Wrapping It Up In Madeira

I’m posting some of the photos from yesterday’s bus ride up the mountain and our hike.  I’m also throwing some photos of spots I have not had a chance to include in a post

Today is our last day in Madeira – Kinda hate to leave this paradise but we must move on. 

We hoped to see everything at ground level today.  No buses, no taxis, just walking.  Throughout this week we had seen a fortress high on a hill overlooking Funchal.  It does not get a lot of tourist-type press, but one cannot miss it.  We walked there.  Stan is my GPS.  I cannot fathom how he does it, but he does it.  He understands landmarks, and earthly directions; and his memory of streets is uncanny.  Now, that fortress above the city is not near to us, but hardly anything in Funchal is far from us.  But even a short distance can be straight up.  A young man described it perfectly to me yesterday when he told me he and his girlfriend walked to Monte (that’s quite an impressive hike!!).  He said he felt like Spiderman.

The fortress cannot be seen from our part of town, but we struck out, walking in the right direction.  We walked up and down, and up and down again. Then we came face to face with a mountain.  There were no paths or stairs over or around it; only a tunnel was there for cars and trucks. I said, “I’m not doing that.” But I did. It had a sidewalk so away we went.  It was one of the more stupid things I have ever let that man talk me into in years!  It was loud and full of fast-moving cars and lots of fumes! The tunnel was a half mile long, lighted only by headlights from oncoming cars, and it was scary!  My imagination went to work . . . Headlines:  Local driver distracted by tourists walking through the tunnel. He became distracted and crashed into the wall.  The pedestrians were tourists from America. They were smushed in the incident. . . . I could just hear my family and friends saying, “What were the heck were those two doing in a tunnel in the first place?”

Finally, we emerged from that tunnel, and looming on a tall hill before us was the ancient fortress.  Only 600 steps later, up steep alleys and stairs, we arrived at the destination . . . the one I chose earlier this morning – Fortaleza de Sao Joao Baptista do Pico.

I am really glad we got to see this place.  Its construction began in 1602 to defend Funchal from pirates and corsaries. My mind’s eye could see the soldiers and horses! I could almost hear the shouts of soldiers and hear their bootheels and horses hooves clack on the cobbles stone floor

We heard sirens. In the distant hills, we could see smoke. Fire is a deadly enemy in a place like this with its dense housing and heavy mountain forestation. We saw stands of young trees growing in fields in which old burned tree trunks still as evidence of fires in 2016 and 2017. Thankfully, today’s fire was controlled quite quickly.

We met other travelers at the fortress from Germany and from France.  We took turns taking photos of each other.  Then we walked down the hill to Old Town to find typical chorizo sandwiches on Bolo dos Caco, that delectable Portuguese bread. Just as everyone says, they are scrumptious!

Tonight’s dinner will be at Leeno’s.   It’s a special place known for steaks cooked on hot stone. II expect it to be pretty fine.