Day eleven in Madeira

Our last day in Madeira has been a relaxing one.  I went for my last early morning walk on the island, hopefully for now though and got back to the rest of the family at breakfast.  Afterwards we did some packing and afterwards split up.  While they enjoyed the pool, I stayed in the room overlooking the sea which was a lot more blue than it has been in the last few days and relaxed.

We have enjoyed our stay on the island but did not do a few of the things that we could have, notably the trip at Monte, or travelling on the cable cars.  I would love to return, and considering the many advantages of the hotel we stayed at, I would love to return to the same place.  But, I am also open to staying elsewhere on the island.

Day ten in Madeira

Today was spent out on the open sea.  Well, the most memorable part of it was.  After my morning walk, I got back to a trip into Funchal.  We had breakfast in a little cafe where we tried some Portugese pastries and then the kids went shopping with my wife while I had a little walk in the city.  The kids loved the birds in the shop they were in but both were looking forwards to our planned trip to see dolphins.

The outing was also marketed as an opportunity to see whales, but a German lady with us told us that this is not the best time to see them.  In fact we almost did not see any dolphins, but we got lucky.  However, the kids loved the experience of being on a boat as we traveled out into the Atlantic.  My wife and I have seen dolphins in the wild, but this was when we had travelled to Bali, in a time before children.  Those dolphins were a lot more acrobatic than these and jumped out of the water, not that we have any evidence, other than a picture of a tail!  But if you look closely, you can make out the dolphins here.

Anyway I type this as we listen to Karaoke in the hotel lobby on our last night on the island.  I would be happy to return and am glad we came back to show the kids the island.

Day nine in Madeira

Today we spent a relaxing day at the pool, mostly, though we did leave the hotel for lunch. While my wife ate a healthy option, the children and I had a McDonalds which was a bit different to what we are used to.  The kids were very adept at managing the touch screen menu, putting me to shame.

But for dinner we had a much more healthy option visiting a nearby village and having dinner at a fish restaurant.  I think that, I, the one who dislikes fish the most in the family, enjoyed it most though!

Day eight in Madeira

Another interesting day today and one where my daughter proved me wrong and wore her skirt, for part of it. We had an interesting trip to Santo António Da Serra which included looking at spectacular scenery and when there, we visited the market there.  The big difference between the last trip my wife and I took to the island compared to now, is the way land is used.  Before, vines were planted everywhere that could reasonably grow them.  Now there appears to be more diversity in what is grown though it appears that bananas are the main product that is grown now.

After that we went to Canical where we had intended to see the whale museum, but my wife had managed to book a cancellation slot for Afternoon Tea at Reids.  This meant that we drove to Ponta de São Lourenço where my daughter and I went for a walk.  The contrast between the lush vegetation of the rest of the island and the desolate windswept landscape there is amazing and while my daughter and I did not get to walk as far as we would have liked, it was an experience to remember.

Tea was enjoyed by all, though my son had mango juice as he is not a fan of tea.  The last time we had afternoon tea was at Greyfriars in Colchester where the sandwiches were a bit stale.  There was nothing to fault here though and the view from the terrace almost matched the food.  It was here that my daughter wore her skirt, changing into it before we went, due to the policy they had of no shorts, and she changed out of it later.

On getting back to the hotel we watched two films, Jumanji and Tomb Raider.  Both were a lot better than I expected.  Jumanji was as enjoyable as the original, though I feel, not as scary, the theme being based more on action than on suspense.  The kids have watched it before but enjoyed watching it again and they were kind enough to not spoil it for my wife and me.  I had to admit that I did not expect the film to be as good as it was, considering the quality of the original.  Tomb Raider was also a film my wife and I liked, though it was a bit too scary for my son, and my daughter got distracted by her phone and preferred social media to the film.  It was more predictable than Jumanji, but was enjoyable and if I had watched either at the cinema, I would have been happy to do so.

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.