Madeira Yesterday and Today
My first visit to Madeira, Portugal, was during the 1950's, and I was so impressed by the natural beauty and quaintness of Funchal, the Capital, and with my visit to the ancient city of Machico with its pedestrian only cobbled streets. Machico was the first town built on this Portuguese island.
Picturing the Past
In the fifties you could still see 'pearl divers' as they dove down deep off the high cliffs of Funchal to retrieve coins from the ocean bed. This pastime later became abolished by order of the EEC, due to the many lung problems it caused. Nevertheless, it was an amazing sight to witness.
Another fun thing to do for us tourists was to ride on a brightly decorated wicker cart hand pulled by young men in traditional dress to the mountain top and then to hurtle down again over the narrow cobbled streets, guided by a man at the back, who somehow managed to miss anything in the way. Hairy but survivable! Or else, there was great fun to take a ride in a bullock cart through the town streets. This too ended with the modernization of the island road structures.
Former Air Landing
Before the nineties, it was hairy to fly in to Madeira as the landing approach gave visitors an instant feel of either about to crash into the mountains or else land in the sea. However, the highly skilled pilots were so used to flying the route that you managed to land safely. The landing strip has since then undergone a major extension.
Many retired people and socialites still live permanently in Funchal or spend time at the exclusive Reid's Hotel with its beautiful gardens. To take High Tea at Reid's was considered as the place for being seen at, and definitely an outing not to miss. Today there is wide choice of hotels or other types of accommodation available for visitors to Funchal.
The Landscape
The beauty of Madera is amazing, enhanced by mountains stretching down to the sea and the sight of jacaranda blossoms, the wild lush greenery, and the old levadas, (stone channel water ducts) that run down from the mountain heights. These were originally built as a means for conducting water down to the vineyards. The paths next to the levadas are easy walkways, and the roads tarred but narrow and twisty. Enthusiastic hikers climb up to the mountaintop to take in the scenic panoramic view over Madeira and the small islands nearby, together with the vast expanse of Atlantic Ocean. You also can hike over the vast flat plain of Paul da Serra, an extinct volcano, now home to many sheep and cattle.
Madeira is mainly rural with agricultural crops, especially grapes, grown on the mountainous terrain in tiered terraces. This provides a great source of income for the farmers from local inhabitants and from the export of wines or port. During the September month there is a lively Grape Festival held annually in Funchal for the celebration of a successful harvest.
The Madeira of Now
Funchal in Madeira of today has its full of chain eateries, restaurants and shopping establishments. Some of the old styled shops still exist in the side streets but the main shopping areas are up to date boutiques stocked with the latest fashions from Europe, as well as many modern sidewalk cafes. There are shopping malls, at which you can buy anything you want or need.
Madeira was always known for exquisite hand embroidered tablecloths, hand embroidered linen and interesting handmade wicker ware. There is still plenty of wicker ware available at markets or street stalls, but the available embroidery items you find in the shops are factory made or else imported from China.
My name is Gloria Herman and I find that writing about the happenings around us is very inspirational and a tonic for the soul. Life is so interesting and I find that I can can never gain enough knowledge.
Travel and writing are two subjects that for me have become a way of stimulation.
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