the POSH Guide

the best of travel destinations and gear

Tunnel

Oct 4, 2024

1 min read

Madeira MadeiraAday

Thanks to the levadas (irrigation weirs), which sometimes have to go through hills rather than around them, Madeira is no stranger to carving tunnels through the basalt that makes up most of the island. So, when it came to connecting up the cliff-top ocean walk with Formosa Beach, carving a pedestrian tunnel through about 100 yards of rock was no big deal.

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Sunrise over Sao Martinho

Oct 1, 2024

1 min read

Madeira MadeiraAday

Another walk along the beach this morning. At the end of Formosa beach is a small rocky area that leads out to an outcropping. Steps allow you to precariously get to the top of the rock, although this picture was taken near the bottom.

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Trash Art Fair

Sep 29, 2024

1 min read

Madeira MadeiraAday Art

This morning I returned along the Ocean Walkway to Camara de Lobos. Since it's Sunday, I didn't need to rush back and was able to take a good look around. It turned out they were having an art fair featuring things made from “trash.

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Up in the Trees

Sep 28, 2024

1 min read

Madeira MadeiraAday Hikes

Having been thwarted last week in my attempts to revisit a couple of trails I found in the hills above Funchal, I finally found one that was open and provided a considerable amount of “tree time.” Like most of the trails around here, this one follows an irrigation weir, known as a levada.

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Levada Arch

Sep 27, 2024

1 min read

Madeira MadeiraAday Hikes

There's a levada (small canal or weir for water) way up the hill from where I'm staying. I explored part of it earlier in the week. I wasn't too impressed but decided to take another look. As is often the case with such things, the path became much more interesting just past the point where I turned back before.

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Spooky House

Sep 26, 2024

1 min read

Madeira MadeiraAday Architecture

The area where I'm staying west of central Funchal is very new, full of modern hotels and apartment blocks. But, as in almost any neighborhood around the world, there's always that one house. This place is probably close to 100 years old.

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Sunrise with Cruise Ship

Sep 25, 2024

1 min read

Madeira MadeiraAday

Walked east instead of west this morning and caught the sun just above the horizon as a cruise ship was pulling into the harbor. When I was here in the spring, there was a cruise ship in town almost every day, but now that the season is winding down, it seems there's only one ship a week.

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