Dinner date with a friend and market visit in Funchal

The pleasant day tour was over..As we arrived back to the hotel,hubby received a call from a childhood friend, daughter of his parents close friend in Madeira whom we never saw again since her last visit to our home in Lisbon 15 or 16 yrs ago
She invited us to have dinner with her and will come to pick us up in the hotel within an hour time, hubby accepted.

We had dinner in a place where have been during our day tour that day. As we had fish for lunch,she decided to take us to restaurant where they serve only meat called "Vila de Carne"( village meat) We had meat barbecue,mix salad,milho frito(prepared corn flour mixture,cut into pieces then fried,delicious!) baked sweet potato drizled with honey,local red wine and as for dessert,we had maracuja(maracock fruit) puding.


Before dinner,she brought us in her nice apartment which is in the city center of Funchal and overlooking the the port area.

On her beautiful and well prepared dining table,she had a blue pitcher with liquer,a prepared "aguardente" (brandy or white spirit) sweetened and flavored with any fruit the makers desired.This one taste tangerine and i like it!

Ahh, as the tradition calls in Madeira,every house during the christmas season must have a "Bolo de Mel" (honey cake).In the continent( as they call the people from Lisbon) we have "Bolo Rei" Kings cake. They said that this cake Bolo de Mel, must not be cut with knife instead, use your fingers to cut a piece to eat and so we did.

We had a goodtime and fulfilling day!!

Note: Photos of liquer and cake was not taken in her home,we bought them in the
airport.
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Next day,we hit the road again to visit Funchal at daylight.Our first stop was the "Mercado dos Lavradores" (Farmers market),buying fruit to take with us on a cable car ride to the "Monte" and to see the city of Funchal from above.

I bought three types of fruit that we seldom see in Lisbon. One of them is this one called "Banana Ananas" banana pineapple fruit.And this is how it looks and it really taste banana pineapple.


Hubby likes to see what they have in the fish area and so we went there.


This is what i saw,"peixe espada" a black swordfish (dressed and undressed)that i already know and like to prepare two different ways,fried fish filete serve with tomato rice and another way is also fried served with tomato and onion sauce,boiled potato or fried corn. As far as i know it can only be fished in this part of the world.
A group of tourist watching a fish vendor cleaning and preparing a big salmon with that look of fascination, some are taking pictures and video. I was more fascinated watching their faces, lol!!
Before i came to Portugal i only know the silvery colored swordfish,the black swordfish as i´ve been told only exist in Madeira. In this country,i have also learned to eat fish and shellfish that we never eat in Philippines.

This post is becoming long again,´i will continue next time about the cable car ride .