Madeira, a Portuguese island in the north Atlantic Ocean, is known for its ever pleasant temperatures, rich flora, beautiful "levada" hiking, and full bodied Madeira wine.
It seems it is also particularly well known among German retirees - at least during this time of the year... . However, the reason we decided to visit Madeira was neither the flowers or the elderly Germans, nor the hiking or the wine (at least in the first place..), but November-Blues and the desperate desire for warmth and sun in combination with a handy direct easyJet flight "Basel-Funchal". Unfortunately, this handy flight combination gave us only 2.5 days to visit the island. Was that enough? I'd say yes, but we could have easily filled more days. Although the island is relatively small and it takes max. 2 hours by car from one end to the other, it really has a lot to offer.
You can easily experience four seasons in a day - from the summery dry and hot south coast up the mountainous landscape, through autumnal colored trees, to the wintry snowy mountain tops, and down the other side to the springlike humid and green north coast. Endless hiking trails criss-cross the island, many of them along "levadas", artificial aqueducts carrying water from the mountains to the agricultural regions in the warm south. Hiking trails also lead along the wild coasts, through primordial laurel forests, and along the highest mountain peaks. Along the coast, natural and man-made rock pools invite for a swim, small cafes and restaurants offer local and exotic food and drinks, and high waves challenge for a surf.
Here is a compilation of the highlights of our short trip:
Arrival evening:
Arrival at "Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport" (no joke!) in Funchal (the largest city), fetch of our rental car (later called "Pieps" due to its constant complaining beeping noises), check-in and welcome "Poncha" (traditional sugar cane schnaps) cocktail at the rooftop terrace of our hotel for the first night "Sé boutique" just opposite of the cathedral "Sé", and delicious dinner in the streets of the "Zona Velha", the old fishers neighborhood (I had the traditional "espada", an ugly but tasty deep sea fish topped with fried Madeira bananas and passion fruit sauce).
Day 1:
After a quick breakfast, we visited Funchals fish market to see the scary "espada" before it's a filet and then hit the road to drive straight uphill to one of the highest peaks, the 1,818 m tall "Pico do Areeiro". And with "straight uphill", I literally mean directly uphill. These are the steep roads the "toboggan riders" in their traditional baskets sledge down to the center of Funchal. After the first very steep 200 meters Micha said "that's cool, why build roads winding up the mountain if you can just drive up straight?!". After about one kilometer, "Piep" refused to go any further uphill with boiling and steaming water escaping from under the hood... . Oups, maybe that's why. Luckily, supplying "Piep" with fresh water was sufficient to revive him and after taking the winding road he also made it up all the 1,800 m to the peak (yes - it's possible to drive almost to the peak). Unfortunately we experienced the typical Madeira mountain weather - clouds, mist, rain, and no view at all. Not being able to do the ridge-hike from here to the highest peak, we went back to the car and deeply disappointed continued to drive downhill on the northern side, quickly escaping the clouds and reaching dense and thick jungle-like forest.
Since the weather improved, we decided to do a short hike along a levada to reach a viewpoint from which the densely vegetated northern hills of the mountains can be seen. However, in the meantime apparently the clouds had disappeared as from our valley viewpoint we did not only see the green slopes, but also the mountain tops... .
Micha wanted to go back to the car as quick as possible to drive back up again and start the ridge hike. However, these little endemic island birds, the Madeira firecrest and the Madeiran chaffinch (male and female on the pictures), kept me lingering around and the viewpoint a bit longer.
Apparently too long :(. Once we were back at the car, clouds covered again the sky and it started raining... . So, instead of going back uphill we continued along the northern coast to the town "Santana" where we had lunch. Micha chose the other traditional local food: espetada (not espada!), which is chunks of beef on a huge skewer, marinated in garlic and laurel leaves.
Luckily, the weather behaved as it is said about the island - unpredictable - and after lunch the sun made a reappearance. We drove back up to the mountains, this time towards "Pico Ruivo", the highest mountain on the island (1,862 m). Here it is not possible to drive all the way to the peak, but the parking is at 1,535 m and from there it's only 3 km along an easy path to the peak. Of course some clouds came back once we got closer to the peak, but they were never really dense and we caught the one or other glimpse of the surrounding magically appearing landscape.
Night was falling upon our return to the parking, so it was high time to get to our second hotel, the romantic "Hotel Atrio" located on the south coast. The hotel was really fantastic, as was the dinner and the glasses of wine on the balcony with sea and star view... .
Day 2:
We woke up from birds chirping and singing the next morning and almost dirrectly out of the bed I jumped into the heated outdoor swimming pool to swim a few lanes with the rising sun while breakfast was being prepared on the terrace. Argh - such a wonderful morning!! Before heading off to explore the south-west coast, we walked through the hotels garden and enjoyed the plentiful flowers and insects humming and buzzing around in the warm sun.
Our first stop on this second day was the sunny coastal town "Jardim do mar", where we walked a round through the cobblestone center, past banana plantations, and along the heavily protected seafront. During low-tide, a hike is leading from here along the pebbled beach to the next village, "Paúl do mar", the surfing capital of the Atlantic. However, when we were there it was high-tide and the waves were smashing against the cliffs. Not good for the hike, but really good to watch the surfing skills of the locals.
From "Paúl do mar", we followed a narrow winding road up to the top of the cliffs, from where a slightly wider likewise winding road led through dense forest to the highlight of the day: the semi-natural rock pools in Porto Moniz. Here, the sea can be as wild and smashing - the rock pools will always be smooth and warm. Swimming in these pools felt like swimming in an aquarium, surrounded by fish, accompanied by crabs, and the sea birds above. For a couple of hours we just enjoyed the warmth and the salty water, which felt like a day of summer vacation.
Last but not least, we did another short hike, this time through the famous laurel forest, also called laurisilva, a primary forest and the surviving relic of a forest type once widespread in Europe. Usually the forest is humid and covered in mist, giving it a mystic touch as we experienced it on the mountain tops the day before. But not today. The sky was blue, the sun beaming down. The trees were nevertheless impressive.
In the evening we returned to the south-west coast to watch a dramatic sunset and wave goodbye to Madeira.
Departure morning:
The next morning, as a last highlight, we would watch the planes do the tricky starting and landing maneuvers on the short airfield of the "Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport", before heading off back home ourselves... .
It seems it is also particularly well known among German retirees - at least during this time of the year... . However, the reason we decided to visit Madeira was neither the flowers or the elderly Germans, nor the hiking or the wine (at least in the first place..), but November-Blues and the desperate desire for warmth and sun in combination with a handy direct easyJet flight "Basel-Funchal". Unfortunately, this handy flight combination gave us only 2.5 days to visit the island. Was that enough? I'd say yes, but we could have easily filled more days. Although the island is relatively small and it takes max. 2 hours by car from one end to the other, it really has a lot to offer.
You can easily experience four seasons in a day - from the summery dry and hot south coast up the mountainous landscape, through autumnal colored trees, to the wintry snowy mountain tops, and down the other side to the springlike humid and green north coast. Endless hiking trails criss-cross the island, many of them along "levadas", artificial aqueducts carrying water from the mountains to the agricultural regions in the warm south. Hiking trails also lead along the wild coasts, through primordial laurel forests, and along the highest mountain peaks. Along the coast, natural and man-made rock pools invite for a swim, small cafes and restaurants offer local and exotic food and drinks, and high waves challenge for a surf.
Here is a compilation of the highlights of our short trip:
Arrival evening:
Arrival at "Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport" (no joke!) in Funchal (the largest city), fetch of our rental car (later called "Pieps" due to its constant complaining beeping noises), check-in and welcome "Poncha" (traditional sugar cane schnaps) cocktail at the rooftop terrace of our hotel for the first night "Sé boutique" just opposite of the cathedral "Sé", and delicious dinner in the streets of the "Zona Velha", the old fishers neighborhood (I had the traditional "espada", an ugly but tasty deep sea fish topped with fried Madeira bananas and passion fruit sauce).
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Day 1:
After a quick breakfast, we visited Funchals fish market to see the scary "espada" before it's a filet and then hit the road to drive straight uphill to one of the highest peaks, the 1,818 m tall "Pico do Areeiro". And with "straight uphill", I literally mean directly uphill. These are the steep roads the "toboggan riders" in their traditional baskets sledge down to the center of Funchal. After the first very steep 200 meters Micha said "that's cool, why build roads winding up the mountain if you can just drive up straight?!". After about one kilometer, "Piep" refused to go any further uphill with boiling and steaming water escaping from under the hood... . Oups, maybe that's why. Luckily, supplying "Piep" with fresh water was sufficient to revive him and after taking the winding road he also made it up all the 1,800 m to the peak (yes - it's possible to drive almost to the peak). Unfortunately we experienced the typical Madeira mountain weather - clouds, mist, rain, and no view at all. Not being able to do the ridge-hike from here to the highest peak, we went back to the car and deeply disappointed continued to drive downhill on the northern side, quickly escaping the clouds and reaching dense and thick jungle-like forest.
Since the weather improved, we decided to do a short hike along a levada to reach a viewpoint from which the densely vegetated northern hills of the mountains can be seen. However, in the meantime apparently the clouds had disappeared as from our valley viewpoint we did not only see the green slopes, but also the mountain tops... .
|
|
|
|
|
|
Micha wanted to go back to the car as quick as possible to drive back up again and start the ridge hike. However, these little endemic island birds, the Madeira firecrest and the Madeiran chaffinch (male and female on the pictures), kept me lingering around and the viewpoint a bit longer.
|
|
|
Apparently too long :(. Once we were back at the car, clouds covered again the sky and it started raining... . So, instead of going back uphill we continued along the northern coast to the town "Santana" where we had lunch. Micha chose the other traditional local food: espetada (not espada!), which is chunks of beef on a huge skewer, marinated in garlic and laurel leaves.
|
|
|
Luckily, the weather behaved as it is said about the island - unpredictable - and after lunch the sun made a reappearance. We drove back up to the mountains, this time towards "Pico Ruivo", the highest mountain on the island (1,862 m). Here it is not possible to drive all the way to the peak, but the parking is at 1,535 m and from there it's only 3 km along an easy path to the peak. Of course some clouds came back once we got closer to the peak, but they were never really dense and we caught the one or other glimpse of the surrounding magically appearing landscape.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Night was falling upon our return to the parking, so it was high time to get to our second hotel, the romantic "Hotel Atrio" located on the south coast. The hotel was really fantastic, as was the dinner and the glasses of wine on the balcony with sea and star view... .
Day 2:
We woke up from birds chirping and singing the next morning and almost dirrectly out of the bed I jumped into the heated outdoor swimming pool to swim a few lanes with the rising sun while breakfast was being prepared on the terrace. Argh - such a wonderful morning!! Before heading off to explore the south-west coast, we walked through the hotels garden and enjoyed the plentiful flowers and insects humming and buzzing around in the warm sun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our first stop on this second day was the sunny coastal town "Jardim do mar", where we walked a round through the cobblestone center, past banana plantations, and along the heavily protected seafront. During low-tide, a hike is leading from here along the pebbled beach to the next village, "Paúl do mar", the surfing capital of the Atlantic. However, when we were there it was high-tide and the waves were smashing against the cliffs. Not good for the hike, but really good to watch the surfing skills of the locals.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From "Paúl do mar", we followed a narrow winding road up to the top of the cliffs, from where a slightly wider likewise winding road led through dense forest to the highlight of the day: the semi-natural rock pools in Porto Moniz. Here, the sea can be as wild and smashing - the rock pools will always be smooth and warm. Swimming in these pools felt like swimming in an aquarium, surrounded by fish, accompanied by crabs, and the sea birds above. For a couple of hours we just enjoyed the warmth and the salty water, which felt like a day of summer vacation.
|
|
|
Last but not least, we did another short hike, this time through the famous laurel forest, also called laurisilva, a primary forest and the surviving relic of a forest type once widespread in Europe. Usually the forest is humid and covered in mist, giving it a mystic touch as we experienced it on the mountain tops the day before. But not today. The sky was blue, the sun beaming down. The trees were nevertheless impressive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the evening we returned to the south-west coast to watch a dramatic sunset and wave goodbye to Madeira.
Departure morning:
The next morning, as a last highlight, we would watch the planes do the tricky starting and landing maneuvers on the short airfield of the "Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport", before heading off back home ourselves... .
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