Funchal Old Town

I didn’t take my camera on the morning I went to book a levada walking tour but found myself out for most of the day. Luckily mobile phone cameras are so good now and I was able to capture the feel of old Funchal by this means.

Having successfully booked the tour, my companion and I chose Kon Tiki, a restaurant to the north of our appartment. It’s speciality was fillet steak cooked on boiling lava at the table, which we hoped would sustain us during the next days walk.

Trajans Market, Rome

Looking through guide books before I visited Rome, Trajans Market caught my eye. I loved the curving lines of the buildings and the red bricks used in it’s construction. Thought to have been built in 100-110 AD, a surprising amount of the structure remains.

Trajan was one of the rulers of ancient Rome and it is thought he instigated the construction of these buildings, which were used as market stalls. Fresco’s have survived on some of the walls, showing the produce that was sold in that space.

I visited on a scorchingly hot day and enjoyed wandering around the almost deserted site. From various vantage points I could see masses of tourists being filtered through narrow passages amongst the constuction sites along Via dei Fori Imperiali, as well as thousands of people in The Forum, and wondered why Trajans Market doesn’t attract more visitors. I feel it would be greatly improved if there were places to sit and rest and buy refreshments, but that’s the same of all the large tourist sites in Rome. I usually run out of steam and energy long before I’ve seen even a portion of what they contain. Perhaps the Italians are wise though, because I always leave, longing to return and contine my explorations.

Old Market Funchal

Whilst waiting for the levada tour offices to open, we stumbeled across Mercado Dos Lavradores, which is the old farmers market. It dates from the 1940’s and is reminiscent of art deco architecture. On the lower ground floor there is a fresh fish market but it was closing as we arrived. We noticed large blue painted tiles at each side of the entrance. These attractive tiles are a feature of Funchal and can be seen on a multitude of buildings.

A courtyard entrance hall was fringed by stalls selling a colourful display of leather goods and fruit. Climbing the stairs we were assailed by a number of stalls with dates of various hues, suspended over the counter. Market sellers were keen to offer samples but I’ve never liked dates, so declined. Different types of old weighing machines and weights were displayed in cabinets. Looking over the balcony we could see the tops of the stalls below, covered in identical striped canvas that appeared all over the told town.

Levada Walking, Madeira

One of the things I looked forward to in Madeira was levada walking. I’d read about it in the guide books and on the second day we went to Tourist Information to try and book a tour. They directed us to their preferred company who had two offices in the old town. Unfortunately both offices were closed but the old town is picturesque and we enjoyed wandering the streets until somebody reappeared in one or other office.

We were assured that the walk we had chosen, although thirteen and a half kilometers long, was only moderately difficult and the end destination was only a hundred metres higher than the start point, so there would be very little climbing involved. We were also told that the company specialised in small groups of two to six people. Arrangements were made for the mini-bus to collect us outside our apartment at eight o’clock the following morning.

We were somewhat taken aback when a full sized bus appeared. There were only two people on board but the driver told us that it was a larger group than usual. We spent the next hour driving through narrow, often steep streets to the various pick up points until all sixteen people, plus the local guide were on board.

The walk was in the mountainous region at the northern side of the island so we didn’t arrive at the starting point until late morning. The bus stopped a kilometer from the start point because it couldn’t climb the steep gradients on the final leg with the load caused by such a large group.

We’d booked an English tour but the majority of the group were German and that is the language the guide used for most of the day. As soon as we alighted from the bus, one group immediately set off at a quick march leaving the rest of us behind. They were waiting at the official start and there was a brief talk in German then they speeded off again.

It wasn’t our intention to reach the end in record time, so we went at our own speed. The guide managed to spend time with everyone on this straggling line of walkers but seemed slightly puzzled and irritated by the speed of the leading group. Whilst walking with us he told us that  at certain times of the year, locals came to the levadas and cut sticks from Lily of the Valley trees to sell to walkers. They use this wood because it is strong but very light, and he pointed out a lily of the valley tree. I know the plant and used to have some in my garden, but didn’t know there was a variety that grew into a tree. He also pointed out a heather tree, another plant I hadn’t realised could grow to that size.

The beginning of the walk was fairly flat and along wide, leaf-cover tracks but it soon deteriorated into much narrower paths that twisted their way up and down over the rock-strewn, rough terrain. Although harder than we had expected or been led to believe, it was manageable.

We’d been told to take torches and discovered why when the track suddenly stopped at the mouth of a dark tunnel. The path had been cut through the rock of the mountain and we were plunged into darkness. It wasn’t very high and had an uneven roof so we had to crouch over and watch for protruding rocks as well as contend with an uneven surface, mostly covered in water and very slippery, underfoot. Part way along the first tunnel there was a hole and we had a wonderful view of the valley falling below and mountains soaring above opposite where we stood. It made me realise that above us was a solid mass of rock, which was quite disconcerting.

The last third of the walk proved much more challenging because the levada had been carved out of the side of a pretty sheer mountain side. We had to walk for miles along  the narrow concrete top of the levada wall. There was a fence made of metal post driven into the rock with two wires strung along them, but most of the posts were wobbling and unsafe and some were literally hanging in mid air with only the wires keeping them in place. It was along this section that we met the most people coming in the opposite direction and allowing each person to pass required difficult balancing efforts as one person had to lean into the rocks over the levada while the other person leant out over the sheer drop.

I didn’t enjoy this part of the walk at all. Having to place each step carefully, one in front of the other, required lots of concentration and I was more than ready for a break when we finally got to the end.

We had a half hour break, sitting on large rocks at the bottom of what would be a huge waterfall when it rained before having to retrace our steps for the homeward journey.

Hambleden, Buckinghamshire.

Easter 2019 saw record temperatures throughout the United Kingdom. It hasn’t been a hard winter but it has felt very long and the strong bitter wind has made it feel colder than the temperature would suggest. Lots of people took advantage of the unusually good weather to get out and enjoy themselves.

After years of travelling I settled in Buckinghamshire in the 1990’s and to date, that is the longest period I have lived anywhere. On Easter Sunday I decided to return to Hambleden, which was at that time a fairly unknown location but I was surprised to see it over-run with vehicles and people. Admittedly I had never been on a Bank Holiday before but I feel that quiet, hidden gems in the commuter belt, are being swallowed up by the restless nature of twenty first century life. The car park that in the past would have felt positively crowded if there were half a dozen cars there, was packed, as were the streets of the ‘unspoilt’ village. 

From the first car park I walked to Hambleden Mill, using the walkways over the weir to get to Hambleden Lock and the river. A thriving marina has grown up since I last visited ten years ago and people thronged the side of the lock, watching the many pleasure craft progress through.

Retracing my steps I decided to drive to the village as the road is narrow and has no footpaths. As the roadside was parked up I drove to the free park alongside the cricket ground. I was once again taken aback at the volume of vehicles parked. This park was also full and the two fields that had been opened to accommodate overflow parking were rapidly filling. 

I walked along the familiar streets to the church wondering if Hambleden’s use as a film and TV location had caused this upsurge in popularity. When we lived locally we often saw film units encamped on the field behind the church. Band of Brothers was there for weeks, as was the dramatisation of Joanna Trollop’s ‘A Village Affair’. More recently I’ve often recognised the background in the TV series Endeavour.

Leaving Hambleden I drove into The Chilterns and visited Turville and Fingest, two nearby villages

often used for filming and managed to take a photograph of Fingest Mill, used in ChittyChittyBangBang.

Skies Above Madeira

My first view of Madiera was from the plane window. White clouds bubbled beneath us with the top of the mountains breaking free and being silhouetted on the horizon.

We chose our apartment because of the fantastic location in central Funchal, but it was even better than expected because it had balconies at the front and rear. The ones at the back faced the town and the hills that rise behind it, which looked spectacular when the lights came on after dark, but they couldn’t compete with the amazing sight of the harbour and sea that we enjoyed from the main living quarters. There was always something happening in the harbour but the ever changing skies caught my attention every time I entered the room.

e ever changing skies caught my attention every time entered the room.

Madeira – Cable Cars

To reach the Jardim Botanico I used the cable cars that run from the sea front. Despite it’s proximity to the sea and salt water, the building housing the station at the lower end of the ride looked new and in good repair. It was opened in in the autumn of 2000, rises 560 metres from sea level to the top station in Monte and is 3,718 metres long. The cars have eight seats but it wasn’t busy when we travelled and we had a car to ourselves for every journey.

It apparently only takes fifteen minutes to reach the top station but it seemed much longer. The car bumped a bit as it left and entered the stations and was moved about by the wind, but it wasn’t at all frightening and the views were fantastic.

Having reached the top station we had to walk a few hundred metres down the hill to the second cable car, which would take us down the hill to the Jardim Botanico. We stopped for refreshments before reaching the station and spent a peaceful half hour, sitting on the cafe terrace, looking down the mountain, over the rooftops of Funchal with the sea in the far distance.

 

Jardim Botanico, Funchal, Madeira

I visited Madeira in December and although it’s not the best time to see the spectacular flowers, shrubs and trees that grow there, the afternoon I spent in the Botanical Gardens gave me an insight into what it might be like in spring and summer.

The gardens are situated on the hills above Funchal and are reached by cable car. The weather was perfect, sunny, warm and with a slight breeze. Here are some of the things I saw.