Camara de Lobos or: These shoes were made for walkin'.

It's all about perspective. The previous day, after walking close to 18K steps, C&J said our plans for Sunday the 15th would be: "We're gonna walk to the next town for the day." 

Wait, whaaaat? Walk to the next town? Is Uber on strike? 

Where I grew up, and where Cindy and I live now, "one does not simply walk to the next town." Yes, I'm paraphrasing here, but I agree with Boromir. (By the way, if you didn't get the reference, just click here, and you'll see what I'm referring to.) In my mind, "walking to the next town" sounds like something from another time and place, and not exactly the most convenient way to do things.

Câmara de Lobos

photo by Cindy Newman

As a reminder to my readers, clicking on any link in blue will open in a new window. You won't lose your place here. Clicking on any photo will open a large-format version in a new window as well.

I looked up the distance from "base camp" to Câmara de Lobos (specifically Restaurante Coral) and found it to be just over 4 miles. I'll grant that this wouldn't be the typical road march I did as a cadet, but more of a leisurely stroll along the Promenade de Câmara de Lobos with frequent stops along the way for refreshments. This route took us along the south coast of the island, and the view was fantastic the whole way. The only downside was that this route had many steep sections that made me lag behind because I was overprotective of an old knee injury. I was determined not to be the weakest link in our party and would hustle to make up for lost time if the group got ahead of me on these steep inclines. Going up an incline was no problem; it was descending an incline that I slowed down. Now, don't get me wrong. There were several stretches of the path that were level. Not all of it was up and down. 

Overview of Madeira

Generated with Google Maps

Close-up of our route

Generated with Google Maps

Click on the overview to see a larger format of the picture and our route relative to the whole island. I then zoomed in on the map to highlight our route along the promenade. For those who can appreciate a terrain-based map, you'll be able to appreciate just how much the elevation varies in a small area.

Along the path...

photo by Cindy Newman

That said, there was one section of the path that was particularly steep, with a large elevation change from low to high. I slipped into my "humping klicks" mindset, head down and movin' out. If you recall from my previous blogs, C&J had already been in Madeira for a month or more, and walked everywhere. Cindy loves to hike, so she was in her element. I was the odd man out, so I pushed myself to get a little ahead of them in case I started to tire. Push, Newman, push! I thought to myself. I picked up the pace a little, focused on the pavement three feet ahead of me and.....

....slipped into another world.

Gone was the thought of our leisurely stroll.

My mind's eye placed me on a long stretch of road somewhere in Ft Riley, Kansas, as a cadet.

Gone were the sounds of our chit-chat and the rolling surf. 

The only thing I could hear now was the ghost of an old road march "Jody" filling my head with that off-kilter, rhythmic chant: "Hump, dee dump, deeeee DUMP! Everybody's got tooooo HUMP!" over and over, a vocal piston driving my feet ever onwards. I was so focused on this hypnotic internal chant that I didn't realize just how far ahead of our group I had gotten until Jeff's voice broke my reverie.

 

"Hey Patrick, can you slow down? You're getting pretty far ahead of us."

The rolling plains of Kansas vanished, and I was back on the Promenade. In a few yards, the incline reached its peak, and I stopped at the level area to wait for my companions. I took a moment to reflect on what just happened: Me, the "Uber guy," outpaced the walkers in our group simply from a road march Jody that lay dormant in my mind for 40-plus years until today. And I wasn't even breathing that hard. 

Getting closer to Câmara de Lobos

Looking back the way we came

After that highest point, the rest of the way was a gently sloping downward walk. This gave us a tremendous view of the harbor as we approached from the high ground. Very picturesque and quaint.

Harbor area

photo by Cindy Newman

Beautiful boat!

Awww, how sweeet!

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

Even with all of our pre-planning, I had no particular list of geocaches we wanted to find. I knew there were tons of caches in Madeira, so I wasn't too worried about making a specific list and downloading them to our GPSr. With the geocaching app on our phones and an international calling plan, we didn't need to download a bunch of caches we may or may not find. It would just clutter up the map. Our plan was to use the geocaching app on our phones and search for nearby caches whenever we stopped somewhere. 

Winston Churchill

As we passed this statue of Winston Churchill, I figured there would be a cache nearby, most likely a virtual one. "Hey, let's stop for a minute. I want to see if there's a cache around here." Yep, I was right! As I suspected, I was right next to this virtual geocache. Oh, heck yeah, another smiley to log!

The other part of this virtual cache

photo by Jeff Homes

That monk seal mosaic is made from locally recycled trash. Zoom in on the photo to see the individual pieces that make up the mosaic. All of us thought that was an ingenious use for trash. I wish more art would be created this way.

During our trek, we stopped for refreshments, but now it was time for elevensies. C&J took us to one of their favorite spots in Câmara de Lobos, Restaurante Coral. This place is also referred to as "Coral Beach Club," so depending on where you look, you'll find both names. 

Cool artwork!

Prego Especial

Look familiar?

photo by Cindy Newman

We enjoyed a nice, laid-back lunch, taking our time and taking in the sights. From Restaurante Coral, we continued upwards to a small park, where I happened to find a statue of Simon Bolivar. Given his history, I was surprised to find his statue here, since I didn't remember any specific connection to Madeira or Portugal. 

Simon Bolivar

Digging a little deeper (thanks, Google!), I discovered that this bust was donated by the Assoçiãcao Filhos de Câmara de Lobos de Venezuela (Association of Sons of Câmara de Lobos of Venezuela) to celebrate the deep cultural bond between those two locations. Interestingly, the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County was named after the same man. Consider just how small the world is that this South American historical figure connects the Texas Gulf Coast to a small fishing village in Madeira.

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

From this small park, we wound our way along the "upper" part of the village to start making our way back to base camp. We would follow the same path back, again stopping about halfway for a break and refreshments. During this rest stop, Cindy decided to Uber back to base camp to allow a little extra time to rest and refresh before dinner. Great idea! We ordered an Uber while C&J continued along the path. It took a bit longer for the car to arrive, so by the time we actually got back, C&J had just arrived. 

I caught up on our day in our journal while Cindy took a short nap. C&J left to enjoy a sunset drink at a local hotel rooftop. While it was tempting to join them for this sunset drink, we'd meet them for dinner shortly after. We actually met them about halfway to 3Ls Restaurant, and the rest of the walk went by quickly. This was one of the few times we actually ate inside the restaurant, rather than our usual outdoor dining. All of us were ready for a good dinner, even with all the snacks earlier in the day. 

Dinner libations

Potato skins with bacon & cheese

Parma ham bruschetta

Octopus bruschetta

We enjoyed these appetizers family style, as we've done throughout this trip. With four of us, these multiple appetizers allowed us to sample more than one dish. I was finally able to try out the iconic espetada or skewered meat. I opted for the beef espetada, which came with a side salad and another traditional side: milho frito. Milho frito is fried cornmeal cut into small chunks and is similar to polenta. Along with the milho frito were the ubiquitous fries so commonly served in Madeira.

Beef espetada

Side salad

Milho frito

The foil covering the top of the espetada contained butter, allowing the skewers to self-baste during cooking. All of it was divine, and the beef chunks had a wonderful flavor. With our main dishes finished, three of the four of us chose a passion fruit cheesecake for dessert, while once again I was the odd man out and ordered the apple pie with ice cream. I had to laugh at Jeff, who was beside himself with dismay that I didn't order the cheesecake as well. "Patrick, you really need to try the passion fruit cheesecake! It's their signature dessert!" Well, hey, I wanted the apple pie. I don't get it that often, and it really is one of my favorite pastries. While I appreciated Jeff's attempt to keep me from missing out, I was still insistent on having my pie (and eating it, too).

Apple pie

After such a fine meal, I was happy for the post-prandial stroll we took back to base camp. From the spectacular greenery during the day, nightfall presented us with spectacular vistas of lights from the surrounding area.

Now, about that "perspective" that I mentioned way back at the beginning of this blog...

I would like my readers to try this little experiment. There are several ways to do this, starting with the easiest. Go to ChatGPT and, in the prompt, type something like: "Create a map with a 4-mile radius centered on ___" and add your address. Another quick way is to go here and either enter the coordinates or click the map to set the center point. For obvious reasons, I won't post a map of my circle. Many of y'all know where I live, but I'm preferring to keep it on the safe side. I will say, though, that of all things to fall very close to the same distance as base camp to Câmara de Lobos was a Buc-ee's. 

I'm going to do a little "compare and contrast" of our trek from base camp to Câmara de Lobos and an imaginary trek from my house to the nearest Buc-ee's. This should be fun. If you have created your own circle, please feel free to compare it to our Madeira walk or even my imaginary walk. Who knows what will be similar?

The Walk:

Madeira: A beautiful, seaside path with views of the sparkling Atlantic Ocean on one side and soaring, volcanic cliffs on the other. Many elevation changes.

Home: Suburbia at its best. Flat sidewalks (if any) along busy streets. Hints of car exhaust and freshly-cut grass. Coastal plains with no elevation change except stepping over curbs.

The Destination:

Câmara de Lobos: A scenic fishing village with a statue of Winston Churchill and many restaurants. A Prego Especial sandwich, washed down with a Coral beer. 

Winston Churchill

Buc-ee's: a statue of the Buc-ee's beaver and a huge choice of everything from chopped brisket sandwiches to hand-made fudge to their iconic Beaver Nuggets. Fountain drinks and beer. Buc-ee's definitely takes the lead in the food and drink category. Why? Two words: Beaver Nuggets. And not just one flavor, either. SEVERAL flavors of this delicious snack.

Buc-ee's beaver

photo credit: www.dinesarasota.com

I can hear it now: "Dude, did you just compare a statue of Winston Churchill to a....beaver? Seriously??"

Well, yeah, but it is the Buc-ee's mascot, so there's that.

For those who've missed out on the nirvana of Beaver Nuggets, these delicious morsels of sugar and corn are almost the perfect road trip snack. I say "almost perfect" because they still leave a bit of residue on your fingers. Finger lickin' nuggets? Yes, please!

Beaver Nuggets

Different flavors

And this takes us to the end of another fun day in Madeira. While I still have another 2-3 installments in this series, the next blog will cover our recent outing at the Southern Board Game Festival, or "SoBo" for short. After that, I'll pick up where I left off in Madeira.

Minimum steps: 16720

7.2 miles

The previous installments in this series can be found here:

1. Fun in Funchal, y'all!

2. Funchal: Day 1, Our First Full Day

3. Day 2: From Madeira to Brazil and back, with a stop in Margaritaville

Until next time...

carpe cerevisi

Day 2: From Madeira to Brazil and back, with a stop in Margaritaville

Whoa! Don't let the title fool you. We're not actually going to Brazil (or Margaritaville, for that matter), but I think you'll see how they all relate. For those already looking for the exit, please come back. It'll all make sense, and we'll have a lot of fun getting from point A to point B. Here's a little bit of background to provide some context for this journey. Remember, this is a party, and not a lecture. Well, maybe a little lecture.

In a nutshell, the Carnival of Brazil can trace its roots to 1723, when Madeiran immigrants introduced a rowdy street festival to the local population. Over time, this festival fused with local cultural influences and African rhythms, evolving into its iconic samba sound. Coming full circle, in the 1970s, Madeira began incorporating Brazil's flashy costumes and samba beats into their Carnaval parade.

It's Carnaval!

See? That wasn't so painful, was it?

But....but, where does Margaritaville fit in?

I'm glad you asked! Madeira is often called "the Hawaii of Europe," mainly for its volcanic origin and year-round mild climate. And I agree! The lifestyle, though, more closely aligns with Margaritaville, that mythical place with its spiritual roots in Key West, Florida. Madeira is Key West's eastern cousin, but with much steeper hills and better wine.

Just consider this connection: Jimmy Buffett released his album Don't Stop the Carnival in 1998, and one version of the album art shows Jimmy in what appears to be Carnival regalia. Check it out below.

image from Google search

Now, I'll grant that this particular album doesn't have much to do with the actual Carnival, but the album art suggests an island vibe that's felt throughout many of his songs, and what we felt on Madeira. The location may be different, but the feeling remains the same. We traded our margaritas for the iconic poncha as the steel drums surrendered to the samba's beat.

As a reminder to my readers, clicking on any link in blue will open in a new window. You won't lose your place here. Clicking on any photo will open a large-format version in a new window as well.

Day 2: Happy Valentine's Day!

Our second full day in Madeira started much like the previous day, to the point of it being a carbon copy, as we prepared to leave base camp to meet C&J. Remember in my previous blog how I mentioned that a certain conversation with Jeff would come up again? I was either in the Twilight Zone or experiencing a scene from Monty Python in real-life. Here is a recap of our conversation as Cindy and I were heading out the door:

Cindy: Be sure to grab those Euro coins. We'll need them for bus fare.

Me: No, we're supposed to try using our cards first.

Cindy: But Jeff left the coins for us. 

Me: For backup! We're supposed to try our cards first, then paper money if the cards aren't accepted.

Cindy: Oh, yeah, that's right! The paper money. I forgot we got some yesterday. 

Me: Yeah, after we try our cards.

Cindy: But what about the coins? Jeff said...

Me: Babe, one more time. It's cards, then paper money, then coins, as a backup.

Cindy: Well, you don't have to get all snippy about it.

Me: <sigh> Yes, dear

Cindy: Did you just roll your eyes at me??

Me: Oh, not at all. I was just making sure my contacts were centered.

Now, please watch this scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and I'll let you decide. It's just a couple of minutes long, and well worth watching just for the comedy value.

Don't get me wrong. Cindy means the world to me, and I count my blessings every day that she's my wife and I get to be her husband. Situations like the above happen very rarely. Both of us have been on the confused end of the conversation, so this is more charming to me than annoying. Charming? It was hilarious (but in a good way).

For the record, the bus system doesn't accept credit cards, so I paid with a 5 Euro note and actually got change back. Those 2 Euro coins are still safely with our other leftover Euros. 

Nothing could be more appropriate about that whole coin conundrum than that we didn't use the bus again after our first and second days on Madeira. A fitting end to such a Python-esque start to our day.

Our breakfast view

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

We met C&J near the same park from the previous day, had our chinesa and pastel de nata, and proceeded to the grandstand area to find our seats for the parade. We wanted to find our specific seats before it got dark and the crowds arrived. Wow, what great seats! We'll have a fantastic view of the parade later tonight. 

After showing us a few more sights, we decided on an early lunch (elevensies) and made our way to one of Connie's favorite restaurants, Barreirinha Bar Cafe, near the fort we visited yesterday. "It's a bit of a walk, but the view will be worth it." Translation: We need to ascend this steep-assed hill. That's one way to ensure a good appetite. Yes, there was a steep portion, but overall it wasn't that bad. And the view was definitely worth it.

As is common in many European countries, iced tea is a rarity, and for those of us raised on iced tea, it can be frustrating when it's not available. Knowing this prior to the trip, I put the idea of enjoying iced tea in Madeira out of my head. Imagine my surprise, then, when I spotted that icy elixir on the menu. Ohhh, yes! I'll have some iced tea, please. It'll go great with my lunch choice.

Tosta mista

A tosta mista is basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, served on the iconic Bolo do Caco bread. Delicious! For such a "simple" sandwich, it delivered a savory delight. Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches are one of my comfort foods, in addition to what I named on this past blog about comfort foods. I would discover throughout this whole trip that my elevensies choice would alternate between the prego especial and the tosta mista. 

We had just enough time to check out a local market before our wine tasting at Blandy's Wine Lodge. Jeff had already booked this tasting for the four of us based on our conversations of what we wanted to do prior to our trip. Following that link will give you a fantastic overview of the company and its wines. I've known about Madeira wine for many years, yet never had the chance, until now, to try it out. This will be the second style of wine in my "triad" to sample in the land of its origin. I had the first in this triad, Tuscany's signature Chianti, in Firenze, which you can read about here. 

Welcome to Blandy's Wine Lodge

Our tour guide led us through many parts of the winery that were actually working areas. She pointed out the storage and aging barrels and how the wine was made. The following are photos of these barrels that show the different types and varieties of wines they made.

Notice the names of the grapes on the barrels, such as sercial, bual, and malvasia. Each grape variety produces a different flavor and level of sweetness or dryness. The following photo will explain each of these grapes in detail. For best results, click the photo to view a larger version.

Grape varieties

Once we finished our tour of the production area, our guide led us to the tasting room, where we could sample three different wines, one dry and two sweet. While all of these were enjoyable, my preference for sweet wines definitely showed itself when I picked my favorite of the three. I'm not an experienced wine connoisseur by any stretch. I know what I like and tend to gravitate toward those types. Up to now, my favorite sweet wine is an Auslese, but the Blandy's Malmsey wines gave it stiff competition. 

From dry to sweet

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

I had a tough time picking my favorite between the two sweet wines (center and right in the photo above), but if I had to pick just one, it's the 10-year Malmsey (center). It had a velvety mouth-feel and somewhat richer aftertaste compared to the other one. Paired with some dark chocolate, your taste buds would go wild.

My pick of the three

The biggest surprise for me was the color of the Madeira wines, neither "red" nor "white" in the traditional sense, but closer to Scotch or dark rum. Of course, I had to open both the Specs and Total Wines apps on my phone to see if any of these were available locally once we got home. Yay! Thankfully, there are a few of the less expensive Malmsey wines available at either retailer. 

The quartet of fun

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

Sisters being sisters

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

Goofin' for the camera

photo by Cindy Newman

First of the triad: Chianti

Second of the triad: Madeira

photo by Cindy Newman

The third of my triad will be sipping an Auslese in the Mosel Valley, within the next year or so. Cindy and I are still in the early stages of planning this trip, but we hope to start finalizing plans soon. Of course, this means I need to start another multi-tabbed spreadsheet for that trip, right? 

As the afternoon wore on, I could definitely feel the party vibe ramping up. More and more people appeared in the central area, with live music playing from several stages scattered about. It's the same kind of energy I noticed at Galveston's Mardi Gras festivities the last time I was there.

Carnaval!

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

We enjoyed the revelry of the moment until it was time to leave for dinner, another "short walk" from where we were. C&J mentioned that we would be meeting another couple, Jim and Ann Marie, whom they met on a previous trip to Madeira. They would be dining with us and attending the parade with us as well. Cool! The more, the merrier. They arrived shortly after we did, and after introductions, I asked where they were from. "Do I detect a hint of Irish accent?" Jim replied that they're from Newfoundland, and many of the locals there spoke with an accent like his.

Sunrise Asian Fusion

Sunrise Asian Fusion had a wide array of dishes to choose from, and the butter chicken caught my eye. We ordered several appetizers to share family style. As it got darker, the temperature started dropping. I ordered hot tea for both the warmth and the caffeine to keep me going during the parade.

Hot tea for me

With such good conversation and food, the time quickly slipped by us, and we had to hustle to finish dinner, settle the bill, and take "another short walk" to the grandstand area. This was more of a power walk, or an "oh, crap, my departure gate is all the way across the terminal, and I have only three minutes to make the flight" kind of walk. We ended up being just a few minutes late, but our seats were still vacant, and we sat down to watch the spectacle.

Funchal's "Cortejo Alegorico" is the main parade, much in the style of Rio's Carnival. The dazzling costumes, samba music, and general merriment of the crowd all contributed to a party vibe that lasted the entire time we were there in the grandstands. Normally, when adding pictures to my blog, I will caption most of them, unless the photo is so self-explanatory that a caption doesn't add anything to it. Here are just a few of the many photos we took of the parade. 

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

photo courtesy of Jeff Homes

All of us were amazed at how elaborate these costumes and floats were. The participants exhibited such a high level of energy that I wonder how they were able to maintain it throughout the length of the parade. As the wind picked up, it grew colder as the night wore on. Notice that many of these costumes didn't offer much cover, so hopefully their high-energy dance routines kept them warm. After two hours of watching the parade, I started to get a little cold, even with my anorak on. I'm typically warm-natured and the last to get cold in our group. I was just about to mention this when Connie asked if we'd be OK leaving a little early. "We're getting cold, and would like to start back to the apartment." Cindy was already feeling the effects of the wind chill as well, so we decided to head back to base camp.

 

Our route back included part of the parade staging area. As we walked through this area, I estimated the parade would last at least another two hours, based on the sheer number of participants still waiting in line to begin. We had at least an hour-long walk back to base camp, with some very steep inclines along the way. About halfway there, we stopped at the Hole in One Pub for refreshments and a brief rest. A round of drinks and a light snack did the trick, and we continued our trek, arriving just after midnight. That hot shower worked wonders for me, giving me just enough energy to record the day's events in our travel journal before calling it a night. Tomorrow promised to be another full day of walking and exploring. 

 

What was that? Our "travel journal?" Yes, that's exactly what it is. I found it online, and thought it would be the perfect way for both of us to commemorate our travels throughout the year. Spending a day at a board game convention? Put it in the journal. Trip to Madeira? Put it in the journal. I've kept a journal for most of my previous travels to help reconstruct events for a future blog, but with this one, both of us got the chance to write down our thoughts. 

Coming up next, our day in Camara de Lobos. 

 

Minimum steps: 17740

7.61 miles

 

 The series so far:

1. Fun in Funchal, y'all!

2. Funchal: Day 1, Our First Full Day

 

 Until next time...

 

 carpe cerevisi