Funchal, Madeira
Today was our first of two days on the beautiful island of Madeira. The island appeared on maps as early as 1351, but was re-discovered and then settled by João Gonçalvo Zarco in 1418 and 1419. The island has had a fascinating history including a long connection with Great Britain as a place of investment as well as a popular vacation destination and the island retains a distinct British ambiance mixed with the exuberance and zest of its Portuguese origins. We spent the morning exploring the capital city of Funchal, home to about half of the islands inhabitants, including the very colorful Mercado dos Lavradores (Worker’s Market) with its fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables, all of which grow in abundance in the mild Madeiran climate. Of special interest was the fish market which displayed tuna weighing at least a hundred kilos and the signature fish of Madeira, the black scabbard fish or espada.
After lunch, some of the more adventurous among us traveled to the far eastern end of the island for a long interpretive walk among the spectacular volcanic rocks which formed the island from a now inactive hot spot far beneath the Earth’s crust. Thick black basaltic dikes snake upward through the ash and cinder layers of the “country rock” formed in earlier eruptions.
Where these dikes emerged at the surface, they erupted under water, forming some of the best examples of pillow basalts to be seen anywhere in the world. Altogether we saw textbook examples of geology unfold before us as we hiked along the narrow trail traversing the spine of this long point of land which is preserved as a national nature preserve.
Today was our first of two days on the beautiful island of Madeira. The island appeared on maps as early as 1351, but was re-discovered and then settled by João Gonçalvo Zarco in 1418 and 1419. The island has had a fascinating history including a long connection with Great Britain as a place of investment as well as a popular vacation destination and the island retains a distinct British ambiance mixed with the exuberance and zest of its Portuguese origins. We spent the morning exploring the capital city of Funchal, home to about half of the islands inhabitants, including the very colorful Mercado dos Lavradores (Worker’s Market) with its fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables, all of which grow in abundance in the mild Madeiran climate. Of special interest was the fish market which displayed tuna weighing at least a hundred kilos and the signature fish of Madeira, the black scabbard fish or espada.
After lunch, some of the more adventurous among us traveled to the far eastern end of the island for a long interpretive walk among the spectacular volcanic rocks which formed the island from a now inactive hot spot far beneath the Earth’s crust. Thick black basaltic dikes snake upward through the ash and cinder layers of the “country rock” formed in earlier eruptions.
Where these dikes emerged at the surface, they erupted under water, forming some of the best examples of pillow basalts to be seen anywhere in the world. Altogether we saw textbook examples of geology unfold before us as we hiked along the narrow trail traversing the spine of this long point of land which is preserved as a national nature preserve.
