Madeira: Madeira & Porto Santo
Madeira
has
been part of
Portugal
since
1419 and is often called “the
Pearl
of the
Atlantic Ocean”. In its capital Funchal we admire a number of
important historic buildings, take a walk through the quaint narrow
streets and visit the daily market. We have a look at the
peninsula
of
Ponte
de São
Lourenço and make sure that its epithet of “Flower
Island”
is fully justified.Following the coastline we pass several fishing
ports, including Caniçal, where one can still see that whaling used to
be a source of income. Of course, we head for the highest
peak
of
Madeira
, The
Pico Ruivo at an altitude of 1861 meters and enjoy the magnificent
view of the surrounding area. However, the descent along the north
slope is worth the effort; tiny villages cling to the slopes between
the terraces. Further to the west we see the highest cliff of the
world, the Cabo Girão. The breathtaking scenery that
Madeira
has to
offer often has a fairy-tale beauty: we come across moss-clad cliff
faces, splashing cascades and rugged lava rocks on our walks. For
motorists there’s lots of fun, too, like the coastal road from Port
Moniz to São Vincente, doubtless the most spectacular road of the
island with cascades cyclists and pedestrians in any case won’t be
able to keep their clothes dry under.
On the
island
of
Porto
Santo
the
enthusiast will find a thing
Madeira
does
not have: sandy beaches along the full length of the coastline.
Centuries ago the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.) used to set foot
ashore here once in a while, judging by a gun they left behind. It
wasn’t difficult to show the beauty of
Madeira
and
Porto Santo and the friendliness of the population. Hopefully we have
inspired you to pay a visit to these pearls of the
Atlantic Ocean
.
