Monte

We took the bus to Funchal, about 35 minutes of hairpin bends and incredibly steep ups and downs.  So glad we didn't decide to hire a car! In Funchal we went up to the gardens at Monte by cable car and spent the day walking round, enjoying seeing all the fascinating trees and plants. Absolutely amazing. Also all the decorated tiles depicting the history of the country and the sculptures dotted about. A beautiful selection of orchids too, outdoor ones in pots, but no chance of them surviving in Orkney! A real treat to see them though. 

By the time we were ready for home the wind had picked up and the cable cars had been cancelled!  We waited for a bus which never came, together with lots of other people. As we waited a truck drove up, laden with the famous wooden toboggans, and a couple of taxis, carrying teams of toboggan pushers, in their uniforms and straw boaters. They had obviously decided to cash in on the lack of cable cars! 

By now there were quite a few of us waiting for the bus. Several taxis offered to take us back to the town but all wanted to charge us a fortune for the trip so we carried on waiting.  In the end we negotiated with a taxi driver to take eight of us back down to the town for a more realistic amount of money than he suggested!  He drove down the road that the toboggans went down, incredibly steep and twisting, I remember it from when I came with my parents about 15 years ago. Dad had had his stroke and had no real use of his left arm or leg, but he still managed to hang on for the breath taking ride down!

It had been quite misty up in the hills but when we got down to Funchal the sun was lovely. A warm breeze too, quite a novelty! We had a bit of an explore but then the rain started and as it got heavier we caught the bus back to the hotel. A great day, lots of things to take in and enjoy!