PORTO SANTO, WILD ISLAND: Wind, prickly pears, nine kilometers of golden sands and windmills, lunching with Arsenio’s

Hello. I am writing today because I could not do it last night. Last night, I was in fact quite tired after my visit to the rich island of Porto Santo, located 50 km north-east of the island of Madeira – 33 ° 03’N 16 ° 21’W – where I arrived at the Port de Abrigo, starting early in the morning from Funchal.  http://www.ferrylines.com/en/ferries/search-results/?no_cache=1 . As I approached the island, the first thing you see after two and a half hours by ferry, is the Pico do Facho, 516 meters high, from where you can see five small islands that surround it. Curiously, the entire small archipelago is almost devoid of vegetation.

The southern part of the island and the northern one, they are very different: in the north the cliffs overlooking the sea, 9 km to the south of the finest uninterrupted sand – with a myriad of palm trees and sand dunes – and a sea that preserves the warmth of his depth volcanic. A dry wind that caresses prickly pears, windmills and vineyards. During the trip, I learned that this island was born Diego, the son of Christopher Columbus, as I also learned that it is possible to visit the house where the famous admiral lived.

Vila Baleira is the most important city of Porto Santo, and I drew in my notebook from one of his travel lanes and quaint, as I drew the old wharf of the port and its bay. From that point special, you can see houses lying on the hills and windmills. Coincidentally, I learned that the tourists visiting this island prefer to cover themselves with its sand, with high therapeutic virtues. I accidentally discovered “Arsenio’s”, a tiny restaurant in Vila Baleira, totally devoid of any advertising appeal and seemingly insignificant, but the friendliness of the waiter and the delight of what I ate, both deserve to be mentioned in these lines.

Among the things that I could see yesterday, I remember the “Pau de Sabao” (a monument to the maritime discoveries), the fort of St. Joseph (where the inhabitants were protected from the raids of the pirates), the Mother Church (with incredibly beautiful paintings ), and the windmills sails rotating. In the afternoon I went on top of Pico Castelo, with a wonderful viewpoint on Porto Santo. I may go back on the island, do not miss a trip to the east of the Pico do Facho, because you can come into contact with unique landscapes, surrounded by small bays whipped by the strong North Sea.

Before embarking on the ferry for the return trip to Funchal, I went to Ponta da Calheta, a long walk on the beach, where I waited for nightfall, watching the sun kissing the beauty of the sea and the golden beach. An almost magical moment, because the magic it contained your absence, but I closed my eyes, giving the sound of the waves and the sea calm, the merit to bring to you, even if only for a moment.