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Published: October 17th 2022
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Wednesday October 12– I had a very relaxed start to the day. I stayed in bed until 8am, made eggs for breakfast, planned to start an essay I have to write (but didn’t), read my book, and just generally did nothing in the morning waiting for the expected downpour to start. That did not happen. Eventually, I decided it was not likely to rain and was in fact sunny, so I left the apartment around noon.
I went to the botanic garden and a small village called Monte, both of which are significantly up the hill from here (everything is up a hill, no matter which direction you go), so I went to the tourist info office to try to find the most logical way to do the trip. They have knowledge but are kind of over helping people, so you have to go prepared with the right questions. Eventually, I just decided to go with my own idea – taking the bus to the gardens, the cable car from there to Monte, and then a bus back down. As I was waiting for the first bus, I saw the bus stop was next to an office that sells combo
deals for cable cars. I decided to ask about it and man, that lady spoke incredibly fast and was a true salesman. We discussed how much each part of the trip was and how it would be cheaper if she sold me the package, which included two bus rides, the gardens entry, and the cable car. Seemed alright in the end so I did it. The only thing I noticed that was a little deceitful (or possibly a miscommunication, but unlikely) was that she told me the cable car was 14 euros, and if that was the case, this combo ticket would save me several euros. In fact, this was for the round-trip cable car, and there was no real reason to take it twice. That said, it only cost me an extra euro and it was quite nice to have everything locked up in one go, so it worked out.
The gardens were large and very nice to walk around. The weather was good – a few interspersed clouds and sun. So many tropical plants and colors and fruits. I’ve noticed that everywhere you walk that has any plants/nature whatsoever, which is most places, has a distinct rustling
sound associated with it. It’s the lizards scuttling about as they hear you approach. They must never get a moment of rest.
I decided to head up to Monte when I reached the cable car inside the gardens. I rode up with a Scottish couple who were very nice. Monte is famous for its church which has a lot of steps to get up and has the last Hapsburg ruler, Charles I, buried there after he was exiled to Madeira and died a short time later. I went to a small exhibit about the man and checked out the church before walking around seriously pretty green public gardens. I’m not sure if there was more to see there or not, but it started to rain a little and I was ready, so I headed back to the cable car for the ride back to the botanic garden, this time in a cable car of my own.
Back in the gardens, I realized I’d seen most of it, if not all, so I wanted to visit the aviary that is next door. I could hear the birds earlier and the ticket is good for both parks, so I started
to walk over to visit before the bus ride back to Funchal. As I left, a taxi driver tried to get me to ride with him and I told him I have a bus ticket and explained where I was going. He told me the bird park is closed, which seemed sketchy, and that I had just missed the bus, which I was pretty sure was true. I knew the next bus was in an hour so I decided to walk back into the garden and spend my time there. I did ask about the aviary and had the confirmation that it really is closed to the public, so I spent some time reading my book on a bench with a nice view. I left in time to find the bus stop – there really are so many all over but not each one is for every bus – and then got the bus back to town.
After the short 15 min ride, I got an ice cream cone with two flavors – cinnamon and chocolate orange – and proceeded to walk home. I could have gone out for dinner, but I did buy a few groceries on my
first day and thought I best be using them up. I made tuna pasta, with some leftovers for another meal tomorrow. It is not easy walking up a hill on a hot sunny day while trying to eat an enormous gelato without spilling any on yourself. I tried and failed.
I also made some decisions for the rest of my days based on the weather, aside from tomorrow, which is likely then to be in Funchal again. Maybe one of the walks from my book. Booked a tour for Sunday to the west side of the island and also a taxi to the airport, since my flight is at 6am and the bus schedule really does not suit.
Got into bed with my book, finished it, and started the next. If you haven’t read the Flavia de Luce novels by Alan Bradley, get on that immediately. It’s a story about an 11-year-old girl who lives in a big country house in England in 1951, has a love of chemistry, poisons, and cadavers, and who is at least as good at solving murders in her local village as the police but far more interesting. I feel I’m
not doing it justice but I can’t recommend these books highly enough.
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