Portugal - Day 20
September 28, 2025: We only have a couple more days in Portugal and today we are doing a tour that was not on our original agenda. We saw the Santa de Colombo sitting in the harbor on the first day we went to Old Town in Madeira. It is a replica of the Santa Maria, used in Christoper Columbus’ first voyage in 1492. The replica was built near Madeira and was completed in July 1998. Since then, the Santa Maria de Colombo has been used for daily excursions along Madeira’s southern coast. The cruises includes stops near Cabo Girão for swimming (we have been to the top of Cabo Girão on our 4WD tour), opportunities to spot marine life (dolphins/whales), and onboard tastings of Madeira wine and honey cake (bolo de mel). We ended up getting a glorious day for being out on this ship. The seas were calm, we had a light breeze and it was sunny. It was so calming just being out on the water and cruising along the coast. We did end up seeing a pod of dolphins and I got some great video that you can see in one of my Facebook posts. When we got to Cabo Girão, you could go swimming, which Jimm took full advantage of while we were there. I am not a great swimmer, so I decided to stay on the ship. On our way back to harbor, we were treated to a taste of Madeira wine and a honey cake (known locally as bolo de mel da Madeira). Bolo De mel da Madeira dates back to the 15th century, soon after Madeira was colonized, when sugarcane was a major crop on the island. Originally baked in convents, it became a festive cake tied to Christmas and special occasions. The cake is not made with bee honey but with dark, richly flavored sugarcane molasses, which gives it its signature depth and moist texture. It is spiced generously with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, anise, and black pepper, and often enriched with almonds, walnuts, and candied fruits. Traditionally baked in December to mark the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, it is meant to be enjoyed throughout the holiday season, with the flavor only improving as it ages. In fact, our captain told us many make it in December and save it for the next Christmas rather than eating it right after it is made.
After our 4 hour cruise, we got a ride to the most well-known natural pool in Madeira called Doca do Cavacas. There are also larger natural pools in Porto Muniz, but many visitors do not get to that city on their visits, so these are much more well known. We grabbed lunch at the restaurant right above the pools and then paid our entry fee to go into the pools. We relaxed and enjoyed the area for another couple of hours. I went in, but there were little fish in the water because the sea water comes in to form the pools. They were nibbling at my feet which kind of creeped me out, so I only stayed in a short time. Instead I opted to enjoy the view and read a book. Then it was back to the apartment to get some packing done. We stopped at one of favorite Italian restaurants on the island, Alfonso’s, and picked up some take-out before walking the rest of the way back. It was a wonderful last full day in Madeira. Tomorrow we head back to Lisbon for one night and then back to Florida on Tuesday. It’s almost hard to comprehend how many amazing things we have seen and done on this trip. It was truly a great experience!!