brian daley
08-16-2010, 12:25 AM
I first went to Madeira as a crew man aboard an Elder Dempster liner. I was impressed by the beauty of the place,it was a microcosm of Portugal and the streets were almost free of traffic. That was more than 45 years ago. I went to a busines convention on the island in 1983, it was held in a 5 star hotel and we never got out much ,just enough time to look at the old sailor town ,but not enough time to explore much else. In 1995 I took my wife there for a proper holiday and was enthralled by the place, peaceful and languid ,the weather just perfect ,a constant 70 degrees. The whole island was ablaze with colour,nearly every house had poinsettias in their gardens ,as well as other exotic blooms ,estrelitzas ,camellias etc. Being a volanic island ,the beaches have black sand ,which sets off the greens and the blues of the sky and the sea,but you don't go there to lie on a beach. The place reeks of history, Christopher Columbus had his honeymoon there and it was his last port of call before setting off west to find the Indies, Catherine Braganza lived here before marrying Charles Stuart ,a marriage which sealed Portugals alliance with Britain. One of the results of that alliance was the right of trade for Britain with the Portugese empire and Madeira was the entrepot through which that trade was conducted. A consequence of this ,is that that Madeira has more brands of Scotch whiskey on sale in its bars than does Scotland. When I was a sailor ,I attempted to drink my way across a shelf full of scotch in one of the dockside bars, I did'nt succeed of course, it was a wide shelf and I got sozzled before I was half way across.
Some of you may remember when the Beatles took the ladies to Madeira on their ocean going yacht,Paul McArtney was with Jane Asher at the time. Well they flew home and left the yacht behind.. They just left it there and never paid any harbour dues, in the 80's ,the port authority seized the yacht and it is now a feature of the waterfront ,safely embedded in concrete. One site that will always stay with ,me is of the harbour at dusk, as the sunsets ,rays come swimming into the harbour where they spend the night,a truly fantastic sight. If you are someone who likes life a little slower paced, wine a little sweeter and flowers that bloom year round, go there,it will be an unforgettable experience.
BrianD
168431684716846168451684416842
Some of you may remember when the Beatles took the ladies to Madeira on their ocean going yacht,Paul McArtney was with Jane Asher at the time. Well they flew home and left the yacht behind.. They just left it there and never paid any harbour dues, in the 80's ,the port authority seized the yacht and it is now a feature of the waterfront ,safely embedded in concrete. One site that will always stay with ,me is of the harbour at dusk, as the sunsets ,rays come swimming into the harbour where they spend the night,a truly fantastic sight. If you are someone who likes life a little slower paced, wine a little sweeter and flowers that bloom year round, go there,it will be an unforgettable experience.
BrianD
168431684716846168451684416842