Sunday, February 18, 2024

It’s been two days since Andi went to the ER in the Canary Islands where he was diagnosed with colitis and gastritis. The doctor prescribed him an anti-inflammatory antibiotic, and since then he has been able to keep down small amounts of very soft, bland foods. I wouldn’t say he’s on the mend just yet, but his time spent in the bathroom is lessening. He’s very low on energy and still experiencing stomach cramping. Everything we’ve read says it just takes time to heal the inflammation of the stomach and colon.

Therefore, our day started off slowly. I can tell Andi isn’t feeling like himself because he slept until 11:00am this morning. I’m sure his body is catching up after all those sleepless nights with non-stop vomiting and diarrhea.

Around Noon, we decided to go to lunch in the nearby community of Sao Vicente. This is a popular area with shops and restaurants across the street from the ocean. Parking was crazy, and we had to circle around the narrow street a few times until we found a spot to leave our car. Andi said people here drive like ninjas and swoop in within seconds of a parking spot opening up for someone else.

Most of the restaurants along the street are seafood restaurants. Being that it’s an island in the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira is known for its seafood — particularly a dish called espada com banana (black scabbard fish served with banana). Andi made the mistake of Googling the black scabbard fish to learn more about it, and the fish looked pretty ferocious and unappetizing. It reminded me of an eel with pointy, sharp teeth.

Our waiter was a very friendly young who highly recommended espada com banana, so Andi and I decided to try it. Andi ordered his as the whole fish, grilled, and I chose to have mine the traditional way — fried and de-boned, served with banana. I’m glad we tried it actually, because the fish tasted mild and flaky. The sweetness of the banana really added flavor to my dish.

Both Andi and I’s meals were served with “accompaniments” which meant the the fish came with choice of boiled vegetables and potato, rice, and French fries. Andi didn’t each much of his meal, only because his stomach is still uneasy. These types of food were perfect for his “soft food diet,” so we packaged up the boiled potatoes, rice, and soft vegetables to take with us so he’d have something to eat later on this evening.

Tory and Aden split a platter of steak and French fries for their meal, eating a little of the steak and a lot of the french fries.

The other local speciality I tried at lunch is called Brisa. This is the first soft drink in the world that’s made with pure passion fruit, and it’s made right here in Madeira. I would say the drink is more like a juice than a soda — it doesn’t have much carbonation, but it’s fruity and refreshing to drink. We noticed that Brisa is not served with ice here.

After lunch, the four of us walked across the street to the ocean. We could hear big waves crashing onto the rocky shore well before we saw the water. The waves are massive on the northern coast of Madeira, and seemed to scoop up the shore and take some with it every time the water collided with land. This is Tory’s type of beach — mystical, rocky, and full of treasures. Give her a beach to explore and materials to create something, and she’s much more content than swimming in the water or playing on the sand.

Right away, she began combing the beach. A few minutes later, she walked back toward Andi and I holding an old boot on a stick. “I found a boot!” she exclaimed, intrigued what the ocean had washed up to shore. Soon Aden was in on the adventure and he, too, came back to our spot on the rock wall carrying treasures (or trash?) he’d found. In the end, the kids collected five pairs of mis-matched boots, one tire, a light switch, a couple plastic bottles, and some pipes. They weren’t done yet! They could have kept collecting items, but Andi said it was time to go.

From the town of Sao Vicente, the four of us hopped into our rental car and drove northeast to Parque Florestal das Queimadas — another section of the ancient Laurissilva forest. There’s several levado walks and and more technical hikes that leave from this nature park.

Getting to Parque Florestal das Queimadas was half our adventure! Driving in Madeira isn’t for the faint of heart with its network of interconnected tunnels and multi-exit roundabouts. Once we started climbing into the mountains, the technicality of our drive increased. Roadways became narrow with switchbacks, hairpin turns, and one-lane tunnels. We hoped we wouldn’t meet another car on the road, because then what? One of us would have to back up until there was space enough to let the other car through. It finally happened to us at the very end of our drive. We met another car head-to-head on the road, and Andi had to back up quite a distance down the narrow mountain road. One wrong move and our car would have driven off the side of the cliff.

There were lots of cars parked at the top of the mountain in the parking lot who apparently made it up to the top like we did. We parked our car, and walked over to the trailhead entrances where there’s also a small cafe and duck pond.

Throughout the island of Madeira are an impressive network of levadas, or narrow irrigation channels, that work to divert water from the mountains to drier parts of the island. The irrigation channels weave all throughout the Laurissilva forest, and alongside them are narrow footpaths that people are allowed to walk along. The good thing about the levada trails is that they are fairly flat; all the elevation gain is accomplished by driving to the top of the mountain.

We decided to walk along the Levada do Caldeirão Verde path. The entire length of the trail is 12-kilometers out and back, but we had no intentions of going that far. Andi is still feeling weak after being so sick the past 10 days, so we decided we’d walk as far as he felt comfortable. In all, we walked about a mile and a half total.

The scenery was beautiful as we walked along the levada. Water dripped from the moss-covered rock wall and flowed through the irrigation canal. Everything around us was lush and green, and smelled of eucalyptus. Since the trail was flat, the biggest challenge was dodging muddy puddles along the way.

After our walk, we stopped into the cafe for a treat. Andi wants to drink coffee so badly, but he knows it’ll irritate his stomach. He ordered a decaf espresso, but only had a few sips. Slow & steady. Tory and Aden each picked to have a slice of chocolate cake for their treat. I tried the local specialty cake called Bolo de Mel. It wasn’t very good; it tasted like a dense chocolate cake made with molasses.

I think Andi and I were both dreading the white-knuckle drive back down the mountain, but it didn’t prove to be as difficult the second time. We didn’t meet any other cars on the narrow roads and enjoyed weaving through the tiny villages near the town of Santana. I can’t imagine living in a place like Madeira where everything is built into the hillside. Houses, gardens, animal pens, and roadways on built on a slope.

Lunch and a walk outdoors proved to be enough activity for Andi today, so we returned to our airbnb for the rest of the evening. Andi, Tory, and I watched the “Lisbon episode” of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix, and then the four of us finished the second half of the Harry Potter movie. For dinner, we warmed up leftovers.

Tomorrow, we have another day in Madeira. I hope that Andi’s stomach and colon continue to heal, and he’s up for another low-key adventure.