Action! Adventure! See how the good people of Madeira protected all the sisters from all the pirate raids!

HI!

This is Ponta do Rosto, which is close to the very easternmost point of the eastern side of Madeira.  As you can see,  it is just beautiful.  The only thing that could have made the experience of being there better, would be the ability to jump (or cliff dive) in the ocean.  Bummer.

So.....it's been three whole days since I have written a word or posted anything, and I have to be honest and say I am totally stressed out about that fact.  Frankly, so much has happened, it's a little overwhelming.  In order to keep this vacation a vacation, I think it might be best to switch up my approach.

Last night, I blogged for more than two hours, and some freaky-deaky glitch erased everything.  I was totally bummed out.  The freaky-deaky glitch may have been my own fault, but I like to think that it was someone or something else's.  Please play along.  Thanks.

Let the projectile-random-stream-of-consciousness blogging begin!  

Wooooohoooo! 

Wednesday:

Eira do Serrado

Eira do Serrado is kinda sorta in the middle of the island of Madiera.  It is an extremely high peak, and offers beautiful views onto a village in the valley below.  The valley is known as:

Curral las Freiras, or Nun's Valley

The deal is this--you get out of the bus after driving on ridiculously scary skinny roads up the mountain, walk up 53 million steps to the lookout point, and then you lookout.  Nun's Valley is interesting historically because it was a place of refuge for the Nuns in the Nunnery whenever the Big Bad Pirates came to visit Madeira, back when Big Bad Pirates were rampant. Arrrrrrrrrgh!!

In the event that you want to hear me panting from the steps and babbling about the sights in person, help yourself to this video.  Be warned, however--it was a busy tourist day, and there are many alien elbows, butts and backs of heads here.  Couldn't be helped.  Enjoy!