Around the Portugese island of Madeira

Madeira is an island off the coast of Casablanca in North Africa but was claimed by the Portuguese since the beginning of 15th century.  It was the first "discovery" of the Portuguese as they later sailed on to the rest of the world.  It is now a beautiful holiday destination with stunning natural scenery, good food, and of course its most famous drink, the Madeira wine.

The whole island of Madeira is like a large village.  There are town centers, of course, but since it's a hilly island most of everything is quite scattered.  Getting around with a car is a must, and it's particularly enjoyable negotiating narrow mountain roads.  I find that some of the places I wanted to go are not on my GPS so I brought along an old-fashioned map as well.  Here are some shots during a short drive around the southern part of the island.

The Island of Madeira

Madeira is an island off the coast of North Africa.  History records its appearance on the map since the 14th century, and was officially discovered by the Portuguese in the 15th century.  It became an autonomous region of Portugal, and now the outermost region of the European Union.  Famous for its Madeira wine, its thousands of species of fauna and flora, and the beauty of its natural landscape, it is becoming a popular holiday spot for many Europeans.

 

​The early settlers started growing wheat on the island, which later became the main commodity for export.  When the demand of wheat declined, other commercial crops began planted on the island, chiefly sugar cane.  The sugar obtained from Madeira later became one of the most important commodities in Europe - at that time sugar was a rare product. 

One of the most well-known Madeira wine maker is Blandy's.  Tastings at Blandy's (the most well-known brand of the local sweet wine) can be arranged here, http://www.theoldblandywinelodge.com/winelodge_tours.htm but not at their homepage. 
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屬於葡萄牙的馬德拉小島位於北非對開的北大西洋之上。根據歷史記載，這個小島由葡萄牙人發現，並自十四世紀已經出現在地圖上，自此之後，馬德拉小島便成為葡萄牙一個自治的地區，並且是歐盟國家之中處於西面最遠的地區。馬德拉小島的特產有很多，當中包括很多人都知道的馬德拉酒 (Madeira wine)，以及無數不同種類的動植物特別是花卉，還有令人目不暇給的自然景色，這些都令馬德拉小島成為大多歐洲人的渡假勝地。
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要到 Blandy's 品嚐馬德拉酒，你會發現在它的官方網頁並沒有這個安排；但是你可以在這個連結參加試酒 - http://www.theoldblandywinelodge.com/winelodge_tours.htm