The island in the Atlantic Ocean is not without reason called the summer cottage of Europe: 4.5 million tourists fly here every year
Writer Yan Valetov learned how the small island of Madeira was turned into a botanical, gastronomic, and socialist paradise.
Chamomile king size
The main attraction for guests of the island is nature. After all, there are no expensive stores or Michelin-starred restaurants here, and a beach in the local sense is a rocky or concrete platform with stairs leading into the water.
"Madeira" means "wood" in Portuguese: it is said that to establish the first settlement on the island, people had to set fire to the forest. Fortunately, the colonists could not cope with the lush vegetation: almost 700 years after settlement, the island remains just as green. Perhaps because any human activity at an altitude of over 1000 meters above sea level is legally prohibited, and most territories on Madeira are protected by UNESCO.
The change of landscapes is especially striking: from lush subtropical blooms to high-altitude tundra in just 20 minutes of driving up a mountain road; from the boundless ocean blue to black-red mountain peaks with pillows of clouds; from 27 degrees Celsius on the coast to 12 in the highlands.
Over hundreds of years of life in these exotic conditions, the plants on the paradise island have transformed: for example, heather has become a tree from a low shrub, and the mimosa tree amazes the imagination with its size and abundance of fruit. But that's not all: I personally saw a chamomile tree and even a dandelion tree!
Local farmers harvest crops year-round, and their activity is rather contemplative: go out, sit in the corner of the field, and thoughtfully watch the fruits ripen. There are no pests here, and the import of compound feed and fertilizers is prohibited. Since farmers have nothing to do (by our standards), they all have enrolled in a young Michurinists' circle. Markets sell results of crossing everything with everything, including the "love child" of passion fruit and tomato. For some reason it is called English tomato, and it is the tastiest of the hybrids.
GMOs have no place here
Island cuisine is a different story. Since no fertilizers are used here, all products grown on Madeira have a natural taste. The "Non-GMO" label, which provokes an ironic smirk from me back home, is taken quite seriously here.
Lovers of real beef must try Madeiran shashlik – espetada: a vertically suspended skewer almost a meter long with fragrant pieces threaded on it, oozing juice. There is also chicken espetada: believe me, chicken that has never eaten compound feed has a completely different taste!
Also worth trying are the fruits of the sea: seafood stew with the strange name cataplana, crabs, espada fish caught from a depth of one and a half kilometers. You can wash it down with cold green Portuguese wine or the popular Madeiran drink poncha: a mix of rum, heather honey, and citrus juice prepared before the customer's eyes. The bill will be incredibly reasonable, and the service equally excellent.
Drink to the bottom
There is plenty of water on the island; even the tap water in the hotel is mineral water, which was allowed to be bottled and sold only a few years ago, and even then in limited quantities. The water supply system on the island is a separate natural attraction called "levadas." These are artificial water collection and irrigation channels laid along mountain slopes with the minimum possible gradient. The first levadas were carved into the rocks several centuries ago. Water flowing down stone channels collects in special reservoirs, from where it is taken for use. Some water is from springs, some from rainwater, and some from condensation.
Along the levadas, there are hiking trails of amazing picturesque beauty. And although some of them are quite difficult to traverse, I still recommend taking such a hike: it will become one of the strongest impressions of the island.
Island socialism
Another important aspect of vacation is safety. For any crime against a person, the perpetrators were exiled to Angola, and no one wanted to leave paradise for this African country. Therefore, if a wallet is sticking out of your back pocket, it will most likely be carefully pushed deeper into the pocket so as not to tempt the weak.
And what crime can there be when 4.5 million tourists pay for the islanders' comfortable existence: the annual income per local resident is 24,000 euros. Madeirans receive free education and municipal housing; they pay only 30% of the price for medicines prescribed by a doctor; and unemployment benefits here are paid for two years at 100% of the income from the previous job – and happy unemployed people wander in crowds through the center of the island's capital Funchal, showing guests kind and idle-dazed faces.
Politics and politicians exist here, but somehow separately from real life. The president of the island is a socialist, his main rival is a communist, but what is going on here can rather be called the Swedish model with a certain Mediterranean accent.
It remains to mention the famous drink, Madeira, whose secret was once smuggled out of the island under a specially grown fingernail. And the New Year's fireworks in Funchal – according to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest and most colorful in the world. But why write about them – you need to go, drink, and see with your own eyes.
Yan VALETOV,
bither.livejournal.com
Based on materials from the magazine "Focus"