Funchal, Madeira, a Portugese island

Funchal was a pleasant surprise, as we had barely heard of it and didn't know what to expect. There isn't a lot to see here, but it was very pleasant. There was a shuttle bus from the ship to the center of town, so we explored on our own. The town is built on the side of a hill, so there is a lot of steps to navigate if you want to go up to the museums. The Frederico de Freitas Museaum is housed in an old 18th-century residence and has mostly furniture, teapot collections, etc. Next door is the Tile Museum, which I found more interesting, with a large collection of decorative tiles from Turkey, North Africa and Spain.

Since Madeira is semi-tropical, so there are a few tropical flowers here. You can also find leather goods, embroidery pieces, porcelain and of course, Madeira wine.

Down closer to the water is the large 'market' where flowers, fruits and vegtables are sold. There were certainly a lot of exotic looking fruits available here. And behind it is the fish market. This area is partially enclosed and contains a lot of little shops.. There was also several sidewalk cafes in the area.