A dip in the pool, watching the sunset, BBQ dinner on European time (9:00pm), and a couple nightcaps. What a great first day in Madeira. Tinto (the cat) came back again when we started the BBQ.
Woke this morning to an already warm and sunny day. We are going to check out Ponta da Pargo lighthouse, a working lighthouse at the western tip of the island.
The drive starts out on the freeway and soon becomes a winding switchback climbing up the mountain, passing villages along the way with roads leading up or down into the villages, with steep drops on one side and mountain on the other. The locals are obviously used to these roads and pass us driving quite fast.
At the lighthouse is a short hike to a lookout and the view is fantastic. There is a teahouse at the top, and along the way some gorgeous flowers – poppy, iris, and cacti. The lighthouse has an exhibition inside, but we arrived at siesta time and everything is closed from 1-3 pm.
In the village of Ponta da Pargo we stopped to check out a church and village square and then started the drive back down the mountain to Calheta. Being such a nice sunny day is a good time to relax once again by the pool.
