Headed home, an Azores stop.

Reviewing our stay in Madeira, I wish I had packed more shorts and less long pants. The predicted weather forecast was highs in the upper 60's, but for several days, a strong wind off the Sahara desert blew westward to Madeira raising the temperatures to the mid 70's.  I thought that we would encounter cooler temperatures at altitude, but with the sun shining above the clouds (4500'+), it was often warmer at altitude than near the coast. We had one day of rain; we used that day to visit the old town part of Funchal.

View from our hotel balcony in Ponta Delgada.  Go one block, turn right, and you are at a yummy ice cream shop.

After a long walk, we are at the east end of the harbor promenade.  A gray volcanic sand beach is in the distance.

Now we are at Ponta Delgada, the Azores, only a two-hour flight on our first hop homeward. We are staying in a boutique hotel we enjoyed previously, and, after a long walk along the harbor front, we found our way to a restaurant for dinner and an ice cream shop (sorbet for me) both of which we had previously enjoyed here. We like to break our flights up into shorter segments and avoid long days on an aircraft when we can.  Will we come again?.... This is our third time stopping at Ponta Delgada. This visit we discovered that beautiful parks Jardim Antonio Borges, the Presidential Residence, and Jardim Botanico are not far from where we are staying; discovered while we were on our almost daily long walk.

Lush vegetation with many very large trees; this tree is only notable for the tree moss; size-wise not notable.

An armed guard and security check were present at the entrance to the presidential grounds.  We were also required to stay on a designated path while walking the area.

Look at the size of that bamboo.  Tiny little Dawn (in comparison) is walking the path on the right side.

We invited our new friend, Fabricio, to visit us in Colorado; with he and his wife saving for a house, the travel expense for them may be excessive.  He did say that he will invite us to dinner at their apartment if we visit Madeira again.  The people we have met are so enjoyable!  We flew out of Madeira on February 29; March 1st they started quarantine for incoming tourists and then completely closed the airport.  Tourism is expected to be suspended until at least July.
Now we go home to shoveling snow, doing income taxes, and renovating our master bathroom. Ugh! Also time to renew our passports ASAP!

Hiking Madeira mountains

Dawn and I enjoy hiking; I like climbing upward, and she likes level ground.  Here in Madeira are the "levadas" used to conserve and utilize all water resources, but also very popular with the tourists.  Wherever a road crosses a levada, you will find a parking lot full of vehicles left by people out hiking.  For the longer walks, people hire taxis to drop them off at one end of a hike and pick them up at the other end.

We (really me) have climbed two of the tallest mountains here.  Today, we (Dawn does what is comfortable and I race ahead to the top) did Pico Ruivo; just over 6100 feet.  I only had to walk the last two miles from a parking lot, with about 1500 feet vertical. Passed many German speakers; some French, a few Brits; Eastern Europeans, but no Americans. We talked to one very friendly couple from Lithuania. Driving on the way here it was cool and cloudy; Dawn was worried that it might be a bad day for hiking, but as our vehicle climbed higher, we broke through the clouds to a beautiful sunny day.  The mountain tops were surrounded below by a seemingly endless ocean of clouds.  Absolutely beautiful sight!  We had experienced this once before, when we were living in Oregon: only those peaks that were above approximately 4500 feet stood above the sea of clouds, breaking like waves on the higher mountain slopes.

The trail to Pico Ruivo, about two miles long with a 1500' altitude gain.  Notice the endless layer of clouds at about 4000-4500' altitude.  it was 53 degrees just below the clouds and 68 degrees above (with intense sunshine).

Looking west from Pico Ruivo.  The western plateau can be seen in the distance.

The very top of Pico Ruivo.  Some tourists climb in groups and bring a picnic lunch.  You can see the peak of Pico Arieiro on the right side with its radar dome.

The village of Porto da Cruz on the northeast coast of Madeira.

Tomorrow will be our last full day here; ten days total and about what I would recommend.  We have ignored the downtown Funchal attractions; skipped a visit to the nearby island of Porto Santo; and failed to explore the western island coasts. Dawn asked if I thought we would ever return: "NO" was my answer based on our previous habits, but it could be quite enjoyable. I had expected that we might spend a few days just relaxing at the hotel; that has not happened, but our daily excursions have only been about five hours each, a relaxed schedule.

Encountered while hiking a levada, this little bird was unafraid and would eat seeds out of your hand.


Last night was a relaxed evening at the restaurant; our server, Fabricio, stopped at our table to talk.  He told us of Madeiran history, culture, and his family.  One interesting story was of his grandparents.  His grandfather met his future wife one day before their marriage. At that time, Portugal was very poor and ruled by a dictator.  His grandfather at that time was 35 y.o. and told a fellow fisherman that he was ready to get married. The fisherman went home and asked his daughters (he had ten children) if any of them were interested in marriage.  The twenty-year-old was eager to get out of their small house and volunteered. That afternoon she met her future husband for the first time, and they agreed on a wedding time for the following day.  They enjoyed a long and happy marriage of 51 years and produced three children.

The Tallest Peaks

We have now been at Madeira for six days, which is as long as we have ever stayed in one place, and we have further activities planned.  I doubt if we will make it to the far west end of the island or spend much time in downtown Funchal. Dawn calls this "another undiscovered gem" which means she really likes it.  But it is only undiscovered to Americans; many Europeans come here on vacation.  Very safe; scenic; good weather; moderately priced with excellent food; English spoken widely; what is there not to like?  We are used to European driving conditions, but, if not, plenty of organized tours are available.  Our hotel may be part of the attraction for us; a boutique hotel, five-star personal service, in a very relaxed atmosphere without the congestion of downtown Funchal.

Today we visited the Jardim Botanico, extensive gardens located in the heights overlooking Funchal. Nice, but not as large as I was expecting.  Then we went onto Pico Arieiro, at about 6000 feet above the surrounding ocean, one of the tallest mountains on the island.  An amazing trail connects it with two similar peaks.  Given that these are part of ancient volcanoes, the trail is over very rugged terrain.    I only walked a small section of the trail; it would be an all-day one-way trip.  The weather was perfect, upper 60's with light breeze.

Looking NW from Pico Arieiro to Pico das Torres.

Just a sample of this long, narrow and rugged trail between peaks.  I only walked a portion.  To walk the entire length and back in one day would take an early start and a high level of fitness.

This is where I stopped.  Enlarge this photo to where you can see the narrow path along that cliff.  The section after that was steep upward along a narrow ridge.  The trail also includes several tunnels through solid rock.

Tomorrow, we intend to tackle some additional levadas in the western part of the island.  It should be much easier than this.

The western end of Madeira is dominated by a 4000+' high plateau.  Few trees here, more bushes and flowers.  A row of wind turbines suggests significant wind.  We found levadas here, but with few trees present, we found the hiking to be boring.

An almost unbroken layer of clouds flows in over the north portion of the island; when it pushes through this mountain pass, it dissipates on the warmer, dryer southern slopes.

The village of Serra de Agua lies far below us in the deep valley.  You need to enlarge this photo to see that distant village.

Hiking the Levadas

When you think of Madeira, think mountainous and lush with rich volcanic soil. When driving here, you will either be going uphill or downhill. Curves are almost constant, and you will spend much of your time crossing bridges across ravines or passing through tunnels under ridges.  The longest tunnel we passed through is two miles long. A large section of the airport runway is supported by a massive bridge structure to make the runway long enough for normal jet aircraft.  There is a YouTube site dedicated to aircraft landing on this runway because the frequent winds make landing scenic (tricky). We have found ourselves driving on some single lane roads, narrower, rougher, and steeper than our driveway at home.  In fact, these roads are so narrow that the vehicle's proximity sensors are sounding continuously as we drive down the center of the lane. And these are roads leading to significant public locations, not back alleys.

Hundreds of feet of airport runway are supported by pilings due to the steep and uneven terrain.  The space below is used for boat storage, tennis courts, parking, and a go-kart track.

After driving a long single-lane road to get here, Queimadas has a nice facility for hikers and a large parking lot; it is the start of one of the most scenic levadas.

Typical levada.  With lush vegetation, the levadas were shaded by thick overhanging growth.  Even on a warm day, the shade can provide comfortable hiking.

In places, the levada is chipped out of a vertical cliff; below may be a vertical drop for hundreds of feet.

At some points, the levada is tunneled through solid rock.  Dawn declined to go through one tunnel because it was so long, dark, wet, and was only about 4 feet high.  I went through, but had my hat knocked off in the mud at one low point in the tunnel.

This waterfall, Caldeiras Verde, is 110 meters high, but space was too limited to photograph the entire height of the falls.  My camera lens was not wide angle enough to capture it.

Typical north coast terrain.  Without the levadas, this area would be almost impenetrable.

One of the attractions of coming here is to hike the "levadas". These are small irrigation channels, often hewn out of solid rock, which bring water from remote ravines to villages and gentler fields.  Some levadas are hundreds of years old; others are new, still being completed.  Narrow paths accompany the levadas. Thus, you are walking through almost impenetrable vegetation, crossing vertical cliffs, yet following comfortable shaded paths except when that levada is tunneled through the solid rock of a ridge. Then you are stooped over to avoid the low ceiling, stumbling along the rocky/muddy floor, and hopefully getting enough light from your cell phone screen to see the next step in the otherwise pitch dark.  All great fun!
Today we went 13 kilometers total to a waterfall 110 meters high while also passing by several other waterfalls along the way.  Very rugged and wild scenery. We noticed trout living in the levada; thus, the flow must be rather reliable.  Most of our fellow hikers were German; perhaps experienced volksmarchers. With a trail only 2-3 feet wide, a tall rock wall facing uphill on one side, and an abrupt cliff dropping off hundreds of feet on the other side, hopefully you remember to use the bathroom before setting out!  No stepping out in the woods!

On a subsequent day we hiked levadas near Ribeira Frio.  These sites have easier access and less challenging terrain.  Ribeira Frio is a small village with a nice restaurant (good toilets) and some tourist shops.  The parking can be crowded.

Introduction to Madeira

Our visit coincides exactly with Carnival here in Madeira.  There will be a big parade Saturday night in Funchal with almost two thousand participants. Friday it rained most of the day; a day to relax.  Then we went into the city for dinner and a look at the "old town" section of town.  We found a cobbler's shop where you could order custom-made boots, but the look was somewhat crude.  A wide selection of restaurants, all eager to please.  Dinner was fine, but not much different than our hotel.  Parking was congested and hard to find.

Our hotel is outside the city, near the airport, and is a very quiet, comfortable, and secure accommodation: two pools, tennis court, gardens, gym, and library; all right on the ocean.  Madeira is a relative bargain price-wise; at least at this season.  The vast majority of tourists are from Europe.  We have encountered mostly Germans; although we have a French family and British couple at our hotel.

We had dinner in the old town section of Funchal only one evening.  Our hotel owner also owned several restaurants; he would schedule various chefs from his restaurants to provide service at the Albatroz hotel; thus, the meals at our accommodation were varied and excellent.

 The western approaches to Fuchal.  The city includes a cable car from the harbor to Monte- a neighborhood overlooking the city.

Jardim Botanico, overlooking Funchal with many beautiful flowers, but the garden was smaller than I had hoped for.

A glass-floored platform extending out over a 1900' cliff on the south coast.  The day we were there, local winds were 50-60 mph.

We have already sampled the local drink specialty, poncha, a fruity drink with strong but tasteless cane sugar rum.  Madeira wine is good, but not distinctive from other locations.  Also tried the local fish, the scabbard fish- an ugly black fish with mild, delicate, white flesh. With jet lag we arose late today, then took an afternoon hike to Casa do Sardinha on the slender, eastern peninsula of the island. Good exercise on the rocky, uneven four-mile trail out and back.

 Looking out at Praia Prainha, uninhabited islets on the right.

We walked about four miles along this rough trail, but did not go to the end of the path on Ponta de Sao Lourenco.

Looking northeast to Porto Santo.  Porto Santo is about six miles long and has nice sand beaches.  Enlarge this photo to see the island better.  We didn't go there; it is a long, once-a-day ferry boat ride.  We don't like to get up that early when on vacation.

One of the pleasures of travel is meeting with people from other countries and comparing the similarities and contrasts in lifestyles.  One of our hosts here at the hotel is a young man, Fabricio, we have taken a liking to.  His English is very understandable; he tells us not to bother with Portuguese; it is a needlessly complicated language, but English is the world's easiest language to learn. He speaks American English (learned by watching TV); his wife (they recently married) speaks British English (learned at school).  Fabricio was pursuing a language degree at university, but felt like he was learning more by himself than through the courses he was taking.  He also speaks German. They plan to speak only English at home when they have children, because the children need to learn English as the predominant international language. He brought up politics in conversation..... Euthanasia was just approved by their parliament. They have socialized health care, and he is on the list to get a deviated septum corrected.  He thinks he will get to the head of the list by age 50; he is now 24 y.o.  He also discussed guns.... he has never actually seen one.

The Joy of Travel

Yesterday was a long day of travel: Washington to Boston to Ponta Delgado to Lisbon to Madeira, about twenty-four hours on the move. We needed to leave our apartment in Columbia Heights early enough to miss the rush hour getting to Reagan National. Waiting to board our flight, we got the message of a 55-minute delay from Delta; that left us with 25 minutes in Boston to collect our luggage and get from terminal A to terminal E for check-in.  Previously in Boston, we had spent that much time just waiting for luggage. We plotted our route from A to E and were fortunate that our bags were first out; we made our check-in deadline.
   Then it was onto our Azores flight and our 10:30pm dinner.  Three hours later and a four hour time zone change, we arrived in the pre-dawn at Azores.  After a 1.5 hour layover and sunrise, we flew onto Lisbon. At Lisbon our aircraft parked on the far side of the airport complex (along with most other flights). Down the mobile staircase, into a bus, and around the periphery of the airport to the terminal. Following a long hall into the terminal, we entered a large room with at least 500 people waiting in a snaked, single-file line for passport control. By the time our passports were checked, our flight to Madeira had already departed.

Welcome to Albatroz Beach and Yacht Club, no beach, no yachts, but a beautiful, quiet, and secure location.

The view from our balcony.

The saltwater pool could also provide a shower.  The freshwater pool was more isolated.

Our Jeep Renegade SUV, a 6-speed manual diesel.  I really like the small European-style cars, very fuel efficient and space efficient for their size.

   Time to find the SATA airline desk to get rescheduled.  Four hours later, our new flight lifted off for Madeira. Arriving in Madeira, we needed to contact our car rental company.  Our ten-minute wait turned into 45 minutes before we were taken to their office.  After renting a nice Jeep Renegade (a diesel, six-speed manual) with GPS, we finally found our way to our hotel, Albatroz Beach & Yacht Club, in time for a 7pm dinner.  There is no beach nor yacht club, but the boutique hotel is very nice. We sleep with our room open, with a view and the sound of ocean waves.