Madeira

You'll probably never guess this, but Madeira was our FAVORITE. Madeira is pronounced "Mah-day-rah." It is sort of like Hawaii but with a European flavor. I LOVED IT! I have so many photos, that today I'm going to show just the first day.....so here goes....
See that straight stretch of road? waayyy up high?If you want a straight road here, you either have to build an elevated freeway or blast a hole through a mountain. I think the average stretch of straight road is maybe 1/4 mile....and that may be stretching it.....there are 98 tunnels on the island, one of them is 3 m long....


Our morning view daily from our hotel room looking toward the island....

Our view looking towards the sea, not a perfect view but hey, I'm not complaining one bit!
First stop....open air market.....this was fabulous! Fresh flowers sold by locals dressed in traditional costumes. This is not just for the tourists, residents shop here too.


Fresh fruits and vegetables, colorful, tantalizing displays, amazing tasting exotic fruits!


Fresh fish market, just caught, cut to order. (you can smell this before you see it!)


When you come to Funchal, you must not miss a ride up the tram, going up over 1000 feet to the top.....

Of course, when one goes up, one must go down, in a local tobaggan ride. These hard drinkin', smokin', gambling gentleman give you a shove and ride down with you. Their tough leather soled shoes are your brakes.......makes for a wild ride.

Going doowwwnnnnnn.....
There are hundreds of cruise ships that stop every year. Two just that day. New Year's Eve is legend in Funchal....It's the largest fireworks show in the world. (let's go back ok?)


Lovely, lovely narrow streets, cobble stone roads and sidewalks..

Hydrangeas were EVERYwhere. So beautiful. {sigh} we cannot grow them in the desert.
In times of financial crisis, hey I think I would want to put my money in this bank.....

Led by a higher power??????

Lots more coming........including FOOD!