Another great vintage film about Madeira … this time its the year 1932.
In the film we follow the voyage the cruise-ship Gripsholm, after six days crossing the Atlantic it reaches Madeira and then heads towards Lisbon.
The first part of the Swedish film shows great historical coverage of Funchal in 1932. Enjoy!
Some things seems trivial nowadays, but in the past they were unthinkable, … for example ice.
With the advent of refrigerators and other similar devices today it has become possible to have ice all year-round. Now … imagine 100 years ago …. how could one get ice? Only in winter and in the highest regions of Madeira, when it snowed or hailed.
Madeira ancestors solved the problem by building reservoirs in which they could store and preserve the ice and snow that winter brought to them those days. It was then used by hospitals and hotels, … thus resulting in the famous Wells of Snow (Poços da Neve).
These wells were based on deep excavations, walled and covered with stone chips to the surface being shaped like an igloo. They were built in the mountains of São Roque and the area of Pico do Arieiro.
According to history, the snow and ice were stored in these pits of snow, and then carried on the back in the leather bags … all the way to their final destination. It was no doubt a tremendous achievement.
Only one of these reservoirs have reached our days and is in a good condition, situated near the Pico do Arieiro at the Ecological Park of Funchal …. at 1,600 meters of altitude.
Click here to see the location of Poço da Neve
The well is not being used anymore as a deposit for snow, but it still reminds us of the difficulties and the expertise of the Madeiran ancestors had in those days.
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The VI Madeira Island Paragliding Meeting will take place next March, between the 17th (Wednesday) and 21st (Sunday).
All pilots are welcome to this event. Click here for more information
Parapente Funchal 500 Anos from Décio Abreu on Vimeo.
The Poncha is a drink originated in India, brought by the British, and adapted by Madeirans. The Indian name given to the drink, namely pãnch, was initially composed by five ingredients: Rice or nut coconut spirit, sugar, tea of fresh herbs, spices and water.
It is believed now that the Poncha has been experienced for the first time outside India, on Madeira Island in the middle of the eighteenth century by the English at that time, during their travels between these parts.
Throughout the nineteenth century the Poncha was a popular drink within the Madeira the more or less wealthy families on the island.
Today, the tradition of Poncha remains very much alive among us, on Madeira, and the instruments used to assist in preparation of these drinks, in essence has not changed much.
In Madeira, this drink was adapted to be used with honey, sugar cane spirit, lemon juice and lemon peel. The Poncha has become very popular due to the fact of being considered a good drink to heal the ills of the throat … has many other things …
When you are on Madeira …. experience a Poncha … and taste the Madeiran culture.
Join Poncha da Madeira on Facebook
This is not about the Madeira Wine … instead this page is a simple way for you to travel back in time through historical photographs of Madeira.
Take a trip through the unique views and rich history of Madeira Islands, with this digital time machine. Enjoy the collection of old black and white images, admire the vintage photographs and see how Madeirians lived then. These vintage photographs will develop a (new) love and appreciation for the island.
(more…)
How to follow Madeira on Twitter.
For those who do not have a Twitter account … no problem … just go to http://twitter.com/madeira and you can follow without having to log in.
For those who uses feeds … just click here for the RSS Feed.
For Tweeples and Tweeps … just follow @Madeira
Check out the first serie of the Madeira 2010 Fireworks videos. These are the first of the collection videos that we found on the web and we will be displaying them here or placing the link to the video page.
By the way … Happy New Year!
More videos …. (more…)
You can watch the famous Madeira New Year’s Fireworks show live … via the following live stream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/madeira
The broadcast starts today at 23h30 (GMT).
We wish you all a Happy 2010 … with lots of health, love, happiness and new challenges.
You want a sneak preview of what you can expect to see? Then check the following video of the last fireworks made by Gil Santos. (more…)
Filmed yesterday … edited in the evening and uploaded at midnight. Result …. a dramatic film (thanks to the music added by Youtube) of the fury of the waves at the marina of Lugar de Baixo.
It is just as spectacular as the New Year’s Eve Fireworks in Funchal (that will take place in a few days).
So here is another event next to the Fireworks on Madeira …. the Waterworks.
