Blogs from Madeira, Portugal, Europe - page 13

The island of the levadas - that pretty much sums up a big part of the hiking trail network on Madeira. These water carrying, tunnel passing, the fields irrigating, hiker pleasing channels, formerly built by slaves, are a sight itself and should be at least one part of any Madeira itinerary. We saw several of them - Levada dos Balcoes, from Ribeiro Frio to Portela, the Levada do Norte to Cabo Girao, the Levada Nova and the Levada do Moinho, and the Levada da Serra. Each of them, all accessible by public transport, was special in its own way: - Ribeiro Frio to Portela: starts easy through a forest in Ribeiro Frio, passes walls of green with a bit of running water, has several smaller tunnels with steep descents right next to the path, and ends ... read more

Hej Alle, Et lille billede fra ferien til Madeira, som var helt fantastisk. Savner virkelig alle de søde mennesker, den smukke natur og selvfølgelig den daglige yoga. Billedet er taget fra en af de mange skønne morgensvømmeture efter 2 timers yoga, den perfekte måde at starte dagen på. Øverst på klippen kan lige skimtes det smukke hotel, som man også kun kan drømme sig tilbage til. Knus... read more

An Easy Jet flight from Manchester to Madeira allowed us to escape the cold winter UK weather for 2 weeks. Our apartment in Palheiro Village, Funchal was very comfortable and well appointed, overlooking the sea with a nice balcony. A bus stop nearby gave us easy access into Funchal centre. There was a steep hill up to the Palheiro Golf Club but the reward was super views of Funchal harbour and country walks to Casa Velha and around the golf course. We had several days out "on the buses". We travelled up to Monte on bus no 22 and visited the church and the old train station. Then via bus 48 to Picos dos Barcelos with stunning views of Funchal and the mountains. In Funchal we visited Igresia de Sao Paulo a charming 16th Century church ... read more

Just a few pics pf Madeira Home tomorrow... read more

Tuesday 23nd February, 2016. Funchal, Madeira Funchal is the largest city and capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. It is known as the "Floating Garden of the Atlantic" due to its profusion of flowers and fruits that flourish in its incomparable climate. The Madeira archipelago, of which Madeira is the largest of the 5 islands in the group, marked the beginning of the great voyages of the Portuguese navigators of the 15th and 16th centuries. It proved that the Atlantic was not the dangerous abyss populated by terrifying monsters as had previously been believed. Under the governorship of Zarco and Teixeira, the colonists cleared the land for agriculture by setting fire to the dense woodland. Historical accounts say that the island burned uncontrollably for between 5 and 7 years! In the 16th and 17th centuries ... read more