Madeira 2019 - extra photos

Saturday 19 January 2019, returning home after a week in Madeira

We were up at 6.45 for our Edelweiss flight LX8285 to Zurich. We had breakfast at 7.30, which was fine. We checked out and paid our drinks bill, and caught the Tui bus pickup at 8.10 - very punctual.

We checked in our bags, went through security and then waited ages for our gate to be announced. The temperature in Funchal is 16 degrees, but it's reported to be minus 3 in Thalwil.

Our flight was on time and took three and a half hours. We had breakfast on the plane which was OK. Flying over the Alps was quite spectacular. We landed on time, got our cases and then took a taxi home. There was still some snow on the ground and the temperature was indeed minus three. But our apartment was warm!

Friday 18 January 2019, Museum of Sacred Art

On our last full day, we decided to take the bus into Funchal again and go to the Museum of Sacred Art. After our usual breakfast (the 3 minute boiled egg was still hard), we walked down to the bus stop and waited about 12 minutes. We took a bus to the sea front and got off near the cathedral.

A beautiful collection of silverware

We walked uphill slightly to the Museum of Sacred Art and paid to enter. We saw some very nice artworks from the 16th century and later, including a wonderful collection of Portuguese silverware. The Flemish art featured early religious works including a Last Supper sculpture and many paintings of saints.

Judas looking a bit shifty

We spent an hour there and then walked down to the square Praco de Municipo to have a coffee, and then went onto one of the two piers for a beer. It was nice to sit in the sun. We headed back to the hotel again by taxi and had lunch by the pool, served from the pool bar. We were the only customers. We each had a toasted tuna sandwich and another beer.

The Descent from the Cross

We had a lot of this Portuguese wine

We returned to our room to rest a bit and then pack. I took my book Death at the Seaside to add to the library collection. We had a glass of Madeira in the bar - quite dry. At dinner I chose soup again, tapas salad with broad beans, scabbard fish, chips and then a beef skewer. I also tried a couple of cheeses. No cake today. We shared a bottle of Serras de Azeitao.

Thursday 17 January 2019, Blandy's Wine Tour

Early rising at dawn

I slept badly again. I have trouble remembering the layout of the room and our glass for water beside the bed is rather small. Anyway I got up at 7.30 and had an early shower. We had our usual breakfast offerings, and I went for scrambled eggs and bacon today. We planned to take a bus to Centro.


Today we got bus 7 to the centre of Funchal and it cost 2.20 euros each this time.We got off at a stop before the terminus and walked up to the Se or cathedral. There were several people waiting for a service to start. We looked at the altarpiece, the transepts, the choir stalls and the ceiling. The nativity scene was still in place too.

The gilded sanctuary in Funchal cathedral

Then we headed to nearby Blandy's Wine Lodge and we booked a tour in English for 10.30. It cost 9 euros 50 each. We waited in the bottle room where they store past vintages in cages. A few other people turned up for the tour, led by Sofia. We learnt that the building had been a 17th century prison, and later a convent.  In 1838 the winery was founded by John Blandy and is still in the family. We saw pictures of the generations of Blandys in the museum at the end of the tour.


First we walked along through the large oak casks where the wine is stored; they are made in Madeira from American oak. Blandy's winery holds 4 million litres of wine. The barrels are bound using banana leaves. The winery allow for an 'angels' share' of leakage or loss. It was discovered by accident that warmth enhanced the flavour, as the original cargoes were carried in the holds of ships.

Casks of American oak for storing the Madeira before bottling

There are only 500 hectares of vineyards in Madeira and they grow on the mineral, volcanic soil. The southwest of the island is the warmest, and Blandy's has a few hectares at 200 to 400 metres altitude in the area behind the village of Camara de Lobos. The grapes are hand-picked in August, and there are few diseases. Madeira is made from blends of up to 8 different grape types, and Spanish grape alcohol is added to boost the fermentation. The whole of the grape is used; nothing is wasted. The most important stage of fermentation is estufagem, after which the wine is rested for at least 90 days and then blended. A vintage bottle of Madeira can be kept unopened in the bottle for up to 20 years. Grape types which are used include: Negra Mole (a red), Malvasia, Bual, Verdelho and Sercial whites, and occasionally Terrantez, Bastardo and Moscatel varieties may be used.

The vintages of Madeira include: Reserve (5 years), Special Reserve (10 years), Extra Reserve (over 15 years), Colheita (wines from a single vintage), and Vintage or Frasqueira, over 19 years in the cask. A wine labelled Finest is generally used for cooking. Madeira can be paired with any kind of food, or drunk as an aperitif or a digestif. We tasted two types at the end of our tour: a 5 year old Verdelho which was dry and spicy, and a Malmsey Harvest 2010, which was sweeter. We bought a bottle of the Verdelho 5 Years.

Cheers!

After the fascinating tour, we strolled along to the Cafe do Teatro, and then on to the Catarina Gardens. We saw a huge Coralina  tree with the distinctive spiky orange blossoms. Then we got a taxi back to our hotel and had a rest and then a swim. The water was quite cool.

After that we rested again, did the Guardian cryptic crossword on our phone, and then got ready for Gourmet Night! We had a table in the Culinarium Restaurant of the hotel for a 'timeless dinner with live romantic melodies'. We enjoyed a welcome glass of bubbly, with a choice of starters - I went for soup and Richard had shrimp cocktail, then for the main course I chose the pepper steak with Madeira sauce and Richard chose fresh tuna. For dessert with both had the Petit Gateau chocolate fondant with ice-cream and berry sauce. Wines were served with each course. It was very pleasant, I slept better that night!

Wednesday 16 January 2019, Madeira West Island tour

I slept badly and got up early for our island tour, the west side. Breakfast was the same as usual. The muesli could be a bit more interesting but the yogurt and fruit were nice. The coffee as always was hot and strong though. There was a nice view of sunrise over the sea at 7.30 am. We waited in Reception for our tour guide and bus.

We set off on time and picked up six novice guides - they were a bit late. Our guide is Carla. She told us that 110,000 people live in Funchal, which is half the island population.

We stopped at Cabo Girão to see the view and look down at the cliffs and terraces from 600 metres - the highest cliffs in Europe. I bought two postcards and an extra stamp for Australia. Along the route we saw the ubiquitous mimosa trees with their yellow flowers. We also saw young sugar cane plants, and we walked through a banana plantation.

Next we went on to Ribeira Brava or wide river. It flooded its banks in 2010. We had to make an advance lunch choice of fish, pork or omelette and we opted for the fish.  In the small town of Ribeira Brava we visited the church with its famous nativity scene which was still in place. We took several photos of the wooden figures. Then we had a coffee at a place near the sea, before boarding the bus again.

We drove on through Ponta do Sol, a warm village where they grow orchids and bananas. We had time to walk up through a banana plantation and heard all about the lives of the growers and the life cycle of the banana plant. There are no banana diseases in Europe, we were relieved to hear.

In the sea at Calheta we also noted the nets for farming sea bream, sea bass and dorade. Further on we noticed the yellow sandy beaches, the sand was imported from Morocco. Then we headed inland into the hills; it was raining. We went higher up and noticed the levadas or irrigation channels providing level walkways alongside. We heard that Madeira suffered bad forest fires in 2016. We reached an altitude of 1300 metres before descending. It was foggy and rainy.

We learnt about the native plants including mimosa, agapanthus and hydrangea - only the mimosa was in flower in January. We also noted the silver laurel trees.


We headed downhill to Porto Moniz on the most northerly point on the west coast of Madeira., and we had a sociable lunch at Restaurant Cachelote, where we shared a table with a cheery Scottish couple. After the meal, we studied the spectacular volcanic rock formations.



We headed down the coast easterly towards Seixal, where they used the flowers to decorate the village for a festival. Then we headed back across the island to the south coast, and called in at Camera de Lobos, where we saw the church of S. Sebastian and its chapel of the Lady of the Conception and tasted a poncha or punch drink made from orange and lemon juice with honey and white rum.


We arrived back at our hotel at 5.30. In the bar, it was Happy Hour where we had room for a small glass of medium dry madeira.  At dinner, we tasted the squid rings along with a red JP Azeitao Syrah Castelao Aragonez 2017.
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Tuesday 15 January 2019, Botanic Gardens

View from the cable car

I had a bad night's sleep but I cheered up when I read about people in Switzerland getting snowed in. I got up at 8am and washed and dried my hair. We were a bit late for breakfast, and had the same as usual. The muesli cereal isn't very interesting but the other choices are good. Today we plan to go up the cable car to visit the Botanic Gardens with the colourful and iconic image.

We managed to catch the Tui rep and booked for the gourmet night on Thursday and also for this afternoon's wine tasting in the hotel. Then we took the bus to Centro and bought return tickets for the two stages of the cable car, which turned out to be Austrian-made.

The first car was shared between six people, and the second one was a four-seater. We ascended steeply with views over the steep cove and mountainside. Then on foot we descended to the colourful gardens, which had well-labelled plants and trees. We saw the iconic carpet of geometric shapes in citrus colours and took lots of photos.

The familiar pattern of the botanic gardens

Then we headed back up the steep path and stopped for a coffee and cake at a friendly cafe. Very welcome! Then we reversed our journey down the two cable cars and took a taxi back to the hotel for a short rest.



At 15.00 we went to the wine tasting organised by the hotel. Everyone else there seemed to know each other and were in a family group. We tasted three Portuguese wines - all pleasant.

They were:

• Casal Mendes rose - pleasant, light
• Alianca white - fresh and acidic
• Serras de Azeitao red - a blend of three grape types

Afterwards we sat at a table by the pool having a glass of red. Dinner at the buffet was as usual. I had chicken.

Monday 14 January 2019, the Madeira Story

I tried to cancel the DHL delivery of my M&S order which I hoped would arrive on Friday. Hopefully it will arrive next Monday. We explored the breakfast buffet again - porridge with banana (rather bland), fruit and yogurt, scrambled egg and bacon with toast (tasty). I skipped the gipfeli. The orange juice was rather sweet again, but coffee was good and hot.

A sugar loaf

Inside the Madeira Story we learnt of its history

Self-service dinner in the hotel - plenty to choose from

We explored the sunbeds but found them very uncomfortable - no wonder they were all empty. We took bus 7 to Centro again. After strolling by the sea, we went to visit an interactive museum, the Madeira Story. It was interesting and described the island's history.





The island was discovered by two Portuguese explorers in 1419 and was settled in the 1420s. The colonists developed the levadas or irrigation canals, and African slaves were brought in to grow sugar cane. The iconic shape of the sugar loaf is mirrored in towers on the island. Christopher Columbus also visited Madeira later in the 15th century, and married the daughter of a plantation owner. The British occupied Madeira after the Napoleonic Wars, and later, Winston Churchill spent his holidays there.

Our night-time view from the balcony of room 410

After visiting the Madeira Story, we explored the narrow main street of Funchal's old city or Zona Velha but there were too many pushy restaurants trying to persuade us to eat there. We eventually settled on Banana's pub where we ordered a large beer and a cheese and ham toasted sandwich. Then we took a taxi back to the hotel and rested.


At dinner time, after exploring the roof terrace (rather breezy, and the jacuzzi was occupied), we ate in the main restaurant and had soup, salads, fish - this time dorade, and cakes. Plus a bottle of the house white wine. We also had coffee in the bar and I visited the library to choose another book. Back in the room, I listened to music on my phone.

Sunday 13 January 2019, meeting our Tui rep

Funchal cathedral was closed on Sundayafternoon

We had a nice breakfast at our hotel buffet - plenty of healthy and less healthy choices. Then we met our Tui rep for a briefing in German. She gave us some information about possible tours. The Island West tour sounded good.

Blandy's Wine Store looked interesting!

We found a bus stop to take bus number 2 to Centro, which cost 1.95 euros each. The bus was full. We stayed on till the terminus, passing along the sea front. It was a breezy day, but sunny and clear. We went to look at the cathedral or Se,

Dinner at Savoy Gardens - a food buffet plus wine service

but it had closed at lunchtime.We then explored the small San Francesco botanic garden which had some nice trees including an avocado tree!


We went to the nearby Cafe al Teatro and had two drinks, a Portuguese white wine and a red. Then we took a taxi back to the hotel, which cost 5.70 euros. We rested in our room.

Coffee in the bar afterwards

Dinner in the self-service restaurant started at 18.30. We ordered a bottle of red Barbusano from Madeira. The buffet dinner wasn't quite as nice as yesterday's. Afterwards we strolled around again before returning to our room.


Our TV choices in English are limited to BBC World News, Euronews and CNN. I brought a good book.

Saturday 12 January 2019, off to Madeira!

We were up at 4.45am, ready for our taxi at 5.30 to Zurich Airport. We just had to gather our travel documents, and hope that our cases will arrive on the same flight! I have practised a bit of Portuguese, packed my sunglasses and brought my DK Top Ten guidebook and the Radio Times to read on the journey. I'm looking forward to some sun and seeing the flowers.

Our flight was delayed by half an hour due to de-icing! Our seats are across the aisle from each other, but after take-off we could sit together as the Edelweiss flight was not full. I am reading Death at the Seaside by Frances Brody, which is set in Whitby in the 1920s.

Room with a view of the pool

Our breakfast on the flight wasn't bad - Bircher muesli, cheese and ham (I gave mine to Richard), bread, jam and coffee and orange juice. We landed at 10.05, Madeira time (they are an hour behind Switzerland).

We collected our bags and found the Tui minibus with two couples. We arrived at our hotel, the Tui Sensimar Savoy Gardens at 11am and were welcomed with a glass of cava while we waited for our room, number 410 overlooking the pool. We have half board.

Bougainvillea line the streets

We went out to explore and found a nearby cafe, Momentus, for lunch - not very healthy, a steak sandwich and chips and a large beer. Then back to the hotel for a rest!


We explored the hotel - on the top floor is a jacuzzi and bar, and on the ground floor the Cica Bar was open and I had a white wine during Happy Hour. There is also a basement with a library and occasional dancing or yoga classes. Our meals in the hotel are all served by the self-service buffet, but the waitresses offer drinks.

Richard relaxing with a coffee in the bar after dinner

For dinner, we chose a bottle of Portuguese white wine. I also had soup, salads, fish with fries and aubergine, cheese and cake. We had coffee afterwards in the bar.

We had an early night and I woke several times.

Friday 11 January 2019, packing

This afternoon we packed two suitcases and took them to check in at the airport. Tomorrow we will still need to take our hand luggage, medication, Richard's breathing mask and our travel documents. I suppose I will need to wear my blue coat as it will be very cold at 5.30 am.

We have our euros, my medication, Richard's breathing mask, my address labels and our travel documents to take tomorrow. We are also still charging our phones. The taxi arrives at 5.30 am. Hope we are up in time!