Goodbye Madeira Welp, it's time for goodbyes, for now. It's been a great month, with some very memorable sights. The weather has also been so good it's almost too good to be true, but I can tell the seasons are changing. Temperatures are getting a little cooler, rain is more likely, although it remains sunny most of the time.
Cat III Along the Lido promenade, near the old coal warehouse, there's a feeding station for stray cats. Naturally, it's quite a popular place, and you'll find cats congregating around there in the morning, when the food is stocked up. Afterwards, the bushes behind the fence along the cliff ar full of cats soaking up the sun after eating.
Up Today didn't turn out as planned, but that's not a bad thing at all. The plan was to check out Caniçal, which is the next big town east of Machico. I liked Machico so much, I thought the city next door might be just as charming, and both have access to some good trails.
Beach Waterfall I only have a few days left here on Madeira and was taking a walk along Formosa beach this morning when I came across this lovely little waterfall cascading over the cliff and onto the beach. The walkway is elevated at this point, so the water flows under the path and into the sea.
Pico Alto Trail Another picture from Caminho Real de Monte, also known as trail PR3.6. About two-thirds of the trail is more or less stairs made from small stones. The last section before you reach the top of Pico Alto is a more traditional trail through a rocky landscape.
Holy Spring The Caminho Real de Monte is part of an old royal road that encircled Madeira back in the sixteenth century. This section was also a pilgrimage route, up to a chapel built to honor the Lady of the Mountain. Just below where the church stands is this spring, where it is said the lady appear to a shepherdess.
Machico II The town of Machico was quite a surprise when I visited it last week. I could see on maps that there were a number of trails around town, but you see trails all around Madeira. However, Machico has proclaimed itself the “trail running capital” of Madeira and the trails around town are well marked and maintained.
Rainbow! Another storm rolled through in the night. There was only a little rain but a lot of wind. The sea was even rougher this morning, with swells up to three meters. On the plus side, there was a rainbow.
More Cat I found this chonky dude chilling on the path outside one of the big public swimming clubs along the ocean walk between Funchall old town and Formosa beach. He looked relaxed enough, but when I tried to get closer for boop or a scritch, it was definitely a big nope.
The Morning After It was a dark and stormy night. Well, not really. It was dark. Night is usually like that. It did rain a little for the first time since I've been here. The rain had stopped by the time I was ready for my morning walk, but the sea was still looking a bit moody along Formosa beach.