors along the Lardo do Corpo Santo. This square is usually one of the busiest parts of Old Town Funchal. In regular season the numerous restaurants and cafés are crowded with tourists. Today only a few of the places were open and only a handful of tourists were around.
It was quite sad to see so much closed … probably not because they had to, but because there was just no business. Not one of the souvenir shops was open either. But so I had the possibility to admire the street art, because the doors were closed as well.
When I reached the station of the Teleférico – No, I was not planning to take it. – the dark clouds had reached me and the sky opened to a heavy downpour. I was lucky there was a minimarket open and I could take shelter under their awning. The sun came out before the rain stopped. It was maybe 10 min until it had subsided and I could continue my exploration.
I walked down to the promenade. There was a geocache in one of the breakwaters. I did go down to the beach. The view over the Old Town was great from the breakwater. Fort of São Tiago was beautifully visible.
The geocache I did not dare to search. It was in the breakwater and with the weather and waves, I was not going to climb down on the slippery concrete blocks. But I was only a couple of meters away, though and did a photolog.
Strolling back to the Avenida Arrida I aimed to find another secret box in the Palácio de São Lourenço. There was a Traditional Cache hidden which is the 2nd most highly rated geocache on the island and I wanted to find it.
The Palácio de São Lourenço is a Palace and Fortress located in the historic center of Funchal which is currently the official residence of the Representative of the República Portuguesa in the archipelago. It is a monumental ensemble considered as the best and most imposing example of civil and military architecture on the island. It comprises the Fortress of São Lourenço – the old bastion was erected in the first half of the 16th century and expanded after the infamous pirate attack of 1566 – and the Palace itself dating from the last quarter of the 18th century.
It is open to visitors … usually … only today was a holiday and it was closed … No luck with that secret box today, then … So I kept on wandering around. There were very few people around.
It was time to start looking for a lunch spot. I wanted outside seating … a terrace with a view preferably. I figured walking back to the port was an option, but then I happened to notice The Ritz. It had beautiful Azulejo – traditional Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework – pictures on the facade. Azulejos are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools and nowadays, restaurants, bars and even railways or subway stations. They are an ornamental art form, but also had a specific functional capacity like temperature control in homes.
Just when I happened to pull my camera out to take a photo it started raining again … typical … but … The Ritz is also one of the oldest Grand Cafés in Funchal. I found a seat in the Esplanade Café outside and enjoyed the view. The menu seemed to be mostly Italian. I think it was maybe a limited afternoon menu. It was already around 14:30. So I ordered an Aperol Spritz and Spaghetti with Shrimps.
While waiting for my food I went inside to check out the ladies’ room. The interior was very beautiful and stylish. The Ritz Madeira was opened in 1905 by Christian Ritz, a New York businessman whose family was originally from Switzerland. Christian Ritz was a successful textile merchant doing business between Europe and the Americas. While sailing on a merchant ship across the Atlantic from New York to Southampton, there was a storm off the coast of the Canary Islands and the ship went off course taking them to Madeira. The ship was safely sheltered in Funchal. Christian was enchanted by the beauty and charm of the island and during a tour he fell in love with a girl named Clara. He returned several months later to pursue her, but she let him wait. In 1904 Christian opened a small café in Funchal and named it The Ritz. He eventually won Clara’s hand and relocated The Ritz in 1910 to its current location with a wonderful esplanade and an upstairs terrace overlooking Clara’s favourite garden. The Ritz was a charming café for the high society and businessmen, who met for afternoon soirées, dancing and high tea.
After a few years Christian and Clara had to leave Madeira to deal with his family affairs in New York. The Ritz continued to exist in many forms from a Grand Café to a show room for imported cars – it was one of the most beautiful show rooms in Europe as all the original interior features of The Ritz were elegantly maintained. In 2007 a fire destroyed the roof of The Ritz, but the interior was not at all harmed. After the roof was restored in 2011 the building was taken over by a new management which was keeping the spirit of the original Ritz alive. The new owners ensured the building was restored from the foundations through to the interior decor and all the original fittings have remained intact. The Ritz is considered by many to be the most majestic building on the main street of Funchal.
The exterior and interior hand painted antique tiles portraying old Madeira scenes are one of the most photographed items on the island, are more than 100 years old and tell the tale of the history of Madeira Island from the 1st navigators to the farmers, traditional dancers, tourists and traders who visited the island.
My food was excellent and I whiled away the time until the rain stopped again by using the free WIFI and enjoying the view people watching. Then I kept walking in the direction of my hotel, which was still a long way away. There was a souvenir shop open close to The Ritz. I had to buy a fridge magnet and some postcards and stamps for the family at home. They also had facemasks in the traditional colours of Madeira – a nice addition to my ever growing collection! It is not certainly known where the Madeiran traditional costumes and colours origin – they might have been influenced by the Portuguese colonizers, especially the ones from Minho, and by the Moors, Africa and Flanders. The colour red predominates in the traditionally striped fabrics, there is yellow, green, white and blue as well.
In the Parque Santa Catarina was a marker for a Visual Cache and I walked through there on the way to the hotel. With a total area of 36000 m², Parque Santa Catarina is one of the largest parks in Funchal and offers beautiful views over the bay of Funchal, sculptures dedicated to various personalities and the Chapel of Santa Catarina. Right at the entrance of the park there was a statue of Infante Dom Henrique sitting underneath an arch. The Bronze statue was designed by the renowned sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida and was inaugurated in 1947.
Dom Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Viseu, lived from 1394 to 1460 and is better known as Prince Henry the Navigator. Infante Dom Henrique was a central figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and a driving force in the 15th-century European maritime discoveries and maritime expansion. Henry was the 3rd surviving son of King John I. and his wife Philippa, sister of King Henry IV of England. Through his administrative direction, he is regarded as the main initiator of what would be known as the Age of Discovery.
Beautiful flowering trees caught my eye in the park. Spathodea Campanulata – commonly known as the African Tulip Tree – was in bloom. The tree grows up to 25 m tall and is native to tropical dry forests of Africa, but is planted extensively as an ornamental tree throughout the tropics and is much appreciated for its very showy reddish-orange or crimson flowers. It was identified by Europeans in 1787 on the Gold Coast of Africa.
For the Visual Cache I had to take a photo of the Chapel Santa Catarina. It was the first house of worship built in Madeira in 1425. The temple features decorative elements of Manueline architecture making it one of the most appreciable architectural monuments of the Manueline, which is occasionally known as Portuguese late Gothic – the sumptuous, composite Portuguese architectural style originating in the 16th century during the Portuguese Renaissance and Age of Discoveries.
Closeby is usually also a well-noted statue of Cristovão Colombo as tribute to the discoverer of America, who lived in Funchal in the years of 1475, 1480 and 1492. It was created in 1940 by Henrique Moreira. This statue is just one of the many things that commemorate the explorer’s presence on the island. Others include the Columbus library and the Columbus House. Unfortunately, at the moment the sculpture was under restoration, because it had been toppled over in a rare and unexplained act of vandalism in July this year. So it was not there when I visited and I could only take a photo of the base of the monument. But I can report, that the statue has been reinstalled on 17.12. and next time I visit I will definitely come to admire it.
Leaving the park the road went uphill towards my hotel … well, this morning I had mostly been going downhill … the logic result was me having to go back up now … But it was fine, the sun was out and it was pleasantly warm … or maybe however it was me strutting uphill and getting hot … I noticed another beautiful flowering tree on the way, though.
It was the Pink Floss-Silk Tree – Ceiba Speciosa – a deciduous tree native to the tropical and subtropical forests of South America. It belongs to the same family as the Baobab and the Kapok Trees. With their fat, thorny trunks and branches and exotic, hibiscus-like flowers, the Floss-Silk Trees are among the most distinctive ornamental trees of Funchal. The flowers are creamy-whitish in the centre and may vary from light pink to burgundy towards the tips of their 5 petals.
As with many other subtropical trees, this one drops most or all of its leaves just before it blooms, which makes for an even more dramatic floral display. At this time of year there was only a limited amount of flowers, but more of the fruit on the tree, though – mango-shaped seed pods, which later dry and crack open to expose big balls of white cotton-like stuffing, which give the tree the common name of Floss-Silk Tree. The soft, fluffy fibres easily blow off in the winds, carrying with them all the little black seeds for dispersal. The cottony fibre, although not of as good quality as that of the Kapok Tree, has been used as stuffing in pillows, mattresses or life jackets as it is very light in weight, employed in packaging and used as insulation in parkas and other cold-weather clothing.
The weather still looked good and so I decided to walk a little further above the hotel to find a couple more hidden boxes. One of them I did not even attempt in the end, because the road leading up to it was under construction and it did not look as if I could get through there. But the second one was along an easy Levada. Madeira is famous for its Levadas – irrigation channels. Those originated out of the necessity of bringing large amounts of water from the west and northwest of the island to the drier southeast, which is more conducive to habitation and agriculture. They were used in the past also by women to wash clothes in areas where running water to homes was not available.
The Portuguese started building Levadas to carry water to the agricultural regions in the 16th century. The most recent were made in the 1940s. Madeira is very mountainous and building the Levadas was often difficult. Many are cut into the sides of mountains and it was also necessary to dig 25 km of tunnels. Today the Levadas not only supply water to the southern parts of the island, they also provide hydroelectric power. There are more than 2170 km of Levadas and they also make a remarkable network of walking paths. Some offer easy and relaxing walks through beautiful countryside, but others are narrow, crumbling ledges resulting in very challenging hikes.
This one here was a very easy walk in an urban jungle setting. It was a narrow channel with an equally narrow concrete path next to it, but it was obviously used by the locals frequently. Some of the houses lining parts of it had their entrance doors at the Levada path and I even met a couple of locals carrying their grocery shopping home. The view over the ocean was spectacular from the path. I assume, the houses would have the same exciting views.
When a short rain shower hit, I had to duck under a jungle overhang next to the wall. Beautiful orange flowers were reaching over the Levada. Pyrostegia Venusta – commonly known as Flamevine or Orange Trumpetvine – is originally endemic to Brazil, but now a well-known garden species. It was first described by John Miers in 1863 and is an evergreen climber that bears the most wonderful showers of orange, tubular flowers in winter and spring. Attractive, lush green leaves are paired along the sinewy, thin branches. This vigorous plant has strong twiners which will cling to almost anything, including bare brick walls. It will flower at its best in a sheltered sunny position and is an absolute delight in winter when many other flowers are dormant.
The hike was only approx 1 km along. The geocache was hidden next to the path and I found it relatively easy. Even the logbook was dry and quickly signed.
I had already read in the logs of other finders that a resident cat sort of watched over the cache. As soon as I arrived it came checking out what I was doing. A true cache guardian …
When I put the box back in its hiding place, the cat seemed to approve and sauntered off into the adjacent Banana plantation going on a prowl in search of food most probably.
Leaving the Levada I walked down some narrow stairs through a residential area and reached the Rua João Paulo II which would bring me right back to my hotel. On the way I encountered many beautiful flowers. A Bougainvillea – a thorny ornamental vine, bush or tree native to Eastern South America, from Brazil to Peru and Southern Argentina – was blooming in brilliant purple.
And a huge bush of Lantana Camara – commonly known as Big Sage, Wild Sage, Tickberry or West Indian Lantana and native to the American tropics – was blooming in nice pink and yellow. It has spread from its native Central and South America to around 50 countries, where it has become an invasive species. It first spread out of the Americas when it was brought to Europe by Dutch explorers and cultivated widely, soon spreading further into Asia and Oceania where it has established itself as a notorious weed. In Goa it was introduced by the Portuguese.
I had seen it often in India where it is relly just a weed in the wild. But we did have a nice orange flowering potted plant of it on our terrace last summer – it never survives the winter in Germany, at least not with us.
The main road was lined with Jacaranda Trees – Jacaranda Mimosifolia – which are native to tropical and subtropical regions of Latin America and the Caribbean. It has been widely planted elsewhere because of its attractive and long-lasting violet flowers. I remember when travelling South Africa in 2005, I visited Pretoria which was totally purple that time of year. The entire city seemed to have been planted with Blue Jacaranda Trees. It was a stunning sight.
At this time of year the trees here did not flower and had almost no leaves as well. However, the sidewalk was littered with the fruit pods. The Jacaranda fruit is an oblong to oval flattened capsule containing numerous slender seeds. I collected a good handfull to take home. I gave them to my sister to maybe sow in the garden.
Back in the hotel around 16:30, the sun was out and I sat on the balcony for a while taking in the view. I put the Jacaranda seeds in the sun to dry out before I would pack them in the suitcase.
A little later I took a short afternoon nap. I had been walking plenty today … the pedometer on my phone stated almost 22000 steps. That is a number!
Down in the lobby I sat a longtime using the WIFI to post photos and log today’s finds of geocaches. It had started to rain again, but I needed a little walk and a snack for dinner. So I braved the weather and walked down the alley to the next main road which had a supermarket – unfortunately closed already – and several restaurants. I did not want to sit somewhere, so I ended up in a Sushi place and with a Sashimi Box for take away. It was only € 6 for 8 small pieces of fish and it was exactly what I needed. Back in the hotel I did some more internet in lobby before I went to my room and devoured the Sashimi in bed.
After dinner I watched some movie on TV, took a shower and slept early today. Tomorrow morning I was off to the North coast … which way I would take I was not sure yet.
02.12.2020
135 km Funchal via Santana to Porto Moniz
Once more I woke up early to a thunderstorm this morning. Did Christian not tell me the other day the weather was going to be better from Wednesday onwards according to the local forecast? For now I stayed in bed and did some fiddling with the laptop, then packed up my suitcase and stuff and went to the lobby to check the internet. Breakfast at 08:30 and I was again all by myself … Afterwards I packed up the car – it took me 3 runs to carry all my shit down – and checked out by 09:00. In the rain I drove to the city center and parked the car in a parking garage next to the Teleférico station which was near the Mercado dos Lavradores – the famous farmers’ market of Funchal. It should be open today and I wanted to at least have a look.
It was raining all the way, but it was not far, so no problem. The market was open, but it looked rather empty. There was a Virtual Cache located here. I just had to take some photos. The building of this fruit, vegetable, flower and fish market was designed by Edmundo Tavares, built in the Estado-Novo, the typical Portuguese style, and opened in November 1940. The facade, main entrance and fish market contain several traditional Azulejo depicting regional themes created by João Rodrigues. The first photo I had to take of the Azulejo in the entrance.
The markethall is a must-visit for any tourist to Madeira. It is divided into a number of smaller squares and stairways that are used as sales venues and quite frankly – it seemed it only catered to tourists. Under the circumstances tourists are basically missing. I suppose. a large share of the business is usually made by cruise ship passengers that are carted here by the busload. Today only a handful of visitor were here and a large number of stalls was closed as well. Which was actually a shame, because the main attraction of a markethall is always the hussle and bussle of people.
The first section was all about flowers, seeds and saplings. Several stalls were filled with bunches of cut Protea, potted Anthurium – the Flamingo Flower – saplings of Strelitzia, Agapanthus and any other flowering plant from Madeira as well as seeds for all those. I even saw the little old seller lady from yesterday. But I did not buy anything today, I had all I needed already. Maybe I would come back a day before flying home, to get some saplings, though ….
The fruit stalls took the main share of the market and are a riot of colour. All kinds of tropical fruit were piled up on baskets in an almost arty manner I usually only know from the Asian markets. The vendors were very bold and proactive, some of them even slightly aggressive as soon as they saw a potential customer. It was somewhat annoying, because I prefer to just look around by myself. But then again, it was also understandable, since there were literally no customers and everybody was basically reaching for the last straw available. Do not worry, I did buy quite a bit here – spreading the business between several sellers!
A lot of the fruits I knew already. But of course, there were several, that were new to me. For example, the Passiflora Tarminiana – the Banana Passionfruit – a yellow fruit with a resemblance to a small, straight Banana but being a Passion Fruit. It is native to the uplands of tropical South America and is now cultivated in many countries. It is grown to some extent in Hawaii, Madeira and the State of Tamil Nadu, India. The pulp is orange. This variety is less esteemed than its purple cousin. Hence, it is often used to make juice.
Delighted I was to find Tamarillo here – Solanum betaceum – an egg-shaped edible fruit – also known as the Tree Tomato, Blood Fruit and here in Madeira as Tomate Inglês – which is a relative of the Tomato, looks similar inside and out, but tastes totally different. The taste is a mixture of sour, slightly sweet and bitter. They are popular globally, but especially in Peru, Colombia, New Zealand, Ecuador, Rwanda, Australia and the US. I was immediately reminded of my assignment tour of Ecuador in 2016 when we had Tree Tomato almost every day in some form – juice for breakfast or dessert for lunch or dinner – and the guests did not like it. It was hilarious, because there was no alternative and I kept making fun of it.
Of course I found a fruit I had never ever seen before! And I have seen a lot … This one was fascinating. It was the Monstera Deliciosa – the fruit of the Swiss Cheese Plant – named so because of the holes in its big leaves. Other common names include Delicious Monster, Fruit Dalad Plant, Monster Fruit, Mexican Breadfruit and here on Madeira Ananas-Banana. In coastal regions of Sicily, especially Palermo, it is called Zampa di Leone – Lion’s Paw. It is a flowering plant native to tropical forests of Southern Mexico and has been introduced to many tropical areas. Besides that it is very widely grown as a houseplant. The edible fruit is up to 25 cm long and 3–5 cm in diameter. It looks like a green corncob covered with hexagonal scales. As the fruit ripens, these scales or platelets fall off the fruit, releasing a strong and sweet scent. The smell has been compared to a combination of pineapples and bananas – hence the name Ananas-Banana.
It takes longer than a year for fruits to reach maturity. The fruit first shows signs of ripening by the yellowing of its lowest scales. As it ripens, the starch that was stored in the green fruit is converted to sugar, giving it its sweet flavor. This mechanism is comparable to how banana fruits ripen. The unripe green fruits can irritate the throat and the latex of the leaves and vines can create rashes in the skin, because both contain potassium oxalate – that is the reason why the fruits have to be consumed when the scales lift up. The black irritant fibres can be swept off with the application of a little citrus juice.
The plant may be confused with Philodendron Bipinnatifidum as they have similar leaves and growing habits. However, the ingestion of Philodendron Bipinnatifidum fruits may cause irritation to the digestive tract and will induce internal swelling.
I bought one of the half ripe Monster Fruits to taste. It sold for € 3,50. The unripe fruits – which I would want to take home – was € 9,50 … a steep price. But I could not buy it today – I still had a week on the island. Another reason to come back here before flying home …
From another stall I also bought a Custard apple – Annona Reticulata – a heart-shaped, spherical, oblong or irregular fruit with the size ranging from 7 to 12 cm. When ripe, the fruit is brown or yellowish with flesh that is juicy and very aromatic and a sweet and pleasant flavour akin to the taste of traditional custard. And a Sweet Granadilla – Passiflora Ligularis – a sweet Maracuja. I think that vendor was ripping me off, though, or maybe it were just the regular cruise ship tourist prices, but I paid € 8 for those 2 fruits … Oh well … she was happy she sold something …
I especially liked the spice stalls on the first floor. It smelled so good in this section. Madeira Laurel Leaves were apparently the bestseller usually. No wonder with the Laurel Forest ever present in the tourist circuit. But I am pretty sure the leaves of the Laurus Novocanariensis – an impressive tree of 3 to 20 m tall native of rich soils in the cloud zone of always moist spots in subtropical climate with a high air-humidity on the Canary and Madeira islands and part of the famous Laurel Forest – is not what they sell here. It might rather be the Laurus Nobilis – an aromatic evergreen tree which is also native to the Mediterranean region and is used as Bay Leaf for seasoning in cooking. Worldwide, many other kinds of plants are also called Bay or Laurel, generally due to similarity of foliage or aroma.
For me the Bay Leaves were not so interesting, but I bought some dried Purple Basil – Ocimum Basilicum Purpurescens – a sweet basil with a highly perfumed scent and a flavour that apparently complements rice dishes. I have yet to try it. Also the dried Lemon Thyme – Thymus Citriodorus – had to come along home. It is a lemon-scented evergreen mat-forming perennial plant and the leaves are eaten raw in salads or used as a fresh or dried flavoring herb in cooking and for herbal teas. I had read about it at home when poking around the internet searching for new recipes and wondered what it was. Now I had it and funnily enough when I came home I even came across it as a herbal pot in the supermarket and now it sits on the windowsill along with other herbal pots. The fresh Lemon Thyme goes very well in my G&T, I have to say. The dried one I have not used yet, I have to think some more about it. The Vendor said all Germans buy Nutmeg … so I bought some, too.
On the ground floor the fishmarket was located. Not much was happening there, only a few vendors were present. But they had enough fresh fish to make an impression. Massive Tuna steaks were for sale and whole fish of all kinds.
The most prominent were of course the Black Scabbardfish – Aphanopus Carbo – deep-sea creatures existing in abundance in the Atlantic Ocean at depths between 180 and 1700 m and so typical for Madeira. Its length is up to 110 cm and it has an extremely elongated body. The snout is large with strong, fang-like teeth. Several fishmongers wielded huge knifes to gut and bone them expertly.
Of course there were also vendors offering typical souvenirs. Colourful bags, fridge magnets, traditional costumes, you name it … whatever the tourist might or might not need was available. Even bags made out of cork were on offer – those are rather a Portuguese souvenir than typical for Madeira. Portugal is the world’s leading cork producer, responsible for more than 60% of the volume of world exports, and has a cork oak area equivalent to 25% of the existing area around the world.
Having full shopping bags I walked back to the car and got back on the road. The mountains were calling!
