MADEIRA - ISLAND OF FLOWERS - JEWEL IN THE MID-ATLANTIC

[hadacekf]

Cliff,
Wonderful pictures of a wonderful Island. Thank you for sharing them with us and thanks also the founders of the forum that we can enjoy this.

[Paddy Tobin]

Cliff,

Perhaps losing the text is not such a great loss. It would be difficult to imagine any text adding more than your wonderful photographs. Great display.

Paddy

[Anthony Darby]

Lovely pics Cliff. I do love those cycads with cones and I hope my Protea cynaroides will flower one day?

[Gerdk]

What an interesting Island, beautiful sights, especially the gardens! Cliff, do you expect a salary from a certain tourist office if we all make a trip to this wonderful island?
Gerd

[ranunculus]

Now that IS a good idea Gerd!!!!   Please quote SRGC Ranunculus when booking.....   

Thanks for all the very kind comments everybody.

[shelagh]

Wonderful pics Cliff.  It was really quite a coincidence but yesterday I was scanning the slides I took in Madeira in 1992. It was my first outing with my then SLR camera and I used up 1 whole film of 36 shots.  Makes you realise just how fortunate we are now with digital.

[zephirine]

I just feel like I've seen the most extraordinary fireworks in my life!
Wonderful colours, Cliff, and so welcome on these cold, dull days !
Thanks so much!
Zephirine

[Lesley Cox]

A wonderful collection Cliff. Thanks for them all, and commiserations on your trembling and aged finger. You're sure there wasn't a little Madeira involved? Cause and effect?  Mmmm?

[Michael]

Hello!

I'm seriously covetting the Japanese ( style or genuine?) statuary in Batch Six... so beautiful, especially the dragon 

Maggi, that garden is Jardim tropical monte palace. The garden is Japanese-style, but i dont go there for at least 10 years, i barely remember the last day i went there... But it's a pretty garden though.

Carlo, i didnt understood your question...

Lesley, i think the best Madeiran thing is not the wine, but the firework shows they do. On summer we have the Atlantic festival:


And then on winter the new year's eve:


M

[Carlo]

M,

The question was just rhetorical...Madeira is so beautiful it makes one wonder why anyone would want to live anywhere else...

[Paul T]

Cliff,

Wonderful pics.  If I can add another correction though please..... your Leonotis leonurus looks to be some sort of Aloe or something akin to them.  Lions Ear has flowers in crowns at each leaf node all the way up the stem, not terminating like your picture does (the flowers are a little different too).  I can post a pic of the real thing in a week or so as mine is in bud at the moment.

The pics really are amazing.  You have a wonderful island Michael!!

[KentGardener]

Cliff, glad you liked Madeira - we were there in Feb this year for Dad's 75th birthday.  Easy Jet have just started cheap flights to Madeira so we couldn't resist booking another trip.  We are going for 2 weeks in March 2008 (Easter is early next year) - the flights only cost £24 going and £35 coming back.  Its now cheap enough to consider popping over for a long weekend!

regards

John

[ranunculus]

Many thanks everybody....

Appreciate the correction Paul....may have been wrongly labelled at the gardens?

Hope you have a magnificent time in March John....those flights are superb value.....shame they only assist those of you in the south of the country.

What a pity we missed those fireworks Michael (then we could have had a similar experience to Zephirine)!   

[Michael]

M,

The question was just rhetorical...Madeira is so beautiful it makes one wonder why anyone would want to live anywhere else...

If i could choose one place to live, that place would be the Alps, believe it or not! 


Cliff, you can always come again to watch some