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A trip down memory island

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Europe » Portugal » Madeira » Funchal
April 23rd 2012
Published: May 4th 2012
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Please have violins handy - this blog contains nostalgia! Once upon a time... well, in 1972 actually, my wife and I were married. We still are! We spent our honeymoon on Madeira, that Portuguese, mid-Atlantic island 520 kms (320 miles) from the African coast and 1000 kms (620 miles) from the continent of Europe. It was a picturesque, tranquil, slightly old-fashioned place, beloved of the blue-ri... Read Full Entry



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Mike Fossey
Keep Smiling
Keep Smiling
Once upon a time, I was something important in the UK travel industry, where I spent more than 35 years of my working life roaming the globe at someone else's expense. So, if you dream of living overseas on less than 10 Dollars a day, be warned: I'm an experienced, mature traveller - not a backpacker. You won't find stories here about me thumbing my way across the Sahara, slumming it in cockroach-infested hostels, or sharing a room with giant mosquitoes! Oh, and I'm British - so you can expect a stiff upper lip in times of adversity and a sense of humour that's often not understood by other... full info
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The English ChurchThe English Church
The English Church
Its exterior was reminiscent of a theatre
The English ChurchThe English Church
The English Church
Inside, beneath the dome where the altar would be, there were seats for the orchestra
Mercardo dos LavradoresMercardo dos Lavradores
Mercardo dos Lavradores
The tiled wall beside the entrance to the market with a couple of the costumed flower sellers
Mercardo dos LavradoresMercardo dos Lavradores
Mercardo dos Lavradores
One of the flower sellers beside the entrance
Flower seller at the entrance to the marketFlower seller at the entrance to the market
Flower seller at the entrance to the market
Another of the market flower sellersAnother of the market flower sellers
Another of the market flower sellers
The marketThe market
The market
A view from the first floor
The marketThe market
The market
The ground floor has an open-air courtyard with covered sections around the sides
The marketThe market
The market
Another view from above
The marketThe market
The market
Fresh produce attractively displayed
The fish marketThe fish market
The fish market
Fish were sold in a separate section of the Mercado dos Lavradores - these ones are dried
The marketThe market
The market
Dried salt cod, known here as bacalhau
The fish marketThe fish market
The fish market
Three whole tuna, probably worth a few thousand Euros.
The fish marketThe fish market
The fish market
These horrible looking Espada (Black Scabbard Fish) are peculiar to the deep waters around Madeira. They are actually very tasty when cooked!
The fish marketThe fish market
The fish market
The guy on the left bought a piece of tuna that would have fed a hundred people!
The fish marketThe fish market
The fish market
All very fresh - only a hint of a fishy smell!
The Avenida do MarThe Avenida do Mar
The Avenida do Mar
This is the seafront esplanade along which we walked into the centre of Funchal from our hotel
CliviaClivia
Clivia
Just one of the hundreds of blooms that we saw every day in the gardens of the Quinta
Anyone know its name?Anyone know its name?
Anyone know its name?
This is the flower of a tree in the garden of The English Church. I wish I knew what it was called.
StrelitziaStrelitzia
Strelitzia
The Bird of Paradise flower, a familiar sight all around the island - and widely used during the Flower Festival
HibiscusHibiscus
Hibiscus
This particularly pretty one was in the garden of the Quinta



5th May 2012

David - Half of the grey haired nomads
non-member comment

Flowers and more flowers!
Hi, Little brother, Delighted you had a wonderful trip down memory lane. Bring the photos to the garden party! Big brother
15th May 2012

D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley

We have enjoyed your trip down memory lane
Madeira has been on our short list for years. This makes us want to board a plane. We will write down the name of the place you stayed and keep it for the future. Thanks for sharing.
15th May 2012

Keep Smiling
Mike Fossey

You weren't far away last year!
Hi Merry Jo, Hi Dave! Glad you enjoyed reading about Madeira so much that you'd like to go there. You were nearly there last year - with Superman's vision, you could have seen the island by looking straight out over the ocean from Morocco!! It's well worth a visit, even though it's changed a bit since 1972. Choose the Flower Festival period (usually a couple of weeks after Easter) for great colour and atmosphere. Oh, and keep smiling!
17th May 2012

liliram
liliram

I heard the violins......
Love this blog. In my other blogsite, I have a separate category for "nostalgia" - surely, we need to express ourselves! Have not been to Madeira but we'll keep tab of the hotel, dining places, food and sites you mentioned. Perhaps next time I visit Madrid (where my niece is based now) I'd drop in. And yes, I'd time it during the flower Fest. Love those flower carpets, the mercado, the levadas!
17th May 2012

Keep Smiling
Mike Fossey

It's not easy to 'drop in' to Madeira!
Hi Liliram and thanks for your comments. Madeira is a lovely island and, although some things are a bit expensive (even for us Brits), it's really worth it for the flowers, the scenery, the people... However, you may find it difficult to drop in from Madrid - Madeira is a long way out into the Atlantic Ocean, at least a 4-hour flight from Madrid to Funchal. To make it worthwhile, you might like to consider combining Madeira with Porto Santo and The Azores, something I think we might do another time.
17th May 2012
Keep Smiling!

liliram
liliram

Nice!
I hope to find a signage "life is a celebration" in one of my trips!
17th May 2012
Keep Smiling!

Keep Smiling
Mike Fossey

LOL
I've never seen the sign, but I've heard the song [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA2VOmPk2bY]here[/url]! Keep smiling!
24th December 2012

joe neves
non-member comment

trip
i was born and raised in lisbon.came to the states when i was 12. after meeting the love of my life in new fairfield ct . we also went to Madeira. we did a lot of walking on the lavadas,but every time we would cross asmall village it was time for some cold Sagres beer. We loved the island

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