Madeira - NOT JUST WINE, BUT ALSO THE ISLAND (continued, p.2) In the first few days, we traveled by bus, thinking that as well as on Tenerife (island, part of the Canary archipelago, prim.perev.), we can get it where and whenever you want. But in fact the bus trip takes too long and we finally decided to hire a car. If you like driving, Madeira for you. Apart from the main highway that runs through the southern part of the island, the road climbs the steep hills and descend into the valley, climb the mountains, crossing the plains. Cloth winds, like a roller coaster rails, passing through small villages in the fields where cows graze and lean black sheep on the long, thin legs, then to soar into the clouds and back down to the brilliant luster of the coastal sun. In most of Portuguese settlement at almost any time of day or night you can hear the dogs barking and singing roosters. Although, unlike the mainland of Portugal, here only a few species of wild animals: rabbits, rats, ferrets, but deer, badgers, foxes, wild boars, weasels, weasels and even snakes you will not find here. view on the hills mandatory condition visiting Madeira a trip to the garden, and gardens here in short supply. Our choice of one of the warm rainy days fell on gardens Paleyru, which combines English landscape and tropical exotics. The whole island - is a big botanical paradise, where there are trees, flowers and fruits with around the world: bananas from the tropics, rose and marjoram from England, Asian orchids and magnolia from Japan, the giant eucalyptus trees from Australia, the magnificent utesnik with yellow flowers, smelling of coconut, reminiscent of the homes east of England. Irrigation canals, built many centuries ago, collecting water from the mountain slopes, repeating the shape of the landscape for many hundreds of miles, listlessly wandering among the hills and valleys of the island. These channels, known as "levadas" are a constant source of water for many of the needs of the island: in the first place, it's water for domestic use, agricultural irrigation and hydroelectric power plants, which are the main producer of electricity on the island. Driving through the village, we saw lovingly cultivated the land on which grows the potatoes (3-4 crops per year can be grown in this fertile soil), mushrooms, grapes, bananas, cabbage and sugar cane. Once the sugar was the main source of income in Madeira, then it was called "white gold". Today, the island remained only three sugar-refinery and a small hand-cultivated fields, which can be seen here and there, on almost every slope . Levadas small slope levadas makes them a major attraction for those who enjoy walking and can not afford to live on the island for more than two or three days. Walking can be easy or what you wish - long, short, on level ground or uphill. We already managed to make a vigorous walk at 9 or 10 miles, along with our new friends, Hans and Gerda, with whom we met at the hotel during the "study tour" of tourist complex - gym, sauna, massage room, bars and restaurants. All of this is our comfort zone and, fortunately, half a mile from our quiet refuge. levadas shores are covered with moss and ferns on the narrow paths reigns aroma of marjoram, which is abundantly grown in soaked sunlight shadows of eucalyptus and acacia bends. A hearing pedestrians caresses the incessant noise of streams and waterfalls. On one sunny day we walked along the route's 25 fountains, which runs along the canals crowded with shiny crystal clear water in the morning sun, on a narrow ledge, past the dreary unprepared for such trips tourists who have come here with their guides. All is very similar to the Lake District (national nature reserve in England, ca. Perevi.) in July! Gardens The next day we went for a walk from the National Park Ribeira Frio to the channel Levada-du-Furadu. Our way was through a shady arbor, covered with magnolia, near the rapid stream, teeming with trout. At the place we were at the dawn, sleepy eyes trying to see the laurel pigeons (actually it is called Madeira serebristosheyny or pigeon), who often visits this place. We were lucky, we noticed a few pigeons before, as began to walk. All pedestrian routes on the island has its own difficulty level, although some specific standards described in various guidebooks, we did not notice. Our route was designated as the route of average complexity, but tourists in groups with guides set off on this road in sneakers and T-shirts. I would advise that all participants in the campaign were well on their feet and wore special shoes, because sometimes this walk is more like walking on a stone wall two feet in width with steep cliff on one side and a canal with water on the other . Not for the faint of heart, such a walk! "Maybe the organizers of walks and know what they do. At least in the abyss, they, like, tourists do not lose. While it may just not particularly spread on this topic. Some levadas flow through the dark wet tunnels, some of them very long. We have wandered into one such tunnel. He was 400 m in length with a narrow path, flooded ankle-deep brownish muddy water. We are slowly moving forward, holding a flashlight in one hand and the other hand relying on the cold damp Wall. Yes, life without adventure boring and monotonous! Start material: Read more:
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