This was my second visit to Portugal without ever setting foot on the mainland. But we will soon remedy that! And it was wonderful to stretch our legs on dry land after a week of pitching and rolling at sea.
Madeira, like Jeremiah the Bullfrog, has some very fine wine. This is the home of the famous Madeira vintages but our taxi driver, Adrian, thinks it is over-rated. We don’t’ take the ship’s excursions. We would rather find a local with wheels to show us around. Not only is it cheaper than the shore excursions but the money goes directly to the locals, not to the cruise line. And we don’t have to share the day with 40 or 50 others.
Madeira wine
Adrian showed us all the sights, the Igreja do Monte church and the views from the heights above the town. We stopped to who take photos of Madeira's famous sled drivers who take tourists on a 2 km ride to the bottom of the hill in a wicker basket with wooden runners. Sledding, a tradition that has existed for 150 years, was originally used to transport goods down the hill. We waited a while to see one in action but no tourist was willing to pay the several Euros for the opportunity.
Sled drivers of Madeira
He dropped us off to hike several of the island’s many trails that run along the “levadas,” trenches that bring water from the rainy hills down into town. The trails were smooth, wide and pretty flat, bordered with an array of wildflowers and we were serenaded with birdsong. And Connie, ever alert, found a new species.
