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.