Caribbean Cruise April 2013 - Madeira Levada Walk Page |
The levadas are small ditches stuck to the hill side with a path by the side for maintenance & water flow control, which is similar to a Swiss Wasserleitung. These are very popular for rambles but as there are about 100 km of them, not crowded. A mini-bus took us up to just West of Camacha, where we picked up the Levada. This wound through the trees for about three miles, looking at the flora mainly but there were a few Firecrests & the local unique pigeons.
The start of this Levada |
The ship's 6 tough guys (+ me) |
Wild Arum Lilies |
Occasional views of the Sea |
Same path. It wound a lot. |
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Cannas. |
Ship's rep & waterfall |
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Obvious signs of forest fires |
Copious Nasturtians |
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Getting near the tea (cha) stop |
Brazilian Spider Plant |
Madeiran Geraniums |
Funchal = Fennel |
Levada part two |
We stopped for a drink at a café where a road crossed the levada. The ship's rep & another chap shared their chunks of very good local cake around. Then, we walked on another couple of miles along the levada. Then, we bussed down to Camacha centre for a look at the basket shop. The chaps were making them this time. (They were closed in December). The memorial commemorates the first football match played in Portugal, which took place here in Camacha. |
In Camacha
Splitting wicker |
Weaving wicker baskets |
The 1st football game in Portugal |
What does one do with all this time, given that we are largely older people & our remaining time is not to be wasted? The descriptions on the Index Page give a fairly comprehensive idea. After leaving Funchal into quite a rough sea, things calmed down & I quipped that someone had been ironing the sea. It stayed like this all the way across. The Show Team caught up with their shows. The Port Lecturer Adela, in her creamy Iberian accent, briefed us on the Islands in the Sun & for those who like it, there was sunbathing to do. I carried on with creating my new talks.
Sunset at sea, mid-Atlantic
Contact: Ken Baldry at 17 Gerrard Road, Islington, London N1 8AY +44(0)20 7359 6294 or e-mail him
URL: http://www.art-science.com/Tourism/Cruises/CR2013/CR1a.html Last revised 27/4/2013 ©2013 Ken Baldry. All rights reserved.