We joined a small group on a grand tour of the west side of the island
Mario was our driver for the day - and it was a very full day. We set off at 9am and were dropped off at our hotel at 7.15pm - a super day. Here is a flavour of where we went and what we saw
Our first port of call was Câmara de Lobos - a fishing village to the west of Funchal.
Decades ago this was the home of the monk seal (also known as the sea-wolf) and that’s where the name Câmara de Lobos comes from. Being the main centre for fishing, the black scabbard fish “peixe Espada”
This village was also where Sir Winston Churchill came to paint in the early 1950s. He liked Madeira and was a regular at the Reids Hotel in Funchal
Fisherman hanging his catch out to dry
Cabo Girão is the second highest sea cliff in Europe at 1902 feet.
It now has a glass-bottomed look out point.
Needless to say that I did not venture onto this platform. In fact my eyes were closed when I took these photos
Then across to the North side of the island
Spectacular view of the coastal road
Bird of paradise flower
A fish farm
For more photos of this island tour see West island tour
We also took a half day tour to Nun's Valley - a small village situated in the crater of an extinct volcano, which has kept its 16th-century Santa Clara Convent where the nuns used to hide from pirates who were attacking Funchal.
Initially, during its early settlement access to the valley of Curral was difficult, and was only attempted by semi-nomadic shepherds and slaves who gained their emancipation or escaped from servitude. These people built small homes, and a small hamlet developed towards the end of the 15th century. More permanent residents began to dwell in the valley shortly after, although the area remained little developed
The views were spectacular
An excellent week's holiday
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