Type
Travel PostFeature
Author
Ian Adams
Title
Madeira is a beautiful island full of flowers, beaches and amazing views
Excerpt
Last visited: 2019
Published
August 1, 2019
Location
Portugal
Madeira - Wiki
- is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal, the other being the Azores
- Its total population was estimated in 2021 at 251,060
- Madeira, originally uninhabited, was claimed by Portuguese sailors in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator in 1419 and settled after 1420
- As of 2017, it was a popular year-round resort, being visited every year by about 1.4 million tourists, almost six times its population.
- Sugarcane production was the primary engine of the island's early economy which quickly afforded the Funchal metropolis frank economic prosperity. Later on, this small scale of production was completely outmatched by Brazilian and São Tomean plantations. Madeiran sugar production declined in such a way that it was not enough for domestic needs,
- Levadas - The island of Madeira is wet in the northwest, but dry in the southeast. In the 16th century the Portuguese started building levadas or aqueducts to carry water to the agricultural regions in the south. There are over 2,170 km (1,350 mi) of levadas and they provide a network of walking paths. Some provide easy and relaxing walks through the countryside.
Places to visit:
- Big, multi-level garden with exotic trees & flowers, ponds, African sculptures & a mineral museum on an area of 70,000 m².
- The park can be reached from Funchal by the Funchal-Monte cable car.
- The site was bought by the English consul Charles Murray in the 18th century and came into the possession of Alfredo Guilherme Rodrigues in 1897, who built a luxurious residence there that was later converted into a hotel, the Monte Palace Hotel
- One of Madeira Island most famous attraction are the famous sledge rides. These cars are made of wicker and wood, and has two or three seats.
- These sledges are powered by two carreiros, or sledge drivers wearing white uniforms and straw hats, who control this mean of transportation by making use of their boots as brakes.
- This journey takes place between Monte and Funchal and is done in about 10m. in a distance of 2 km, providing tourists with an experience filled with pure emotion.
Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmers' market) - Location
- Traditional indoor facility built in 1940 featuring merchants of produce, flowers & seafood.
- The island during the 15th-19th century was the most famous sugar producer in the world, Europeans of the time knew it as “White Gold”
- The Porto da Cruz mill is one of the three old mills operating in Madeira. Built in 1927.
- The Factory was powered on steam and the boiler was made in Liverpool.
Miradouro do Ninho da Manta - Location
- Observation deck. Beautiful place and amazing view.Take warm jackets while going there because it blows like hell but it's worth it
- is a botanical garden in Funchal, Madeira, opened to the public in 1960. The area was previously part of an estate belonging to the family of William Reid, founder of Reid's Hotel (Mentioned below).
- The gardens include a bird park (Louro Bird Park) There is a collection of around 300 exotic birds.
- Santana is a village on the north coast of Madeira. It’s known for its Casas Típicas de Santana, traditional stone houses with steep, triangular-shaped thatched roofs.
- the Laurissilva Forest, which was classified as 'World Heritage' by the UNESCO
- in July, a large festival of traditional music and dances is held in the village. The event known as ’24 horas a bailar’ (literally ‘24 hours dancing’) is made of performances of traditional folklore groups
- Great afternoon tea spot.
- Winston Churchill came to this iconic hotel in 1950 to write his memoirs. He loved to stroll the sloping gardens festooned with fragrant mimosa and hibiscus, and cascading bougainvillea.
- 40,000 square meters of space designed as a subtropical botanical garden.
- It opened as the New Hotel in November 1891 and later became the New Palace Hotel, then Reid's Palace or just "Reid's". The hotel was acquired by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.
- Is also known locally Arte de Portas Abertas, These painted doors are from abandoned shops and deteriorated areas that take on new life, in order to sensitize people filling the streets with cultural and artistic events.
- The first door to be painted in the Rua Santa Maria was on April, the 6th, of 2011 at number 77 by the artist Mark Milewski. It took longer than 1 month to be completed.
- This trend started one day in 1994 in the streets of an Italian town of Valloire
- Is believed to be the original landing point for the Portuguese discoverer João Gonçalves Zarco
- The name lobos is a Portuguese derivation for "seals" which were the animals discovered by Zarco and his men in the sheltered bay. Because of the large colony of these animals, the area was christened câmara dos lobos.
- Today, the species of monk seals are rare, being an animal common to the Mediterranean, but today confined to a small colony on the Desertas Islands.
- Winston Churchill used to go here to paint.
- The steep cliffs of Cabo Girão (one of the highest cliffs in Europe: 580 meter elevation
- The Blandy family is unique in being the only family of all the original founders of the Madeira wine trade to still own and manage their own original wine company. They maintain a tradition that goes back to 1811: 2 centuries of fine wine production.
- The islands of Madeira have a long winemaking history, dating back to the Age of Exploration (approximately from the end of the 15th century) when Madeira was a standard port of call for ships heading to the New World or East Indies. To prevent the wine from spoiling, neutral grape spirits were added. On the long sea voyages, the wines would be exposed to excessive heat and movement which transformed the flavour of the wine. This was discovered by the wine producers of Madeira when an unsold shipment of wine returned to the islands after a round trip.
Seixal Natural Pools - Location
- Swimming basin off the sea
Tour Guide used: Green Devil Safari
Coffee ☕
- Greenhouse Coffee Roaster - Location - Website
Last Visited: Aug 2019
Next time
- Palheiro Gardens - Location
- Cristo Rei - Location
- Gruta da Furna do Bode - Location
- Hike area far east of the island
- Sacred Art Museum of Funchal - Location3D Fun Art Museum - Location
- Ruins of St. George - Location
Next time coffee