Tuesday 20 January

I hesitate to say it, but I was feeling slightly better today. We could have done without all this grot spoiling our holiday, but you can’t choose when or where you become ill.

As the weather looked brilliant this morning, we agreed that we’d go up to Monte, a village above Funchal, which can be reached by a variety of buses or, as we have chosen, the cable car! Now, most of you know by now my feelings about these things, but it was my decision to travel this way so off we set. No courtesy coach today, it’s in for maintenance, so we hopped on a local bus (we’re getting pretty good at this) and arrived at the cable car terminal along with what felt like half the tourists in Funchal! We had to share a car with 4 Germans, but there was plenty of room and the trip was brilliant. I didn’t have any vertiginous feelings (is that the right word?) and the views were well worth the journey. Another cruise ship, the MSC Fantasia, was in the harbour and she just became this tiny toy as we rose higher and higher. I think because you travel so high from the ground for most of the way, and the climb is fairly gradual, it doesn’t have the same disorientating feel as the little one we went on in NZ. It’s also very quiet and smooth. Monte is 550m above sea level and the cable car takes just over 10 minutes. We don’t know how long it takes the bus, but looking at the winding roads as we travelled overhead, it must be at least half an hour including stops. No doubt locals will still use the buses as the cable car is expensive, but it’s a quick and quiet way to travel.

On reaching Monte, we first visited the church of Nossa Senhora (Our Lady), a place of pilgrimage for Madeirans on August 15. It also houses the tomb of Emperor Charles I of Austria, who died here in exile in 1922. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2004. The frontage of the church is very pretty and you climb 70 steps to reach it – we’re almost getting used to steps! Terraces lead down from the church to Monte’s main square, through some very pretty gardens and water feature. We had drinks in the Café do Parque in the square – rip off prices, of course, but we’re tourists, what do you expect?!

From the terrace below the church, we watched some tourists embark on the “must do” trip in a toboggan with wooden runners, guided by 2 Madeirans wearing traditional straw hats. This is said to be one of the most exhilarating experiences you will ever have – well, it’s not one that either of us would contemplate but it was fun to watch. It’s a 2km trip down the winding cobbled streets to Livramento, the next village down the hill. It costs 25 euros, then you have to either walk back up to the cable car station or take a bus down to Funchal. There are plenty of taxis sitting around too, trying to persuade you to use them at great expense. There were dozens of the toboggan guides hanging around touting for custom, having the odd beer in their tavern (!!) and playing cards. We found out while we were having our rip off drink, that they’re brought back up to the church in coaches but we don’t know how the toboggans are brought back.

Then we made our way to the Monte Palace Tropical gardens, a 70,000 square metre area, constructed on the steep slopes of what was the Monte Palace Hotel. It’s difficult to explain what it’s like as it’s totally different from any gardens we’ve ever been in. Nearly all the plants are named and there are hundreds, possibly even thousands, of varieties. Some of the rarest trees and shrubs in the world survive here and there are species that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

The garden is laid out in such a way that there are no dead ends and you could spend hours travelling all the paths and seeing all there is. There is water everywhere from small pools to huge waterfalls, tiny levadas and ponds filled with koi carp. In one of the lakes were two swans. Tom fed one of them with maize, which he took quite happily; then he decided Tom’s hand also looked good enough to eat so had a few pecks at him! There are statues hidden in niches and huge stone frames making pictures of plantings. But most of all, there are hundreds of pictures made from tiles. 40 panels tell the history of Portugal, laid out along the walls as you walk down into the garden from the entrance; huge panels depicting the sun and the moon sit either side of one of the water features; designs of flowers are interspersed with historical details and depictions of myths and legends – they are everywhere. The tallest vase in the world (Guinness Book of Records) sits in a flower bed between the largest lake and the Palace.

Beside the Palace itself, which is still lived in, are outdoor display cases containing collections of French porcelain. There is also the Monte Palace Museum which houses a display of carvings from Zimbabwe. And there is a fascinating collection of minerals and semi-precious stones, mostly in their natural state, housed in an innovative exhibition area.

All this and more is set among paths and steps, constructed in different materials – not the easiest garden to get around because of the site, but certainly one of the best gardens we have ever visited. We spent about 3 hours there and only sat down once to have a reviving drink.

Then, before embarking on the return cable car trip, we stopped at the café and had two of the biggest pieces of cake – one would have done for both of us, but we’d chosen different ones – at exorbitant prices, but who cares, we’re on holiday!

The return trip was just as good as the ascent, except we had the car to ourselves so could have a really good look at everything. We can’t get over some of the locations of the houses, set into the steep hillsides, some with gardens we wouldn’t dream of cultivating in England. It’s all so green here, with flowers blooming that we only get at certain seasons and even then we can only have them indoors. Poinsettias are flowering in profusion, along with busy Lizzies, geraniums, camellias, azaleas, bougainvilla and many others. No wonder, it’s called the floral isle.
After a welcome rest in our hotel, we had dinner at another of the nearby restaurants before retiring for the night. I’ve found a good use for the Leki poles (walking sticks) Tom brought with him. They make very good prodders for when he snores at night, as we’re in separate beds and I can’t quite reach him!!