This morning we enacted our plan to get the cable car whilst avoiding all the cruise passengers! It worked a treat and we had a very smooth walk straight through the ticket office and onto the cable car for a great view across the city and a half hour ride up to Monte.
There are two very impressive gardens to visit, one being the Monte Palace tropical Gardens and the other the Botanical Gardens. We decided to opt for the latter, where the focus was much more on the plants and less so on additional attractions such as statues, the Japanese garden et cetera, which you would see at the palace garden.
We had a short stroll around Monte and climbed up the steps to the impressive Igreja de Nossa Senhora. Emperor Charles 1 of Austria died in exile on Madeira island and was laid to rest in the church. There was a beautiful statue of him in front of the church.
Down below we walked past a collection of wicker baskets which are one of the best known tourist attractions in the area. The baskets are driven down the hill by two drivers in straw hats who look rather like gondoliers. This trip takes you about halfway back down the hill and you then have to make your own way back into Funchal. We decided against it due to the huge length of the queue.
We stopped by the café for a coffee and a very nice chunk of cake before heading down the slope to the second cable car which took us down to the botanical garden. The contrast with the first one was stunning because it led us down a deep gorge full of greenery and small waterfalls. The second cable car route was totally obscured from the first one due to the depth of this gorge and it was surprising to see how much lush greenery lay just outside the limit of the city.
We really enjoyed the visit to the gardens and were surprised at just how big they were. There were several great viewing points to see back across the city and a wide range of plants on display. My favourite areas were the palm trees and the enormous cacti. Dave liked the views and was definitely chief photographer for the day. Amongst the plants, there was a typical traditional style house from the Santana municipality, which can be seen on other parts of the island.
We then had to get the cable car back up the hill to catch the return cable car down into Funchal. We stopped for a drink and a snack in a café near the front. By this time we had built up another impressive step count and were quite tired so decided to get a bus back up the hill. The number one, two or four bus stops right outside our hotel.
We had a short siesta and then in the evening strolled in the other direction to a pizza restaurant which someone on the walking tour had recommended to us earlier in the week.
