What to do on a Lazy Day in Funchal!

#ForumMadeira#DragonTree#O Dragoeiro#Funchal

And time keeps going! When on vacation the time does seem to go quite quickly! 

Today is Thursday and we've declared today another "lazy" day we are suppose to be on vacation afterall!

No we didn't sleep in, there was no breakfast in bed ... just no specific plans! 

Our morning started with a walk  to the west to the Shopping Centre "Forum Madeira".

The walking is important to work off some of the additional calories we've been consuming.

This mall is similar to the large outdoor shopping centres in the large cities in Canada and the U.S.A.

And lo and behold it was all decked out for Christmas! 

Normally this time of the year we are in Central Florida and I usually have my Christmas shopping for the grandkids all completed by the 1st of December before we return to Canada. 

That's not happening this year!

 

                             

    

We took many steps walking all three levels of the shopping Center.  

There wasn't anything that screamed at us "Buy me, buy me!"; even though there were some bargains for leather shoes and handbags to be had.

    

 

Fresh geranium planters surrounding the artificial palm tree.

 

Today's walk we were again surrounded by the "Giant" tropical plants lining the boulevards.

These fiddle heads were reaching and touching the second floor balcony of this building.

We decided to return to "O Dragoeiro" Restaurant/ Cocktail Bar for tonight's dinner!

The trees were all lit up to greet it's guests ...

                   

This photo was taken earlier in the day ...

Tonight, we were welcomed by "Smit" (sp.) offering us a pre-dinner drink of Madeira wine ...

Once again we thoroughly enjoyed a great meal.

We both chose a salad starter, the swordfish with the freshest of vegetables ... brocolli, carrots, peas and something we've never had before "Pimpi mela". 

I haven't been able to translate this to English, maybe some of my extended Portuguese family or friends will know what this vegetable is?

And to satisfy our sweet teeth ... Senhor chose chocolate mousse and I decided to try the passion fruit pudding (delicious with some crunchiness from the added seeds). 

I'm going to share a recipe to make this pudding in another post.

For a day with not much planned it still was very busy with more sights, sounds and tastes of Funchal!

Magic on the Rocks ...

#Lido Promenade#Pirates#Funchal#TasteofPortugal#MadeiraIsland

On Wednesday we ventured on a walkway known as the Lido Promenade which found us travelling on a beautiful trail on top of the cliffs, high above the water.

If you haven't figured us out yet we are not much for full blown itineraries. 

We are more what I'd call "spontaneous" travellers and we always seem to discover our own sights and sounds off the usual tourist destinations. 

Again I saw my rock in the middle of the Ocean it seems to follow us.

 At one point we we walked closer to the water, here we discovered old stone ruins housing rusted winches. We had no idea what these were!

When returned to the main walkway Senhor asked a local hotelier what he could tell us about the ruins.

Originally, it was a fort built to warn the locals of approaching pirates and later converted into a factory to process sugar cane.

Back up to the high road ... All along this walkway we were surrounded by lush, tropical plants, trees and flowers and at one point there was a restaurant called "Magic on the Rocks" and I can see why.

How does all this beauty grow out of the rocks?

Can you see the path?

The path then changed to what I called the "Yellow Brick Road" ... I should say here that Senhor Honey aka Monsieur Honey has been a great trooper walking everywhere we have ventured rather than taking the bus / taxi ... Which hopefully will help with the increased intake of delicious food and wine.

Giant tropical plants ... are they on steroids?

We finished our walk with a light lunch at a quaint, local Bakery/ Coffee Shop.

And of course we had to have a Portuguese custard tart, "Pastel de Nata"!

We may have a "taste test" contest to see which ones are better ... the ones in Madeira or the ones in San Miguel.

Our Tuesday in Funchal

#SantaCatarinaPark#Hallow#Funchal

Tuesday we headed to Old town, actually we were going to the Farmer's Market but we never made it there. 

It's a totally different travel experience when you are staying in a hotel versus renting an apartment/ cottage/ house ... self-catering is more difficult! 

We do have a mini-fridge in our room so we can chill some water and wine, keep some fruit and cheese but that is the extent of it. 

Our hotel offers a very good selection for breakfast from fresh fruit and vegetables, cheeses, cold cuts,  yogurts, many different fresh baked breads and hot cooked items ... scrambled eggs, fried eggs, bacon, sausage, beans for the English, oven roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and various juices, champagne to make your morning mimosa. 

Which is great but nothing beats having your own kitchen in my opinion!

What an amazing "container" garden!

                 

Today's route took us down a different avenue ... lined with stately homes and unique shops/ boutiques.

 

"Hallow" an upholstery/ cross stitching shop with many unique items.

Check out what I call the "Mad Hatter" chairs.

Senhor thinks he can make this table, I would love it as a dining table.

Here's one of the unique pine trees ...

               

We came upon the President's residence which was guarded and located next to a beautiful park/ garden space, Santa Catarina Park.

We spent quite a bit of time strolling through the park, admiring the wonderful gardens with views over the waterfront and the activities of local school children who today appeared to be attending a special event similar to a cross country meet with the added activity of zip lining across the lake. 

Setting up the zip line ...

The school kids warmly greeted Senhor ...

The chapel built in 1425 of wood, in the 17th century reconstructed in stone.

Some of the lush plants in the park's gardens.

It was now close to noon when we found ourselves in a busy area with some jazz music being played ... time for some refreshments and relaxation.

By the end of our walk we had climbed up many steep roads, taken many steps and we did have a minor navigational glitch that was quickly rectified before we became totally lost.

We found our way back to our hotel after another busy day!