Pico dos Barcelos is an observation point above Funchal where the locals meet on New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks. When we were there was a man playing pan pipes.
After Pico dos Barcelos we drove up some very winding
roads to Eira do Serrado overlooking the village of Curral das Freiras which is
also known as the Valley of the Nuns. Some of the pictures are a little hazy due to wildfires on the west coast of Madeira.
Our next experience was the "toboggan ride" at Monte
which was originally a fast means of transport down to Funchal for people
living in Monte. The toboggan sledges
appeared around 1850. The sledges are
now used by tourists for an exciting experience of sliding at high speed on
narrow, winding streets from Monte down to Funchal. The two-seater wicker sledges glide on wooden
runners, pushed and steered by two men traditionally dressed in white cotton
clothes and a straw hat, using their rubber-soled boots as brakes. The downhill journey is made in about 10
minutes on a total course of 2 km, reaching at times a speed of 48 km/hour.
This is a picture I took of a slower part of the ride on the way down. This bit was slow because we were crossing roads with normal traffic on.
This photo of a picture shows myself and Leslie, another woman
on my Madeira tour, arriving in Livramento after our "toboggan ride"
from Monte.
After our adventurous, yet safe, "toboggan ride" we then took a very smooth ride in the cable car back up to Monte.
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