Blue Boats at Fortaleza de Sao Tiago, Funchal, Madeira

by Liesl Walsh

Title

Blue Boats at Fortaleza de Sao Tiago, Funchal, Madeira

Artist

Liesl Walsh

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

Funchal is the capital city of the island of Madeira, Portugal, sitting in the Atlantic Ocean west of Europe. Madeira is a mountainous island often surrounded by clouds, fog, and rain. It has a mild Mediterranean climate. Funchal was named after the abundant wild fennel ("funcho" in Portugese) which was discovered by the first settlers. In Funchal a cable car transports people to the city of Monte halfway up the mountain, with views of terra cotta roofs and homes tucked into the hillsides, terraced gardens, a tall bridge spanning two mountains, and views of the aqua water and marina below. The wealthy used to stay in Monte because of the mild climate. Local men in traditional clothes continue the tradition of giving tourists rides in basket toboggans down the roads from Monte into the town below. Funchal is a beautiful city full of cute little alleyways artistically decorated, mosaic patterns in cobblestone walkways, and friendly people. A bright yellow historic fort sits along the coast, and a working replica of the Santa Maria ship lies in the marina. Funchal is a beautiful place to visit! This image is also available in black and white.

You can read about our adventure in Europe in my husband's book, "Vagabonds in France", by Michael A. Barry. Come with us as we lose our home, put everything in storage, and navigate through Europe for a few months with no return date or home to come back to. Sail across the Atlantic, dodge pickpockets, climb mountains, descend into the Paris Metro, endure nasty weather and illness, witness the flood of the century, and meet some wonderful and not-so-wonderful people. Chuckle with us as we live among the French and try to learn their ways and language. Then make it back home to an empty house we'd never seen before. The book with its 75 illustrations is available in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCUNSEK .

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October 19th, 2016

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