Position 32 44.8N 016 42.78W

20/9/11 – 23/9/11 Hired a car for three days and travelled up, down, over etc the island.  Tried to find volcano centre first day without success – only to find if we had gone 10km  further we would have found it.  Travelled around the island – coast road on the second day – visited aquarium in Porto Moniz.  Don’t go, 7 tanks for 7 e.  Found the volcano centre – much better value although rushed through the visitor area but walked through extinct (obviously) lava tubes, first time done that.  You could see typical ropey floor.  Watched 3-d movie which implied earth liquid with huge lumps of solid rock floating around. Visited the Monte Palacio tropical gardens in Funchal (in Monte) but all plants seemed to be tree ferns from Australia!  Few things in a flower –including buzy lizzie - but not much really.  In Monte they also have wicker toboggans that take people back down part of the hill into Monte.  A couple of men with straw hats and dressed in white guide the toboggan back down the hill.  Apparently this was how used to get fruit and veg from the plantations down into funchal.

Typical canarian house – only for tourists, none left now.

Natural lava pools.

Watching the 3d movie!

Lava tubes.

Funchal from tropical gardens.

The wicker toboggan men!