We made it to Madeira.
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We finally made it to Madeira Island sometime around 1:00pm. After spending quite a few minutes looking for our driver, we set off for the hotel.
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Our hotel wasn't a hotel, it was a resort. And what a resort it is! We stayed at Porto Mare Hotel. The place has three huge buildings, five dining areas, four bars, five pools, spa, fitness center, playground, and so much more. We got a little turned around trying to get back to our rooms after dinner the first night. The rooms were so well appointed that we felt like we had landed in the lap of luxury. Linda C. texted our tour company to let them know how much we appreciated the place. Then went in search of lunch.
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One of the things I was really excited to do in Madeira was to ride the Funchal Cable Car up and take the Madeira Toboggan Ride. Sandy, Linda C., and I set off in search of this. Linda H. went to walk and explore.
The hotel desk called us a cab and we were off. The driver took us to the center of town where we bought our tickets. I paid and we started through the gate. At this point we were told to wear our masks. Linda and I pulled our out but Sandy couldn't find hers. They told her to go outside and purchase one from the mask vending machine.
Once through the gate we watched and waited for our very own cable car. The car took us from the town of Funchal up to the very top of the mountain to the little town of Monte. We walked around a bit before heading to the Madeira Toboggan Ride, which is a traditional wicker basket sledge that travels down the hill on a paved road at about 20mpr and lasts about 10 minutes. This dates back to early 19th century where they were used as a means of transport by the local residents who wanted to travel quickly from the village of Monte to the city of Funchal transporting items. With tickets in hand, we stood in line for about twenty minutes looking at the beautiful flowers when all of a sudden we heard the sound of many people moving through the street. We looked back to see a huge group of men in white outfits and hats almost charging down the hill. They were the men who were guiding the toboggans. We were put in a toboggan for three and off we went on a wild ride. And what a ride it was! The men on the back kept the toboggan zigzagging down the road. At one point there was a police officer stopping traffic for the basket to cross the street. There was one point where they actually had to pull the toboggan due to the angle of the road but then it took off for a few more meters and we slid into their little market area.
The hotel desk called us a cab and we were off. The driver took us to the center of town where we bought our tickets. I paid and we started through the gate. At this point we were told to wear our masks. Linda and I pulled our out but Sandy couldn't find hers. They told her to go outside and purchase one from the mask vending machine.
Once through the gate we watched and waited for our very own cable car. The car took us from the town of Funchal up to the very top of the mountain to the little town of Monte. We walked around a bit before heading to the Madeira Toboggan Ride, which is a traditional wicker basket sledge that travels down the hill on a paved road at about 20mpr and lasts about 10 minutes. This dates back to early 19th century where they were used as a means of transport by the local residents who wanted to travel quickly from the village of Monte to the city of Funchal transporting items. With tickets in hand, we stood in line for about twenty minutes looking at the beautiful flowers when all of a sudden we heard the sound of many people moving through the street. We looked back to see a huge group of men in white outfits and hats almost charging down the hill. They were the men who were guiding the toboggans. We were put in a toboggan for three and off we went on a wild ride. And what a ride it was! The men on the back kept the toboggan zigzagging down the road. At one point there was a police officer stopping traffic for the basket to cross the street. There was one point where they actually had to pull the toboggan due to the angle of the road but then it took off for a few more meters and we slid into their little market area.
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We grabbed a cab back to the hotel. The fun here was that we didn't exactly know the address and the cab started to take us to the wrong hotel. I finally looked it up on my phone and got GPS directions.
