The Eden Project

"Plants are our lifeblood: providing our crops, controlling the climate, making the very air we breathe. The natural world is our life-support system. At Eden we sow, grow and exhibit crop plants used for food, fuel, medicine, materials, beauty, music, sports, entertainment - to show and celebrate our dependence on the green things in life". pg 42 Eden Project, The Guide

The sun shone for the first time in what seemed like months as we visited the glorious Eden Project in Cornwall. And what a project it was - a triumph of imagination, creativity and vision.

The Eden Project stands as a celebration of plants and their importance to our world. It is a place to learn and be inspired by these global gardens and our relationship and dependence on plants. Everywhere you look there is careful attention to perfecting this dream of paradise - from the design of the Biomes, to the choice of habitats to the amazing sculptures. It is an immense project that deserves to be revisited again and again.

It originated in an out-of-use China Clay pit and from this empty void came a creation rich in life with plants, trees and flowers flourishing. When you arrive, you stand at the top of the valley and look down at the Biomes that look like enormous bubble-wrapped sunken globes.

As we zigzag down the valley, there are signs showing us the history of plants and their evolution from 350 million years ago. Some of the earliest plants such as horsetails and ferns grew without flowers and used water to help with fertilisation. They rotted and created coal which we use today. Then flowering plants evolved later and attracted pollinating insects.

We enter the Rainforest Biome described as 'the largest rainforest in captivity' and your first impression is definitely a surprise at how big it is. There are waterfalls and enormous plants and trees. There are even birds and apparently frogs living amongst the huge emerald leaves.

 

The Biome allows you to appreciate the fundamental ways in which we use and depend on the rainforest for food, fuel, medicine and materials. It reconnects us with the fruits, spices and foods that we are so familiar with in supermarkets and the plants and trees that provide us with these essential products.  I spot banana and mango trees and ginger, star fruit and sugar palms. I discover that Cassava is an essential food source for more than 500 million people. As well as being surprised by seeing a 'cola tree' with seeds rich in caffeine, used for fizzy drinks. There is also a cocoa plant used for chocolate, and whose Latin name 'Theobroma cacao' appropriately means 'Food of the Gods'.

Cola acuminata, Sterculiaceae or more simply a 'cola tree' whose seeds are used for cola drinks.

As we wander through the different regions; Malaysia, West Africa, South America and tropical islands we enjoy looking up at the beautiful flowers and fruits.

There are other interesting facts about sustainable harvesting practices such as in South America, Inga trees are used to provide shade for crops and for their ability to 'turn nitrogen from the air into fertilizer' helping growth.

We decide to climb the walkway across the top of the Biome, it reaches a dizzying height and we stare down at the huge plants. It turns very warm almost 40 degrees, so we head down and try a refreshing Baobab smoothie; a fruit from an African tree famous for living several thousand years. I was interested to read that bats also pollinate its white flowers.

This enclosed rainforest is also a reminder of what vital work these trees and plants do in the process of being the lungs of our planet. As well as reminding us how important it is to protect them. A shocking sign said that every ten seconds an area of trees the size of the Biome is cut down.

Although I had thought the rainforest area would be my favourite attraction, the Mediterranean Biome was equally as lovely. Its moderate temperatures brought a range of beautiful gentle plants; Olive trees, pines, strong smelling herbs, lemons. In a short time we were walking through a typical Mediterranean terrain, a South African garden and then a Californian habitat.

There was so much to see that we decided it was time to simply relax and enjoy some delicious mango ice-cream.

 My Mum and I enjoying a refreshing treat

It was a perfect place for children to enjoy. There was face painting, storytelling and singing. An entertainer told the children that you don't need any fancy exams to be a scientist, you just need an enquiring mind to ask questions such as 'what happens if...' The children then stood up to bang barrels full of smoke which represented Puffballs (exploding fungi) as raindrops hit the plants helping seed dispersal.

For me, some of the areas that stood out was the sculpture display of Dionysus represented by the huge cow. He was surrounded by dancing figures that related to the myth of wine, intoxication and festivity.

I also enjoyed the bright beautiful flowers that reminded you of all the imported flowers we buy and the question whether we can provide a more sustainable alternative:

After leaving the Biome we enjoyed the Stage where I peered down microscopes and saw how hairy bees are and spotted the intricate patterns of leaves. The Stage was also dedicated to the Freaky Nature Show and showed the many ways plants protect themselves from predators, such as fierce spikes (like the holly and thistle), poison (used by fox gloves), stinging (as nettles do). The Core was even more fascinating as it focused on sustainability. One particular exhibit stood out. It showed a bucket of water and a note saying if this bucket represented all the water in the world, only a teaspoon would be fresh water. A poignant example of how precious our natural resources are.

Eden is an incredible project that educates and inspires. It also reminds me of the hard work that must have been involved in creating such an immense project like this - finding the location, getting the finance, designing then building the Biomes, sourcing all the plants,  labelling them, tending to them, getting the right temperature so they will grow and flourish. It must have been a huge effort that so many involved could be proud of.

It certainly has created a desire in me to learn and discover more about the natural world and the importance of protecting the plants and animals that are so vital to us.

  

The Butterfly House

It was a cold Saturday in January and we decided to follow the BBC’s recommendation of ‘Things to Do’ at the weekend, by visiting the Butterflies in the Glasshouse at the RHS Garden, Wisley in Woking, just a short drive from London.

We arrived early and the place was already mobbed, so we made our way through the enormous gardens towards the Glasshouse. There were signs that spring was coming, snowdrops were in flower and bulbs were sprouting, yet there was still some snow on the ground and ducks swam in ponds partly frozen over.

 

The huge Glasshouse

I was looking forward to visiting the butterfly house. For me, butterflies are almost as if nature's paint box thought it would be fun to use every colour and pattern imaginable to create these beautiful and delicate creatures. I could happily spend time watching them float in the air like leaves or dance and flutter in a mesmerising fashion. But it is not just their exquisite eye-catching wings that attract me, but the way they change, their metamorphosis process from a caterpillar to butterfly that I find fascinating.

We all know the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. 'In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf...' And that is how it begins.

Blue Morpho Egg by Edward Backer on Flickr

From the little egg, a caterpillar is born and just like the story it is very hungry. It eats and eats with a voracious appetite. Some caterpillars 'can eat up to 27,000 times their body weight’ says one sign in the gallery area. 'If a baby grew as fast as a caterpillar it would be as big as a bus in a month', says another. In fact caterpillars need to regularly shed their skins to accommodate their growing bodies.

  

Blue Morpho Caterpillar, by Logo Noesis, Ada Gonzalez on Flickr

Caterpillars can also be exotically coloured to help protect themselves from predators. The bright colours are a warning signal for others not to eat them, as can be seen in this exotic looking Blue Morpho Caterpillar in this photo. They also use colour to camouflage themselves, or have hairs that contain poison, or may even smell or taste bad in order to avoid being a meal for a hungry bird or frog.

We make our way to a glass cabinet which has lines of hanging chrysalises. We can see the Blue Morpho emerging as a butterfly from the pupa, in its final stage of its lifecycle. Inside the chrysalis the caterpillar breaks itself down and most of its body turns to ‘soup’ before it's starts forming its pair of wings, six legs, head, pair of antennae, proboscis (tongue), thorax, and abdomen. Then it emerges as a beautiful adult butterfly. Its wings slowly fill with liquid and soon dry and harden so it can fly.

Through the window we spy the Blue Morpho emerging

We move on towards the main butterfly room which is filled with lush tropical foliage. The heat and moisture of the tropical forests are perfect conditions that help promote fast growth and many of the exotic flowers in this glasshouse are gorgeous in colour and shape.

We enjoy trying to spot and identify the floating creatures and take photos where we can. A Blue Morpho butterfly lands on a lady's coat and she kindly removes it and gently places it on a willing child's hand. The children are fascinated and all gather round to watch the enormous wings as they open and close, showing off their vivid electric blue.

The pattern of the Blue Morpho has circle like eyes to intimidate predators and the contrasting blue makes it seem like it is disappearing when it is flies.

Blue Morpho opening its iridescent blue wings which reach a wingspan of up to 20cm 

I'm surprised to discover that adult butterflies tend not to live for that long, on average between two to three weeks. This last stage of its life is focused on eating and finding a mate so it can lay eggs. The butterfly doesn't need to compete for the same food as the caterpillar, as it now uses it curly proboscis tongue as a straw to suck and drink nectar and fermenting fruit. I learn that they can also taste with their feet where their taste sensors are located.

We continue walking around taking photos. Waiting patiently for them to rest on a leaf and open their wings.

Malachite butterfly

Great Mormon

Common Mormon

The glasshouse has been a great place to watch butterflies and find out fun facts about the tremendous variety of species. I am also astonished to read about the migration of Monarch butterflies who spend the summer in Canada and northern America then in autumn when it is colder they fly to Mexico, over 2000 miles to hibernate, resting in the forest trees over winter. As the journey is so long, they stop to reproduce, so the next generation can continue the journey south. It is believed they use the sun and the earth's magnetic field for guidance.

The great migration of the Monarch Butterfly. Photo by Luna sin estrellas on Flickr

The Butterfly Glasshouse is a fun place to take children and ignite their imaginations, so they can picture all the dancing butterflies across the world. I visualise the Blue Morpho Butterfly fluttering across the tropical rainforests of Central and South America and Mexico, and believe it is perhaps one of the most astonishing and enchanting butterflies of all.

Butterflies in the Glasshouse event runs from 12th January to the 24th February 2013. 

Designing Our Future

I attended the Energy, Water and Food Stress Nexus event hosted by Professor Judith Rees at the Royal Geographical Society, before Christmas. There were a number of interesting speakers that evening, but it was Tim Brown, a designer and CEO of IDEO, that stood out for me. His message for the evening was all about collaboration, working together to share and create a more sustainable future.

 

Shell’s leaflet on ‘Understanding The Stress Nexus’ outlines the message that as the world’s population and prosperity increases, our demand will grow for energy, water and food creating substantial pressure on these resources. The additional environmental stresses related to Co2 and the effects of climate change will also create a ‘zone of uncertainty’ which is documented in Shell’s Energy Scenarios for 2050.  

 

The World Economic Forum has predicted that if our demands for water consumption continue, the world could face a ‘40% shortfall between global freshwater demand and supply by 2030’. Oxfam, despite the headlines of food wastage, has also estimated a doubling of food prices by 2030. And by 2050, Shell expects that ‘the gap to be bridged between business-as-usual energy supply and demand could equal the size of the whole industry in 2000’.

The challenges we face are substantial, perhaps we are more familiar with the voices of politicians, scientists, engineers offering solutions. But for me hearing a speech from a designer gave a refreshing new perspective on some ideas that could be considered. He did not give a five point plan to solving the 'stress nexus' that Shell proposes, but he highlighted the type of movements and trends that are happening that could perhaps provoke us to get involved in designing our future together.

As a designer, Tim Brown, believed that we need to innovate our way out of these problems and find a positive direction that inspires us and encourages behaviour rather than regulates or frightens us into doing the right thing.

Tim made the point that as a society we spend a lot of time trying to regulate behaviour. But design can help enable behaviour rather than rely on a heavy handed approach. His amusing story of the fly and the urinal gives such a point. A design solution was found for the unhygienic problem of men ‘splashing’ when using public urinals. In Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport they discovered an innovative solution, by simply placing a picture of a fly in a toilet it improved the hygiene of the area as men found it useful to aim at something. In an amusing way, ‘flies are enablers of behaviour’.

Image from Methodshop.com on Flickr

I guess the point he was making was that behaviour change and new social norms will be needed in order to tackle the strains on natural resources but clever design can also help us do this. Shell proposes that we need to promote 'extraordinary demand moderation' as well as 'extraordinary supply acceleration'  to meet our future energy, water, food needs. And simple design can play a part, like creating a simple system for charities to collect our tax Gift Aid, that makes it easy for the charity to collect and easy for us to donate. Clever conservation design can make behaviour effortless, such as creating water taps with ‘touch-free’ sensors which stop water flow automatically when you remove your hands, making it a design solution for water wastage.

However, Tim's main message was focused on behaviours to do with collaboration, working together to create more good. And he highlighted Paul Saffo who suggested that we have moved from an ‘industrial economy’, to a ‘consumer economy’ and now to a ‘creator economy’. An economy which Tim suggests is a 'shift from a very small number of producers and a large number of consumers, to us all consuming and producing in different ways in the future’. 

Collaborative consumption and a sharing economy:
Tim highlighted that we are changing the way we consume. There are many more consumers and producers. This notion of a shared economy means we are making more efficient resources by sharing their use. Tim used the example of Whip Car which allows you to rent out your own private car to other people. So instead of sitting in the garage when you’re not using it, it can be out on the roads being used by someone else and making money for you as well. I also saw an advert for a  ZipCar with the slogan; ‘Pay-as-you-live: The Future of the UK’s Sharing Economy’.

Zip Car, Image by Frank Smith on Flickr

 

This attitude was also noticeable in the design of Whole Foods, a big organic store in Kensington London. I enjoyed a ‘bowl of goodness’ in the restaurant that was designed like a canteen. The fashionable shared tables felt a symbolic move away from the age of individualism and a move towards a new shared way of living. Office designs have also moved in this direction too. The BBC’s New Broadcasting House building near Oxford Circus is not only open-plan but has set up a hot-desking solution, the idea being that there are less desks as people can simply logon to areas when people are in meetings, so everyone moves around and shares the office space together making the most efficient use of space.

 

Collaborative Production

Collaborative production is also about the ‘spreading-out the production away from the notion of centralised factories’ as Tim states. He notes the revolution we are seeing in 3d printing and other digital technologies. MakerBot enables the average consumer to start designing 3d objects at your desk, giving freedom to the consumer to design and produce things to their own individual need. These boxes act like robots that follow your design on the computer and build the plastic objects you require, enabling a new type of production at home.

 Makerbot finders & final prototypes. Image by MakerBot Industries on Flickr

Maybe collaborative production can cut the need for long supply chains in many areas.

 

Collaborative Conservation

Looking at collaborative conservation, Tim used the example CoolBiz – a movement in Japan, started by the then prime minister. It was an attempt to meet their Kyoto targets in Co2 reduction by persuading Japanese business men to wear more casual clothing, so that the use of air conditioning in offices could be reduced and energy saved. This campaign involved the Prime Minster and CEOS of every major corporation. There was also a ‘warm biz’ for the winter. This idea shows communities collaborating to conserve.

Image by CoCreatr on Flickr

Design for collaboration

The final idea was design for collaboration. Open ideo is a community of 20,000 people around the world who are working together on food and water innovation challenges in places like Africa, Australia, America and Europe. Tim is finding people all over the world who are interested in looking for solutions to some of these problems. 

 

Tim ended his speech by emphasising the importance of this bottom-up approach, building on an evolution of progress which is never finished, but constantly changing. Some of his principles in designing behaviour and behaviour change include; focus on starting with people rather than stuff. Look at extremes, where you can find people doing really interesting and creative things.  Behaviour change isn’t just about regulation. Put new choices on the table and develop your divergent thinking – considering new perspectives, using your creativity and knowing there is a ‘mosaic of solutions’.

 

Lastly, Tim offered the idea that ‘we have to find alternatives to making ourselves happy through consuming more’. Well I will end with a quote which I liked from another designer, Karim Rasid, who perhaps offers one alternative:

‘Consume experiences not things…

Experience is the most important part of living and the exchange of ideas and human contact is all life really is…’

Past lochs & over hills, we spy for deer in Scotland

'Home is behind you, the world is ahead', Gandalf told Bilbo on his adventure through Middle Earth.

Inspired by the sweeping scenery in The Hobbit at the cinema last week, I am looking forward to my own adventure in the majestic mountains of Scotland.

I have asked my father-in-law, Gerry, to take us through the Highlands in search of red deer as painted by Sir Edwin Landseer in his splendid 'Monarch of the Glen'.

We begin our adventure early, when it is still dark. As Bilbo sets out from The Shire, we leave Glasgow on our way to Glencoe. We head out of the city and the roads are empty, the clouds are ominously grey and the hills start to appear, powdered with snow.

Gerry is a seasoned walker and for many years has trekked across most of the mountains in the area, so like The Hobbit, our journey is filled with anecdotes and stories old and new, some dark and treacherous others heroic and uplifting. 

We wind round the edge of Loch Lomond which reminds him of a man who did the impossible and walked across the bottom of Loch Ness in an underwater marathon, an amazing 26 miles in a wet suit.

Gerry continues his yarns with a story of how one day, when walking on the hills, he came across the remnants of an aeroplane. I later read that the hills of Scotland are littered with aeroplane debris mainly from the Second World War. We also pass Scotland's only gold mine which has just reopened near Tyndrum.

 

The dramatic scenery is made for films and this could be the backdrop for The Hobbit. Despite the grey skies, the beautiful coloured hills are a purple haze of autumn colours. Deep and rich ruddy copper of dying-back brackens and purple heathers carpet the hills. We drive through puddles that dramatically pour across our window screen, then pass Ardlui and suddenly it's light.

 

 The winter hills are surprisingly rich in colour

 

The leafless woods have trees that are covered in lichen and the pretty  streams gush down the hillside.

 

We are in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Hills covered in snow disappear in the mist as we see Ben Lui and then enter Tyndrum.

As in all fantasy stories, places should have special names that fire the imagination. As Bilbo leaves his home in Bag End and travels through Rivendell, across the Misty Mountains and the black forest of Mirkwood to the Lonely Mountain itself. We too are travelling to places that have been named with seeming romance and mystery. The hill walks are called Devil's Staircase, Boomerang Gully, Stob Corie Nan Lochan and the Lost Valley, even 'Wee Willy' as he is known, who runs the coffee shop next to 'The Green Wellie Stop' could be straight out of a children's book.

 

 Sign for the 'The Green Wellie Stop' in Tyndrum

 

To make the drama work, it is best to set your adventure in extreme conditions and that is exactly what we are experiencing, the rain didn't just fall, it battered us, the wind didn't just blow, it stung our faces with brutal force. Our hands froze if we took them out for a brief moment to take a photo. But people were braving the elements in this area. We passed a group camping and also a car carrying canoes. Other people were walking their dogs up to the mountain tops.

I'm thankfully dressed for the occasion, head to toe in waterproofs

In fact Scotland is like New Zealand as it too has many films made here. Braveheart, Rob Roy, Highlander 1 & 3, The World is Not Enough, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to name a few. 

We continue our journey. Glencoe is 30 miles now. The forests are alpine and the snow scrapes across the bottom of the car.

We pass Glen Orchy. The dark rivers and lakes are as grey as a whale. The rugged landscape is stunning. We have been travelling awhile now. Suddenly Gerry cries out, 'there's a deer'. We look over and spot a lone stag far away by the woods. We pull into the side of the road where a tour bus full of young Japanese tourists disembark to take photos. But the deer is too far away for my camera.
 

 Opportunity missed; our first deer spotting is too far away for me to capture on camera. 

 

It's cold now. Everywhere is white with snow. There is silence except for the gushing sound of mountain streams.

The view is amazing. We pass a sign saying 'The Outdoor Capital of the UK', near the Glencoe Ski Centre and everything appears in black and white. 

 

We view The Buachaille mountain, then pass the road to Glen Etive. We continue through the rugged hills towards Stob Coire Nan Lochan and the Lost Valley in Glencoe.
 

At first the landscape looks barren and devoid of life. But like the landscape of myths and children's stories like Middle Earth, Narnia, The Box of Delights or Harry Potter, Scotland is blessed with wildlife made for legends. There is red deer, Golden eagles, hares and rainbow trout.
 

As we pull in to the car park, I spot the first glimmer of life - a sparrowhawk circling in the sky.

We set off on our walk in search of the deer and walk down the valley and cross a pretty bridge over a gushing river. The scenery is awesome.

 

The ground is boggy with water as we step over the spongy grass, our feet squelch in the water. Gerry shouts that we can follow a deer trail, a watery path with hoof marks.

 A deer trail shows hoof marks

We climb the hill of the Lost Valley getting out of breath and veer across the hill to the left which takes us to a more sheltered spot. I look up and to my surprise see four deer. Two mother's with their two older fawns, standing still on the hillside staring at us. It is so amazing to see them so unexpectedly. I carefully try to walk along the pass careful not to disturb them to take some photos. They keep still and stare.

Look carefully and you can spot four deer on the hillside

 

We head back. The wind is ferocious and stinging my face. My eyes water as I scramble down the hillside.

We quickly get back in the car and enjoy our rolls, crisps and orange squash, glad for the warmth. We then head home enjoying the spectacular hills of Scotland. We may not have seen Smaug, the dragon, but looking at the hills there are distinct cracks that remind me of veins, maybe there is more life to the mountains than I imagine...

 Veins on the hills

Driving on top of the world

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

We are on the road. We’ve hired a car and have a map and a plan. There is a sense of freedom in discovering Madeira at our own pace; driving across valleys and basins and hills and mountains. Our day trip is a circular route exploring the northwest of the island, starting from Funchal and heading to Sao Vincente, Porto Moniz, down to Rabacal and back to the hotel before night falls.

Getting out of the city is the hard part, but once we are on the highway our journey begins. Madeira is like no other island I’ve seen. Its volcanic origins means that it’s shaped like an iceberg as one book described it. And it is true. Nothing is flat. We drive up the steep curving hills, and again snake down winding slopes, cut across bridges that connect the hills and through tunnels that delve deep through the mountains. The scenery is stunning. The deep green and lush mountains appear one after the other.

We arrive at Sao Vincente in time for a guided tour of the caves that are 890,000 years old and made from a now extinct volcano which erupted. As we enter the damp and dark lava canal tubes, I imagine being Bilbo Baggins as he explores this labyrinth maze. The main tunnel is 1km long. I don’t want to get lost inside this mountain. Our guide informs us that the tunnels are formed from the lava forming a hard crust, the hot lava flowed underneath this crust. Then when the volcano stopped erupting, the hard crust was left and the tunnels were created.

The tour continues and we are taken to an interesting museum that is about the beginning of the world and the creation of Madeira. We then take a lift down to the centre of the earth and watch an equally dramatic 3D film which exclaims, ‘creation is a beginning without an end’.

Back to the car, we continue on to Porto Moniz for a spot of lunch. I have four large grilled sardines with rice and salad. It is delicious. We then walk down to the lava pools which are beautifully clear and have lots of fish.

Our journey continues to Paul da Serra, we continue up the hill side and turn the corner to see the stunning view of the valleys and mountains. Peaks of the hills are in the clouds. We get out and take photos. It reminds us of the rolling hills of Scotland, they are thick with a blanket of thistle, heather and bracken.

At the top of the hill we drive through the clouds. We are now on top of the island with beautiful panoramic views of the sea. We have left the warm tropics below and are riding on the craggy mountain tops where an eagle soars and dives and we see a herd of cattle standing by the roadside.

We feel as if we are on top of the world. There is fog and dramatic plunging heights.

We turn the corner and are above the clouds and are surrounded by enormous wind turbines that look futuristic.

The view is astonishing. It feels like we are in aeroplane seeing the world in all its awesome dramatic scenery.

My son has spent the whole afternoon asleep in the back of the car, missing the views completely.

Our trip to this island has been more than we had hoped for. This 'floating garden in the Atlantic' has captured our hearts.

Levada Walks

Madeira is famous for its levada walks and we are looking forward to our trek across the Serra D’Agua Valley.

The levadas are a network of (mini) canals that spread 2100km across the island. They are an irrigation system that distributes water across the island, mainly from the north, where most of the rain falls, to the south where the majority of the people live. They are also great for hikers to follow and explore the island.

We begin our tour and the group is introduced. There are people from Germany, Sweden, Finland, Scotland and England.

The morning is cool and fresh and we can hear cockerels and dogs barking in the valley. There is local music playing from a van where a man sells his fresh fish. It is very peaceful walking along the canal in the bright morning sun.

Our guide points out the variety of plants and flowers along the way. There are poisonous Belladonna Lilys and Angel Traps. Fennel grows freely and can be used for iced tea, sweets and liqueur. There are lemon trees, avocado plants, laurel bay leaves for cooking and banana trees in abundance.

 

My favourite is the flower that represents Madeira for me, the Bird of Paradise;

As Madeira is an island, the oceanic climate makes it lush and tropical. It’s volcanic past means the soil is rich with potassium, calcium and phosphorous providing a perfect mineral content for the development of vegetation. The variety of terrains and plants is astonishing. We turn the corner to walk through woods of pine trees, their cones as large as your hand. Then there are 80 year old chestnut trees.

Turn another corner and we pass through fragrant eucalyptus woods. The seeds offer a pungent smell that can be used in people’s homes or as an insect repellent. There are signs of a fire and the blackened trunks dot the landscape. The eucalyptus leaves are full of oil so can help fuel the flames of a summer fire making it quite dangerous.

 

As we follow the Levada trail, we peer through the trees and see the valley covered in gentle irrigation steps that help slow the rain water as it falls down the hill. It reminds my husband of his trek in the rice hills of Nepal.

 We stop to try some tomato passion fruit, sucking on the juices and pips.

Finally, it is the end of the trip, and our bus is waiting. But we have one more stop at a local cafe where we scoff some Madeira cake and tea and talk to a couple from Inverness in Scotland who return to the island again and again.

In the evening we head to Funchal's city centre which is in full swing of the Christmas festivities. The streets are lined with trees lit up with hundreds of lights. We jump off the night bus at the cathedral and spot two enormous sparkling angels.

The city seems magical and alive. Everywhere there are outdoor cafes spilling out on to the pavements, people drinking coffee and telling stories. There is music, dancing and singing everywhere, with procession bands straight out of The Godfather and people in traditional clothes walking in a long lines clapping to the music.

 

A choir of young girls sing Christmas carols. Music seems very much part of life in the city.

 

We head to the central tropical park where there is a huge Santa Claus. People queue to sit on his knee and have their photo taken. A red train covered in fairy lights is perfect for young children to enjoy playing. The tropical foliage almost reminds me of Cochabamba in Brazil. We head home tired but happy, having enjoyed another day in Madeira.

 

 

Our levada walk was through Madeira Explorers.