Today we are experiencing gale force winds so there is some rocking on board. It is a day of “resting up” as we will visit 12 ports over the next 13 days.
Yesterday we were in Funchal, in the Madeira Islands. We headed off the ship as soon as it was cleared, ready to walk. Partly sunny with fog at the higher elevations, it was perfect weather for exploring. We walked along the waterfront promenade about 1.5 miles to the cable car station.
Opened in 2000, the cable car takes you two miles up to Monte in about 10 minutes. The view of the Funchal harbor is stunning for the 10 Euro one-way fare. (Several shore excursions include the cable car with a bus delivering guests directly to the station.)
At Monte – about 2000 feet above sea level – we visited the Nossa Senhora do Monte, a hilltop church where Austrian Emperor Carlos I is buried. This area is also home to a botanical garden, and bright flowers and lush fauna are everywhere.
Near the base of the church is the starting point of the wooden toboggans. Originally these wicker sleds were a necessary form of transportation to move goods on the steep slopes.
Today (and for the past 100 years) they are a tourist attraction. You pay about 15 euros for 1 person or 25 euros for 2 or 37 euros for 3 to ride in the padded wicker chair on the wooden sled. Two men push and then guide you down the steep blacktop street, for 2 kilometers.
The ride is quite exhilarating, especially when you see cars passing in front of you on cross streets! The guides are quite good at steering, however. On our trip, they waxed the runners, probably making our ride a little faster than some. Great fun!
Of course, we had to buy the photo at the bottom. Taxis are available but we wanted to walk. It is all downhill back into the main city, but a very steep descent. We got quite warm on this hike, so we stopped several times at little “snack” stands – which sold cold Coral beers for 1 to 2 Euros each.
Back into the main section of Funchal, we visited a Madeira wine history museum which had no entrance fee and included a low-key Madeira wine tasting.
We were surprised to learn there are 4 types of Madeira – from sweet to medium dry to dry. Even the dry Madeira was somewhat sweet to us, plus strong at 11:15 am.
Next we had lunch at Restaurant A Pipa on the Rua da Queimada de Cima. We had chicken and steak entrees – both with Madeira wine and mushroom sauce.
After lunch, we explored to find the post office, and the central market. Walking in Funchal is quite pleasant, especially on the wide pedestrian-only boulevards.
Back on board, the weather was perfect for a glorious sail away. Since we figured that we walked about 10 miles, we sat in the 8th deck hot tub and soaked our sore muscles as the Prinsendam sailed by the islands of Madeira and then Porto Santo (where Columbus married a local girl and lived).
Since it was our wedding anniversary, we celebrated with a late dinner at the Pinnacle Grill. All in all, a great day!