Madeira - Island Of Flowers

With its warm summers and mild winters, Madeira is Europe’s evergreen Atlantic island. Even Empress Sissi came here for a cure for her consumption. But Madeira’s climate is not just good for the health but also for the sea of flowers that bloom here on the island. mareTV visits Antonio Abreu, who has been growing plants here for 40 years. We join him as he tramps through his greenhouse with his old umbrella. The sprinkler system that Antonio worked out for himself is fed with water from the mountains through the “Levadas”, Madeira’s traditional canal system. The steep switchbacks of the mountainous island are the workplace of the toboggan drivers. In times past, the white-clad men used their quaint, basket-like sleds to transport fruit and vegetables into the valley, now they chauffeur tourists. Belmaria and Francisco Audeno take another form of transportation daily, one that is unusual for Madeira. In order to cultivate their crops, they must take a cable car – their garden lies at the bottom of a steep cliff wall and in strong trade winds, the journey itself can be a real adventure. Every two weeks, a ship brings marine game wardens to the Ilhas Desertas. It is time for a shift change on these uninhabited islands which are so different from the famed island of flowers.

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