Christmas lights & New Year, Hotel occupation down, Via Rapida skater, & other snippets
TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Jon & Deb … “A few pics of the Christmas lights etc. for your perusal and blog submission….taken after “switch on” on Friday 28th ….. not all in focus, well it was cold! Just a point re beer/coffee costs at this end of the island …. a large beer never costs as much as two euro and coffee is the same price (Garroto, Chinesa = 60/80 euro) morning, noon and night – sometimes with a free brandy – we have NEVER been ripped of in any of our local restaurants! Totally agree with your comments re Funchal Fruit Market – we warn our guests …….. Info re dodgy tourist board bed allocation and the ability to actually fight illegal building works in the wings ….. New Year stuff! ” John & Deb are in Gaula (Santa Cruz) if anyone wants to try the local hostelries there.
Front Page News : source Diário de Notícias 29/11/2008
With the rest of the Xmas lights in Funchal switched on Friday night, all that remains is to know the programme for the rest of the festive season. More than half the €4.6 million budget has been spent on the lighting, which has involved nearly 2,500 people. The street entertainment starts on Saturday 6th December (music and whatever else is normally done), with Friday 12th being a climax when street bands and folk groups join in.
New Year will be highlighted by the firework display provided by ‘Macedos Pirotecnia’, and will last 8 minutes on the theme ‘Alchemy of the Color’. 39 launch posts are being established (24 in Funchal, 8 coastline, 6 on the sea, and 1 in Porto Santo).
We seem to have a diminished Christmas lighting display in Rib. Bra. (not yet switched on). The odd thing is that this year the câmara (council) has completely lit up the municipal gardens with tens of thousands of LED lights. It looks very nice, but is a little odd, because most of the lights are at the back and cannot be seen by people in the town after the gates are locked before nightfall. I can see them as I am higher up, and so can the ducks and peacocks that live there, but that’s about it.
Hotel occupation rates are low at 51% for most of December as usual (58% in 2007), and new year is at 81% (95% in 2007). The secretary for tourism reckons that it is still early days and further bookings can be expected. I expect that observation covers Funchal, whilst elsewhere hotel occupation rates are expected to be at the same levels as last year, approximately 0%.
‘Madeira condemned by EU’. Madeira has to return €2.5 million because of a breach of law in funding obtained for the creation of public networks for information and learning in health, education and public administration. The breach has occurred because suppliers were used that did not properly qualify in the selection (tendering) process. The problem applies to Portugal as a whole, and not just Madeira.
The fifth fashion gala of Madeira commenced on Friday, with plenty of contributions from local designers, but also criticism due to the lack of heating and attendance by local dignitaries.
The other two front page stories were about football and politics and didn’t look too interesting so I gave them a miss.
Other news :
The sea lion that came ashore for medical treatment has been confirmed as having gastroenteritis, with problems in her liver and pancreas. She is reacting well to treatment, but her condition is “worrying”. The condition is thought to be as a result of injuries sustained two years ago that left her immune system vulnerable.
25 years ago Madeira became a pioneer in Portugal for the implementation and use of photovoltaic cells for generating energy from the suns rays, leading to a growing enthusiasm for renewable energy solutions of all types. With around 3,000 sunshine hours a year (and that’s official) what better place could there be!
Since the year 2000, Madeira has managed to reduce the number of annual workplace fatalities by 40%.
A young man of 20 years who took to the via rápida on roller skates has been identified by police. A 3 minute video of the event posted on the internet was used to identify the idiot, along with footage from the police security cameras. He now faces a fine of up to €600.
Portugal has produced has a list of the one thousand biggest companies, with just 13 Madeiran companies mentioned. The biggest is ELCA Cosmetics, (53rd), followed by Galp Madeira (187th) and Electricidade da Madeira (188th). The bus company ‘Horários do Funchal’ just sneaks in at 956th.
Only one of 15 amendments to the 2009 state budget submitted by the social democrat government of Madeira were accepted by the socialist government in the Assembly of the Republic. The overall state budget was approved in Portugal last week, with all the opposition parties voting against the socialist majority. The fight goes on then, and we can not only look forward to further divisions between Madeira and Portugal next year, but another fighting performance (and hopefully top entertainment too) from President Bertie.
Aside from your valued blog responses (you can reply direct using the form at the bottom of each blog comments page), please send any unreported Madeira news, topical photos, events information, or snippets for the madeira4u blog to blog@madeira4u.com – anyone can join in! Thank you!


