A cliff hanging town, Faja da Ovelha is located on the subtropical
island of Madeira, Portugal, in the Atlantic Ocean. Faja da Ovelha
evolutionized around a small town chapel, positioned on the top of
a rock. It is said to be protected by Saint Amaro because it gives
the impression that at any moment , it is going to fall on the coastal
village of Paul do Mar right below. When leaving Funchal, the capital
of Madeira, if you take the N-101 roadway to the west, Faja do Ovelha
is found exactly between the two towns of Prazeres and Ponta and
right above Paul do Mar. The leisurely drive in a rent
a car will
fill your vision with beautiful scenery. To get to Paul do Mar, one
of the most important fishing villages on Madeira, you have to pass
through one of the three tunnels, bringing peace and originality
to your mind.
Being as the
island is small, it makes travel easy from one place to another.
If you have arrived on a TAP flight, you have the Aerobus service
free by just showing your boarding pass. So now, let´s
have a look around. Sao Vicente, on the north coast has a very
interesting Volcanic Centre with audio visual equipment of
volcanic eruptions and the beginnings of an island. Right then
and there you can go into some of the volcanic caves and through
the sweet smelling gardens filled with indigenous plants. But luckily,
these are not the only gardens here, because Madeira is known as
the floating gardens of Portugal. Monte Palace Tropical Gardens
have the most important tile collection of all Portugal which are
used to complement and decorate the abundant array of flowers,
plants and trees. On these tiles there are stories which tell stories
about Portuguese social, religious and cultural festivities.
One may ask themselves why there is such a large representation
of Chinese and Japanese themes here. Well, the creator of these
gardens, Berardo, was impressed by the oriental way of life and
wished to share it. There are koi fish and real dancing swans in
the lake and colourful peacocks.
Faja da ovelha
Being as Faja
da Ovelha is not near the airport located northeast of Funchal
in the town of Santa
Cruz, book a car hire in advance and you
will be able to enjoy a different free time activity every day.
One day you can travel on the newly paved roadways and do a tour
of The Levadas, Madeira´s waterways or canals
for irrigation. This way you will fully understand how Madeira
has so much water to get its greenery so lush. Or set sail on
a big game fishing tour and be filled with the sensation that you
can almost touch the blue marlins, tunas, hammerheads, dolphins
and whales that pop up before your very eyes. If heights is your
pleasure then take a helicopter tour, from 15 minutes to 45 minutes
or be more daring and go up in an air balloon. Or take the new
cruise liner to the neighbouring small island of Porto Santo,
lay on the soft sandy beaches, sip Madeira wine and stay in a paradisiac
hotel there or returning to our relaxed Faja da Ovelha.
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