We hadn't explored Funchal thoroughly but had got a good feel for the place on the Saturday. One of frustrating aspects of Funchal was that, although it was set against a beautiful backdrop, it was unbeliveably difficult to pull off that perfect shot because there was always something obstructing photographic perfection.
On Sunday, after a rather underwhelming sightseeing bus tour, we felt it was time to ascend. Funchal backs onto several hills and there are plenty of interesting locations sprinkled along the hillside beyond Funchal's periphery. We chose an easy target, Monte, which could be accessed via cable car from Funchal.
Views were impressive but the sun had decided not to make much of an appearence, effectively robbing the Madeiran vista of much of its colour. Here is a picture of the two of us taken next to the Monte cable car station. You may be able to notice that Santa is climbing the last cable car tower.
Although the guide books say that drunken behaviour is extremely rare, we managed to bump into an intoxicated local shortly after our arrival in Monte. I won't go into the details of the slightly insane conversation that ensued, but will remark that he insisted on taking a picture of the two of us. This is just one of the 619 that he took.