Sunset in a romantic belvedere

The belvedere close to Montanha Restaurant, East of Funchal, is a cherished place for lovers and photographers alike. From it, we have one of the most magnificent vistas to the South coast of the island...

... and the sunsets over Funchal bay are, most of the times, memorable:

Both pictures taken with Nikon D40X and cheap Nikkor DX AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR. Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.01.

Funchal old town

Once a bad neighbourhood, the Funchal old town is now a central reference in the city's nightlife and cultural movement.

The cobbled narrow streets are cleaner. Commerce shops, restaurants and bars abound. And there's plenty of tourists walking around, giving the place a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Much like being in Lisboa's Bairro Alto. Only smaller.

The painted doors are one of the attractions in this charming city quarter, with the artists competing amongst themselves for the most original idea or just for showing their unique vision.

Believe it or not... this is a door.

Pictures made with Nikon D300 and Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX Macro DC HSM. Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1.

Rainbow over the Pontinha breakwater

Rainbow over the Pontinha breakwater, a few days ago and after the departure of a Costa Crociere cruise vessel. Snapped this photo while returning back to the Pilot Station, from the deck of the Ilhéu do Lido Pilot boat.

Picture taken with  my trusty Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT3 working camera and post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom ver. 2.3.

Early rising

Returning to work, after a couple of weeks on holidays, I had my first manoeuvre (the M/V Seabourn Quest) at 0600 in the morning.

Since the next vessel (the M/V Aida Bella) would only arrive at 0900, I used the space in-between to take a chance photographing the dawn of the day.

Our signal mast, at the end of the Pontinha breakwater, early in the morning. A reminiscence of older days, when the communications from shore to ship were basically done by visual means, it's now, somehow redundant (to say the least). However, as a former Captain of mine used to say, in my seafaring days, we may loose the ships but let's not loose the traditions.

A vision of Funchal, taken from the Pontinha breakwater, at dawn. More precisely the East part of the town, comprising the Old Town, the Santa Maria Maior church and the S.Tiago fortress, a fortification constructed on the early XVII century.

Both images taken with Nikon D40X and Sigma 18-50mm F/2.8 DC EX HSM lens.

Manfrotto tripod and ball-head. Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, version 2.3.

Dawn of a new day

While watching, though the tv network, the ending of a massive public demonstration that took place, until a few minutes ago, in Lisboa's Terreiro do Paço square, I can't help but to be afraid of the future laying ahead of us all.

Portugal, a notoriously peaceful country, is giving signs, during the past weeks, of cracking under the stress-induced austerity measures placed by the government. I'm, personally, deeply worried that what lays ahead is social turmoil and political instability.

Meanwhile, in our small Madeira, life goes on. Day after day. We just don't look for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow anymore. And we don't dream anymore. We are just trying to keep our jobs, to survive, and, while squeezing the Euros (shorter from day to day), we wait. Like this mooring foreman, in the Pontinha breakwater, standing-by for the berthing manoeuvre of the M/V Oriana, one day ago.

A mooring foreman awaits the arrival of the M/V Oriana, from P&O, to the port of Funchal, yesterday, at sunrise.

Picture taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT3.

Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop CS3.

Sétima Legião live in the Santa Catarina Park

Few bands shaped a whole generation in Portugal as did Sétima Legião. A pop sound with clear roots in the Portuguese ancient medieval music and troubadours, these musicians shaped the eighties and early nineties generation in Portugal. "Authentic pearls of the Portuguese music", as the Blitz music newspaper once said, both the LP's "Mar d'Outubro" and "A um Deus desconhecido" hardly had a weaker song in a perfect production of both lyrics and music. Multi-instrumentalists, the use of ancient instruments during their concerts, such as bag-pipes, hurdy gurdies, flutes, accordion and percussion, was frequent and added depth to the characteristic solemn sound of the band.

I spend my whole youth and also the Nautical School years listening to these guys. And suddenly (and sadly!) they disappeared.Most of them with college education, they went searching for their respective careers.

And now, after years away from the music world, they returned. To another (probably the last one) tour. With mandatory passage by Madeira (Ricardo Camacho, professionally a Physician, and the band's keyboardist, is natural from the island), it would be a sin not to be a part in the concert. I was not disappointed. I, suddenly, returned back twenty-five years in my live. To the dreams I had when I first listened to them. Some of those I managed to pursuit. And they became real. The others remained just like that. Dreams. To be fulfilled in the future. If life permits.

In the end, we are all twenty-five years older. Me, the band and the generation (my own!) listening to them in that peaceful end-of-Summer night in Santa Catarina park. But their music is still as young as when I heard it, two-and-a-half decades ago.

Sétima Legião, live in Santa Catarina Park, Funchal, yesterday's night.
Picture taken with Panasonic DMC-FT3.
Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop CS3.

Funchal and the flower power

Every year, by this date, Madeira is invaded by tourists. Together with the New Year's Eve, the Carnival and the Madeira Wine Rally; the Madeira Flower Festival (or Madeira Flower Party, in a literal translation) is one of the most famous events that takes place in this small Atlantic island. Taking advantage of the richness of the island's flora, this festival is, among this group of four, the only truly representative of the island's most important and unique asset: its perfect and pristine natural world.

This, in fact, is the only reason why so many thousands of tourists search for Madeira, year-round, for their vacations.

Its natural world, preserved and well kept, together with a benevolent climate and a net of well designed mountain trails and paths makes this island a must for any nature-lover worldwide.

The Madeira Flower Festival is, therefore, the vehicle to divulge this unique characteristic. It's no surprise also that it takes place in the middle of the Spring. After the end of Winter, the colors start to return once again to the mountain peaks, to the valleys, to the agricultural fields, to the grass-lands, to the gardens.

This is simply the appetizer. Located in Funchal, the capital city of the island, the festival only shows to foreigners what they can expect to see everywhere in the island if they dare to stay until the end of the session, instead of leaving the room before the intermission.

Granted, the festival is lovely. The exhibition of flowers in the city, everywhere, is amazing. The colors, the perfumes invade the downtown of Funchal during these days.

However this is only a sample. An example of what you can see if you dare to leave the comfort of you hotel in the city, put on some walking shoes, and hike around amidst nature.

You can take my word for it.

The Avenida Arriaga, here seen from a sentry tower in the S. Lourenço fortress, is the epicentre of many cultural activities in Funchal. The Madeira Flower Festival is no exception.

In the Madeira Flower Festival you can have an overdose of perfumes...

... and colours.

You will see also lots of photography fanatics, like you and me. However, all the beauty present here is nothing compared to what you can see if you dare to immerse yourself in the natural Madeira...

...after buying a cheap Easy-Jet ticket, reserving a few nights in a middle-category hotel (it doesn't have to be the Reid's - unless you like it!) and don't forget your hiking boots at home.

Picture taken in Queimadas, North coast, with Nikon D300, Sigma EX 10-20mm f:4-5.6 DC HSM, Manfrotto tripod and head.

New Year's Eve in Funchal port

The preparation for the New Year's Eve in the port of Funchal sometimes takes place several months before the actual event. Upon receiving the cruise ships schedules, it's our job (toghether with the port Coordination) to place these ships in the anchorage areas and alongside in order to permit to the passengers the best view of the upcoming world famous fireworks show. Here, in a picture taken in the S. Gonçalo belvedere, around 1845 GMT of the 31st of December, we see already at anchor the cruise ships Queen Elisabeth, Aida Bella and Saga Pearl II. Alongside are the Aurora, the Boudicca, the ferry Lobo Marinho and, on the North quay, the Aida Sol. Out of the picture are still the Princess Danae and the MSC Fantasia, both of them with late ETA's to the anchorage.

Photo taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT3 with resizing post-work in Photoshop CS3