It all began when I saw an FPV drone video of Madeira. I really liked it, both the place itself and the footage. Then in a conversation I sent the link to Dávid, who said he wanted to shoot photos there. A year or two passed (maybe), and Dávid really went to Madeira to photograph, and after some coordination he started organizing a small photo tour. At the end of November we hit the road together: Dávid, Balázs, Ildikó, Laci and me. We drove up to Pest in two cars and left the vehicles in a paid parking lot. From there we were transferred to the airport by minibus. We went through the usual checks. Of course they picked me out of the line before boarding because of my large camera bag. A priority upgrade purchased at the last minute resolved the situation, and they told me it would be better if I arranged the return priority as soon as possible too.

The takeoff and the flight itself were completely smooth. One thing you should know about Madeira is that the landing is very technical. In my understanding, pilots must complete special training to land there because the runway is so short and the approach so demanding. Nevertheless, the landing went smoothly. In the parking lot next to the airport our two reserved cars were waiting, two Seat Aronas. Ildikó and Laci had booked a different place to stay, so our paths separated here. With our trio, we headed to a larger store (Continente) to do some shopping. This supermarket is located in a small mall. We easily found parking, the store was large and the selection was good. Prices were reasonable. After that we headed on to our accommodation in Funchal, the capital city.

We occasionally struggled with the GPS because many streets are narrow and it’s easy to miss a turn here and there. After a healthy amount of winding roads we found the place. It was a fairly ordinary apartment building. The street leading down to it was quite steep and twisty. The host brought the key quickly, explained the basics, and then left. We looked around and confirmed the place was fine. The plan was to use the accommodation for the basics, eating, charging equipment, washing up, and sleeping. Our host was solid and left some supplies on the kitchen table: mixed bakery products, soft drinks, crackers, mineral water, maybe some salami as well. I don’t remember exactly, but at least we could make good use of it. Everyone stowed their gear in their individual rooms. It had been a tiring day, so we went to bed early for the next morning.

The next morning we woke up before sunrise. After packing up we set off. Our first stop was at Ribeira da Janela on the northwest tip of the island. This is a stream mouth where rock formations jut out of the water right by the coastline. The nearby village took its name from this place. In the first photo from left to right in the bottom half you can see Ilheuzinho, Ilheus da Rib and the flatter Ribeira da Janela formation. In the background above them is Porto Moniz and the small island of Ilhéu Mole, topped by the Farol do Ilhéu Mole lighthouse. The vibrant blue of the Atlantic was stunning, and I took some time to look around the area. After sunrise we continued to the nearby town of Porto Moniz. Along the coast here smaller and larger rocks rise from the ocean. We walked around and I tried photographing the waves breaking on the rocks from the shore.