Welcome to my Madeira and Azores blog! And thanks both for tuning in and for your interest. For those who followed my first blog effort, from Africa last summer, I promise to make this briefer and to spice it up with a lot more pics.
Anyway, we made it to Madeira, yay! Winter travel is always iffy, but apart from a couple of short delays, it all went like clockwork. We left Halifax yesterday at 4pm on a jammed-packed Westjet flight filled with other spring breakers off to who-knows-where. After a few hours in Toronto, we boarded our first ever SATA International flight to Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores. SATA is a small airline based in the Azores, so we weren't sure what to expect. But the Airbus A310 and the inflight service were both excellent. We even arrived this morning in the Azores half an hour early!
It was 15C and pouring rain like we had NEVER seen before (NO exaggeration) in Ponta Delgada. After clearing EU Customs and getting a cappucino, we headed for our next flight to Madeira. We were proud to board one of SATA's new Bombardier Q400 props, made in Canada! 
By12:30 local time, we were at the airport in Madeira. We walked off that plane into a beautiful sunny day in the low 20s. Perfect weather! Flying into Madeira, we knew we would be in for a treat for the next few days: it is a mountainous, volcanic, lush island with sheer cliffs. 
After what felt like a KGB torture session with our Spanish rental car agency -- GoldStar Rentals (more like FoolsGold, if you ask me), we were on our way in a tiny Fiat, for which we are convinced they will find some sort of hairline scrape upon return as a reason to ding us, such is how mean they are. Anyway, I digress. It took about half an hour to drive to the capital of Madeira -- Funchal -- and find our Melia hotel. By 3:30pm, we were checked in, showered and ready to explore Old Town Funchal on foot.
We started at the marina in front of the Avenida do Mar (Avenue of the Sea), which runs along the harbour. My stomach was growling and, spotting a Portuguese McDonalds, and having been tempted by a bus shelter add for a Portuguese McD speciality sandwhich - the McBiffon - we ducked in to try one out. After all, I have to demonstrate my McD brand loyalty on an international basis, you know! ;-)
For the next couple of hours, we meandered through Funchal's beautiful cobbled streets. We saw most of the city's key buildings from the 16th century, including: the Fortaleza (fort) and Palacio (palace) de Sao Lourenco; the Funchal Cathedral; the Praca do Municipio (Municipal Square); the baroque Igreja do Colegio (Jesuit church); the Camara Municipal (Town Hall); the Church of St Peter; and the Convento de Santa Clara (Convent of St. Clare). We topped the day with a stroll through Funchal's Park of St. Catarina, then caught a local bus back to the hotel -- an experience in its own right!
Having gone with no sleep for most of the past 48 hours, we decided to grab dinner in the hotel. Fortunately for us, everyone was drawn in by the hotel's Italian buffet, so we had the entire a-la-carte restaurant to ourselves, including an excellent classical guitarist! As soon as we sat down, Pam was informed it was International Womens' Day and was given a flower, a glass of champagne, and a complimentary 11-Euro duck paté appetizer! I'm coming back on International men's day to see what they will give me. Fair's fair! ;-)
So endeth day 1. Tomorrow, we will set out in our little Fiat to explore the peaks and valleys of this amazing island, including the villages that dot the coastline.
G'night from Madeira!
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