Something fishy here......

We were rudely woken before 07:00 by a bunch of noisy travellers who clearly didn’t give a jot about sleeping hotel guests as they manoeuvred and reversed 🚢 into Funchal! 😴
On the positive side, I was planning an early start anyway, heading off to check out the fish market at Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmers’ Market). 🐟
It was a little disappointing, as the market didn’t appear to be particularly busy, with less than half the fish slabs in use. There was, however, a good variety of fish on display, including some enormous Blue Tuna, Red Porgy (or Pargo, as it’s known locally), a member of the Sea Bream family, and the rather ferocious-looking Black Scabbard Fish, with its eel-shaped body, big eyes and razor-sharp teeth! 😳
There were also Grey Triggerfish, Moray Eels, a solitary Octopus 🐙 and numerous small white fish.
On my walk back to the hotel 🏨 for breakfast, I passed the beautifully painted doors of Rua de Santa Maria, one of Funchal’s oldest streets, famous for its more than 200 individually painted doors. 🎨🚪
Breakfast brought a minor celebration as we finally found the porridge! 😋 That was quickly followed by another delicious, colourful omelette.
While eating, we couldn’t help feeling that we were being watched! 👀 Just a few yards away sat a Harris Hawk and its handler. The hawk kept its beady eyes firmly on the lookout, not for breakfast scraps, but to protect our food from the unwanted attention of those pesky pigeons! 🦅🐦
Later that morning, during our walk 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️, we came across a small 15th-century chapel, Capela do Corpo Santo, built by local fishermen. A lovely little find along the way.
Back at the hotel, the sun 🌞 finally came out, so we claimed our sunbeds 😎 and settled in for the rest of the day. Jayne enjoyed a swim 🏊 in the indoor spa pool, while I managed a couple of lengths in the jacuzzi! 😅 Well, everyone has to make an effort in their own way! 😂
During a coffee ☕️ break on our balcony, accompanied by a delicious Portuguese custard tart 😋, we spotted a Kestrel. Perhaps it had heard about the pesky pigeons and decided to lend a helping wing! 🦅
We also waved 👋 bye-bye 👋 to the day-trippers as their cruise ships 🛳 headed off, leaving Funchal a little quieter.
🍽️ Tonight’s Treat – Gourmet Night!
Tonight was gourmet night in the hotel restaurant, when the staff serve guests at their tables rather than the usual buffet-style arrangement.
We were treated to a delicious six-course meal, starting with a small mouthful of fish-paste-style appetiser. This was followed by a starter of avocado 🥑 for Jayne and pork 🐖 for me, then a warming leek soup 🍲.
Next came a palate-cleansing sorbet before the main courses arrived: Linguine with Neapolitan sauce for Jayne and a Sea Bream fillet 🐟 for me.
I couldn’t help wondering 🤔 whether mine might have been one of the fish I’d spotted at the market that morning! 😂
To finish, Jayne opted for the Chocolate Fondant, while I went for a rather different combination: two biscuits and three pieces of cheese from the cheese platter. 🧀😋
And so another day in Madeira draws to a close, with a bit of sightseeing, plenty of sunshine, some wildlife spotting and, of course, good food.

Not a bad way to spend a holiday, is it? 😎🍷🇵🇹Read more