Farewell to the Old World

May 5, 2011

     

Funchal, Madeira is our last port before a seven day cruise across the Atlantic Ocean to Ft. Lauderdale.  And what a beautiful location for our last port!  We were here in 2006 and took a full day island-wide tour then, so we decided this time to walk from the ship and see the city of Funchal.  That 2006 tour left from the harbor and returned us to the harbor so we had not had a good taste of the city.  Today we took a shuttle bus for the 10 minute ride to the center of Funchal.  From there our tourist maps made it very easy to navigate around the city.  Funchal was preparing for its Flower Festival beginning May 11th.  The island enjoys a perfect climate for the growth of virtually every tropical and sub- tropical plant and this was evident from the profusion of flowers which covered the wide promenades and sidewalks throughout the central business district of Funchal.  We walked among the vender’s stalls and ground level displays and took many photos of the flowers.  When we first got off the shuttle bus we saw groups of locals laying down frames and patterns for the designs that would soon appear on the sidewalks.  By mid –day we walked the sidewalks admiring the completed floral arrangements. 

                           

         

  

  

Later we poked our noses into the gigantic Se^’ Cathedral in downtown Funchal.  The Cathedral was completed in 1514 and the relatively simple gothic exterior hid a very beautiful and ornate structure inside.  The fact that May is the month of Mary was evident in this church and every church we have been in since May 1st. 

           

       

It seems like everywhere we go we stumble across a fish market.  In Funchal, it was the Mercado dos Lavradores, or market of the workers.  These markets fascinate us, probably because they are so foreign to anything we see in our part of the world.  It is fun to see the intense interaction between the housewives and the fish venders.  The exact cut and freshness of a piece of fish is obviously very important to the cook.

 

Our next stop was at the cable car station for a ride up to the little mountain town of Monte.  The ride is four miles long and climbs 2,000 feet.  It is a beautiful ascent with clear views in all directions and the photo opportunities are obviously continuous.  We shared our car with four very nice people from Finland. Their English was good and we had a nice, though brief conversation.  It was obvious from our time at the flower display and from listening to others on the streets that Funchal is a very popular tourist destination for people from throughout Europe. 

                

                         

In Monte we walked a bit in the cool alpine climate with its very lush growth of trees and flowers.  Because of its climate Monte is the home of two very well known botanical gardens.  We were short on time so we were only able to have a brief peek into one of the gardens.  Our walk next took us to the Nossa Senhora do Monte church.  This church is at the highest point in the national park and is the burial place of the Austrian Emperor Carlos I, the last of the Hapsburg rulers.  His family sought refuge here after abdicating during WW I.  He was obviously a local hero. His statue stands in the little plaza in front of the church.

       

      

We could have descended the mountain by way of the cable car, but we opted to ride down in one of the little wicker basket sleds for which Funchal is famous.  All the tourist information suggests riding down the hill in this fashion.  The baskets have a padded seat for two and the runners are wooden strips.  Two men stand on the back of the sled and hold onto ropes attached to the side of the sled.  Of course this makes the occupant ponder what might happen if even one of these guys lets the rope slip from his grasp.  They also spend much of their time running along behind the basket pushing, although it is evident that the steep slope would be sufficient to move the basket much faster than a rational rider would choose.  Fortunately the pushers also have special shoes which allow them to slow the basket at will and the ride is not as terrifying as we expected.  It  took us about halfway back to downtown Funchal and we took a taxi the rest of the way.

 

 

We enjoyed a late lunch at a little sidewalk café and spent about two more hours in the city, shopping, photographing flowers, people watching and taking in the sights and sounds of this beautiful port. 

 

      

  

  

  

Then back to the ship for a little rest before we went down to the aft deck on level 9 to watch the island of Funchal fade behind us while we have our last glimpse of the Old World. 

     

The captain had asked permission to extend our time in Funchal and he was granted an additional three hours.  The entire ship, passengers and crew were so appreciative and it was a wonderful extension to our last port.  Of course, the captain informed us at sail-out that we all would have to help him make up for the extra fuel needed to make the trip to Fr. Lauderdale in three fewer hours – he suggested that those passengers on decks 5, 6, and 7 would be provided oars and those passengers with verandahs would be expected to hang out blankets in an attempt to “catch the wind”.   You have to love his sense of humor.

We have seven sea days ahead of us…days to enjoy our new friends and take part in shipboard activities and reminisce about the wonderful experiences of the past seven weeks.  And also time to contemplate our return to family and friends at home and the spring and summer activities of Omaha. 

Everyone we meet on the cruise has one question – “Have you signed up for your next cruise?”  Our answer is “NO, but that can change on a whim?”