This is the Marina in Funchal. This was the view from our favourite restaurant on the pier. The town was very busy today - probably because it was Saturday. It was a surprise though because there were other people in our restaurant when we got there! It was a shock, much like the shock when we went down to the hotel gym and pool this morning and found other people there. The Monster and I were outraged! The problem with the restaurant having other people meant that we got a new waiter - a rather bored, surly young man with poor English. However, our very sweet young female waitress happened to be there also and remembered our order and made sure we got the usual.
The Monster striking a pose on the walkway boardering the marina.
This is a restaurant where the tables are on little boats. We never ate there, but I like the concept. Right next door is another restaurant, which is a boat that plays Beatles songs all the time.
We decided to take the cable car that runs from Funchal to the top of Madeira. This is the Monster in the cable car as we zoomed over Funchal. Notice all the red roofs.
At the top of Madeira (or at the cable car anyway) there is a palace and tropical gardens. I don't have the literature with me at the mo, so don't ask me to explain any more than that. This is a thousand year old olive tree in a bed of lavendar that lives in the palace tropical gardens. It also has a granite stone imbedded in its trunk, which it must have grown around as a young tree. Whether it still produces olives, I don't know. Fascinating all the same.
There was an exhibit of Africian art at the palace Tropical gardens. Here are some of the birds and animals. They were carved from wood. I really like them.
A view of the tropical gardens
And another, with a nice red bridge 
And the Monster showing off in the tropical gardens
They also had an exhibition of geodes and crystals and semi-precious stones. I would have taken more pictures but the lighting was poor and they didn't show up very well. They are amazing though, the forms they can take, and they are so sparkly and pretty. I likes gems.
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3 comments:
Some nice stuff there, all right.
I saw the red roofs of Funchal but I also noticed that it seemed to spread over all the mountains - must be quite big, is it?
Hope you both had a good time (though how dare people swim in your pool or eat in your restaurant!).
nice photos but why didn't the monster take any of you ? How do we know that you were really there? I get the impression medeira is pretty small
Hi Valpot - Madeira is very small and very built up. There are houses everywhere you look. Imagine a big mountain with houses growing up from the base to almost the top and you have a picture of what the island is like. I agree, it is outrageous that other people were eating in our restaurant and swimming in our pool. :)
Hi Anon. The Monster took a few photos of me (I think) but with her camera and all these pics are taken with my camera. You know I was really there because I was taking the pictures! Madeira is very small, only fifty something by twenty something kilometres.
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