I do realise this is a bit of a scary header. But, rest assured, you have seldom read a more reassuring article on scary animals. Even though Madeira is a subtropical island, where all kinds of nasty critters would thrive because of the climate, there are no poisonous or otherwise dangerous animals in Madeira. For…
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Fanal Forest, enchanting place in the mists of Madeira
One of Madeiras most stunning areas is the Fanal forest high up on the North side of the island. The Latin name of the gnarled trees in the Fanal forest is Ocotea Foetens. It is one of the many Laurel species and some of them are 600 years old. Unesco World Heritage The Fanal forest…
Passenger rights and cheating airlines
It’s winter in Madeira. And with winter comes wind and rain, much wind also may cause air traffic disruption, delays and cancellations. This article is not going to be a long rant about how bad some airlines treat their passengers, however appealing writing such a story may seem. Instead, let’s have a look at the…
Life in Madeira after over a year of covid-19
A great deal has already been written about Corona and the measures that go with it, and about life on Madeira in a pandemic. I, too, have wasted more words than is good for us. But after a year and a half of the pandemic, we can safely say that life in Madeira has remained…
We got the covid jab!
In spite of the fact that we were assured by the secretary of our local ‘Centro de Saúde’, and in spite of the fact that the national Portuguese government decreed that anyone who is in Portuguese territory, for whatever reason, is entitled to get the covid jab, we were pleasantly surprised by the phone call…
Vaccine against Covid-19. Can I get it?
We all have passed a rather dark year. What started – in the eyes of many – as just another but a little more serious flu that would pass in a couple of months, turned into a full-blast pandemic. Hardly anyone has ever lived anything remotely like this. Even when the first wave hit us…
Butter factory, the beginning of the end?
In our daily view from our house and garden features a very characteristic building. It is the old ‘fabrica de manteiga’, the butter factory of Fajã da Ovelha. The building is 110 years old. As the name says, it was used to make butter, and also cheese, in the days that it was still worthwhile…
Happy New Year!
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! Feliz Ano Novo! Happy New Year! Une très bonne année! Gutes Neues! We wish you all a very happy new year 2021. A year with fewer worries, fewer restrictions, more freedom. A year in which we can breathe again without fear, in which we can explore new horizons. And above all, a year…
Christmas covid rules: a lot of confusion
update December 30, 2020 on the rules for watching the fireworks in Funchal. If you have already read the rest of the article, you can jump to the update section here. Last week Wednesday, November 25th, the regional government of Madeira has issued extra covid measures for the coming weeks. The Christmas covid rules come…
Madeira Travel Insurance
In these turbulent Covid days, many are worried about travelling to Madeira. Their usual travel Insurance seems to not cover travel to countries with negative advice on all but necessary travel. Now, one could question if a holiday to someplace safe and relax isn’t very necessary indeed in these stressful times. But the fact is…
