Remembering February 20th, 2010.

A new memorial has been established in the beautiful suburb of Monte, high, so high, over Funchal.

The floods in Valencia and elsewhere remind us of the flooding tragedies of Climate Change (and dare I say it, politicians not heeding real warnings.)

The little chapel in Babosas has been beautifully rebuilt inside (extra). 

Cruise ship visitors to Madeira do tend to take the cable car up to Monte. (And it is certainly dramatic, stunning and efficient.)

If you’re there for longer than a couple of hours, you might try the number 22 bus which takes you there for less than two euros. The buses speed up and down the narrow streets, causing cars, trucks and even lorries to pull out of their path(sometimes backing 50 metres and venturing into drives and corners.)

They don’t close the road where the number 22 bus crosses the road the toboggans take… I confess it puts me off taking that pricey tourist journey.

But however you go up and down, the views and the experience are unforgettable.