Madalena do Mar

The road What is missing matters more than a pretty frame. A hull at the quay does not mean you can board. The Porto Santo ferry, about 2 hours 30 minutes, does not show its queue here. Grey hills behind a bright front mean the road up is in cloud. Look at that before you commit to the climb. On a cruise morning the harbour pavement fills. An empty walk in the picture is a different morning. This is not the runway, even when the airport is the next headland. And the runway picture is not this square. If your road is the VR1, stay on it until the exit. The expressway is not a viewpoint. Park properly and walk. The quay and the square are close. The VR1 is not the entrance. A cruise morning shows itself as a hull and a full pavement. You already saw that. If the ridge behind the roofs is grey, spend the hour in town and try the climb after lunch, once you have looked again. Cloud on those hills lifts or it does not, and the picture is the cheap way to find out. A boarding pass is not in the frame. Neither is a free table. A bus stop is not a parking space. Look before you set off, and look again while you can still change the plan. Funchal's sky is a weak guide to the rest of the island. Keep a jacket in the car. Do not leave the car in a lane. When the picture and the town disagree, the picture wins. Ten minutes is a fair second look. An hour can be a different shore.