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…
Author: Peter Groen
Peter was born in Amsterdam in 1949. He has a history in PR and copywriting. Now, part time resident of the Island of Madeira of over 10 years, he writes about Madeira, its culture, its overwhelming nature, its food and drink, and about everything concerning travel to and on this beautiful island.
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…
videos about Madeira
Many have stopped to take pictures during their holidays. They make videos that create a vivid image of their destination. We have always published them when we came across them, usually with reference to the source. They gradually got too scattered on the website, so I decided to collect them here on one single page.…
covid test in Madeira: friendly procedure
Article updated on February 28, 2021. Many who wish to travel to Madeira are full of questions about how Madeira has organised things are organised exactly concerning the compulsory covid test, either before departure or upon arrival, or if proof of vaccination is accepted, which it is. Of course, all this information is available online,…
Ferry to Madeira: whatever happened to it?
A ferry to Madeira could be good in these days of covid-19. All kinds of rules and regulations make air travel less pleasant. And maybe, they make you feel less safe than you would like. Unsurprisingly, many have sent me questions about the ferry to the mainland. True enough, a ferry to the mainland would…
Close your eyes, melt into the music: Madeira’s delightful surprise.
Most people are coming here to enjoy their holidays. The culture in Madeira is usually not on top of the list. Many people who enjoy their holidays on a subtropical island like Madeira do not really realise that there is life beyond the list of typical attractions for tourism. Now that alone, in Madeira, is…
