MADEIRA DAY SIX

Monday 9th July

Breakfast at leisure and wander down town. Write up weekend notes at the ropey computer place.
Walk to the Cable Car station and buy a return ticket to Monte. I had heard that the toboggan rides now only go down half way and the rest of the way is by foot down a torturous incline. I share a cable car with a lovely Dutch family - parents and daughter. we take picture for each other as we sit in midair.
Monte is lush and I enjoy my walk around the Tropical Gardens. I didn't take many photos as I thought a DVD would be better. I am not a authority on tropical flowers but it was funny to see what I know as houseplants growing like weeds here - eg 'Busy Lizzie' springing up on the pathways as a weed. Many plants of course I had seen in Australia. Hydrangeas also behave like wild things everywhere. I now know why many plants don't like bright sun as they thrive under the canopy of tropical forest trees.
I have a snack and a 'wine taste' at the cafe in the gardens. There are also two long term exhibitions - one of precious stones (need a bit of freshening up) and one of African Art.
It was the Japanese area I found the most fascinating. It has ceramic murals depicting the history of the Portuguese in Japan. The Portuguese were very much like the British in their quest for colonisation and make other people like themselves. The Japanese stood firm enough though.

Back down again on the Telfericos de Madeira! Those without a head for heights = you are excused this trip!! The first launch into the air is quite scary!! However it is all so fascinating to look down onto Funchal. Sounds drift up - like dogs barking, birds twittering and someone strimming in a garden. The trip is a good 15 minutes long. I read somewhere that the local residents were put out when the cable car operation was put up as they lost all their privacy. One can certainly have a bird's eye view of gardens and swimming pools!!

Back on Terra firma I felt peckish so sat down at yet another street side cafe. I ordered their prawns and got a good bowlful simply swimming in molten garlic butter. It was delicious but had to leave the liquid butter or I'd put on yet another kilo! After watching the world go by (I have been so active but now I am calming down) I wander to the Old Blandy Wine Lodge. This is the only one of its kind left. All the Madeira Wine firms are now under the one label including the firm of Cossart - the one that AF knew about and met the old manager of. As with the embroidery the name of Phelps has long since disappeared as firms have been merging ever since the 1880's. I have a pleasant enough stroll around the Wine Lodge - I already have a ticket (bought as a saver with my museum ticket the other day) but no one bothers me as I typically 'poke around.' I missed the last tour. I buy a few small samples to pack in my suitcase (it had better not go missing) and will buy a big bottle at the airport through customs.
i tried a sample of the Atlantis Rosé which is a new Madeiran table wine. The Malmsey (fortified) is supposed to be the most 'original' of the Madeiran wines.
I looked along the rows of reserved wines but couldn't find a 1953 or a 1949 - if I had I would have snapped one of them up. Plenty of other dates going back 150 years.

Walk down to the sea front and along the marina.
Dinner at the Trigal roadside restaurant. The whole meal and wine and bottled water came to the same as a starter at the hotel.
I bought the Daily Telegraph earlier so catch up with the news (all bad) and do the Sudokos. At last I am feeling leisurely and in a holiday mood.
Back at hotel about 9pm.