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Published: October 18th 2022
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Saturday October 15– Tried to sleep in a little, but of course not. Was out the door by 7:20, still dark out. I headed over to the fruit and vegetable and adjoining fish market before my bus at 8:45. I’m not sure what I was thinking – I definitely did not need that much time. I’d already seen the fruit and veg but you have to get there early to see the fish market. I don’t usually like to visit them, but fish is an important aspect of the culture, and I teach fishing techniques and sustainability in my environmental class, so it's always good to have a look. I decided to just view from above rather than move around in the market itself. There was a lot of espada, a long eel-like fish with crazy sharp teeth. It’s common here and cooked with small bananas from the island. I had it on my first day here. Tasty, but looking at all the dead fish I am reminded why I don’t often eat animals anymore. There was also a shark at one of the stands. I was surprised to see this. A big hunk of tuna and plenty of smaller fish.
I left a short time later and had plenty of time to kill before the bus, so I walked along the seafront, giving me some nice sunrise photos. I also took some more photos of doors in the old town that I hadn’t gotten before.
The bus ride to Curral das Frieras, Nun’s Valley, took less than an hour. Instead of taking the bus directly, I got off the bus at Aire do Serrado, a large viewpoint. After taking the pictures I wanted – difficult, because the whole valley below was still in shadow – I started my hike down to Curral das Frieras (Nun’s Valley), a small village. The walk was on a paved path and I was alone, like most of the walks I have done. It was great. At least until I got pretty close to an old British guy taking a leak. I caught up with him and his wife a couple minutes later at a small viewpoint on the trail. They were really nice. They let me pass and I was on my way.
It took just over 45 minutes to complete the hike down, and then slightly up again into the
village. I walked around a bit, checked out the church, walked up some streets above the town, and then had to decide if I would catch the next bus or get lunch and wait another 75 minutes for the next bus. The area is famous for chestnuts and all kinds of things made with them. I decided to stay for lunch and ended up on a balcony with a nice view getting the plate of the day, which was only $5. I also got a bowl of chestnut soup and some kind of tropical drink (I ordered a limonada but she brought something else. It was good though). I read my book and hung out and then made my way to the bus stop. I still had some time to kill so I wandered a bit and got a good photo of the town. Today was the first time I’ve started a day with really sunny weather. Usually, it’s cloudy and ends up sunny, which has been good for my exposed hikes. Today I was up higher and it was cooler, but I was in the shade the whole hike since it was early in the day and the sun
hadn’t come across the mountains yet. It worked out perfectly to have a blue sky early on. My good photo had just the perfect amount of sun and clouds that were starting to come in. It got cloudy on the bus back and I eventually was too sleepy to keep reading my book. But when we got back to Funchal, it was sunny again. It usually is here. They say you can have all 4 seasons in one day on the island, and I believe it.
I was incredibly tired by the time I arrived back in Funchal, and I decided I would just go straight home and maybe go out for dinner later. Or maybe just cook something. But of course, I saw a museum on the way back I hadn’t spotted before, so I did a quick stop at the military museum. Then up the hill and up some more. When I got home I was exhausted and sweaty and was pretty sure I would not be going out again, which suited me just fine. I cooked something that took about 5 minutes, which was more than enough. Tomorrow is my last day, and I’ve booked a
tour. Let someone else do the planning and organizing for a change!
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