Essential asked one of the people in charge of Bordal what it is that makes Madeira “theirs”.
I was born and raised on the Island of Madeira, where I have always lived. It is without a doubt, my safe harbour. No matter how I much I travel and I do love travelling, the place where I feel at home and happy will always be here.
Many of my childhood memories are connected to this land and I simply cannot forget the noise made by the water of the levada where I used to bathe in the summer as well as the harvest, the blueberries and the ripe and juicy figs I used to eat after climbing the fig tree.
I love Madeira’s landscape, the edges of its mountains, the steep slopes, the forests’ tones of green, the colour of the water in the levadas and waterfalls, the sea hitting the cobblestones… this passion of mine drove me to my current hobby – trail running.
I am strongly connected to one of the many beautiful traditions of Madeira – Embroidery. We have to maintain our traditions and that is what I and my husband have been trying to do for the past 17 years at Bordal.
Madeira is a calm and secure island with a great variety in terms of scenery. In a single day one can bathe in the ocean and walk in the mountains. Everything is different but very near.
Knowing Madeira as well as I do, and having travelled a lot, I can say that our Island is wonderful. On a regular basis, people are kind and friendly; we have good hotels, an amazing nature, a desirable sea and unique food and crafts.
What, in my opinion, you cannot miss in Madeira:
- Walking through the levadas and tracks, in the mountains and in our Laurel forest;
- Taking a boat tour and swimming in our wonderful sea;
- Learning our handicrafts, especially, Madeiran Embroidery;
- Walking through Funchal and getting to know our corners, not forgetting our Farmers’ Market on a Friday or Saturday;
- Eating beef skewer with fried corn, not forgetting limpets and bread with garlic butter;
- Watching the sunset in one of the small towns of our island’s beautiful southern coast.
- Visiting one of the villages in the centre of the island, drinking poncho and talking to locals;
- Visiting Porto Santo and its marvelous beach;
And much more…
