Funchal, Madeira II

So yes...i have already come back home from the ships...but i still think it is nice to write...rather late than never...so of course the time we were there was before christmas...the first time i was there, there was a beautiful christmas market....and i got to try various local specialities...and we all know how much i like that, bolo de cacao with garlic butter...so damn good....

Bolo de caco
At the christmas market...making bolo de caco
Bolo de caco with garlic butter

It was simply delicious....after that....i felt like something sweet...and of course i had done my research and i knew what i was looking for....so i walked into a bakery....and i got these marzipan balls....simply delicious....and then i also got something called.....Pasteis de nata....This portuguese speciality is an egg tart...common on the mainland of portugal....nice....

Pasteis de nata
So...food wise...some yummie things..and the christmas market was so pretty..let me share some more pics
Me and the snowman
Kim and Santa Claus
Christmas Market
Beautiful building...the old bank

And not to forget...the famous madeira wine that comes from there...you get dry or sweet...and for a couple of euros you can even do a guided tour...so yes...that is what kim and i did...we did the tour at blandy's...very interesting...there are 6 different types of grapes....namely....malmsey, bual, verdelho, sercial, terrantez and tinta negra...let me share a few facts...malmsey was the first type of grape that was introduced to madeira, bual this grape produces a well balanced wine...known for its balance between freshness and sweetness, verdelho grape normally produces a medium dry and it is good with hard cheeses, sercialthis is very dry and it can best be enjoyed as an aperitif, to cleanse the palate before food, terrantez is a very special and rare grape and tinta negra is the most versatile grape and is known as the cameleon, why....the grape can aquire the character of all four types of madeira, depending on the altitude of the vineyard.....so interesting....

Before the Blandy's tour
Madeira barrels
We then also got shown then barrels and some museum items....interesting...we were also told that madeira wines are NOT allowed to be lying...they should always stand...if they lie in actual makes the wine go off....never knew that...and i mean normally it is better for wine to lie....and then in the olden days they transported the wine in goat skins...but often by the time they reached the destination....the wine was gone...had been drunken along the way....
Goat skin

I like these type of tours...not too long...but you learn a lot...very nice...and then on the way back kim and i decided to take a portuguese tuk tuk....we had to experience it...so much fun....

Tuk tuk in Madeira

And last but not least...let me tell you about this dessert called Queijadas.......This Madeiran specialty is made of requeijão (is a milk-derived product), eggs and sugar....it wAs yummie...this i bought in the bakery the last time we were in Madeira before dry dock....and i boughts the cheesecake...the bole de arroz (rice flour muffins) and the marzipan sweet...all so so good..well actually the bolo for mewas like a normal sponge cake...so nothing special...kim loved the marzipan...of course...

Bolo de arroz, marzipan ball and queijadas

So this was madeira in a nutshell...small town...but quaint...i honestly loved the atmosphere this little town creates...and also tha landscape around was beautiful...i mean the mountains we went to see, the tabboggan...the food is good...but nothing wow...not like italian kitchen or spanish or greek...but then again...italian kitchen i could eat every day...no problemo at all..carprese...vitello..carpaccio...oooh...my mouth is starting to water...anyway...back to madeira...definitely an island worth visiting...for about a week...some beautiful scenery, great madeira and interesting food and beautiful town....so....bye bye madeira

 

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