They are here – the frosty nights and glorious days. Usually they will last for a couple of days only, if it doesn’t start raining or gets windy. Enjoying it to the full!
I go visit my favourite spots and I go alone…
Sometimes you find new places, new paths, but I always start where I know what I can find. Time is short before the sun – and the temperature – rises too high.
No wind, only the clear sky and the beautiful sun trying its best to melt the frosty stems and restore the colours.
Time for our old favourite: Ribeiro Frio – Portela. The good old ”Landscapes of Madeira” book was in my pocket again.
Last time I walked this levada was when my mother was still with us and we decided to go to Madeira for a revival of good old hiking times. She was 75, and I knew this would be her last time here. Strangely enough, that is what we felt too, my husband and I, this year. This might be our last time, our last walk in Madeira. My husband is now the same age as my mother was in 2010, and we have been here so many times over the years.
The bus dropped us at Ribeiro Frio, and as usual its name was accurate – it was cold. This walk is 11 kilometers long and of moderate difficulty. Sure footedness and a head for heights is essential.
Let’s go – with beating heart and high expectations!
We decided to go to Balcoes first, where you can see all the way down to the sea. Misty mornings are not unusual …
… and this one was no exception. Luckily it lifted just in time for the great views!
So, where is the levada? This sidetrip to Balcoes does not follow a levada, but is truly worth it for the magnificent views.
As soon as there is a house or a road in sight – the path is adorned with Pride of Madeira. This is not their national flower though – which is the Strelizia.
We walked back to the starting point and Levada do Furado, where the main walk begins. It is a varied and beautiful walk, much travelled. Luckily it was not crowded at all, so it felt like good old times.
There are some steep parts, but in most places also good railings. A couple of tunnels as well, but today you can easily use your phone instead of the torch. We met many of the pretty Chaffinches – especially where hikers usually take a break to eat something. Totally unafraid of people they come jumping up to you, watching your every move with those pepper grain eyes.
At the restaurant in Portela, we had a well deserved dinner and a coffee, warming up a bit after the last 30 minutes of rain.
Oh, the scent, the lush landscape, the silent walk and the soothing trickle of water. I know mum would have loved it – again.
This week Egidio wants us to focus on the woods – and that suits me perfectly well. Hopefully you too! I walk in my forest every day, but maybe not every day in Madeira…
So, I will pick some lovely Madeira memories from June, that hopefully will add to the mystery of this green island.
The Laurissilva forest is a 20 million years old subtropical rainforest – a UNESCO world heritage,
covering about 20 % of the island. Most of the species here are endemic to Macronesia.
There are many interesting living beings in this forest woods – plants, mushrooms, lichen, birds and insects. Madeiran Chaffinches are spoiled with food from the hikers…
Madre de louro is a mushroom that grows on lager trees in Laurissilva. ”Madre de louro”, or ”Mother Laurel” is said to be good for the blood and work against rheumatism. It was even used as an insecticide.
There is something special about dense forests with high humidity. The scent, the quietness. And, I can hear the water as it trickles along the mossy stones. In Madeira the levadas add to this soothing sound – sometimes they are fast flowing, sometimes only a slow, hardly noticeable flow. And I know how good this is for my well being. Forest bathing in its true sense – and it’s no surprise that it’s origin is Japanese!
I have always loved hiking, and hopefully I will be able to keep it up even if it has become more difficult as I age. The best thing with hiking is the possibility of being alone in and with nature, for reflection and for restoring myself. Sometimes we meet a fellow hiker or two. We nod and say a soft ”hello” as we meet. I guess many of us feel the same about hiking, so talking is unnecessary.
We heard from someone in the city though, that since Covid, the levadas can even feel crowded in places…luckily we did not have to face that. This island is a hikers’ heaven and haven.
Thank you, Egidio for this beautiful challenge, and our guest host last week, Stupidity Hole, asked us to share quiet hours. You gave us more quiet times with your beautiful galleries. I hope you will join us again this week in forest bathing. Don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag when creating your post so we can easily find it in the Reader.
Next week, Tina will send us another challenge. It will go live at noon EST in the USA. Tune in to find out more about the challenge then. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history. Stay well.
A levada is an irrigation channel or aqueduct specific to the Portuguese Atlantic region of Madeira. In the 16th century the Portuguese started building levadas to carry water to the agricultural regions in the south. Over 2,170 km (1,350 mi) of levadas were built and later provided a network of walking paths.
Due to the dangerously mountainous landscape, building levadas was often tasked to criminals and convicts from continental Portugal. Today levadas supply water and also provide hydro-electric power.
These are some scenes from a lovely levada along the south coast of Madeira. We walked this city border levada first, and later in the week returned to our favourite mountain levada. They are totally different. Ready? Let’s go!
We jumped off the local bus at Estreito de Camara de Lobos. The walk starts in a vineyard. We were grateful for the shadow!
The whole walk presented splendid views over the landscapes and the ocean.
Every now and then we met a local farmer on the path.
And – curious little friends peeping out for a closer look at us.
This is a very mountainous landscape, and the levada was sometimes redirected to another path because of overhanging cliffs and stones.
Workers in the heat of the day, a singing levada, fruits and berries among the flowers. And…lizards en masse!
Paths can provide easy and relaxing walks through the countryside, while others are narrow, crumbling ledges where a slip could result in injury or death. We walked the most dangerous ones in the 1980’s – today we would not take the risk.
Children played with the water of course – this little guy had built a boat for the levada – and as we passed him, we found his shoes too.
Animals are kept in little sheds – palheiros – I feel so sorry for them. Living in the mountains means not many places for grazing, and they could also slip and fall. I was so happy to find this beautiful goat in a massive field of lush grass! But, look closely at his horns – they are tied together.
Mmm… Madeira once more! My husband bought us tickets for one more trip to Madeira – the hiking paradise of our youth. There are endless hiking possibilities along the levadas carrying water to the city. The scent, the sound, the solitude. Unforgettable.
This is only a short Thursday entry, because there will be more posts from this charming island.
The last time I was there was with my children and my mother. We walked several levadas, not the most difficult ones, because my mother was 75 – but even if she was agile, I wanted us to be safe. And she loved it. Our forest walks at home used to be frequent and long. But, in Madeira the added sound of water swirling in the levadas is very soothing.
As in Portugal in general, the Azulejos are beautiful history tellers.
A must was always the Botanical Garden – and other gardens of course. Madeira is a flower Paradise – so there are many reasons for loving this island. Every time we visited, there was a new pattern in this open space. This summer it was geometrical.
A visit to the museum of their greatest son, Cristiano Ronaldo, was of course a must for my husband. But I rather enjoyed it too. The statue of CR was much debated when it was set up. I must say I didn’t like it then, but the one we saw here couldn’t have been the same – it looked much more like him now. Maybe they had to make a new one because of all the criticism??
Finally, the promenade we have walked so many times. It was good to see it again. Walk it again. Even if the city had changed very much in later years, this part felt warm and familiar.
Thank you for walking with me, there will be more of levadas, gardens and city walks in a couple of Thursday posts. Looking back sometimes is good for the overall perspective of your life.
Happy July 4 to you who celebrate, and hope you all are having a beautiful week!
My dear friend Viveka (of Myguiltypleasures) and I went to Wanås Castle – we usually do once a year. And we enjoy the art and our delicious meal, chatting along together.
If you like outdoor exhibitions – and surpises – let’s go!
Carola Grahn is the new artist this year, and she deals with Sami art and beliefs.
The giant boxes with logs at the entrance were impressive, but then the glassed wall was our first stop – at the sight of the blue mountain.
This is a rather impressive size of art work for the little pond, but we liked it. You can read about the artist’s idea below in the gallery.
The natural theme as well as the Sami connections were ever present. The ”building” made of birches shows a free interpretation of a sign on a Sami sacred drum.
Thank you for being our lovely company here at Wanås, and hopefully you want a new tour next year!
This hike we do every spring or summer – and it is always a treat. It takes about three, four hours, walking among old and strange trees planted here from all over the world … and it is close to the sea.
This place is home to numerous orchids (a meadow of them in the header) and Pasque flowers – just as beautiful when they are over!
The last flower blooming could also be the last hideaway for a little bug…
This hike is a perfect outing for schoolchildren – but, today we had to step away from the path for several hundreds of kids. Smiling and cheery ones though.
Blindworm or slowworm – I see them quite often. In fact this is a lizard, but legless. This guy was a beauty, about 30 cm long, slim and well fed.
Driving home on old roads to enjoy the flat and open views of the southern part of Skane. A good day we had. And the light lasts far into the night.
I think this was the last walk of colours – two days ago the first snow arrived. Grey November has taken over our days, so I will post some golden autumn memories while there were still leaves on the trees.
As you can see, there were not many colours this year, but still some gold. And sun! Now we have almost forgotten the feel of sunlight. These are some of the shortest days of the year.
The hidden gems are there if you look for them, and I have grown more and more a mushroom lover. But almost only for photography…I am too afraid of picking something poisonous.
This is a tiny gallery from my walk. I find mushrooms intriguing. One day they are not there – the next day they have just popped out of the ground. A little rain will bring them out.
So many textures again… multiple shapes in tiny landscapes. The low sun is making miracles in the dark of the forest floor. New worlds unfolding.
And a cat musing in the grass – not happy to be disturbed by Milo…
He was happier though – a ”friend” to chase! The story does not tell of the outcome…but we can guess…
I walk as much as possible in the forest before the last colours are gone. I know too well what is waiting – grey November. This walk was last week – and there was no wind or rain. Only stillness and the occational, faint, sound of a bird. Mostly robins now.
I love the way the colours change with the light and the surroundings. Inside the denser parts of the forest, the leaves are still green. Closer to the meadows, the light is brighter and the yellow and brown colours dominate.
When I walked out of the forest and onto the gravel road, the sun came shining through and the slender young birches glowed. They are waiting for next year’s Spring festival.
On the right side of the road, an old gate is standing alone, protecting a seemingly abandoned house…
…immersed in a haven of colours.
A few days later, most of the leaves were gone. I am grateful for this day of harmony – something to remember in grey and moody November.
Amy is our host this week, and she hopes we will share our joy and pleasure of visiting/climbing mountains. I know many of us are mountain lovers, so we are looking forward to seeing your responses! Be sure to link to Amy’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.
In the mountains, there you feel free.
– T. S. Eliot
Let’s start close to home, in Scandinavia, with green summer mountains…
…blue glaciers and
mocca coloured, volcanic Iceland. They are calling to me with their special light and fresh air.
The Canary Islands offer more than beaches, we usually hike the mountain areas. Pico de las Nieves in the faraway clouds, and the pinnacle in the middle is called Roque del Fraile (monk)
On top of the world is the Himalayas, an impressive mountain range. Here seen from northern Bhutan.
More from the Himalayas, now seen from the Tibetan Plateau, where we went by train to Lhasa.
A holy lake in Tibet. The landscape is vast and it took some time for my son to walk down to the water. Lower mountains here, but still impressive. The clouds seemed to hang right above us, almost touchable, and the contrasts were bright in the thin air. This is about 3000-4000 meters above sea level.
The mountain meadows of Switzerland are a haven of summer flowers in July. I think this image shows the essense of this week’s challenge – “The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir
Hiking mountains is so much more than the spectacular views – it is meeting other hikers, photographing flowers, animals, and different landscapes.
Chasing angels or fleeing demons, go to the mountains.
― Jeffrey Rasley
Many of us seek the mountains to be alone. To shut out the world and just BE. Silence is rare in this world.
Go where you feel most alive.
– Unknown
So, mountains are calling me because of their beauty, for peace of mind and soul…for moving my body at a pace that suits me, for spending time in the glory of nature. And for photography.
I will finish with other ways of loving mountains… bungyjumping, kiteflying, skiing, rafting, aso…today there are endless activities to try in the mountains if hiking is not your thing. In New Zealand you can get it all.
I cannot thank you enough for last week’s explosion in flowers! You sent us just what I had hoped for – an abundance of glorious flowers! For once, you could indulge in lovely flower images without regret (!), and many of you pointed out the impossibility in chosing favourites – because we love them all! ♥
Next week, John will host LAPC #223. Be sure to visit his site for loads of inspiration. Until then, stay safe and be kind.
Leya 
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