What a perfect place to honeymoon! Madeira, The Pearl of the Atlantic or The Floating Garden are frequently used names, and so very appropriately. Madeira is a small island located between Portugal and Morocco and has the perfect weather to offer an explosion of flowers and scents all over the island. Orchids, hydrangeos, camelias, chamomille, eucalyptus......spectacular. We could not have chosen a better destination.
We were located in the historic part of town at the bottom of cloud topped mountains and were treated to colorful romantic streets, numerous street restaurants and a collection of wildly painted front doors.
It was a favourite haunt of Winston Churchill, Bernard Shaw and Ernest Hemingway and it certainly captured those 30s and 40s eras. We drank coffees, beers, had fish dinners, lunched on bread cheese and olives and wandered for miles.
We even splurged for a high cost beer at the most expensive hotel, Reids, the equivalent of The Savoy. The beer did taste slightly better (smile) and the view was unparalled.
We headed in to the mountains a couple of times and on one occasion embarked on an 8 mile walk around the side of the mountain which was perilous to put it mildly. Andy literally had to talk me off the ledge at one time.
The churches were beautiful and left us at a loss for words......
We felt bad for our English friends who were celebrating the Queens Diamond Jubilee at home in the rain. We watched the Thames Floatilla on our last day and as the passenger boats passed under Tower Bridge the P&O cruise ship, The Oriana left the Madeiran port, sailed past our balcony with passengers waving the British Flag, singing along to The Beatles ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE.....a very special moment.
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