Monte

Today was a good day for an outing.  It was the warmest day since we have been here, so after a productive morning of school, we set out to visit the town of Monte, just north of Funchal.  There are some interesting travel options to take, and we chose a cable car (one-way) which afforded 15-20 minutes of pretty spectacular views of Funchal and its surroundings.  Naturally, we began on the ground, and began our slow ascent above some of the city's homes.

Pretty soon, we were up a good ways, 

but everyone felt safe and secure....hanging by a cable.

Once we arrived in Monte, we were happy to put our feet on the ground.  There were a few botanical gardens, which we will probably enjoy next time.  This time, we were hungry and found a little restaurant next to yet another beautiful church.  The restaurant was on the third floor, with a souvenir shop on the first floor and a bar on the second.  Farrar said it was her favorite meal we have had in Madeira, and it was quite good.  Something for everyone: roasted chicken, vegetable omelets, french fries, salad, rice and of course, bread and butter.

The church was on the small side, but typically lovely and provided an incredible view of Funchal.  

The painting on the ceiling of the church was particularly alluring as were the crystal chandeliers, confessional and altar.

Rather than riding back down on the cable, we chose to take the toboggans, 

 

which was an experience in and of itself.  While the drivers were not working, they were moving back and forth between the bars and a card game,

Two men alternately pull and ride behind (at rather high speeds) down the narrow streets of Monte.  The streets are not closed, so we (or I should say, they) negotiated the twisting narrow alleys while dodging the moving cars.  

When the excitement was over, we were still about a 30 minute walk from the city center, so the kids talked us into taking our first cab.  It was definitely worth it; our driver was very helpful and told us more about the island and different possible day trips of interest.  He was a native of Madeira but had spent 9 years in the UK working different jobs and learning English, which he spoke well.  

Due to this indulgence that spared us a 50 minute walk home, we felt refreshed enough to walk up the hill to the CAB Madeira gym, mostly so everyone would know the way, but also hoping we might get on the court.  When we arrived, the floor was unoccupied and they let us in, cut on the lights and rolled out some basketballs!  It was nice and familiar to be in a gym and to shoot on goals with nets.  We played some knockout and 2 on 2 and headed home, Farrar snapping shots of some cool homes along the way.