Thursday, April 28th we arrived in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal to sunny skies which quickly turned dark ending in thunder, lightning and rain. Funchal is the most populous Portuguese city outside of mainland Portugal. Portuguese is the official language but English is spoken in most places and by most people.
Madeira is known as the Purple Islands, probably because of the rich Madeira wine for which the area is best known. Many passengers were anxious to sample the wine but didn’t find any good buys, the stores are selling in Euro’s and the exchange rate is not the best!
Because of the great profusion of trees, the name Madeira (meaning “wooded”) is actually where the name originated – not from the great wines.
Funchal offers a fun hop on-hop off sightseeing bus to all the important areas. You can ride the cable car to Monte and visit the famous Our Lady of Monte Church. One of the most fun things is to take a “Snowless Sled Ride” in a wicker basket, visit the embroidery factory for hand-stitched items and of course, wine tasting.
Spring is in bloom and the flowers and trees were beautiful – and then the rain came!
