We know the island of Madeira very well from the many images and videos, and the most fortunate among us know the island personally in real life. In reality it is an island full of surprises … but do you know the island by its numbers? For those among you Read more…
Article about Porto Santo written by Marian Nissink The island of Porto Santo is about two hours by ferry from Madeira. There is nothing to do here. There is one supermarket and there are a few terraces that only open when the manager himself feels like it. You do not Read more…
Literally translated, Shinrin-Yoku means forest bathing, much like sunbathing or bathing in the sea. You do not literally take a bath in the forest, but enjoy the atmosphere of the forest and perceive nature up close with all your senses. In Japan, more and more people are practising this form Read more…
The Atlantic Festival, which marks the beginning of the summer season in Madeira, is an event that consists of a diverse set of cultural initiatives distributed throughout the month of June, with special emphasis on the pyromusical shows, the Atlantic Roots Festival and the Regional Arts Week. This festival sets Read more…
(2 min read) In 1419 Tristão Vaz Teixceira, Bartolomeu Perestrelo and João Gonçalves Zarco have discovered and populated Porto Santo and Madeira Island. A brief history of that discovery and the followed settlement.
Have you ever heard of the Festa dos Fachos (torch festival) in Machico? It is one of the oldest traditions celebrated on the island. It originates back in the 16th Century when the Madeiran population used torches to warn the villages of attacks by pirates. We found a few good Read more…
This week we are featuring an interview with Althea, a yoga-tantra teacher and a Gestalt therapist who moved recently to Madeira Island. Madeiraful: Althea, thank you for the opportunity in allowing us a ‘peek’ into your relationship with the Green Pearl of the Atlantic, better known as Madeira Island. Please Read more…
I came across an interesting website that is called Expatistan … which offers a cost of living comparisons for more than 1,900 cities all over the world. Funchal, the city of Madeira Island, is also included in this cost of living database. I have extracted a snapshot, see below, of Read more…
Every year, two weeks after Easter, Madeira’s flower-festival comes alive on the main streets of Funchal’s centre with floats displaying a myriad of colourful flowers. This is one of the biggest celebrations in Madeira Island. On the Sunday a large parade of flower-decked cars get privileged use of the main Read more…
Machete (Braguinha) is characteristic instrument of Madeira Island. It is a small guitar with four gut strings that are tuned in thirds, with the exception of the two main strings, which have an interval of a fourth. This instrument is used by farmers at feasts and dance. The music is vulgar in a succession of simple chords, but in the hands of a gifted player, the machete is capable of much more pleasant harmonies, and strangers are sometimes pleasantly surprised to hear the music ... in vogue played with considerable effect of an instrument that seems so insignificant. One or two farmers can often be seen on the field after a hard day of work ... playing in their favorite instruments. (more…)
Madeira has various ‘Arraiais‘ all year round. Arraiais are traditional regional festivities that is celebrated with street processions, flower carpets, churches and street decorations with lights, colorful flags, music, traditional folklore, food and drink. Each town/parish has its own Arraial and they can differ one from another. To give you Read more…
Madeira … a Portuguese archipelago, that is the outermost region of the European Union, has a very high green biodiversity, and in combination with the ocean, mountains and sky it creates a real festival of colors. Madeira is an unique and mysterious island with its stunning rock formations, subtropical mountain Read more…
When visiting Madeira Island, you can treat yourself during your island visit to a massage … and why not a unique massage… a Tantra Massage. A Tantra massage is a unique experience in which affectionate and refined touch is used in order to open and relax. It helps you to feel Read more…
Did you know that … Carnival was a foolish game of running around, which included water, flour, eggs and tomatoes battles that appeared before the serpentine battles? In Funchal there was a particularly lively area on Shrove Tuesday, where all this running took place: it was located right on the Read more…
We are very happy that Claudine Moitié, aka clok_moitie on Flickr has agreed on taking part in an interview for the Levadeiros of Madeira. Claudine Moitié is a photographer from France. Madeiraful: Claudine, first of all we want to thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with Read more…
For me the way people treat restaurant staff reveals a person's character. Customers who treat waiters as 'slaves' or 'servants' ... I consider them as the 'scum of earth' and not 'kings'. A man (or woman) who, for no reason, is actively unpleasant to waiters .. my advice is to avoided them. Also those who patronize waiters and other service offering staff. People that treat waiters as though they were invisible ... are all cretins! They think that it is a sign of sophistication ... NOT! (more…)
XCS is a term disambiguated from the word excess. It means: Consumption of too much information from traditional sources (newspapers, magazines) and digital sources (Internet, phones, television). The word XCS is a neologism. Or is it a protologism? Neologisms are words and terms that have recently been coined, generally do Read more…
Music with nature becomes perfect and has its cause. It is born from equilibrium. Equilibrium is born of what is fair, what is fair is born from the sense of the world. Interview with Filipe Teixeira and Rui Nelson the creators of the project EcoMusicalis. (more…)
Interview with Pedro Gomes, who is Software Engineer at the University of Madeira and one of the makers of the WalkMe App. What is WalkMe? WalkMe is an iOS and Android mobile application that aims to be a guide to all hikers in Madeira Island and Porto Santo, providing useful information about the levada walks such as photos, description, map, ways to get to the levada and much more. You can use this application either for planning or during the levada walk. (more…)