Blooming, sleigh ride in the warm and nun valley

On the last day before departure we went back to Funchal in the morning.

We visited the Botanical Garden, which was created around the former villa of the hotelier family Reid.

The garden is home to a variety of different plants, both native to Madeira and settled here from all over the world.

Madeira's mild climate has made it a flower island: To acclimatize exotic plants to European weather, plants from all over the world were first planted here before being brought to the continent.

Today, countless exotic plants can be admired on Madeira, which thrive wonderfully here thanks to the fertile volcanic soil.

After our tour of the park, we continued to Monte, which is 550 meters above Funchal.

At the top is the pilgrimage church Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Monte.

It is said that a young girl had a Marian apparition at this spot. Her father initially did not believe her and went to the said spot himself. He did not have an apparition there, but found a small Madonna figure.

Right in front of the church is a monument to Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, who died in exile on Madeira on April 1, 1922.

The monument was erected in 2004 on the occasion of the beatification of the Habsburg and was adorned with flowers after his recent 100th anniversary of death - just like his grave in the church.

A few steps below the church is the starting point for the basket sledge ride, which was chosen by the American TV channel CNN as one of the ten coolest rides in the world.

We couldn't miss this and boarded one of the traditional sledges. Initially designed for those who could not make the journey on foot for health reasons, the basket sledge became a means of transport for wealthy gentlemen downhill in the 19th century.

Back then, it used to go 4 km to Funchal, today the tourists are driven 2 km by two drivers who brake, steer and push the sledges.

After the ten-minute ride, the bus picked us up at the final stop and the journey continued to the Nun's Valley.

The nuns fled from Funchal to the valley in 1566 to escape pirate attacks, which could only be reached via mountain paths. Unlike most places on the island, you can't see the sea from here - which is why our tour guide said she would never move here...

In the center of Curral das Freiras, we first made a stop and then wanted to hike 450 meters to the Eira do Serrado viewpoint. However, clouds started to gather, so our tour guide decided that we should take the bus up instead.

We quickly walked to the viewpoint, where we still had a nice view of the valley. Shortly after, everything was indeed covered in clouds.

We started the hike from the top of the valley to the bottom. At first, we passed through chestnut forests with mist. In this area, there are many chestnuts and the annual chestnut festival with various specialties takes place in autumn.

The hiking trail was the old connection road, which was the 'main road' to Curral das Freiras until the 1950s.

The further we descended the steep path, the clearer the view became.

In the valley, we were finally greeted by brilliant sunshine. We took the bus back up the mountain, where we could enjoy lunch at the restaurant first with a view of the clouds and then with a view.

And so our last day in Madeira came to an end. In the evening, we met with the tour group for a farewell Poncha (the traditional drink on the island with lemon, orange, and sugarcane schnapps).