Bunte Häuser, Küstenwanderung und Grillen mit Aussicht

Today we went to the northeast of Madeira. We drove along the panoramic road, which was very steep in some places, but also offered beautiful views.

Above Faial we made a short photo stop to enjoy the view before continuing to the village of Santana.

Actually, it should be called 'Santa Anna' (holy Anna), but since Portuguese people like to swallow letters, it remained the shorter version (at least that's what our tour guide told us).

Santana is especially famous for the 'Casas de Colmo', colorful houses with thatched roofs that almost reach the ground.

In these houses, the island residents used to live in close quarters with their families: downstairs there was the living room and the parents' bedroom, and upstairs there was a chamber for the children, which was often only accessible from the outside via a ladder.

Even though the houses that are still inhabited today still don't have a kitchen or bathroom inside the house, they have been built behind the house.

However, there are not many families today who still live in one of these houses: the maintenance of the roof, which is covered with the once inexpensive straw, has also become more expensive: no more wheat or rye is grown and so it is expensive as the roof has to be renewed every four years. However, there are government aids to preserve this traditional way of living.

After we had time to explore Santana and the Casas do Colmo, we drove back up to the starting point of our hike.

The coastal path from Quinta do Furao to Sao Jorge is one of the last traditional paths on Madeira and led us from one mountain to the next.

The path was well developed and always offered a beautiful view of the sea.

After we managed the descent, it went steeply uphill again.

Along the way, we saw many lizards enjoying the sun on the stone walls along the path.

Our path winds up in serpentine curves and again we had a beautiful view of the sea.

Just like the day before, the sky became cloudy as we were almost at our destination and then the rain started. Fortunately, we had already reached the top and could seek refuge under the roof of the barbecue area. The stragglers of the travel group were not so lucky and got wet again...

The preparations for our picnic with a view had already begun: a fire was already burning in the grill fireplace and tables were being prepared. Bay leaves were already lying ready as skewers and were later stuffed with pieces of beef and grilled over the open fire.

These Espetadas are a typical dish on Madeira, which can be eaten in restaurants, but many families also take them along for a barbecue excursion.

Meanwhile, the rain and dark clouds had cleared again and we were able to enjoy the view of the path we had covered and the coast.

After we were well satiated, we decided to walk back to the valley on foot instead of taking the bus, in order to go for a little digestive walk.

Once we reached the bottom, we spent a while by the coast, watching the impressive waves.

Then we drove back to Canico, where we treated ourselves to coffee and ice cream on the promenade in the afternoon.

While doing so, we saw the 'Santa Maria', a replica of Christopher Columbus' flagship. Today it no longer sails to America, but only a short distance with tourists along the coast from Funchal...