A tour of Blandy's

 

On Tuesday we headed off to Blandy's wine Lodge for a tour. Its an amazing old building, they have been making wine there a long time. We were met at 10.30am by a lovely Madeiran lady who took us around the lodge, stopping along the way to explain about the different grapes used and the various stages of wine making. It was a very enjoyable tour, ending with a wine tasting. Traditional Maderian wine is strong and tastes more like sherry to me, still if someone gives me a glass I am going to drink it. To not, would be rude! After the tasting we had a wonder around the gift shop and then headed back into the old town.

We decided to have lunch at the Ritz, lovely place with tables set outside so you can eat, drink and watch the world go by. Lunch was cheese toasties (apparently very popular in Madeira) chips and followed by delicious scones, cream and jam. Of course there was sangria involved! Who needs tea!!

After lunch we walked down to the harbour to look around. The days really did seem to fly by way too quickly. Why does that always happen when you're on holiday? In the evening we had dinner at the Sunseterrace and then a walk around the shopping Mall. It was nice having somewhere to go in the evenings, even though we never actually bought very much.

Reaching dizzy new heightss

On Monday we headed down to the old Town to take the  Teleferico (cable car) up to Monte. As expected I was shaking like a coward as we waited in line to board the cable cars. They terrify me, but sometimes you have to push your boundaries! We shared a cabin with two German couples which was probably a good thing, because I really didn't want to embarrass myself by crying in front of them!! The journey up to Monte was actually not that bad and not as fearsome as I had thought it would be. The views are stunning as you head up the mountainside and leave the ocean far below you.

On arriving in Monte we set off to explore, we had decided against visiting the Botanical Gardens . Firstly because it was expensive and secondly because it late November would we be seeing the gardens at their best? So instead we visited the beautiful church and just ambled around this little mountain top town. The views from up there are fabulous, you feel like you're on top of the world! We found a café right under the cable car station and stopped for a beer, you could watch the cable cars come and go which was amazing.

When we came back down to the old town we had lunch at a lovely café and then visited the Palacio de Sao Lourenco. We came across this fort while wondering around the city, and found it was open to the public for free tours at random times during the week. We were able to do one of the tours on Monday afternoon. It was about half an hour and though the guide spoke little English, you were given an information card to read as you walked through each room. Beautiful interior and I feel so lucky to have had a peek inside!

After spending the rest of the afternoon ambling about (something we do well!) we headed back to our hotel.

We had dinner at an Indian restaurant called Bombay Spice, this made us smile as we have a restaurant of the same name very close to where we live! Dinner was lovely, and the service was excellent. Everyone in Madeira is so pleasant! After dinner we headed over to the Forum shopping centre which is open till 11pm, a great way to walk off dinner. The place is well laid out, and all the Christmas decorations were up so it looked very festive! Lots of recognisable names too like H&S, Zara etc.  By the time we walked back to the hotel we were definitely ready for bed!

Waking up to new horizons

Sunday morning dawned and we were up early to enjoy an al fresco breakfast - in November! The outside dining area at the hotel was lovely, it was so nice being able to sit outside and eat. After breakfast we made our way into the town by bus. The stop was right outside the hotel making it very convenient. The buses in Madeira are punctual and cheap, what more can you ask for!? Once in the Old Town we had a wander around till we found the Madeira Story Centre, we figured this would be a good place to start our day. The interactive museum told the story of this tiny island who's past has been quite turbulent. I'm glad we went as it gave you a better understanding of the island.

On leaving the Story Centre we had a walk around to orientate ourselves. Its actually easy to find your way around, though the tourist maps leave a lot to be desired! We visited the cathedral, which is beautiful and also the museum of Sacred Art. The art museum had a stunning collection of religious artwork and statues etc. Its not expensive and was well worth the visit. Surprisingly right at the end of our walk around the museum we found a room with several big photo albums on a table. They were full of sugar packets. The collections must have contained hundreds if not thousands of packets! What an unexpected find, and one that made me feel quite motivated to start collecting again. I bet there are many of you who never knew I collected sugar packets - lol!

On returning to the hotel, we walked down the road to the Sunseterrace for dinner and sangria. It really is a beautiful spot to watch the sun go down. The bar itself is located over a shopping centre, which sadly remains all but empty. A couple of the units are in use, but otherwise there is nothing there but tumbleweeds blowing around in the emptiness.  

When we got back to our hotel we discovered live music in the restaurant, so we decided to stop and listen. The singer was actually quite good, but then one of the waitresses joined him and wow!! She was amazing, such a great voice! We ended up staying till the end of the set, as we just loved her voice so much. It was a great end to our first full day in Madeira. We were certainly shattered after all the walking, not much in Madeira is flat!!

Maderia - A piece of cake!

 

After what seems like months of waiting the day finally arrived for us to set forth for the Portuguese island of Madeira. Its long been my ambition to visit the country where the cakes are grown and see them in their natural environment 😊

We drove down to Gatwick on Friday afternoon, what a horrendous journey. The airport is nice but I hope we never have to fly from there again!! Once we finally arrived, we checked into our hotel and headed out to dinner at Ye Olde Six Bells. Dinner was nice, but the pub was extremely busy and service was poor. But we needed to eat, and it filled the gap.

On Saturday we checked out, and headed to the airport. At last it was time to go! The flight took around three and a half hours and we landed in Funchal's Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport. Yes, its really called that!! Our transfer driver was waiting for us, and whisked us off to our hotel - the Golden Residence. It was everything I had hoped it would be, a lovely place for our stay. The hotel was set in 3 blocks, built on the side of a hill. We were in the block overlooking the sea, which gave us a nice view. The room was large, with a balcony where we could sit out and gaze at the ocean.

Once we'd dropped our bags in our room, we headed off to find the Sunseterrace, which turned out to be just around the corner. Lovely place to watch the sunset, which is exactly what we did over a dinner of cheese toasties and chips, and copious amounts of sangria. Extremely cheap and absolutely delightful. You can keep fine dining, this was just perfect!

Within a very short time, we had fallen in love with this tiny dot in the Atlantic Ocean. We headed back to the hotel and bed, excited about the adventures that lay ahead!

Family Time

The last couple of week ends have been busy, mostly with family visits and catch ups. Last week end we headed down to London to visit my parents - 4 hours on motorways in steady rain, and wen we got to Penge there was nowhere to park - NOWHERE!! Parking in my parents road has always been an issue, but usually we have managed to find a spot somewhere, but this time we ended up a 10-15 minute walk away. We had to walk back in the rain with several bags of presents. I guess these things are sent to try us!

It was good to see mum and dad again, I wish we could get down to London more often. We took them out to lunch at the Moon and Stars, its really the only place we can get them to come. But lunch was nice and everyone was happy. When we got back to their house we had cake, complete with candles and a badly sung happy birthday from me. Dad is 80 later this month, and I am so glad we were able to celebrate it in this small way. I think dad was happy to see his cake and blow out the candles. This sadly was a flying visit and around 4pm we had to head off, it was already dark by then. Luckily we weren't driving all the way back, we broke the journey in Dunstable and stayed overnight at a Premier inn. Lovely comfy room and a pub next door for dinner! It was an excellent location, and one we'll use again!

On Sunday the sun was shining and we had slept well. So by 9am we were on our way to MK1 near Bletchley. Its a retail park and also home to the Milton Keynes Dons. When we got there the car park was empty and we were able to park and head to Bella Italia for breakfast, which was lovely. It was so nice having a leisurely start to the day. By the time we came out, the car park was pretty much full! Unbelievable!! But we were ready to hit the shops - well, mostly Primark, where a mini shopping spree ensued! It was a lovely week end, but can honestly say we were both tired when we got home.

This Saturday just gone, we had to dash into Burton to run a few errands. St Peter's Bridge is now open - praise the lord!! What a difference that made to the journey! Paul bought a new suitcase, and we picked up more Euro's - the pawn brokers still has the best exchange rate! Once we'd run around and done everything we needed to, we jumped back in the car to head to Lutterworth. We had arranged to meet family at the Elms for lunch, it turned out to be an excellent halfway point. Its a big pub with plenty of room and very pleasant and helpful staff. It was so lovely to see Anuk again and to meet Sajda and their gorgeous little boy for the first time. To spend time with a lovely couple who you feel so comfortable with is indeed a priceless thing. A couple of hours flew by way too soon. Lunch was lovely especially dessert - yum! I was sad when it was time to say good bye, but hopefully there will more chances to meet in the new year. Though I have family in the UK, I may as well not - sadly a part from mum and dad, I never see any of them. Its amazingly sad that family can drift away never to be seen again, especially when as children you've been so close. But that's life and I can only express how happy I am to have to become more in touch with family overseas. Many people knock it, but social media for me is a wondrous thing!

Sunday flew by in a blur of shopping and packing, though we did find time for a visit to a Christmas market at a local garden centre.  Week ends are never long enough, I'm sure most people would agree with that. So next week - end....... é quando a verdadeira aventura começa!