MADEIRA ISLAND
It's so nice to have these days around such a beautiful place before leaving to the rainy Paris. This small city has so much to discover, and if you ever visit, you definitely need to put on some comfortable shoes and walk around as much as possible, as there is so much to see.
Most pictures you see here are from the old side of the city, which was revived by the local artists, with many art walls and doors. This made this area much more friendly and unique, not only it is filled with great restaurants with super tasty seafood and traditional dishes, as well as this nice summery mood with all sort of outside tables and unique furniture that matches the style of this area of the city.
The taxis are yellow just like in New York, and they will take you pretty much anywhere you would want. However the city can be much more interesting by foot so I would not only recommend walking as I would also say that leaving the main area, nearest to the sea and going uphill is not that required. The cab would be perfect to visit Lido, although there is a a nice bus every 5 min that takes you there in less than 15min. Lido can be a great place for long walks, there's a lot of people running there during the afternoon. Restaurants are also great, but not as good as in the old city.
There's all sort of sea activities to do, from catamaran to windsurf. If you leave the centre you can do scuba-diving and paragliding. You can also take the cablecar to go uphill and visit Monte, I didn't try that so I can't tell you how it feels like. Just by the sea there's the longest promenade with lots of places to sit and enjoy a bit of sun, with many palm trees and greenery. There are always many cruises stopping by, and you can watch them from up close. You can rent a car and go around the island or rent a bicycle and see the city more quickly. The pubs are quite good near the city theatre, Ritz is my number one choice for afternoon coffees and late night Mojitos.
The weather is definitely tropical so although it's always hot, it can vary in the same week dropping from 21 degrees to a snowing mountains and rainy/sleek city. In which case, the weather apps work quite good, and an umbrella will be found in any clothing store.
Shops around the city range from the local commerce to franchises; Zara, Massimo Dutti and even H&M are quite accessible. Portuguese brands are also very well distributed so you could easily discover the wonders of shopping low-cost. The most luxurious shop to be found is Dolce Scarpa, a few steps away from the city theatre, near the shopping centre La Vie. There you can find mostly Dolce Gabbana, Michael Kors and Pimko.
It has been a pleasure to share this city with you, and I am looking forward to repeat the experience in another place. Let me know if you would like that and if you have any questions about my experience in the Island just leave it in the comments and I will get back to you.
See you in Paris.
Panama Hat: Similar here and here • Blue Striped Tunic: Massimo Dutti (similar here and here) • White Denim Shorts: Current/Elliott (similar) • Leather Gladiators: Similar here and here • Leather Backpack: Similar here and here
