Exploring

Flexibility -- got to have it.  This morning the breakfast room was so crowded (German bus tour) that we walked down to the dock and checked out the boats in the harbour.  When we got back, just about 9 and basically had the place to ourselves.  See, be flexible, be happy.

Today was an exploring day -- to see if this place would make a nice cycling holiday.  We went across the island -- about 8 km if you go directly north of Ponta Delgada.  There are a number of different grades of roads.  The Via Rapida don't allow tractors, bicycles or cows, so there would be no cycling there.  The 'red' road (colour on our map) is called a main road.  It allows the aforementioned items and we met all except the bicycles.  The tractors really move, and the cows, well, no bells but a fit, fifty-year old in shorts chasing them along the road.  Reminds me of the sheep in New Zealand.

We stopped along some of the little villages which perch on the cliffs and at the mouths of the rivers which come out of the mountains to the sea.  Fishermen were working on lines, boats were out in the harbour, guys were sweeping the streets.  Normal life.  Stop in at a cafe and grab a coffee (espresso) in about 3.5 minutes at the counter.  Normal life. Pilgrims walking along the street.  Normal life.

We got all the way to Nordeste. Every place has a local church in the classic black and white motif.  They are not ridiculously ornate, but seem fitting to the towns.  In most places you can hear village kids out on recess and cows mooing.  Cows, very important residents here.  They have fabulously green pastures and overpasses to connect pastures divided by the Via Rapida.

Goreanna is one of only two remaining tea plantations here on Sao Miguel.  They make an orange pekoe and a green tea.  Ian and I both preferred the latter.  Nice tasting room after we wandered through the production area -- currently shut down as tea harvest season doesn't start till Mid March.  It goes till mid October.

Nice exploring!

Ponta hasn't changed

I wrote yesterday that it felt like coming home, being back in this hotel in this city.  There is something comforting about that, one compares the present to the past and remembers the unique items.

We walked over the north part of town today, to Decathlon and to the big mall.  Got some good bargains, but also noticed the changes, or maybe just noticed things that we didn't 1.5 years ago.  The last time we were here it was October, and now the spring flowers are out.  Yes, in one garden we saw daffodils, magnolia blossoms, azaleas, camellias, birds of paradise.  Hoping that my little sago palm gets inspired by the picture.  Would be so nice to be able to grow that in my garden!

One of the things we like about this place is that it feels much more 'real' rather than touristy like Medeira.  We sat in the cafeteria at the supermarket with our cafe and Nata (coffee and custard tart), just like the other people on a Sunday afternoon.  We were looking at gardens along with the locals, checking out the places for sale.  

Nice to wander and enjoy the city.

Venue change

Well, today was the 'move to another island' day.

Ian was feeling better (good thing) and we drove out to the east side of the island.  We had a nice coffee by the harbour in Machico and then went north to a little town called St. Jorge.  Just on the whim, we stopped where there was a spot to park and followed a restaurant sign to an old farm with thatched buildings.  It turned out to be a great restaurant where we had marinated pork chunks -- more than we could eat.  There was a german shepherd dog running around on the roof and a cherimoya tree with fruit in the yard.

Returning the rental car -- somehow the mirror got scratched -- not while we were in the car.  Expensive mirror!  Flight on time and arrived in Ponta Delgada.  Much nicer driving here.  We arrived nicely.  Almost felt like coming home.

Unexpected

The saying goes "if life gives you lemons, make lemonade".  And if your travelling companion gets sick, go out anyways.

Well, Ian did end up with some kind of tummy upset which kept him in the room all day -- most of it sleeping.  And so, the plan to drive to the north end of the island again and east this time, did not happen.  But, I was out most of the day -- walking west to the 'angel' -- a statue in a roundabout, and then back.  Checked out the mall again, but there was really nothing of interest.

I guess most people who come here for an extended vacation -- the British and the Germans -- spend their day much the same way -- walking everywhere to enjoy the flowers (fabulous) and the ocean.  

We go to cafes for a treat and then walk some more.  One's legs get much stronger and the hills are not as daunting.  We learn which grocery store has the specialty items we want.  We check in on the folks at home -- both in the hotel and via the internet.  We enjoy a simple supper and a glass or two of wine (starting at about 2 euros a bottle, not a hardship).  We go to bed early and just have a totally different day than the ones at home.

 We appreciate the views!

Down day

One of the things I have learned about vacations is that every once in a while, one needs to take a day to relax with no agenda.  Today was such a day.

I wandered into town and poked around the old part of town, finding where the locals go for all kinds of everyday stuff -- chef's knives and religious icons in one store, the department bazaar with everything from toys to linens to wooden boxes to jewellery to clothes, to kitchen gadgets, to..... you get the picture.  There was the factory that makes cookies and the local speciality honey and cinnamon cake.

We had dinner at the restaurant rated #1 on Trip Advisor -- La Vacha Negra -- an Argentinian steakhouse.  The mixed grill we ordered was probably the best plate of beef I have ever had at a restaurant.  Wonderful!

And on a little stroll, we saw growing, that unusual green fruit we had sampled earlier this week!  Monstera Deliciosa.

Madeira's non-tourist side

Up to today, we have been poking around the major city of Madeira -- Funchal.  It has some interesting sights and shops, but today it was time to venture out.  And it certainly is a venture.

If we had thought that Funchal was up and down, we now have a very different perspective, having driven to the north coast and then back over the central mountains.  The first  things that struck us was the number of tunnels.  I checked and the top 4 (at least) roadway tunnels in Portugal, are on this island.  They are spectacular arched pieces of engineering, wonderfully lit and with escape routes at least every 500 m.  The cost must have been staggering.  And, along the VR1 (Via Rapida) the tunnels are only two lanes wider -- both in the same direction, so there are twice as many per section of roadway.  I can understand the construction of such marvels along the most densely populated southern coast, but the main road along the north coast boasts tunnels too!  And here there is very little traffic, from what we observed.  Little towns still sit on the beaches where a river emerges from the cliffs, but on this side of the island, there is almost no flat land and so very few grape terraces or fields.  It is no surprise that the north was settled much later than the south.

We stopped for lunch in Porto Moniz which is the north west point of the island.  The municipal pools are crystal clear, dammed tidal pools between outcroppings of volcanic rock.  Very creative use of a natural structure.  Climbing out of Porto Moniz was certainly the steepest drive I have every made in a standard car, but I was most grateful being in a tiny little Skoda rather than a huge long Volvo bus when going around the switchbacks.

We climbed far over the clouds up to about 1600m and found snow at the side of the road in places.  There are a number of walks along water channels, but with Ian's sore back, uneven ground and up and down are not a good idea.

Having returned safely and without getting lost, we will probably explore another section tomorrow.

Claim to fame

It is said that everyone gets 15 minutes of fame.  Well, in terms of places, each has something it claims is unique or especially noteworthy.  We checked out a few of Madeira's claims today.

There is a cliff west of Funchal which, at 580 metres, is the second highest seacliff in the world.  At Cabo Girao there is a walk extending over the edge of the cliff and a glass floor so that you can marvel at the incredible distance below you to the water.  Almost as spectacular is the drive up to this lookout point in a large bus which just barely makes the turns in the switchbacks on the road.  We saw our first vineyards here, terraced on the steep hillsides.  The vines are just starting to bud out for spring.

Blandy's is the number one name in Madeira wine.  Actually, it is the Madeira wine company, an amalgamation of smaller wine producers on the island with the bigger Blandy winery at a time when the consumption of Madeira wine was decreasing.  At their "Lodge", one can take a tour, learning about the different grapes used, location on the island, fermentation and again style, history of wine - making, with museum, and finally a tasting of two different Madeira wines.  It was a pleasant way to spend an hour on a lovely spring afternoon, but we were not so impressed that we needed to purchase some to bring home.

The bolo de caco is a traditional sweet potato bread done on a hot stone griddle almost like an English muffin.  It is a very common bread, even being made on the street (complete with industrial size mixer in the booth).  It is baked on one side and then flipped over pancake style.  Every bakery and grocery store sells their own slightly different version and they are a lovely accompaniment to just about anything sweet or savoury.

And for dessert, one has to try the many different versions of the honey and cinnamon cake (bolo de mel de canel) usually with a very few dried fruit and nuts.  This dense spicy cake is reminiscent of dark fruit cake, but features the cake rather than the fruit.

So that's the end of our two day hop-on-hop-off tour.  Tomorrow we plan to try driving again.

Exploring

I LOVE finding unique new things when travelling to places I have not been before.  Madeira does not disappoint on this front.

Hop-on-hop-off buses are not uncommon in many tourist areas and a wonderful way to get an overview.  Here there are two different routes which concentrate on Funchal.  What is unusual about the route we took today was the out-and-back portions.  This was done in the downtown area to showcase several neighbourhoods which one might not explore on foot.  It also was a necessity to take us to one of the top lookout points illustrating the nature of the landscape here.  One travels up the river valleys into the mountains and back much more readily than over the mountains to do loops.

The cable car ride up the mountain was an Austrian product which, I am sure, was originally designed for skiing.  But here it glided over houses set on such steep cliffs and built on so many different levels that the front door and back door easily were 40 stairs apart.  Terraced gardens belong to these mountain properties, and again, getting to a 'field' must be a daily workout.  On the top of the mountain, there are gardens which have flora from all corners of the globe.  The British brought exotic plants from everywhere and Madeira welcomed flowers from South Africa, tree ferns from New Zealand, trees from Australia and rhododendrons from China.  A nice gesture is that many of these exotics all over the city have name tags.

In the market we were introduced to some fruits which we had never seen before.  I think this green item is from a philodendron.  When ripe, the peel falls off in chunks, and the fruit -- attached like corn kernels, can be picked off the inner "cob".  It tastes sort of like pineapple and kiwi.  They had cheremoya which we have encountered before, but we also bought passion fruit in orange, peach and banana flavours, as well as sweetened and dried hibiscus flowers and cherry tomatoes.  Unusual stuff!

We wandered through the old fort at the water's edge, built in 1614 and only decommissioned in the 1990s.  It is of the local volcanic stone, then plastered over and painted in the common ochre colour.

And lastly, for supper we tried a daily menu: an unusual vegetable/fish soup, grilled sardines and a fish with banana, and passion fruit pudding.   

Some of the new things we will do again, but for some, once was enough.  That is the nature of exploring. 

Madeira - First Look

To write about my impressions of this island last night would not have been fair, given that the car ride from the airport was at the end of a very long travel day and we had very little idea of where we were going.  The instructions on google maps was direct enough, but translating that into the reality of the road system and signs is difficult at best when you don't know the language or the layout of the land or the transport system.  Add to that a 3rd dimension since many roads go up and down frequently and roads which look parallel on a map are nowhere near each other when you are driving them, and you get a difficult drive.

However, today we left the car in the parking garage and set out on foot.  The roads are still up and down, but more manageable and the map makes more sense now.  We walked toward the centre of Funchal, past the cruise boat dock and the marina.  Roads are sometimes carved out of the side of a cliff and the exposed face a tortured and twisted record of volcanic rock formation.  There are palm trees and all the tropical flowers you would expect at this latitude, but snow is visible on the top of the mountains of the interior which peak through the buildings.  The lady at the tourist info told me that it actually snowed up there last week and many people drove up to walk in the snow.  But it wasn't snow which made the sidewalks slippery -- but a light shower (forecast said 10%) on the paving stones.  Put that together with a steep grade and one is quite thankful for the handrail on some of the descents.

This is a tourist town: littered with restaurants offering tourist menus, little supermercados are on every block, always beside them are the obligatory souvenir shops with hats and tshirts and all kinds of knick-knacks with Madeira  printed on them.  Ian read that a million visitors come each year.  Menus outside restaurants are printed in about 6 languages. There are hotels and apartments on all the cliffs with lovely balconies facing toward the sea.  You can rent cars, bicycles, e-bikes, quads, motorcycles, Twizzies (unusual little 4 wheel item from Renault), Spiders (the 3 wheel motorcycle), Smart cars and many small vehicles I have never seen before.  Most of the people you pass on the street are retired English speaking folks, though there are quite a few Germans as well.

But there is a local side to this place.  I walked past municipal garden II -- a series of small plots of land, each with a little numbered wooden shed.  I recognized cabbage, banana, papaya, hot peppers and lettuce greens.  The soil seemed very fertile and mostly still growing stuff at this time of the year.  We saw fishing boats in the harbour -- along with kids in a sailing school and some training kayakers.  We will certainly keep a special lookout for how the locals live.

travel trials

Most of the time it works together flawlessly.  There were no problems in my Sweden trip earlier this month-- flights on time, connections within the time allowances, luggage safe, trains prompt.  So when SATA called on Friday morning to tell us that the flight had been delayed to midnight from 9:45 pm, it was a warning.

Actually, we didn't leave till 2:30 am so we were overly tired, leaving at the time that we should have been arriving in the Azores.  And then there was the pressure of a connection.  We were told the flight to Madiera would wait for us, so we did not have to run through the airport (been there, done that) to make the connection, but we were first told that we had to claim our baggage and then after waiting and waiting, finally someone said that it was checked through automatically.  Added stress.

So we arrived in Funchal, Madeira at 4:20 local time (5 hours ahead of TO).  Then there was the car rental problems, we had a receipt but not a voucher (there is a 2 line difference) and so did not know which of the car rental companies to contact to claim our vehicle.
Thank you to the lovely lady at Sixt Rental who allowed me to access my email to get the appropriate voucher and then direct me to Goldcar rentals.  Now, what you think you are getting is not the same as what there is at the counter -- we thought all was included (it said so) but there was an additional damage insurance where you had to either put 1200 euro on your credit card as deposit, or take the 145 euro insurance package they offered-- which was about double what the rental was.  So we put the money on the card and recorded every last little dint and nick on the car.

Then there was the adventure of driving to the hotel.  My phone doesn't have the handy gps app which tells you exactly what to do, but we did make it about 6:45, finally and parked the car at the Lince hotel.  There was a supermarket SPAR across the street, so there was some bread and cheese and wine and then relaxation on the balcony.

I think we will take it easy and just explore around tomorrow.  NO big problems on the travel front, but little trials mount up to make this a difficult day.  But done and here and now going to relax.