We're Time Travelling to San Miguel Island

#TasteofPortugal#Funchal#MadeiraIsland#Pontadelgada#SanMiguel#PasteldeNata#Foodies#Azores

26 December 2015 ... I'm travelling as a passenger with my "Monsieur Honey" as my chauffeur on our road trip south, so I hope to be able to finish the posts about our "Taste of Portugal" adventure.

14th November 2015... so we are travelling back in time.

Whoa, where did those eight days go?  

We're back into a "Hurry Up and Wait" mode as today we're packing up at our hotel in Funchal, Madeira and later heading to the airport to catch our two-hour flight to Ponta Delgada, San Miguel.

We did actually have a relaxed last morning in Funchal, Madeira; we were all packed and our taxi pickup to airport had been arranged so we went for one last stroll in the immediate neighbourhood of the hotel.

We stopped for a light nibble of tapas and a farewell toast to Madeira and then headed down the street to our favourite little coffee shop for one last taste of their delicious " Pastel de Nata" (Portuguese custard tarts).

The airport in Funchal is about a half hour drive from the Center and we pre-arranged a cab pickup to ensure we were at the airport two hours prior to our flight time at 4pm local time. 

Yes we are changing time zones again ... Madeira is five (5) hours ahead and San Miguel only four (4) hours. 

So today we will gain back an hour!

 

Two hours doesn't sound too long and really it isn't but it's all the other time involved when flying ...

getting to the airport, the check-in, the security screening, waiting for the boarding call and then finally when everyone is in their seat; the plane can start it's engines and away we go!    

It was dark when we landed in Ponta Delgada, so we had no idea where we were as we rode by taxi to our hotel.  

Check in was smooth with helpful info provided by the concierge.  

After a little freshening up and unpacking, we headed down to the hotel restaurant for tonight's dinner as we hadn't had time to check out the surroundings yet.

We were not disappointed as the food was delicious and beautifully presented by professional, friendly  wait staff.

On offer was a buffet with a varying menu daily or à la carte menu ... we made our selection from the menu.

Spicy Portuguese Shrimp cooked in the local beer "Especial" on a bed of mushrooms/ slivered spring onions and lemongrass (at least that's how we deconstructed the dish)  ... for our appetizers.

And I have to say we chose this same dish one other evening while we were here! 

Monsieur has already made this once at home.

Followed by a Piri-Piri chicken over a melange of beans, corn, onions, peppers and zuchinni ...

For a little sweet treat we shared a pineapple ice cream dessert ... and oh yes it was served a top a chocolate cake brownie.

We had an enjoyable first evening in Ponta Delgada ... we just need to recharge so we can explore tomorrow! 

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

#christmas#portugaladventure#holidays#newyear#mostwonderfultimeoftheyear

My apologies. 

Things / life in general has not slowed down yet!

Now we are full swing into the holiday season. 

There's been extra visits with friends and family,  baking and cooking,  concerts leading up to Christmas and the New Year plus just every day living.

I'll be back soon ...  no later than the beginning of the New Year with the rest of our tales about our Portugal adventure.

Wishing everyone a very "Merry Christmas" / "Happy Holidays"!

Looking for Time

#Sanmiguelisland#Pontedelgada#Ferraria#Azores

I know ... I know, it's nearly two weeks since I've posted. 

Everyday life has taken up a lot of my spare time. 

It's another busy week coming up, then I'm hoping things will slow down and I'll be able catch my breath.

And then I will find time to edit my photos taken in San Miguel and write my posts for the balance of our Portuguese adventure.

I'll leave you with some photos from different areas on San Miguel Island.

Not Just Another Coffee Shop!

#boutiquelido#poncha#pasteldenata#portuguesetarts#Funchal#recipe

A favourite spot in Funchal is this quaint coffee shop/ bakery that opens daily from 6 AM to 11 PM.

                              

Our first experience here was one day for a light lunch, a yummy sandwich made on a fresh baked Portuguese bun, a little wine and of course our first authentic "Pastel de Nata" aka custard tart. 

All the bread and pastries are baked fresh daily on site.

It was absolutely the best ... creamy custard filling in a light, flaky phyllo pastry shell.

And I can't forget to mention the aromatic coffees from frothy cappuccinos to espressos.

The owners, managers and staff make this place jump with their bubbly personalities. 

All customers are treated like long time friends, neighbours and as you leave the common saying is "See you tomorrow"! 

And I'm sure many return the next day!

One night the girls decided that we should wear some traditional hats for our photo op.

On our last evening in Funchal we went here for something light for our dinner as we had eaten our main meal for lunch.

 

Elaina and Maryanne were working this shift with their vibrant personalities drawing in the customers.

We were told we should try the "Poncha". 

"Poncha is a traditional alcoholic drink from the island of Madeira, made with distilled alcohol made from sugar cane juice, honey, sugar, lemon rind and with different fruit juices according to the version of Poncha, but traditionally lemon juice is used." This is Wikipedia's description.

It is mixed together with a mixing tool created in Madeira called a mexelote.

In Madeira it is said that Poncha cures the common cold and people are encouraged to drink it if they have cold-like symptoms, it's similar to a hot toddy only thing it's served cold.

Here it is made from scratch ... we watched as Elaina made a small pitcher for the two of us.

Poncha for Two

The juice of 1 lemon 

The juice of 1 Orange

1 1/2 ounces of rum could be used in place of the "Aguardente de Cana"

Good plunger of honey 

Put everything in the pitcher and muddle with the wooden stir stick and it's ready to enjoy!

A new refreshing drink that we can recreate and serve to our guests on a hot Summer day! 

 

This is a popular drink when the locals are socializing.

                 

Here we are ready to taste this special drink of "Poncha"...

The "Boutique Lido" Bakery/ Coffee Shop is located at :

Estrada Momumental, 294 -Sao Martinho - Funchal, Madeira.

Thank you Claudio, Maryanne and Elaina for your wonderful service and delicious food and drinks.

And as you say ... See you tomorrow!

                  

Our Friday in Funchal - Part Two

#armazemdosal#200yearoldsaltwarehouse#providingmemorableexperiences#funchal#madeiraisland

#tasteofportugueseislands#market#passionfruit#fishmarket

23 November 2015

Well the unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping are all finished and we are getting back to some semblance of our daily life; so here I am trying to finish my posts before I forget the memories.

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After our wonderful tour of the Presidental grounds we wandered on to spend the rest of our Friday in Funchal.

First requirement was a cool refreshment at a jolly cafe where we were seranaded by a character playing his guitar and dancing in the street. We had heard this man play the other day.

Senhor Honey asked him to play "Moon River" but he said he didn't quite know it well enough to play it for us. 

And of course we just had to have his CD ... more of a way to pay it forward and secondly a little souvenir from our trip.

We strolled some different streets and found an inviting looking restaurant for lunch.

The restaurant is located in a 200-year+ old salt warehouse.

                         

    

The ambiance and decor was perfect for our last lunch in Funchal.

We enjoyed a mouth-watering lunch of swordfish served over linguine stained with octopus ink, fresh salad plate and a shared scrumptious plum cheesecake for dessert!

From here we found our way to the market ... it was a riot of colours!

The market occupies a whole quarter and was planned as a miniature town with streets, squares and a central patio. It was designed by the architect Edmundo Tavares and the construction was completed in 1940. The inauguration was on November 24th, 1940.

The glazed tile panels at the main entrance and at the fish market are from Battistini, Maria Portugal factory.

                      

 This is a close up photo of the tiled walls ...

The fish market was closing up for the day ... tuna and black scabbard fish.

Now for some colour ... let's stroll through the Market streets and squares!

             

We've never seen so many varieties of passion fruit ... and we couldn't turn a corner without being offered tastes of all of them!

After seeing the abundance of these delicious fruits I now know why there are so many passion fruit desserts served in the restaurants.

These red ones were our favourites ... tasting like cherries!

        

Some of the buildings along the way back to the hotel ...

            

It was another busy day of discovery ...