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Madeira

By Alexander Schlosser

Madeira is an island torn in two: an often foggy, rural north on one hand and a more touristy, densely populated south with giant cruise ships and resorts lined up along a rough coastline on the other.

It is this duality that characterizes almost everything on the island: There is a heavy, meat- and sugar-driven cuisine that does not really correspond well with the lightness and freshness of the exotic fruits one can find everywhere. There are tiny, often run down farming villages just a few minutes away from a city centre that boasts all the latest shopping offers that one would expect in a European city. And there is an atmosphere that is often marked by a certain melancholy. A melancholy that all of a sudden disappears and makes room to an unexpected openness and warmth.

You can find countless reports and blog posts on the extensive natural beauty of the island, its rainforests, its unique wildlife – and you will certainly find some of that over here as well. However, more often than not Madeira is less vibrant, less idyllic than one might expect. And there are days that feel as if all the color, all the energy was tuned down to a level where they become merely background noise.

It is difficult to form an opinion about this island, to say whether it is worth a visit. Would I recommend it? I am not sure. Italy has better food, Switzerland a more diverse landscape and France more welcoming villages. And Madeira? Madeira excites with its remoteness, its exclusive location in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and all the unique flora that comes with it. It is definitely a nice to see, but not a must.

While the island might seem small at first one realizes pretty quickly that getting somewhere usually involves long drives – roads are often in bad condition and the omnipresence of hairpin turns do not make for high-speed driving either. That said, getting around by car on Madeira is often more adventurous and fun than driving on a perfectly paved Swiss mountain pass.

Funchal

Funchal is Madeira's capital and really the only larger city on the entire island. Its city centre could be described as typical European: A few hip cafés and the usual selection of global fashion brands join the likes of touristy restaurants and a few major landmarks – nothing stands out, nothing screams for attention. And it is this understatement that lets one focus on the details, the colors, the textures, the variety in everyday architecture.

Ponta de São Lourenço

Being the easternmost place alone is enough to attract busloads of tourists. Add steep cliffs and the rough sea and you can be sure that you will most likely not be alone – unless you start early.

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Madeira

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