The Madeiran Walk - Not for the faint of heart
Madeira Island, Portugal
This was a totally new experience for me. I traveled from Atlanta to Philadelphia to Lisbon to Madeira (Funchal – pronounced foon shall). American Airlines /Tap Portugal did a great job of getting me there and in a miracle, the landing in Funchal was as smooth as silk. I hear that’s a rarity.
The group was small, eight people including the two guides: Thor Jonsson (Thor-Photography.com) and Mike Browne Photography (https://www.photographycourses.biz/). This was a challenging trip for our guides as the weather decide to call on Cyclone Emilia to give us a wet and windy experience. Blue skies are boring, right?!
The first day included a trip to the Fanal Forest. Located up curvy roads high on a mountain, the day was clear. Not quite the foggy experience you’d need to isolate your shots, but a good day to scout out sites to revisit. Surprisingly, cows roam the area freely and share the picnic area.
Views from Pico Grande and Pico Do Arieiro were amazing. You can hike the trails that follow the ridges, and the best part, you can drive up and start at the top so you’re not dying from the steep hillsides before you get there. We were up above the clouds, but the cyclone moved in while we were on Pico Do Arieiro, enveloping the area in clouds within minutes. Winds and rain finally drove us down the mountain, but not before we got some incredible shots.
We visited many small towns and coffee shops during the trip including Sao Vincente, Ponte Moniz, Ribeira Brava, Camara De Lobos, Seixal and others. The Clock Towers and Cathedrals were amazing, but going in December meant everything was decorated for Christmas. These harbors provided shelter from the high winds and rain and some amazing wave action.
Unexpectedly, we did visit a local farm located in the middle of a village. It had authentic style homes still decorated with the original owners’ clothes and furniture. The animals were still there as well as the terraced garden.
During our stay the cyclone did quite a bit of damage. Trees were down, buildings were damaged, and the power went out. Our hotel, Quinta de Estreito, while a beautiful hotel, sustained damage and suffered some flooding due to the large amounts of rainfall and high winds. The staff was amazing. I had injured my foot enroute, and they even provided a cane and helped me order Uber Eats.
Due to the foot injury, I didn’t make the 2.5km hike to the Dragon’s back. I did recover and did the Madeiran Walk. The streets are incredibly steep, and walking through town is not for the feint of heart. However, if you’re able, the foliage is incredible. Many, many types of flowers and plants grow on the island including grapes, bananas, olives, and other crops. The Poinsettias grow as big as houses (not an exaggeration) and the Mandevilla plants cover everything. I saw rose gardens with every color imaginable along with many other types of flowering plants.
December and January are the rainy season. Flights can be tough due to the high winds coming in off the ocean. During our stay, two days of flights were cancelled entirely, but it’s an easy airport to get through in a short window. My flight out was as smooth as my flight in. Uber is advised over taxis.
Food is very reasonable. In fact, three pastries and coffee were nine euros. Burgers were $5 at Ma Fama, a great family owned restaurant. Many places do not take US dollars or credit cards so make sure you convert some dollars to euros. Taxi drivers will tell you they don’t take US dollars even if you ask before you get in the car and they say yes beforehand. Mind did take them after an argument. Yes, I overpaid him. Uber does great!
Overall, it was a fantastic workshop with the two guides. I highly recommend both of them if you’re interested in photography. A lot of help in composition, camera functions, and overall, just a great couple of guys to travel with.