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.
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