Day seven in Madeira

Once again I went for a morning walk today, and on getting back, once again my daughter did not wear her skirt!  Today was PokémonGO community day, which meant that for a few hours, there were more of a certain Pokémon to catch.  My son and I had missed the last few and he was very keen to make this one.  On getting back we went downstairs for breakfast only to catch the hotel shuttle bus into Funchal instead.  My wife had looked up a bakery to go to have breakfast and we ate there.  Later, my son and I split from my daughter and wife (my daughter no longer players PokémonGO) and explored the town seeking Pokémon?  The buildings are beautiful in the city centre as well as the municipal gardens, but considering the age of my son, this was wasted on him.  We talked to other players from abroad as well.  My son was amazing, the picture being one taken from a hill looking into the bay.  He climbed faster than I did and was full of energy.  Frequent rests probably helped him along with catching several rare shiny Pokémon which I did not (my only chance resulted in my iPhone crashing).  The day repeats tomorrow, but he is not keen on doing it again, and I am certain that the reason is because he does not want me to catch what he caught.

After getting back, it was an afternoon by the pool where we swam and had fun, though a ball I had bought a few days ago at the suggestion of my son was all at lost when it bounced over the wall onto the beach.  Fortunately, some people found it and returned it after a bit of a walk to get it.

Anyway, we are relaxing listening to live music in the hotel reception while my son plays chess with a French girl he met.

Day six in Madeira

Time is passing by quickly. The photo is from my early morning walk and on getting back to the hotel, I met the family for breakfast and then we went for a drive.  This was after my daughter tried on her skirt, and despite it suiting her, as predicted yesterday, she decided not to wear it.  Our first destination was Calheta where we stopped for a drink and planned our next destination.  While there, I went into a tourist office and bought an overpriced guide book to the island.  We had a look and then drove to Porto Moniz.

On the way there, the kids, who had noticed before how more people smoke in Madeira, got to see one man smoking at the petrol station where be filled up our Yaris.  We also got to drive through the clouds as we crossed the central mountain ridge, and while this was exciting at first, it continued, and continued, and continued.  When we arrived at the town, the kids were both frozen, but we warmed up in an excellent restaurant before driving through the mountain ridge back to the hotel.

Day five in Madeira

Another day and another morning walk, though this one was not as early as the others.  We woke together, as opposed to me sneaking out for a walk in the early morning and had breakfast before heading for the pool.  My wife had been thinking about hiring a car, and while she arranged this, I took the kids to the pool where they had loads of fun and made new friends.

I had dreaded the walk as it was hotter than the time I would normally walk, but the breeze from the sea kept me cool.  On getting back, after lunch, we all spent time by the pool and then the car came.  Now we have the freedom to explore the island at our own pace...

We took the Yaris out for a spin and went to a nearby mall where my daughter bought a skirt I am convinced she will not wear.  Now we are listening to people sing in the hotel Karaoke night.  They are so much better than I could ever be.

Day four in Madeira

Again another walk today and after breakfast, we decided to visit Funchal again. While my son and I explored the city a bit and played PokémonGO, my wife and daughter visited some shops.  He did really well, but did get tired at the end.

My wife found and excellent place to eat with the local bread from Madeira where we had lunch and on our return we watched Dr Strange while I rested and elevated my ankle which appears to be getting worse, not better!  Going down to dinner, we encountered some parrots and my son and I had our pictures taken with them.  One appeared to be fascinated by how glasses. My daughter did not do the same, but in the past she has had an owl on her so we did not press her on this matter.

We are not sure what we want to do tomorrow, but we all look forwards to it.

Day three in Madeira

My foot has been improving in some ways, but is annoying my wife. Mind you my walks in the morning are annoying her as well.  The picture is from my morning walk where I came across two cats looking at some pigeons. By the time I took the picture, one had moved away from them, but it still amused me.  Today though was spent mostly at the pool.  We rested while the kids enjoyed playing in the pool with some friends that they have made.

The only downside is that my ankle hurts more when it is not supported, that and my restless legs have annoyed my wife as I had to rest rather than take part in karaoke and the three glasses of wine has set my legs off!

Day two in Madeira

Our second day started with me waking my wife and daughter up with the alarm I set for work, and forgot to switch off.  While they were able to get back to sleep I didn't so I went for an early morning walk.  My ankle is improving but is still swollen and it managed to hold out for the walk.  I had intended to walk yesterday, but it was not good enough.

After getting back we tried out breakfast and then set out to explore Funchal.  The bus dropped us of near the Marina.  Our plan was not to travel a lot, but mostly to get a few things from any supermarket that we could find.  And it was there that we had lunch and I had my blue drink.  After returning with water for the next few days along with other supplies my daughter spent some time with her Mum while I took my son to the swimming pool.  Anyway, we are now relaxing, and while we tried to watch Vacation, I think we realised that none of us really like the film.  As a film, it is watchable at times, often very predictable and I have to say, that despite there being a few enjoyable parts, if I had to pay to watch it, I would be very angry. Watching it for free on an evening where we are to relax, watching a family film, then it is okay.  If you have not watched it, I would spend the time watching something you would actually enjoy properly.

Day one in Madeira

We are in sunny Madeira!

We woke up early in the morning to get to Gatwick, and all fell asleep in the taxi. Which meant that the others missed the middle lane driving that occurred for some of the trip.  But the taxi driver was nice and polite, so as much as middle lane driving annoys me, I did not say anything.  Booking in to the flight was a different experience as we had checked in online and only had to use the automated bad drop.  The kids seemed to enjoy the flight and we all belived my wife when she said that the seat window had been allocated to my son (I assume she told the truth), and the landing was quite smooth.  In fact, some of the passengers applauded once we had landed.  I will be showing the children videos of planes landing here sometime during the holiday. 

Anyway, arriving on a Sunday, there was a wait to check in to the hotel but it was worth it.  The view is amazing and after my wife fell asleep on the bungalow we went down to swim in the pool.  That was after lunch though where the kids has asked to move tables, and regretted it as we ended eating with some Geckos which freaked them out.  I think they laughed when one jumped onto me.  But back to the pool, kids made some friends there and got me to blow up Gary, an inflatable dolphin that belongs to friends who had been in Madeira last week.  Anyway, we are fed and was relaxing while watching a film.