Going Cruising, Madeira, Day 8!

Our next port of call, on December 8th, was Madeira (Funchal), Portugal, a small, volcanic, subtropical island north of the Canary Islands. This stop was our favorite port of call and probably the most scenic and beautiful. We were picked up at the dock by our tour guide and he proceeded to drive us around the entire island. He was very proud and knowledgeable about Madeira. Along the entire drive, we saw hundreds of banana and orange trees. Our first stop was at a small picturesque fishing village where Winston Churchill stayed after the WWII. He stayed here for several months while painting scenes of the island. We walked around the fishing boats and coastal wall and soaked up the breathtaking views of the ocean. It was a gorgeous day. Our next stop was at Cabo Girão, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe (1,932 feet). Words cannot describe how amazing the views were at every stop, hopefully the pictures can do it justice. Another spectacular location was Eira do Serrado, in the middle of the island, located near the volcanic crater high in the mountains, where you could see Nun’s Valley with a little village below. This village is where the nuns took refuge from pirates who frequently attacked Madeira during the 16th century. Our last stop was the Monte Sledges where Mike, Hayley, Tehya, and Ethan enjoyed a ride down the mountain in a basket woven sledge powered by two carreiros, or sledge drivers. Unfortunately, Josh was sacked out in the car and missed the ride! I guess we will have to come back again! The ride down the hill was about twenty minutes through the streets of Madeira. The kids screamed and hollered the whole way down and Mike took video of the ride as well. Finally, our tour guide dropped us off at the port where we climbed back on the boat and enjoyed a good meal and some rest. It was a fantastic day of unforgettable views of the ocean, cliffs, and countryside. We would highly recommend a trip to Madeira.