2006-11-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

Madiera is where Conchita is from and it is the place that we will retire someday.

North Coast-Old Highway-Now only used as a one-way scenic route. Used to have tourist buses going both ways on it. Sometimes one bus would have to back up until it could pull over onto a pull-out made for that reason. Now there are tunnels through the mountains connecting the towns together. People say that it is becoming like a big piece of cottage cheese (Andy was kind enough to remind me that it is SWISS CHEESE-"you know, the one with the holes in it"-hahahah-Thanks sooo much Andy). I think that the tunnels are taking away some of Madeira's charm, but the residents like the easier access to the city of Funchal.

The old highway with the new tunnels in the background. That's our good friend Andy waving away.

Andy, Debbie, Carmo and Conchita.

Check out the biking roads!

Lillia on her cell phone!?

Pousada (guest house) for the weary hikers. On top of Pico Ruivo- Highest mountain on the island.

No problem for quads on the roads here.

An amazing view and a Coral beer for everyone!!

View from the top of Madeira's highest mountain-Pico Ruivo 6105 ft. It does snow up here in the winter. There is a small town nestled in the valley below.

Hiker extra"ordinary"?

Taking a break on a Levada hike (man-made water ways from the mountains to the farmers in the valleys).

Here is a good photo of a Levada. These are all over the island. Sometimes tunneling through mountains. It is amazing how these were built hundreds of years ago. Even today, the workers haul concrete sacks up the trail to do repair work.

Workers maintaining the Levada.

Porto Moniz northwest corner of the island-popular swimming area. Pools can be seen on the left side of the photo. The ocean waves crash over the top of the lava rocks and fill the pools up.

Ahhh- just drive over the curb and park her on the sidewalk!!

Here are the cruise ships pulling into the harbour on New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks-now in the Guiness Book as the largest fireworks display in the world. The fireworks are awesome. Well worth the price of a plane ticket by themselves.

Just a small example of the fireworks!!

Here you can see the the fireworks are spread out over a few kilometers. I remember seeing flat-bed trailers on the side of the highways loaded up with the fireworks. There are plug-in points that are installed in various locations in Funchal, so they pull up, plug in and let the computer do the rest.

The Natural "amphitheatre" of Funchal definitely is the reason that the show is so fantastic.

Madeira Photos