Funchal

Here are some pics I took of the Monster in Funchal, Madeira's capital. This is a statue of some mermaid creature that resides on the seafront in Funchal. They have a huge marina with a long boardwalk and it is very picturesque. There are loads of little covered bars and eateries dotted along the marina - even a restaurant where the tables are on little boats! The majority of the dishes are fish or meat but there is the occassional italian influence. There were also lots of men fishing from the boardwalk. We watched for a while to see if they caught anything, but no, they didn't (not when we were around anyway).
This is one of the orange flowered trees that can be found on the narrow cobbled streets of Funchal. I don't know what it's called, but it is very pretty. You can see the covered tables of various restaurants in the background. Madeira has been settled for 500 years and once was an important port for ships going to the new world. A lot of Funchal seems to date back to those days as the streets are very narrow, cobbled and wander up and down the mountain in natural fashion. Trees and interesting buildings are dotted along the road.

This is a picture of the blue trees we saw in Funchal. This street led to a main shopping street and was lined by these trees in flower, as well as towers of flowers in bloom. It was lovely to look at. Again, I don't know what this tree is called. Apparently spring (May) is the best time to see Funchal as it is in bloom.