Tunnel 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.
Sunset at Formosa Beach It seemed only fitting to complement yesterday's sunrise with a sunset photo from today. It's the same beach, but taken on the opposite end as yesterday. The sun setting beyond Formosa Beach.
Sunrise over Sao Martinho 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.
Trash Art Fair 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.
Up in the Trees 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.
Levada Arch 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.
Spooky House 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.
Sunrise with Cruise Ship 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.
Camara de Lobos The “traditional fishing village” of Camara de Lobos is just a three kilometer walk along an ocean path from the apartment where I'm staying. Since it is so close to Funchal, the place is a bit more touristy that they would have you believe, but it still retains a lot of charm, and with it so close it makes a good morning walk before I get online for work.
Boys Will Be Boys It seems that every time I find myself along the ocean walk when the sun is out, I see people, mostly teenage boys, on the rocks below. They're usually practicing dives if they're not just sunning themselves. Today, I noticed several people (again, mostly boys) on these rock outcrops.