Return

Well we had to get up and get going. Our taxi was due at 9:30 and we had to finish packing, have breakfast, and check-out. In the end it all went very smoothly and we had plenty of time to spare. Our taxi arrived on schedule (though it was a 12 seater minibus - just for the two of us) and whisked us across to the airport.

There were three gates open - 2 for priority check-in and one for the great unwashed like us. What was nice was to see the check-in lady telling people off for getting in the wrong queue and sending them to the back of our queue. Being English it brought a wry smile to the face.

Once checked in we wandered through security - the Silver Vixen was stopped yet again. (Obviously something dodgy about her). We then had some time in the shops before heading for the TAP Lounge. It's not very big, but was quite comfortable and must have one of the best views from any airport lounge in the world.

We sat there until our flight was called. We grabbed some water and some sandwiches for the flight, before leaving. BA, in their infinite wisdom, no longer provide free food or drinks on flights, so rather than pay the exorbitant fees they charge, we made the most of our lounge access and their facilities.

The flight boarded on time. We were bussed the 150ft from the terminal to the plane... which always seems daft. Once loaded up we settled down for the flight only to be told that the flight was likely to be delayed by 25 minutes because they were increasing the separation between landings at Gatwick due to poor visibility. The Captain had, however, sent the "ready to go" message so that we could take advantage of any earlier slot that became free. As if by magic a slot became free almost immediately and we actually took off earlier than our scheduled time.

We had an excellent and very quick flight, landing early at Gatwick. Our bags seemed to be the first off the plane and within minutes we were walking out to be met by our driver. Comfortably ensconced in the back seats of the S-Class Mercedes we were whisked back home, getting in around five o'clock.

Home delivery of a Chinese meal from our local rounded off the day as we settled down to catch up on some of the recorded TV.

However good a holiday is... it's nice to be home.

Bus Pass

It was still dark when the Gorse Fox got going this morning. Once he's awake he can't just lie there, he has to get up. There was an ominous cloud along the southern horizon as the sun came up and the forecast suggest a chance (40%) of rain.

We had a leisurely breakfast and then made some loose plans for the day. All plans had a weather-clause.

Now that somebody is old enough for a bus pass, the Gorse Fox thought it might be sensible to her used to bus travel. We walked down to the marina and booked on a couple of the tour buses. Everyone else was rushing for the top (open) deck. We decided that we see almost as much from the inside, we were protected if it rained, and it would be warmer. As it happens we didn't need to worry about the rain, but the Gorse Fox thinks the precaution were sensible as we stayed warm and could easily hear the commentary on the headphones.

The first tour took us around part of Funchal and then out to the quaint fishing village of Camara de Lobos. We could have got off there and then hopped on the next bus to get back, but we didn't bother. Think of it as a scouting expedition for our next visit! Just past Camara de Lobos is Cabo Girao (there is a further tour that will take you there). This is notable because it boast the highest sea cliff in Europe and the third highest in the world at 580m - 1900 feet. There a glass sky deck up there so may well be worth a visit in the future.

Back in town we stopped for a coffee and cake the climbed aboard the second tour of the day. This was a much more detailed tour of Funchal and its neighbourhood. It ended up northwest of the city at Pico dos Barcelos (one of the higest peak in the city). Again we chose to stay on the bus rather than stroll around on top of a mountain for 35 minutes while waiting for the next bus.

Now the Gorse Fox should point out that there was excellent WiFi on the tour bus. So much so that he was able to check-in for tomorrow's flight home as soon as check-in opened. Seats were chosen and boarding passes sent digitally - all while we were bumbling along the Estrada Monumental. We just need the bus to park near the hotel as the only complaint the Gorse Fox would have about the hotel is how slow the WiFi is.

The route taken by this tour led back down to the coast and along past our hotel. We briefly discussed this and decided to get off there rather that head back to town the walk back. Our choices paid off. We were no sooner back in our room than the rain started. It hammered down for a good half hour and had we been caught in it we would be looking like drowned rats.

(And no... the Gorse Fox hasn't forgotten the photos - he just didn't take many today).

Special Day

Today is a special day. It's the Silver Vixen's Birthday. She's all grown up now. The Gorse Fox was up just before seven so that he could retrieve all of her cards from his case and lay them out ready for her to open when she woke. As usual, the plans for the day were a little fluid, but there was a nugget of an idea we had discussed last night.

The cards were opened and arranged on the table - this proved to be a good idea, but more about that later. We went down for breakfast then prepared for the day. At this point the Gorse Fox should point out that there was a lot of cloud about. The forecast had, for the first day since our arrival, said that there was no chance of rain until 1400, then only a 10% chance for about an hour. To clarify, all of the other days it has forecast 20, 40, 50 and 60% chance of rain and we have seen none. One look at this morning's sky instilled a degree of scepticism regarding the forecast. The Silver Vixen packed her umbrella and the Gorse Fox took a sweat shirt.

We headed into Funchal, along the marina, past the cable car terminus and on into the old town. It really was very picturesque and a study in charmed decay (the Gorse Fox means that in the nicest possible interpretation). We wandered through the streets and past the various restaurants, hotels, and churches. It was lovely.

We finally looped back stopping at the farmers' market(which also had a large fish market). It was a wonderful sight to see all of the fresh fruit and vegetables on display, almost hidden behind curtains of dried chillis and pimentos.

We went out on the roof terrace for a drink. No sooner had we settled down than it started to spit with rain. It never really came to anything, but the warning signs were there. Beware, they said. Ignore the forecast, they said.

We wandered back through the main shopping area, stopping here and there. We passed another set of gardens and went in for a look around. We  passed some street performers playing some excellent jazz with a trumpet, sax, tuba, drums and what can only be described as a thingmy-jig. The thingmy-jig was a series of hollow drums with no skins. They were played with paddles that created the noise by compressing the air in the 'drum' - but the bottom of the drum was a long flexible hollow pipe that amplified the sound and dictated the notes that were played. It was and excellent device and made some brilliant sounds.

We wandered back to the marina and up the hill to Reid's Corner, then round to the hotel. We settled on the patio for a tea (the Silver Vixen) and a beer (the Gorse Fox). While we were there Cousteau-cub called to wish the Silver Vixen a Happy Birthday and to have a chat.

We returned to our room. This is where the display of the Birthday cards had been a blessing. The person who tends the room had obviously noticed and called the hotel management. On the table was a card, a bottle of champagne, a chocolate cake, and some chocolates with birthday wishes form the hotel management. A nice touch.

Urban-cub did a Facetime call to the Silver Vixen. Clearly she has the remnants of a cold as does Ellie. Ellie found the whole Facetime experience a little confusing and whilst she watched avidly she didn't actually get round to interacting with us. Never mind, it is a bit magical really.

While this was going on the weather broke and the rain started in earnest. As the Gorse Fox writes, it absolutely thrashing down with rain. It's a good job we are not going out this evening - though we do have reservations in the Japanese restaurant downstairs. So much for weather forecasts!

Well the Japanese restaurant was a huge success. The food was exquisite. It was the first time that the Silver Vixen had tried sushi and, with careful selection, she thoroughly enjoyed it. The Gorse Fox was less selective and went for a mixed platter. This, again, was absolutely superb. Certainly it was as good as any sushi he has had before - even in California.

Relaxing Day

We have an all together more relaxing day today. Not idle, but not to strenuous either. After a good breakfast we returned to the room to decide on the day's activity. The Gorse Fox had noticed a promenade marked on the map, and it started not too far from the hotel.

We set off in a westerly direction and dropped down from the main road, passing some hotels to the coast (it can't really be called a beach). The promenade heads right along the coast (just like the promenade in Bognor) passing the seawater lido and various play areas, sports facilities, bars, and restaurants. It really is quite a nice walk.

The promenade loops round over a small headland then rises towards another. Then you walk down a long hill to a further lido and then up a steep hill round a headland towards the end of the paved route. The hills were good because they got the heart pumping and afforded some excellent views across the bays. We stopped and took in the view for a while then turned and headed back the way we had come.

Back at the hotel we decided on a quiet afternoon down in the Olive Garden. We had our swimming gear on, in case we felt like a swim. As it turns out our Kindles provided all the stimulation we needed for the afternoon as we both cracked on with our respective books. It was somewhat anachronistic to be sitting in the warm afternoon sun, reading, when all of a sudden the sounds of a choir practise breaks the silence. The Gorse Fox assumes this was their first practise as they sounded more like a football crowd than a polished choir. The Gorse Fox was, however, able to distinguish several of the Christmas carols they were murdering.

As the sun left the gardens we headed up to our room. Being on the tenth floor our balcony would remain in the sun for a further hour or two.

Totally Tropical

Sustained by a good breakfast we ordered a taxi for the trip up to the Monte Palace Gardens (referred to by our airport driver as the Tropical Gardens). It only took about 15 minutes as we wound our way up the hills, around the switchback roads and through the little hamlets. The driver dropped us  by the gates at the end of the cable car run. Conde Nast Traveler rates these as one of the thirteen most beautiful botanical gardens in the world. The Gorse Fox would not dispute this. He would rate them as the best he has ever seen.

We started with a coffee on the terrace looking down through the dense foliage. Here and there you could make out pathways, streams, bridges, and arches. This was going to be interesting. As we perused the map and discussed the route we realised that while the gardens occupied 70,000 sq m, there was a lot to see. That started with the ceramic pot just behind the SIlver Vixen. This must have been 8 feet high and was certainly large enough to house a family of four and their dog.

We started down through the glades. Waterfalls and streams tumbled and trickled down by the well maintained walkways. Oriental styled bridges and arches led to new viewpoints, stone Buddhas lined the paths and grinned from the undergrowth. Huge Japanese stone lanterns sat watchfully, lining the route. It was quite magical. Slowly we made our way down, zigging first this way and then zagging back the other. There was so much to see and every sight had multiple viewpoints.

Eventually the denser planting open out to a central lake. Water played across the surface from several fountains and a huge cascade. A few small islands were  accessible across causeways or bridges and a high-level path led round, overlooking the whole view. We took the high level route and wound our way past koi ponds to the very edge of the garden. Here we found the boundary road which is famous for the wicker toboggans that whisk people down the mountain side. We watched in amusement as people hurtled past - in some cases screaming. Would the Gorse Fox or Silver Vixen do this? Not on your nelly.

We stopped for a while near the bottom of the garden and just sat and took in the view over the Bay of Funchal. Behind us was a statue of a woman pulling a young girl. The caption immediately came to  mind 'No, Ellie, there's no more cheese!'

We moved on passing the Monte Palace itself. This had once been an hotel but closed when the owner died. The whole place was then bought by a businessmen who had made his money in minerals. He set about creating the whole venture as we see it today and donated it to a foundation, which he funded.

We looped back round past the lake and down into the southern Oriental garden. This was more Chinese in style (the upper garden being more Japanese). Koi grazed through the streams and water trickled everywhere. It really was quite magical. It was also time for a beer. We made our way to a terrace in the south eastern corner and grabbed a beer and a cake and just sat under the trees watching the world go by. Finally it was time to move and we looped back up through the eastern side of the garden. As we went we read the huge ceramic panels that illustrated the history of Portugal back through the ages.

Back near the top of the garden was museum. Two level showed Africa art - essentially stone carvings. Now the Gorse Fox knows what he likes and concludes that he is a Philistine. He though they (and there may have been close on a 1000 items) were ugly and wouldn't give them shelf space in an outside loo, let alone in a museum. The third level of the museum, however, was a collection of minerals. Again there were about 1000 exhibits but these were superb. Nearly all of them were from Brasil but illustrated the various crystalline structures lurking in the banks of the rivers there. It really was intriguing.

Finally, after three or four hours, we were done. The garden had filled us with joy and made our spirits soar. It was time to join them, so we climbed aboard the cable car and took off into thin air, dangling in a pod hanging from a cable strung between pylons that strode down the mountainside right down to the marina where we had been yesterday. The Silver Vixen had been nervous about it but decided she would face her fear. Half way down, the immortal words 'Are we nearly there yet?' indicated she was not enjoying it too much.

Back at the marina we decided that we would walk back to the hotel rather than get a taxi (which had been the original plan). What a day that had been.

Sleep

The Gorse Fox usually sleeps well but must say that he is sleeping even better than usual while here in Madeira; even the Silver Vixen is sleeping well.

The Gorse Fox was up soon after seven as usual. The sun was up soon after and put on an impressive display as it prepared to beet the day. Plans may change, but at the moment our plan is to visit the Tropical Gardens. (We have been warned the the famous Botanical Gardens are in a bit of a state at the moment and after some recent storms many of the paths have been washed away or are in a poor state of repair).

But first we have breakfast!

Lazy Sunday

A lazy start to the day as befits a Sunday morning. The Gorse Fox was up early and watched the sun come up in the east, then settled down with his book for some reading while he waited for the Silver Vixen to appear.

Breakfast was another tasty affair where we could graze our way through ranges of fruit, breads, cheeses, cured meats, salads, and of course cooked food. We didn't stint on our selection with the expectation that we wouldn't need to eat again until supper.

The sun was up and scattered clouds drifted aimlessly across the blue sky. We decided that we would take a walk towards the old town and have a look at the Santa Catarina park. It's only a couple of kilometres from the hotel so we walked in the morning sunshine.

The park isn't huge but it is very tranquil and very pretty. Obviously at this time of year the flowers aren't at their best, but there was a faded beauty that made the whole place quite inviting.

The park also afforded some wonderful views across Funchal, along the coast, and down to port and the marina.

We descended the steps at the side of the park to the level of the port. We crossed the road opposite the Christiano Ronaldo museum and then strolled along the promenade up to the marina.

There four cruise liners in port - The Black Watch, The Saga Sapphire, The World, and The Seabourn Odyssey. None of these was huge, but nevertheless they were very imposing.

Once we had passed the marina we turned back and headed back along the lower coastal road. Now you have recognise that Funchal is very hilly. This meant that while we had started on the level coastal road, we had to divert up a hill to get back at the right level for our hotel. Halfway up the hill we decided that a drink would be nice so dropped in to the Royal Savoy hotel and went to the poolside bar. We sat in Art Deco splendour and enjoyed a cold beer before return to our route and heading for the hotel.

Back at the hotel we have spent the afternoon sitting on our sun drenched, tenth floor balcony reading our books.

Retail Laps

Well the forecast turned out to be inaccurate. We have had a lovely day plenty of blue sky and a few clouds to break the monotony. As the Gorse Fox commented earlier, there was a big cruise ship in port. We decided this was a good excuse NOT to do any of the 'must do' sights.

We had a long leisurely breakfast... and for those that care (you know who you are) yes, champagne was available - but as you would expect, we didn't bother.

We decided that today we would explore on foot and head in a westerly direction. A mile or so up the road we found a big shopping centre, The Forum, so went in for some retail therapy and a coffee. Considering we didn't really plan to get anything we left after a couple of hours clutching an arm full of bags.

Back at the hotel we made the most of the sheltered patio to have a drink and a bite of lunch while deciding what we would do during the afternoon. We decided to stay put but have a look around the hotel gardens and swim.

The hotel has a selection of pools. There are three (or four) outdoor pools overlooking the sea. These are salt water pools and look particularly inviting. The Gorse Fox may try one of these later in the week. Today, the indoor pool seemed more inviting and certainly was the only one that tempted the Silver Vixen. In reality the pol was really quite warm and you could swim through an opening in the wall into an outdoor extension of the pool. This too was heated so the whole experience was quite delightful.

After the swim we went and dried off in the sun in one corner of the garden, sheltered by olive trees and palm trees. Finally as the sun dropped, we went back to the room for a quiet hour or so watching the sunset before we head down for supper. The Gorse Fox noticed the cruise liner left during the afternoon, but a second liner has arrived this evening.

Stormy

DInner, yesterday evening, was in the large Ocean Restaurant. This was essentially a buffet. It was busy but actually very good. The selection was varied and, in some cases, surprising. The Gorse Fox tried the brussel sprout salad, something he had never seen before. It was a mixture of halved, roasted sprouts in a dressing with blue cheese. It was quite delicious. For our main course we both selected the turkey. This was cooked in a gravy with cep mushrooms. It was deliciously moist and very tasty. Certainly nothing to complain about on the food front.

A storm was forecast overnight and boy did it hit. It crashed in about one o'clock in the morning with howling winds and very heavy rain. Having said that, though we heard it, it didn't really disturb either of us. This morning is bright and sunny and the clouds have blown away. There is still a forecast for some rain but we're ok for the moment.

It'll probably be busy in and around the town today as a cruise liner has just sailed past towards the harbour.

33000 Feet

We took a limo up to Gatwick last night, having checked our bags in, we then wandered across to the hotel. This was not as easy at it sounded. The Gorse Fox has a recollection that you used to be able straight across a walkway into the Hilton. Well you can't now. You have to walk across to the car park, go down a level and then join a walkway that takes you there. Once in the right place we picked up the key and dropped our hand baggage in the room. We then called Urban-Cub with a view to meeting her when we went down to dinner.

We went to the restaurant and opted for the buffet. Urban-Cub arrived and sat down for a chat. She didn't stay long but it was nice to see her before we left.

It was an early start this morning. We were walking through security (where we both got stopped in the body scanner) early enough that we had time to go to the lounge for breakfast before the flight. While walking through the terminal we saw two of our neighbours. We stopped for a chat. It turns out that they too were heading for Madeira and were on the same flight as us.

The plane is fairly full but managed to push back about ten minutes early and will, apparently, land about forty minutes early. Let's hope the driver in Funchal has checked the flight arrival times!

A few more minutes have passed and the cabin crew just arrived at our row with some champagne and a card for the Silver Vixen's upcoming birthday. It was a really lovely thought - and not one that the Gorse Fox had pre-arranged. I had just made a comment as we chatted on boarding that we were going away for her birthday. They took the initiative. Excellent. (The Gorse Fox will have to see who else he can tell while we're away).

The rest of the flight was uneventful as was our arrival in Madeira. Our driver was waiting for us and whisked us into Funchal. As she drove (and the Gorse Fox uses that term lightly) she made full use of the road from one armco barrier to the next without actually touching them. She talked the whole time about shoes, her grandmother, and her niece. There was also a last minute brain dump about Madeira and Funchal in particular.

Our hotel is excellent. A modern building comprising two towers containing several restaurants, a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, squash and tennis courts, and exercise studio, and a gym. We were informed on our arrival that we had been upgraded and were shown to what would pass as a very acceptable apartment. We have a huge bedroom, a bathroom, and at the end of the corridor, a big lounge that opens onto a balcony. We are up at the top  of the building and have wonderful views out to sea and along the coast in both directions.

After unpacking, we went out to explore and found our way down to pools and one of the restaurants where we stopped for a snack. A breeze had picked up and though the sun was trying its best, clouds insisted on obscuring it. We returned to our room for a jumper and then went exploring some more. This time we ventured out along the main drag towards the old town. We'll venture further next time.

Back at the hotel we sat on the balcony and watched the sun go down. We are now getting ready to go down for dinner. It has been a good day and the Gorse Fox is delighted with the choice of hotel.