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| Dawn |
We had arrived offshore before dawn and sat quietly awaiting our port pilot. At dawn we entered the port and by 0700 were tied up with our side facing the ocean, port side to the island. The scenery is beautiful with the steep mountain rising almost from the waterfront to misty heights. The buildings are low, mostly white with red roofs.
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| An old fort |
Today we split up, with Julie opting to go ashore to look for local handy-crafts such as ceramics and lace. Chad and I went to see part of the city and partaking in a couple of mobile experiences. We took a scheduled tour (not a mobile experience) and rode up the mountain to a scenic overlook. This gave us a passing glance at several neighborhoods and government centers. Everything looked clean. Most homes have a small garden for flowers and vegetables. Small winding streets fed off the wider street.
The scenic overlook was part way up the mountain and provided a panoramic view of the coast and the heights.
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| View from the observation point |
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| another view from observation point |
Back down to the waterfront we went and got off at the Madeira Cable Car for a 15 minute ride on the 2 mile long ride up the mountain, past the old city, over Ribeira Jo
ão Gomes and up to Montes. Visit www.madeiracablecar.com . Montes is only 4 miles from Funchal but is 2000' higher. More vistas.
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| view from cable car |
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| view from top landing of cable car |
At the end of the cable car ride we were at the Botannical Garden and walked a couple of minutes along the garden to the starting point of the famous Carros de Cestos, wicker basket sledges. Taking two passengers at a time, each sledge is driven by two men dressed in white and wearing a straw boater. Down the steep and winding narrow street, sometimes running sideways, the 2 kilometer run reaches speeds of up to 48 kph and lasts about 10 minutes. This transportation dates back to the 19th century and many of the drivers' fathers and grandfathers have been drivers. We ended up in the village of Livramento, but the villages are all connected and seem one.
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| Carros Cestos |
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| starting the downward ride |
Our bus then delivered us to the São Francisco Gardens on Avenida M. Arriga, along this shopping and dining boulevard. In the Old Blandy Wine Lodge we sampled Madeira then moved out to garden to enjoy the flowers, blooming trees and people watching. That was followed by a search for a floral shop and finally a return to the ship on a shuttle bus. From the ship we watched a replica of the Santa Maria motor past. (Yes, motor.) Some kids were out sailing their prams in the harbor; the same type of boat Chad and Elizabeth learned in.
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| Madeira tasting |
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| park scene |
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| park scene |
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| in the park |
At 3pm we were ready to leave but 3 passengers still had not returned and we waited until 3:30 then pulled the gangway and left port. The Captain kept close ashore to give us a grand view of the island as we sailed the southern coast. Captain Olav van der Waard advised the ship's company that we would be sailing between two weather systems and could expect seas up to 18' throughout the night.
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| Funchal from Amsterdam on departure |
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| City scape |
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| island scene |
Dinner was Tapas in the Pinnacle tonight. Chef Daas prepared a fine Spanish dinner and the staff decorated the room in spanish colors and were dressed in traditional spanish attire.
By the end of dinner we were in weather and the ship was pitching and rolling enough to make walking an erratic exercise.
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