Free cows walking over glass and wild sea

Off to the Northwest

The trip started today at 8:15 AM. We were picked up by a smaller bus, then drove to the hotel district to start a new tour with the great bus and the guide from Tuesday.

The first stop was the fishing harbor of Camara de Lobos. Here Mr. Chxxxxx had spent several vacations, and because it was so beautiful, he had also painted some pictures. This hint alone was enough to let plenty of visitors get off for a photo stop here. Then we were off again.

The journey continued to Cabo Girao, which offered a viewing platform at about 580 meters high with a glass floor over a steep cliff. It required a bit of courage, but we managed it. After a Bica break, we continued to Ribeira Brava.

The tour was not yet over; the bus took us to the high plateau Paul da Serra. Here, free-ranging mother cows with calves are allowed to graze all year round. Occasionally, the bus had to stop when a family of cows took a shortcut across the road.

We returned to the sea back to Porto Monice. Here we had a longer lunch break. We used the time to observe the very wild sea. The waves came crashing in with such force that the smaller rocks in front of the tidal pools were already spraying huge fountains into the air. Many paths were therefore also closed off. It would have been too easy for people not only to get wet but to lose their footing and be swept into the sea. It was an impressive spectacle.

I would have liked to spend more time here; but after 1 1/2 hours, the bus started towards the northern coast to São Vicente. Just a very quick stop to admire the waterfall. It is called the Bridal Veil Waterfall, and apparently, every tour group had to make a visit there.

For us, there were no more stops on the way, but straight across the island back to Funchal. We set out to find a bus station that could possibly take us to St. Cruz tomorrow. This proved quite difficult and did not yield the desired result. Tomorrow we will embark on an adventure trip and hope to find the market on the southeast coast.

See you soon!