MADEIRA, PORTUGAL (Port No. 36, 4/20/12)

FUNCHAL BAY AT SUNSET

∙ GEOGRAPHY 101
          ∙ Land Mass/Continent: Madeira is an island archipelago off the Northern coast of Africa -- the western edge of Europe
          ∙ About Madeira: Funchal is the capital and largest city in the Autonomous Region of Madeira in Portugal
          ∙ Estimated Population: 112,015
          ∙ Distance From Home (San Diego, CA): 5,557 miles
          ∙ The Water That Got Us Here: Atlantic Ocean

MADEIRA ISLAND, PORTUGAL

∙ ITS PLACE IN HISTORY/INTERESTING FACTS
          ∙ Currency: Euro
          ∙ Official Language:  Portuguese - "Duh, the Sequel"!
          ∙ Local time: 
         ∙ Average full-time annual gross wages in Portugal: $22,666 (less than half the U.S. average of $51,493)
          ∙ Funchal means, roughly, a plantation of fennel – for the abundance of wild fennel there
          ∙ In the 1400's, Funchal became an important transfer point for European commercial interests
          ∙ It was vulnerable to attacks and, in 1566, was violently sacked for 15 days by an armada of 1,200 Frenchmen
          ∙ The next year, a military architect was sent in to revamp the city's defensive system (fortifying its dyke, etc.)
          ∙ In the 1500's, it became an important stop-over point for ships traveling between the Indies and the New World

MONTE PALACE TROPICAL GARDEN

          ∙ Its wine culture appeared during early settlement, particularly the Malvasia castes. In Shakespeare’s “Richard III”, the Duke of Clarence selected a death by drowning in a barrel of Madeira!
          ∙ Many commercial winemakers from England moved to the island, resulting in growth; the island is distinctly Portuguese, with a noticeably English “accent”
          ∙ Epidemics in the 19th century aggravated the economy and caused some to return to sugar plantations; many landowners tried to develop more resistant castes, but of an inferior quality, to support the industry
          ∙ Funchal has the 2nd busiest port in Portugal, after Lisbon
          ∙ Travel videos:  http://www.youtube.com/user/bestdestination#p/search/0/7lUlJBSFIhs (Portugal) and http://www.youtube.com/user/THEWORLDOFTRAVEL#p/search/2/x9iSul5yAvY (Madeira)

∙ CLIMATE
          ∙ Madeira has a Mediterranean climate, with mild temperatures year-round
          ∙ Average low for April: 56.8
          ∙ Average high for April: 67.8

THE COASTLINE IN PORTO MONIZ

∙ HIGHLIGHTS/THINGS TO SEE
          ∙ Time in port: 9 hours
          ∙ The City of Funchal
          ∙ Curral das Freiras - a town nestled within the valley walls of a jagged mountain range in Madeira
          ∙ The stunning coastline of Porto Moniz
          ∙ Madeira’s Laurisilva Forest in the center of the island - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
          ∙ Porto Santo Island 23 miles southeast of Madeira, with its gondola lift (Funchal Passenger Ropeway) that transports people from the lower section of the city to Monte, a suburb of Funchal

CURRAL DAS FREIRAS