Madeira - Day 26 - Carnival prep.

After a relaxing morning I headed down to the Tourist Information office to get a schedule for Carnival events.

I popped into another little church and was, again,

impressed with the beautifully painted

ceiling and

tiles around the bottom half of the walls

and in the foyer.

I picked up the schedule for Carnival, in English. Musical events and carnival workshops had started at the beginning of the week. The children's parade is on Friday morning, the big parade on Saturday evening and then another "slapstick" parade next Tuesday. Music in the parks and special events in the museums were also listed.

Flags promoting Carnival

lined the streets.

The open space in front of the Cathedral and along the main shopping road

was starting to get that Carnival feel with the decorations,

stalls (some of them open already) selling local products, music and stages set up for theatrical and musical events.

Even the trees are dressed for the occasion.

Continuing along Avenida Arriaga, the Ritz Hotel has painted tile panels on the walls.

They depict local Madeiran history, culture

and landmarks.

The avenue ends at a roundabout where there are stairs up to Jardim de Santa Caterina which has a large lawn

surrounded by gardens

culminating in a pond with fountains, ducks and swans.

It's a great place to look out over the harbour.

Clear enough today to see the Islas Desertas.

I had to look it up ! - it translates to "airflow" or "slipstream".

Statue of Christopher Columbus, who lived for a few years on the Madeiran Islands, having married the daughter of the governor of Porto Santo  (the closest occupied island to Madeira)

Time for lunch. At Sunny Bar again I ordered a hamburger this time. It came with no bun, served on french fries with a fried egg on top????? OK? This actually suited me perfectly because I don't eat much bread and would probably have taken it out of a bun anyway.

Winding my way back through the narrow streets I found myself at the back of the Cathedral.

Tiles on the steeple. (and the clock was wrong)