THOUGHTS FROM THE EDITOR
AN ISLAND OF DIVERSITY...
I've never been to Madeira - it
was always one of those places I'd heard
about but never felt compelled to find
out more - after all the Canaries, Ibiza,
Menorca, Majorca et al are all more
obvious when you think of an island
destination around Southern Europe and
Northern Africa. But then I met Heather
MacLachlan, our Madeiran insider, and I
did a 180 turn!
It's fair to say Heather and Madeira
are a perfect match, almost destined for
each other. Both share the same energy;
both have a story to tell; and both have a
strong sense of culture and history.
I was immediately drawn to the
strong colours and the sense of drama.
The deep greens of the levada trails, the
New Year's Eve fireworks, the spring flower festival, the Priest walking
the flower carpet, and the trees wrapped in coloured lights during
December.
Then there's the great outdoors. Swimming in the lava pools
at Porto Moniz, the stunning views from Pico Ruivo, and the dramatic
coastline. And let's not forget one of the other luxuries of taking a
holiday - eating! As Heather so simply puts it "the thought of Espetada
and a good Picado or Piri Piri chicken, has my taste buds quivering"!
Madeira is now on my bucket list! How foolish I was to have
overlooked Madeira for so many years. And, may I say, how foolish
you'd be to ignore such a diverse island!
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