Amigos

Since we have been here on the island, we have found the people to be extremely friendly.  Whether it be the morning visits to the pastalaria, the frequent walks to the CAB Madeira gym, or the time spent at University or the Language School, we have been met with engaging, sincere and personable faces.  We have been fortunate enough to make some friends and they have been good enough to show us around and allow us further access to their beautiful island. One family in particular has been generous beyond any reasonable expectation.

Sundays have become days to venture out from the city and see more of Madeira.  Two weeks ago we headed west to the sunny side of the island and spent the day exploring Ribeira Brava.

Like any good time, it is made better with companions.

 

On the way home, we stopped in Estreito de Camara de Lobos for some authentic local cuisine.

We ate espetadas at As Vides (The Vines).  Espetada is an incredibly delicious beef on a skewer.  As I understand it, the meat is caked in garlic and salt and cooked on bay leaf skewers.  Like many great things, it sounds simple, I suppose.  They were served with salad, batatas (french fries) and fried maize, which tasted remarkably similar to grits, for obvious reasons.  I regret that I did not take a picture of the skewers hanging from the rods at the table, but once they were served, there wasn't much anyone wanted to do but eat.  The meal was incredible.

This past Sunday, we headed east, to Canical, where we saw the end of the island, which looked more like the edge of the world.  

These are the Deserted Islands off in the distance.  They are not inhabited. Somedays they are not visible from Funchal, but today was relatively clear, and we were closer.

We walked around a bit, but it was a tad chilly, 

so we promised Bishop we would return on a sunny day.  He didn't seem to mind the cold and probably could have stayed all afternoon.  

But we pushed on, to the north side of the island and drove through Santana and Sao Jorge, but not before stopping to take a picture of these wind towers, if that is what they are called.

The scenery, in general, is pretty extraordinary, and I think we could live here a very long time before we grew accustomed to it.  We had dinner in Sao Jorge, and it was delicious, again.  On the way back to Funchal, we stopped at Ponta do Garajau, where there is a lovely beach we plan to visit in the daytime.  This statue stands on the cliff directly above the beach, a long way down.  It may remind you of the famous (and larger) statue of Christ in Brazil, but as our friends tell us, this one is older (and better).

As our friends also told us, though we have many miles between us, we are very much alike.  I take comfort in that.  I am learning to value every day we have here, but I must admit, I find myself looking forward to Sundays.  I can't wait to see (and taste) what lies in store.

The Flat by Zelle

Lots of my friends have been asking about our apartment or "flat" as they call it here.  So, I thought I'd show you around.  

The first thing that you need to know is that it is very small.  Mom loves it because we can clean it up in about 20 minutes.  My chart-loving, school teacher mother thinks that everyone should be able to help clean the house, therefore she made a chart so that we can all "join the fun."  Here it is:

Monday: vacuum, dust, tidy, Tuesday: bathrooms, tidy, Wednesday: vacuum, dust, tidy, iron, Thursday: kitchen, tidy, Friday: vacuum, dust, tidy, Saturday: bathrooms, tidy, and Sunday: iron, mop, tidy...no rest for the weary.  Here is the very front door to the entire building.  

We also have an elevator, which is very very fun. 

The only thing that would make the flat better is if it had a doorman because you have to unlock three doors to get inside.  Plus, every time I see doormen on television they seem very nice.  

When you walk into the door of our actual apartment, you see a big room with a sitting area where we spend most of our time. 

As you can see, the ironing board is out like it always is.  I must admit that it's very nice having your entire wardrobe ironed, even your pajamas and especially your sheets. There is a small dining room connecting to the sitting room.  

The kitchen and then the laundry room are connected to the dining room.  The kitchen is very small also.  I think that mom enjoys the fact that the kitchen is "limited."  

 

 

But Dad says it's just fine for us.

It is nice to have an entire small room for laundry, but as of a few days ago, Bishop and I turned it into a play area with offices and an art studio.  Mom gave us the entire space to do whatever we wanted.  This is where having a schoolteacher mom is not so bad. 

 

Down the hall are our two bedrooms and bathrooms.  Bishop and I share a room, which is a bit challenging at times.  One of the hardest things is at night when we are going to bed and he wants it light and I want it dark. He has the light switch beside his bed, so guess who wins?  A good thing about sharing a room with Bishop is that he is pretty hilarious and he makes me laugh.  If Bishop were writing this blog, I'm sure that he would have loads of things to say about me!  Since mom has loved being in a small space, I am a little worried that we will end up moving into a smaller house one day with me sharing a room with Bishop permanently!

Our bathroom is very nice.  We have the only bathtub.  

We also have this thing called a bidet.  It is sitting next to the toilet.  Mom says that I can stop right here with the description of  what you do with the bidet.  

The next room is mom and dad's room.  It is pretty basic, except that they do have their own veranda which is pretty cool.  

One thing that we have all noticed about living here is how efficient and mindful of waste and the environment everyone is.  We can recycle almost everything, and it makes our trash so much less.  Mrs. Cooper and Mr. Thompson, my science teachers, would be very impressed.  For example, you can't go very far down the street without seeing one of these.  

All in all, the living space is pretty cool.  I wish that we had neighbors with kids to play with, but there is still time for that.  Hope that you enjoyed the tour! 

Ciao.

Days With Dear

The days leading up to Dear, my sweet mom's, visit were a bit reminiscent of the night before Christmas or the last day of school before summer.  Zelle and Bishop could hardly sleep the night before and as Zelle said, "I don't remember the last time I have been this excited."  Seeing her walk through the gates of the Madeira airport was a wonderful sight.

The first couple of days were spent simply showing Dear around, introducing her to our neighborhood, and our routine.  

She was immediately taken with the ground covering which is abundant nasturtiums, the first plant she remembers planting as a child.  

Within days, we had glass jars filled with beautiful nasturtium leaves and flowers around the flat.  That was simply one of the many touches that Dear gave to our flat that made it feel more inviting, comfortable, and definitely more attractive.

We took Dear to Monte so that she could view Madeira from the cable ride, and as we knew she would, she focused on the ways the small plots of land were terraced, the chicken houses and the roosters, the older women tending their gardens, and the variety of ways houses were structured. Dear has a unique way of noticing things that others often pass by, and it was great fun to experience much of Madeira with her eyes along.  

 

The tropical gardens at Monte were new to us as we did not see them on our first trip.  The contemporary Zimbabwe sculpture exhibit along with the mineral and gem collections were highlights as well as exciting surprises.  

Both mom and Bishop share a love of rocks.  While I have been discouraging the collecting of rocks from every crevice of the island, Mom gave Bishop permission as well as techniques and unlimited space in her carry all for acquiring them. (Don't worry, they did not collect them from the garden or the exhibit.) He is quite thrilled with his current stash.  The tropical gardens were tremendous and took the better part of our day to explore.  Free reign to explore, get in a few climbing predicaments, be chased by an angry swan, take four hundred pictures of a proud peacock, balance on a few precariously placed stones, and pretend one existed in an enchanted garden were merely a few of the things that made this day so memorable.

When Alex returned on Friday, Mom made a move to Reid's Palace, the hotel that we picked out for her.  Reid's Palace was perfect for mom for many reasons that merely began with the fact that it was a favorite of Winston Churchill's.  It is an older hotel that is well...simply charming in ways that mom especially appreciated.  While her room had a very quaint sort of "room of one's own" feel, she was generous enough to share it with us all on occasion.  One afternoon was spent enjoying her room's amenities......

  

... and having cocktails and snacks on the terrace.

Both Zelle and Bishop were each able to spend a night with Dear, enjoy breakfast, and of course, swim in the pool!

While Alex was at work, we found another couple of places to play.  We traveled to the town of Camacha which is famous for its production of wicker.  

Bishop was particularly taken with the wicker replica of the ship sailed by Zarco, the explorer credited with discovering Madeira in 1419.

And we were all quite amused by the wicker farm animals.

After that, we made our way to Madeira's famous botanical gardens.  I was thrilled to see these for the first time with Dear because had she not been there, all I would have said for the entire visit would have been, "Oh, my mom would not believe this!"

As always, the kids found a way to play....

....and a fantastic view.

Finally, Alex had time to play and we spent our last day all together at a place called Nun's Valley or Curral das Freiras.  The drive up the mountain was lined with tremendous and fragrant eucalyptus trees.  As the temperature began to drop, and we began to drive directly upward, we rolled the windows down and took it all in.   Nun's Valley was a place of refuge for a community of a nun's from marauding pirates.  It was breathtaking to say the least.  Our photographs do not begin to show you its true beauty.

There, we enjoyed a lunch that quickly became a memorial to mom's dad, Turley, when she ordered roasted sardines.  I feel that I can confidently speak for mom in saying that it was her favorite meal and perhaps her favorite place.

Then, it was on to Camara de Lobos, a small fishing village.  It was quite scenic and where Winston Churchill chose to set up and paint various landscapes.  We walked around for a bit, spent some time in a church, and tasted the famous Nikita, a delicious drink made of I think sorbet, wine, and a splash of beer. (I fell down on my photographic duties and forgot to photograph the Nikita.  Think pina colada and Alex in a straw hat.  Sorry I don't have the image for you. It was indeed memorable.)

 

We spent our last night at a familiar restaurant eating steak on the stone, a new favorite, and wishing Dear wasn't leaving.  Her visit went by too quickly, and I think she began to fall in love with Madeira as we have.  Since her departure, we have practiced looking at things through eyes like Dear's, careful not to miss the little lizard, the fragile bloom, a paper store, a particularly charming sidewalk, or a terrific hat.  Something about being around mom just makes you feel like wearing one.

So, thanks a million, mom...for lots of things.  I will be forever grateful for the tremendous effort you made to visit our little life across the ocean.