Four elements

Today we leave Funchal for our stay in Cabo Girao, and our day starts with the a magnificent fiery sunrise. In fairness, there may well have been skies like this on other mornings, but we’ll have missed them due to our laziness. 

We pick up our car and head west along the coast, calling in the delightful little  fishing port of Camero de Lobos - named after the copious sea lions that once basked on its beach.  Now the only one is the mural ingeniously made from old car parts that graces the port walls. 

The bay is full of brightly coloured fishing boats, some bobbing on the sea, others hauled aground. Here the main catch is Madeira’s famous black scabbard fish, a monstrous looking creature that features heavily in the island’s cuisine - and, inevitably, tourists, attracted by the bait of quaintness and historical charm; here, Churchill stayed and painted. 

The streets are beautifully decorated with netting and metallic fish made from recycled materials - part religious festival and part eco-awareness. 

From here, the road twists and climbs towards the 580m high cliffs at Cabo Girao - amongst the highest in Europe. Today we’re blessed with stunning weather - sunshine and the bluest seas, white clouds hugging the horizon. The viewing platform allows views vertically downwards, both through the glass platform and fro the overhang, revealing stunning abstract patterns of rock, sea and agriculture. 

Inevitably,  now we’ve moved from relaxation to travel, my camera’s working overtime, so today there is a set to represent our day - I really don’t have a favourite as they’re so different.