Madeira....at last...day 1

First encounter of Madeira...
- really scary to land on as the plane takes a really abrupt right turn to land on a tiny strip of land up on pillars that they call airport :). It feels like the runway will end really really soon!
- much bigger than I imagined and with so many things I could never imagine...the sea and the mountains so close together...the impecable roads and tunnels courtesy of EU money...using the land for crops so far up...

So many places high up above with a breathtaking view...

...abrupt cliffs, so many species of flowers...warmth- 20 degrees in December...palmtrees...clear calm ocean, warm people, some of which have never seen the ocean in their lives although they live so close by in the mountains...

...one can go up to freightening heights in such a short time...a short car or motorbike ride on a few winding roads and you are there!

...and then the view at night...spectacular...Funchal, the capital of the island was covered in Christmas and new year's lights and decorations. And because it is like an amphytheatre, it makes for one of the best places in the world for new year's fireworks.

View from a ferry of the main avenue in Funchal and a lights flag of Madeira suspended on a bridge.