Christmas Day - 25 December 2008

Christmas Day started with more heavy rain, but by the time we had dressed in waterproof jackets & leggings, it had eased off somewhat, so we set out to explore Funchal. The storm that had temporarily prevented us from landing was still with us in the form of infrequent short, sharp, heavy downpours and huge waves battering the foreshore. As we wandered along the promenade we were treated to some spectacular displays as the waves smashed into the sea wall and created huge fountains of spray.

The Complexo Balnear da Barreirinha, a bathing area near the Sao Tiago Fortress, was well awash with the sea breaking over the area used for sun loungers and cascading into the pool. I don't imagine they were losing any business as the complex would be closed at this time of year but nevertheless it was all quite impressive.

The town has the Christmassiest feel of any of our northern hemisphere Christmas destinations. Forget the Blackpool Illuminations, forget the Regent St lights switch-on, if you want to see Christmas in lights the place to be is Funchal in December. I have no idea how long it takes the Municipality to set it all up and I shudder to think of the electricity bill, and they certainly have not heard of saving the planet by switching off the lights; millions upon millions of bulbs set the town ablaze with festive cheer. And, as you wander around gazing at the spectacle you are subtly serenaded by carols and Christmas songs from the temporary speakers set on lampposts throughout the central business district.

Flying to Funchal - 24 December 2008

It was an eventful trip from Gatwick to Funchal. The fun started at Gatwick when we went through security with the usual “empty your pockets, remove your belt” and, as sometimes happens, “remove your shoes”. All checked out OK so put shoes and belts back on and re-fill pockets. About 10 paces further on we are stopped again for a shoe check - time to take the shoes off again. What is wrong with these people? If they want to randomly re-check shoes with the "special shoe x-ray machine" then move it closer to the other x-ray units and select the people while they already have their shoes off.

The next problem was also caused at Gatwick, but we were unaware of it at the time. We decided to purchase some Duty Free spirits for gifts and checked to make sure that we could take the two litres we purchased on to the plane. We were assured that we could and certainly there were no issues boarding the aircraft. We touched down in Lisbon and followed the transfer route to our connecting flight to Funchal in Madeira. As sometimes happens we had to be re-checked for security. We had arrived from the UK, one of the strictest regimes in the EU, stepped off a plane and somehow had managed to secret bombs and weapons about our persons and hand luggage as it all had to be checked again. (Shoes on, this time.) However we were told we could not take the two litres of spirits on with us as is was not 'sealed'.

Two unopened bottles, purchased air-side at Gatwick with receipts to prove it were now serious weapons of mass destruction. What is wrong with these people? There was no discussion, it was against "the rules", so I had to leave the transfer route, exit the airport and enter again like any normal passenger beginning their journey at Lisbon and check in again putting the bottles in the checked luggage.

Fortunately we had a carry on bag that was large enough to accommodate the bottles so that was duly checked and we set off for our island destination. A couple of hours later we were descending into Funchal Airport when the engine thrust was suddenly applied again and we began climbing instead of descending. Apparently the rain was so heavy that the landing was aborted and we circled for nearly 30 minutes until the pilot thought it was safe enough to land. We must be getting close to 100 flights since we left NZ and this is the first time that we have ever had a landing aborted. That said, having seen how the Funchal runway is perched on a platform over the sea we were quite glad the pilot was risk-averse

Although the pilot was able to land second time round, it was still raining solidly as we were taken in to the centre of Funchal so we were fairly damp by the time we had located our hotel and laid in a few supplies to get us through Christmas Day when everything is shut.

(Many Funchal houses sported climbing Santas so we collected a few.)

Scene One: Seen the Mall - 20 December 2008

Since the New Zealand shopping mall scene is dominated by the Australian Westfield group it seemed only right and proper that we should check out Europe's largest inner city shopping mall which opened a couple of weeks ago just a few train stops from home. Because it is in West London and because they are seeking to take business from Oxford and Regent Streets in the West End, they simply recycled the company name and called the new mall Westfield.

Given the proximity to the well heeled areas of Kensington and Chelsea they have created a luxury retail area with all the big names of everybody who is anybody in the luxury goods market. But, even with that, a mall is a mall is a mall and they seem to look the same whether they are in London, Paris, Milan, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, Auckland or Melbourne.

Since the day had improved, and was quite mild out, we wandered over to Sudbury to climb what we suppose is Sudbury Hill. Surprisingly, at 91m, it is higher than others nearby like Horsenden Hill and Barn Hill both of which we explored very early on in our stay. This one, the nearest, has taken us 7 years to find and climb.

Another four bridges - 14 December 2008

The morning began at Prior Park, now in the care of the National Trust. These are the grounds created by Ralph Allen, a wealthy 16th C philanthropist, who built a grand house (now a school) as 'a noble seat which sees all of Bath and which was built for all of Bath to see'. The grounds contain one of four only Palladian bridges left in the world. It made a lovely walk around the lakes on a crisp winter morning. [The four Palladian bridges are at Stowe Landscape Gardens (UK), Prior Park (UK), Wilton House (UK) {before the blog began} and Pushkin Palace (St Petersburg, Russia)]

From here we drove to Longleat, the home of Lord & Lady Bath. (Not wanting to pull the plug on the weekend’s running Bath theme.) This is an Elizabethan mansion, transformed in Victorian times, to reflect the styles the then Marquis fell in love with during his travels in Italy. The original great hall contained an enormous Christmas tree, the only festive decoration in the house. But we were very aware of the season, as the house was very cold; an indication of how difficult (as well as expensive) these grand houses must be to heat in winter. The beautiful rooms had no ceiling light fittings; this also gave a sense of stepping back in time and made the rooms come alive in a different era.

Four Bridges and an Author - 13 December 2008

Leaving London to be buffeted by heavy rain, we drove to Bath, and enjoyed the pedestrianised streets, shops, Christmas lights and the architecture that make this a World Heritage site.

Bath is beautiful at any time, but Christmas shop window displays and lights enhance any town. One feature of Bath is the Pulteney Bridge, one of only four bridges in the world with shops on both sides, albeit extremely narrow shops. Due to the heavy rain in the night, the river was very swollen and brown, not the normal picturesque river we have seen before.

Although many websites mention that the Pulteney Bridge is one of four it is extremely difficult to find the names of the four bridges. We had walked over another two of them, the Ponte Vecchio and the Rialto so that was three of four but finding the fourth was a challenge. For anyone else doing a web search the definitive list is: Pulteney Bridge, Bath (UK); Ponte Vecchio, Florence (Italy); Rialto, Venice (Italy); and Krämerbrücke, Erfurt (Germany).

We did a Jane Austen walk that we had printed off the BBC site that took us to places she visited and where Jane lived in Bath. En route we passed the cathedral, which Jane would have attended, and were invited in for an excellent Christmas Carol service.

Off to the Tower - 6 December 2008

Saturday was a perfect crisp winter’s day for exploring London. We followed a walk that took us along many new (to us) narrow passageways in the City of London. It was easy to visualise these winding lanes in Dickens’s day.

Following this, we visited the Tower of London, using a ‘Palace Pass’ we purchased and which gives unlimited entry for one year to 5 royal sites, including the Tower.

The history this site has seen is amazing, and a new sculpture remembers those few who were executed within its walls; most were taken from the Tower and publicly executed on nearby Tower Hill. Only if you were particularly controversial were you executed “behind closed doors.”

The White Tower is now used for displays of historical weapons, and the Crown Jewels are housed very securely in another building in this 18-acre site.

As we left for the day, the raven master was encouraging the ravens inside their cages for the night. These are ‘royal’ birds, and lead pampered, although restricted, lives as their wings are clipped to prevent them flying over the walls. According to the legend, the kingdom will fall if the ravens ever leave the Tower.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - 5 December 2008

London at Christmas is very special. Every year a 20m+ Norwegian Spruce tree is given by the people of Norway, as a thank-you for the aid of the British people in World War II. The tree is always decorated in the Norwegian style with the lights in vertical stripes down the tree.

The Christmas lights in the various shopping streets are different every year, as are the amazing window displays of the large stores and because the sun sets so early there is plenty of time to enjoy the displays, unlike NZ where you have to wait up till late to see the Christmas lights.


This year, as an art installation, one of the Trafalgar Square lions was made to ‘talk’. A projector was used to make the lion’s mouth appear to move in sync with the words from a speaker; it was very well done.

London ‘does’ Christmas, extremely well.

(The lion is obvious, the witch is the snow witch in the F&M window and you can fill your wardrobe in Bond St.)