When: May 2007
Madeira, a Portugese island, was an astonishing surprise to me: even in May, it was quite warm and, with the onset of Spring, the nature had come 'alive'. Everywhere you looked there were seas of vegetation and colour-rich flora. Although the land has been - and is still - heavily harvested and the island seems to be a patchwork of tunnels (which are very useful for getting around the island quicker), the place is a paradise for nature lovers.
After a flight on a Boeing 757 with just 11 passengers (bizarre, but the service was good!), we spent the next eight days driving all over the island, taking long walks along the levadas (small canals which channel water from the peaks around the island), which help to make Madeira the strikingly green place that it is today.
As a destination: Madeira is tourist-dependent, and the locals are very friendly and welcoming. The towns are very much like the tourist resorts typical of Spain, but Madeira has much more culture and nature, largely due to its history. If you go, don't forget to taste the incredibly sweet Madeiran wine - you would never believe it contains booze!
