We had a few hours in Tenerife’s capital, Santa Cruz.  We sampled coffee, walked through a local market, and took a bus to a beach several miles away.  The time went by quickly and we got underway.  That’s all.  The end.  Really, unless a person gets outside this capital city, there is not much to distinguish it from an industrial city.

If only city planners had kept the industrial parts of the city away from the city center.  If only.  The needs of city inhabitants were not part of the planning process.  It appears that industrial giants took advantage of a weak local government.  The port was covered with huge cranes and dreary support buildings.  It was one of the ugliest ports I have every seen.  Once I got away from the waterfront, the city took on the appearance of any other modern city.  Cafes, traffic, and a horn or two greeted those who walked along the streets.

The beach was well-known and beautiful except for the oil exploration platform floating a mile or so away in the “currently” crystal clear waters.  The beach had soft clean sand and there were little places to purchase a bit of food and drink.  Umbrellas and chairs could be rented and paddle boats too.  No matter where we went, the locals were friendly.  Very friendly.  But Santa Cruz could have been so much more.

The next day we entered Madeira’s capital, Funchal.  The port was absolutely beautiful.  We took a taxi to a beach only a couple of miles away and the city was like something out of a Disneyland resort theme.  Green plants were everywhere and the houses or apartments were well maintained and had a sense of coordinated planning.  The taxi driver let us out where the road met the beach and offered to return if we called his personal number.  We got out and began our walk along the beach.

This beach is not how most Americans would think of this beach.  The small grey stones were piled up into dunes and they were missing at other locations where the ocean met the land.  Pebbles and stones the size of soccer balls met anyone who decided to go to the water’s edge.  Though few people were in the water or on the beach, it was obvious that people enjoy this beach at other times of the year.  Steps to the beach were available every hundred feet or so and we stopped at the first place we found that served coffee.

Who ever heard of putting wine in coffee?  Not me.  But, I wanted to try something local and it was called a Madeira coffee–made from coffee, local wine, and whipped cream.  It was yucky to the last drop.  We tried a few more items and then moved on to the next eating/drinking establishment.  We might have stayed at the first place had their WIFI worked.  Oh well, I’m so glad the WIFI wasn’t working.

The next place was amazing as were the people who sat down next to us.  The server brought a local red wine and a plate with bits of fish and vegetables.  Soon, a couple of ladies sat down and ordered a green wine and I asked them what it was.  It turns out that Jacquie and Sylvia journey to Madeira every year from England and I ordered my own glass of their green wine.  They ordered some food and I ordered their food too.  We shared a conversation about the beans brought out with their drinks instead of nuts and chips.  At this point, a man at another table said the same beans are served in Italy.  It turns out Igor is from Denmark and is a tour guide several months of the year on the Amalfi Coast.

Soon the English, Americans, and the Danish customers were all crowded around a couple of tables talking about local wine, food, and the beach experience.  More wine was served and Poncha too.  Igor told how it used to be served to poor fishermen and that it was now served to everyone.  After FaceBook friend requests were made and accepted, we had to leave and we left with Jacquie leading the way.  We walked along the beach past where our taxi driver left us and continued toward our cruise ship.  The walk was beautiful and involved some caves and plenty of steps and the usual, beautiful vistas.  A taxi took us the rest of the way to the ship since we were nearly out of time.

Even without meeting such wonderful people, Madeira was a wonderful place to visit.  It is definitely a place I’d like to explore even more.  Santa Cruz?  Never.  This is my tale of two cities.