We had a bit of a slow start to the morning which meant we arrived at breakfast later than planned. The weather was nice so we lingered soaking up the atmosphere.
After breakfast we had limited time before our 2pm tour of Blandy’s Wine Lodge. We returned to the Cathedral, forgetting to check the time and only realising it was almost time for the morning service as we arrived. Once again, our visit was cut short.
We walked to the Fortress of São Tiago so that we could get a wider appreciation of it. On the way we stopped for some delicious freshly squeezed fruit juices. Rather than walk back through the town we walked along the seafront where yet another cruise ship dominated the view.
Back at the harbour Mr C needed to return to the hotel so I waited in the nearby municipal gardens and when he returned, we had just enough time for another fruit juice before it was time for our tour of Blandy’s.
Our guide round the winery was Georgina. She was very informative although Mr C was able to add some extra information regarding the history that surrounded the name of one of their Madeira wines, called Duke of Clarence. After the tour it was time for the sampling of three Madeira wines, two were blended and one was a 9 year old vintage Malmsey.
We returned to the municipal gardens where I enjoyed a slice of honey cake from the café before returning to the hotel to freshen up in time for dinner. Mr C had decided we would have dinner in the old town in a street near to Fortress of São Tiago; he was on the look out for hanging skewers. He had tried them in the Ty Madeira restaurant when we were in Cardiff in October 2025. He settled on Boco de Oro restaurant where the food turned out to be adequate but not meal of the week. Once again I chose scabbard fish although this time it came with banana and bacon with a pomegranate sauce.
It was Madeira’s National Holiday so many places to eat and drink were closed as we walked through the town and back to the hotel for a nightcap on the rooftop bar.
