One day we found the museum of Quinta das Cruzes in an 18th century mansion built on the site of the home of Zarco, who discovered the island in the 15th century and was its first Portuguese governor. It was surrounded by a beautiful garden, part of which was enhanced by stone ornaments and crosses. Perhaps that's how it got its name, which translates as the Mansion of the Crosses. Here's one of the ornaments, which looks like a royal coat of arms.
The mini-pic of me in the sidebar was taken in this garden. When we were there in October 2007, we were suffering from the heat and we found some lovely cool spots in the garden, like the one below.
I wonder how it fared in the February floods. The news pictures of water rushing down from the mountains were horrendous, as were the reports of loss of life. Tourism is the main industry there and the survivors must still be struggling to restore the beauty of Funchal and the rest of their enchanting island.
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4 comments:
Looks lovely. Madeira's on my list!
So it should be for any garden lover.
That garden is so beautiful with the lush greenery. The coat of arms ornament is amazing. That must have been quite a trip. Thaks for sharing it with us.
Yes Jo. It was a haven on a hot day. I haven't been able to find out how it was affected by the flooding.
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