Day 4: Market Bonanza

Monday 19th December 2016

Nothing’s better than going out to town with my dad to eat one of my favourite foods: Portuguese meat (Carne De Vinho Alhos). For me, it’s absolutely tasty and it makes a great Portuguese sandwich to have for lunch. We had them in Mercado Dos Lavrados, which is the main central market in Funchal, as there’s a cafe that makes these types of sandwiches for lunch. The cafe that we went to is located to a nearby local market that we visited after having our lovely sandwiches, and they sold a wide variety of products ranging from fruits and vegetables, to flowers and clothes, as most of these items are traditional Portuguese gifts to people.

Going to town

Our delicious lunch of a Carne De Vinho Alhos sandwich

Us two enjoying lunch together

Me with a happy smile

Going through a jungle of exotic plants in the market

The wild Michael

Taking a happy photo with one of the market merchants

As we went to the market, it was beautiful as each and every market stand had colourful fruits and products standing out in front of everyone, making them easy to spot and filling the place up with colours. It really made the place thrive and feel alive. They even had a lady there playing some music to add to that as well!

A happy lady creating some beautiful music in the market

On the other side of the market, there’s a section where local fishermen sell different types of fish, and I find it quite fascinating of what different species of fish you can catch when you go fishing. Of course, the place doesn’t smell bad or anything to us as they didn’t stink, but we looked around as usual without being turned away from this place. I enjoyed holding a big fish called Black Scabbardfish that I obtained permission with one of local fishermen.

The fish market behind me

What kind of fish shall we get today?

Black Scabbardfish

One big Black Scabbardfish for you to take home today!

Are you interested in this type of fish?

We continued to look around the market by going up to the first floor where similar market stalls can be found. We even tasted some fruits that the locals gave us and they were sweet and juicy. Mmm!

Going upstairs to find some more market stalls

Postcards and clothes are also sold here

Colourful and delicious fruits and vegetables

Market stalls both above and below

A panoramic view of the market on the second floor

Before we were about to leave the market, there was a small group of people playing some music and singing. It was entertaining to watch, not to mention that it felt like the Battle of the Accordions!

A group of 4 people together. 1 for singing, 1 for the harmonica, and 2 for playing the accordions.

At night, we passed a building called D’Oliveiras where, according to my dad, they make some Madeiran Wine that you can try. We didn’t go inside or anything as it was closed, but it did make a beautiful picture for us to take.

Walking at night

Wine-tasting building in Funchal

We walked past a court and they had some beautiful flower bushes that were placed outside. Even taking a picture with the court statue has really served me some justice!

Red flowers standing out from the court outside

Justice rules above me

When we got to town, we took some more bright and colourful pictures of the lights that were hanging on the trees, as well as taking a photo of me with an inflatable Christmas tree that one of the local shops had outside.

If it was filled with helium, I would be able to float on the Christmas tree!

Trees with colourful lights illuminates both sides of the town

Don't get confused with the traffic lights!

Bright and colourful!

I would love to walk down on this path some day!

We even took some pictures of the places we passed whilst we were walking through town.

Cars that pass by will be showered with various colours here

I wasn't sick or anything, but it's a good idea to check with a local Pharmacy for the current temperature in Madeira! It's warm over here, especially at night!

Now with some red lights!

And even though walking can be boring sometimes, we’ve walked up some steep hills that really made us tired and out of breath! But we held on as we stayed determined to finish our activity goals, and the scenic views of Madeira was totally worth seeing after an intense walk up the hill.

Bright lights are lit up everywhere in Madeira!

Another panoramic view form the top of the hill we walked up

I'll be pinching this Christmas tree, thank you very much!

Lights are seen for miles around here!

A blanket of lights

After taking some nice pictures, we trekked downhill to visit my great grandma who’s almost 90 years old. We had a great time there as it made me happy to see her and the rest of her family. It was slightly sad for us to leave, but we had to meet my mum and grandma in Funchal.

A photo of my great grandma's house

Where we're headed next as we walk down the hill

An abandoned house

A huge line of lights shining down from the bridge above

As we met my mum, grandma and auntie, we stopped to have something to eat as we were feeling a bit peckish. I had some spaghetti with vegetables and some barbecued chicken, before having a chocolate mousse as for my dessert. It was delicious and slightly healthy to eat.

Some delicious food that I had

Eating with my parents and my auntie

We all had a friendly chat with each other after finishing our food before leaving and wandering through town with the three of us together as we talked and took some photos together.