Can’t change the world, but can make you smile ….

And so we come to our final day. We have a last wander around Funchal, enjoying the warm sunshine, buying a few gifts and partaking of various refreshments! 

I’ve already mentioned how rich this city is in terms of musical entertainment, and this visit is no exception. There’s a very good accordion player, and we pass a lone busker performing rock/pop classics very well, then there’s a superb classical guitarist. All of these are excellent in their own right. But for me the two ensembles are the most memorable- though in very different ways.  

First, there’s Grupo de Fados Medicina do Porto - a group of doctors and medical students from Porto who play and sing traditional Portuguese music. Dressed in black suits and capes, they both look and sound wonderful.  

Then, in complete contrast to the soulful tradition of Fado, we come across another ensemble of three percussionists and three brass players who entertain with lively upbeat jazz. At the heart of this group is a huge creation made from red plastic corrugated piping which forms a tuned percussion instrument - a Tubulum I think. Both it and the percussionist who plays it are amazing! It’s all wonderfully entertaining and we sit and listen for some time. Such talent! 

Finally, there’s a puppeteer who manages to manipulate his concert pianist puppet so convincingly you can almost believe he is playing the Chopin melodies that float out across another square. Such tiny nuances- so clever. And it’s from this act that my title comes - we’ve certainly smiled a lot today!   

My main’s a mono of the fado group, with extras of the other performers and one of the street audience.