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My travel in Europe:
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Day II, Madeira Botanical Garden and Cathedral of Funchal:I have always been told that Madeira is the green island. Today we will investigate if that's true. We also visit the old Cathedral of Funchal. Google Map over today visits:Other than the visit to the park, most walks nearby our hotel. |
Archeological area, Sao Filipe Fortress:
As a result of the flooding during 2010 they have found old ruins of a fortress. Sao Filipe Fortress or Forte Novo. 
Praca Do Povo:
We following the park along the coast, two big cruisers has anchored in the harbor. 
We bought 3 days ticket for the city buses, it cost 12 Euro. You buy the tickets at the corner of the crossing streets Av. do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses and R. Artur de Sousa Pinga. Here we had entered bus no 31 that take us up to the Botanical Garden. You need the bus, it's very steep here! 
The street up here was very steep, we was not sure if the bus could handle it. 
The Botanical Garden is very popular, today a lot of Norwegian tourists has decided to visit it. At Wikipedia you find more information about Botanical Garden in Funchal:
The garden is placed in a ravine, it flows a lot of water that make the park green of flowers. |
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The garden is not very old, it opened in 1960. 
At the edge of the park there is a fabulous view over the Funchal. 
We are about 400 meter above the sea level. 
The arrangement in the park are very well done. The whole park is very steep situated, we started from the top and exit at the bottom. 
Is it coffee beans ? |
You that had followed my travel stories know that I always looking for something related to astronomy. Madeira was difficult, but here I found something weak connected to astronomy. When I saw it I know that it had something to do with the Sun, but the exact purpose I didn't know about. I asked my friends and send a photo of it. Hans and Gunnar wrote to me and said that it's a heliograph. You can measure how many sun hours you have. You do it with a paper you place in it, and the Sun (our star) will burn a track that you can analyze later. Other words for it are Sunshine recorder, At Wikipedia you find more information about what a sun recorder is:
After we finished the park visit we took the bus back to Funchal. 
Jump of the bus at the station opposite to Mercado Dos Lavradores. 
We took a walk along the channel that we saw the ruins at, upstream it looks like this. It look calm now, but sometimes it flood over the walls as it did in 2010. At Wikipedia you find more information about the flood 2010:
Now we want to see the cathedral. Just a few minutes walk from our hotel. 
Opposite the cathedral there is a square, we looked for a ice cream, but we couldn't find any here. Cathedral of Funchal:
Cathedral of Funchal. 
It was closed during the middle of the day, we had to come back later. |
Now the Sun has appeared, and with the Sun the peoples come out. Parque de Santa Catarina:
From the park Western of Funchal we could get a better view of the cruisers. The one to the left is from Norway and the one to the right is from Germany. At Wikipedia you find more information about the park Santa Catarina:
Far away in the background you see a yellow house, that's the old fortress. Jardim Municipal do Funchal:
On the way back to Funchal Old Center we walk through the park Municipal of Funchal. 
I read somewhere that the park was opened in 1880. 
Amphitheatre. 
Just outside the park there is an old house waiting for restoration. |
Another market place, now the cathedral has open, we walk through the galleria towards the cathedral. Cathedral of Funchal:
As always old cathedrals are impressive. They build these huge buildings long time ago before our modern machines. No steel frames, just stone block put on top of each other. 
At Wikipedia you find more information about the cathedral:
Capela de Santo Anto:
Chapel St. Anthony of Mouraria was built 1710. 
We saw these everywhere in town, and for sure they where needed, we got a big fire in a nearby house a few days later, you will see! 
R. das Hortas, the street in opposite of our hotel. |
Most tourist we have seen are a bit old, but at this square we see a lot of younger people. 
Our hotel Do Centro has a companion, the Windsor Hotel. We was allowed to use the hotel Windsor's roof pool. It was a bit cold today, about ten degrees Celsius, but at least we want to see the pool. 
Up at the roof we found the pool, there was also a bar here. Fantastic view from here over the Atlantic Ocean. 
After a short rest at our hotel it was time for some dinner. We wasn't very hungry because we had stopped several times during the day at restaurants and taken sandwiches, ice creams, coffee and other things to eat. 
Close to the cathedral we found a nice and calm restaurant where we could sit down. 
Not hungry? Just a small grill steak :-) 
An old bridge crossing the channel.
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