The Floating Gardens of Madeira Island Portugal
Posted On June 23, 2010
The island of Madeira is famous for being a passing stop for cruises when they traveling from Europe to the Caribbean side. This island is a part of Europe although it is closer to Africa. It is essentially an archipelago that belongs to Portugal.The weather here on the island is awesome throughout the year. You will experience days being a little sunny with slight rainfall throughout the year.
You can get there by the two airports on the island, as well as the ferried which let you take your vehicle along as well. You can opt to take the many private buses which take you around the island. Madeira, like every other holiday destination has sunny beaches, good food, sandy shores and nice things to look at. Although, what makes this place different is that, it has a host of museums, historical sites and information about the origin of the island- how it was a volcanic made island n such.
When you go to the city center; you will find lovely souvenirs shop and coffee shops, all on a terrace. Take a look into the museums to see the lovely paintings of the famous Portuguese painters and artists. There is a place called the universe of memories here on the island which display art and artifacts and books that the secretary of tourism traveled around the world and collected.
Also, the sugar museum at Praca Colombo has been made to inform the locals and the tourists about how ‘sugar’ played such a crucial role in Madeiras political, economic, cultural and social life during earlier times. Quinta das Cruzes Museum at Calcada do Pito- displays the many arts, paintings and sculptures from at 16th to the 19th centuries. There is a municipal library at Funchal which talks about the local flora fauna and also has an aquarium.
While you are at it, I’m sure you wont miss, or rather I hope you don’t miss, the Madeira Wine Museum.
There is also a museum dedicated to the production of electricity and a whale museum showing artifacts related to the whale fishing industry which used to be quite big, here on the island.
Be sure to check out Casa das Mudas, which is a cultural art center as well as a famous venue for dance, song and theater.
Called the ‘floating garden’, Madeira is famous also for its awesome gardens and volcanic caves which look very beautiful.
The golden beach here on the island is a nine kilo-meter stretch and the beach usually exports a lot of its ‘golden sands’.
You will be able to find common island attractions like water sports which include – scuba diving, skiing, surfing. Also try whale and dolphin spotting.
Whether its taking a walk and getting educated about artifacts or lying on a sandy beach listening to the waves or even wild water spot, Madeira has everything you could ask for.
Madeira is a popular year-round resort, noted for its Madeira wine, flowers, and embroidery artisans, as well as its New Year’s Eve celebrations that feature a spectacular fireworks show, which is the largest in the world according to the Guinness World Records.
Its harbour – Funchal – is important due to its commercial and passenger traffic and for being a major stopover for cruisers en route from Europe to the Caribbean.