The day had finally come to show the kids what it felt like to ride a cable car. Once we arrived in Madeira, they asked what those 'flying boxes' were, and so we 'flew' to Monte Palace Madeira - Tropical Garden. The icing on the cake was taking the Monte Sledges down, this time very close to the ground!
- Dad, are we going to ride the flying boxes today? It was the first thing we heard when we woke up that day. The kids had their eye on the cable car and were eager to try 'flying' on it for the first time. It sparked our curiosity the day we went Dolphin and Whale Watching in Funchal and noticed the suspended booths of the Madeira Cable Car, going up and down... That same day, we had to assure them we wouldn't leave Madeira without going for a ride.
We woke up on our sailboat, Zinga, where we stayed overnight, and went for a walk around Funchal, strolling through the gardens and watching the boats, until we reached Madeira Cable Car's reception, which would take us to Monte Palace Madeira - Tropical Garden. Things got restless as soon as the kids saw the booths 'landing', with people leaving and others entering straight away.
- But doesn't it stop for us to get in? Do we have to run and jump? - they asked, still confused by the new experience. So we followed the directions of the attentive staff and were soon inside the booth.
- Hold on, we're going to speed up! - I said, to prepare them. Not even five seconds later they were laughing with relief and joy, enjoying a new experience at a considerable height.
- Look at the tiny caravel down there - said Francisco, paying close attention to the view from above.
Our cable car journey to the parish of Monte probably took fifteen minutes. After a calm exit from the booth, we decided to top up our breakfast with a short break in the cafeteria next to the cable car. That was the natural orange juice with the best view ever! Accompanied by some spectacular homemade pastries, we got the energy we needed to set off to Monte Palace Madeira - Tropical Garden. A few metres away, we found the entrance and reception, where we bought our tickets. We entered the property with no idea what we were in for, and what we found was a nice surprise!
Throughout the more than seven hectares of Monte Palace Madeira - Tropical Garden, you can see the diverse and abundant vegetation - around 100,000 plant species from all over the world, a labyrinth of stairs, ramps and bridges, between sculptures, completely different works of art, waterfalls, lakes with flamingos and swans... you could say that nature abounds in this magical place! It feels like being in the 'jungle', going down a valley full of paths and shortcuts to get lost in (in a good way), while being lulled by those primordial sounds that can only be orchestrated by nature.
In the middle of our walk, we came across a museum inside the garden entitled 'Mother Nature's Secrets'. This space has several different types of rocks and minerals on display, from the most common to the rarest, which, arranged around the room, seemed to simulate the environment in which minerals are formed in the depths of our planet. It was very interesting to see the lighting effects, the compositions of the various rocks, and even to find something similar to 'kryptonite' from Superman's home planet!
We left the museum and were once again surrounded by the green nature of the Tropical Garden... A dozen steps later, the kids spotted something that made them run out in front of us:
- Flamingos! Can we go and have a look? - Vera asked, very excited when she spotted a group of these animals near us. - Why are they sleeping with just one leg on the ground? ¬- she continued. This was a question I didn't know how to answer... But the truth is that of the 12 flamingos there, about half were in a zen moment, with their necks curled between their feathers and one leg retracted. We had the kids imitate the position, and it was all laugh, of course!
Before we realized, it was time to depart and grab some lunch since we were starting to feel hungry! However we decided to surprise the kids and have another fun moment on our return. Instead of taking the cable car back, we decided to go down in the famous Monte Sledge Madeira, through the sloping streets of Monte to Livramento. While we were waiting for our turn, we watched the people in front of us getting ready to go down and their funny expressions... I'd say that most of them showed a mix of fear and enthusiasm for the adventure they were about to embark on!
- Kids, it's our turn, hold on! - I said, directing them to our sledge. Once we sat down, Francisco excitedly asked the men guiding us: - We want to go fast! - to which they replied: 'Let's do it!' 3, 2, 1 Go... Between fast curves, narrow areas, intersections with roads where cars were driving (but with well-coordinated passing by the staff of the Monte Sledge Madeira, called 'Carreiros') and always with spectacular views over Funchal, this was one of the most amusing activities the four of us did.
We were given a photo at the end, to make this unforgettable experience eternal, and then took a taxi to lunch, to refuel our energy for an afternoon of no less than spectacular activities at this wonderful island of Madeira! But that will be another article on this blog.
