Funchal, Madeira

We docked at Funchal on the island of Madeira very early Wednesday morning. Charlie took this photo about 6:20, as we were approaching the city. Unfortunately, the ship rotated just before. docking, so our view was of empty water and sky!

Our small-group excursion through Royal Caribbean was called the Foodie and Cultural Walking Tour of Funchal. We reported to the theater at 9:00 and were seated by group. About 9:20, our group of eight was walked out to a van, where we waited and waited, until 9;45, when a driver showed up, got in, and drove away without a word. Usually there is a guide!  As it turned out, our lovely guide met us in town, a short drive away. If you ever visit Funchal, be warned that the port is a 45-minute walk from town, so do pay for the shuttle tickets ($15).

I didn't catch our guide's name, alas, but she was excellent. As we walked, she gave us a lot of background information and also identified some of the gorgeous trees and plants we passed.

Kapok tree in full bloom

African Tulip Tree

Our guide explained that in some locales, hummingbirds dive into the tree's blossoms which collect rain water, but Madeira doesn't have any hummingbirds. Other birds, though, have learned to pierce the blooms with their beaks to sip the rain water.

Bird of Paradise (these were everywhere)

Plumeria

All of the walkways are paved in basalt and limestone, usually in intricate patterns.

Our first stop was for tea and cakes.  We were seated outside, under patio umbrellas (it had been raining lightly). 

A server passed around spoonfuls of four different teas, and we could choose either hot or cold tea. Charlie chose hot green tea, and I chose a cold fruity tea that was delicious -- not too sweet. With it, we had a choice of a cheesecake-like slice made with cottage cheese (which Charlie chose) or a pastel de nata, which I chose. We failed entirely to take photos, although Charlie did go into the shop to take a couple of photos.  

Sniffing one of the teas

We stopped briefly for a bite of Madeira cake, which reminded me of fruit cake, though less dense. It was a quick stop, with just time for a couple of photos.

Then we walked through a shopping area and took a few photos. 

This bread shop looked interesting, but we didn't go in. Our guide just explained how the bread is made.

I could have just stopped in this fabric shop for hours, but I DID pay for a foodie tour. Love the sardine-themed fabric!

Next we went to the farmers' market, which is large and was crowded for a non-market day.  We first went to a fruit shop, where we got to try a variety of fruits, most new to us.

Entrance to the farmers' market (architecture from Salazar's time)

Inside the market

Our guide explaining the various fruits we'd be trying

We each received a plate with (clockwise) mango (best I've ever tasted!), dragonfruit, passionfruit, yellow pear (it looked like a large plum and was rather bland), local bananas, which are small and sweet, avocado, and I have forgotten the last (and least-appetizing-looking) one. It did taste good, though!

Next, we went to a chocolate shop in the market which had a gorgeous display of many chocolates. We got to try two, along with a glass of Madeira. They were beautiful and tasty chocolates!  

The orange one was white chocolate inside.

Still in the market, we walked to the area where fresh fish are sold.  We got a good look at the espada (black scabbardfish), Madeira's most popular fish. It lives in very deep water, our guide told us, and is silver until it oxidizes when caught and brought to the surface.  We watched men cleaning the fish in an assembly line, preparing it for shoppers. Our guide told us that we'd be trying it for lunch.

Our last stop was at Jaket's, run by chef Julio Periera. He has at least two other famous restaurants in Madeira.  We had a full lunch, ending with a traditional rum cocktail, the Pancha.

Delicious bread with butter topped with pork cracklings and olives

Sweet potatoes drizzled with local cane syrup

Pork and vegetable fritters (also delicious)

Tuna in a wine, garlic, onion sauce (perhaps an acquired taste...)

Fried espada with a banana-passionfruit sauce and rice -- very tasty!

Pancha -- very acidic and packs a punch:  1 part lemon juice, 1 part orange juice, 1 part honey, 3 parts rum.  I couldn't finish mine, but Charlie could.

Then, a couple more photos of murals as we were walking back to meet our van:

We were glad we'd chosen this excursion and felt it was worth the price.  

Tomorrow is the first of eight sea days, so wish us luck keeping ourselves entertained!