A day in Madeira

Madeira’s lush vegetation was quite the contrast to the barren beauty of the Canary Islands. We knew that wine was a primary export, but not that bananas are the island’s next largest export: bananas thrive on the island’s steep terrain.

We got a nice taste of the island on a jeep safari. Our first stop was at Cámara da Lobos, a touristy fishing village. Small fishing boats bobbed in the protected harbor while many colorful art installations swayed gently overhead between the buildings.

From there, our jeep climbed steep, windy roads until we were at cloud level to visit the Miradouro Girão, a glass-floored skywalk 1,500 feet above the ocean. The water below was so clear that coral heads were readily visible. Well worth the 2€ entrance fee.

Traveling off-road through a forest of eucalyptus and acacia trees was next up on our tour. Hydrangeas, fuschia, and belladonna flowers were frequent sights along our dirt trail as well as along the island’s narrow paved roads. Two and three story houses with terracotta roofs abounded on the steep hills, with myriad steep stone staircases leading to terraced plots of land.

After a restorative stop at a roadside cafe for coffee and pastel de nata, the Portuguese custard-filled pastries that seem to elicit rather strong opinions —we enjoyed them!—we continued on to the Faja dos Padres cable car. Our tour didn’t allot time to actually ride the cable car, which didn’t hurt our feelings. Simply seeing the steep drop from a small overlook was enough.

Madeira turned out to be one of those destinations that we can envision returning to for a lengthier stay. Today we’re en route to Lisbon, for another taste of Portugal.Read more