Fortified spirit

Following a recent devastation wrought by heavy floods, the Portuguese archipelago is back on its feet, doing what it does best raising a toast to tourists

Madeira was in the newsfor all the wrong reasonsin February, when severeflooding caused significantdamage in and aroundFunchal, the capital city. For anisland where tourism plays such animportant role in the economy, theeffects could have brought longtermdevastation. Fortunately, therecovery is well underway.

Much of Europe was affected byextreme weather over the past winter,and even the normally mildMadeira an autonomous zone ofPortugal located 520 km off thecoast of Morocco did not escape.On the morning of February 20,within five hours, a torrent of 108mm of rain fell on Funchal. To putthat in context, the whole ofFebruary normally sees an averageof just 88 mm. Flooding damagedroads and forced the closure of theairport, road tunnels and severalhotels. According to official figures,42 people died.

The islanders have worked hardto put things right. Even the directorof the annual Madeira IslandsWalking Festival was amazed. "Thespeed of recovery following suchextensive devastation is nothingshort of breathtaking. Workmengenuinely worked 24/7 in theirendeavour to restore the island andits infrastructure to normal, and inthis regard they have, by-and-large,succeeded," said Terry Marsh.

The walking festival was held inMadeira and neighbouring PortoSanto in January, just before thefloods.Gerry Sluiter runs a travel companycalled Nature Meetings, whichemploys 23 guides across the 57 kmlong and 22 km wide island. Hisguides, who lead walks along coastaltracks, deep within the thick woodlandof the UNESCO WorldHeritage Site Laurisilva forest andup mountains such as Pico Areeiroand Pico Ruivo, played an importantrole in informing the authorities asto where repairs were needed. Theco-operation has been highly effective."Ninety nine per cent ofMadeira's tourism facilities are backto normal. All the hotels and excursiontrips are back to normal," saidSluiter.

That's good news considering
The Madeirans earn their livingfrom tourism. And, traditionally, atthis time of year, visitor numbersclimb as the Funchal FlowerFestival is held on the capital'sstreets. The spring flowers bringsplashes of vivid colour to a lush andundulating island landscape dominatedby ancient terraces, on whichvines and vegetables grow.

During the festival, thousands ofchildren lay flowers into a "Wall ofHope" symbolic of humanity's desireto build a better world. This year,locals may well equate the occasionwith thanksgiving for the rapidreconstruction of the island's south.

A two storey flower market
Even if you don't make it to Madeirain time for the festival, it's worthwinding your way through thestreets of Funchal to the two storeymarket, the Mercado dosLavradores, to see the flowers.Women work in the busy marketfoyer wearing traditional costumesalmost as colourful as the bouquetsthey sell. Within the courtyard andup on the first floor, the perfume offlowers is replaced with the scent offresh fruit. And the Madeirans aregood business people. Aware thatmost visitors are sceptical of howthe strange-looking exotic fruitssuch as banana-pineapples andmango-strawberries will taste, thestall holders give away free samples.They recoup their investment bycharging almost double the ratesthan those charged at less touristorientatedmarkets. Nonetheless,for many visitors pressed for time,the experience is worth it.

Most of those tourists also makethe 15-minute trip by cable-car up toMonte, rising over the city and theinteractive Madeira Story Centre.The entertaining, modern museummakes use of multimedia to condensethe history of the island into atour of just 90 minutes.

Toboggan pushers dressed likeVenetian gondoliers transport themback into the city. Pairs of the strawboater-wearing men steer wickercarts that slide down the steepstreets; the friction of the descentcauses the wooden runners to giveoff a burning smell. It's an exhilaratingform of transport, and was onceused to transport goods intoFunchal.

Which other place in the worldcan claim such a synonymous associationwith wine? Sailors workedout that exposure to heat and oxidisationtransformed and improved thefortified wine, which was even usedto toast the Declaration ofIndependence in the USA. And as asouvenir of a trip to this Atlanticisland, or even to toast its recovery,what could be better than a bottle ofMadeira?

Forster is a travel writer based inLondon

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