Portugal: Madeira Wine & Beer

The last of our Funchal adventures brought us to doing something we're more than good at…drinking! I don't know how it happens, but in almost every city we've visited in Europe, we've found ourselves in a bar or at a winery, enjoying the fruits and brews of the local area. I'm far from complaining...just a funny observation of the kind of travel experiences we tend to gravitate towards. As the day was winding down Madeira, we made a stop at The Blandy Old Wine Lodge, one of Funchal's oldest wine making companies. A wine tradition of Madeira since 1811, Blandy's Wine Lodge is known for having 2 beautiful tasting rooms, a plethora of traditional Madeira wine, and wine-making areas on site. 

Madeira wine is quite different from the wine D and I are used to drinking. They're all fortified, grown on the mountains of Madeira, tend to have strong flavors, and boast higher percentages of alcohol. Madeira produces a wide variety of wine styles from dry wines that are used as aperitifs to sweet wines to be consumed with desserts. They're also noted for having a unique wine making process, heating the wine up to temperatures as high as 140°F and deliberately exposing the wine to oxidation. Because of this process, Madeira wine is often robust and can endure long shelf life, even after being opened. During our visit, we were able to taste 2 different kinds of popular Madeira wine…one sweet and one medium-dry. While I'm usually a fan of almost any wine you put in front of me, D and I didn't fall in love with Madeira wine. The flavors were great, but the tiny samples we drank were potent. Very syrupy and very alcoholic (the two varieties we tried were 19% and 18% ABV). Would I still recommend taking the time to visit Blandy's and experience true Madeira wine? Absolutely! When in Portugal, right?

After our wine stop…we had a late lunch at a quite cafe in town (banana-covered black scabbard fish--a traditional Funchal dish--good, but strange) and then started making our way back to the ship. While walking, we stumbled upon Beerhouse Madeira, a brewery right on the bay with great views of the Funchal shore. The boys were itching to grab a pint in this idyllic setting, so we stopped in, had a glass, and took some photos around the brewery. Beerhouse Madeira was quite a lucky find. Come to find out, their in-house beers are brewed according to German Beer Purity Law and include no chemical products or preservatives…just water, hops, rye malt, and yeast. After the first few sips, we started to wish we'd had our late lunch there! Very tasty brews and gorgeous views to boot! Worth a stop, for sure. Well, that's all from Portugal! Next stop, Málaga, Spain!

Toboggan Riding in Funchal, Portugal

Originally used by locals as a quick way to get down the hills of Monte to the heart of Funchal in 1850, wicker tobogganing has quickly become Funchal's claim to tourism fame, attracting thousands of visitors to the island each year. The premise is simple: you hop inside a two-person wicker sled on wooden runners and two men (carreiros) dressed in all white (and the most adorable straw hats!) push and pull the sled down the narrow and winding streets of Funchal using their rubber-soled boots as brakes. The whole idea seems impossible, right? How in the world do wooden sleds slide down asphalt so easily? And the only way to stop you from crashing into stone walls and moving cars (yes, there were still cars driving down the streets!) was for a man to stop the sled with his rubber boot? If someone were explaining this to me without seeing it firsthand, I'd tell them they'd better have their life insurance policy up to date.

Truth is, wicker tobogganing down the winding roads of Funchal was one of the most fun activities we'd ever done while cruising. It ranks high up there with the Santorini donkey riding. We can't get enough of weird modes of transportation, I guess! It was super interesting to be riding the way the locals did so many years ago, all the while staring at the newly built cable car (that we previously rode down) shuttling people from Monte to Funchal in the distance. What's even cooler is that the famous American author Ernest Hemingway described Funchal toboggan riding as "the most exhilarating experience" of his life. Not sure I'd quite go that far, but it was a lot of fun. I'll admit, there were a few times during our 10 minute ride when the sleds really got going (48km per hour!) that I was convinced there was no way two men were going to be able to stop us…but these guys knew what they're doing and safely guided us down the mountain. No broken bones, just a lot of laughs and "OH MY GOSH!" moments! If you ever have the opportunity to visit Funchal, DO NOT MISS this 'old-fashioned' and adventurous means of tourist transportation. No better way to experience Funchal culture!

Pricing: €30 for 2 people (but is included in many cruise shore excursions)

Location: Sled start point is just below the Nosso Senhora do Monte church.

[Totally freaking out because this seems super unsafe yet totally cool all in the same weird moment.]

[In this video you can see how they push the sleds…and how ridiculously close to stone walls we were!]

[Our reactions to sledding down asphalt…plus I really wanted you to see what the two men were doing behind us. Hard work, for sure!]

Missed previous Portugal posts? You can catch up here!

Funchal, Portugal: Island of Madeira Part 1

We sailed into the port of Funchal on the island of Madeira, Portugal bright and early one October morning. The sun was just beginning to peek above the water and the colors painting the sky were vibrant and welcoming. As soon as it was light enough to see the island, I couldn't help but snap a flurry of photos. The terrain had an interesting mix of tropical and mountainous characteristics. In the foreground, you could see palm trees, sandy beaches, and rocky cliffs jutting out into the sea. But in the distance, hills and mountains covered in thick, green vegetation towered over the heavily populated city below. As D and I stared at the island from our balcony, we couldn't help but think Madeira must be a wonderful getaway from the hustle and bustle of cities like Lisbon on mainland Portugal. The sleepy city had yet to wake up, so we savored the tranquility as we slowly floated into port.

For our day in Funchal, we had a variety of activities lined up to give us a hearty picture of what Portuguese island life was like. Once we disembarked the ship, we hopped a bus that took us to the Monte area of Funchal to visit Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Monte (500 year old church in the Monte hills) and to enjoy a funicular ride high above the city. One of my favorite things to do when traveling to a new city is finding vantage points high up so that we can see the lay of the land. You get such great perspectives (and photos!) from atop mountains, bell towers, and cable cars…so don't miss opportunities to get high on your vacation! Ahem, you know what I mean. ;)

The historic walk and cable car views were a great start to our day, but we were most looking forward to participating in the Funchal tradition of wicker toboggan riding. Not sure what I'm talking about? Stay tuned!