MADEIRA DAY FOUR

Sat. 7th July 07/07/07

Day trip east of Madeira with Strawberry World!

Although Madeira is only some 50-60 km from East to West and about 20 km North to South it takes for ever travelling along the older switchback roads with their hairpin bends. That is unless you travel along the modern highways which have more tunnel per km that any where else I have ever been to.
Same driver - Eduardo and same Mercedes Benz mini bus. I have the same front seat..
Today included a wickerwork outlet for the wickerwork which is still a cottage industry here. Very lovely stuff but I wasn't inclined to buy anything. It looked much the same as wickerwork anywhere else and would also look 'touristy' back home..

Lovely countryside = intensive multi planting (lots of crops altogether) on minuscule terraces. There is no sign of machinery as everything is done by hand. Bananas, pineapples, fruits of all kinds both tropical and European. A type of grape vine that is allowed to cling to the mountainside without stakes was interesting to see.
Cows - are kept in little huts - one or two only per small holding, spending most of their life there as there is no grazing.They keep a few families in milk and cheese etc. and help fertilize the ground. Who are the slaves? The poor cows or the humans, who have to fetch and carry for the cows wellbeing?
We travel most of the East of Madira - Santana, S Rogue do Faial. Porto de Cruz, Sao Lourenço, Cançal Machico (will put in links here eventually.)
We travel up through cloud into brilliant sunshine. We enjoy looking over the clouds just as though we were in an aircraft from the third highest point on the island whose name escapes me!
Back down again and it is a bit like Ireland on a normal day - rain and gloom! We stop for lunch in pouring rain at a doubtful looking dive of a place. Looks like Pizza Palace gone wrong.

An educated English male voice from the backseat of the minibus objects when Eduardo suggests an hour and a half stop here at what he (the voice) considers a 'dive.' Immediately a very interesting reaction from me! = I sort of swing into action ('cos I'm in the front seat?) In my best Rector style I start a negotiation to include every body's view including the driver - who looks a little startled! I have taken charge of the group! We all agree on a 55min stop - all that is except a married couple of obscure origin (Moldovan?) who are absolutely boggled eyed with fright and say nothing! An English Take Over - hurrah fly the flag!! An American couple (both gorgeous,) she - a good thirty years older than him (son or toyboy - probably the latter) didn't really care either way so long as they could be together. Anyway we all go into the 'dive' which actually turned out to be a rather good village restaurant. Of course it took 45 mins to get served and before anything was on the table in front of us. However some of us Brits make the point and we are back at the bus in 50 mins. Kebabs of squid and prawns were good even though eaten rather quickly. The others follow in a dazed state of incomprehension. Eduardo laughs - he has now seen it all! (But what an interesting reaction from me - for the rest of the trip I will remain very meek and passive.)

On our return we drive under the airport runway seeing how it is built on pillars over the sea and shore line. If the weather is too hazardous to land, planes go to Santo Porto (the next island which is flat and has a regular landing strip.

Back at hotel 5pm and I go for a swim at the hotel swimming pool. I am the only one using it as the weather is still overcast - most people only swim when there is a chance of a suntan. I think one can still get a sun tan here even when it is cloudy.

I decide to brave 'Coupledom' again tonight and see if the chef has improved. But first I have a very blue cocktail and wander the gardens of the old Quinta - I discover the old manor house beautifully painted in darkest red - like the walls of my small (I have two) sitting room at the Rectory. See a pigeon with a broken wing who seemed to be living happily enough off the scraps dropped by some caged canaries.

Dinner -
Soup = on the menu it said Sweet Potato, but really could have been anything.
Instead of a main course I ordered a salad with grilled prawns. Salad OK but then most people can wash lettuce leaves; but the poor prawns - so badly microwaved they were hard and shrivelled to little knots of toughness and not worth the fortune they cost in reaching my plate.
Dessert - Mango Crumble - again the microwave was very evident and a tiny amount not worth the price.
Obviously the hotel has a problem here, and I notice it was only people just arrived who seemed to be eating in.
Pavement cafes from now on!!

There was a huge Italian Cruise ship in the harbour today. I am told that the harbour is to be enlarged so it can contain very many more ships.