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.