In mid-November Madeira Tourism Board start preparations for making Funchal look like a Christmas crib. The streets are decorated with lights of all colours and sizes, with allusive designs of the Island and Christmas season traditions.

In early December, the city squares are brighten up with flowers. Poinsettias, holly and lady’s slipper orchids all help to color the city. And then there are the Christmas carols sounding out on the streets inspiring everyone with the christmas spirit.

The streets fill up with people under this atmosphere of great joy. Some are busy with their Christmas shopping, while others just want to enjoy the holiday buzz and atmosphere emanating throughout the city.

Source: Madeira Tourism Board - November Newsletter

The rural houses of Madeira, in its traditional style are disappearing and typical examples can only be seen now in Santana.

There are still some different examples that can be seen on this council, from the rectangular plan, low stone walls and thatched roof houses to the wooden walls and thatched roof homes. These houses have followed the style of the previous homes built when Madeira was first settled.

During last week Funchal was celebrating the beautiful and colourful flowers that named Madeira the Atlantic garden.

Since Wednesday the flower paths, a typical decoration on all Madeira festivities, were built on one of the main streets in Funchal.

On Saturday morning many school children went to the Município square to put a flower on the wall of hope.

Sunday was the peak day with the flower taking hundreds of adults and children through the main streets of the city, dancing, singing and spreading flowers all around.

Photos by Emanuel Oliveira

This trimester Madeira Birdwatching Experience guides you through Madeira’s irrigation system, the famous Madeira Levadas which cross mountains carrying water from the North to the South of the island.

The first settlers in Madeira Island soon realized that it only rained regularly on the south coast in winter but on higher altitudes and on the north there was plenty of water during all year. So they had to find out a way of transporting the water. Therefore the Levadas occurred during the intense colonization of Madeira.

Photo by Tânia Pestana

For the last six hundred years Madeira people have built an extensive network of narrow water channels that carry water all the way down to the south coast where once the plantations of sugarcane, vines and bananas were thirsty.

All Levadas together have a 2150 km (about 1,350 miles) length, where 2% of these go through tunnels in the mountains. Levadas are a wonderful way to get to know the interior of Madeira Island, as almost all of them have a path which follows just beside it, where you will certainly find some Grey Wagtails (Motacilla cinerea shmitzi) to accompany you on your walk.

Come and experience it for yourself!

Photo by Catarina Fagundes

Source: Madeira Birdwatching Experience - 2nd Newsletter

The rustic houses of Porto Santo island, some still in use, have its own construction characteristics and show an excellent utilization of materials used in it. The floor was made of “solão”, very resistant but soft clayey soil. The walls were made with big easy cut stones, very well outfitted and the roof was made of “salão”, a sort of earthen paste applied over interlaced Tamarisk branches – the most common bush in Porto Santo. The roofs were made or maintained during summer as sun warm gives them the hardness and impermeability needed.

Nowadays this work is not made anymore and so the roofs of rebuilt houses are covered with tiles.

Photos by Catarina Fagundes