Thread: Funchal - Madeira Island - Portugal

Originally Posted by Char

He has his priorities straight. ......school is first.

Funchal sounds delightful this time of the year. The times we have been there it was slightly coolish. Our stops were on transatlantics either in the early spring or in the fall. No European cruises currently booked. We are doing the Panama Canal again in September.

Yes, the weather now is very nice, it may be hot under the sun, but it cools down in the evening, so the house still feels fresh. During early spring and fall, temperatures are lower.

On your visits to Madeira, what did you see? Did you take any tours?

Next in line, and to finish the Popular Saints' festivities, is Saint Peter. Our seaside village of Ribeira Brava is the center of it all. More marches, more fireworks and also a religious feast including Mass with a Procession, very much in the Madeiran tradition.

Summing it up: we celebrate our three Popular Saints, in very much the same way, the only difference is that each Saint is celebrated in a different location.

In fact, the Marches are very recent n Madeira, copied from the Saint Anthony's Marches in Lisbon on the 12th June.

These frequent fireworks displays are also recent. Before we only used to have fireworks on New Year's Eve.

All this changes have been made by the Government, in order to give more entertainement opportunities to locals and tourists, to bring people to the outside and make everybodies lifes more interesting and full filling.

Just a quick note about Atlantic Festival. Germany was the winner, as I, already, expected.

Last Saturday, Portugal closed the event with its own contribution. Probably because Germany was so good, I found Portugal rather disappointing.

Eusebia, I guess any display would pale in light of the good fireworks program that Germany put on. It would have been a wonderful thing to see in person.....are there usually a lot of tourists on hand for these events?

A quick aside...we are contemplating another transatlantic and looking at several options. You never know...we might be seeing you one of these days.

Originally Posted by Char

Eusebia, I guess any display would pale in light of the good fireworks program that Germany put on. It would have been a wonderful thing to see in person.....are there usually a lot of tourists on hand for these events?

Hi Char,

You're right: the better we see, the better we want and I've been finding that to be very true when firework displays are concerned.

Atlantic Festival is, already, one of our well known touristic attractions and, this year, the Government said it enabled hotels to be 70% full.

I went to look in YouTube and I found two small portions of Kimbolton (UK), the winning entry, back in 2005.
YouTube - Madeira Fireworks Competition - Toccata & Fugue
YouTube - Madeira Fireworks Competition - Moulin Rouge Medley

Beautiful!

Originally Posted by Char

A quick aside...we are contemplating another transatlantic and looking at several options. You never know...we might be seeing you one of these days.

Hi again,

That would be excellent!

Gorgeous! I think the first one is the most impressive! The music and the fireworks are more in sync. Although the second one had a grand finale!

Thanks for sharing.....I can see why it's a tourist attraction!

Yes, I think the second one was the last one of their show, because we can hear the applauses. That's why it was given the "grand finale" feel to it.

Ola' Eusebia,

I just watched both of the YouTube fireworks videos. Impressive.

I enjoyed the "Toccata & Fugue" more. It music seemed to be more synchronized with the ireworks.

Both were outstanding though.

John