We've been away for a holiday to the island of Madeira. Set in the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Africa north of the Canaries, Madeira is a mountainous island rising out of the sea. We were staying at a place called Cabo Girao, either the second highest or the highest sea cliff in Europe at 605m. I'll post a few photos later, but to give you idea of the place, we were towards the top of the sire and we had 103 steps to climb or descend if we wanted to get the reception area. From reception there was a lift that went down the three floors to the pool. If you walked all the way it was 183 steps from our apartment to the pool, but that wasn't the bottom of the site. I didn't count the steps up to the tennis courts, but I guess there were about 40.
The day I walked down to the lower gate and back I must have climbed at least 230 steps and taken in a sloping path too! Apparently some of the early feedback they've had about the place (it's only been open 18 months) is that it's steep! Well, well done everybody for spotting that one!
It has to be said that the island itself is probably best described as steep. Everywhere is either ear-poppingly up or down hill. The main high speed road, the "via rapida" is a series of tunnels and elevated sections of dual carriageway. Frightening to someone who doesn't like heights like me! But I made it, and more to the point Anne and Ally never complained once about being too close to the edge.
2 comments:
sounds beautiful - do you have pictures?
Yes, coming soon. I'm still a film based photogrpaher for the most part. Can't quite afford the digital camera I'd really like.
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