We started the day with a visit of a vegetable and fruit farm in the Eastern part of Funchal – from here we made it on to an orchid nursery, to get an introduction to the plants and a tour around the nursery.

I have to admit, the two stops here seemed rather random to me – and if there was a price for the most boring thing on the trip, well it would go to this morning – – but then, many of the others in the group enjoyed the gardens and the information provided.

We left Funchal and made the drive to Curral das Freiras (Pen of the Nuns); a hidden valley in the middle of the island. The name derives from the nuns, who where seeking refuge in the valley during a pirate attack in the 15th or 16th century. The valley is also famous for chestnuts and all sorts of products made from it, e.g., soup, cake or liqueur. Our visit being around lunch time, a chestnut soup made a welcome dish.

After lunch we continued to a viewpoint above the valley – the Miradouro Eira do Serrado – to get a better impression of the secludedness of the valley and the town.

Before making it back to Funchal we stopped at the Cabo Girão Skywalk – a viewpoint at Europe’s highest cliff at 580m above the sea. The skywalk partially comes with a glass floor proving good views of the actual coast underneath.