Our last stop was certainly a treat. We were to have a short day with a departure time of 2 p.m., but at 8 this morning the captain announced our extended stay, not leaving until 4:30 p.m. The weather was superb, so we headed out for a long walk to the base of the cable car. We were the first ones up the steep ride that took us over the city, gardens and caverns below. The scenic town of Monte was at the top and we had a great vista over the whitewashed homes with red tile roofs below. We took the famous wicker basket sleigh ride back down the mountain – commandeered by two men in white suits and hats, who rode the wooden slates of the sleigh as we sped down the slippery roads for the ten minute ride. Crazy! Together with Karen and Guy, we walked down the rest of the way on the very steep winding roads to the center of town.
Funchal was a delight – a clean, well planned beautiful city. We were lucky to be there on this day, as it was the start of the annual flower festival! The city was lush with loads of exotic flowers and stalls selling plants, bulbs and seeds. The center walkways were decorated with ornate floral arrangements meticulously laid out by gardeners, and costumed men and women performed music and dances in the streets. We enjoyed our walk around the shops and particularly noted how many shoe shops there were. We later learned that the Portuguese are infatuated with shoes!
As we set sail tonight we realized it would be seven days before we saw land once again – sailing on to the “new world”, Ft. Lauderdale….
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