Madeira Mid Term Break

I took off for a week of rest, work has been stressful. I treated myself to a package of five days in Madeira. Madeira is closer to Morocco than Portugal, 600kms from Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean. It is not very big, but it is beautiful and diverse. The main city is Funchal. I stayed in the Lido, the hotel area, with a beautiful sea view, about a mile from town. The lido has great walking and restaurants and gazing at the other hotels.
The town is very tourist oriented. It is a vacation spot for northern Europeans etal. Beautiful embrodiery, Madeira wine
First day I explored town. Next day, I took the cable car up the mountain. Had a delightful lunch and took the tobaggon ride and walked down. They have baskets on runners to take you down the mountain.
The next day I rented a car and explored the western side of the island, Porto Moniz, Sao Vicente and a lighthouse.

The next day I went to the east side of the island, it was amazing the difference in temperature from the ity to the top.
It went from 22 to 9 celsius. In the afternoon, I cruised on a replica of the Santa Maria.

Friday I shopped some more and headed home. A delightful vacation spot, I would like to go again, they have many walking paths throught the mountains, following the irrigation system, called levadas. Walk in the morning, swim in the afternoon, rest and eat.

August 2008

I finished my first school year abroad. I'm still loving Portugal. Summer is beautiful here, blue skies, warm days, cools nights. Lots of wind, that make it different than So. Cal. The beaches are crowded on weekends but still manageable. Lots of activities, outdoor concerts.

I moved this summer to a charming apartment in Cascais, the Laguna Beach of Portugal. I call it my villa. My apt is has 3 bedrooms, an office space, a dining room, and a great yard. Curly can go in and out all day. It has a lemon and orange tree and a garden filled with surprises, roses,l hydrangea and hibiscus. I'm about a 15 minute walk to the train station, 45 minutes into Lisbon. I'm 15 minutes from the beach, many beaches or downtown. Cascais is bustling and adorable.


It has everything you could want, high end shopping, Hugo Boss, Max Mara and many more. It has low end shopping, Chinese stores, mercados, Jumbo. It has ethnic restaurants, Indian, Italian, Thai and McDonald's.
It's sites include a fort, museums and parks. The magical town of Sintra is 20 minutes away by car.


Life has settled down into a working routine except that I get wonderful holidays. Mid term break is next week and I'm off to Madeira.

Friends, you are welcome to visit. I can't be your tour guide, I'm working and off on holidays. You need to be somewhat self sufficient but I have plenty of room, maps and information galore. English is widely spoken.


I'm more and more comfortable here. I love Portugal. The people are warm and helpful if somewhat reserved. The land is beautiful with many, many magnificent sites to see.
Check it out!