Curral das Freiras (English: The Nun's Valley) is a mountainous village nested in the shadow of Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo in the heart of Madeira. The community living in this valley is isolated from the outside world by perilous cliffs, and getting in and out of there by car is one of a kind experience. The shot comes from a 1h descent from Eira do Serrado.

Pico do Arieiro

Huh? What's that? A giant golf ball landed on the surface of Mars?

Nope! It's an observation station on top of Pico do Arieiro. We spent last Christmas in Madeira, a giant mountainous garden emerging from the North Atlantic just 400 km North of the Canary Islands. 

The views are breathtaking, especially at sunset. And we've seen a lot of those, having eased into a slow lifestyle of lunchtime breakfasts and afternoon walks. At 1818 m. above sea level this peak offers a breathtaking view of the island shrouded by fluffy, pink clouds. Beautiful but also deceitful: if you linger watching the sunset, you may expect a long and slow journey home, along hair-raising mountainous crevices, down unnerving hairpin turns. 

Oh, and the road is super narrow, and it's all happening in very dense fog. Ah, they joys of travelling! :)       

New Beginnings

We are heading in a new direction. Goodbye Canterbury Cathedral, shingle beaches of Whitstable and green banks of the Great Stour. The future holds a comeback to street photography, architecture, and... bikes... lots and lots of bikes! :)

 courtesy of Jakub