Fun & Flowers in Funchal

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29th April



Met up with my Flower Club friends for a photo opportunity amongst the flowers in the hotel lobby.



They went on their way and Benita, David & I set off to visit the area by the Ritz Cafe where we like to sit and people watch outside the Theatre close to the municipal gardens.



The town was bustling, no cruise ship in port today but obviously still plenty of visitors all here for the Flower Festival.



Little kiosks were dotted all along the Avenue, selling flowers, local delicacies, drinks and souvenirs, the paper flower decorations overhead blowing in the warm breeze.



Suddenly the sound of folk singers could be heard and with their colourful costumes it was both a beautiful sound and a colourful sight as they paraded through the crowds.



The flowers were so colourful, some displayed as a carpet of flowers and others within a tableaux.

It was a great atmosphere and several restaurants also had flower arrangements outside.



We bumped into our friends and then made our way to the promenade where a pavilion full of orchids, roses, anthuriums,succulents and much more was a feast for your eyes.



Time for a beer and an iced coffee before taking the stroll back along the promenade to the hotel.



It’s been a little breezier today and it’s Saturday so there are local sailing boats & windsurfers enjoying the April sunshine.



Tomorrow is the Flower Festival parade, rows of tiered seats have been going up all day. We pick up our grandstand seat tickets in the morning, fingers crossed we are not too far away from the hotel but we won’t know until tomorrow morning when we collect the tickets.



The parade starts at 4.30pm and stretches over 2kms. The camera battery will be on full charge tonight that’s for sure.

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