Saturday was another early start for Mum and myself. This time, it was because we were going to see the central part of Madeira.
Again, I noticed the changes in the vegetation as we travelled towards the first stop towards the northern edge of Funchal. It gave both Mum and myself to see the city in all its glory (including the unforgettable sight that is Reid’s Palace – the only reason that I mention this, is because it’s painted pink!)
Yet again, the photos that I took were wiped off the memory card – all I can say is –thank god for having two cameras – Mum’s card wasn’t wiped when I tried to transfer the images to the computer.
We travelled in-land to the Nun’s Valley, and our guide explained the reason behind the naming of this area. Apparently, in the 15th century, Madeira was regularly attacked by pirates who used to steal the riches from the churches and other religious places in Funchal.
One group of nuns found this intolerable, and so decided that they would find a safe area to hide their wealth from the nunnery, and used this one particular levada – a walk of about 5 hours.
Because of this particular valley being so remote, it was a perfect hiding place for the island’s wealth, and so became known as the Nuns Valley. From what our guide was telling us (and I’ll be only too happy to accept corrections from Madeirans) the valley was hardly accessible by road until the late 1970s / early 1980s.
Again, I noticed the changes in the vegetation as we travelled towards the first stop towards the northern edge of Funchal. It gave both Mum and myself to see the city in all its glory (including the unforgettable sight that is Reid’s Palace – the only reason that I mention this, is because it’s painted pink!)
Yet again, the photos that I took were wiped off the memory card – all I can say is –thank god for having two cameras – Mum’s card wasn’t wiped when I tried to transfer the images to the computer.
We travelled in-land to the Nun’s Valley, and our guide explained the reason behind the naming of this area. Apparently, in the 15th century, Madeira was regularly attacked by pirates who used to steal the riches from the churches and other religious places in Funchal.
One group of nuns found this intolerable, and so decided that they would find a safe area to hide their wealth from the nunnery, and used this one particular levada – a walk of about 5 hours.
Because of this particular valley being so remote, it was a perfect hiding place for the island’s wealth, and so became known as the Nuns Valley. From what our guide was telling us (and I’ll be only too happy to accept corrections from Madeirans) the valley was hardly accessible by road until the late 1970s / early 1980s.
The valley itself was quite beautiful, and whilst the rest of the tour party went to try the chestnut cake and the cherry brandy that the valley is renowned for,I opted to go and see the local church.
Why? Simple. I loathe cherries, and I'm allergic to nuts, so both of those "treats" were out of the question for me. I re-joined the party, and we headed back towards Funchal - via Camara de
Lobos (I think the translation is Place of Wolves - something to do with the seals that are there.)
Apparently, it was Winston Churchill's favourite place to go and paint whilst he was on holiday in Maderia (he stayed at Reid's Palace). It may have been beautiful in the 1930s, but I'm afraid that it has been spoilt by an ugly exapnse of concrete that goes right up to the sea wall.
The rest of the day was spent quietly by the hotel swimming pool, with Mum and myself planning our final trip before getting ready to fly back to Birmingham..
Guess I should call this quits - it's my turn to feed Fred, and he's not patient when he's hungry!
Back tomorrow.
Karen
Learning to fly, but I don't have wings
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