Before arriving on Madeira, we had heard about Poncha – the local drink that seems to be enjoyed pretty much wherever and whenever. And during our first evening on the island we got a taste of the stuff; it was being made fresh at stalls in the capital, Funchal, at what they called the festival of light (though it did not actually coincide with the night of the winter solstice, which the little heathen in me would have appreciated).
It is difficult to state whether Ponta de São Lorenço signifies the beginning or the end of life, the universe and everything. On the Eastern Madeira tip, the landscape changes dramatically. It is a bit like going from the jungle to the moon.
On the first day in Funchal, we spend a little too long sorting out the car. We arrived late the night before, so late that the car rental company had closed and locked up by the time we were able to make it to them. Therefore, we spend quite a bit of the morning hanging around waiting and trying to sort a car out. Impatient as I am, it doesn’t take long until restlessness grabs hold of me. When the […]