I started writing this yesterday, prompted by the ‘Big Sunday Interview’ on Antennae 1, and by a few things I had read and heard this week about the so called ‘return to normal’. You will just have to make your own minds up, as there is so much conflicting information about the state of recovery of the island, all probably true to some extent, and at the same time too generalised to be representative of the complete truth. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, there has not been much written by blog readers about what has happened in the last 3 weeks in the areas where they live or know, so what you read in the media is what you are tempted to accept, and obviously the media has to operate within certain constraints that stop a complete and accurate coverage of the situation.

The aforementioned interview was with Ismael Fernandes, president of the conselho (region) of Ribeira Brava, who has been totally tied up with the response to the storm and floods of 20th February. In a space of about 40 minutes yesterday, he was grilled on every aspect possible of the impact, damage, clean up and recovery, and longer term issues arising from that horrible day. It has been well documented about the problems within and outside the town, being one of the worst hit regions of Madeira. I have to admit the response from Ismael and his team has been absolutely remarkable, as well as from the public at large, especially given the restrictions in resources and finances, and having to work within priorities and restraints coming from higher powers. Thank you Ismael and everyone.

I donned my headphones and wandered into Ribeira Brava town to see how Sunday morning looks these days, and listened to the interview during my wander.

The beach area at Ribeira Brava has grown enormously since the 20th February. The whole area that was water on the East side of the sea front is now natural beach, having been created in two phases during bad weather, the later ‘completion’ stage followed on from the torrents of 20th February. The sea now laps just over the short line that separates the two concrete sea barriers, with a now much calmer river weaving a new course to the sea from one day to the next. The Eastern end of that East beach is now piled high with inerts … sand, mud and stone, that came down with the torrents and has been dredged from the river beds and elsewhere, and ‘stored’ there whilst decisions are made. The volume is just incredible, and on Saturday, at times the movement and noise of heavy machinery was more noticeable than the normal flow of traffic in the town.

Ismael was explaining about the situation with water in certain zones of his responsibility. There are still many homes without water at all and without drinking water. That situation will continue, as the repairs to the infrastructure look to a more permanent solution for those living on the West side of the conselho, after a Winter of problems with the supply of water that comes from Ponta do Sol.

A bit further along the beach, at the mouth of the river at the promenade bridge, there is the gathered remains of a rusted and twisted tanker lorry, in bits and pieces. Presumably finally providing the evidence of what actually caused the major structural damage to the ‘centennial’ bridge, now being demolished.

Asked about support for traders in the town, Ismael was honest in his response that in the town itself, no businesses were actually destroyed and those who had suffered would have their insurance policies to claim their losses. The reality is that some of the more public-facing businesses may have lost some days of trading from being directly in the path of the flood water, others suffered through cuts in the water supply, but the levels of trade now seem lower than ever, despite a very thorough clean up. What the financial crisis started, the floods seem to have finished off. Being a Sunday lunchtime, normally the busiest time of the week, plenty of people milling around, but the chinking of money was nowhere to be heard. Quite a few tourists were stopping and looking, and stopping and looking …

A bit further along at the supervised beach area and swimming pool, there is so much debris it is incredible. It is not an accumulation of debris either, as the clean up from previous storms was well in hand when 20th February arrived. Whole trees and masses of plastic debris and other rubbish actually prevent a clear view of the lapping waves, and partially obscured the numerous fishermen out to catch their Sunday lunch. They were doing very well, with considerable quantities of small to medium sized fish being caught during the five minutes I sat and watched. From a distance they looked like Dourado, so I suspect the nets of the offshore fish farm at Campanário got damaged yet again. The number of active fishermen  has been increasing during the Winter, for financial reasons I guess, so this must have been Christmas come early for some.

Ismael was asked about José Feliz, the young man that has been left homeless, and cêntimoless, after his whole family perished in Pomar da Rocha. He confirmed that he was now living with an aunt (not close family), he now had clothes, a laptop computer, and has actually been offered a job that he can fit in with his education. No mention of his new Nikes, kindly funded by generous blog readers. He is receiving psychological help, and Ismael said that the town is rallying around to support the lad.

The river bed of the Ribeira Brava has been a hive of activity over recent days. Tipper trucks and diggers have been digging out an incredible amount of inert material deposited there on and after 20th February, that have raised the river bed to potentially dangerous levels in the event of another heavy storm arriving. Looking day to day the work doesn’t seem to be making much progress, but the pile on the beach is getting so much bigger, that the river bed level must be dropping. Most of the old bridge has now been demolished, with just the West arch left standing. Water still pours from the damaged pipework that was affixed to the side. (top photo).

To glean some idea of the extent of the rubbish brought down by the torrents, one also needs to wander along the old coast road leading to Tabua, that has been closed for some years. The concrete barrier has been removed at the end of the parking zone, and from then on the road is piled high with driftwood and other rubbish, waiting to be sifted and sorted, some materials destined for recycling or reuse.

The church square, in the worst affected area, has long been cleaned after being submerged in mud, as has the church itself. The decorative handmade courtyard surface is damaged in several places, and obviously the floral aspects were also washed away. The furniture shop at the side that took the brunt of the flood was emptied, with talk of €150,000 worth of damage.

Much of Ismael’s interview covered other areas north of the town, particularly Serra de Água, but my knowledge of that area is very limited so I could not really say exactly what was happening there and exactly where, but it is no secret that the worst of the problems hit back there, and any talk of normality is just not an option at this stage.

We know what happened to many homes, some lost, some badly damaged. Large areas of land have been lost, and crops and peoples livelihoods along with them. And as for the homeless, well they’re still wandering around town in slowly reducing numbers, but at least they have a roof over their heads and food, until better options are found. Missing people … yes of course, and they comprise two of Feliz’s family, including his mother, and that is a sad but certain outcome. Back to normal, no, getting back to normal … at a stretch possibly.

Thanks to Sheila for the photo of the house in Serra de Água.

Click on any photo for a full size view.

From Tom : "Funchal downtown is going full swing today. Many tourists and locals are basking in the sunshine and enjoying fresh coffee. The only black spot on west side is lower part of Dolce Vita (Dolce Vita garage is still under water) the river there still flows on the pavement and through the tunnel to the sea, as per my picture".

From Tom : "Here you have police searching for bodies of the driver and passenger, also under the mud deep below are at least 2-3 cars. They have a special instrument / device to see through the mud or measure  the magnetic field. They have found cars and pointed to diggers were to look for them. It happened in Levada da Corujeira stream".

From Pete : "The location is Ribeira de São João at Avenida Calouste Gulbenkian [Funchal], 11.15 on Saturday morning. The drains over flowing. Cars stopped, one car in photo was white. The sound was like roaring aircraft, also you can taste soil in the air. Police and fire crew tuned cars round up the street with hills to avoid water".

These were taken by Elize :

And finally, for now, these were sent in by Sue (West) :

I have loads of photos from Funchal (and Ribeira Brava of course) of the flood and the resulting damage, more than I can possibly show on the blog, so please don’t send any more in from those locations unless they are exceptional, or quite different (a rescue attempt, act of heroism, perhaps). Outside of these locations hardly anything has been sent in ??? What’s going on out West? Der.

Mud ankle deep, and water knee deep met many of those who left their front doors this Saturday morning. Torrential rain throughout the night fulfilled the weather forecasters dire prediction all over Madeira. As I type this, I count myself lucky to have electricity, but no home telephone, no internet, no mobile phone, no TV, but luckily a radio station was still operating, telling similar stories all over Madeira. There was no traffic in downtown Ribeira Brava, even several hours after the worst had passed, with roads impassable with logs, mud, water, and all sorts of other debris littering the cobbles and tarmac.

The force and volume of the water was so great and so high that it took out both walls on the second bridge back from the sea front. Add to that torrents of mud coming down both sides of the valley, along the roads, and through the numerous new waterfalls created. The combination of these events led to water laden with thick brown mud invading the front end of the town. The deepest water I saw remaining was in the São Bento church square, where it was level with the wall that separates it from the children’s play area.

Later in the day, the same bridge collapsed on one side, and was closed off. A large fissure also developed in one of the arches. For sure Ribeira Brava has lost one of it’s oldest and most famous landmarks, as the damage seems just too major for repairs. Also later in the day a pavement alongside the river (outside the police station) also collapsed, leaving the top of a planted tree sticking out of the huge cavity.

When the wind dropped and the rain eased off, I ventured into town and took these pictures. Ordinary people were helping out in the street, alongside a full contingent of emergency services vehicles and crew, and it looks like the council had it’s complete workforce out in the streets trying to ease the situation. People were collecting logs and constructing dams to stop the water entering their streets to protect their homes. The most popular tool seemed to be the common dustpan, use to scoop up the thick mud to put in-between the logs used to construct the mini dams.

The sea was pretty rough, but I have seen worse. Thick with mud, and the debris was so thick that the waves were breaking over the debris rather than the beach, which was probably a blessing.

I wandered around for an hour taking pictures, stunned by the sight each time I turned a corner. Not a shop or café was open. Lots of people milling around, many looking equally stunned, but the cameras were out in force nether-the-less. A town already well down on it’s luck for economic reasons will be hit hard by this mini-disaster, that will take weeks to clear up, and months and even years to effect all the repairs.

You probably already realise that I wrote this for yesterday, but of course losing the internet connection prevented me posting, and I didn’t get the internet back until after 5 pm today (Sunday). Today in town, there are still some shocking sights, but the clean up operation is going really well.

Anyway, that’s just to get you in the Carnival mood, and hopefully encourage a few partakers to send in their pictures. If there are too many, I will have to pick out the best, but I very much doubt if that will be an issue.

 

Many thanks to Martin for this write up and photos from his visit to Porto Moniz Aquarium. There are more photos, but I will need to save those for the future, as the blog just gets to big. Don’t forget that if you click on the photos you can get them full size.

"I have visited Porto Moniz several times and always enjoyed the seaside atmosphere. Over the past few years the sea front has been redeveloped and is now pedestrian only, with car parking located close at hand.  This means you can stroll along the sea front, take in the sea air, and visit some of the shops in comfort and safety.

Porto Moniz is situated on the north west tip of Madeira and you have a choice of three routes from Funchal (by car), all equally spectacular for their own reason. Route 1 is from Ribeira Brava to São Vicente then Porto Moniz. You will travel through some long tunnels on this route. If you wish you can detour via Boca Da Encumeada and then down to São Vicente. Route 2 is after Ribeira Brava take the route via Calheta, Prazeres, Ponta Do Pargo and on to Porto Moniz. Route 3 is Ribeira Brava to Boca Da Encumeada, then drive across the Paul da Serra to Porto Moniz (this is spectacular if you want a good day out). These are only suggestions and you can vary the journey to suit your own needs.

In the past I have seen the signs for the aquarium but not bothered to visit. However, on this occasion I spent some time at the aquarium which offers the opportunity to observe several species in their natural habitat. It is composed of several small tanks where you can get very close to the fish and there is one very large tank about 12 feet tall which gives a fantastic view of the different species it contains. There are about 70 species on display in the tanks. You will see various breeds of fish such as dobrado, garoupa, peixe cão, ratão-agui. There is also a shark but don’t get excited, I’ve seen bigger salmon in Scotland. There are several beautiful stingrays, eels and an octopus. In some of the smaller tanks you will find starfish, crabs and other smaller species.

The aquarium is situated at Forte de Joao Batista (main photo above), a monument erected in 1730 to commemorate the local population defending the town against attacks from pirates. The fort was restored in 1998, retaining its original façade, but the interior was adapted to accommodate the aquarium. The aquarium is open daily and the admission fee for adults is 7 Euros, children 3-4 Euros depending on age. Please check their website or tourist information for any clarification.

Compared to other aquariums elsewhere in Europe, this is a small facility and you may not think there will be much to see. But I advise that you take your time and you will be pleasantly surprised at the variety of sea life you will be able to observe in the tanks.

While you are in Porto Moniz have a stroll along the shore line and observe the fantastic rugged formation of the rocks and rock pools. Even better, go there on a stormy day and watch the Atlantic waves crashing over the coastline".

Casa Parsons is situated in Sítio do Salão, within the lower parish of Gaula. The house was designed by a local architect for a resident professional gentleman, in a rustic and "open plan" style and was constructed some 22 years ago. On two levels, the guest accommodation and public areas occupy the ground floor and the owners’ accommodation is privately contained on the upper floor. The Casa enjoys stunning panoramic sea views and is set in a rural location, close to the village amenities of Gaula. The Parish of Gaula, situated on the south coast of Madeira above Santa Cruz, presents a marvellous panorama, mainly maritime, over the coastal fringes, the Deserta Islands and Porto Santo. Dating back to 1509, the Parish is divided between two Patron Saints. Nossa Senhora da Graça of the upper, northern parish and Nossa Senhora da Luz of the lower, southern parish.

Casa Parsons is located close to the Gaulish mother church of Nossa Senhora da Luz and as such we are able to fully enjoy the numerous religious festivals that take place throughout the year. Starting at Easter time and throughout the summer, the streets around the church square are often covered in carpets of flowers (donated by local home owners) and filled with decorations, coloured lights and flags – laurel and eucalyptus branches add to the atmosphere. The traditional music and local folklore group of Gaula (created in 1978) together with local food and drink, bring even more excitement to the colourful streets and also act to preserve the villages history thereby sealing the continued good faith and devotion of the people.

Our Madeira neighbours exhibit the genuine warmth and friendliness that the Island is renowned for, particularly so in Gaula, and virtually unseen anywhere else in the world.

When exploring Gaula on foot you can still see the many watercourses that lead to the public fresh water springs, washing places and water mills. These signs of past and present life portray the availability and importance of water to the village. The old public springs of Sítio dos Furtados and Lages, splendid in their hand carved stone and tiled design are strongly linked with the religious festivals of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Luz.

The original processional cross from the antique mother church, dating from the 16th century, is now displayed at the "Museu de Arte Sacra do Funchal".

Further local archaeological interest is found just across the small valley from Casa Parsons, at Sítio da Torre with the remains of the "Quinta de Nossa Senhora da Assunção" dating from the first half of the 17th century. The squared stones of the construction give an insight into the elevated social status of its early inhabitants.

Many of the traditional village stone houses have water mills on the ground floor; these were used to grind the corn and maize grown locally. This was then used to make the traditional "bolo do caco" – bread cooked on a stone – and maize cake, unique to Gaula. You will also notice the raised terraces (Poios) of level fertile soil held up by dry stonewalls; these are plentiful and still farmed today in the traditional way. The Maize, corn, bean, potato and sweet potatoes grown are planted amongst the many herbs, flowers, grape vines and laurel covering the area. Dotted amongst the terraces are the "Corals" and little barns (with "A" frame roofs) used to shelter the caprin and bovine livestock, whose meat and milk are still used locally. The abundance of flowers provides a natural habitat for the bee and this natural resource is used to provide honey for locally made cakes and drinks – the drink "Poncha" (made from brandy, local lemon juice and honey) is especially good for colds, The use of natural resources continues with the art of weaving from cosier and cane branches. Heath brooms and basket work are still weaved locally and used today, along with the hand carved wooden spoons and wooden "mexilho" poncha mixers, unique to the parish.

The village has a new "house of the people". The "Casa do Povo" (village hall) combining and encouraging a local market for people to buy and sell their agricultural produce. The Mercado do Agricola is open during the weekends with Bolo do caco and chicken, cooked over wood available in the church square. Many community activities also take place in the Casa do Povo during weekdays and in the evening.

Gaula has its own indigenous Laurissa forest with many endemic plants and birds. These include canaries, European finches, wagtails and the protected Ring Dove species. Kestrels circle overhead the valleys, drifting down to the wild olive covered lower slopes, often seen to be chasing away the unwanted intentions of the larger Buzzard.

In the summer months these birds of prey exploit the rising thermals and drift lazily around the clear skies. Night time brings the little bats out to feed accompanied by the Owls, often heard calling across the valley.

The dawn chorus of the smaller birds heralds morning time and in particular, the melodious call of the blackbird fills the air. Wall lizards, which are endemic to Madeira, dart between rocks and stonewalls, basking in the daytime sun, they are frequently seen and are totally harmless.

To walk around Gaula is undoubtedly the best way to be in contact with nature and to meet the local human and animal population. The local paths and steps (veradas) which criss cross the countryside, together with the justly world famous water courses (levadas, with footpaths alongside) that meander through the valleys, offer a unique opportunity to enjoy the truly special landscapes, flowers, bird life and people found here.

Jon Parsons

Based on a Parish of Gaula council “Touristic Guide” September 2000. Original Text in Portuguese by Élvio Sousa and Helder Spínola. English version, thanks and additional material by J L Parsons. Deposito Legal: 154656/00

See what regular contributors get … free advertising! Thanks a lot Jon, I will be over for my ‘free stay’ very soon, if that’s OK with Debs of course!

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Madeira is famous for its many levada walks and for most visitors, a levada walk will be on their schedule. Walking the levadas is a good way of experiencing some of the beautiful open countryside on offer but if you want to experience a more rugged mountain walk then you should try the route from Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo.

If you have access to a car then it is easy to get to the start point at Pico do Arieiro. From Funchal you take the road for Monte and continue uphill past Monte watching out for the sign for Pico do Arieiro. It is about a half hour drive from Monte and the sign posting is good (if you pay attention).  Without access to a car you will need a taxi.

If you are going to attempt this walk you need to be reasonably fit. For example it is not suitable for anyone with mobility difficulties, vertigo, or heart /respiratory problems.  The path is well defined and has been brought up to a good standard over the past few years but this can lull you into a false sense of security. You will need good sturdy footwear, a picnic, plenty to drink, sun protection, a waterproof jacket and be prepared for a full day out.

Although you are in the warm climate of Madeira, the weather can be changeable on this mountain range. You can experience restricted visibility due to low cloud, stronger winds, the occasional rain fall and a drop in temperature. Outside the main summer season you also need to remember that it gets dark earlier. The round trip from Arieiro to Ruivo allowing for rest breaks is around 5-7 hours depending on fitness level. You start at Arieiro which is 1817 metres above sea level, cross a plateau,  descend about 300 metres and ascend to Ruivo at 1861 metres. This involves some steep ascents and descents.

On this walk you will see that fences have been constructed at the edges of the path. Do not lean on any of the fences or rely on them for support as they can give way under reasonable pressure. Some parts of the walk traverse sections where you are on a narrow path with a sheer drop of 300 metres or so on one or both sides.

Most mountain accidents are as a result of tripping. Therefore when walking pay attention to your feet. If you want to take in the view stand still and be safe.

Starting  at the café at Pico do Arieiro, follow the obvious path across the plateau. After about 15-20 minutes there is an excellent view point from where you can see Ruivo in the distance.

From here you re join the main path and gradually descend from Arieiro to join Pico dos Torres. The path is sign posted at a junction taking you to the right. If you take the path to the left you follow a vertiginous route over some precarious sections and if you are not an experienced mountain traveller, this could make you nervous. If you are an experienced mountain traveller then you can follow the right hand route going out and on the return journey pick up the start of the alternative route at a tunnel just after you have descended from Ruivo and it will you bring back to this junction.. So, for the moment we go right.

You now follow an easy section which gradually gets steeper as you head up and around Dos Torres and there is a good picnic spot on this path just at the point where it circumnavigates just below the peak of Dos Torres.

From here you might be able to see Pico Do Ruivo ahead of you and it is a well defined path all the way. As you get nearer to Ruivo you will pass Casa de Abrigo do Ruivo (Pico Ruivo’s Hut) which is a large stone house with some outside seating and offers a resting point before the final steep ascent to Ruivo.

The summit of Pico Ruivo used to be a genuine mountain summit, rugged and exposed and you had to do your best to find a seat on the rocks to get your breath back before the return journey. It has now been ruined by the installation of wooden decking, but nevertheless, the views are magnificent.

If you are fit and have time (this adds an extra hour and a half to the total journey time of 5-7 hours) on the way back you can descend to just past Pico Ruivo’s hut and pick up the path for Achada Do Teixeira. This is a well defined route and takes in the extra peak while you are already in the vicinity, but your return journey is the same route back to the main path just below Pico Ruivo’s Hut.

If you choose not to do this follow the main path for your return to Arieiro, but experienced mountain walkers can watch for the right turn into a tunnel as you are descending from Pico Ruivo’s Hut. This is a short but more dangerous way back to Arieiro. The rest of you play safe and return by the well defined path that you took on the outward journey.

Remember, you are in a mountain range so be prepared. Pay attention to your feet, standstill to look at the view, do not lean on the fences, pace yourself, relax and enjoy the fabulous rugged scenery.

Excellent, thanks so much Martin for sharing and the considerable effort put in. Excellent photos too.

This Anona was handed to me by the owner of the house in Arco Da Calheta that we were thinking of buying. Eight months later we have now moved into that same house and the Anona tree is just outside my art room.

I have been painting for 15 years starting with oils and finally progressing to watercolour then my interest moved to botanical art.

This painting was sent to The Society of Botanical Artists in England (www.soc-botanical-artists-org) as part of my final exam where I had to produce 3 paintings. I had signed up for their Distant Learning Course when living in Denmark as botanical art is practically non existent there. I enjoyed the course so much despite it being intense and dedicated work, it lasted a total of 27 months and I passed with distinction which is in the 90%-100% mark criteria and I was so pleased to have achieved that after working incredibly hard. For the final I was literally doing a 6 day week in order to complete and my eyes were really strained.

It was my new found interest in botanical art that brought my husband and I over here to see the "Garden of the World" and from that point we have now moved over. He still has his work in Denmark but commutes over and I can start to really enjoy the fantastic variety and abundance of plant life here and once the furniture removal boxes have been unpacked and things have settled down I will start painting again.

The next goal is The SBA exhibition in London next year where I have to have 5 paintings accepted then I am allowed membership-which is my goal. From there I would like to try RHS and other botanical societies and just keep improving my work. So my plan from end of October to February is that I will be slaving over a steamy paintbrush and paper to achieve that aim. I know that there are at least 2 other botanical artists on the island and I am hoping to make contact with them in the near future or any other artists here for that matter.

This particular painting is not for sale as it has to go into the exhibition next year and be on sale. I have other paintings on my web-site www.angieart.minisite.dk it is a bit out of date and I have 10 other botanical paintings here at home, not on the web-site yet more up-to-date. If anyone is interested in my paintings, contact or information about The Society of Botanical Artists my e-mail address is angiedk11@hotmail.com.          Angie

You can click on any of the photos to see them full size.

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That was just Saturday afternoon, before anyone arrived. The tide will be on it’s way out soon! More tomorrow