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Truly last post Oct 31st

 No pictures. Just random bits of interest on Madiera. There are no snakes on the island.  The highest elevation is 6106 ft. It is 35miles by 14 miles. The uninhabited island was discovered in 1419 by a portugese explorer João Zarco. There were no indegious people, just forests.  Even though the island is small there are 4 distinct microclimates. There are between 100 and 150 tunnels. In 2002 the newly extended runway (9100 ft) at the airport opened. It was built out on the ocean. There are miles of lavedas (or aquaducts) on the island. These are water canals that collect moisture and rain and spring waters in the mountains and deliver it to the cities below. There also miles of walking paths along many of the lavedas. People travel to the island just for some of the hikes. The vast interior which lies mainly above 3000 feet is unpopulated or cultivated.
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Day 17.... last day

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 We had another full day. We chose to go on a tour (bus) of the eastern side of Madiera. It was a great tour. First a drive up to the second highest point on the island at just under 6000 feet. As advertised, we were in the shifting clouds. Caught a few pictures from the top. Leaving the top we headed north and east into a valley. The valleys and cliffs are breathtaking. Very steep and yet they do terraced farming here. The sheep wander around and they do have cattle.......somewhere. Our guide said they keep 1-2 in a barn. There's not enough land for them to graze or to fence them in from falling off the terraces.  A short coffee break as we continued to the eastern side of the island. We drove to Santana on the east side for lunch. Quite a view. Here the land is a bit easier to garden. They grow a variety of produce including apples, pears and cherries. This is one of the saved original thatched homes found in this area.  More views as we headed back. You can see two col...
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Day 16, Oct 29th Madeira

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 Sorry about thus late post. We couldn't get Dennis' pictures to download, but we have now succeeded. After another wonderful breakfast buffet at our hotel, we were off for a tour of the area around Funchal (foo-shall). We headed up one of the "hills" to the town of Monta (elev. 1800 ft) and rode down in wicker toboggans (basket sleds). These were originally used to bring the produce and wine barrels down into town. Then to a fruit and flower market.  The last of the tour was our final wine tasting. This time of Madiera wine.  As we started our stroll back to our hotel we stopped in the cathedral. A lunch along the plaza and a stroll through a beautiful garden to return to our hotel.          This flower is called angel's trumpet. And yes this "that" Christopher Columbus Once back at our hotel, we decided to try one of the 3 swimming pools. After going down 3 different elevators we were at sea level. Dennis took a dip in the ocean and I decided to...
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Day 15; Oct 28th. Madiera

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Not much to report today. We spent most of our time on a bus, in an airport and on a plane. But we made it to Madiera. It feels like we're in an exotic place. Just a few pictures to share tonight.  Madiera is a Portugese territory but has been self governed since the mid 1970s. Funchal, the capital, is surrounded by lush hills rising up to 4000 feet. With a population of 112,000, it's a cosmopolitan  place that has welcomed international visitors for centuries.  Views from our room
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Day 14th Oct 27th. Day 2 Lisbon

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 A day of walking! Today we were on our own to continue exploring Lisbon. We decided to go up one of the 7 hills to the St. George Castle. Upon our concierge's suggestion we found a trolley to take us up. However when we were almost to the top, there was a car parked on the trolley tracks and we weren't going anywhere. So we hopped off and made it to the castle. What a view! The castle in the distance is where we trekked to today The first fortification was built in the first century BC by the phoenicians. Then the roman's, moors and the portugese in 1147. It served as a royal palace and military barracks. Excavations continue.  It has a beautiful garden and a magnificent view of the city and bay. The perimeter was 17700 feet, that's more than 3 miles. Afterward we meandered down and down to the plaza level for lunch. We needed to get in some more steps so we headed up to the ruins of the Carmo convent. It was founded in 1389, with construction started in 1393. Unfortun...
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