An autonomous region of Portugal on an island off the northwest coast of Africa… People called Madeira the Island of the eternal spring….and it surely lives up to its name…Funchal is the capital of Madeira and that’s where we stopped today
Ever heard of toboggan? Neither did we… And its the first thing we target since many ship mates who did it before highly recommended it and warned us of likely long lines…. .. We hailed a taxi as soon as we get off the ship and arrived second on the line… It’s super fun indeed where two crew members who dressed like gondoliers with thick shoe sole helped navigate a sledge like basket where you sat and roll down the hill for 2 km…. We enjoyed the thrill of sliding down the hill and the scenery…. Not scary at all
For those interested to know more about Funchal’s toboggan ride, here’s a link to a youtube video that has already garnered 1.5 million views: https://youtu.be/19o8yPaVp58?si=DrOqI6ss_fX-SI-R
After the ride we walked down the hill to the city for a little sight seeing in the historic city area
Coffee stop next to the Jardin municipal
Rue de Santa Maria for lunch… We found a restaurant at the famous Narrow alley of rue de Santa Maria and had a feast while tourist walked by taking pictures of the alleys painted doors
Mercado de Lavradores, biggest fresh produce market in town
Also, we need to mention the painted doors trend of Funchal and here’s just a few examples… It was started by a Jose Maria zyberchem back in 2010
This final stop of Europe ended with a bang! Funchal Madeira is glorious and memorable…
So next will be 5 sea days until Bermuda…. Hopefully we don’t pull a dissappearing act in Bermuda…. Lol