Bom Día from my first-ever stop in a Portuguese-speaking place, the island of Madeira!  Madeira is actually an autonomous region of Portugal, 500 miles southwest of the mainland and 320 miles west of Morocco in the Atlantic. 

The NCL Escape arrived before sunrise and I could see the lights of the main city of Funchal stretching up the inclines of this mountainous island. Once the sun came up, its stunning beauty was evident. 

I took a shore excursion which visited a church in the village of Monte with sweeping views of the harbor. 

This is also where the Madeira toboggans start from. The wicker sleds are steered by two tobogganeers (?) down the cobblestone streets towards Funchal. Looks like fun

After a cable car 🚠 ride, the tour arrived at Funchal’s botanical gardens – a beautiful setting at 1000 feet altitude with more beautiful views.

Heading back to the old town section of Funchal, the tour took in the market and a Madeira wine 🍷 tasting. Somewhat sweet, somewhat spicy and very delicious. 

Rather than head back on the bus to the ship, I chose to spend some time in town. 

On the walk back to the port, I passed the Cristiano Ronaldo museum, restaurant and hotel. The footballer is from Madeira – even the airport is named after him. Not my favorite and well past his prime, so I took a few pics and walked on by.  Unfortunately, the infamously awful bust of him is at the airport, so I wasn’t able to see that.

Loved my short visit to this beautiful island and my first visit to Portuguese soil. 

With the end of the European portion of this trip, the Atlantic crossing begins. Five consecutive sea days on the way to Antigua with a load of books to read 🚢