UNDER REGISTRATION
MARTA GONZÁLEZ-HONTORIA
Portugal
Updated on Saturday, 19 December 2020 - 01:46
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Discover.
This is the Mexican paradise in which the richest in the world have taken refuge in 2020
Interview.
The adventures of the young Spaniard who travels from Barcelona to Australia on foot and with a car tied around his waist
Madeirans still know it as the Corner of the world.
From the angle of the
large Golden Gate café
, in the heart of bustling Funchal, you could glimpse all the travelers who had just disembarked.
Among them, not a few naturalists who arrived on this Portuguese island stranded in the middle of the Atlantic -
500 kilometers from the Canary Islands and 860 from Lisbon
- loaded with species recently discovered in the new territories. Madeira never disappointed them.
In this volcanic Eden everything grew.
Tipuanas,
Jacarandas, pandanos from Madagascar, African cycads, Australian bottle trees and other exotic plants from all over the world populate the parks and streets of this cosmopolitan city and, at the same time, so far from everything.
A prodigious refuge of a thousand colors that these days multiply for Christmas.
Madeira could be the best remedy to forget about the pandemic.
Because to its vertigo cliffs, to its exuberant vegetation and rugged landscapes, a Christmas spirit is united with deep tradition that floods all the folds of the island.
Reasons, of course, are not lacking in Madeira.
Not a month ago
World Travel Awards
, the so-called Oscars of Tourism, awarded him the award for Best Archipelago in the World ... for the sixth consecutive year.
It may seem exaggerated, but just get closer to the
viewpoint of Cabo Girão
, one of the highest cliffs on the planet, to begin to understand it.
Just 15 kilometers from Funchal and therefore to the south of the island, this diamond-shaped colossus rises defiantly facing the sea up to the
580 meters high
.
At its top, a glass platform makes the most temperate traveler's hair stand on end.
Beneath his feet, a precipice and the foam of the sea that crashes furiously against the rocks.
Looking up, the rugged coastline contours to the capital and beyond.
"Many people believe that you can see the island in three days, but it is not possible," says Marco David, guide for Discovery Island Madeira.
The richness of nature and the variety of activities that you can do both at sea and in the mountains require, of course, more time.
"Bear in mind that the south, where 75% of the island's population lives (about 260,000 inhabitants), has a gentler incline. But the north is much steeper, with villages that are difficult to access.
depressions, forests, mountains
which, with our subtropical climate, means that in one day you can catch all four seasons ", says the guide.
The 'levadas' and laurisilva
At the wheel of a
jeep
(with the reducer set at times) the inclination is more than evident: in a few minutes we go from the profusion of banana plantations to the vine beds and, from these, to the waste of vegetation in the forest.
Two thirds of Madeira's surface is protected, including the area that includes
the largest laurel forest in the world
.
Here is one of Madeira's secrets: an ecosystem that traps all the condensation of the clouds that come from the sea (up to three liters per day per square meter) and then distribute the channels that trump the entire territory: «until
3,000 kilometers of levadas
', As they are called here.
In addition to being a candidate for a World Heritage Site, this irrigation network is the best way to discover the island on foot.
A spectacular town surrounded by all this beauty is
Curral das Freiras
.
At the bottom of the crater of an extinct volcano, this town is surrounded by high peaks through which countless waterfalls filter.
The nuns of Santa Clara arrived here, fleeing from the pirates that attacked the island.
Hence the name of the place, which means refuge for nuns. Besides the landscape, it has an inexcusable attraction, the gastronomic one, with some protagonists, the chestnuts.
To try them roasted, there is nothing like sitting at the table at the Sabores de Curral restaurant.
It is the occasion to also taste the meat of
vinha d'alhos
, a pork marinated with wine, vinegar and garlic that is the typical dish of Madeiran Christmas.
More typical in this era than even the famous black swordfish, the star of the island.
To meet him you have to go to
Chamber of Wolves,
the fishing village where the colorful boats that leave every night to capture this species with its elongated body and sharp teeth dock.
Its appearance is not seductive, but fried it is delicious.
Well i knew
Winston churchill
, who visited Câmara in 1950 and painted several pictures in this picturesque bay.
Even today it is remembered with a sculpture that looks out to sea.
What the visitor will not see in this place are the sea lions (hence its name) that the Portuguese explorer found
João Gonçalves Zarco
when he discovered the island territory in 1419.
the 'accident' of Madeira WINE
Another of Madeira's jewels also came from the sea, its famous wine, albeit by accident.
"To stabilize the wine that traveled in the holds of the ships, the islanders added brandy," explains Sofia Maul, a local resident who introduces herself as
storyteller
.
"Upon returning from his expeditions, the captain ordered the leftover wine to be thrown overboard, but
sailors never did such a thing
.
They drank it.
So they realized that he was much better. "Sofia says that it was believed that it was due to the movement of the sea, but the secret turned out to be e
l heat of the tropics
.
Madeira wine was born that "does not age in underground cellars, as in other places, but under the attic beams of buildings where it is hotter."
You have to try it in the
Blandy's Wine Lodge
, a family winery in the center of Funchal where they store more than 650 barrels that are aged with this method called
canteiro
.
Christmas atmosphere in Funchal
Right in front of this place, in
Arriaga avenue
, these days the traditional Christmas market unfolds.
This year, the veiled presence of the covid also leaves its mark here: there are fewer positions and they are more separated, but as always the
crafts, music and Christmas nativity scenes
are guaranteed.
The streets of the city are authentic rivers of color since last December 1.
The islanders take the lighting extremely seriously to the point that, in some of their streets, a device allows the passer-by to choose the color of the lights.
The whirlwind of light bulbs also surround those jacarandas and tipuanas that acquire a magical, almost supernatural appearance.
There are also concerts and children's activities, although the most popular by far are the fireworks on the 31st, so spectacular that they have their page in the Guinness Book.
And if you prefer a calmer plan, in
Bordal
, the shop and factory of artisan embroidery, you can also see an exhibition of Christmas tables.
They are decorated with the delicate table linen of this industry, one of the most traditional and ancient on the island.
It is one of the must-see addresses in the city.
The most genuine shops
As is also the
Santo Antonio Factory
, the delicious confectionery with a wooden counter and Portuguese tiles that has been selling the islanders' favorite cookies and sweets since 1893.
If you have to choose one, the most yours is the bolo de mel, the cane honey cake.
As the guide Graça Lopes explains, "Madeira was the first place in Europe where sugar cane grew. This white gold made many people very rich."
At this point on the route, it would be very strange that the stranger did not try the
punch
.
Moreover, it would be strange if more than one had not fallen.
After all, this is what sailors drank to secure vitamin C and outwit scurvy ... how to refuse to taste it.
Just in case, Graça lists the ingredients: sugar, cane honey, orange or lemon juice and brandy, the latter without qualms.
An authentic punch is what you will find in
Pharmácia do Bento
, another genuine trade.
We are still in the center of cute little Funchal, controllable on foot and in shirt sleeves most of the year.
Many are the tourists who visit the
Two Lavradores Market
.
His thing is to do it on Friday or Saturday and arrive hungry and curious.
As an experience, the best is the one offered by
chef Luisa Freitas
, creator of M
adeira Cook Experience
, which accompanies the visitor to buy at the fish market, explaining each product, and then cook them live and taste them all together.
This culinary adventure is essential to learn the art of frying swordfish.
The most beautiful garden in the world
Funchal still hides many surprises.
Football fans may head to the Museum of
Cristiano Ronaldo
.
Design lovers will make a pilgrimage to
Design Center Nini Andrade Silva
at the top of the Fortaleza da Nossa Senhora da Conceição, where Gonçalves Zarco lived.
Bohemians will stroll through Zona Velha, where each door is a work of urban art.
Now, to get the full panorama, nothing like the Monte cable car.
The route, about 3,200 meters hanging from a cable, ascends to the
Monte Palace Tropical Garden
, for many the most beautiful botanical garden in the world.
Think of a garden so exotic, refined and timeless that it could not be more than on a distant island anchored in the middle of the ocean.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
How to get
.
The airline
TAP Air
flies to Funchal via Lisbon with a frequency of three times a day.
From 81 euros / way.
Where to sleep.
In
Castanheiro Boutique Hotel
.. It has a spa and swimming pool on the roof.
Incredible panoramic view of Funchal.
From 100 euros / night.
Where to eat.
In
Kampo by Chef Julio Pereira
.
Avant-garde local cuisine.
And in Design Center
Nini Andrade Silva
.
Chic and with great views.
More information.
On the Tourism website:
www.visitmadeira.pt/es-es
, with all the information of the island in Spanish.
For a guided tour, see:
discoveryisland-madeira.com
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