The third day of our vacation is dedicated to the capital of Madeira, Funchal. The name comes from the fennel which the purtuguese navigators found here in abundance. The name is correctly pronounced as [fũˈʃaɫ], somewhat like English "foo(ng)-shull".
Before we reach Funchal after departing from our hotel in Caniço de Baixo, we have a stop at the Cristo Rei statue.
In Funchal, our bus drops us off at the Santa Catarina park. Right before it, we encounter the statue of Empress Sissi, or officially called Empress Elisabeth of Austria. After a short walk through the park we get to the street Avenida Arriga which leads to the centre of Funchal.
First we take a detour through the municipal park (Parque Municipal do Funchal) which is famous for its exotic plants and trees. After that we proceed on the road to the Funchal cathedral (Sé do Funchal) and then reach the market hall. There are really lots of fruit and vegetable stands, and in the back part there is the fish market.
We continue walking a bit to the east, then turn around and head for the bottom station of the Funchal-Monte Cable Car. It is indeed a fascinating ride over the rooftops of the city; after a while we arrive at the top station and have a look at the church Nossa Senhora. Well, it is not our actual goal: Rather, we take a ride downwards with the famous toboggan drivers. This ride is about 2 kms long and is already done since the beginning of the 19th century, when it counted as public transport.
Lastly, our bus picks us up and brings us to the Botanical Garden. We are walking back and forth through the flowery environments, and enjoy a look over the city from two lookouts on the western end. We take a coffee at a small café inside the garden and leave it shortly after. The first director of the garden was "Engenheiro Rui Vieira"; this word appears every now and then in Funchal. But it is not a name, it is the Portuguese word for "engineer", which is used as a title here.
Public pictures
