Freki presents Madeira

FREKI · #1 Posted **Oct 23, 2012, 11:16 PM**

In the Atlantic Ocean far off the coast of Morroca is the small Portuguese island of Madeira..

These are some of my pics from our visit.. I hope you enjoy them..

FREKI · #2 Posted **Oct 23, 2012, 11:17 PM**

FREKI · #3 Posted **Oct 23, 2012, 11:22 PM**

FREKI · #4 Posted **Oct 23, 2012, 11:23 PM**

SLO · #5 Posted **Oct 23, 2012, 11:24 PM**

Looks like fun. The topography, landscape etc reminds me of southern California and Mexico. Love that swimming area in rocks looks fun....nice job!

FREKI · #6 Posted **Oct 23, 2012, 11:24 PM**

FREKI · #7 Posted **Oct 23, 2012, 11:25 PM**

FREKI · #8 Posted **Oct 23, 2012, 11:27 PM**

FREKI · #9 Posted **Oct 23, 2012, 11:28 PM**

That's all folks

R@ptor · #10 Posted **Oct 24, 2012, 12:52 AM**

The Hawaii of Europe.

Too bad you obviously didn't rent a car and explored areas like Curral das Freiras or Caldeirão Verde in the interior which are truly breathtaking.

Shawn · #11 Posted **Oct 24, 2012, 1:47 AM**

FREKI · #12 Posted **Oct 24, 2012, 2:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by R@ptor

The Hawaii of Europe.

Too bad you obviously didn't rent a car and explored areas like Curral das Freiras or Caldeirão Verde in the interior which are truly breathtaking.

Did rent a car, but didn't explore the entire island ( if I did what reason would I have to go back? - I always leave a reason to go back open and do virtually always revisit places I have been to )

Don't want to rush exploring more than it have to be - traveling should IMO be a pleasure, not a stressful race to cover as much as possibe with a camera ( as I had a tendency to do in my early travels ) this was for me and the gf to have a nice time - and we did

AviationGuy · #13 Posted **Oct 24, 2012, 2:39 AM**

One of the world's most beautiful islands. Your pics are better than any I've ever seen of the island.

When I first started researching this island, I was surprised that it's about 600 miles southwest of Portugal (at the closest) and about 450 miles west of Morocco. It's way out there!

I have to ask, since I'm an aviation fanatic. What was the approach to Funchal like when you landed? It's one of the worst airports in the world for landings due to frequent crosswinds, although on a good day it's a piece of cake. I've spent hours upon hours watching videos of airliners aborting landings at Funchal due to crosswinds. I've chatted online with people who told me about numerous passengers getting sick due to the turbulent approach on windy days. So I was wondering what it was like when you landed there.

Urbanguy · #14 Posted **Oct 24, 2012, 3:20 AM**

Very nice! The landscape reminds me of parts of Hawaii. Thanks for sharing a place that we don't see very often here.

FREKI · #15 Posted **Oct 24, 2012, 3:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by AviationGuy

I have to ask, since I'm an aviation fanatic. What was the approach to Funchal like when you landed? It's one of the worst airports in the world for landings due to frequent crosswinds, although on a good day it's a piece of cake. I've spent hours upon hours watching videos of airliners aborting landings at Funchal due to crosswinds. I've chatted online with people who told me about numerous passengers getting sick due to the turbulent approach on windy days. So I was wondering what it was like when you landed there.

Calm and normal... so I guess both landing and take off was lucky compared to how it could be..

SHiRO · #16 Posted **Oct 24, 2012, 6:44 PM**

LOL at the handfeeding of the lizards!

Spectacular photos! Seriously considering visiting this place based on these photos alone! How does Madeira compare to the Canary Islands?

Quote:

Originally Posted by FREKI

Don't want to rush exploring more than it have to be - traveling should IMO be a pleasure, not a stressful race to cover as much as possibe with a camera ( as I had a tendency to do in my early travels ) this was for me and the gf to have a nice time - and we did

Couldn't agree more. Always have trouble finding the right travel partners because it seems that visiting the things that are in the travel guides and taking a photo of it is all most people want to do. It's like they need to tick of items of a list and they never need to go back to a place because they've "already been there" either. I seriously had to convince some friends to visit the National Archives in DC with the argument that the place had been in the movie National Treasure. They wouldn't go there otherwise and once I said that they immediately wanted to go.

FREKI · #17 Posted **Oct 25, 2012, 4:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHiRO

Spectacular photos! Seriously considering visiting this place based on these photos alone! How does Madeira compare to the Canary Islands?

It's Portugal and it shows - but overall it's not THAT different from the Canaries and the nature are a tad more diverse, so overall a very nice alternative - probable the best choice if you want to go hiking..

For those into beaches and sun, it's a tad colder, so there the Canaries will be the better choice..

Kingofthehill · #18 Posted **Oct 25, 2012, 8:10 AM**

No wonder Portuguese people are almost as tanned as me! They're in the sun all year!

Seriously, though, great photos! My gf's parents (they're all Norwegian) visited this place some years ago, and said that it seemed like one, big retirement resort. At least it has some natural beauty. BTW, I am visiting Copenhagen next month

hkskyline · #19 Posted **Oct 25, 2012, 11:40 AM**

Stunning natural scenery!

Danny · #20 Posted **Oct 25, 2012, 1:27 PM**

Thanks for all these pretty pictures, FREKI!

Those pictures feeding those lizards are really funny. I´ve liked them.

Very nice landscapes and coast pictures. I´d like to visit Madeira. It looks similar to some parts of Canary Islands.

I´ve never been in Madeira, but I think the seven Canary Islands have more diversity than Madeira, and probably best beaches (Fuerteventura, Tenerife or Gran Canaria mainly). Each Canary Island is different from the others and has its own ecosystem.

Congrats and greetings from Madrid, Spain!